LAWT 12-13-2012 by LA WATTSTIMES

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Vol. XXX, No. 1314

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Thursday, December 13, 2012

L.A. Watts Times

Thursday, December 13, 2012

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mental energy is sustained through the week. Work it out by talking it out. Soul Affirmation: This week is the week the Lord has made. I rejoice in it. CORPIO ~ Get in touch with those who can help you achieve your goals. Place the accent on initiative. Romance, passion and work are singing in harmony this week and this week. Soul Affirmation: My love for myself is the most important love for me to have. AGITTARIUS ~ Joy this week comes from love. You are especially attractive. Stage your week so that you spend time around people you want to attract. It is easy for you to bring harmony into your relationships. Your ability to communicate is greatly enhanced. Use it to your best advantage. Soul Affirmation: The success of others is the investment I make in myself. APRICORN ~ Are you spending money with little or nothing to show for it? This is because you’re looking for something that money can’t buy. Now is a good time to spend some of your emotional currency, and don’t be cheap. You’ll create a situation in which people will work hard to please you. Soul Affirmation: Friendships are shock absorbers on the bumpy roads of life. QUARIUS ~ You may like to go to war, but avoid an argument with a friend; it will slow down all the wonderful progress you’ve been making. Your patience will be tested this week, stay on task. Soul Affirmation: I smile and trust in the powers beyond myself. ISCES ~ Skip it! Don’t sweat the small stuff, it’ll only bring you down. Don’t run around inside your own head this week. Focus your awareness outside on something beautiful. Compromise is a key idea this week. Soul Affirmation: Jewelry reflects the beauty of my feelings about myself.

Inside This Edition

Prop. 8 heads to the U.S. Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court – where Prop 8 will be decided. BY JENNIFER BIHM ASSISTANT EDITOR

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MOMBASA SQUARE ANSWERS FROM 12-6-12

RIES ~ Mental fog lifts and you are sharp as a tack once again. You’ll be making decisions about partnerships and joint finances. A very happy week is in store. Soul Affirmation: My smile is a radiant light to those I encounter. AURUS ~ Exercise prudence this week in your handling of personal funds. Let your mind wander into the future and you’ll receive the happy answer that you are looking for. Time shared with a partner this week will be very enjoyable. Soul Affirmation: Helping others is the true measure of my worth. EMINI ~ Work with a partner or colleagues goes exceptionally well this week. You receive praise for a job well done! Feel free to change your mind regarding a personal issue. News from a distance arrives. Soul Affirmation: I go inside myself to find peace and joy this week. ANCER ~ Pay attention to the details in your big bright beautiful picture this week. You’ll handle everything that comes up if you keep your focus sharp. A grand social event is in store for the week. Soul Affirmation: I am willing to make changes in my life. EO ~ Things are going your way in wonderful ways this week. Happy news may arrive from a distance, and on the home front, a romantic question may be answered. Friends are glad to be with you. All in all, a very pleasant week! Enjoy! Soul Affirmation: Success is mine because I feel successful. IRGO ~ Your social life gives big rewards during the week. However, give attention to e-mail contacts. Don’t be afraid as your mental horizon expands into new areas. Soul Affirmation: You are gifted with the ability to give. IBRA ~ Your relationships can receive a big boost from a trip that beckons. Business is also highlighted. Your strong

Dec. 13 - 19

“The recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to consider marriage equality takes our nation one step closer to realizing the American ideal of equal protection under the law for all people,” said Attorney General Kamala Harris, part of a growing number of elected officials and community leaders lauding the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last week to review a California gay marriage case and the validity of Proposition 8. “For justice to prevail, Proposition 8 must be invalidated so that gay and lesbian families are finally treated with equality and dignity.” Proposition 8, a descendent of California’s 2000 Proposition 22, was the “California Marriage Protection Act,” later titled “Eliminates Rights of Same Sex Couples to Marry” on the November 2008 ballot. The prop added to the “Declaration of Rights” portion of the state’s constitution, providing that “only a marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” The ban on gay marriage went into effect the day after Prop 8 passed and was in direct opposition to the Supreme Court’s earlier ruling that it was unconstitutional. The next year, same sex couple Kristin Perry and Sandra Steir, applied for a marriage license in Alameda County, which was denied, as was one for Paul Katami and Jeffrey Zarrillo. The couples filed a suit against state officials including then Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown. Brown agreed that the ruling violated the 14th Amendment to the United State’s Constitution and did not participate in the defense; neither did Schwarzenegger although he did agree that the courts should hear the case. ProtectMarriage.com organizer Dennis Hollingsworth a staunch supporter of Prop 8, was allowed to step in as a defendant. Now governor, Brown continues his refusal to defend the lawsuit as does Harris who promised as much during her campaign for attorney general. Other elected officials are also weighing in, looking forward, they said, to the ban being overturned. “I sincerely hope that the Supreme Court finds Proposition 8 violates the

promise of equal protection guaranteed by the Constitution,” Senator Barbara Boxer said in a statement released shortly after the December 7 decision. “I believe support for marriage equality keeps growing stronger.” “Today’s announcement that the Supreme Court will take up Hollingsworth v. Perry and the challenges to the Defense of Marriage Act is a reminder that the pathway to justice is long and difficult,” said Speaker John A. Perez, who also released a statement last week. “I am very confident that the Supreme Court will rule in favor of our community in Hollingsworth v. Perry, as it is now known, and affirm that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional. But until that outcome is secured, our community must continue to fight for justice on every front, from working to secure the Employment NonDiscrimination Act to addressing the issues of homelessness among LGBT Youth.” LGBT activist Jasmyne Cannick agrees. While attitudes about same-sex marriage are changing—with about 48 percent of Americans in favor of it, the community should stay “focused on the real issues facing all of us—gay, lesbian, and heterosexual--jobs, affordable housing, education, and access to healthcare,” she said. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa called the Supreme Court’s decision an ‘opportunity.’ “Today, the U.S. Supreme Court faces the opportunity to rectify the injustices caused by denying gay and lesbian Americans the right to follow their hearts and marry the person they love,” he said. “I am confident that the highest court in our land will follow the wisdom of the 9th Circuit and grant all couples — regardless of sexual orientation — the freedom to marry.” “We understand that our nation has to be a nation of laws and that there is one class of people, and the law has to apply equally to all of us regardless of race, gender, class or sexual orientation,” Black AIDS Institute Executive Director Phil Wilson. “We are hopeful that the Supreme Court will affirm that Prop 8 is unconstitutional.” The Court is expected to make the final decision in June 2013.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Councilwoman Perry leads $billion development around the USC area Project to bring $27 million in community benefits and create 12,000 jobs BY LAWT NEWS SERVICE Councilwoman Jan Perry received unanimous support from her colleagues for a comprehensive plan for major development in and around the University of Southern California (USC). The $5.2 billion dollar project will be the largest private development in South Los Angeles. The project includes an approximately $27 million dollar community benefits package negotiated thanks in large part, to the leadership of Councilwoman Perry. “For many years, the University has been growing without a plan in place. With today’s vote, we have set forth a clear and inclusive plan for developing South Los Angeles,” said Perry, who initiated a negotiation process that moved the project forward and helped create consensus between the university and community advocates. “I am proud that together we have developed a community benefits package that respects the entire community. This project will produce thousands of new jobs for city of Los Angeles residents and new revenue for the city’s general fund that will help pay for basic city services.” The USC specific plan sets out a goal for development in and around the university over the next 20 years. The project includes 2,500,000 sq ft of academic and university uses, 350,000 sq ft of retail/commercial development (University Village)—that includes a full service grocery store, drug store, cinemas and sit-down restaurants, 2,135,000 sq ft of student and faculty housing providing up to 5,400 student beds, a 165,000 sq ft hotel, and 12.33 acres of public and private open space. The project will be built on land currently owned by USC. The $27 million dollar community benefits package was negotiated to ensure that the project supported the needs of the surrounding community. The package includes local hire, apprenticeship programs for area residents, and will create an estimated 12,000 new jobs (8,000 permanent and 4,000 construction) over the 20

