Mayor's Events
Opening Ceremony
Join the Mayor and City Council to officially declare the opening of African American Heritage Month in the City of Los Angeles. The Mayor will award the City's Spirit, Dream, and Hope honorees and host a reception at City Hall following the Proclamation Ceremony in Council Chambers.
WHEN: January 25, 10:00 a.m.
WHERE: City Hall Council Chambers and City Hall South Lawn, 200 North Spring Street, Los Angeles
COST: Free
SPONSOR: Disney, ABC7, Wells Fargo, Time Warner Cable, The Nielsen Company, TARGET, Office of the Mayor, Department of Cultural Affairs, and the African American Heritage Month Committee
INFO: 213.922.9762 or mayorrsvp@lacity.org
DCA Music LA African American Heritage Month Classes
sponsored by Disney and TARGET
In celebration of African American Heritage Month, Disney, TARGET, ABC7, Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa, and the Department of Cultural Affairs will host music classes as part of the Music LA program for elementary, middle, and high school students. The Music LA Program has partnered with music education providers to structure three unique music programs that will expose participating youth to the rich and diverse landscape of African and African American culture and music.
Students will learn basic principles of music through hands-on instrumental and vocal classes based in selected curricula, including Jazz, Blues, Hip Hop, and music of the Caribbean. Student participation will include performance training in an ensemble setting through workshops and rehearsals. After six to eight weeks of instruction, all students will take part in a culminating community performance. All Music LA classes are designed to celebrate African American culture, foster pride and understanding of African and African American music, and are free and open to the public. Instruments will be provided. Please contact one of the following sites for class schedules, enrollment details, and to pre-register.
WHEN: January through March
COST: Free
SPONSOR: Disney, TARGET, ABC7, Office of the Mayor, and the Department of Cultural Affairs
Music LA at the Sun Valley Youth Arts Center
The exciting daKAH Institute for Symphonic Hip Hop (D.I.S.H.) will be in residence at the Sun Valley Youth Arts Center offering students a unique program combining traditional musical instruction with cutting edge hip-hop. Under the direction of conductor and composer, Geoff "Double G" Gallegos, this Beginner-Intermediate program will offer a unique perspective on the foundations of hip-hop and its social and cultural impact, while highlighting the aesthetic and instrumentation of the daKAH Hip Hop Orchestra, including strings, winds, and percussion instruments. Voice students are also welcome!
WHERE: Sun Valley Youth Arts Center 8642 Sunland Boulevard, Sun Valley, CA 91352
INFO: John Resendez, 562.858.4340, jresendez@mac.com or Sun Valley Youth Arts Center, 818.252.4619, http://www.culturela.org/
Music LA at Heart of Los Angeles Youth (HOLA)
Two Music LA classes at HOLA will present different opportunities for students to learn various aspects of African and African American music. HOLA's Bridges program for middle school intercession students will offer an introduction to Jazz along with an exploration of African rhythms and drumming techniques. HOLA will also present a musical tour of the Caribbean which will offer Beginning and Intermediate level instruction on the guitar, steel drums, and other percussion instruments while focusing on Caribbean stylization. Guest artist Casey Jones will co-teach this Music LA class.
WHERE: Heart of Los Angeles Youth (HOLA) 2701 Wilshire Ave Suite 100 Los Angeles, CA 90057
INFO: Melanie Lockert, 213.389.1148 ex 229, mlockert@heartofla.org, http://www.culturela.org/
Music LA at the Tom Bradley Elementary School
The eight-week African American Heritage Month Music LA Program presented at the Tom Bradley Elementary School by Music LA partner, SAPPA, will immerse students in the music of the African American experience while presenting basic music principles. The program has three phases, which will expose each student to musical concepts such as melody, rhythm, harmony, tempo, dynamics and beats. The class rotation gives each student hands on instruction on keyboard, guitar and percussion, using basic jazz and blues principles as the core curriculum. This program will culminate in a student presentation that will connect the roots of the Black musical experience to the present urban culture.
WHERE: Tom Bradley Elementary School 3875 Dublin Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90008
INFO: Billy Mitchell, 626.574.5040 or 626.395.9405, billymitchell2k@aol.com, http://www.culturela.org/
Special Worship Service
Celebrate African American Heritage Month with Mayor Villaraigosa at a special worship service.
WHEN: February 3, 8:30 a.m.
SITE: Brookings AME Church 4831 South Gramercy Place, Los Angeles
COST: Free
SPONSOR Office of the Mayor
INFO: 323.296.5610
The 16th Annual Pan African Film and Arts Festival
Enjoy America's largest black film festival showcasing over 150 new films from Africa, the United States, Europe, the Caribbean, the South Pacific, South America, and Canada. This event also showcases 100 black fine artists and craftspeople from the world over with poetry, fashion shows, free forums, and interesting panels. This year the festival will honor distinguished singer and actress, the Rev. Dr. Della Reese with the PAFF Lifetime Achievement Award.
WHEN: February 7 through 18, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 midnight
SITE: AMC Magic Johnson Theaters at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, 3650 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Los Angeles
COST: Varies
SPONSOR: Pan African Film and Arts Festival, Disney, ABC7, City of Los Angeles, Office of the Mayor, Department of Cultural Affairs
INFO For information and to purchase tickets, please call 323.295.1706 or visit http://www.paff.org/
African American Heritage Month Poster Competition and Program
sponsored by Wells Fargo
In celebration of African American Heritage Month, Wells Fargo, Disney, ABC7, Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa, and the Department of Cultural Affairs are hosting a poster competition for children and adolescents in Los Angeles. This annual contest invites students of all ages and backgrounds, from kindergarten through high school, to showcase their artistic skills and to explore African American heritage and contributions. Entries will be judged by a panel of professional artists, educators, and community leaders. The winning artwork will be on display at the Bridge Gallery in City Hall from February 11 to February 27, 2008.
The purpose of the 2008 African American Heritage Month educational and cultural programming is to foster a greater appreciation of African American history and to promote greater access to arts and cultural resources within Los Angeles.
WHEN: February 9, 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
WHERE: TBD
COST: Free
SPONSOR: Wells Fargo, Disney, ABC7, Office of the Mayor, Department of Cultural Affairs, Department of Recreation and Parks, and the African American Heritage Month Committee
INFO: 213.202.5545, http://aahm.lacity.org, http://www.culturela.org
African American Creative Writing Competition and Program
sponsored by Time Warner Cable
In celebration of African American Heritage Month, join Time Warner Cable, Disney, ABC7, Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa, and DCA by participating in a creative writing competition for students in grades 6 through 12 in Los Angeles. This annual contest invites middle and high school students of all backgrounds to explore this year's theme of Honoring the Legacy of African Americans and Our Multiculturalism: A Vision of a Dream Kept Alive. Students learn and write about African American history. Entries will be judged by a panel of professional authors, educators, and community leaders.
WHEN: February 19, 9:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
WHERE: Exposition Park, 3980 Menlo Avenue, Los Angeles
COST: Free
SPONSOR: Time Warner Cable, Disney, ABC7, Office of the Mayor, Department of Cultural Affairs, Department of Recreation and Parks, and the African American Heritage Month Committee
INFO: 213.202.5545, http://aahm.lacity.org, http://www.culturela.org