| APRIL, 2021 E D I T I O N ONE | | | | | A Welcome Note from our Executive Director | | Welcome to the LA Voice Newsletter! This is a season of renewal for people of all faith, with Passover, Holi, Easter and Ramadan falling over just a span of days. I hope that for all of us, celebrating in the traditions of our faiths, these Holy Days have been a time for us to reconnect and renew our bodies, our spirits and our communities. This has certainly been a time of growth and renewal for LA Voice. A long-time organizer has moved on to a statewide role, giving us an ally and friend at the state level. District Attorney George Gascón continues to follow through on his campaign promises for a more just and humane system, even in the face of false attacks. Vaccines are becoming more widely available, and we can begin to imagine sharing a warm embrace with a friend. Bold organizing in Inglewood by LA Voice leader Ynes and her family have gained the attention of the Mayor, and opened negotiations with the lender to return the house to the family after they were taken advantage of and evicted. The Mayor of LA has taken a great step forward for LA Youth, announcing a Youth Development Department at the City Level. And LA Voice continues to grow and build strength for the hard work of reimagining LA County into the proverbial "Land of Milk and Honey" that all of us deserve. Peace & Blessings, Rev. Zach Hoover, LA Voice Executive Director | | | | | | | |  | Huge Victory for LA Youth! In a major victory for LA youth- which was years in the making - Mayor Garcetti announced that he would propose creating a Youth Development Department in the City of Los Angeles. LA Voice has been supporting this multi-year effort, and is incredibly proud of the hard work done by young leaders throughout our City. | | | | | | LA Voice Board Member Manju Kulkarni is a National Leader on Stopping Rise in AAPI Hate Crime Even before the Pandemic reached California, Manju Kulkarni - a longtime member of the LA Voice family who currently serves on our Board of Directors - was warning the media, policy makers and congregations that we needed to be prepared to confront a rise in hate crimes, bigotry and prejudice against our Asian & Pacific Islander brothers and sisters. Sadly, her warnings have come to pass, as we have witnessed a continual and worsening trend of hate crimes against our AAPI brothers and sisters. Manju's organization, the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council, has been working tirelessly to stop this horrifying trend, and we must all lift up the work they are doing and confront anti-Asian bias wherever we see it. | | | Some recent stories featuring Manju Please share these to help lift up the voices combating anti-AAPI racism: | | | | | LA Voice & Partner Congregations Open Covid Testing Sites | | | | | | | Testing Sites and Times Centro de Vida Victoriosa 715 Brady Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90022 Tues/Wed 10am-5pm ; Thurs/Fri 11am-6pm ; Sat 9am-4pm Second Samoan Church 655 Cedar Ave, Long Beach, CA 90802 Monday-Saturday 12pm-7pm St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church 7215 Newlin Ave, Whittier, CA 90602 Tues/Wed 9am-4pm ; Thurs 11am-6pm Epiphany Church 10911 Michael Hunt Dr, South El Monte, CA 91733 Sundays, 8:00 am - 4:00 pm St. John the Baptist 3883 Baldwin Park Blvd, Baldwin Park, CA 91706 Sundays, 8:00 am - 4:00 pm | | | | | | Thanks for the memories! A longtime member of the LA Voice team, Tim Kornegay, has moved on to take an exciting new opportunity as Statewide Director of Campaigns with Empowerment Initiative, a project run by Rev. Ben McBride. We will miss Tim’s work, but mostly, we will miss Tim’s poems, wisdom, clear voice and focus, smile that he has perfected, and his great love of people. He is a natural bridge builder, and Empowerment Initiative is lucky to have him. We are overjoyed at Tim’s excitement and anticipation of this new and powerful opportunity for his growth and work, even as we already miss him greatly. | | | | | | Upcoming Events & Celebrations! - Thursday, April 8 - Yom HaShoah
- Tuesday, April 13 - First day of Ramadan
- Wednesday, April 14 - Yom HaZikaron
- Thursday, April 15 - Yom HaAtzmaut
- Monday, April 26 & Tuesday, April 27 - LA Voice Team Step Back (LA Voice all-staff meetings, LA Voice team will have limited accessibility)
- TBD - Virtual Leadership Gathering. Stay tuned for details!
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