L.A. Focus On The Word May 2016 Issue

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SAVING GRACE: Underground’s Amirah Vann Talks Faith PAGE

IS CRITICAL TEST FOR

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IN HISTORIC BID FOR SENATE Prince’s Purple Reign Continues PAGE

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>> “I was in high school. I think it was during second

Church News Deitrick Haddon Establishes L.A. Church

period, when a police officer pulled me out of class and put me in the backseat of the patrol car.” That day marked Joe Mata’s entry into Los Angeles County’s Department of Children & Family Services...

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contents

May 2016

L.A. Focus Publication

Left: Physician Assistant Program Director Katyoun Moini; Middle: Lynn Swann returns to USC: Right: L.A. First Ladies pose with Tracey Alston (center)executive director, First Ladies Health Initiative; and John Gremer, director of Community Relations, Walgreens .

14 23 From The Editor Inside Hollywood In Good Taste 16 One On One Upfront 24 6 Saving Grace Through The Storm 25 17 Finding Your 7 Headlines From Africa 28 Church News Pretty 18 Feature Story 8 First Lady Files 19 Biz News 10 20 Pastor Profile 12 Dollars & $ense From The Pulpit 21 13 Red Carpet Style

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Commentary

Calendar/Around LA

The Battle for Religious Freedom

Eye On Gospel Erica Campbell To Host New Syndicated Radio Show

Third Time’s A Charm For NWA

Shamicka Lawrence

June Primary Is Critical Test For Kamala • Attorney Carl Douglas Separates Fact From Fiction in O.J. Mini-Series

Prince’s Purple Reign Continues

Paula Patton

Amirah Vann

Michelle Beal: The Power Of Her Testimony

With Chez

Deitrick Haddon Establishes Hill City Church L.A.

Penny Johnson

Daryl Walker

With Bob Blake

Congregational Church of Christian Fellowship

staff Publisher/Editor-In-Chief Staff Writer Contributors

Lisa Collins Stephen Oduntan Larry Elder

advisory board Napoleon Brandford Pastor Beverly Crawford Marc T. Little

Photographers Advertising

Bill Jones, Ian Foxx Kisha Smith

L.A. Focus salutes Kobe Bryant on 20 years with with the L.A. Lakerss and the championships he brought to Los Angeles.

Siebert, Brandford, Shank & Co. Bible Enrichment Fellowship International Church Law Offices of Marc T. Little

honorary advisors Bishop Charles Blake Bishop Noel Jones Paradise Baptist Church Dr. Aaron D. Iverson Southern MBC Rev. Xavier L. Thompson F. A.M.E. Church Dr. Cecil Murray Faithful Central Bible Church Bishop Kenneth C. Ulmer Mt. Moriah Baptist Church Rev. Melvin Wade Mt. Zion MBC Rev. E.V. Hill II West Angeles C.O.G.I.C.

L.A. Focus–On the Word, is published monthly.

Address all correspondence to: L.A. Focus, 333 W. Florence Ave., Suite C333 Inglewood, CA 90301 • (310) 677-6011 Fax: (310) 677-2338 Subscription rates $25.00 per year.

Copyright, January 1995 by L.A. Focus Publications. All rights reserved. Unsolicited manuscripts/photographs are not accepted, nor shall any responsibility for them be assumed.

City of Refuge

Cover Design: Ophelia Harper

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Commentary

Star Parker Guest Columnist

The Battle for Religious Freedom

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Georgia Republican Governor Nathan Deal recently vetoed H.B. 757, the Georgia Religious Liberty Bill.

The governor warned that he would veto any legislation that "allows discrimination in our state in order to protect people of faith." He went on to tell fellow Republicans, who shepherded the bill that they should "recognize that the world is changing around us."

Governor Deal wasn't alone in issuing warnings about the bill. Large corporations with a presence in the state threatened to pull operations out of Georgia if the bill passed.

Perhaps this was more on Governor Deal's mind than our changing world.

This served up deja vu from an attempt in Indiana last year to pass a similar, but tougher, religious liberty bill.

The Indiana legislation was more far-reaching because it included protections for all businesses. The Georgia bill focused just on faithbased organizations.

Indiana Governor Mike Pence also backed down, weakening key provisions of the Indiana law as result of pressure from businesses in his state.

These state religious liberty laws are spinoffs from the national Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which was signed into law by President Clinton in 1993. The thrust of the law is to assure that government action does not unreasonably impede private citizens from practicing their faith.

The Supreme Court found that RFRA could only apply to actions by the federal government, so states must address state religious freedom individually.

As government has become increasingly aggressive and expansive in its actions on matters such as abortion, birth control and gay rights, there has been increasing concern on the part of Christian Americans to protect themselves in the workplace from forced government participation in practices that violate their religious convictions.

These concerns became more acute when the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage last year.

The tension we have is that God-fearing Christians don't want to be forced by government, in their hiring and in their religious and business practices, to be involved with what violates core principles of their faith. On the other hand, those supporting gay marriage, for instance, claim refusal to provide religious and business services to these couples amounts to discrimination.

Maybe its time to recall what freedom is supposed to be about and what it means to enhance rather than impede living in a free country.

According to the 14th Amendment, "nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law."

Our constitution exists to protect individual freedom and define and limit the role of government. It does not exist to use government power to force the set of values of one private citizen on other.

Governor Deal is right that today "the world is changing."

But he has drawn the wrong conclusion. The fact that today many citizens embrace values that our parents and grandparents never would have dreamed of means we should be even more vigilant now in protecting individual freedom and religious liberty.

Government power should be used to ensure that citizens can follow their own consciences in conducting their religious and business affairs on their own private property.

We should also think about why things have changed so much. A major reason is the monopoly of public schools teaching left-wing values to our children. How can we expect a free country when there is little freedom regarding what is conveyed to young minds?

According to the Friedman Foundation, there are now almost 400,000 students in school choice programs nationwide, up from almost none 20 years ago.

In a country where our values and sense of morality has become as diverse as they are today, we should not have a government monopoly on education. School choice programs have grown, but not enough. If we care about our freedom, we need school choice nationwide.

Star Parker is an author and president of CURE, the Center for Urban Renewal and Education. Contact her at www.urbancure.org.

From the Editor Dearly Beloved

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In the song, Beautiful, Loved & Blessed, Prince writes, “If I were to ever write down my life story, I could truly say with all the fame and glory I was just a piece of clay in need of the potter's hand...”

And in the song, Money Don’t Matter 2 Night, he writes, “I’m not your lover, not your friend, I am something that you’ll never comprehend. No need 2 worry, no need 2 cry. I’m your messiah and you’re the reason why.”

In fact, it is in the wake of his death, that we are finding out just how spiritual he truly was and if you truly study his body of work, you’ll be surprised to find that it’s filled with classic Christian messages.

And yet, he was still so cool.

It was a wise person who said, “Don’t cry because it’s over. Instead smile because it happened.”

Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of smiling as Prince wasn’t the only extraordinary person I came to know who died way too young last month. We lost a true community giant with the passing of Marva Smith Battle-Bey, who worked so hard and accomplished so much in the transformation of the Vermont Slauson corridor as director of the Vermont Slauson Economic Development Corporation. Robert McNeill, a giant on our city’s legal scene, was not just one of L.A.’s brightest and most successful attorneys, but was a good man, as well.

I was blessed to have covered—and perhaps even been part of —the rise of gospel singer Daryl Coley, and it was my pleasure to have known “Blood, Sweat & Heels” co-star Daisy Lewellyn, otherwise known as “the Queen of Effortless Chic”.

I learned a great deal from all of them, but last month, what I was reminded most of was just how short life is and how we need to make the most of it.

In closing, as we gather ourselves to get through this thing called life, let’s remember to keep the faith.

L.A. Focus/May 2016

any of you might know that years before I started this paper I was an entertainment writer. I spent 14 years as gospel editor at Billboard Magazine and just out of college, I did about ten years as a contributing editor for Black Stars Magazine, which was put out by Johnson Publishing. It was during that period that I had the occasion to first meet Prince.

That was well before he banished tape recorders from his interviews and ironically enough, I knew better than to reuse the tape, instead stashing it in my keepsake box of cherished memories alongside my interviews with Michael Jackson and Richard Pryor.

We didn’t hit it off at first. He didn’t seem to have wanted to do interviews that day and I wasn’t too pleased with the fact that I suffered through rush hour morning traffic to get to Warner Bros Records in Burbank to sit with the stone face star—for at least the first 15 minutes.

After we shared a few choices words born out of our equal frustrations, he said, ‘Well, I don’t like giving interviews,’ to which I countered straight-faced, “and you’re not giving one now, adding we both could have stayed at home.

He looked at me and then just fell out laughing. A moment later, he said, “I like you.”

We proceeded to have a great conversation and interview.

The next time I saw him was at Paisley Park for a reception.

Years had passed and there was little recollection of our interview, and by then he was no longer an emerging superstar, but an icon.

The thing that I most admired about him—other than his music of course, was the battle he waged for all musicians and artists to own their art. Fact is, he redefined the way the music industry would operate.

Secondly, his faith meant something to him. It was important to him that people not curse in his presence. I was an important to him to be a witness for his faith. It was important to him to fellowship, and it was important to him not to separate his music from his faith.

LISA COLLINS Publisher

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UpFront June Primary Is Critical Test For Kamala Harris In Historical Bid For Senate

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elped by strong name recognition, California Attorney General Kamala Harris added 14 state legislators to her long list of supporters last month in her bid to become the state’s next U.S. senator.

She has amassed the support of more than the two-thirds of the Democrats currently serving in the State Senate and State Assembly.

“I’m very grateful for the support of these leaders representing communities across our state,” said Harris. “This campaign is about standing up for our families and getting real results for California from Washington, and I am glad to have legislative leaders on our team.”

It’s still too early to predict victory before the June primary, although an April field poll showed Harris had a clear lead with 27 percent of likely voters over rival Rep. Loretta Sanchez’s 14 percent.

Another poll, however, showed a significant number of the electorate undecided about whom to support of the 34 candidates on the ballot.

Harris jumped into the Senate race last year following Senator Barbara Boxer’s announcement that she would retire in 2016 after serving nearly 24 years in the chamber.

The California Senate hopeful quickly became an early front-runner among the rivals in the crowded field. If she wins, Harris, the daughter of a JamaicanAmerican father and Indian mother, could make history in the Golden State.

The nation hasn’t seen a black female senator since Carol Moseley Braun became the first over 20 years ago.

One of Harris’ earliest backs is Los Angeles City Council President Herb J. Wesson, Jr. “Kamala Harris is a proven champion

for California’s families and is known for delivering the results our communities so desperately need,” Wesson said. “Harris’ leadership and tenacity are the exact qualities the Golden State needs in our next U.S. Senator.”

Harris vowed to work on legislation that would create long-term economic growth and that “lifts families on every rung of the economic ladder,” while also fostering innovation, job training and boosting small businesses and startups.

This, she believes can be accomplished by creating decent paying jobs and implementing family leave and equal pay policies that benefit working families.

“It’s an issue important to all, but black women, poor women, working women, it’s about economic empowerment, she said.

At a recent Baldwin Hills fundraiser, Harris told the audience people are increasingly waking up to the fact that nothing seems to change in Washington.

“Everywhere I go, Californians tell me they want more leaders in Washington

STEPHEN ODUNTAN Staff Writer

who will break through the dysfunction and actually help families in our state,” Harris said.

“I’ve done just that as a career prosecutor — winning results that have made a real difference for California families — and that’s what I would continue to do in the U.S. Senate.”

And though she is leading in the polls, Harris believes that getting out the vote in the June primary to be critical, especially given the growing clout of Latinos and Sanchez appeal to them to make her the first Latina ever elected to the U.S. Senate.

“A lot of people think Kamala has it in bag, but no candidate ever has it in the bag,” said Kerman Maddox, owner of Dakota Communications, a Democratic super delegate and a leading public policy advisor.“Turnout in the African American community statewide is going to be critical for Kamala Harris’ chances to not only win the primary, but come in first place as top vote getter. Money and momentum follow the top vote getters.

Not only do you get additional financial support, but you also get greater media coverage and more volunteers, all of which greatly improves her chances in the fall.”

Harris swept into office as California’s attorney general in 2010 and cruised to a landslide re-election victory in 2014.

To her credit, she is better known across the state than any of her competitors and her star power has made her a hit with Hollywood’s political machine, including those like Hill Harper, Steven Spielberg, David Geffen, Sean Penn, and Clarence Avant.

She was also cited by the New York Times to be among the seventeen most likely women to become the first female President of the United States.

Attorney Carl Douglas Separates Fact From Fiction In O.J. TV Mini-Series X’s miniseries The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime story, wrapped up its ten weeks run last month, but not without renewing interest and controversy in one of the most perplexing cases in the history of our nation, while delivering bombshell ratings to FX. Even today, 20 years later, just the mention of “The Trial of the Century” sparks strong and mixed opinions surrounding the final verdict.

But exactly how much of the series was true? Attorney Carl E. Douglas, one of the defense lawyers in the case, spoke at length in an interview with L.A. Focus about the 1995 trial to help separate fact from fiction.

How accurate was FX’s crime story series The People v. O.J. Simpson?

F

Many of the actual themes or events are fictionalized, but certainly the spirit of what was conveyed was very accurate.

The courtroom scenes were probably the most verbatim because they had trial transcripts. Overall, I would call it about 80- 85% accurate.

The prosecution seemed confident they could get a conviction. Did they lose a slam-dunk case?

The prosecution was very cocky in the beginning. The mini-series accurately depicted them beaming with confidence.

They had more physical evidence than

most murder trials I’d ever seen, but the problem many prosecutors have is that while they have more of the evidence, they tend to think one plus one equals two. Defense lawyers are more nuanced.

They have to be able to take a certain set of facts and massage them in a way that is favorable to the defense.

How did the prosecution hurt their case if they had ample evidence?

They made a grave and tactical error to decide to base their entire prosecution on Detective Mark Fuhrman. We all knew at the time Fuhrman had a checkered, racially biased history. As shown in the series, Marcia Clark and Chris Darden were indifferent about calling him to the witness stand. She ultimately admitted later it was a fatal mistake. I think that was one of many mistakes.

Was Mark Fuhrman the face of the L.A.P.D as Johnnie Cochran alleged?

The horrific nature of his interviews led one invariably to take the position that this was not some detective creating fictionalized stories for a screenwriter. This was an active detective who was describing life, as he knew it. Fuhrman’s damaging evidence exposed and reinforced

things that have been part of the unfortunate history of the L.A.P.D. How personal were the clashes between the prosecution and defense?

Trial lawyers are Type A personalities, and this was the trial of the century. The lawyers engaged in legal combat everyday from 9:a.m. until 4:30 p.m. It was stressful and highly competitive, but Johnnie had a unique ability to fight tooth and nail and then at a break or lunch period or at the end of the day, walk over to the prosecution team and ask about their family, or engage in a kind of charming conversation about the weather or anything benign and unassuming.

continued to page 22

News Briefs Board Of Supervisors Take Steps To Prevent Minimum Wage Theft The Board of Supervisors took it first steps last month toward enforcing Los Angeles County’s minimum wage.

The Department of Consumer and Business Affairs implemented the wage enforcement program, aimed at preventing “wage theft.”