Councilmember Jan Perry, university officials, members of the Building Trades, and community members celebrate passage of USC development plan. year life of the development. Job opportunities are ensured for community residents (construction and permanent) through a project labor agreement and commitment made in the development agreement. “In a community with 18% unemployment, the creation of tens of thousands of new jobs will have a significant positive impact in South Los Angeles,” Perry said. Additionally, the university has committed to developing substantial new student housing to alleviate pressure on the surrounding community and has committed $20 million for the city’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Open space that serves the University and community will be developed and will house farmers markets and include concerts and community festivals. USC will also improve pedestrian safety along Jefferson Boulevard for both students and community members. The project represents a $1.1 billion construction-related economic impact to the Los Angeles County economy, $2.8 million in one-time revenue to the city from construction, and $1.7 million annually in revenue benefits to the city from operations. The project is estimated to contribute $3.8 million in Tax Increment Revenues through 2030.

BlackFacts.com December 13, 1903 Ella Baker was born in Norfolk, Virginia. A civil rights worker who directed the New York branch of the NAACP, Baker became executive director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in the 1960’s during student integration of lunch counters in the southern states. She also played a key role in the formation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and its voter registration drive in Mississippi. December 14, 1939 Ernie Davis was born. Davis was a star running back at Syracuse University; first Black player to win the Heisman Trophy in 1961; drafted by the Washington Redskins and traded to Cleveland but died the following year of leukemia before playing a pro game.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Dedicated Wheels turn Black students into practicing physicians Summer program seeks aspiring doctors and dentists across the nation

Photograph courtesy of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Physicians Alden M. Landry, MD (left) and Kameron Leigh Matthews, MD, (right) strike a pose with their Tour for Diversity in Medicine bus — on a roll to inspire students and promote health care careers.

Dentist. Doctor. Surgeon. In a country where dreams are like wings, a new cadre of students is soaring to become the next generation of promising health professionals. They meet protégés where they are — on campuses of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, and in high schools largely based in medical-

ly underserved communities. Earlier this fall, physicians Alden M. Landry, 31, and Kameron Leigh Matthews, 33, launched their ‘get on the bus’ style Tour for Diversity in Medicine to promote health professions to underrepresented students throughout the country. A pledge to “give back” has fueled the passions of the two former medical students, who have translated their commitment to mentoring into opportunity on wheels. The branded motor bus is literally on a roll, traveling to sometimes unlikely places to reach, teach and inspire. “We recognize that many of the students we reach may not have the resources or inclination to come to recruitment fairs,” confides Matthews, who has earned both JD and MD degrees. The goal is to reach people in their comfort zone to explain that dreams beyond their immediate reach are attainable. Tour for Diversity (T4D) is a project of Hip Hop Health, Inc., a nonprofit organization that Landry launched

business card bulletin board

BY LAWT NEWS SERVICE

to blend social media and health education to reach and inspire the Hip Hop generation. The bus tour was the brainchild of Matthews and Landry, both leaders of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA). SNMA is the student branch of the National Medical Association, the largest and oldest professional society of African American physicians. Landry is also a 2000 alumnus of the Summer Medical and Dental Education Program (SMDEP) (formerly the Minority Medical Education Program), a free enrichment program sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The six-week academic initiative provides rising college freshman and sophomores from disadvantaged backgrounds with a timely introduction to the rigorous preparation required to pursue careers in medicine or dentistry. The program operates at 12 university sites with each accepting up to 80 students per summer session. “The program jumpstarted my commitment to becoming a physician by showing me what it takes to get into medical school early – so I could get on track to realize my dreams,” Landry recalls. The recruitment drive for SMDEP summer 2013 participants is now open and will continue to accept applications through March 1, 2013. For more information, visit www.smdep.org . SMDEP 12 site locations include: • Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, Ohio) • Columbia University (New York, N.Y.) • Duke University (Durham, N.C.) • Howard University (Washington, D.C.) • University of California-Los Angeles (Los Angeles, Calif.) • UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical and New Jersey Dental (Newark, N.J.) See DEDICATED WHEELS, page 11

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Person Of The Week | Cynthia Bridges BOE Executive Director named 2012 Tax Administrator of the Year BY LAWT NEWS SERVICE State Tax Notes named Cynthia Bridges, executive director for the California State Board of Equalization (BOE), as its 2012 Tax Administrator of the Year, BOE Chairman Jerome E. Horton announced. “Ms. Bridges brings an energetic and proactive record of success to the California State Board of Equalization,” said Horton. “She is most deserving of this recognition for her outstanding accomplishments.” State Tax Notes, a publication of Tax Analysts, is a national provider of state tax news, analysis, and commentary. The Tax Administrator of the Year is awarded to the official who influences administration and collection nationwide. Award recipients are selected based on interviews, informal polling, and input from the State Tax Notes editorial staff. “I am humbled to be chosen for this honor,” Bridges said. “I’m looking forward to continuing my work to meet taxpayer needs, and enhance voluntary compliance and operational effectiveness here at the BOE.” Last year, State Tax Notes chose Bridges as one of the nation’s “Top 10 Tax Administrators,” and the Baton Rouge Business Reports named her as one of the “Most Influential Women in Business” in 2007. Prior to joining the BOE as

Cynthia Bridges executive director in August 2012, Bridges served as Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Revenue, a position to which she was appointed by three Louisiana Governors. During her 12 years in that role, Bridges helped transform the agency into a recognized leader in customer service, one of many accomplishments during her 30year career with the Louisiana Department of Revenue. Bridges is a Certified Public Accountant, and a graduate of the Strategic Leadership Program at Duke University and the Revenue Management Program at the Wharton School of Executive Education in Philadelphia.

