July 8, 2010
SERVING LOS ANGELES COUNTY WITH NEWS YOU CAN USE
Vol. XXX, No. 1187 PROCLAMATION’S DEPARTURE (AP) — A copy of the Emancipation Proclamation, signed by President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War to free the slaves, has sat in the Oval Office since January. Initially, the proclamation, which was previously on loan to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, was to be moved from the Oval Office to the Lincoln Bedroom after six months. But now the copy’s owner, billionaire David Rubenstein, plans to move it to a new, unidentified location. Plans to reveal that location are imminent.
FIRST COLUMN
Obama’s Special Guest Leaving Oval Office BY NANCY BENAC AP WRITER
WASHINGTON (AP) — A special visitor to President Barack Obama’s Oval Office soon will be moving on. A rare copy of the Emancipation Proclamation, signed by President Abraham Lincoln during the U.S. Civil War to free slaves held in the rebellious southern states, arrived in the Oval Office for Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January and has been hanging out just above a bronze bust of the mar-
tyred civil rights leader since then. The framed proclamation, often visible in the background when President Barack Obama is shown meeting with foreign dignitaries, is a hugely important symbol for many black Americans. On the day it arrived, Obama showed it off to a small group of African American young people and elders, including 102-year-old Mabel Harvey, who whispered in the ear of the first black president, See EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION, page 11
ESSENTIAL KNIGHT — The 2010 Essence Music Festival took place July 2 to 4 in New Orleans. The star-studded lineup included legendary soul singer Gladys Knight (pictured), who performed July 3, stirring the crowd with her rendition of Ella Fitzgerald’s “Someone to Watch over Me,” according to USA Today. The singer also performed her own classics, such as “I’ve Got to Use My Imagination,” “You’re the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me,” “Neither One of Us” and “If I Were Your Woman.” With two backup singers, she also belted out 1991 hit “Superwoman,” a song she first recorded with Dionne Warwick and Patti LaBelle, USA Today reported. To round out the show, Knight performed the song she’s arguably best known for —“Midnight Train to Georgia.” More photos of the Essence Fest are on page 9. Photo by HERBERT LEWIS
Deliberations Restarted in Transit Shooting Trial Held in Los Angeles BY GREG RISLING AP WRITER
A jury began deliberations anew July 7 in the racially charged trial of a former San Francisco Bay area transit officer accused of murder in the shooting of an unarmed black man on an Oakland train platform.
A Million People ‘Love Being Black’ BY INDIA ALLEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
When Kumi Rauf began coining the saying “I love being black” in 2003, he never imagined 1 million people would become fans of it. But that’s exactly what happened. Now, many years later, I Love
Being Black has not only become a full-time business for Rauf but also a Facebook force to be reckoned with. On June 27 at 4:30 p.m., it was official: I Love Being Black had 1 million fans on Facebook. “I was blown away,” Rauf said. “I knew at some point that day we were going to hit the milestone, and
HAITIAN PRIDE — Pictured: Children in Haiti wear “I Love being Black” Tshirts donated by Kumi Rauf to the nonprofit Haiti Soleil. According to the organization’s director, Nadege Clitandre, the shirts helped the youths in the program understand their role in the global community and gave them a sense a pride.
when we did, I still kind of didn’t grasp it.” I Love Being Black is now more than a mere slogan. It’s an apparel company that sells a variety of garments from T-shirts to leggings, all with the slogan “I Love being Black” printed on them. Started up in 2005, I Love Being Black was originally a way for Rauf to inspire self-love in other black people, especially those he went to college with at the University of California, Santa Barbara. “Really the initial idea came from some racial tension at UCSB,” Rauf said. “I started to notice the self-hatred that many blacks had more … and it made me want to put out a positive message … not to put any other community down but to uplift ours.” Rauf printed the slogan on a few T-shirts, wore them and quickly realized there was a market for his idea. “In 2004, I went to the African Marketplace and I couldn’t go 10 feet without someone asking or commenting on my shirt,” Rauf said. See BEING BLACK, page 10
The jury restarted talks after a male juror who had a vacation commitment was replaced by a female alternate. The panel, now comprised of eight women and four men, was expected to break for the day before noon because another juror had a doctor’s appointment. Former officer Johannes Mehserle, 28, who is white, has pleaded not guilty in the shooting of 22year-old Oscar Grant when officers responded to a fight at the train station.
Mehserle claimed he mistakenly pulled his handgun instead of a Taser during the incident on New Year’s Day 2009 that was videotaped by bystanders. The case went to the jury July 2. The jury asked its first question July 7 relating to a possible conviction for voluntary manslaughter, seeking clarification on whether provocation can come from sources other than suspects. See OSCAR GRANT, page 10
NEWS IN BRIEF THE SOUTHLAND Mother Sues County Over Daughter’s Disappearance (AP) — A woman whose daughter disappeared after being released from a sheriff’s substation in Malibu has sued Los Angeles County.
Mitrice Richardson
Latice Sutton’s wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of herself and her daughter, Mitrice Richardson, was filed June 29 in Los Angeles Superior Court. Other allegations include civil rights violations and intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress. Richardson has never been found. Sutton argues that her 24year-old daughter should have been given a mental health evaluation instead of being released at night without a car or identification, after she couldn’t pay a restaurant bill. Investigators say she was behaving bizarrely and had been suffering from bipolar disorder. The case seeks unspecified damages. Sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore said he can’t comment on the suit. See BRIEFS, page 4
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