Supervisor Hilda Solis championed enforcement.

“We are taking the next step to solve a problem that both employers and employees agree is a crisis for fair competition and dignity at work,” Solis said.

DCPA already have inspectors canvasing residential neighborhoods to explain the minimum wage law, set to take effect July 1.

Los Angeles County Business Federation or BizFed said county employees sought input from other business groups many of whom are also supporting the enforcement ordinance.

“The end result is a reasonable, balanced ordinance,” said BizFed founding CEO Tracy Rafter.

Labor leaders also praised the result.

“Today’s landmark decision by the Board of Supervisors means that every worker in unincorporated Los Angeles County will no longer have to live in fear of unpaid wages,” said Rusty Hicks of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO. “Los Angeles County’s working families will now be able to see the value of an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay.”

Earlier this year, City Council approved a plan to raise the city's minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2020.

Butts Says Economic Boom Is Coming To Inglewood More than a thousand guests packed the Forum in Inglewood last month as Mayor James Butts delivered his sixth State of the City address.

With construction underway at the site of the future home of the Los Angeles Rams, an array of significant infrastructure improvements were among the topics discussed including city finances.

Butts told residents that when he took office in 2011, he had been the “heir to an accumulated $18.6 million structural deficit, decayed roads, deteriorating sidewalks and a 60-year-old water system that was failing.”

Since then, he said, “swift, decisive actions and sacrifices” have been required… and taken. “One hundred forty positions were eliminated, and all city employees including the mayor and council members voluntarily had their pay reduced.”

By a targeted approach to ramping up city services such as street and tree trimming, the city has more paved roads than the prior fifteen years combined—plus the landscape trimming project saves the city over five hundred thousand dollars a year.

Butts also touched on the housing prices stating that between 2012 and 2015 Inglewood housing prices have risen 85%. “If you want to be part of an economic boom, get in now and buy your property and come armed with your concept and we are ready to embrace you,” said Butts.

“Every successful individual knows that his or her achievement depends on a community of persons working together,” Butts and the City Council said.

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In Death As In Life, Prince’s Purple Reign Continues Top Earning Black Legacy Artists Michael Jackson: The King of Pop has earned nine figures every year since 2009 and topped Forbes Highest Earning Dead Celebrity list, earning over 1 billion since his untimely death Tupac Shakur: Sold over 75 million records worldwide, the bulk coming after his death.

Bob Marley: A mainstay on Forbes Top 10 earning dead celebrities, his estate has pulled in upwards of $20 million.

Jimi Hendrix: Died in 1970, but has logged album sales of 15.5 million since 1991.

Marvin Gaye: Died in 1984 but has logged album sales of 13.1 million since 1991 Whitney Houston: In the weeks after her death, Houston became the first woman to have three albums in the top 10 of the Billboard 200, with reports that her estate netted $10 million.

Ray Charles: Died in 2004; Album sales since 1991: 9.7 million

James Brown: Hard to say exactly what the hardest working man in show business has earned since his death. A conservative figure is $4 million, though his estate was still tied up in litigation.

Aaliyah: This R&B chart topper who died in 2001, early on in her career has earned 8.1 million since 1991, much of it in the years following her death.

Just as in life, the Purple One is reigning in death topping the album charts as fans and mourners seem to have snatched up everything Prince in the days following his death and Prince hits—most notably “Purple Rain”, “When Doves Cry” and “The Very Best of Prince”—have dominated the charts.

Over one million song sales were recorded on Thursday alone. That’s dramatically up from the 18,800 sold just a week before his death. Sales soaring to 2.3 million units by the end of the third day, with the artist holding down 19 of the 20 top albums in Amazon's digital music store and 13 of the top 20 album slots on iTunes.

While Prince’s 39th album and last official recording, “Hitnrun Phase One”, was released just last year, it was his stalwart hits from the 80s and 90s that were getting the most love as radio stations across the nation played his music non-stop in tribute upon learning of the 57-year old superstar’s death.

Who will control Prince’s estate—unofficially reported to be worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $300 million—is yet to be determined. That figure—which includes the value of his Paisley Park compound— is expected to rise as future income could swell given the wealth of unreleased material contained in his now famed vault (rumored to hold upwards of 500 unreleased songs) coupled with earnings from the vast body of songs he wrote for himself and others.

What has put the estate left by the Minneapolisbased legend in such a great position was the control and ownership he exercised over everything he did.

“Why would you do anything you don’t own,” he famously said to a fellow artist.

It was a lesson he learned the hard way.

In 1996, he waged war with Warner Brothers and the record industry over their treatment of artists and ownership of masters, stemming from deals he signed in his early years at the label—deals that granted them ownership of his work. Going public with the fight, Prince had slave written on his face and changed his name to a symbol, becoming known as “the artist formerly known as Prince”, while charging that the $100 million deal he’d signed with Warner’s may have just been a way to lock him into 'institutionalized slavery'.

After fulfilling his contract Prince resorts to the internet, phone pre-orders and eventually a monthly online subscription service offering exclusive content to market his music as well as more traditional routes.

In 2007, Prince moved to block unauthorized use of his music on YouTube and other major sites, stating his strong belief that artists as the creators and owners of their music need to reclaim their art."

In 2014, Prince sued 22 internet users for a total of $22 million for allegedly posting live bootlegs of his concerts. Just months later coming full circle, he would announce a new deal with Warner Brothers that would yield him the rights to the masters they had recorded in his early years.

All in all, today’s artists owe a huge debt of gratitude to Prince for the game changing battle he fought for artists rights.

For Prince it was not just good business, but Biblical, stating, “The Bible says you’re not supposed to sign your inheritance away.”

Headlines From Africa Botswana: The recent ruling by the Botswana's Court of Appeal forcing the government to recognize lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights has sparked outrage in the nation whose population of approximately 2 million is 70 percent Christian. "To hell with such satanic court ruling,” said one church leader.

Burkina Faso: A report by Amnesty International has indicated that Burkina Faso has one of the world’s highest rates of forced and early marriages. According to the report, more than half of girls in some areas of the country were married before the age of 17 and are denied the right to choose when and with whom they marry and if they wish to have children.

A look at current news from the continent of Africa stem the flow of jihadists from the Somali terrorist group al-Shabaab.

Liberia: A recently released Human Rights Report by the United States Department of State has indicted Liberia for discrimination against same sex individuals or gays. The U.S. report noted that the culture is strongly opposed to homosexuality, pointing out that Voluntary sodomy" was a misdemeanor with a penalty of up to one year's imprisonment.

Namibia: During commemoration ceremonies of World Malaria Day, deputy health minister Juliet Kavetuna reported that Malaria cases and deaths had been reduced by 98% and 95% respectively from 2001 until 2015. Alas, outbreaks registered in the country for the last three years indicate that the gains remain fragile, and that more needs to be done.

Nigeria: The World Health Organization reports that over 98,000 Nigerian women die annually from use of firewood in cooking, stating that cooking three daily meals in that manner is equivalent to smoking between three and 20 packets of cigarettes a day.” Increased access to clean, safe and affordable cooking options is being urged.

Chad: Fear of Boko Haram attacks in the Lake Chad area is keeping about 100,000 people—uprooted by violence— from returning home and is hindering aid operations.

Senegal: Senegalese lawmakers, who are divided between a 150-seat national assembly and a 100-seat senate, voted to do away with the senate, passing a law, which dissolves the institution in order to save an estimated $15 million.

Gambia: The nation’s electoral commission has approved eight political parties to participate in its upcoming elections, though incumbent President Yaya Jammeh—who will seek a fifth term—is expected to win by a landslide.

Ghana: Security has been beefed up in Accra and Lome following a leaked intelligence report that indicated Islamist militants were likely to launch their next attacks in Ghana and Togo.

Ivory Coast: The United Nations Security Council has lifted a 12-year-old arms embargo on Ivory Coast. The West African nation – the world’s top cocoa grower – has emerged from a decade-long crisis to become a rising economic star.

Kenya: Kenya has announced it will begin erecting a nearly 435-mile-long wall along its northeastern border with Somalia to

Sudan: The UN Security Council adopted a resolution renewing the mandate of the South Sudan sanctions regime until June 1 after determining that "the situation in South Sudan continued to constitute a threat to international peace and security in the region.

Swaziland: The U.S. Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report 2015 has found that “Swazi girls, particularly orphans, are subjected to sex trafficking and domestic servitude, primarily in Swaziland and South Africa.”

Zambia: More than 1,000 riot police were deployed in the capital city of Kampala after days of anti-immigrant violence left at least five people dead and led up to 250 arrests.

L.A. Focus/May2016

Central African Republic: 21 international and Central African human rights organizations have called on recently-elected President, Faustin-Archange Touadéra to make the fight against impunity for grave international crimes a top priority for his government, urging that a special criminal court investigate and prosecute grave human rights violations committed since 2003

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STEPHEN ODUNTAN Staff Writer These days, Joe Mata does much of his work in a lab at West Los Angeles Community College and talks excitedly about his plans for the future.

But the 30-year-old student had to travel a long and arduous road to get to where he is today.

He was placed in foster care at age 14 after his mostly absentee father and mother—consumed by her addiction to alcohol and illegal narcotics—lost custody of him and his six siblings.

“I was in high school. I think it was during second period,” he said, “when a police officer pulled me out of class and put me in the backseat of the patrol car.”

That day marked Mata’s entry into Los Angeles County’s Department of Children & Family Services (DCFS.) There are an estimated 33,000 children under the supervision of the DCFS. In the City of Angles, however, many kids languish in the system, unable to find a permanent place to call home.

The majority of children in the system are between five and nine-years-old —many of whom have been exposed to a series of volatile ingredients— and DCFS desperately needs trained caregivers tailored to meet these concerns.

Officials say children who have been shuffled around child welfare facilities are at higher risk of trauma, possibly leading to behavioral issues later on. Among other crippling concerns, DCFS has been experiencing trouble securing permanent or temporary placement for infants.

Fact is there just aren’t enough foster homes in L.A. County to address the growing population of children in the system.

It has reached a crisis point that children often stay at the Children’s Welcome Center on the campus of the L.A. County-USC Medical Center for many days— beyond the 24-hour limit mandated by the state.

“I’ve been in child work for over 30 years and when you have challenges finding homes for infants, you know we are in a crisis,” said Edwina Lewis, a senior supervisor at DCFS. “The issue is very real. It is a crisis that needs be addressed,” Lewis stressed.

Before adoption or temporary foster care applications are approved caseworkers exhaust every option available to return the child to his or hers biological family.

“If returning the child to their birth family falls flat,”

said Lewis, “we have to work even harder to get the child in a permanent situation such as legal guardianship, adoption or preferably long term care.

In addition, trying to place siblings together in the same household poses another set of challenges.

“If we have four or five kids, we’d ideally like to place them together in the same home, said Neil Zanville of the DCFS Public A f f a i r s Office.

“But

t h e placement of siblings’ into-out-of-home care involves many complexities and barriers.

Compounding these problems, there're no culturally matched placement assurances that would help maintain a child’s cultural background.

“You don’t want to place an African-American youth in a Spanish speaking home or an Asian-American youth in an African-American home, explained Zanville.“We

want to place a child with caregivers that share the same cultural background because there are unique differences, from the language to the food, to the music.

Even how religious holidays are celebrated is different.

“Our department is strategizing to solve some of these problems, but it is not an easy task,” he added.

Worse still is the issue of not having enough foster homes to place children in the interim until caseworkers identify a permanency.

Congresswoman Karen Bass, an advocate for transformative change in the child welfare system, noted the challenges DCFS is facing right now should come as no surprise given that the sheer number of children in foster care has increased dramatically over the last few years.

“Anytime you have a significantly large number of kids placed in the state’s care, finding a foster home will be nothing short of demanding,” she said.

Bass has been vocal about promoting national awareness regarding issues affecting children in foster care. However, she’s just as outspoken about children spending their tender years not raised by their biological parents.

“I think most of the experts agree that the best placement for a child is with their family and not in a foster home with a stranger.

“What needs to happen in L.A. County is more emphasis on preventing the need to remove children from their biological parents in the first place. And if you have to remove a child, then the child should be placed with a relative.”

The staggering number of children coming into the care of Children Services are linked to factors such as neglect, poverty, and mental illness, say experts who have probed the reasons behind the increase.

“On a federal level,” said the congresswoman; “we are working on legislation that will help counties like L.A. with the resources they need for upfront services to address neglect, abject poverty, and mental illness.”

“The consensus among many people that are well informed about this issue,” continued Bass, “is that if you put more emphasis at addressing those three key problems—in terms of treatment and reducing economic disparities—there will be less need to remove that many children from homes as we are currently doing.”

All things considered, Bass commended Supervisor

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Mark Ridley-Thomas and the Board for establishing the Blue Ribbon Commission that pushed for recommendations to improve child welfare in L.A. County.

Lewis noted the DCFS was working aggressively with the board of supervisors as well as city advocates.

“Our charge, she explained “is to do as much outreach to the community as possible. It is why we have initiatives such as recruitment events and matching events for children who are available for adoption.

“We want to get the word out there that we need the support of the community to ensure that the children have safe places they can go while we mitigate the problems with their birth families.

“We don’t just want them sitting up in our Welcome Center facility as we try and find appropriate homes for them to live in. That’s why it is so important we recruit more foster care families to place the children with.”

Fact is, placement for Social worker employees involves diverse challenges on multiple fronts. For one, there are a significantly high number of boys around ages three to eight years old, and teenagers between 12 to 17years-old, who for various reasons have been stuck in the system.

Typically, prospective caregivers are reluctant to care for teenagers because they expect that age range would be more prone to problematic behavior.

The media has fueled these perceptions by all too often with their reporting of isolated child abuse incidents, Zanville told L.A. Focus. He criticized the media for inflating the threat and planting negative connotations in the public minds. To some degree he said the reporting has discouraged potential foster parents and caregivers.

“Our department is frequently portrayed in a negative light,” he said.

For years, DCFS has been under fire for letting child abuse cases slip through the cracks, sometimes ending with fatalities. Undeniably, the very nature of life in some of these foster homes is troubling Mata recalled.

“The first foster parents I had were only in it for the monthly check they received from the state,” he said.

“They didn’t provide a loving home. It was evident they didn’t care about our well-being. There needs to better screening requirements.”

But child abuse and even fatalities are extremely rare stressed Zanville.

“The fact is, he said, “99 percent of our children are being protected from child abuse if not death on a regular basis.”

Lewis echoed similar sentiments.

“

I’ve been in childwork for over 30 years and when you have challenges finding homes for infants, you know we are in a crisis...

”

“We want to minimize any trauma related issues to our children,” she said. “ We want to be able to place them in good and caring homes.”

Requirements for foster care placement and adoption are quite strict. It could take several months of bureaucratic paperwork before an application is finalized. The entire process, some say is an enormous frustration and discourages people from becoming foster parents altogether.

“We cannot arbitrarily place children into foster care,” said Lewis. “There’s a process. We have to investigate the family’s background and check to mitigate any red flags that could potentially jeopardize the child’s safety.

“Quite honestly,” she added, “It takes nine months to have a baby for a reason. I believe it was ordained that way to prepare the family adding a newborn to its family and as social workers, it is no different. We have to prepare foster parents in helping ease the transition of a new child into their home. It’s a complicated process.”