Assemblymember Isadore Hall to Attend Harvard’s Emerging Leaders Academy Assemblymember Isadore Hall announced that he has been admitted to Harvard’s Emerging Leaders Academy. The Academy will train 70 top executives and elected political leaders from around world. Hall is one of only five leaders from the Unites States to gain admission and will participate in the program between December 9 and December 15. The classes will be held at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “I am looking forward to joining with leaders from across the globe in participating in Harvard’s Emerging Leaders Academy,” said Hall. “As a lifelong student, I am always looking for ways to improve my leadership and management abilities. I am incredibly excited to learn from Harvard’s esteemed faculty and lecturers.” Hall is a former two-term president of the Compton Unified School District Board of Trustees. He was elected to the Compton City Council in 2003 where he served in various leadership positions including mayor pro tempore. Hall was elected to the California State Assembly in 2008 and served as assistant speaker pro tem-

Assemblyman Isadore Hall pore during his first term. He currently serves as a member of the Appropriations, Elections and Redistricting and Human Services Committees. He chairs the Assembly See ISADORE HALL, page 5

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Sen. Curren Price Gets Major Labor Union Endorsement

Miller-Lawrence Medical & Dental Society honors a medical icon with 2012 Trailblazers Award Dr. Ezra C. Davidson was honored, and $9,000 of scholarship money was awarded to medical and dental students. BY JASON LEWIS LAWT CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Senator Curren Price, the candidate for the Great Ninth LAWT NEWS SERVICE The campaign of Senator Curren Price Jr., recently announced winning the endorsement of UFCW (United Food and Commercial Workers) Local 770 in the race for Los Angeles’ 9th City Council District. The endorsement from UFCW Local 770 is the first from a major labor union in the race and gives Price’s surging campaign yet another boost of momentum. UFCW Local 770 represents over 30,000 Los Angeles County workers in the retail food, meat, drug stores, packinghouses, food processing plants, pharmacies, laboratories, as well as barbers and beauticians. “Curren Price has stood shoulder to shoulder with the working men and women of UFCW Local 770 for over two decades,” said Rick Icaza, president of UFCW Local 770. “Working families trust Curren Price because he has fought for us, from taking a stand against Wal-Mart to spearheading groundbreaking legislation to expand health care coverage. Curren is a champion for working families and we proudly stand with him.” UFCW Local 770 is the first major labor organization to weigh in the on the race for LA City Council District 9. The endorsement is a major boost to Price's broadly supported campaign and helps cement his front-runner status. Shortly after launching his campaign, Price announced endorsements from a number of community leaders including, Congresswoman Karen Bass, L.A. County Supervisor Mark

Ridley-Thomas, L.A. City Council President Herb Wesson Jr., and State Senator Kevin de Leon. “I am honored and grateful to have the support for UFCW Local 770,” said Price. “Throughout my career in public service, whether as an educator, community leader, or policy maker, I have worked to advance the core principle that a good job, a fair wage, affordable quality healthcare, and the opportunity of a quality education can empower our communities to succeed. Those are values I share with the men and women of UFCW and they are values I will continue to fight for day in and day out on the City Council.” Said Ridley Thomas, “He is a progressive candidate, a viable candidate, and I am delighted that he is labor’s candidate.” “Senator Curren Price’s campaign continues to roll,” Wesson said. “The UFCW union recognizes that Curren is a great advocate for working people. His strong voice is needed on the City Council.” Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Price attended Morningside High School in Inglewood and earned a scholarship to Stanford University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science. He studied law at Santa Clara University and graduated in 1976 with a Juris Doctor degree. He also holds lifetime Community College Teaching credential. Prior to serving the California Legislature, Senator Price was a small business owner.

The Miller-Lawrence Medical & Dental Society hosted an elegant affair at The Grand in Long Beach for their 7th Annual Scholarship and Recognition Dinner. Medical and dental students were awarded $9,000 in scholarship money, and Ezra C. Davidson, Jr., M.D. was honored with the 2012 Trailblazer Award. Prestigious members of the African-American community were on hand, and congratulations were sent from 52nd Assembly District Member Isadore Hall, 51st District Assembly Member Steve Bradford, Senator Roderick D. Wright, and Chairman of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Mark Ridley-Thomas. Davidson is a Professor Emeritus (past chairman 1971-96), Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science and recent Associate Dean, Primary Care (1997-2007). He is also a professor in Obstetrics and Gynecology at UCLA. He was chiefof-staff, Department of Obstetrics and

BY SHANNEN HILL SENTINEL INTERN A Los Angeles man was killed while walking in Manhattan on Monday. The shooting occurred around 2 p.m. outside of St. Thomas Choir School, a small boarding school for young boys. The shooter came behind Brandon Woodward, 31, and shot him with a silver semi-automatic pistol. The shooter then jumped into a getaway car and sped off, leaving the victim in a pool of blood. Woodard had received a bachelor’s degree in business administration and was a law student at Loyola Marymount University. He was also the father of a 4-year-old girl.

Continued from page 4 master’s degree in Management and Leadership from the University of Southern California, a master’s in Public Administration from National University and a Ph.D. from Next Dimension Bible College.

Photo by Jason Lewis

Scholarship recipients with Krystal M. Neely, M.D. (l) and Clifford A. Hancock, M.D. (r).

A Murder in Manhattan with L.A. connection

ISADORE HALL Committee on Government Organization. The youngest of six children, Hall was born and raised in the city of Compton. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, a

Photo by Jason Lewis

Ezra C. Davidson was honored with the 2012 Trailblazer Award.

Gynecology, at King/Drew Medical Center in Los Angeles (1971-1996). Davidson received his B.S. cum laude from Morehouse College, and M.D. from Meharry Medical College. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. Davidson has blazed a trail for a number of African American doctors to succeed in the medical profession. As much as it was a night to honor Davidson, it was also a night for awarding scholarships to deserving students in the medical and dental fields. Over the past seven years the Miller-Lawrence Medical and Dental Society has given out over $70,000 in scholarship money. See TRAILBLAZERS, page 8

The murder scene

“This is a shock,” Woodard’s father J Lincoln Woodard told the Daily News. “He was a very good son, loving.” Woodard was staying at the 6 Columbus Hotel a block away from the shooting. The area, near Central Park, is so secure that some of the witnesses didn’t even suspect that the event was a shooting. “I’m thinking it was a tire popping,” said Security Guard Jose Villafane. Even though Woodard seemed to have his life on a positive track, he had many altercations with the law, including charges for cocaine possession and a hit-and-run. In 2009 he was arrested for stealing bottles of wine

Brandon Woodard, the victim and was facing an assault and battery charge from June 2012. The motive behind the shooting is unknown, but police continue to investigate. “There are no words to express our shock in the face of this horrendous tragedy,” Woodard’s family said in a statement released this week. “Brandon was a Los Angeles native. He attended Campbell Hall High School, graduated from Loyola Marymount University and was presently enrolled in West Los Angeles Law School. He was a kind, gentle, and generous young man, beloved by friends, family and his community. He enjoyed spending time with his four year old daughter, Kirsten and was a devoted father and son. We eagerly await justice for Brandon. Our family requests solace and privacy at this difficult time.”

