Unity Negro College Fund Celebrates 80 Years

“A mind is a terrible thing waste, but a wonderful thing to invest in.” – United Negro College Fund

The United Negro College Fund is celebrating their 80th year of incorporation. In honor of this milestone, ESSENCE is recognizing the organization’s remarkable legacy and looking ahead to the next 80 years.

It all started with the former president of Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, Dr. Frederick Douglass Patterson. In 1943, Patterson penned a column for The Pittsburg Courier, proposing that Black colleges ally to raise funds that would mutually benefit the consortium.

In the year following its establishment, UNCF was founded; it had 27 member colleges that served 12,000 students and generated an income of $765,000. This amount would be equivalent to $10 million today, which was three times more than what the member institutions had been able to raise separately the year before.

Today, UNCF is the biggest private scholarship provider in the US for students of color. They are providing funds for 37 HBCUs and offering over $83 million in scholarships to more than 10,000 students annually at universities and colleges. The organization has raised over $5 billion to support over half a million college students.

Happy 80th Anniversary, UNCF! We applaud you for your continued investment in our future.

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USC Scrubs Valedictorian’s Speech Amid Furor Over Antisemitism

Valedictorian Asna Tabassum denounced the decision to cancel the speech over security and safety concerns as an “”anti-Muslim” pretense.

LOS ANGELES, CA — Amid complaints about alleged antisemitic views posted online, USC’s valedictorian will not be permitted to deliver a speech at the university’s commencement ceremony due to concerns about security, the school’s provost announced Monday.

“While this is disappointing, tradition must give way to safety,” Provost Andrew Guzman wrote in a message to the university community. “This decision is not only necessary to maintain the safety of our campus and students, but is consistent with the fundamental legal obligation — including the expectations of federal regulators — that universities act to protect students and keep our campus community safe.

“It applies the same values and criteria that we have used in the past to guide our actions. In no way does it diminish the remarkable academic achievements of any student considered or selected for valedictorian. To be clear: this decision has nothing to do with freedom of speech. There is no free- speech entitlement to speak at a commencement. The issue here is how best to maintain campus security and safety, period.”

Asna Tabassum had been previously announced as this year’s valedictorian. However, critics raised questions about views relating to the conflict in the Middle East she has posted online. In letters sent to USC administrators, critics accused her of posting on a social media account a link to a website that “takes a swinging bat at over 10% of the USC student body and mudslings by calling Zionists ‘racist-settlers.”‘

“Ms. Tabassum unabashedly and openly endorses the link’s calls for ‘the complete abolishment of the state of israel (sic),”‘ according to a letter circulated for critics to submit to administrators. “As if the unqualified command for abolition of the State of Israel was unclear in any way, Ms. Tabassum’s link reinforces racism with another link, urging readers to ‘reject the hegemonic efforts to demand that Palestinians accept that Israel has a right to exist as a . . . Jewish state.”‘

Immediately following Guzman’s announcement, the Council on American- Islamic Relations-Los Angeles issued a statement demanding that the decision be reversed and that Tabassum be permitted to speak. Tabassum released a statement through CAIR-LA, saying “anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian voices have subjected me to a campaign of racist hatred because of my uncompromising belief in human rights for all.”

“This campaign to prevent me from addressing my peers at commencement has evidently accomplished its goal: today, USC administrators informed me that the university will no longer allow me to speak at commencement due to supposed security concerns,” she said. “I am both shocked by this decision and profoundly disappointed that the university is succumbing to a campaign of hate meant to silence my voice.

“I am not surprised by those who attempt to propagate hatred. I am surprised that my own university — my home for four years — has abandoned me.”

CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush called the USC decision “cowardly” and the reasoning “disingenuous.”

“Asna is an incredibly accomplished student whose academic and extracurricular accomplishments made her the ideal and historic recipient of this year’s valedictorian’s honor,” Ayloush said in a statement. “The university can, should and must ensure a safe environment for graduation rather than taking the unprecedented step of canceling a valedictorian’s speech.

