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View the attached pdf fliers for the Aquarium of the Pacific cultural celebrations.

Check out the attached flier for Q Film Festival on October 10-12!

The Homeland Cultural Center has a whole month of activities in October. See the attachment posted September 26.

FROM THE
Los Angeles County
Commission on Human Relations

Office of Media Relations ((213) 974-7654

For further information, contact: Ava Gutierrez October 2, 2008
(213) 974-7654 Telephone / (213) 687-4251 Facsimile
(818) 317-5516 Cell / Email: agutierrez@hrc.lacounty.go

TEENS MAKE A DIFFERENCE DAY 2008 HIGHLIGHTS
CULTURAL DIVERSITY MONTH

Los Angeles – The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will proclaim October as Cultural Diversity Month in the County of Los Angeles with a presentation to the President of the County Commission on Human Relations, Felipe Agredano on Tuesday, October 7th. This will mark the formal beginning of a series of events promoting multiculturalism that will take place in various cities and communities.

The Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission and its partners Connect LA, Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation, Los Angeles City Department of Recreation and Parks, SGS Produce, L.A. Unified School District Health Education Programs, L.A. Unified School District Beyond the Bell Branch, Poseidon School, and the Human Relations Foundation of L.A. County will once again join together for Teens Make a Difference Day on Saturday, October 25, 2008 to encourage teens to organize a volunteer and community service day projects.

L.A. County’s effort supports the 18th annual Make a Difference Day 2008, a national annual program sponsored by Points of Light Foundation and USA Weekend Magazine, and is consistent with the Commission’s and has the added goal of encouraging teens to consider and undertake shared projects with teens from different races, religions, communities, schools, cities and/or organizations. This goal is consistent with the mission of the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations and the Commission’s youth initiative zerohour: No Haters Here! which empowers youth and supports efforts to strengthen and improve intergroup relations and understanding between different communities, groups, faiths and others in our country.

Over the past two years, over 6,000 teens in L.A. County have organized and participated in more than 150 different community service projects as part of this annual event. Last year, Teens Make a Difference Day in Los Angeles County was recognized as one of the top ten national Make a Difference Day efforts by USA Weekend Magazine and (Paul) Newman’s Own Foundation, and was featured on the April 25-27, 2008 edition of the magazine.

This year’s goal is to increase the number of teen-initiated projects to more than 200, while introducing teens to the Commission’s zerohour: No Haters Here! youth initiative. The Commission will also launch its 2009 youth songwriting competition, Project: One. One Love. One Mic. One Song. For more information, contact Erik Gavica, Project Coordinator, at eagavica@yahoo.com or at (323) 203-2341.

Other groups, and cities, in Los Angeles County that are joining the Commission’s efforts to celebrate the Cultural Diversity Month are:

· Fox, Fox Sports Network (FSN), Farmers Insurance and the City of Los Angeles, along with L.A. City Councilmember Tom La Bonge and California State Assembly member Mike Eng, inaugurated Cultural Diversity Month in Los Angeles County on Wednesday, October 1, 2008. The event launched a partnership between FSN and Farmers Insurance Group on a year-long diversity campaign of original programs to highlight the history of Latinos, African-Americans and Asian-Americans in professional sports. The campaign will be woven through three major national diversity celebrations including Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15), Black History Month (February), and Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (May).

· The City of Monterey Park will celebrate the Harmony Festival at various locations of the city. Events take place on October 3, 11, 18 and 23rd. The contact person is Dan Costley. He can be contacted at (626) 307-1388.

· The City of Inglewood celebrates its 11th annual Arts Market Street Festival on Saturday, October 4, from 11:00 a.m. to dusk. Activities take place along historic downtown Market Street from Florence Avenue to Hillcrest Boulevard. There will be music from around the world, activities for both young and old, a Classic Car Show and a health pavilion.

· Cultural Diversity Month in Long Beach was launched on October 1 and will continue for most of 2009 during the ArtPEACE Campaign. This project calls for residents to write a personal peace pledge and hang the message from tree branches. The first ArtPeace trees will be showcased in the “Art Park” at the Long Beach University by the Sea Festival and will continue to tour the city for the next eight months. For more information on this project, and activities sponsored by the City of Long Beach go to the www.diversity.longbeach.gov website during Cultural Diversity Month.