Thursday, December 13, 2012

F E AT U R E

L.A. Watts Times WEEKENDER

THE FIRST BLACK MAN TO DIRECT A FULL-LENGTH ANIMATED FEATURE PETER RAMSEY THE “RISE OF THE GUARDIANS” INTERVIEW By Kam Williams | LAWT Contributing Writer Rise of the Guardians is Peter Ramsey’s first feature film after directing the hit DreamWorks Animation Halloween special, “Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space.” This project followed the feature film, “Monsters vs. Aliens” on which Ramsey served as Head of Story. While at DreamWorks Animation, Ramsey also served as a story artist on “Shrek the Third,” and as a storyboard artist on “Shark Tale.” Before joining DreamWorks Animation in 2004, Ramsey’s talent as a storyboard artist was on display while working on a notable number of live action feature films, including “Adaptation,” “Minority Report,” “A.I. Artificial Intelligence,” “Cast Away”, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” “Fight Club,” “Godzilla,” “Men in Black,” “Independence Day,” “Batman Forever,” “Far and Away,” “Backdraft,” and “Predator 2” amongst others. Ramsey’s directing skills were also honed early, as he served as Second Unit Director on live action feature films including “Godzilla,” “Tank Girl,” “Higher Learning,” and “Poetic Justice.” A lifelong resident of Los Angeles, California, Peter grew-up in Crenshaw, and graduated from Palisades High School before attending UCLA. Here, he talks about his life and career, and about being the first AfricanAmerican to direct a full-length, animated feature. LAWT: Hi Peter, thanks for the interview. I’m honored to have this opportunity to speak with you. Peter Ramsey: Oh, the pleasure’s all mine, Kam. The plea-

sure’s all mine. LAWT: I really enjoyed Rise of the Guardians. Let me start by asking you what it meant to make history as the first African-American hired by a big studio to direct a full-length, animated feature? PR: I thought about it a little bit when I first got the job, but then rapidly got lost in the work. It wasn’t until later, when my mom and dad read that fact about me in the newspaper, and I saw how it aơected them, that it came back to me. Since I talk to a lot of groups at schools, one good thing is that kids can look at me and have direct knowledge of someone who’s doing something they might be dreaming of doing themselves. LAWT: How did you get the gig? Judging from your bio, it seems like you’ve been a storyboard artist most of your career until now. PR: Right. I got into film as a storyboard artist, but my dream was always to be a director. The way I was able to get into the industry was through drawing. As a storyboard artist, you basically pre-visualize the whole film through drawing. So, I spent a lot of my career doing that with many diơerent directors. That was really film school for me, my training ground, because I got to

ABOVE: Peter Ramsey and Dreamworks Animation CEO, Jeffrey Katzenberg, mingle with Chris Rock, star of ‘Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted,’ at CinemaCon 2012 in April.

work with so many great people. LAWT: So, what was your academic background? Did you study art? PR: I’m pretty much self-taught. I took a couple of art classes in high school, and I entered college with the intention of majoring in art. But I was a little too young when I started at UCLA at 17, and I wasn’t ready for the concept of art that was being taught there. I was intimidated by Art History, and didn’t get it. All I was interested in was drawing. I wish I had been able to hang tough, but I dropped out after a couple years. Of course, I did learn a bunch of that stuơ later on. LAWT: Editor/Legist Patricia Turnier was wondering whether the film is faithful to the book series it’s based upon. PR: An interesting thing about the movie and the books is that they were both being developed at the same time. The books’ author, Bill Joyce, in his talks with the studio, said, “It would be really cool, if I could do a series of books about the origins of these characters, how they came to be and their backs stories while you guys were simultaneously developing a movie about the first time they all came together.” So, they’re all the same characters and they share the same mythology, but the movie and the books are pretty different. LAWT: Patricia also asks: What message do you want children to take away from your movie? PR: The main message of the film is that you have the power to create magic through your imagination and to bring it into the world, whether that’s in the form of the Guardian characters who represent a lot of things we need, or whether it’s just anybody creating something. That is the best way to fight fear. That’s probably the central idea of the movie. LAWT: Why did you tweak these familiar characters, like giving Santa a Russian accent and making him look a little diơerent from what we’ve come to expect?

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PR: The basic idea behind the books was to suggest that you grew up with a made-up version of all these characters, as if there’s a secret world alongside our world, and we’ve never known the whole truth about it. What you see in the movie and the books is the real truth about what these guys are. And it’s pretty cool, more like a Lord of the Rings kind of epic, fantasy world they all operate in as opposed to the cute, fluơy image you get from greeting cards. That was the central idea of the books. We thought that was pretty interesting and a really fresh way to get people to take another look at these characters. LAWT: Harriet Pakula-Teweles asks: Where were some “Guardians” when the hunters shot Bambi’s mother? I can still hear the shot ring out all those many years ago. How much trauma-less support can animation/fable oơer young children without some need of a degree of reality check? PR: Wow! I’m not sure what to do with that question. I can’t answer for Bambi. We have a mom in our movie. Some form of reality check? Yeah, I don’t know what to do with that one. LAWT: Film student Jamaal Green asks: What is your favorite film, and is there a filmmaker whose work inspired you to make the move to becoming a director? PR: Omigosh, I literally have too many favorite movies to name them all. But I can throw a few out there: Kurosawa… Coppola… David Lean… I’m a huge fan of Ang Lee. And there are tons of French films I love. Like I said, way too many to mention. LAWT: The Tasha Smith question: Are you ever afraid? PR: Of course! Are you kidding? [LOL] But you have to realize that fear is something that lives in your mind, just like all the positive things that reside there. T h e

key is to try to ﬁnd a balance or a way for the positive to at least cancel out what the fear is telling you. Most of the time, fear is taking something that sounds very rational and blowing it out of proportion, and

Thursday, December 13, 2012

letting your mind run away with it. LAWT: Will your next ﬁlm be live-action or animated? PR: I don’t know. So much depends on how this one is received and how well it does? I’d love to make another animated ﬁlm, because I feel like I’m really just beginning to learn how to use all these tools. It’s a real experience working in a big studio system. It’s like learning how to command a battleship. LAWT: The Columbus Short question: Are you happy? PR: I’m very happy with the work and the spirit my crew brought to the

movie. I couldn’t be prouder of them. LAWT: The Teri Emerson question: When was the last time you had a good laugh? PR: Today! I’ve been laughing a lot lately. [LOL] This is my ﬁrst time directing, and it’s been quite a roller coaster ride. LAWT: What is your guiltiest pleasure? PR: Playing the video game Halo 4. LAWT: The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read? PR: What I’m reading is a new book by Robert Greene called “Mastery.”