“The dishonest and defamatory attacks on Asna are nothing more than thinly veiled manifestations of Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism, which have been weaponized against college students across the country who speak up for human rights — and for Palestinian humanity.”

Guzman, in his campus message, said the uproar over the valedictorian selection has taken on “an alarming tenor.”

“The intensity of feelings, fueled by both social media and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, has grown to include many voices outside of USC and has escalated to the point of creating substantial risks relating to security and disruption at commencement,” Guzman wrote. “We cannot ignore the fact that similar risks have led to harassment and even violence at other campuses.

“As always, and particularly when tensions are running so high across the world, we must prioritize the safety of our community,” he said. “And as we do every year, we have been monitoring our commencement security needs based on all the information we have and the facts on the ground. Our (Department of Public Safety) and expert campus safety team are uniquely prepared to evaluate potential threats, and we have consulted with them about the current situation, taking into account everything we know about our reality, as well as the unprecedented risks we are seeing at other campuses and across the world. We are resolute in our commitment to maintain and prioritize the existing safety and well-being of our USC community during the coming weeks, and allowing those attending commencement to focus on the celebration our graduates deserve.”

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Leimert Park Jazz Festival Sparks a Jazz Revival

In its fifth year, the Leimert Park Jazz Festival continues to inspire the local community by bringing jazz back

The Leimert Park Jazz Festival is sparking a jazz revival as it moves into its fifth year bigger and better than ever. This free community event draws diverse crowds from South Los Angeles and beyond, including out of state, to celebrate the historical culture, jazz, and community that is so unique Leimert Park.

The Leimert Park Jazz Festival will return for its highly anticipated fifth year on August 31, 2024 (details to be announced) with returning radio sponsor KJAZZ and a lineup that fans won’t want to miss. Beginning this year, going beyond the annual summertime festival, the Leimert Park Jazz Festival is curating events all year long in the community and across the city. Leimert Park Jazz Festival 360 (LPJF360) will collaborate with partners to host free and low-cost educational programs and music events at venues across the city year-round, and Sunday Jazz & Jam at ORA presented by Leimert Park Jazz Festival is a monthly series on the 4^th Sunday of each month. “We are uplifting local rising jazz stars and expanding the Leimert Park Jazz Festival one month at a time,” said a spokesperson for the festival.

The Leimert Park Jazz Festival has captured the interest of new jazz audiences and seasoned jazz lovers alike. It aims to nurture, preserve, and promote jazz and its culture in L.A.; support and uplift emerging and established jazz artists; add to the local economy; provide a platform for local visual artists via its companion art competition that features winners and finalists in the Art Pavilion at the festival; and support non-profits by donating a portion of the festival’s proceeds each year.

Leimert Park Jazz Festival is headed by Diane Robertson, an entertainment attorney and dedicated community stakeholder. She is thrilled to bring a re-emergence of jazz to the community.

The organizers of the festival are excited to enter 2024 recognized by the IRS as a 501c3 tax exempt private foundation (Federal Tax ID 93-4239725) and would like to acknowledge its new Board of Directors (Diane Robertson, Chair; Monique Earl, Treasurer; Venus Lindo, Secretary; Angeline Beunaventura; Dr. Ronald C. McCurdy; and Curt Flood, Jr.) and Board of Advisors (Victoria Foyt; Rickey Minor; and Emerson Moore, Esq.).  

For sponsorship opportunities email Diane Robertson at dbr923@gmail.com. More information can be found at https://www.leimertparkjazzfestival.org/.

ABOUT LEIMERT PARK JAZZ FESTIVAL

What started as a neighborhood block party in 2015 to bring the community together has evolved organically into the Leimert Park Jazz Festival, a premier summertime event drawing diverse crowds to celebrate jazz, community, and the cultural heritage of the historic Leimert Park community in South Los Angeles. Follow the festival on social media: 

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Public Health Introduces New Community Readiness Champions Initiative; Accomplishes Heart Heroes Goal, With More Than 500,000 LA County Residents Trained in Hands-Only CPR in 2023

Community Readiness Champions Initiative Will Train Residents and Workers in Multiple Essential Lifesaving Skills

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announced today it is launching the Community Readiness Champions Initiative, a campaign aimed to train residents and workers in multiple essential lifesaving skills.