DCFS finalizes roughly 1,300 adoptions a year. While the courts require social workers explore every possible avenue in returning children to their biological parents— with the guarantee the child will remain in a secure, safe environment—when these options fail, social workers reach out to prospective adoptive parents.

“We have to take our time and find an appropriate placement for the child. The same procedure applies with a relative of a child, too. We are going to do background checks to see if they have a criminal record or a child abuse background history,” said Lewis, who is also the cochair of Eliminating Racial Disparities Disproportionate committee.

It is important to note she added African-American children are disproportionately represented in the system—particularly African-American males.

“Those numbers reflect the national statistics Lewis said. “It’s across the board regarding African-Americans, who despite making up for less than ten percent of the population in L.A. County, sadly represent 36 percent of the children in the child welfare system."

Latinos, who have become the largest ethnic group L.A. County, make up 60 percent of all children in the care of DCFS. In the long run, DCFS is working with numerous agencies to impact children in need of care Zanville pointed out..

“Our adoption process goes out to various communities in L.A.,” he said.

“We work with law enforcement, school district, local politicians, communities, and invite people to learn more about becoming a foster, adoptive parent. We are trying to educate more people by targeting communities throughout L.A. We’ve been doing that for the last year.”

To that end, DCFS partnered with Fox 11 for Wednesday’s Child, a weekly-televised adoption program committed to finding permanent homes for children waiting to be adopted. The award-winning program has profiled several children on the show often ending with good results.

“We’re also going to be holding an event at Dodger Stadium in a few weeks with an organization called Mixed Roots,” said Zanville.

Mixed is the first and only national-global multicultural foundation for adoptees that aims to raise awareness for funding adoption and foster care parenting.

“It is imperative we change the perception that kids in foster care are any different from other kids.

“Taking care of a foster child does not only impact the children’s lives, but in great ways it will impact the caregivers’ lives as well. There’s a great deal of benefits unrealized.”

To learn more about becoming a foster parent or an adoptive parent visits Share Your Heart L.A’s website or call DCFS at: (888) 811-1121.

The Heart Gallery Twins looking for their very own adoptive family!

Keimonnie and Keimari are adorable and playful twins born in May 2010. They enjoy playing on their tablets and being outdoors. They are energetic and love to be on the go.

They enjoy interacting with adults and other children. They relate well with each other and have typical sibling conflict. They both have good appetites, but Keimari is more selective about what foods he likes. They were born premature and had some respiratory and reflux issues. Keimari receives special services in school for speech and language. Keimonnie and Keimari have been known to have tantrums when they don’t get their way, but they both

respond well to redirection and kindness. They also relate well to consistency and attention and they are in counseling to deal with their losses. Keimonnie and Keimari are sweet children and would do well with an active family that can provide structure and fun. They love and are very attached to their current caregiver who cannot adopt them so contact with her would be important to them. They also have relationships with extended family members so an adoptive family that can maintain these important connections in Southern California is important. Call 888-811-1121 to learn more about adopting these cuties today!

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Biz NewsBriefs Dwayne Wade Expands Brand, Kerry Washington Lands Big Deal

N

BA superstar Dwayne Wade opened up with Wine Enthusiast Magazine on the expansion of his business empire—which already includes a shoe line as well as a line of socks, commercials and endorsements —into the wine business last year.

Inspired by a trip to Napa Valley with his wife, actress Gabrielle Union, the Miami Heat shooting guard has launched Wade Cellars in July of 2015, and is marketing his first two selections, a 2013 red wine blend—Three By Wade— priced at $105 and another, simple called “Wade”.

Being an African American, Wade said,”This is an avenue and a lane I want to own. I don’t think a lot of

of two Los Angeles branches, Ladera Heights and Pasadena, while seeking a Boston headquarters location. Representatives maintain that the strategic move is part of a reconfiguration that would generate significant growth and place OneUnited Bank at the forefront of community banking by building what is being heralded by bank executives as the "Bank For The Future" or #BFF. As the first Black internet bank, OneUnited was recently rated one of the top 25 community banks in the country for its social media presence. OneUnited Bank President & COO Teri Williams comments, "Banking is experiencing a new frontier; we need to be where our customers are…in local communities and online. To support our #BFF strategy, we are reconfiguring our branches, committing resources to new technology platforms, better tailoring our loan and deposit products to meet our customers' needs, launching new products such as our UNITY Visa secured credit card, expanding our social media presence and improving our web design to complement our strategy."

The bank continues to use its signature Los Angeles branch at 3683 Crenshaw Boulevard to offer financial literacy classes and welcomes organizations to use its community and board rooms.

Kerry Washington Inks Major Deal

people understand wine. We have hard liquor and vodka pushed in our faces all the time. That’s all we see, but wine hasn’t been shoved in our faces, so we’re not educated as such. I want to educate our culture, and hopefully, it takes off more.

A rollout in the U.S. is underway. In the meantime, the wine can be ordered through his website, DWadeCellars.com. The 34-year old, basketball allstar, attended business classes at Harvard last year.

Additionally, he is teaming with his wife on a home renovation series for HGTV, set to bow later this year.

One United Closes Two L.A. Area Branches In a move towards expansion of its online presence and usage of cutting edge technology, OneUnited Bank, the largest Black-owned bank in America, is reconfiguring its branch network including the closure

On the heels of the success of the HBO movie, Confirmation—detailing the Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas saga—Scandal star Kerry Washington has signed a two-year deal with ABC Studios for her production company, Simpson Street. Named after the street in the Bronx where her Mom grew up, the company officially made its debut with “Confirmation”, its first project.

As part of the deal, the actress will develop broadcast, cable and digital projects exclusively for ABC. “I believe strongly in the importance of having a seat at the table, which makes starting this production company thrilling for me. It’s an honor to be at a point in my career when I can help generate projects that are exciting, necessary, and truly reflect the world around us,” Washington said in a statement. “I’m grateful to be on this journey with ABC, a network that remains unparalleled in its commitment to inclusive storytelling.”

In related news, “How To Get Away With Murder” star Viola Davis, also inked a deal with ABC Studios for her production company, JuVee Productions, which she runs with her husband, Julius Tennon.

SPOTLIGHT YOUR BARBERSHOP IN OUR JUNE ISSUE

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Call (310) 677-6011 Rates as low as $99

On the Money L.A. Rents Continue To Soar, Expected To Go Higher In the Next Two Years

If like most, you’re perplexed at how high the rents have risen in the metropolitan Los Angeles rental market, hold on to your hats, as the cost of living and renting in the City of Angels was up 7.8% at the close of 2015, with the average apartment standing at about $1,873 per month. And if that wasn’t enough, the 2016 USC Casden Multifamily Forecast predicts that, for at least the next two years, vacancy rates will "continue their gradual decline" and rents will continue to rise.

Problem is construction of affordable units is being outpaced by the demand for luxury housing in areas like Playa Vista, where a studio apartment rents for $2775 and a two bedroom for $4000. Any increase in inventory will help stabilize the market and create opportunities for sellers who want to move but have nowhere to go.

While nationally the rental vacancy rate is 7%, it is just 2.7% in the last quarter of 2015. Of course, all of the above makes it a good time to sell.

Retrofitting also impacts the price of rent. Last year, city officials proposed both building owners and renters would share the finally burden equally. Under the initiative, tenants are subject to rent increases over a five-to10-year period, with a maximum increase of $38 per month.

By law, landlords can increase rent by 3% once every 12 months. To balance the needs of both tenants and landlords, the allowable rent increase is tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). All this means that rent can only be increased 3% - 10% every year. California has some of the highest rents in the country, and in many places they’re still growing quickly.

In the meantime, housing prices are expected to stabilize after a 6.8% jump last year.

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L.A. Focus/May 2016

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Dollars and ense Each month I write this column my goal is to give our community knowledge on basic financial matters. Most of the time it will be centered on insurance related matters. This month the spotlight is on the National Lifeline Program or what is known as “Obama Phones”.

Lifeline served over 12 million Americans last year and here in California alone, it has over 1.5 million subscribers. So what is this program and how does it work? That’s what I hope to demystify so that our eligible community members can take advantage of this federally funded program.

No one wants to be on any government assistance, however if you are eligible, they are designed to help bridge the gap to allow you to get back on your feet.

Why is this program important? Without a phone you cannot get access to employment as there is no way for an employer to get in touch with you.

Despite its Obama moniker, the program started during President Ronald Reagan administration in 1985 as part of the agreement allowing telephone companies to consolidate. It insured that elderly, low income or disabled people would have access to phone services. It is critical in case of emergencies and is funded by a tax on everyone's phone bill dubbed “the National Lifeline tax”.

The program was enhanced and expanded under President Bush to include cell phones because of the advancement of technology. Within our community you see all the different phone options from the regular carriers such as Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, Boost etc. When you are struggling to pay rent, put food on the table, paying your utility bills, buying your kids clothes, an extra $50 dollars a month for a cell phone cuts real deep into your family's budget. If eligible, you can take advantage of this program and have access to one phone per household with unlimited minutes and some data to access email.

The LifeLine Phone Program offers free cell phonecalls, free minutes, free texts and a free android smartphone

By participating in the free government phones program through an authorized provider offering free cell phone service, eligible recipients will be able to make calls, send texts, and use wireless data without the worry of having their service getting cut off. There is no cost and there are no contracts.

Whether you’re calling to make a doctors appointment, conducting an interview over the phone with a potential employer, or texting your niece to babysit your kids while you run an errand, this free cell phone service will be there for you every step of the way.

What’s more, the FCC has voted to expand the program to include free internet services for the same eligible households. The FCC and President Obama administration officials recognized that the poor and disadvantaged could not compete in the digital world without access to the Internet. If this was not addressed we would have create a permanent underclass in our country.

Though eligibility varies slightly from state to state, if you participate in a federal or state assistance program, you are like eligible. It is important to add that just one person per household is eligible for a LifeLine Cell Phone Plan and they must re-register every year to maintain the eligibility status.

In closing, one of the issues that has disturbed me greatly is how the services are being offered to our community. The distribution now is in front of public social service offices, parking lots, street corners etc. I believe the services should be made available at our churches, non-profits or any community organization servicing the underserved.

If you have any questions about the program or how to get access to these services please feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I can help navigate your constituents, friends or family through the process. Our people can use these savings to provide a little cushion to help them get on their feet.

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Re d Carpet Style

Jeannie Mai The Real’ s Co-host wears a feather top paired with high waist shorts.

Regina Hall looks sexy in this red lace bellow the knee dress.

Tamar Braxton is pretty in pink with a long gold zipper.

All the stars came out for the premiere of “Barbershop:The Next Cut” held at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

Vivica Fox is daring in black leather and purple hair.

Eve The actress/rapper looks amazing in this baby pink pants suit.

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Calendar of events

Ongoing On Stage: Father Comes Home From The Wars (Parts 1,2 & 3) (Through May 15, 2016) Showtimes vary • $55–$85 Mark Taper Forum at the Music Center 135 N. Grand Avenue Tickets: (213) 628-2772 www.centertheatregroup.org Shark Lagoon Nights (Fridays) The public is invited to get up close with the ocean's ultimate predators 6–9pm Free Long Beach–Aquarium Of The Pacific www.aquariumofpacific.org

Tuesday, May 3 Rihanna: Anti World Tour 2016 (Through Wednesday, May 4) 7:30pm The Forum 3900 W. Manchester Blvd (310) 330-7300 www.fabulousforum.com

Wednesday, May 4 In Concert: Keyshia Cole 9pm • $20 - $80 The Belasco Theater 1050 S. Hill St. Contact: (213) 746-5670 www.thebelasco.com

Thursday, May 5 Inglewood Area Ministers Association 33nd Annual Prayer Breakfast Keynote speaker: Bishop Robert T.

Contact: (844) 524-7335 http://www.lagreektheatre.com

Douglas 7am – 9am $35 donation L.A. Airport Hilton 5711 W. Century Blvd Contact: (310) 283-1985

Friday, May 6 In Concert: The Temptations 9PM • $38 - $68 The Canyon Club 28912 Roadside Drive Agoura Hills Contact: (818) 879-5016 www.canyonclub.net In Concert: Tramaine Hawkins, Vicki Yohe, Dr. Bobby Jones 7PM • $30 in advance/$45 at door New Hope Baptist Church 5200 S. Central Avenue www.gdiministries.com

Saturday, May 7 Annual Children’s Literacy Day at CAAM “Heads Are Turning, Children Are Learning” Fun-filled day of celebrity readers, storytellers, face painting, art projects, live performances, and prizes 11am – 4pm • Free Admission Parking: $12 California Afro-American Museum 600 State Drive Exposition Park Contact: (213) 744-7432 www.caamuseum.org In Concert: Bobby Brown, SWV, Jagged Edge, Next, Shai & Troop 7:30pm • $45 - $95 The Greek Theater 2700 North Vermont

Karen Bass Re-election Kick off Free 10am – Noon Leimert Park 4305 Degnan Blvd Contact: (323) 248-1137

Sunday, May 8 In Concert: Lisa Fischer & Grand Baton (Also Dr. Lonnie Smith and Gregory Porter) Tickets start at $49 Segerstrom Center for the Arts 600 Town Center Drive Costa Mesa Contact: (714) 556-2787 http://www.scfta.org

Monday, May 9 The Baptist Minister’s Conference Honors Pastor Solomon Drake 11am Mt. Moriah Baptist

Church 4269 S. Figueroa Information: (323) 731-2703

Friday, May 13 In Concert: Macy Gray 9PM • $69-353 Saban Theatre 8440 Wilshire Blvd Beverly Hills Contact: (323) 655-0111 www.sabantheatre.org BBA 13th Annual Procurement Exchange Summit Contracting opportunities, panel discussion and networking reception 9am – 2pm $25 (Early bird registration) • $50 after May 11 Patriotic Hall 1816 S. Figueroa Street Contact: (323) 291-9334 www.bbala.org In Concert: Fat Joe & Remy Ma — A Tribute To Big Pun 8PM • $28.50 - $35 The Novo Theater 800 W. Olympic Blvd

EVENT SPOTLIGHT Saturday, May 14 Beyonce—The Formation World Tour 7:30pm • $70 - $305 The Rose Bowl 1001 Rose Bowl Drive Pasadena www.beyonce.com

L.A. Focus/May 2016

Tikka Sumpter attends Glamour Glamour Game Changers Lunch on April 20 at Au Fudge in West Hollywood

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pose for Z a nd a ya d n a r te p ncheon Tikka Sum at Glamour’s Lu s ra e the cam

ge attends the Actor Aldis Hod e Beverly screening at th “Underground” Hilton.

Martin Law rence is ho nore Voice Prese nts Back In d at Micah's A n n u a l Be The Day 2 nefit nd Marriott on Concert at Warner C enter April 10 in Woodland Hills.

Director Anthony M. Hemingway shows his kicks on the “Underground” red carpet

5.16Q_Focus 7-04 4/29/16 10:43 PM Page 15

BLACK GIRLS ROCK! Fly Away Sweepstakes presented

by Hilton Hotels winner, Dominique Robinson, Hilton Worldwide’s multicultural and diversity marketing director, Andrea Richardson, and Robinson’s guest, share a moment at the show. Hilton Hotels sponsored the nationwide sweepstakes in support of the brand’s multicultural and diversity outreach.

