Frances Moore The Quilt Lady
- Details
- Category: Featured Resident
- Published on Tuesday, 06 October 2009 10:58
- Written by Dianne Lawrence
During one of my evening strolls a neighbor pointed out a cute little house set back off the street. She told me that one of the best quilters in Los Angeles lived there.
I caught up with Frances one day as she unloaded groceries from her car and asked if she would mind sharing some of her story with us. She kindly consented.
Fascinated by the process of creating pictures with fabric instead sewing a soon-to-be-forgotten new outfit, Frances Moore began quilting in 1996. In 2003, after her first gallery show in Los
Angeles, Sisters of the Cloth, she began teaching quilting at local quilt shops, at her guild Quilter’s By The Sea in Long Beach and recently at retreats for The Two Wacky Women. She has entered quilts at Road To California and the Pacific International Quilt Festival in Santa Clara. Frances says ‘I also had a quilt at the Houston Show, but that doesn’t count because it was small and in my purse at the time.”
Brent Green, Greening The Neighborhood
- Details
- Category: Featured Resident
- Published on Monday, 09 October 2006 23:00
- Written by Dessie Reese
Brent Green serves as Vice-president to a new Neighborhood Block Club in the area between La Brea Ave and Hauser Ave. south of Washington Blvd., Region 7 of the MINC Neighborhood Association. He is also responsible for the greening of Mid-City.
Very seldom do you meet someone whose love for nature matches his heart, intellect and soul. Brent Green’s love for plants began at the tender age of 6 when his mother cut the branch off of a philodendron plant from a pot in the kitchen window, to demonstrate to her sweet son how nature takes its course and would soon produce another. She would pay him 25 cents to water the plant and take care of it. The philodendron plant did indeed produce another, and another, and so Brent took it upon himself to produce even more plants through cuttings. He thought it was not only a good idea to make stems from the mother plant to watch them grow but he could also put them in Dixie cups and give them to the older women in his neighborhood as Christmas gifts. The accolades and support he received from his friends, family and neighbors was astounding and inspired him to continue his devotion to plants, eventually obtaining a degree in Horticulture from Cal Poly Santa Luis Obispo College.
Don Lynch, West Adams Historian
- Details
- Category: Featured Resident
- Published on Monday, 09 October 2006 23:00
- Written by Dianne Lawrence
Did you know that West Adams contains the largest concentration of historical monuments in all of Los Angeles?
Find out more about this in the recently published West Adams, part of a series called Images of America published by Arcadia Publishing and co-authored by Western Heights resident historian, Don Lynch, along with West Adam residents Suzanne Tarbell Cooper and John Kurtz,
You will find 1918 aerial shots of both Western Heights and Kinney Heights as well as historic scenes from each neighborhood.
A number of historic pictures of homes in Western Heights are featured such as:
2129 West 21st, 2101 S. Gramercy, 2219 West 20th (contemporary photo, but the shooting in the entryway in 1913 was too good to leave out of the book), 2268 West 20th, 2279 West 20th, and 2267 West 20th.
You can order it from Amazon.com
The perfect Holiday gift!
Regina Jones, A Lifetime Achievement Award Honoree
- Details
- Category: Featured Resident
- Published on Thursday, 05 October 2006 07:00
- Written by Dianne V Lawrence
Regina Jones, a 42 year resident of Country Club Park, was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center.
Regina was Founder and Publisher of Soul Newspaper, the first biweekly dedicated to the coverage of Black arts and entertainment in 1966.
During Soul’s sixteen years of publication Regina participated in all aspects of publishing and the magazine was credited with assisting in the launch of many now legendary recording artists. After the newspaper she began a career in the public relations business and coordinated major events including fundraising and publicity for the Reverend Jesse Jackson’s 1984 presidential campaign. Regina was responsible for his appearance (the first presidential candidate to appear) on Saturday Night Live.
In 1986, she started her own independent public relations firm handling press, public relations, event planning and crisis management for diverse clients that included: NAACP Image Awards (13 Annual Shows), Geffen Records (James Ingram), the Bishop Tutu World Peace Concert, Black Women’s Forum, Coca-Cola USA, Orchid Communications, Capitol Records and a number of actors (Cicely Tyson), producers, recording artists and executives. Regina began working with Crystal Stairs, Inc. in 1995 to develop media and public awareness of the agency’s childcare programs and accomplishments and raised $7.5 million.
