Kamala Harris and Black Women Will Shape the Future of Democratic Politics
This week California Senator Kamala Harris, the daughter of two immigrant parents, made history by becoming the first Black woman to join the ticket of a major party and seize the nomination for vice president of...
LAPD Expands Community Policing Program
Amid continuing calls for police reform, earlier this week, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced the expansion of the Los Angeles Police Department’s (LAPD) Community Safety Partnership (CSP) to the level of a bureau...
In Remembrance of Congressman John Lewis
On March 7, 1965, six hundred peaceful demonstrators marched over the Edmund Pettus Bridge on their way from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, to demand equal voting rights and protest voter suppression. They were met...
Virtual Learning Exacerbates Racial Inequities
The COVID-19 crisis has disrupted nearly every aspect of our education system, and it is undeniable that these disruptions will have long-lasting negative impacts on our most vulnerable students. This week's...
Police Reform
Despite Congress’ inaction on national police reform, we are encouraged by the massive reforms taking shape in the City of Los Angeles. The strength in our numbers and our voices can no longer be ignored, and...
Hollywood’s Lack of Diversity
This week, Hollywood's lack of diversity was brought to light when Ri-Karlo Handy, an independent African American producer, posted on a Facebook group that he was looking for "Black Union Editors." Mr. Handy...
Juneteenth 2020
On January 1st, 1863, President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation made the inhumane scourge of slavery illegal in the United States. Two and a half years later, on June 19th, 1865, after Confederate General...
Open letter: African writers in solidarity with African Americans
More than 100 authors across Africa have penned an open letter to voice support for US protesters seeking police reforms and justice for George Floyd's killing. The authors offer support for the Black Lives Matter...
AB5 Misses the Mark as Does Lorena Gonzales’ Tweet
As the head of one of Los Angeles’ longest serving civil rights organizations, I am stunned by California Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez’ recent tweet in an attempt to support her well-intentioned but flawed...
A Letter to Mayor Garcetti: A First Step in Combating Anti-Black Racism
Dear Mr. Mayor, We have not seen a pandemic of the scale, swiftness, and severity of COVID-19 in over a century. But the virus of police violence against Black people has been with us for too long and is nothing...