Contact: (213) 765-7000 www.thenovodtla.com

Saturday, May 14 Queen Mary’s 5th Annual West Coast BBQ Classic Grill competition $2 Tastings, live music, Kids Country featuring inflatables, children’s activities and more.

• 11am-6pm $20-25 (Parking $15) 1126 Queens Highway Long Beach www.queenmary.com DCFS Adoption Event Learn about becoming a foster parent 11am - 1pm First Church of God 9550 Crenshaw Blvd Information: (888) 811-1121 www.ShareYourHeartLA.org 2016 West Coast Natural Hair + Health + Beauty Expo 10am – 7pm • $10 - $40 Long Beach Convention Center 300 East Ocean Blvd Long Beach

Ice Cube , Cedric the Entertainer, Nicki Minaj, Eve and the rest of the “Barber Shop The Next Cut” cast attends their premiere.

Stubhub Center 18400 S Avalon Blvd Carson www.kiisfm.com On Stage: “Goodbye Birdie” Presented by Wendy Raquel Robinson & the Amazing Grace Conservatory (Through Sunday, May 15) Call for showtimes $20 In advance • $25 at door Nate Holden Performing Arts Center 4718 W. Washington Blvd Tickets: (323) 732-4283 www.amazinggraceconservatory.org

Sunday, May 15 A Pink Pump Affair 8: A Celebration of Women Honoring Laila Ali, L.A. County Supervisor Sheila Keuhl & Dr. Gail Jackson Benefitting the Special Needs Network Emcee: KCAL’s Pat Harvey 12:30–3:30PM $300–$1000 Four Seasons Hotel 300 S. Doheny Drive Info: (323) 291-7100

www.vibraltogrilljazz.com Pentecost Revival 2016 Special Guest: Bishop John E. Guns (Through Tuesday, May 17) Southern Missionary Baptist Church 4678 W. Adams Blvd Information: (323) 731-2703

Tuesday, May 17 In Concert: Teyana Taylor 6:30pm • $25 The Belasco Theater 1050 S. Hill St. Contact: (213) 746-5670 www.thebelasco.com

Thursday, May 19 NAACP Roy Wilkins Freedom Fund Gala Honorees include Bishop T. Larry Kirkland, Dr. Willie J. Hagan, Jacqueline Castillo and UTLA president Alex Caputo-Pearl 7pm (dinner & program) $100 - $250 Millenium Biltmore Hotel 506 S. Grand Ave Info: (310) 397-1171 www.naacp-losangeles.org

The Novo Theater 800 W. Olympic Blvd Contact: (213) 765-7000 www.thenovodtla.com

Friday, May 20 In Concert: Fantasia & Anthony Hamilton 8pm $59.50–$100 Microsoft Theater 800 W Olympic Blvd www.microsofttheater.com

Saturday, May 21 Annual California Strawberry Festival (Through May 22) Cooking demonstrations, entertainment, attractions, arts & crafts Adults $12 Children $5 10am–6:30pm Strawberry Meadows of College Park 3250 South Rose Ave Oxnard www.strawberry-fest.org

Center 6200 Atherton Street Long Beach Contact: 562) 985-7000 www.carpenterarts.org

Holman United Methodist Church 3320 W. Adams Blvd Contact: (323) 731-0140 www.holmanumc.com

Sunday, May 22, 2016

Friday, June 3

Lecture: Deciphering West African Masks: Ritual, Culture and Community 2pm • Free Admission (Parking: $12) California Afro-American Museum 600 State Drive Exposition Park RSVP: (213) 744.2024 www.caamuseum.org

In Concert: Freda Payne (Through June 4) 8:30pm • $25 Catalina Bar & Grill 6725 Sunset Blvd Info: (323) 466-2210 www.catalinajazzclub.com

In Concert: The Stylistics 6pm • $62.18 - $136.03 PazNaz 3700 East Sierra Madre Blvd Pasadena Contact: RST Entertainment (818) 233-3515

L.A. Fire Dept Career Expo 10am – 2pm Free 11505 W. Oympic Blvd Information: (213) 893-9899

Southeast Symphony Presents “Carmina Burana” 4pm • $15 - $105 First Congregational Church 540 S. Commonwealth Ave Info: (310) 673-7372 www.southeastsymphony.org

In Concert: Arturo Sandoval 8pm • $35 - $50 Carpenter Performing Arts

Jester Hairston Scholarship Presentation Concert 3pm • Free

around los angeles

KIIS FM’s Wango Tango Featuring Ariana Grande, Iggy Azalea, Gwen Stefani and more 3pm $60–$265

In Concert: Eloise Laws 7pm/9pm • $30 Vibralto Grill Jazz 2930 Beverly Glen Circle Info: (310) 474-9400

Musicares Benefit Concert featuring Smokey Robinson, El DeBarge, Kem, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, CeeLo Green and Tamar Braxton 8PM

Amandla Stenberg, Oprah, Kerry Washington, India Arie attend OWN’s Super Soul Sessions held at UCLA.

Smollett-Bell with Amirah Vann and Jurnee Green at the sha Mi Underground creator . ton Hil ly ver Be

Saturday, June 4 Panel: Surviving the Trauma of Human Trafficking 9am - Noon Faithful Central Bible Church 321 N. Eucalyptus Ave Contact: (310) 330-8000

Actress Adina Porter hits the red carpet at The Beverly Hilton for the Underground screening.

L.A. Focus/May 2016

,Holly Robinson Sharhonda Stockman awn Stockman Sh r ge Peete and Sin Presents Back In attend Micah's Voice Benefit Concert The Day 2nd Annual

Newport Beach Jazz Festival Featuring Michael McDonald, Jonathan Butler, Stephanie Mills, Average White Band and more (Through June 5) $60 (day) $100 (2 day pass) $299 (weekend) Hyatt Regency Newport Beach 1107 Jamboree Rd Box Office: (949) 360-7800 festivals.hyattconcerts.com

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INSIDE HO L LY W OOD with Chez’Ney Third Time’s a Charm for NWA After being nominated for the first time in October 2012 then again in October 2013 then finally in December 2015 the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced the group as one of the inductees of 2016.And on April 8th they joined fellow inductees Cheap Trick, Chicago, Deep Purple and Steve Miller at the Brooklyn’s Barclays Center for the Ceremony where Ice Cube told attendees “Rock ‘n’ roll is not conforming to the people who came before you but creating your own path in music and in life. That is rock ‘n’ roll and that is us.”

Despite the fact that the controversial gangster rap group was banned during it’s hay day (1986 to 1991) from many mainstream radio stations because of explicit lyrics, the glorification of drugs and crime and hatred for the police, they were a voice for the unheard bringing to light the realities of being a young black male in America. The Compton California natives sold over 10 million units in the United States alone.

Travel with Queen Latifah and Terry Crews If you ever wanted to go to all the hot spots that your favorite celebs frequent, Queen Latifah is hosting and executive producing a new Travel Channel show “The Best Place to Be” that will take you there. The Queen visits with A-list celebrities that share their favorite places to eat, drink,

shop and sightsee.

Another show on the Travel Channel’s summer line up is “Celebrity Adventure Club” which features actor and former football player Terry Crews (“Everybody Hates Chris”). Terry along with Jon Cryer (“Two and a Half Men”) and Eric Stonestreet (“Modern Family”) is set to take us along for “an intimate adventure of discovery and exploration. Each actor is handed a camera and takes viewers to a places that compels and inspires them. Terry shares with us the rebirth of Motor City.

Chef Curry Ayesha Curry, wife of basketball sensation Steph Curry, has new show on Food Network. Although nothing has been shot and there's no premiere date "At Home with Ayesha" Some assume it will be like Ayesha Curry's YouTube channel called, "Little Lights of Mine," where Ayesha shares recipes, cooking tips, and family clips. A cooking show is not the only big business move the mother of two is making, she also has a cookbook “The Seasoned Life: Food, Family, Faith and the Joy of Eating Well” that will be launching in September.

100 of her favorite recipes and invite readers into the home she has made with her two daughters and her husband Stephen Curry. The recipes include Cast Iron Biscuits,Smoked S a l m o n S c r a m b l e , Homemade Granola, Mom’s Chicken Soup, and Stephen’s 5 Ingredient NWA Pasta.

COMINGSOON

Pele: Birth of a Legend This film tells Brazilian soccer Pele's life story, from humble beginnings to leading Brazil to its first ever world cup victory in 1958.

May 6th

Kidnap

Back in the Day

A heart-stopping action thriller following a mother (Halle Berry) who will stop at nothing to rescue her kidnapped son.

May 13th

A young boxer is taken under the wing of a mob boss after his Mother dies and his Father is run out of town for being an abusive alcoholic.

May 20th

The Do Over Two guys decide to fake their own deaths and start over with new identities, only to find the people they're pretending to be are in even deeper trouble.

May 27th

Wendy Raquel Robinson’s Amazing Grace Conservatory Pays Tribute Prince In New Production, “Goodbye Birdie” Wendy Raquel Robinson and her Amazing Grace Conservatory (AGC) will hit the stage in their spring production of “Goodbye Birdie”—based on the 1963 American musical comedy film, “Bye Bye, Birdie” —at The Nate Holden Performing Arts Center, at 4718 West Washington Blvd, on Saturday, May 14th at 7:30pm and Sunday, May 15th at 7:00pm.

It is the classic show revamped with musical hits from Prince and Anita Baker including

fresh and original vocal arrangements from the film including, “Bye, Bye Birdie,” “Put On a Happy Face,” and “One Boy” just to name a few.

“In choosing to present this year's musical and feature the music of Prince, we had no idea of how spiritual and relevant it would be after Prince’s sudden and devastating passing,” Robinson said. “The students have been rehearsing the iconic music from seven-time Grammy Award winner, Prince for months. His life, love for children, education and music has sparked a movement with our students that has taken our production of “Goodbye Birdie” to another level. We are saddened by his tragic passing, but we are humbled and honored by this divine coincidence. We look forward to paying homage to a musical genius that has left an indelible impact on the world and this new generation of youth that have fallen in love with his music and message.”

Proceeds will support the expansion of AGC and provide scholarships to underserved youth. For information, call (323) 732-4283 or visit www.AmazingGraceConservatory.org.

Q&A Paula Patton Los Angeles native Paula Patton made her acting debut in 2005 comedy “Hitch” starring Will Smith. Her first lead role was as Angel Davenport in the musical film “Idlewild”, but her breakout role was in 2006 where she played opposite Denzel Washington in “Deja Vu”and has had a very fruiful career ever since with lead roles in Precious, Jumping The Broom, Mission: Impossible– Ghost Protocol, etc.

The 40 year old mother one of married her highschool sweetheart and now r&b soul singer Robin Thicke in 2005 and had a public break up last year, but she is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Patton is set to star in the upcoming fantasy film “Warcraft” based on the game series.

Q: How does it feel now that roles are being written for you?

A: It feels surreal, it’s a huge compliment and I’m overwhelmed by it. I would have been so happy just to get a role on a soap opera. My goal at the time was to just make a living acting. I really didn’t have a goal that was that lofty when I started acting.And for this to happen it’s beyond my wildest dreams and I’m very thankful.

Q: How are your experiences with being a part of a big budget studio film and with a small budget independent film such as Precious?

A: They are equally enjoyable in different ways.

When I got Deja Vu with Denzel Washington it changed my life and the way I acted. And working on a Jerry Brockheimer movie is a blessing because the perks are big, private plans. It’s a good life. Then you go to Precious where the perks are in how creative and challenging and free it is.

Q: Have you always wanted to be an actress?

I got my first big acting job when I was 28! I always wanted to be an actress — I was in all the school plays at my high school in Los Angeles — but I was shy, and acting did not seem like a solid profession.

So, I decided to become a filmmaker instead. When I graduated from high school, I was chosen to be part of this PBS documentary program called “The Ride.” It was four young aspiring directors, and we traveled around the country filming portraits of young Americans.

I’m trying to be particular, but it’s hard. Acting is an addiction: my regular life is kind of dull. I have a great husband [the singer Robin Thicke], but I thrive when I’m working. To enter a different environment, time, person is thrilling. When I’m acting, I’m on top of the world: you’re completely living this thing. When I’m not working, I get scared. Acting is my escape: I can’t wait to get back and lose myself.

5.16Q_Focus 7-04 4/29/16 10:43 PM Page 17

T h r o u g h t he Storm “The Power Of Her Testimony”

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ndrae Crouch’s famed composition, “Through It All”, pretty much sums up the faith and philosophy of Michelle Beal, who has lost a child to gun violence, seen another of her sons go to prison, been married and divorced three times; and been put out of a church only to return years later to re-establish its presence as one of the most respected Pentecostal churches in the city, making her a rising star on L.A.’s church scene.

“That signature song is my story,” she says.

“I’ve learned to trust in Jesus…I’ve learned to depend on his word. I’ve had many tears of sorrow. I’ve had questions for tomorrow. There were times I felt so alone, but I thank Him for the mountains; for the valleys; for everything He’s brought me through, for if I didn’t have these problems, how would I know that God can solve them. That’s my story.”

And it has been a rollercoaster ride for the Los Angeles native whose grandmother was an evangelist in her own right, and whose mission—Beal believes—was left for her to fulfill.

“I had a vision clear as day,” recalls Beal. “I was in a playpen and saw her praying over me.

In my spirit I almost felt like she was praying that the Lord let me finish what she had started, and it stuck with me.”

In fact, it seemed both music and ministry were in Beal’s DNA. Her father was an arranger who’d once played with Nat King Cole and her mom was a singer.

But with her Dad on the road and her mom, diagnosed as schizophrenic, Beal was reared by her Uncle Leroy Chappelle, then pastor of Church of Jesus Christ Apostolic Faith.

Raised strict she was baptized at 6, received the holy ghost at 12, and then taught to pay organ for the church.

“So”, says Beal, “I started as organist. From there, I became minister of music, then church administrator to assistant pastor and now pastor.”

But the path from organist to pastor was anything but easy.

It was in 1992 after settling down with her second husband, Jerald and two sons in Diamond Bar that Beal’s world came crashing in around her. She had been recuperating from a hysterectomy when her biological mom—left a gun in their home.

“One particular afternoon I’m resting and my six-year old son Cameron comes running up the stairs and he goes ‘Mom, when is Jesus coming back?’ He was my little Jesus baby— the one who told his Uncle Leroy that he wanted to be a preacher. With tears in his eyes he said, ‘but I don’t want to wait for the rapture, I want to be with Jesus now.’”

The words didn’t mean anything to Beal then, but in the days to come, it would mean everything.

“A few days later my sons had been playing with a neighborhood kid,” she recalls. “All of a sudden we hear this gun go off. Joe ran up the stairs and I heard him scream. He had Cameron in his hands and a bullet right in the head. I literally lost it and I was praying and

pleading the blood and heard my child’s last breath come out of his mouth.

“When I say God carried me through this, it’s like the “Footprints In the Sand” poem, I looked back and I saw two sets, but why was it that when it was a crucial point in my life I didn’t see two steps? And God said that’s where you’re wrong my child, that was when I was carrying you. He carried me.”

Just months earlier, a rift between she her uncle caused her to leave the church, but now, in her hour of need, he was there to console her and to remind her of her purpose.

“I’d accepted the call to ministry even through the brokenness and craziness, and wondered how in the world He was going to use me,” Beals picks up the story. “I honestly thought I was going to be the next Jackie McCallough, and after I lost my child, I believe that God placed me in Diamond Bar—outside of L.A.— to heal and to grieve and so that He could deal with me.

“While in Diamond Bar, I used to conduct a Monday night bible studies class so it’s like the Lord was preparing me. I did that for three years. “It was called Feed My Sheep Ministries.

Looking back, I see that it was training. That was the time I lived and breathed God’s word.”

Beals would eventually return to the church as Chappelle’s assistant, but not before a great deal of soul searching,—her biggest problems being choices she made in her life… choices that didn’t make her feel so worthy.

“I didn’t feel adequate and that’s a big thing,” Beals said. “It’s one thing to evangelize or have speaking engagements, I didn’t mind empowering God’s people but to be responsible for people’s souls is more than just preaching.

At the time I had no idea what I was doing, because it’s more than just preaching. It’s every aspect of the church and when God started dealing with me, I’m saying why me, and He said, ‘why not you’?

“I didn’t see who was going to listen to me,” she continues. “With my broken relationships, how was I going to council people in marriages?

But He said it’s time for you to go to where I’m taking you because that’s exactly the generation that you are going to be dealing with, broken people just like you.”

In 1997, she married for a third time, but it was her ministry that was would shift into high gear leading to her ordination and numerous requests for her to speak at women’s conferences.

“Through all that I got this immediate connection with my grandmother,” Beals recounts.

“At about the same time, Pastor Chappelle started realizing that he was going to need an assistant. To our surprise, two years later his assistant pastor had a stroke and passed away.

So in 2000, I was installed as assistant pastor.”

In 2010, she was elevated to the role of pastor and CEO of the Church of Jesus Christ Apostolic Faith and in the two years that followed Pastor Chappelle—who passed in 2012— was able to see her flourish in the church he had established, telling her that because of all she had been through that she would reach a generation he would never have been able to reach.

Affectionately known as “Pastor B”, Beals has seen an uptick in attendance as she strives to keep the ministry relevant to both its parishioners and the community that surrounds it.

“What makes my ministry so effective, and the reason why people are flocking to our church, is the power of my testimony and all I’ve gone through and how God has continued to bless me. When you speak that kind of power, the word goes to the core of people’s hearts.”

5.16Q_Focus 7-04 4/29/16 10:43 PM Page 18

ChurchNews Deitrick Haddon Establishes Hill City Church L.A.

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L.A. Focus May 2016

Award-winning gospel star, songwriter and producer Deitrick Haddon took his cutting edge style of music to new heights with the release of his eighth studio album, Masterpiece, which debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Album Charts in 2015. The prolific 3time GRAMMY®-nominated, multiple Stellar and Dove Award-winning musician—who exec-produced and was featured in the Preachers of L.A.”— is considered by some to be a proverbial leader of the new school for young Christians worldwide, and in March, Haddon began a new chapter in Los Angeles with the establishment of his Hill City Church L.A. at the Barnsdall Theater.

A capacity crowd of 300 attended the first service of the church, which are for now being held on Thursday nights.

“We call it Thursday night live and we’re just building the church from there,” Haddon said. “We believe that people who come out during the week are really strong believers and are not just coming out of routine.

If they’re coming to your church on a Thursday, they’re coming to help and they feel like they can receive something from you. In order to build a church you need people that are committed, faithful, —who are not just there for you, but believe in the mission and the vision of the church.”

Ironically, it was a vision God had to convince him to see.

“If you had asked me this time last year if I would ever pastor a church, I would have told you ‘no way’”, Haddon reveals.

“I was enjoying the weather under the palm trees, going to Disneyland and Chucky Cheese with my kids and the Lord stopped me and said if you don’t do what I called you to do, I will take it all from you.

“So I jumped up and the first thing I did was to go to Detroit and preach a three-day revival in obedience to the Lord. After I said, ‘Lord I did my job, please don’t take nothing from me’.

“And He said, ‘no brother, that was just the beginning. I want you to start this church and he gave me the name, the idea, the vision for the church—everything.

Hill City Church is a place for people with real issues seeking God.” In just six short weeks, the church has grown to over 200 members.

“We’re renting at the Foundation Center at 11633 S. Western Avenue across from L.A. Southwest College, but we’re looking to move to our own facilities, so we’ll be making a big announcement soon about what will be our permanent place.”

Pastoring is hardly new to the Detroit native who is the son of Bishop Clarence Haddon, pastor at the Unity Cathedral of Faith.

“I was groomed to be a leader. I preached my first sermon when I was ten. Before I moved to Los Angeles, I was pastoring my Dad’s church in Detroit for two years and the church went from 400 members to a little bit over 3,000 in two years. That’s when my life got turned upside down and I decided to leave Detroit. A whole new journey began for me out here. I met my wife.

Now I have three kids and I’m doing TV shows. But first, I’m pastor of this church, because I know that’s what I’m called to do. So no matter where I am, I’ve got to make it back Wednesday so I can be there for Thursday. We may go to Sundays as soon as next month and then all of my Sundays will be taken.”

18

Amen L.A. (Affirming Ministry Enlightening Nations) 1455 W. 94th St. Los Angeles, CA 90047 (323) 229-9351 • www.amenla.org Rev. Dr. DiAnn L. Johnson Sunday Morning Worship: 9:30am-10:30am PTP / Preach the word- Teach the word practice the word

Bethel AME Church of Los Angeles 7900 South Western Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90047 (323) 750-3240 • www.bethelamela.org Rev. Kelvin T. Calloway Early Worship: 7:45 am Morning Worship: 10:45am Mid-week “Hour of Power” (Wed): noon

Bethesda Temple Church Apostolic Faith 4909 Crenshaw Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90043 (323) 299-2591 Interim Pastor Robert Lockett Sunday School: 9:40am Morning Worship: 11am Evening Worship: 6pm Bible Study (Wed): 7pm Prayer (Sat): 7am Evening Prayer (Mon.): 6:30pm

Crenshaw Christian Center 7901 South Vermont, Los Angeles, CA 90044 (323) 758-3777 • F: (323)565-4231 • www.faithdome.org Rev. Frederick Price Jr. Sunday Service: 10am Bible Study (Tue): 11am & 7pm Tue. Night Kidz Unlocked: 7pm Tue. Night Bible Study (Teens): 7pm Alcohol & Drug Abuse Program (Wed): 7pm Intercessory Prayer (Wed.): 7:30pm Prayer & Praise (Thurs.): 6:30pm First AME Church (FAME) 2270 South Harvard Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90018 (323) 735-1251 • F: (323) 735-3353 • www.famechurch.org Pastor J. Edgar Boyd, Senior Pastor/CEO Sunday School: 10am Worship: 8am, 10am, Noon Teen Church (2nd Sundays):Noon,Allen House Wed. Prayer Service: Noon Wed. Bible Study: 7pm Radio: 10:30am on KJLH-102.3FM First AME is the oldest Black Church in the City Grace Temple Baptist Church 7017 South Gramercy Place, Los Angeles, CA 90047 (323) 971-8192 Bishop Miquail M. Broadous Sr., Senior Pastor Sunday School: 9am Morning Worship: 10:00am Wednesday Worship: 6:45pm E-Mail: gtbcla@gmail.com

Bethlehem Temple Church, INC. 958 East 52nd Street Los Angeles, CA 90011 (323) 232-8429 www.bethlehemtemplela.org Pastor Elder Gentry Richardson, Jr. Sunday: Christian Education: 9am Morning Worship: 11am PYPU (youth services): 4:30pm Evening Worship: 6pm (5pm 5th Sun.) Monday Prayer Revival: 7pm Wednesday Ministerial/Teacher’s Prep. Class: Noon; Bible Class: 7:45pm

Grace United Methodist Church 4112 West Slauson Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90043 (323) 294-6653 • F: (323) 294-8753 • graceumc1@earthlink.net Rev. Pastor Paul A. Hill • www.graceumcla.com Early Morning Worship: 7:45am Sunday School: 9:45am Morning Worship: 10:45am Wed. Bible Study: Noon & 7pm Fri. Alcoholic Anonymous: 7pm Tues. Prayer Fellowship: 6:30pm Super Seniors (Thurs/Bi-Monthly): 10:30am Follow us on Facebook

Bryant Temple AME Church 2525 W. Vernon Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90008 (323) 293-6201 • F: (323) 293-0082 Rev. Theodore W. Payne, IV

Greater Ebenezer Baptist Church 5300 S. Denker Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90062 (323) 759-4996 Dr. Solomon Drake

Sunday School: 10am Early Worship: 8am Morning Worship: 10:30 am Bible Study (Tues): Noontime Pastor’s Bible Study( Tues): 7pm

Early Worship: 8am Sunday School: 9:30am Mid-Morning Worship: 11am Radio-KALI 900AM: Sun. 11-Noon, 7-8pm KTYM 1460AM Sundays: 5:30pm Bible Study (Tues, Wed & Thurs): 7pm

Christ The Good Shepherd Episcopal Church 3303 W. Vernon Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90008 (323) 295-4139 • F: (323) 295-4681 Rev. Joseph Oloimooja Sunday School: 10am Early Worship: 8am Morning Worship: 10am Mon. Centering Prayer/Meditation: 6:30pm Mon. Overeaters Anonymous: 7pm Wed. Bible Study & Eucharist: 7pm Wed. Alcoholic Anonymous: 7:pm E: cgshepherd4041@sbcglobal.net

Holman United Methodist Church 3320 W. Adams Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90018 (323) 731-7285 • F: (323) 731-2609 • www.holmanumc.com Rev. Kelvin Sauls

Church of Jesus Christ International 3719 W. Slauson Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90043 (323) 296-1106 Pastor Michelle Beal

Liberty Baptist Church 1500 West 51st Place, Los Angeles, CA 90062 (323) 295-3866 • F: (323) 295-0366 • E: LBCwim@aol.com Rev. Terry Lovell Brown Sr.

Sunday Morning Glory Service (2nd & 4th): 8:30am-9:30am Christian Education Classes: 9:45am-10:45am Sunday Morning Worship: 11:15am Tuesday Prayer: 7pm Wednesday Bible Class: 7pm 1st Sunday Nights: 7pm Congregational Church of Christian Fellowship 2085 S. Hobart Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90018 Phone: (323) 731-8869 • F: (323) 731-0851 • www.cccf-ucc.org Pastor James K. McKnight Sun. Early Worship: 8am Prayer Meeting: 10:30am Morning Worship: 11am Wed. Afternoon Bible Study: 1pm Wed. Prayer Meeting: 6pm Wed. Evening Bible Study: 7pm View Pastor McKnight’s Sermons on YouTube

Sunday School: 8:00, 9:45 & 11am Jazz for Soul 2nd & 4th Thur: 6:30 pm Early Worship: 8am Morning Worship: 11am Bible Study (Thurs.): Noon Sun. Radio: KJLH 102.3FM: 11am E: Holman@holmanumc.com

Sunday Church School: 9am Morning Worship: 10:30am & 12:30pm Wed. Bible Study: noon & 6:30pm Prayer Meeting: 6pm Follow us on Twitter @dacrossculture www.thecrossculture.org Macedonia Baptist Church of Los Angeles 1751 East 114th Street Los Angeles, CA 90059 (323) 569-9561 • Macedonia.baptist114@gmail.com Pastor Shane B. Scott Morning Worship: 10am Sunday Small Group: 8:45am Tues. Mid-Day Bible Study: 11am Wed. Prayer & Bible Study: 6:30pm www.macedonia-la.org

5.16Q_Focus 7-04 4/29/16 10:43 PM Page 19

McCarty Memorial Christian Church 4101 West Adams Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90018 (323) 731-4131 Pastor Edward Anderson

New Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church 9537 South Vermont Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90044 (323) 755-1130 or 755-1139 • F: (323)755-8961 Rev. Melvin Hill, Pastor

Sunday School: 9:30am Morning Worship: 10:45am Bible Study: Noon, Tuesdays

Worship Services: 8am & 11am Sunday School: 9:30am Prayer Meeting(WED): 6:30pm Bible Study(WED): 7pm & Noon The Church where “It pays to be nice”.

Miracle Center Apostolic Church 2638 S. Western Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90018 (323) 735-5121 or 735-5122 Dr. Roy S. Petitt • Sunday School: 9:30am Sunday Worship: 8am, 11am & 6pm Tues. Prayer & Bible Class: Noon Rights of Passage: 7pm Wed. Bible Study: 8pm Thurs. Prayer/Bible Class: Noon Fri. Faith Seminar: 8pm Radio KTYM-1460AM: (M-Fri.) 8am - 8:15am

One Church International 614 N. La Brea Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90036 (818) 763-4521 • www.onechurchla.org Sr. Pastor Toure’ Roberts

Mt. Moriah Baptist Church of LA, Inc. 4269 S. Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA 90037 (323) 846-1950 Rev. Melvin V. Wade, Sr.

Paradise Baptist Church 5100 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90037 (323) 231-4366 Dr. Aaron Iverson

Sunday School: 8:15am Morning Worship: 9:45am Evening Worship: 6:30pm Mid-Week Worship (Wed): 7pm Bible Study (Wed.): 8pm

Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church of Los Angeles 3669 W. 54th St. Los Angeles, CA 90043 • (323) 291-1121

F: (323) 291-1133 • office@sinai.church • www.sinai.church Pastor George E. Hurtt, Pastor-Teacher Sunday Worship: 8am, 11am Discipleship Hour (Sun): 9:37am Noonday Prayer (Mon): Noon Noonday Bible Study (Tue): 12:00pm Tuesday Night in the Truth: 7:15pm Email: office@sinai.church •www.sinai.church Our Goal: To win more Christians & develop better Christians to the glory of God. (Matt. 28:18-20) Mt. Tabor Missionary Baptist Church 6614 S. Western Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90047 (323) 753-3189 • F: (323) 753-1018 • www.mttabormbc.org Dr. Ticey M. Brown, D. Min. Pastor/Teacher Early Morning Worship: 8am Sunday School: 9:30am Mid Morning Worship: 11am Tues. Bible Study: 10am & 7pm Meeting/Bible Study: 6:30pm–8pm First Sun. Communion: 8am & 11 am Baptism First Sunday

Sunday Worship: 9am, 11am & 1pm Wednesday Midweek Service: 8pm www.Channel1Live.tv—View live streaming

Pastor’s Bible Class & Sunday School: 8am Morning Worship: 9:30am Tues. Prayer: 7pm Tues. Bible Study: 8pm

Park Windsor Baptist Church 1842 W. 108th St. Los Angeles, CA 90047 (323) 756-3966 • RevTerrellTaylor@sbcglobal.net Rev. Terrell Taylor Morning Worship: 8am & 11am Bible Study Wednesday: Noon & 7pm Communion: 1st Sunday at 8am & 11am

People’s Independent Church of Christ 5856 West Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90043 • (323) 296-5776 Bishop Craig A. Worsham, Sr. Pastor Sundays: Morning Worship: 8am & 11am Wednesday Bible Study & Mid Week Worship: Noon & 7pm Prayer Meeting: 6:30pm

New Antioch Church of God in Christ 7826 So. Vermont Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90044 (323) 778-7965 Elder Jeffrey M. Lewis Sunday Early Morning Worship: 8am Sunday School: 9:30 am Morning Worship: 11am Tuesday Prayer and Bible Band: 11am Wednesday Bible Study: 7:30pm Wednesday in the Word: 7:30pm

Morning Worship: 7:30am & 10:45am Sunday School: 9:45am Wed. Prayer/Bible Study: Noon Pastor’s Bible Study: 7pm

For Penny Johnson, the seeds for success in life begin with good role models, and she found them right amongst the older women in her childhood church, Revival Times COGIC in Compton.