Regina is currently working on The SOUL Legacy, a nonprofit corporation to preserve, collect, exhibit, and share the rich history and cultural heritage of Black entertainment during the 1960’s and -70’s.
UPDATE APRIL 2016 REGINA RECEIVES AWARD FROM THE CITY
https://theneighborhoodnewsonline.net/news/community/1143-regina-jones-2016-pioneer-woman
Roy Readmond
- Details
- Category: Featured Teen
- Published on Friday, 19 October 2018 22:10
- Written by D.V. Lawrence
While grandparents despair that the younger generation has been captured by twitter, instagram, gameboys, selfies, cell phones, celebrity and various other electronic distractions - or that the art of reading a book or writing a poem has been sacrificed to these false gods - they need despair no more. Roy Readmond, a 16 year old Los Angeles native, resident of Kinney Heights and student at Larchmont Charter School is a member ofLarchmont’s “Get Lit” poetry team. These school teams engage in fierce poetry competition throughout the city and Roy's team made it all the way to the Los Angeles City Finals this Spring. “Get Lit” is the largest student poetry organization in the country and Roy's poem wowed everyone.To Grandpa, Who Had Alzheimer's,
and Lost Himself In His Leather Chair.
When you had your last stroke,
when, inescapably
you fell away
from understanding--
Your entire world
reduced to four rooms--
When the final clouds
over the valley of your mind
let go of their last rain,
the ridges of your brain
physically unraveled like your marriage.
In the last few months,
Your stomach never stopped commanding.
Did you still crave
Montana freshwater oysters,
and Cherry Garcia ice cream?
Your eyes inspected the room:
Was it because, when you dropped your plates,
their shattering reminded you
of the firing of a gun--
your soul explosively
Amputated from your body,
a lost hunter
in an overgrown forest of neurosis,
Listening for the sound of a great white stag.
Were you listening for your spirit?
Or was your soul,
Still Inside you?
A bird entangled in the Celtic knot of
Sulci and gyri brain ridges,
a dying grey snake,
Sitting in its own living room,
Losing itself in its leather chair.
I remember in the last few days,
you thought you were a wild horse--
the family, that you had carried for so long,
could not force you to drink water.
You converted your parched body
into a desert as if to prepare yourself
for your final crossing-- sacrifice for migration over--
like the time you rode across
Death Valley with only Poncho,
your favorite mule,
The night that you died,
you came to my father and uncle together
Whom you could no longer love or remember,
In the winter of a dream.
You were a horned owl perched
in the hollow of a cottonwood tree
Before flying out
in a snowstorm
Gone-forever-saying:
“It is time.”
Lily Larsen Adolescent Teen Activist
- Details
- Category: Featured Teen
- Published on Monday, 14 August 2017 13:23
- Written by Phil America
Born and raised in Mid-City LA, 17-year-old Lily Larsen is not your average young person. Unlike most people you know, she spends more time in community meetings than on social media. Growing up in a socially engaged family she saw the issues her neighborhood faced, big and small, and decided to do something about it. From a young age she has worked tirelessly to bring a youthful voice to the landscape of her neighborhood and Los Angeles. With five generations of Los Angelinos behind her, she has no plan to leave. We sat down to talk with her about everything from ageism to her favorite place to eat. In a time when the nation is as divisive as it’s ever been, Larsen is pulling the community together and getting other people her age to do the same.I want to talk to you first about the neighborhood. You are born and raised in Mid-City?
Lily: Yes my ancestors, five generations, are from West Adams.
How would you describe the neighborhood to someone who’s not from here?
Lily: That’s a good question. When I tell my friends from outside, they don’t really know where it is. Or they associate it only with LACMA. It’s more than that. Whenever I ride my bike I smell different foods and hear different music. To me it’s like fireworks. There’s always something going on. There is a mix of everything and it’s a representation of Los Angeles as a whole.
Right. Other areas are not as multicultural.