Image Source: Ofﬁcial trailer for “Rise of the Guardians”

LAWT: When you look in the mirror, what do you see? PR: I see a guy who always feels like he’s a beginner. Sometimes it’s a good thing, sometimes it’s a bad thing, but I can’t shake that image of myself. LAWT: I can’t recall who said it, but that makes me think of the saying, “The greatest freedom is the freedom to begin again.” PR: Very true. I think there’s a Zen saying about a beginner’s mind. LAWT: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory? PR: My earliest childhood memory is very abstract. I must have been about 3 years old. It’s just me in the backyard looking at a ﬂower. I have another one from when I was just a little bit older of my parents taking me to see Snow White at a drive-in theater. LAWT: Thanks again for the time, Peter, and best of luck with the ﬁlm. PR: Thanks so much. I really appreciate it, Kam.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Lawmaker: NFL Mourners gather at funeral players ‘trying to for Chiefs’ Jovan Belcher back out’ on HGH BY HOWARD FENDRICH ASSOCIATED PRESS Accusing the NFL players’ union of “trying to back out” of an August 2011 agreement to start checking for human growth hormone, a congressman worried aloud Wednesday that the league will head into next season without a test for the banned drug. “Hopefully as we move down the line, players will see how incredibly ridiculous it looks for them not to ... straighten this thing out,” said Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s ranking Democrat. “We’re now getting ready to go into a third season, and it does not look very good.” The panel held a hearing to examine the science behind the testing, and heard from experts that it is reliable. “No test is perfect ... but there hasn’t been a single false positive,” U.S. Anti-Doping Agency Chief Science Officer Larry Bowers testified. While the latest, 10-year labor contract paved the way for HGH testing in professional football once certain parameters were set, the NFL Players Association wants a new study before it will agree to the validity of a test used by Olympic sports and Major League Baseball. The sides haven’t been able to agree on a scientist to help resolve that impasse. HGH is a banned substance that is hard to detect and used by athletes for what are believed to be a variety of benefits, whether real or only perceived — such as increasing speed or improving vision. Among the health problems connected to HGH are diabetes, cardiac dysfunction and arthritis. “They say they need more time ... before doing what they agreed to do. To me, it seems obvious the Players Association is simply running out the clock,” Cummings said. “Although they agreed to HGH testing, they are now trying to back out of the contract.” Cummings and committee chairman Darrell Issa, a California Republican, both said additional hearings are expected.

“It is our hope (to) move these parties closer together,” Issa said. “This isn’t the players” who are objecting to the test, Issa said after the hearing. “This is lawyers making a statement. Players want to know that the rules are the rules for everybody. ... We’re not seeing a vast amount of players stand up. We’re seeing a few lawyers stand up on an unfounded technicality.” The NFL and union were not invited to testify at the hearing, but representatives of both attended Wednesday’s session. Asked about Cummings’ comments, NFLPA spokesman George Atallah said after the hearing: “I respect his opinion. We have a contract, and the contract says both sides have to agree to protocols to move forward.” Atallah said the union was “absolutely not” trying to back out of the agreement on HGH. NFL senior vice president Adolpho Birch, who oversees the league’s drug program, called the union’s insistence on a population study to determine whether current HGH tests are appropriate for NFL players a delay tactic. “As a league, we need to look at it in terms of competitive integrity, in terms of being consistent with the NFL having a leadership position in the world of performance-enhancing drugs,” Birch said. “And frankly, I think this delay in implementing this program has put our leadership position at risk.” Even once scientific issues are resolved, there will be other matters the league and union need to figure out, including who administers the test and what the appeals process will be. “First, I applaud the NFL and players for taking a bold and decisive position on HGH in their 10-year agreement. Now let’s get on with it,” one witness, Pro Football Hall of Famer Dick Butkus, told the committee Wednesday. “The HGH testing process is proven to be reliable. It’s time to send a clear message that performanceenhancing drugs have no place in sports, especially the NFL.”

TRAILBLAZERS Continued from page 5 This year’s scholarship recipients were Ciara M. Brinney, St. Francis Career College (nursing student); Natalie G. Buck, University of California Los Angeles (nursing student); Courtney M. Clayton, University of Southern California Ostrow School of Dentistry (Dental Student); Maita S. Kuvhenguhwa, Charles Drew University/David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA (medical student); Lvuoma N. Onyeador, University of California Los Angeles (psychology doctoral student); and Brent A. Tucker, Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry (dental student).

The Miller-Lawrence Medical & Dental Society is a group of health care providers in Compton, South Los Angeles and the South Bay. Their membership is comprised of physicians and dentists in primary care specialties, as well as all other medical and surgical sub-specialties, and providers in academic medicine, military medicine, medical administration and allied health. Their members serve a disproportionately high number of underserved patients who are African American and other minorities, and they practice primarily in urban areas.

AP Photo/Seth Wenig

Mourners hug after leaving the church where Jovan Belcher’s funeral was held in Dix Hills, N.Y., Wed., Dec. 12, 2012. BY RACHEL COHEN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Jovan Belcher was remembered Wednesday for the accomplishments of a life that ended so suddenly and violently. Several hundred mourners gathered for the Kansas City Chiefs linebacker’s funeral near his hometown on Long Island. The 25-year-old Belcher shot and killed his girlfriend on Dec. 1, then drove to the Chiefs practice facility and committed suicide in front of team officials. At Upper Room Christian Church on Wednesday, relatives wore black and red, the Chiefs’ color. Pastor Dawn Mixon shared that Belcher’s mother, Cheryl Shepherd, described him as a “humble, kind young man.” He had a soft spot for children and loved cartoons. “We may not understand the reasons why we are here or understand what caused this tragedy,” Mixon said. At a celebration of Belcher’s life, there were hints of the way it ended. A photo slide show played on a large screen above the stage, with images from Belcher’s childhood through his football careers at nearby West Babylon High School and the University of Maine. Then appeared the words “In loving memory of” Belcher and Kasandra Perkins, the mother of his 3-month-old daughter. After a series of pictures of Perkins and baby Zoey came the message, “Keep this little girl in your prayers.” “The legacy we pass on to her will be good,” said his uncle, Davin Miles. Next to an open casket were collages of photos and mementos from Belcher’s playing career. An array of flowers spelled out W.B. for his high school. Chiefs players and staff attended a memorial service for Belcher in Kansas City last week. On a Saturday morning, the day before the team’s game against the Carolina Panthers, Belcher shot the 22year-old Perkins multiple times at their

home. Police said Belcher and Perkins previously had been arguing. Belcher then drove to Arrowhead Stadium, where he thanked coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Scott Pioli for all they’d done for him. As police arrived, Belcher slipped behind a car and put the gun to his head. His path to becoming an NFL starter had been an unlikely one.