“People, in general, don’t have good role models” says Johnson, who is first lady of the Compton-based Kingdom Life Christian Fellowship.

“We have a lot of media influences as far as how a woman should behave and I don’t like those images. I wish I could write a book on back to basics when it comes to manners and etiquette.”

But for now Johnson will have to settle for her day jobs.

With a masters in clinical psychology, she’s presently working to get her license as a family therapist, while also being employed part time with an after school program.

On Sundays, the mother of three sons —aged 16-22—serves alongside her husband, Rev. Maurice Johnson, leading praise and worship and directing the women’s ministry.

Growing up, Johnson always felt she would marry a pastor.

“I felt like I was mature enough spiritually,” Johnson explains.

“I didn’t want to have to help someone grow in the word. I wanted someone who was submitted to God like I was submitted to God. “Since we’ve been married, we’ve had some tough times, but I cannot see myself as anything but a first lady.

I feel privileged to fill those shoes— to hold up a standard as far as Christianity is concerned and modeling what a Christian woman should look like.”

St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church 5017 S. Compton Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90011 (323) 231-1040 • stmarkmbcofla.org Rev. Dr. Lovely Haynes Sunday Morning Worship: 8am & 11am Sunday School: 9:30am Mon-Wed: Prayer Bible Study: 6pm - 6:55 pm Mon. Night Bible Study: 7pm Tue Choir Rehersal Wednesday Prayer: Noon Wed. Exposition of Sunday School Lesson: 7pm • Wed. Prayer Meeting: 7pm Thurs. Evangelism: 7pm (enrollment required) St. Matthew Tabernacle of Praise “The S.T.O.P.” 3770 Santa Rosalia Dr. Baldwin Hills, CA 90008 (323) 291-1115 • F: (323) 293-0471 Rev. C.Barry Greene, Pastor Morning Worship: 8am Church School Hour: 10:15am Tuesday Hour of Power: 7pm

Pleasant Hill Baptist Church 2009 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90062 (323) 293-6448 • F: (323) 293-6605 Dr. Sylvester Washington Sunday School: 8am Morning Worship: 10am Tues. Bible Study: 11am Wed. Evangelism Class: 6:30pm First Sun. Holy Communion Service: 4pm www.pleasanthillbaptistchurch.org Praises of Zion Baptist Church (“Praise City” 8222 So. San Pedro Street, Los Angeles, CA 90003 (323) 750-1033 • F: (323) 750-5458 • www.pozlive.com Dr. J. Benjamin Hardwick, Sr. Pastor Early Morning Worship: 6:45am Educational Hour: 9:15am Mid-Morning Worship: 10:45am Wed. Bible Study: Noon & 7pm Sunday Broadcast: 7pm

Salem Missionary Baptist Church 729 S. Park View St. Los Angeles, CA 90057 (213) 738-1077 • jranniew@gmail.com Pastor J. Williams Sunday School: 10am Morning Worship: 11:15am Ministry For Alcohol & Chemical Addiction Wednesday: 5:30pm Bible Study Thursday: 7:30pm Office Hours: Mon 1:30pm-5:30pm; Thurs 2:30pm-7:30pm

Southern Missionary Baptist Church 4678 West Adams Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90016 (323) 731-2703 • F: (323) 737-5202 • smbcla@gmail.com Rev. Xavier L. Thompson, Sr. Pastor L.I.F.E. Groups Sundays: 8:30am Morning Worship: 10am Baptism & Communism (First Sunday): 5pm Word Wednesday: 6:45pm “One Church For All Generations”

Price Chapel AME Church 4000 W. Slauson Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90043 (323) 296-2406 • pricechapel@sbcglobal.net Rev. Benjamin Hollins Sunday Worship Service: 10am Sunday School: 8:30am Power Lunch Bible Study (Wed): 11am Praise & Worship Bible Study (Wed): 6:30pm

The First Saint John Bible Church 11030 S. Willowbrook Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90059 (323) 566-5055 • F: (323) 566-0219 Pastor/Teacher: Bishop Michael A. Brass, Jr. Sunday School: 9:30am Morning Worship: 11am Bible Study Wednesday: 7pm

L.A. Focus/May 2016

New Mt. Calvary Baptist Church 402 E. El Segundo Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90061 (310)324-0644 • F: (310) 769-1287 Rev. Sonja Dawson, Senior Pastor • Rev. Lonnie Dawson, Sr., Founder (1962 - 2010)

Penny Johnson

www.thechurchstop.org E: thechurchstop@yahoo.com pastorcbgreene@aol.com

“You can end your search for a friendly church” Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church 1300 E. 50th Street Los Angeles, CA 90011 (323) 235-2103 • F: (323) 235-3177 • www.mtzionla.org Dr. Edward V. Hill, II, Pastor Sunday Intercessory Prayer: 9:15am Morning Worship: 9:30am Children’s Church: 9:30am Sunday School: 11:30am Baptism: 2nd Sun. & Lord’s Supper: 1st. Sun. Tues. Pastor’s Bible Study: 6:30pm Wed. Noon-day Prayer: Noon

first lady files:

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5.16Q_Focus 7-04 4/29/16 10:43 PM Page 20

Tree of Life Missionary Baptist Church 9702 Holmes Ave. Los Angeles CA 90002 Cell: (323) 566-1202 • burtcj@cox.net Rev. Marcus A. Murchinson, Pastor Sunday School: 9:30am Sunday Service: 11am - 1:30pm Wednesday Bible Study: 7pm

Weller Street Baptist Church 129 S. Gless St, Los Angeles, CA 90033 (323) 261-0949 • F: (323)264-6601 • www.wellerstreetlive.com Pastor K.W. Tulloss Sunday School: 8am Sunday Morning Worship: 9am Tues. Bible Study: 6:45pm www.wellerstreetlive.com “We have not walked this way before” Joshua 3:1-6

Trinity Baptist Church 2040 West Jefferson Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90018 (323) 735-0044 • F: (323) 735-0219 Rev. Alvin Tunstill, Jr Sunday Worship: 7:30 & 10:30am Sunday Church School: 9am Radio Broadcast KJLH FM: 9am Wed. Prayer & Bible Study: Noon-7pm www.trinitybaptistchurchofla.org

West Angeles Church of God In Christ 3045 Crenshaw Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90016 (323) 733-8300 Bishop Charles E. Blake Sunday School: 8am & 10:30am Early Worship: 8am Morning Worship: 11am Evening Worship (North Campus): 7pm Wed. Mid-Week Worship: 7pm Sun. Radio Broadcast KJLH 102.3FM: 10am www.westa.tv

UpLift Christian Fellowship 4745 W. Slauson Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90056 (310) 927-3476 Pastor Anthony Thompson

Lifeline Fellowship Christian Center 2556 N. Lake Ave., Altadena, CA 91001 (626) 797-3585 • F: (626) 797-3233 • www.lifelinefcc.org Pastor Charles D. Dorsey

Sunday Worship: 10am Bible Study Wednesday: 7pm

Sunday School: 9am Early Worship (Glory Prayer): 8am Morning Worship: 10:30am Evening Worship (1st & 2nd Sun.): 5pm Wed. Bible Study: 7pm

In Carson

Judson Baptist Church 451 E. 223rd St, Carson, CA 90745 (310) 834-2630 • F: (310) 513-0943 • www.judsonbc.net Dr. Johnny V. Baylor, Pastor/Teacher

Sunday Worship Service: 9:30am Children’s Church (Except 5th Sun): 9:30am 2nd & 4th Sun. Speak Life Youth Ministry: 12:30pm Wed. Bible Study: Noon Streaming live at judsonbclive.net

Peace Apostolic Church 21224 Figueroa Street, Carson, CA 90745 (310) 212-5673 Suff. Bishop Howard A. Swancy Sunday School: 10am Morning Worship: 11:45am Evening Worship: 6:30pm Wed. Noon Day Bible Class: 12:30pm Wed. Bible Class: 7:30pm

Resurrection Church L.A. 1135 East Janis St. Carson, CA 90746 Office Address: 1143 East Janis St. Carson, 90746 (310) 626-4864 • www.resurrectionchurchla.org Pastor Joseph Carlos Robinson Service times: 8am, 10am, 12:15pm Communion: every 5th Sunday Tuesday Bible Class: 7:30pm

Pastor Profile: Daryl Walker Church: New Philadelphia AME Birthplace: Denver, Colorado Family: Married Yvonne M. Smith in 1977 and together they have two sons, Donovan and Eric.

When did you receive the call to ministry?

I received my call forty-three years ago. It had always been in my heart and I finally accepted it when I was about 16. I refused to receive it for a long time and matriculating through school, you had tendencies to say maybe this is not for me but the Lord has His way...

Was there a deciding factor?

Yes. At 15 –years –old, I had a bleeding ulcer. I remember laying in the hospital and they were going to do surgery on me the next morning. That night I prayed and yielded to God. The doctor came in the next morning and decided he would take another look and when he did the ulcer was no longer there.

L.A. Focus/May 2016

Was church a part of your DNA? Yes, I was raised in the church. My mother was a musician/minister of music. She was the church secretary for a while and we were just raised in church and the spirit placed itself in me and led me this way.

My first [pastoral] assignment was in 1978 in Peoria, Kansas. I came to Los Angeles from the Washington D.C. area. I was there 10 years. Prior to that I was in Kansas City and prior to that, I was in Tacoma, Washington.

Every move I prayed on and believe in my heart that God had asked me to move and it has been quite beneficial to the ministry that Christ has given me. I love Jesus and I love communicating with people as best I can, leading them to Christ, touching their hearts and showing them how wonderful God is.

Can moving that much be a challenge?

It’s the most difficult and soul searching situation we go through. In the African Methodist Episcopal church , we get one year appointments. Thank God, I have not been asked to leave anywhere, but I have been asked to try to go to facilitate a need in another church. When I came to New Philadelphia, I was doing well in the D.C. area but the Bishop asked me if I would come to what he thought was a congregation worth saving. It seemed like New Philadelphia was going to dissipate and so today, we’re alive and thriving.

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Have you ever considered leaving the church for that reason?

I believe God places us where he would like us to be.

I was born and raised AME. I have a number of friends in the Baptist fellowship and have been offered churches in the Baptist fellowship, but I just believe in the doctrine of the AME church. We are celebrating 200 years this year...since 1816. Can you imagine what was going on then? I just love the history—Richard Allen, Sarah Allen, Absalom Jones and all of the people who made this a reality.

It seems that the church has lost some of its activism— how do you feel about that?

We’ve gotten to a point where we have certainly separated church from state, but more importantly we’ve separated God from our lives and I believe that’s the real foundation of our difficulties. When we learn to put God back in what we do, than we are led by spirit, not by man. When you are led by man, you will always tend to fail.

The church recently moved to Long Beach, why?

We were in a non-incorporated area of Rancho Cucamonga, which did not prove to be beneficial to us. No walk by traffic…no real community to serve. They were in an industrial area. The building was quite large and quite expensive and because the church took a split we did not feel that 64,000 feet was a facility that we could handle. Plus, we had a very large note—close to $30,000 a month.

We found a couple of places in Long Beach.

The first place didn’t work out. The Lord just opened the door for this building, which was a Presbyterian church. We negotiated a good deal and purchased it in March of 2015. We moved in to it in September 2015. We’ve spent $600k in renovations and the blessing is that we were able to pay the renovations in cash, so we have no debt from the renovations. We have a small mortgage, but it is manageable.

Now, we get walk through traffic on Sundays and during the week. We’ve already done some community things and we’re going to be doing more. Once we complete the work, we will begin the process of trying to meet the needs of the community, which is extremely diverse, so we’re just thankful that the Lord opened up the opportunity for us to come.

Is there anything people would be surprised to find out about you?

I paid most of my way through college being a disc jockey. I still love music. I listen to music all the time.

Then you must be saddened by the recent death of Prince?

Without a doubt, a great, great artist. I don’t use this word often, but I would say genius. He just had the gift that God had given him to write, produce, to blaze some trails that others are the benefactors of. The death of Prince is heart-wrenching, but we never know what God has in store for us.

How do you measure your effectiveness as pastor?

By those who say to me that God has touched them through whatever God has given me to say to them.

Beyond that, it’s very difficult to gauge yourself, but I will tell you what my congregation says. They tell me I’m a people person, I’m very friendly and warm, I talk to people and shake hands every Sunday. I believe a pastor should be touchable and accessible, if they are not it is difficult for the sheep to become really engaging when they get in trouble.

What

would

m a k e y o u r work here at New Philadelphia a

success?

I believe it already is a success. We’ve been able to eliminate some $5 million in indebtedness.

We’ve been able to take out some harsh feelings that were running rampant in the congregation.

We’ve been able to move into prayer and ask God to soften our hearts toward each other. That, in itself, has made it a success. Not my success, but the success of the church, which in my opinion is one where the people are satisfied. Where the people yearn to learn and yearn to work. I have probably one of the most evangelizing congregations that you’ll find. They are happy to be in the house of the Lord.

They are happy to celebrate one another.

I believe the success is that, not what Pastor Walker has done.

5.16Q_Focus 7-04 4/29/16 10:43 PM Page 21

From the Pulpit: Church of Christian Fellowship -- “What Is It Going To Take” Acts 24 ometimes we know the steps that we must take and for some reason we fail to take them. Our loved ones cry out in exasperation, “What is it going to take”?

I wonder if that is what the Apostle Paul uttered to himself after dealing with Felix. He was determined to make a difference, it was clear to Paul that it was about that time, but unfortunately, there was a unwillingness on Felix and Drusilla’s part.

Can’t you hear the apostle in exasperation saying, “What is it going to take?”

Paul was arrested for the cause of Christ and after being beaten and brought before religious and other officials, he found himself in front of a man by the name of Felix. His accusers accuse him of being a troublemaker, being the leader of a new religious sect and desecrating the temple.

Paul makes his defense and surprisingly, Felix the governor adjourned the proceedings. In verses 22 and 23, it looks like he cuts Paul some slack. He is not free to leave but his is afforded some freedom and is permitted to have his friends take care of his needs.

Several days later, Felix summoned Paul to a meeting (v. 24). He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus. Paul talked about righteousness, self control and the judgment to come and the text says that what happened?

Felix became afraid and said, “That is enough for now. You may leave. When I

S

find it convenient, I will send for you.”

No mention of receiving the word of God. No mention of believing on Christ.

No mention of baptism. No mention of the Holy Spirit infilling or empowering.

Nothing. The opportunity appears to be right but Felix does not move in God’s direction. Drusilla does not move in God’s direction.

