Twenty years aqo, in 1992, then Los Angeles City Councilman, now Supervisor, Mark Ridley-Thomas, founded the Empowerment Congress to develop a partnership among neighborhood groups, residents, nonprofit organizations, businesses, religious institutions, and community leaders. The Empowerment Congress now serves over 2.5 Million residents in the Los Angeles County 2nd Supervisorial District. The Second district is comprised of the cities of “Los Angeles, Carson, Compton, Culver City, Gardena, Hawthorne, Inglewood, Lawndale, and Lynwood, and many neighborhoods of unincorporated areas: Athens, Baldwin Hills, Del Aire, East Compton, El Camino Village, Firestone, Florence, Graham, Ladera Heights, Lennox, Marina del Rey, Rancho Dominguez, View Park, West Carson, West Compton, West Rancho Dominguez, Westmont, Willowbrook, Windsor Hills, Wiseburn.
The 2012 Summit was held at the University of Southern California and hosted by KCRW’s Warren Olney. Other special guests included Hill Harper and Maria Elena Durazo, Executive Secretary -Treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO. Keynote speaker, the Reverend Al Sharpton delivered a fiery speak. Particularly special were the musical presentations, first by Hip Hop, Soul, Rock, Latin and World Music group, The Bricks. And later by the Dwight Trible Ensemble, fronted by jazz vocalist, Dwight Trible.
Photo gallery after the jump!
Photography by Paula Lauren Gibson/AfroPix
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