Belcher did not play in college football’s top division, and he wasn’t drafted. But he made the Chiefs, becoming a full-time starter in 2010. Bishop Stephanie Green described Belcher as “a man who did some awesome things — while other young men his age were out hustling, slinging and doing other things, he chose an education.”

Dallas’ Brent on reserve/ non-football illness list Josh Brent has been placed on the reserve/non-football illness list by the Dallas Cowboys, a move that ends his season but allows the defensive tackle to remain with the team. The move Wednesday came a day after a memorial service for practice squad player Jerry Brown, Brent’s close friend who was killed in a car accident when police say Brent was driving drunk. Brent is facing charges related to the accident Saturday morning. Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones says the team wants to be able to stay in contact with Brent, and for the player to stay in contact with teammates. Jones says those things are important. Dallas signed defensive tackle Brian Schaefering, who was released by Cleveland before this season.

AP Photo/LM Otero

Dallas Cowboys football player Josh Brent, center, with a bandaged hand, leaves with unknown persons after a memorial service for practice squad member Jerry Brown at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship, Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012, in Dallas. Brown died in a suspected drunkendriving accident on Saturday. Brent was the driver and is charged with intoxication manslaughter.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Nick Cannon and The Simmons Sisters celebrate roller skating for a cause BY: NICOLE WILLIAMS LAWT CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Laura Govan

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The annual winter holiday party called “Skate & Donate” hosted by Nick Cannon and Angela and Vanessa Simmons rolled in on the evening of Saturday, December 8. It was held at the Moonlight Rollerway in Glendale and was sponsored by Pastry Shoes and N’Credible. Celebrities and their guests brought gifts to donate to Toys For Tots as they filled up the large box with treasures another less fortunate will get to enjoy. A variety of celebs attended the event like actors Carlos Knight, China Anne McClain, Kevin Frazier, Laura Govan, Naturi Naughton, Raven Goodwin, and artists E.B. Wright, Estelle and Rachel Crow. The Pastry Ambassadors, Angela Simmons, Vanessa Simmons, Mz Bratt, Alli Simpson and Jessica Jarrell were all in attendance as some sported their Pastry shoes. “We think it’s very important to give back. We did it last year for the first time and it got a really good turn out so we decided why not do it again,” Angela said. “Toys for Tots is a really good organization and definitely one to contribute to during this time of the holiday season and just spreading Christmas joy so everyone can be happy,” Vanessa added. The Pastry founders, who say they started the business to give women more of a variety of tennis shoes to choose from, continue to work on new designs and ideas and advise to look out for their new shoes. Meanwhile, Cannon, founder of event co sponsor N’Credible, says giving back is what drives Skate & Donate every year. “It’s all about the young people so we give the toys to

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Nick Cannon with The Simmons Sisters the less fortunate,” Cannon explained. “I remember receiving toys from Toys For Tots, so it’s kind of cool to actually be able to pay them in return for all their good deeds.” Actor/producer Miguel Nunez, executive producer for Cannon’s upcoming film, “School Dance” also showed up. “Nick always likes to give back, so I support him in everything he does,” Nunez said. Cannon wrote and directed the movie, set for a 2013 release. Everyone spent the rest of their night jamming out to music provided by NCredible’s DJ Cam as they put on their skates and hit the roller rink. There were also those who chose to stay on the sideline and enjoy some chips and salsa provided by Chipotle than brave the roller skating rink runway. Either way, laughs were going around the roller rink as people held each other’s hands for not only support across the rink, but support for a good cause. Photos by Troy Tieuel for LAWT

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UNIVERSALPICTURES PRESENTS AN APATOW JONBRION PRODUCBYEDJUDD APATOW PROCL DUCTION A JUDD APATOW FILM PAUL RUDD LESLIE MANN “THIS AYTONTOWNSEND BARRYMENDEL BASED ON CHARACTERS IS 40” JOHN LITHGOW MEGANFOX AND AL CREATED BY JUDD AP ATOW WRDIRITTECTENEDANDBY JUDD APATOW BERT BROOKS AUNIVERSALPICTURE

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L STUDIO S

STARTS FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21

CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATERS AND SHOWTIMES

Thursday, December 13, 2012

e v e n t LISTINGS

12 / 2012 happening this month

L.A. Watts Times Calendar, Compiled by Brandon I. Brooks, Co-Managing Editor 12/14 BEST BUY GIVEAWAY: The holiday season is in full swing, and to help customers check items off their shopping lists quickly and easily Best Buy is offering an exciting incentive to maximize lunch breaks around the country. The first 200 customers to visit participating Best Buys will receive a mystery gift card valued between $10-$250 and enjoy a free lunch from one of the city’s most popular food truck, Nonna’s Kitchen. The first 200 customers will receive vouchers inside the store, and the participating food truck will be parked outside. WHEN: 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. WHERE: 11301 W Pico Blvd., West Los Angeles 90064-1703. For those who can’t take the time to leave the office during lunch, Best Buy is there to help make shopping even more convenient with free shipping on everything on BestBuy.com, same-day in-store pickup and an extended return and exchange policy for the holidays. Follow Nonna’s Kitchen on Twitter: @NonnasKitchenet to read more about this exciting day.

SUPERVISOR MARK RIDLEY-THOMAS TO HOST TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY: For the fourth consecutive year, Supervisor Mark RidleyThomas invites constituents of the Second Supervisorial District to join him in celebrating the holiday season and light the Tree of Hope. WHEN: 5:30 p.m. WHERE: On the front lawn of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Multi-Service Ambulatory Care Center in Willowbrook -12021

South Wilmington Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90059. The holiday celebration will feature classic holiday carols and musical performances, and refreshments will be served. For more information contact Supervisor Lisa Richardson Mark Ridley-Thomas at (213) 3616980 or lrichardson@bos.lacounty.gov.

Taskforce to re-envision the corridor. This event is a project of the L.A. County Arts Commission Civic Art Program in collaboration with the Office of Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. For more information or to get involved, please contact Erin Stennis at estennis@bos.lacounty.gov, or (213) 741-9292.

12/15

KWANZAA CELEBRATION AND CHILDREN’S KWANZAA KARAMU:

SLAUSON HOLIDAY STROLL: Join friends and neighbors, old and new, for a festive afternoon on the avenue. Enjoy live holiday music, tasty treats and special surprises! While you are at it, get your holiday shopping done at the unique shops on the corridor. And, as you mingle, provide your ideas for the brand identity design concept. The event is hosted by LA COMMONS. WHEN: 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. WHERE: The Fun starts at: CJ’s Elegance 4446 West Slauson Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90043. This activity is the third in a series of creative events being facilitated in partnership with the Slauson Avenue Branding

EXPO CENTER’S WINTER FESTIVAL: Come celebrate the holiday season with FREE activities for the whole family! Games, a snow village, pictures with Santa, cookie making, arts and crafts, holiday treats, and more. All kids will receive a holiday gift! WHEN: 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. WHERE: EXPO Center is located at 3980 Bill Robertson Lane, (commonly known as Menlo Ave.), Los Angeles. For more information call (213) 763-0114.