This initiative includes Hands-only CPR/AED (Automated External Defibrillator) awareness, STOP THE BLEED®, Mental Health First Aid, and Naloxone training. The goal is to equip County residents and workers with crucial lifesaving skills needed during emergencies or disasters where emergency services may be delayed.

A series of in-person and online trainings will be available for the public through Los Angeles County. For more information on the Community Readiness Champions Initiative, click here.  

This new initiative comes after 506,332 Los Angeles County residents were trained in hands-only CPR in 2023.

“These new trainings will be essential investments in building prepared communities. Empowering people with a variety of lifesaving skills means they’ll be able to take action during emergencies and save lives,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.Ed., Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. “In 2023, we partnered with dozens of organizations to make sure that more than 500,000 residents and workers in LA County were successfully trained in hands-only CPR through our Heart Heroes campaign.  Our hope is that, through the Community Readiness Champions Initiative, thousands of residents and workers will have an opportunity to expand their skills, since we have learned that the first individuals responding to a crisis are often family, friends, work colleagues, and neighbors.”

Public Health launched its Heart Heroes Campaign in early 2023 with the goal of training 500,000 Los Angeles County residents in hands-only CPR by December 31, 2023. The campaign successfully reached its goal by partnering with the American Heart Association and more than 100 other organizations and institutions to offer trainings at sporting events, entertainment venues, places of worship, college and school campuses, worksites, malls, and seasonal events throughout LA County communities. Expert instructors from Public Health and partner organizations offered free hands-only CPR training sessions to thousands of people at local professional and collegiate sporting events, community events, and parks. 

Additionally, community members were trained to be hands-only CPR trainers for their organizations as part of the campaign.

Heart Heroes 2023 partners included:

• Volunteer Organizations:

         American Heart Association

         American Red Cross

         Emergency Network Los Angeles (ENLA)

         Medical Reserve Corps Los Angeles (MRCLA)

         Salvation Army

         Tri-City CERT Association

• Government Agencies: 

         Burbank Fire Department

         City of Carson

         City of Whittier

         Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles

         Los Angeles County (LAC) Arboretum and Botanic Gardens

         LAC Beaches and Harbors

         LAC Chief Executive Office (CEO) Office of Emergency Management

         LAC CEO Risk Management Branch

         LAC Child Support Services

         LAC Department of Health Services – Emergency Medical Services Agency

         LAC Department of Public Social Services

         LAC Department of Public Works

         LAC Department of Treasurer and Tax Collector LAC Fire Department

         LAC Fire Department

         LAC Internal Services Department

         LAC Office of Education (LACOE)

         LAC Parks and Recreation

         LAC Registrar Recorder

         LAC Treasurer and Tax Collector

         Los Angeles Emergency Management Department

         Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD)

         Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD)

         Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)

         The Wellness Center

• Sports Teams:

         Los Angeles Chargers

         Los Angeles Dodgers

         Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC)

         Los Angeles Galaxy

         Los Angeles Kings

         Los Angeles Lakers

         Los Angeles Rams

         Los Angeles Sparks

• Business and Entertainment Venue Partners:

         Caruso

         Crypto.com Arena

         Hotel Association Los Angeles

         Insomniac

         Los Angeles Convention Center

         Los Angeles Zoo

         SoFi Stadium

         South Coast Botanic Garden

         The Music Center

         Walt Disney Company

• Colleges and Universities:

         Pepperdine University

         Rio Hondo College

         University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

         University of Southern California (USC)

For a full listing of the Los Angeles County Heart Heroes 2023 Partner Organizations, please see the Los Angeles County Heart Heroes Partners List posted on the website.

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