· The educational group “Facing History and Ourselves” will host free workshops on the Armenian Genocide for educators on October 30 and November 6 from 4:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. The classes are held at the Glendale Professional Development Center, 319 N. Central Avenue, Glendale 91203. Seating is limited so call (626) 744-1177, Ext. 23 to register.

· Residents of the City of Glendale and other Angelinos can enjoy a trip around the world on Saturday, October 12, 2008 from 11:00 a.m. to 4 p.m, when they attend the Unity Festival. This annual event will be held on the 300 block of Brand Blvd. The event, free to the public, will feature ethnic cuisine from around the globe, international music and dancers, arts and crafts, exhibitions and many kid-friendly attractions. For more information, call (818) 548-6464.

· The John Anson Ford Human Relations Awards, hosted each year by the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations, will be held on Thursday, October 23rd at 11:30 a.m. The event honors outstanding individuals who have contributed to improving human relations in Los Angeles County. It is being held at Luminarias Restaurant, 3500 Ramona Boulevard, Monterey Park. 2008 honorees include Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis (John Allen Buggs Humanitarian Award); Youth Radio (Yvonne B. Burke Courage Award); Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company and Shirley L. Harbeson, Senior Manager of Equal Opportunity Programs (Corporate Award). The five supervisorial district winners are: Homegirl Café, California African American Museum, Juvenile Justice Task Force, Hispanic Outreach Taskforce, and Cal Arts Community Arts Partnership.
Sponsorships and tickets are available at various levels, as are program book ads. For information, contact Mary Louise Longoria at (213) 974-7611 or by e-mail at mlongoria@hrc.lacounty.gov.

· The Media Image Coalition and the Los Angeles Press Club will co-sponsor a panel discussion on Thursday, October 23 entitled “Muslim/Arab Coverage in News & Entertainment: What Effect Does It Have on Elections 2008”. The free event will take place at the Steve Allen Theatre, 4773 Hollywood Boulevard, near the corner of Vermont and Hollywood. The panel discussion starts at 7:30 p.m., but the doors will open at 6:30 pm. Snacks will be provided. Against the backdrop of the current presidential election, this event seeks to give an overview of the portrayals, often negative, of Muslim and Arabs in mainstream media and what circumstances and issues help perpetuate those portrayals. Current efforts to create more realistic Muslim characters, storylines and news coverage, will be discussed by a distinguished panel of speakers. Interested parties can confirm their attendance by going to panelrsvp@aftra.com. Invited panelists are: Los Angeles Times Religion Editor, Steve Padilla, and Brave New Films founder, Robert Greenwald. Confirmed speakers are: Kamran Pasha, Actor/Director/Producer; Ahmed Ahmed, Comedian/Actor, Lena Khan, Activist and Independent Filmmaker, and Munira Syeda, Council on American-Islamic Relations. Jon Beaupre, host for KPPC, will act as moderator. This event is free to the public, and parking is available behind the building (enter off of Berendo Street).

· The Santa Clarita Human Relations Forum will coordinate a series of events from October 2008 to February 2009. On October 1, they will start “A Season of Diversity’s Essay and Poster Contest” for Elementary to High School Students. Local libraries will join the effort by arranging cultural activities designed to allow participants the opportunity to experience another culture.

· AFTRA, a Media Image Coalition member, has joined the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and Actors Equity Association (AEA) to form a Tri-Union Performers with “Disabilities Committee”. The purpose of this coalition is to end discrimination and exclusion of performers and broadcasters with disabilities. The national campaign is launched in October, in three cities: Los Angeles, New York City and Washington D.C. The campaign is called “Inclusion in the Arts & Media of People with Disabilities or I.AM.PWD. It is fitting to promote raised consciousness of this issue since October is both Cultural Diversity and Disability Awareness Month.

October is also recognized with the following cultural designations and celebrations:
· Filipino American History Month
· Interfaith Month
· Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) History Month
· Polish American Heritage Month