Kwanzaa is a celebration of family, community and culture created by Dr. Maulana Karenga in 1966. Enjoy Kwanzaa customs through art, music, stories and other activities. Free and open to the public. WHEN: 1:00 p.m. Refreshments will be served. The event is free and open to the public. Co-sponsored by the Black Resource Center and Friends of AC Bilbrew Library. WHERE: AC Bilbrew Library, 150 E. El Segundo Blvd., Los Angeles 90061. For more information please call (310) 538-3350. For ADA accommodation, such as a sign language interpreter or materials in an alternate format, call 562-940-8462 (voice) or 562-940-8477 (TTY), M-Th, 8-5, at least six days prior to event.

2ND ANNUAL GIRLS NIGHT OUT SHOPPING 4 A CAUSE: Women of Color, Inc. are proud to announce the 2nd Annual Girls Night Out - Shopping 4 A Cause Benefit Fundraiser. Sip, Shop and celebrate with the girls. WHEN: 5:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. WHERE: The Woman’s Club of Hollywood located at 1749 N. LaBrea Avenue, Hollywood, CA 90046. Special guest of the evening is Pat Prescott (94.7 The Pat Wave). There Prescott will be a special performance by harpist “King David” and jazz saxophonist Antonio Jackson. Must be 21 and older to attend. Tickets will be available at the door. For more information call (310) 674-6700, email womenofcoleorinc@gmail.com or visit www.blackbeautyshop.org. Proceeds to benefit the Black BeautyShop Health Foundation Programs.

12/19 FREE FORECLOSURE INVESTING WORKSHOP: California Foreclosure Institute presents a free two-hour workshop for investors and realtors on how to get started finding and buying foreclosure properties. WHEN: 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., at Norwalk Public Library, 12350 Imperial Highway, Norwalk, CA 90650. Guest speaker will be Lloyd Segal, author of “Foreclosure Investing.” The workshop is complimentary, but reservations are required. To register, please visit www.ForeclosureWorkshop.net or call 310379-0101.

ASSEMBLYMEMBER ISADORE HALL, III “YEAR-END CELEBRATION”: Join Assemblymember Isadore Hall as he honors Champions and Pioneers in the Community. Come out to say goodbye to the 52nd Assembly District, and hello to the new 64th Assembly District. WHEN: 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. WHERE: WLCAC, 10950 S. Central Ave., Los Angeles 90059. Assemblymember Refreshments will be served. For more inforIsadore Hall mation or to RSVP call the District Office at (310) 223-1201.

ON GOING NOW – 1/6/13 GLIDING THROUGH THE HILLS: Beverly

Hills Conference & Visitors Bureau and the City of Beverly Hills celebrate the holidays with the city’s first ever fullscale, public ice rink located in the Golden Triangle. WHERE: Positioned in front of the iconic Beverly Hills City Hall building on Crescent Drive between North and South Santa Monica Boulevards. The ice skating rink will operate seven days a week, Sunday through Thursday 12:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 12:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. Skate admission and rental is $15 (adult) and $11 (children under 12) per hour session (session times vary, visit lovebeverlyhills.com for schedule). Bottled water, gloves and socks will be available for purchase and the rink will include viewing areas for those who wish to watch the skaters and lockers for personal belongings.

NOW – 3/ 7/13 THE LOS ANGELES URBAN LEAGUE PRESENTS: “The 90 That Built L.A.,” an exhibit at the Museum of African American Art. This multi-layered exhibit chronicles and celebrates the League’s 90 plus year milestone of serving the city of Los Angeles, in addition to honoring 90 champions for change and equality, past and present. The exhibit will include personal artifacts from honorees; a retrospect of the social, economic, political and civic challenges and triumphs for Los Angeles residents of color and the League’s leadership and unwavering commitment to the community. WHEN: Museum hours are Thursday -Sunday: 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Monday –Wednesday the exhibit will be closed. Admission is FREE! Where: Museum of African American Art 3650 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90008 (Located on the 3rd floor of Macy’s at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Mall). For more information call (323) 294-7071 or visit www.theleague90.com. For more information on the Museum of African American Art, visit www.maaala.org.

TO MAKE A CALENDAR SUBMISSION: Include event name, date(s), time, location, contact/RSVP information and admission price, if any. Use BRIEF paragraph format (no lists, line breaks, or all caps). All calendar submissions are space-permitting and may be edited for brevity. Send submissions, along with any images, to brandon@lasentinel.net with the subject heading “LAWT Community Events.” Please include text in the body of your email, not in an attachment.

opinion

Thursday, December 13, 2012

What about Kasandra Perkins? Opportunity and

BY JULIANNE MALVEAUX NNPA COLUMNIST

By now, it’s old news that Kasandra Perkins was murdered by Kansas City Chiefs football player Jovan Belcher, who was her boyfriend and the father of her daughter. By now we’ve read about how great a teammate Belcher was, how dedicated to his girlfriend and daughter. We’ve read his hardscrabble story of moving from the University of Maine, hardly a football powerhouse, to a coveted slot in the NFL. Belcher has been humanized, even enshrined, as his friends have talked about him not having a violent bone in his body. What about Kasandra? It has been disturbing that the news focused mostly on Jovan (yes, I know, he was the famous one), with a focus on Kasandra only later in the week. Her friends said they did not want her life to be overshadowed by the sympathetic coverage of Jovan. While Jovan Belcher was clearly a troubled man, the bottom line is that Jovan Belcher murdered Kasandra Perkins. Not just shot her, he murdered her. And then he killed himself. Yes, this is a tragedy, but it is also a murder, so let’s not use euphemisms, let’s just call it what it is. The news reports that Belcher was angry because Kasandra Perkins went to a concert and came home at about one in the morning. But another report says that he was parked outside some other woman’s house in the middle of the night. Go figure. What do we know about Kasandra Perkins? The 22-year-old woman from Texas aspired to be a teacher and was studying at a local community college. She had a 3-month-old child, Zoey. She made friends easily and worked with other wives and girlfriends of Chiefs players. She enjoyed going out with friends. There is probably lots more to her story, but it has been scantily reported. Nobody knows what goes on in a relationship except those who are in it. So it is also disturbing to see Belcher’s friends take to the media to describe the relationship as troubled and to suggest that Kasandra is at fault for her own murder. According to some, she provoked her own murder by staying out late at night. Guess what? Belcher’s mother was caring for their infant. Sounds like a control issue to me.