Lily: I love it here. I’m really grateful to have been raised here. Growing up we didn’t have any resources,so we just played in the street. There was no community center. So my mom [Blair Baron Larsen featured in our Dec 2012 issue]started the LA Drama Club. It’s a free Shakespeare club where kids learn Shakespeare and the social justice aspects of it. It’s in West Adams and it’s a summer program. We built this theater troop just from the kids on the block.
So would you say your mom is the one who got you into being active in the community?
Lily: Yes. I attended my first protest when I was five. I was actually wearing this shirt that says "Democracy is not a spectator sport." Since then I’ve been doing activist-related stuff. My mom is an actress, so we mixed the activism and theater.
Art and culture is a great way to open the door to social justice-related issues for people.
Exactly. Art saves lives. Kids I knew were getting sent to jail at 10 years old and we got a lot of them into the Shakespeare program and it changed their lives.
It’s incredible how powerful art and culture can be. Tell me about your work in this community.
I currently serve on Mayor Garcetti’s Youth Council. I served on it for East LA and currently serve on it for South LA. I’m working on being the Central Area Youth Representative for the city of LA. I’m involved with the Mid-City Neighborhood Council. I noticed that there was no youth position and no youth voices being heard. I just got elected in. Most teens in my neighborhood don’t even know that they have the power to make changes in their own neighborhood.
Tell us about the other great work you are involved in around the city.
I’m working on a community cleanup in Watts. I’m working on a festival called the Express Your Roots To Future Generations. There is so much. There needs to be a way to get the teens and youth in communities more connected. I don’t even know kids who live five blocks from me. I want to figure out how to get some murals down Washington Blvd. and a community garden.
What do you think adults need to do to help the youth be more involved in the community and what does the youth need to do to get the adults to help them more?
I think adults need to have trust in the youth and know that the youth wants to have a foot in their community to make change. There is a lot of ageism that goes on and the youth aren’t taken seriously. The youth needs to know that they can get involved and to not be scared. They are the future of the community. The youth is the community.
What could people moving here do to better the community?
Get to know everyone in the neighborhood. Support the
community. Support small businesses.
I recently moved here so that’s great advice.
Understanding your neighbors and not excluding anyone is
important.
Do you have a favorite restaurant around here?
Atomic Cafe was great but it closed. Now I like Las Anayas, Honey Bees House of Breakfast and Delicious Pizza all on Adams Blvd.
Check out Lilys blog at www.adolescentactivist.com
Teens Overcoming Hardships Share at The Blu Elefant
- Details
- Category: Featured Teen
- Published on Tuesday, 20 December 2016 16:56
- Written by Amber Rogers
Veliz felt it necessary to provide this platform because she also faced many obstacles before achieving success. At the age of 17 she came to the United States from Venezuela to pursue a career in acting. She faced countless obstacles at the start of her career. She was told that her roles would be very limited due to the fact she was a Latina. This was the driving force behind her road to success.
“I began writing, producing, and directing,” said Veliz. “I offered parts to people of all backgrounds. I focused on helping independent film makers and empowering communities of color.”
Here are a few of their stories:
Edgar Pena an honor student was brave enough to share his story. Pena was born in Los Angeles after his parents moved here from Central America. His father worked 12-hour shifts in order to provide for his family. Because of this he was unable to establish the bond he needed with his father. His mother didn’t speak English so it was hard for her to provide him with the help he needed in school. Because of this and the lack of support he received from his teachers, he struggled in school in his early years.
“I considered my two closest friends my role models,” said Pena.
As he and his friends got older, the neighborhood in which they lived began to pose obstacles. It was gang and drug infested and looked to take over the young boys lives. With these major influences, Pena and his friends experimented with alcohol and drugs.
Pena attended Emerson middle school, which was unsafe to travel to from his home. One day he was jumped by gang members.
“After I was beat up I laid there and kept asking why this happened to me,” said an emotional Pena. “My view of life changed at that moment. I knew I did not want to end up like these people.”
He decided to leave the drugs and alcohol alone after this experience. His friends on the other hand became consumed by these substances. Because of this, he decided to make one of the hardest decisions of his life and separate himself from the two.
“After losing them I felt alone,” said Pena. “I lost my two closest friends, and my role models. I had no one else to look to for support.”
But after attending Math and Science College Preparatory High School, he started making friends and getting the support he’s always needed from his teachers. He quickly made his way to the top three of his class.
“I’m proving everyone who called me a failure wrong,” said Pena.
He is currently applying to various colleges and is looking forward to a successful future.
Jackie Martinez is another student who had an inspirational story to share. Before she began to tell her story she was immediately moved to tears. After about five minutes she was able to recollect and read her autobiography.
Along with her family, Martinez was born in Toluca, Mexico. Her father had come to the Los Angeles to get a better job and save money to arrange for the arrival of the rest of the family. After two years of being apart, when she was six her father sent for the family. He arranged for them to be divided between families returning to the states for a small fee. Unfortunately the journey would not be an easy one.
“When we arrived at the border we were asked for identification and how each of us were related,” said Martinez. “I was asked my name in English but I had no idea what I was being asked. My fake family forgot that I did not speak English. They were immediately arrested and I was sent to an orphanage.”
In this orphanage she recalls being treated very harshly by the staff. When all hope was lost, her mother somehow found where she was and picked her up. They traveled to Tijuana to begin a journey to Los Angeles. Martinez remembers the journey being very rigorous.
“We sometimes went without eating for days, we walked for hours at a time, we had to climb mountains, and cross rivers,” said Martinez. “My mother has heart disease so it made it hard to complete the journey. At the age of six I leaned independence and maturity.”
After a long trip, Martinez and her mother made it to Los Angeles where they moved into a one-bedroom apartment with her father and siblings who had also made it. They had to share a kitchen and bathroom with a man who owned a home next to them. They struggled financially for most of her early life.
She fast-forwarded to her high school experience where she became class president and volunteered to do community work. She made her way to the top of her class and now focuses on helping other students who are undocumented.
“I feel there are immigration laws to intimidate undocumented people, so we need to work harder,” said a teary-eyed Martinez.
Bryan Alvarez’s parents made the trip from Guatemala to Los Angeles to look for better jobs and to provide him with a quality education. Because his parents worked so much, he spent most of his time with his babysitter.
As he got older he spent most of his time at school because he didn’t feel comfortable at home.
“I called it my second home,” said Alvarez. “I joined many after school program so that I could spend most of my time at school instead of at home.”
He was often bullied at school, and this led him to contemplate suicide. It was hard for him to make friends until he attended Math and Science Academy College Preparatory High School. His friends in high school are the only people he considered family. He was inspired by many of his teachers to further his education.
“I am going to college so that I can get a better job and never have to struggle like this again,” said Alvarez.
Yudith Sanchez shared her story of longing to have her father in her life. At 10-years-old her father was drunk and arrested for acting violently toward her mother. He was undocumented so after his arrest he was sent back to Mexico. Just a little girl, Sanchez wasn’t told the reality of the situation.
“Everyday after school I would run outside and hope it would be my father picking me up,” said Sanchez.
After many years of disappointment, she received a phone call from her father who told her he was in Mexico and wasn’t coming back. A heartbroken Sanchez couldn’t understand why, and her heart was torn more when her father told her that they would never survive without him.
“He kind of rubbed it in our faces that me and my mom wouldn’t make it without him,” said Sanchez.
Sanchez took those words and used them to fuel her aspiration of graduating high school, going to college, and getting a good job. She is currently applying to different colleges.
The last student was Aaron Perkins. Growing up he faced bullying because of his size, and race. He moved from school to school which made it difficult for him to make friends. He dealt with being an outcast while his twin sister was always popular.
He was able to get through his early years by joining L.A.’s Best which was an after school enrichment program.
“When the bell rang I would run as fast as I could to the after school program.” Said Perkins. “This was my safe haven from the bullies at my school.”
Perkins was disappointed in the school system. There was a lack of resources and support from teachers. This led him to become to go to and become very proactive at Math and Science College Preparatory High School where he mentors students.
“I encourage my peers and youth to speak out against bullying,” said Perkins. “I also encourage my peers to do everything it takes to become everything they want to be.”
Edward Roberts Jr.