What can we learn from this account?

Let me say a word about commitment.

If you are need to move in God’s direction and you are stuck, or someone you love needs to move in God’s direction but they are stuck, know that interest in is not the same as commitment to.

Felix was interested. He sent for him and listened to him several times but he never made a commitment. It is like getting married. You can talk about it, make plans for it, read books about it, share fantasies about what it will be like but until you do it you are interested but not committed.

Let me say a word about conviction.

Sometimes brothers and sisters, God allows circumstances in your life to bring you to a place of conviction. Something happens and you all of sudden have firm beliefs about something. I believe that is what was happening to Felix.

The apostle Paul started talking about righteousness, self control and the judgment to come and the Holy Spirit started working on Felix. Jesus taught in John 16:8 that the Holy Spirit, the counselor, will convict the world of guilt in regards to

In Compton

Citizens of Zion Missionary Baptist Church 12930 No. Lime Ave., Compton, CA 90221 (310) 638-0536 • F: (323) 636-2080 • www.citizensofzion.org Rev. Bobby Newman, Jr., Senior Pastor; Rev. B.T. Newman, Pastor (Pastor Emeritus) Sunday School: 9am Morning Service: 10:45am Wed. Mid-Week Bible Study: 7pm Greater Zion Church Family 2408 North Wilmington Avenue, Compton, CA 90222 (310) 639-5535 • E: GreaterZionCF@gmail.com Reverend Michael J. Fisher & Dr. W. Jerome Fisher, Pastor Emeritus Sunday Morning Worship: 9am, 11am & 5pm Wed. Bible Studies: Noon-7pm www.greaterzionchurchfamily.com

Holy Chapel Baptist Church 1016 East Rosecrans Ave. Compton, CA 90220 (310) 537-3149 Rev. George L. Thomas Early Morning Worship: 7:30am Sunday School: 9:45 & 10:15am Mid Morning Worship: 10:45 am 1st. Sun. Holy Communion: 7:30 & 10:45 am Sat. Broadcast KTYM 1460AM: 10-11pm Wed. Mid-Week Prayer & Bible Study: 7pm

Sunday Morning Worship: 8am & 11:30am Sunday Evening Worship: 6:30pm Bible Studies: Wed. 7:30pm & Sat. 9am Food for Your Soul Radio & Television Ministry: KTYM 1460AM: Mon - Fri. 6:30am Church Channel: Tues. 5:30pm & Fri. 2:30pm

Pastor James McKnight

Victory Institutional Baptist Church 4712 West El Segundo Blvd., Hawthorne, CA 90250 (310) 263-7073 • www.vibconline.com Pastor Richard Williams, III

Unity Christian Fellowship 16133 S. Atlantic Ave., Compton, CA 90221 (310) 604-0234 • F: (310) 886-0198 Bishop Johnny R. Withers, Jr., Senior Pastor Sunday G.I.R. Up Leadership Class: 8am Morning Worship Tuesday: 10am Teaching Empowerment Night: 7:30pm

In Gardena

The City of Refuge 14527 S. San Pedro Street, Gardena, CA 90248 (310) 516-1433 Bishop Noel Jones Morning Worship: 8am & 11am Evening Worship: 6pm Bible Study (Wed): Noon & 7pm BET/Fresh Oil (Wed): 7am

The Liberty Church 14725 S. Gramercy Place, Gardena, CA 90249 (310) 715-8400 Pastor David W. Cross Early Worship: 8:30am Morning Worship: 9am & 11am Children’s Church: Both Services Word Power Wed.: 7-8pm

Sunday Morning Worship: 9am Sunday Evening Worship: 6pm Wed. Mid-Week Worship: 7pm Bible Study Tuesday: Noon & 7pm

Bible Enrichment Fellowship International 400 E. Kelso, Inglewood, CA 90301 (310) 330-4700 • www.bamcm.org Dr. Beverly “BAM” Crawford Morning Worship: 9:30am Tues. Bible Study: 7:30pm Wed. Mid-Week Prayer: 5am, Noon & 7pm Wednesday Pathway: 7pm Thurs Bible Study: 10am Sat Marriage & Family Prayer: 7:30am

In Inglewood

Faithful Central Bible Church 321 N. Eucalyptus Ave. Inglewood, CA 90301 (310) 330-8000 • F: (310) 330-8035 Bishop Kenneth C. Ulmer, Ph.D. Senior Pastor/Teacher Services at The Tabernacle: Sunday Services: 7am & 10am Wed. Mid-Week Service: 7pm The Tabernacle is located at 321 N. Eucalyptus Ave., Inglewood

www.thelibertychurch.com

Atherton Baptist Church 2627 W. 116th Street Hawthorne,CA 90250 (323) 757-3113 • www.athertonbc.org F: 323-757-8772 • athertonbaptist@sbcglobal.net Pastor Larry Weaver

way that is causing us to say, “What is it going to take?” or causing the people we love to say ‘’What is it going to take?” I recommend that we discipline ourselves to be men and women who crave God. To crave means to yearn, to want deeply.

As long as there is a take him or leave him attitude, we won’t move properly in God’s direction. As long as Jesus is just one among many, we won’t move properly in God’s direction. As long as we think “We can do God on our terms,” we won’t move properly in God’s direction.

Oh my brothers and sisters, when the words “What is it going to take?” are burdening our souls, we have to crave the Lord. Crave Him more than we crave the things that we think will bring us fulfillment. Crave Him more than that which is used by the adversary as temptation.

There is a blessing that goes along with the craving and it is found in Matthew 5:6. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled.”

In Hawthorne

Sunday Morning Worship: 8am & 11am Sunday Bible Enrichment Class: 9:45am Mon.-Thurs. Bible Study: 7pm Wednesday Bible Study: 12:30pm & 7pm

Crusade Christian Faith Center 801 S. La Brea Avenue, Inglewood, CA 90301 (310) 330-8535 Bishop Virgil D. Patterson Sr. Wed. Mid-Week Service: 7pm Sunday School: 9am Sunday Worship: 10:30am

L.A. Focus/May 2016

Love and Unity Christian Fellowship 1840 S. Wilmington Ave, P.O. Box 5449, Compton 90220 (310) 604-5900 Fax: (310) 604-5915 Dr. Ron C Hill

sin and righteousness and judgment.

Felix said, “That’s is enough for now.

When it is convenient, I will send for you”.

When that strong feeling hits, when the Holy Spirit is convicting you, it is time to make a move.

Let me say a word about continuance.

Verse 22 says that Felix was well acquainted with the Way. The Way became a title for followers of Jesus-—the name of their belief before the term Christian was used. Felix had knowledge before Paul talked to him about the Lord. He had knowledge but he never moved in God’s direction. So he continued to live his life beneath God best.

When we continue to avoid doing what God calls us to do and being what God wants us to be we can reach a point where our behavior just becomes ridiculous. Look at Felix. He is so far out of the will of God that he is avoiding salvation and looking to receive a bribe from a righteous man of God. Crazy huh?

It is easy to see the craziness in someone else but it is hard to see to craziness in one’s own life. Continuing life apart from the will of God is a mistake. It is possible to continue with sin so much that sin doesn’t have the sting that it once had.

Let me offer the final focus word in this message: Crave.

If we are going to get to where God wants us to be and something is in the

21

5.16Q_Focus 7-04 4/29/16 10:43 PM Page 22

True Friendship Missionary Baptist Church 7901 South Van Ness Ave. Inglewood, CA 90305 (323) 750-7304 Rev. James A. Perkins Sunday School: 9:30am Early Worship: 8am Morning Worship: 10:45am Bible Adventure Hour (Tues): 6pm Bible Study (Tues): 7pm Bible Study (Thurs): Noon First Church of God Center of Hope 9550 Crenshaw Blvd., Inglewood, CA 90305 • (323) 757-1804 www.go2Hope.com Pastor Geremy L. Dixon Morning Worship: 8am & 11am Wed. Mid-Week Service: Noon Wed. Teaching Ministry: 7pm 1st Sunday Communion 5th Sunday Baptism Jacob’s Ladder Community Fellowship, inc.

1152 E. Hyde Park Blvd., Inglewood, CA 90303 (866) 330-1702 • F: (310) 674-0760 Watchman/Shepherd Dr. Robert T. Douglas Sr. Sunday School: 10am Morning Services: 11:45am Evening Service: 7pm Wed. Lock & Load Prayer: 7pm Wed. Bible Study: 7:30pm 3rd Friday Youth Night: 7:30pm KYTYM 1460AM (Sunday): 11:30am www.jacobladderschurch.com Miracle Temple Church of God Pentecostal 733 S. Grevillea Avenue, Inglewood, CA 90301 (310) 419-7335 • info@cogpinglewood.org Bishop Johnny J. Young, Ph.D., Senior Pastor Elder Jonathan J. Young, Executive Pastor Sunday School: 8:30am Morning Worship: 10:15am Thursday Praise & Bible Study: Noon & 7pm Weekly Prayer: Noon Monday-Friday Early Morning Phoneline Prayer: 5am Fridays *(209) 255-1000 Access code = 100061# "Where the Difference is worth the Drive" New Mount Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church 434 S. Grevillea, Inglewood CA 90301 (310) 673-6250 Office • (310) 673-2153 Rev. Dr. Phillip A. Lewis, D. D., D. Th., Senior Pastor Sunday School: 9:30am Early Worship: 8am Morning Worship: 11am First Sunday Evening Worship: 5pm Mid-Week Bible Study Wed.: 7pm Radio: KTYM 1460 AM on Saturdays at 8pm &

In Irvine

Christ Our Redeemer AME Church 45 Tesla, Irvine, CA 92618 (949) 955-0014 • F:(949) 955-0021 • www.corchurch.org Pastor Mark E. Whitlock, II

Sunday Worship: 8am, 10:30am New Generation Praise Service: 10:30am Sun. Bible Univ.: 9:30am Tues. Interactive Bible Study: 7pm Wed. Pastor's Bible Study: Noon, 7pm Thurs. Bible Study: 7pm Fri. Singles Bible Study (1st Fri): 7pm

In Long Beach

Antioch Church of Long Beach 1535 Gundry Ave. Long Beach, CA 90813 (562) 591-8778 • F: (562) 599-6048 Pastor Wayne Chaney Jr. Worship Services: 8am, 9:30am, 11:30am Tuesday Youth BibleStudy: 8am, 9:30am, 11:30am WednesdayBible Study: Noon

Christ Second Baptist Church 1471 Martin Luther King, Jr., Ave. Long Beach, CA 90813 (562) 599-3421 • Fax: (562) 599-6175 • www.csbclb.org Rev. Welton Pleasant II, Senior Pastor Sunday School: 8:30am Sunday Worship Service: 9:40am Wed. Bible Study: 7pm Wed Youth & Young Adult Ministry: 7pm

Gospel Memorial Church of God In Christ 1480 Atlantic Ave. Long Beach, CA 90813 (562) 599-7389 • F: 562-599-5779 • gospelmemorial@aol.com Bishop Joe L. Ealy Sunday School: 9:30am Sunday Worship: 11am Evening Worship: 6:30pm Wed. Intercessory Prayer: 7pm Wed. Pastoral teaching adults: 7:30pm Wed. Youth Ministry Boot-Camp; Youth Bible Study: 7pm & Choir Rehearsal: 7:30pm Grant AME Church of Long Beach 1129 Alamitos Ave. Long Beach, CA 90813 • (562) 437-1567 grantamelb@aol.com • www.grantamelb.org Rev. Michael W. Eagle, Sr. Sun. Worship Experience: 10:45am 3rd Sun. Healing & Annointing: 10:45am Wed. Bible Study: Noon & 6pm Mothers of Murdered Youth & Children Were all receive a little attention, affection and love.

back at the first row in the audience to my left, where Did the heated feuds over race really takes its toll on O.J.’s family would sit, and the joy on his mother’s face. It brought tears streaming down mine.

Chris Darden’s family?

Yes. However, Johnnie also cared about Chris like a What was Johnnie Cochran saying to O.J after the verdict brother. He knew Chris would face a lot of hostility from was read? the black community. There was a scene in the early Johnnie leaned his head into O.J.’s back and kept saying, episode where he strongly advised Chris not to cross- “You’re going home, Juice. You’re going home.” examine Mark Fuhrman on the witness stand. Let the When was the last time you saw O.J. Simpson? white people do it. That was brother-to-brother advice. The last time I saw him in person was the day of Johnnie Johnnie knew Chris had to come back into the commu- Cochran’s funeral in 2005 at West Angeles. Rev. Al nity after the case was over. He felt it was his duty to Sharpton asked all of the lawyers who had ever worked merge Chris back into the community of black L.A., but with Johnnie to stand up. Then he said, “If you ever had I don’t think Chris took too kindly to that.

Johnnie as a client stand up.” As people stood, I looked to

L.A. Focus/May 2016

my right shoulder and saw O.J. Simpson.

The judge in Las Vegas sentenced O.J. to 33 years. Did the judge throw the book at him over the 1995 acquittal?

District Judge Jackie Glass held the jury out until 10 or 11 p.m. on October 3rd, 13 years to the day of the not guilty verdict. She wanted to have that symbiotic relationship of Oct. 3rd, 13 years to the day. She sentenced O.J. to 33 years for a case that at most was a two-year conviction.

Every other defendant in the case got probation including the two men holding the guns. I will go to my grave believing that the judge would do anything and everything she could in her power to exact retribution on O.J. Simpson over what had happened at Bundy on June 12, 1994.

Did Johnnie Cochran come up with the quote, “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit’?

The series suggested that Jonnie came up with that line, but it was actually Gerald Usimen, who is dean of law at Santa Clara University. Every Saturday we’d have a meeting at Johnnies office. Gerald Usimen was on the speakerphone. We all knew we had something Do you believe O.J. was innocent? when we heard it for the first time. We started giving I answer that question the same way I have for the past each other high fives.

21 years, and that is the prosecution failed in their burden What was your reaction upon hearing the verdict? of proving O.J. Simpson guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

I have cried out of joy only twice in my life, once, when Remember, the question for the jury was not whether O.J. my son was born, 24 years ago, and the second on the was guilty or innocent. Rather, the question was did the day of the O.J. Simpson verdict. I remember looking prosecution prove him guilty or not guilty.

22

In Monrovia

Second Baptist Church 925 S. Shamrock Avenue • P.O. Box 479, Monrovia, CA 91017 (626) 358-2136 • F: (626) 303-2477 Bishop W.M. Larue Dillard, Phd. Sunday Worship: 7:45am, 10:45am, 4:45pm Ministry Worship to Children/Youth Sunday: 9:45am - 10:45am Prayer/Academy of Biblical Studies (Wed): 10:45am - 6:45pm www.second-baptistchurch.com

In Pasadena

Bethlehem Church 1550 North Fair Oaks Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91103 (626) 794-5211 • F: (626) 794-6592 Pastor Christopher A. Bourne Sunday School: 9am Sunday Worship: 10am Tuesday Bible Study: 7pm Mid-day Worship Thursday: Noon www.bethelemchurchpasadena.org

Douglas continued from page 6

The series depicts Robert Kardashian as having doubts about O.J.’s innocence. Did you ever sense that from him?

