Dear LA Civil Rights Family,

As we welcomed the Year of the Dragon, joining many Asian communities in the global celebration of Lunar New Year, I am inspired by the dragon's power, courage and determination, that can shine through each of us to lift others.

Last week, California faced heavy storms, which caused loss of life, and property damage for many. We saw our City leaders, first responders, community organizations, and volunteers step up to serve LA. It is clear the dragon inside ordinary people can help Angelenos heal, maintain hope during challenging times, and enter a season of renewal. 

LA Civil Rights is committed to keep our dragon roaring to realize a more equitable Los Angeles, where marginalized communities don’t feel the ripple effects of natural disasters "first and worst." We want to ensure all Angelenos have access to quality of life resources, peace, and healing. 

Through adversity, we continue to celebrate excellence, and invite you to join our two remaining African American Heritage Month events: the Reparations Advisory Commission’s fireside chat at the Skirball Cultural Center, and LA Civil Rights’ mandatory continuing legal education salon with the Langston Bar Association.

Let us embrace the spirit of the dragon as we usher in a new year filled with hope, prosperity, and joy.

Keep the faith and keep the fight,

- Capri Maddox

Executive Director

LA Civil Rights Department

LA Civil Rights Celebrates the Voices of LA

Last Friday, LA Civil Rights honored local Black journalists and storytellers at its first "Voices of Los Angeles Awards." The ceremony was our first event in a series of celebrations commemorating African American Heritage Month. We celebrated the careers and public service of KBLA 1580’s Dominique DiPrima, the first African-American woman to anchor a morning drive-time talk radio show in the nation, and The LA Times’ Assistant Managing Editor for Culture and Talent, Angel Jennings. We also recognized the contributions of our very own LA CityView 35's Landis Stokes and Cebren Benson, and presented the pair with “I See You” awards for their dedication to tell the City of Los Angeles' stories from behind the camera.

Congratulations to all our awardees! They are breaking barriers and paving the way for future storytellers.

LA Civil Rights Hosts Inaugural "LA Medical Day"

Last Saturday, more than 60 participants joined LA Civil Rights virtually as we hosted our first LA Medical Day. Attendees learned about the medical school admission process and the pathways to meaningful careers in healthcare. Esteemed panelists and presenters shared their own experiences and provided helpful advice on surviving medical school and turning obstacles into motivation to achieve goals.

We are especially grateful to Mayor Karen Bass, and Councilmembers Hutt and McOsker, for providing warm remarks to our participants. We appreciate all of our LA Medical Day contributors:

• Dr. Adrienne N. Burrows, MD - Santa Monica-based Internal Medicine Physician
• Dr. Alison Taur, MD - Regional Coordinating Chair of Nuclear Medicine and Assistant Clinical Professor at Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine
• Dr. Anatasia Williams, MD, FAAP - Clinical Director of Pediatrics, San Fernando Community Health Center
• Dr. Audrina Vong, DPT - Oncologic Physical Therapy Residency Program Faculty, City of Hope
• Dr. David M. Carlisle, MD, PhD - President & CEO, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science
• Dr. Jerry P. Abraham, MD, MPH CMQ, CDU - Director & Chief Vaccinologist, CDU-Kedren Mobile Street Medicine Program, Kedren Community Health Center
• Dr. Jessica Bodden, MD, MPH - psychiatry resident, UCLA Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital
• Dr. Karla Gonzalez, MD - Family Medicine, UCLA Health
• Dr. Margarita Loeza, MD, MPH - Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and Admissions, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science 
• Jai Kemp, medical student, Keck Medicine of USC
• Michael Richards, M.A. - Assistant Director of Admissions, Keck Medicine of USC

Thank you to all who participated in LA Medical Day! Join us on Saturday, February 24, 2024, over Zoom for our FAFSA & Student Loans Webinar.

LA City Reparations Advisory Commission Celebrates AAHM

In honor of African American Heritage Month, the Skirball Cultural Center will host LA Civil Rights and its Reparations Advisory Commission on Tuesday, February 20, 2024, from 10AM to 12PM, for a special in-person viewing of "This Light of Ours: Activist Photographers of the Civil Rights Movement." Following the exhibition viewing, the Commission will host a fireside chat connecting the Movement to the City's current reparations initiative, and would love to dialogue with leaders of community- and faith-based organizations across Los Angeles. 

We invite you to join us at Skirball’s campus, located at 2701 N. Sepulveda Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90049! Space is limited. Please RSVP here by Friday, February 16, at 5PM.

To participate throughout the month, please join the Reparations Advisory Commission’s Black Experience Study by February 29, 2024. Visit BlackExperienceLA.com to complete our survey, sign up for focus groups, or sign up for a one-on-one interview today.