GOVERNMENT REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles invites proposals from qualified firms interested in the following opportunities: RFP 7568 Banking Services (Issue 12/10/2012; Due 1/22/2013) To provide banking services RFP 7570 ERP Upgrade Strategy (Issue 12/17/2012; Due 1/22/2013) To provide Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) upgrade strategy Copies of the RFP’s may be obtained via www.hacla.org/ps or call (213) 252-5405. 12/13, 12/20/12 CNS-2418439# WATTS TIMES

Julianne Malveaux Too often, men beat and even kill women when they step outside their sphere of control. Women are beaten or killed because they didn’t cook dinner, because they raised their voice, because they chose to spend time with friends or family, because, because. This violence does not know race, class or gender, though different groups have different levels of violence. While 1.5 million women experience domestic violence annually, African American women are 35 percent more likely than White women to be battered. Without mentioning names, the Kansas City Chiefs called for a moment of silence for victims of domestic violence during the game that Jovan Belcher did not play. With football as the focus, they did not have the grace to mention Kasandra Perkins by name. It would have made a difference if they had. Despite the fact that Belcher was a member of the KC team, there is a villain and a victim in this incident.

This type of violence is such an epidemic that the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was passed in 1994. The act established an office in the Department of Justice works to prevent violence, and allocated $1.6 billion to work on violence against women issues, including strengthening existing state laws and raising awareness of this issue. Now the law is up for reauthorization, and some Republicans are holding it up because they do not agree with protections for Native American women, immigrant women, and people in same-sex couples. We know that VAWA is effective. Since its passage, intimate partner violence has dropped by about 60 percent, but it didn’t save Kasandra Perkins. If nothing else, her brutal murder reminds us why this act is so important. Jovan Belcher had a temper, drank heavily, and had at least eight guns. Some say he had suffered multiple head injuries playing football. That’s no excuse for a murder so brutal that he shot Kasandra nine times. And the stories about his supposed nonviolence is contradicted by some of his college behavior, including punching through a window when he was frustrated by a girlfriend who did not want to see him. This man was a serious candidate for anger management! Kasandra Perkins isn’t the only woman who has been murdered by a husband or boyfriend. According to the Department of Justice, three women are killed by spouses or partners every day. I don’t want to hear about the tragedy of football player Jovan Belcher. I want to mourn Kasandra and the many women like her. And in her name, and in the name of others, we must all fight to get the Violence Against Women Act renewed. Julianne Malveaux is a Washington, D.C.-based economist and writer. She is President Emerita of Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, N.C.

DEDICATED WHEELS Continued from page 4 • University of Louisville (Louisville, Ky.) • University of Nebraska (Omaha, Neb.) • University of Virginia (Charlottesville, Va.) • University of Washington (Seattle, Wash.) • University of Texas-Houston (Houston, Texas) • Yale University (New Haven, Conn.) Insufficient financial resources coupled with an uncertainty on how to prepare for a medical future are two major barriers for prospective students. SMDEP helps to fill gaps and inspire success by working to increase diversity in the health care workforce. “Diverse perspectives reflected in our dental and medical professions are necessary for a better patient experience,” explains SMDEP National Program Officer Norma Poll-Hunter, PhD, co-deputy director for the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). “SMDEP brings talent that’s not traditionally represented in our medical and dental school applicant pools.” Landry, an emergency medicine physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, agrees. “Without a more diverse workforce,

the current health disparities will persist, if not worsen.” Current trends in the health care workforce point to the need for sustained recruitment to yield a more diverse pool of candidates in medical and dental schools. While minorities represent 26 percent of the U.S. population, less than 6 percent of American Indians, Blacks and Hispanics collectively are physicians or dentists, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. The Tour for Diversity fall outreach (September 24-29, 2012) included six universities between Atlanta and Dearborn, Mich. The next tour in February 2013 will take them to several Texas college campuses. Landry, Matthews and other physician mentors share personal insights and advice on what prospective candidates can expect to help debunk fears of “I’m not smart enough.” “Our purpose is to emphasize to students the importance of early exposure, advising and mentorship,” says Matthews. For more on Tour for Diversity in Medicine, visit http://tour4diversity. org/. You can read updates on their Voices of Diversity blog at http:// tour4diversity.org/category/blog/. Join them on Facebook and Twitter.

diversity one industry at a time BY BENJAMIN TODD JEALOUS SPECIAL TO THE NNPA FROM THE NORTH DALLAS GAZETTE There is a missing component to the national discussion concerning how to strengthen and rebuild the American economy. It is true that high unemployment, a weak national infrastructure, the need for stronger public education, the concentration of wealth and the deficit are all challenges to the nation’s economy but being left out of the discussion is the continued economic marginalization of racial and ethnic minorities. The American economy has always been strongest when it’s kept the middle class within reach for most Americans. But with white households holding nearly 20 times the wealth of black or Latino households, and with rising disparities in unemployment, poverty, and income, the future of the middle class has never looked more uncertain. As the country rapidly becomes majority-minority the nation’s economic well-being is increasingly tied to overcoming racial economic inequality. The economic challenges that people of color face is reflected in the recently released NAACP Opportunity and Diversity Report Card which analyzes the hotel and lodging industry. Mediocre grades among the five leading hotels we examined — Hyatt, Starwood, Wyndham, Marriott and Hilton— reveal the widespread lack of investment in minority suppliers, the over representation of people of color in the lowest paying entry level positions, the under representation in the more highly paid career track positions and finally a lack of commitment to collecting basic diversity data that could be used to strengthen inclusion efforts. Our report shows that blackowned businesses, which comprise 7% of all businesses in the U.S., make up only 0.9% of all vendors receipts — a troubling red flag that signals how far corporate America has to go in their supplier diversity outreach. And while people of color are 36% of the population, only 13% of the governing bodies in the hotel and lodging industry consists of people of color. One of the most disconcerting findings of our report card is that all of the top 5 hotel and lodging corporations do not collect diversity data from their franchise properties. This means for four out of five of these leading corporations no data is collected for the majority of their individual hotels. This is unacceptable

Benjamin Todd Jealous

The NAACP is calling for these corporations to collect the diversity data already mandated by the government through EEO1 reports. We are also asking for planners of major events to request EEO1 reports from any individual hotel they are considering for their event so they can make diversity and inclusion part of their assessment as to which hotel is worthy of their business. The National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners has already voiced support for this action and we will be working with our community and civil rights partners as well as local bureaus of tourism to make widespread the use of EEO1 data as an important and widely used factor for determining which hotels qualify to hold major events. The EEO1 survey is a primary means that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission uses to advance its mission derived from the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act focused on prohibiting racial discrimination in employment and almost 60 years later we still find great racial and ethnic disparities in business and its workforce. The Opportunity and Diversity Report Card and our call to action for greater use of EEO1 data should not be seen as just a “civil rights” matter but should be understood as a means of dealing with one of the greatest threats facing the American economy over the next thirty years, racial economic inequality. We at the NAACP have always seen racial inequality as a grave threat to the country and in the next few decades if serious action isn’t taken to bridge this divide the entire nation will see the economic results of this inequality.

Thursday, December 13, 2012