Firstly, I’m not sure about the scene of him throwing up in the bathroom is accurate. Everyone talked about the puzzled look on Robert Kardashian’s face when the jury delivered the verdict. But I never got a sense of that \and we met, talked and had lunch everyday.

Family of Faith Christian Center 345 E. Carson Street, Long Beach, CA 90807 (562) 595-1222 • F: (562) 595-1444 Pastor: Sherman A. Gordon, E.D. Min Sunday School: 9:00 AM Early Worship: 7:30 AM Morning Worship: 10:00 Am Bible Study: Every Wednesday 12 (Noon) & 7:00 PM Radio: 7:00 PM (1st & 3rd Sunday) Station: KJLH

Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church 980 Rio Grande Street, Pasadena, CA 91104 *Mailing Address: 1416 N. Mentor Ave. Pasadena, 91104 (626) 794-4875 • F: (626) 794-7815 Pastor W. Harrison Trotter Sunday School: 8:30am Sunday Worship: 10am Bible Study Wednesday: 7pm Intercessory Prayer (Fourth Wed.): 7pm Christians Uniting To Make A Difference -Eph. 4:13

Spirit of Zion Fellowship Church 10853 Victory Blvd. North Hollywood, CA 91601 (805) 517-1907 • www.mtzionla.org Pastor E.V. Hill II

In Van Nuys

Sunday Worship: 1pm Children's Church: 1pm

In Westchester Arise Christian Center 6949 La Tijera Blvd. Suite C, Westchester, CA 90045 (310)568-8445•F: (310) 568-8430 • Arisechristiancenter.com Pastor Ron Taylor Morning Worship: 9am & 11:15am Bible Study Wednesday: 7pm Intercessory Prayer Tuesday : 7pm Intercessory Prayer Sunday: 8am - 8:45am Intercessory Prayer Thursday: 11:30pm - 12:30pm

5.16Q_Focus 7-04 4/29/16 10:43 PM Page 23

Eye On Gospel Erica Campbell To Host New Syndicated Radio Show

Shirley Caesar Celebrates 50 Years in Gospel With New Album

Beginning May 10, award winning gospel recording artist and reality TV star, Erica Campbell, brings her voice, inspiration, charisma and style to a new morning drive radio show syndicated by Reach Media Inc. in collaboration with Radio One. The new 4-hour show, Get Up! Mornings with Erica Campbell will feature a diverse mix of gospel and inspirational music, celebrity interviews and practical principles. The show — syndicated nationally from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. daily—will take over the slot recently vacated by The Yolanda Adams Morning Show. With nearly two decades in the music industry, Erica Campbell has repeatedly topped Billboard charts and won every music award possible as a member of the dynamic duo, Mary Mary and as a solo artist. A devoted wife and mother of three Erica shares her life with the world on her televised reality show, Mary Mary and offscreen is the first lady of the California Worship Center, pastored by her husband, Warryn Campbell.

It will be quite a juggling act for Campbell who said, “I’m humbled for this opportunity to expand my reach and share the Faith, Love and Joy that fuels my life with listeners around the country. I’m grateful to Reach Media, Radio One and my manager Dan Otera for believing in me and my ability to inspire America to Get Up!”

The reigning Queen of Gospel, pioneering music legend Shirley Caesar will kick off her 50th year in gospel with a new album with, Fill This House, scheduled for release next month.

Launching her new album with the lead single, “It’s Alright, It’s Ok” (feat.

Anthony Hamilton), the 11-time Grammy®-winning icon kicked off the top of 2016 with a live performance on BET’s “Celebration of Gospel” joined by Hamilton. The album also features guest vocals from Hezekiah Walker and a tribute to “Mother Emanuel”, the Charleston, South Carolina church that was the site of the murder of nine people during a Bible study by Dylan Roof, whose hope it was to incite a race war.

The Gospel sensation remains an enduring musical influence, beloved by artists, world leaders and fans everywhere in her far-reaching ministry, and 2016 shows no signs of slowing down as she celebrates her 50th anniversary as a solo artist this year and is set to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

One of the most recognized names and voices in Gospel music, Pastor Shirley Caesar has recorded over 40 albums to date, and garnered historic accolades including 11 Grammy® Awards, 14 Stellar Awards, 18 Dove Awards, and induction into the Gospel Hall of Fame. Her most recent release is the 2013 album Good God, and she has been selected as a Hollywood Walk of Fame honoree for the class of 2016.

Tye Tribbett Signs Deal With BET To Host Joyful Noise

BET Networks has announced that it has signed two-time Grammy®, Soul Train, Dove and Stellar Award winner Tye Tribbett to host “Joyful Noise”, its hour long show that serves up performances from today’s gospel super stars, rising new artists, powerful personal testimonies and insightful man-on-thestreet interviews with the inspirational Willie Moore Jr. The radical singer, songwriter, and preacher who’s known for his edgy and energetic live performances and hosting abilities, continues to shatter the mold of what is traditionally known as Gospel music. A true innovator, with one of the most relevant voices of this generation, Tribbett is set to create a dynamic new caliber of hosting.

In addition to a variety of musical performances, each show will also feature a powerfilled sermonette by one of the nation’s leading pastors, setting the tone for a more compelling worship experience.

Finally, “JOYFUL NOISE” will showcase amazing local churches from around the nation, giving viewers the opportunity to get their hometown church featured on the show.

Tyscot Celebrates 40 Years With Compilation Album

Tyscot Records, the oldest existing black-owned gospel recording label in the USA is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a fifteen-track compilation album of songs by some of the label’s biggest acts over the years. In the early years, Tyscot introduced several popular church choirs including the Trinity Temple Full Gospel Mass Choir that featured a teenaged Kirk Franklin long before he hit it big with songs like “Stomp” and “Why We Sing.” The label eventually expanded its roster with future gospel superstars such as John P. Kee, Vashawn Mitchell and Deitrick Haddon. This collection features those acts and even a vocal group named Deliverance that was produced by Indianapolis native Babyface prior to his big success as an R&B artist. This set also boasts tunes by gospel legends such as Rance Allen Group and Darwin Hobbs alongside Tyscot’s No.1 millennial-era singing discoveries Casey J and Anthony Brown & group therAPy.

5.16Q_Focus 7-04 4/29/16 10:43 PM Page 24

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SavingGrace

T

he Wall Street J o u r n a l described it as “dramatically compelling”.

The Washington Post dubbed it “a thunderous TV drama” that was right on Ebony time. said it was the most powerful show on TV and last month, “Underground ”—WGN’s top rated and smash hit series —was renewed for a second season. The renewal, while heralded by cast members and handlers, was hardly unexpected given the show’s performance in the ratings.

“Underground” has averaged 3 million viewers each week becoming the network’s most watched original program ever. The pilot episode is WGN’s highest rated since 1998 and thanks to it’s growing and tweeting fan base, the show— whose executive producers include John Legend— the #1 most social cable drama on Wednesday nights.

The breakout hit series starring Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Aldis Hodge, Christopher Meloni, Alano Miller, Jessica de Gouw and Amirah Vann, follows a group of slaves who attempt a daring flight to freedom along the Underground Railroad. "‘Underground’ isn't just a television show,” J o h n

Legend said. "It's a movement. It is storytelling at its finest, and the brilliant work that [fellow exec producers] Misha, Joe and our cast have done to infuse Underground with the kind of passion that’s made it part of the zeitgeist is incredible. It's a movement.

It is storytelling at its finest, and the brilliant work that Misha, Joe and our cast have done to infuse Underground with the kind of passion that’s made it part of the zeitgeist is incredible.”

At the center of the story —billed by some as slavery as you’ve never seen it —is Amirah Vann, the head house slave, who is fiercely protective of her children and at the same time a dominant lover in intimate moments with the plantation owner and slave master with whom she has two children, one of whom is among the escaped slaves.

Amirah Vann It is a role Vann says she was born to play.

“I am in love with her,” says the actress. “She has a strength that I can only hope that I mature into. Self-sacrificing, strong, wise, bold and sexy...and at the same time, so vulnerable.”

And if you have never thought of a slave in that way, you can understand why viewers have found the show to be so compelling.

“We have mothers who are strong and sexy — why have we never seen that reflected in that time? We didn’t just wake up and become resilient. It’s just really great to highlight that this is the legacy - it’s not just being downtrodden. They tried to beat it out of us, but we survived, we fought back and I believe the world is so excited to finally get that.”

It is a breakthrough role for Vann whose credits include appearances on the hit HBO series, Girls, NBC’s Believe, the 2014 film “And So It Goes” and in several off Broadway productions. For seven years, she waitressed at a local cafe to support herself while pursuing an acting career.

Now, with a lead role in hit WGN TV series Underground, the former background dancer from Far Rockaway, New York has now been ushered into her own spotlight.

“I’ve been grinding for a very long time,” reveals Vann, who began performing at a young age, made her professional debut as a background dancer at a local talent event featuring comedian, Tracy Morgan. She went on to follow her passion for performing, pursuing undergraduate study in acting at Fordham University at Lincoln Center and attending the NYU Tisch graduate acting program.

“The grind is real. But that’s what makes it so sweet.”

Vann, whose Godfather was the pastor of University Baptist Church in Brooklyn, credits her faith as an important tool in guiding her way.

“I’m kind of like a pastor’s baby,” Vann says. “My faith in God goes with me everywhere. I think that’s what kind of gives me my peace - like projects like this, that kind of take on another layer.”

Her newfound Hollywood clout and her religious ideals have come to an interesting head, as Vann says that while acting gives her the opportunities to learn and grow, her faith keeps her grounded.

“When you think about how faith can just be spewed...I think that the end of the day the greatest of these commandments is love your brother as yourself,” Vann says. “So when I think about that...it’s just a reminder, it’s so easy to kind of turn left or right.

“Even with this business, we’ve got red carpet and heels, and all this and it's so easy to lose focus of the things that matter. To be a part of anything that really reminds us, to tap into our best selves.

Vann taps into her best self to play Ernestine, and feels blessed to have the opportunity to learn about slavery through the eyes of her character - and to play a role has also taught her more about her own faith.

“The thing that I love about it, even in my research, I’m reading about other women of the time, going into Jim Crow. To be reminded of how many people who in the face of trouble, started schools, and in the face of struggle, they helped secure voting rights.

“It encourages me today for when I go through something…it’s like, don't start crying, don't stay there too long. There’s a season for everything. I have my seasons, believe me. But I don't stay there.

“Hopefully the young generations...everyone can look back and say you know, I may be going through something right now, but like the people before me, I will overcome it; we’re going to survive it; you’re going to keep going; and we’re going to continue to keep our faith and keep our belief in our best selves.”

That the show is getting another season is answer to prayer for Vann, who says her saving grace is easily the loved ones she keeps close.

“The thing that keeps me going? My family and my friends. They keep me grounded.

They know me the best. They’ve been with me through the entire process. They still call me out.”

“I have so many friends,” Vann says. “I worked at a cafe, Penelope, on 30th and Lex, for maybe seven years, and they’re all so excited for me. Because they saw me audition, they saw me running from audition to audition then back over to work, then coming later and having friends cover for me. My friends were like ‘we believe in you!’

Just as they have gone on the ride with her, an excited Vann invites all who will listen to strap on their seatbelts and and be prepared to have the world of 1850’s Georgia uncovered in a way they’ve never seen before.

Underground airs on WGN Wednesday nights.

L.A. Focus/May 2016

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I

Finding Your Pretty with Chez

love being a woman of color, more specifically, I love being a black woman. It did however, take years before I fully accepted and fell in love with my blackness and really genuinely felt that my black was beautiful.

When I was a little girl growing up in Kansas City I always wanted to be brown like my grandma. I didn’t think my black was black enough. I recall my friend’s mother, who was dark skin and whos children were dark skin say “light skin people look dirty to me.” and then realizing she said this to a child she quickly followed it with “but you don’t look dirty though.” I wanted to be dark like my friends and would often apply my make up especially lipstick the way they did using the same colors. Dark brown lip liner with clear gloss made me look crazy.

As I got older I began risking my health and frequenting the tanning booths. I continued to tan until about two years ago. When I finally told myself “This is my black and my black is beautiful.”

I have a close friend that is the color of hot chocolate and when I met her she never wore color fingernail pol-

ish or lipstick, saying she just didn’t think colors looked good against her skin, sticking to clear nails and gloss. I have a best friend that is a MAC makeup artist she also is a beautiful chocolate brown and she wears whatever color she desires on her face and her nails and she looks good.

It’s true that you do have to take your skin’s hue into consideration when choosing makeup but you should not ever let it stop you from wearing a color that you love...

It’s just make up for goodness sake it will wash off .This is what I tell my friend that wore no color. After a lot of convincing and coaching. She slowly began exploring with colors and now wears every color under the sun on her nails and often sports a bright purple on her lips.

She wears color , I don’t tan and we are both more confident and accepting of our beauty and it only took almost thirty years.

For the best friend that is ever so confident in her skin that she wears any color any time, she didnt like to wear bikins (She has a nice shape) saying she doesn’t think they are made for her body type. *insert eyeroll here* This insecurity is another topic and we will have to visit “accepting our bodies” another time because I am running out of space.

BE BOLD!

YOU GO TTA GET THIS:

House Of Uni is Inspired by everything Caribbean. Held at the same high quality standards as M.A.C , NARS, and Urban Decay, using top quality formulas that are gluten free, paraben free and most importantly crueltyfree. houseofuni.com $9.00

Make a statement and be your own kind of beautiful with a bright lip. Down play the eyes with just a natural eyeshadow and black eyeliner maybe with a little wing tip add your favorite mascara and you are ready for anything.

So Who Does Your Hair...

Michelle Rachal has been a stylist for almost 30 years and still has clients that she has had since the 5th grade, but in all her years of hair care she has never been so sad for the way some black women are caring for their hair today. “It saddens me right now that black women are hiding behind a weave and in about 10 years you will have to be in a weave or a wig.” She believes It’s the thread that puts to much tension on the hair that will eventually thin it out.

“You see reality shows with black women flipping all this hair. Even Nelson Mandela’s granddaughters at his funeral were beautiful black African women with weaves down their backs. It saddens me

being in the business for 30 years the integrity part of me kicked in either I’m going to be a part of the problem or a part of the solution.”

Rachal’s target market is women in business and her salon is the perfect high end atmosphere that they feel good in, beautiful comfortable with five stylists, a boutique, an esthetician, and they don’t have to wait.

“I find that if you give them what they want there is a market out there for you and I know my target market.” She loves what she does and often works 12 or 14 hours without realizing it. But what she loves most is teaching young people the professional side of the business. “Most stylist think the environment is for them but in reality it’s for the client. In the morning I set the tone with worship. Then in the I

Showcase your hairstyle, salon,

L.A. Focus/May 2016

retail outlet or hair/skincare product

26

(310) 677-6011 Ask For Kisha

may change it to Kem or Jill Scott then in the evening I turn on Walter Beasley some jazz where there is no talking.” “I’ve been blessed to not only do what I love but to start a business. It makes me feel good to make women look good feel good and then get paid. it’s a beautiful thing!”

Hair Care Tip: Trim your hair on a regular basis.

Michelle Rachal 3428 w 43rd street Los angeles, CA 90008 turning heads salon 323-291-6605 turningheadsalonboutique.com

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