- Details
- Category: Featured Teen
- Published on Monday, 17 August 2015 22:23
- Written by Press Release
In honor of Cedars-Sinai being the official medical center of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the hospital invited former patients from their Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and their families to a Sunday’s night game against the San Francisco Giants. One of their former patients, Edward Roberts Jr., who lives in the Pico-Fairfax area, was selected to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Roberts was born 19 years ago, weighing one pound seven ounces when he arrived at just 24 weeks. Today he is a tap dancer, pianist and athletic trainer as well as a business student at Bethune Cookman University in Florida. He credits his success to Cedars-Sinai’s NICU, part of the Maxine Dunitz Children’s Health Center, and to his parents, who followed their doctor’s advice and made sure that he received extensive early interventions to strengthen his weak muscles.
Roberts’ parents had no idea that the music therapy and dance therapy he received as a child would lead to a lifetime interest in tap dancing. Roberts says he wants to tell parents of other preemies to “keep the faith and your babies will make it just like I was able to make it.”
Roberts said that throwing out a ceremonial pitch was a “once-in-a-lifetime experience.” His parents were able to stay on the field during the singing of the national anthem. Roberts was joined on the field by Cedars-Sinai philanthropist Maxine Dunitz, and Charles F. Simmons, Jr., MD, chairman of the Department of Pediatrics and director of the Division of Neonatology.Going forward, Cedars-Sinai will be promoting the partnership with the Dodgers by distributing co-branded Dodgers/Cedars-Sinai knit caps to all babies born at the hospital.
Mom Edward Jr. Charles Simmons Jr.MD Dad
Lorraine Edwards Robert Sr.
Harvey
Harvey
Chemil Durant & Kathleen Glynn Speechmakers
- Details
- Category: Featured Teen
- Published on Friday, 01 May 2015 15:36
- Written by Kevin Glynn
The Legion contest for high school students has been running for over 75 years and has awarded over $3 million in scholarships. It aims to instill in high school students a greater knowledge and appreciation of our Constitution, to develop leadership qualities, to develop the ability to think and speak clearly and to prepare them for the duties and responsibilities of citizenship.Congratulations Neighborhood News Featured Teens!!
Walking a Tight Line: Teens Extracurriculars and Academics
- Details
- Category: Featured Teen
- Published on Thursday, 13 February 2014 16:33
- Written by Michelle Mendieta, L.A. High Reporter
Evelyn Lopez
is in Color Guard. This requires her to stay after school for several hours and even give up some of her Saturdays. How is she able to keep the legacy of her school going, while not ruining her own? “I take advantage of the days we don’t have practice, so I can get ahead in school work and even though I’m tired after practice, I force myself to do my homework since it was my decision to be in color guard, even if that means sleeping late,” she says.
Lopez’s determined mindset allows her to have a clear view of her goals and not blur anything out. This way, she knows her priorities and nothing gets left out. Lopez’s willpower motivates her, as well as keeps out any negative thoughts that might become obstacles.
Students, clarifying goals will let you know what you need to focus on.
Jasmin Han,
Student Body Vice President, and President of Junior Council is another student putting in tremendous amount of work, yet she still manages to stay on her “A” game. Being an officer is something that requires a lot of time on its own, especially when one is an officer for more than one major council. Time is always the problem for students like Han or Lopez. When it comes to school work, there never seems to be enough time. But, Han proves this idea wrong. “Balance? No way, it is a struggle 24/7. I find that keeping a schedule helps organize everything. I’m always exhausted, but because I enjoy everything I do, my hectic life doesn’t feel like a burden,” says Han.
Instead of picking too many extra curricular activities, she chose those that she knows she enjoys. Therefore, she does not consider it extra work. A strong characteristic like this is what makes her both a great leader and student.
Lopez and Han are just two of the many students attending Los Angeles Senior High School who successfully manage their academics as well as their extracurricular activities. Sometimes the amount of work they have to do seems impossible, but with the right mentality and focus, the students are able to overcome any obstacle.
More Articles...
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- Kyle Pratt from Kinney Heights, Climbing New Heights
- Alexa Bates & Nina Milligan.
- Bella Hutchinson. Making a Difference in Haiti
- Youth On Fire, Juana Molina and Erron Harris
- Iby Lopez-Glynn, Three Cheers!
- Texting. What IS the Point?
- Do You Know a Teen Who Has Something to Say?
- NEXT! Dianne V. Lawrence on wrapping up the hard copy of The Neighborhood News
- Keith Corbin. From the Projects to Head Chef
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