Let’s rise above the Orwellian misinformation campaigns of conservative news outlets and their attendant political leaders. Telling the truth should not be a revolutionary act, but in our current climate, it is. We need you, media outlets. Help us assert our human dignity.

We live in an era where we have to declare that Black Lives Matter, and defend actual truth, both of which should have to be affirmed, they are both a given.
The mere telling of the truth is considered an act of social justice.
I invite you: Tell our stories, celebrate our successes, and bridge the cultural gaps that are being created and manipulated.

One of the most important ways to reduce social isolation is to go out in the world and connect with new people, neighborhoods, and traditions. Exploring a new community during a cultural festival, for example, is an interactive way to experience cultures and communities that might be new to us. It gives us the chance to see what is vibrant and extraordinary in every community. We can then abandon feelings of apathy and the concept of “the other” and be concerned for the social welfare of that community.

For the last 12 years here in Los Angeles, Bakewell Media and the Los Angeles Sentinel has been hosting Taste of Soul in the Crenshaw District, a festival celebrating all the vibrant aspects of African American culture including cuisine, music, dance, shopping, and local entrepreneurship. This free family event, which draws crowds of up to 350,000, does not get front page placement in the calendar section. Why? And, why have so many of my friends, both native Angelenos, and longtime denizens of Los Angeles, never heard of this festival?

In that vein, please consider doing a large-scale feature in your calendar section for the next Taste of Soul festival which is an exhilarating day of fun that is open to the whole family: