Grammy award-winning music icon Jody Watley surprised attendees as the event emcee at Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) .. Read the full feature on SHEEN Magazine
Metro LA: “After decades of going without rail transit, I’m proud to lead Metro as it delivers the K Line to Crenshaw, Inglewood, and all the other south Los Angeles communities.” said Stephanie Wiggins, CEO of Metro. “We’re eternally grateful to the area’s residents and businesses for hosting us in the community during a long and technically complex construction period. I know the K Line will be well used and well loved by these communities and the rest of Los Angeles County for decades to come.”
Grammy award-winning music icon Dr. Jody Watley officiated Metro’s opening ceremony today with members of the community and officials.
“I was thrilled to be part of this historic opening of Metro’s K-Line,” Watley said. “The day was very special for me. I am a local to this area. I attended and graduated from Dorsey High School, which is just minutes from the new station. My Mom and I know first hand what it was like to not have transportation options back in the day.”
This was decades In the making with Metro and the community with CEO Stephanie Wiggins at the helm to get it to the finish line. Well done to all involved connecting south LA and also bringing local residents into the union Building Trades careers with additional jobs and opportunities for small business which have always been key in the area.
The program included Crenshaw High Mighty Marching Cougars, Motherland Drum White Hall Academy young adult choir, Metro Color Guard, Rev. John Cager (Pastor Ward AME Church) Rabbi Sarah Hronsky (Senior Rabbi Temple Beth Hillel in Valley Village), Rev. Rene J. Molina (English Pastor Restoration Los Angeles Church), Rt. Rev Alexei Smith (Ecumenical & Inter-Religious Officer, Archdiocese Los Angeles). Chair Ara Narjarian, Metro Board First Vice Chair Jacquelyn Dupont Walker, Senator Alex Padilla, Assembly Member Isaac Bryan of 54th Assembly, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Mayor Garcetti, Metro Board Member Mike Bonin, Inglewood Mayor and Metro Board Member James T. Butts, Metro Arts Program Artists, State Senator Steven Bradford, Council Member Heather Hutt, Councilman Marquess Harris Dawson, Director of Caltrans Tony Tavares, Editorial & Communications Director of Los Angeles / Orange County Anne-Marie Otey, Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. Metro.net
Grammy award-winning music icon Jody Watley is confirmed to host the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro)official commemorative event opening of the K Line, the newest light rail line serving South Los Angeles communities, October 7.
There will be free L.A. Metro rides between Friday, Oct 7 through Sunday, Oct. 9.
Watley says, “I am thrilled to be part of the historic opening of Los Angeles Metro K-Line rail and serve as the emcee at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, this Friday. The day will be very special for me, especially attending and graduating from Dorsey High School, which is minutes from the new station.”
Metro is also planning to provide early morning live shots for news media at Leimert Park Station between 5-7 a.m., conduct an official banner breakthrough photo opportunity at 48th Street and Crenshaw Boulevard at 9:30 a.m. and hold a grand opening ceremony at 10 a.m. with a large group of public officials at Leimert Park.
The K Line will initially extend light rail transit access from the existing Metro E Line (Expo) at Crenshaw and Exposition Boulevards in Los Angeles to Westchester Veterans. The line will later connect LAX and the C Line (Green).
Metro is offering free rides on the K Line as well as the entire Metro Bus and Rail system, including Bike Share and Metro Micro, all weekend starting at noon on Friday, October 7 to close of business on Sunday, October 9, 2022.
WHEN:
Friday, October 7, 2022
WHERE:
5 a.m. — Early Morning Live Shots
Leimert Park K Line Station (Park in the public parking lot behind station)
4330 South Crenshaw Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90008.
9:30 a.m. — Banner Breakthrough Photo Opportunity with Metro Officials**
Corner of Crenshaw Boulevard and 48th Street (Park in Church’s Chicken parking lot) /4720 Crenshaw Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90043.
** Arrive onsite no later than 9 a.m. as the street will be closed at 9:15 a.m. for the official banner breakthrough.
10 a.m.– Opening Ceremony**
Leimert Park, 43rd Place and Degnan Boulevard. Los Angeles, CA 90008.
** Leimert Park is just a five-minute drive up the street from the Crenshaw Boulevard and 48th Street banner breakthrough photo opportunity. Media can park in parking lot behind the Leimert Park Station.
WHO:
Dr. Jody Watley, Grammy award-winning music icon, event emcee
Ara J. Najarian Glendale City Council Member, Metro Board Chair
Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker, Metro First Vice Chair
Holly T. Michell, Los Angeles County Supervisor, Metro Board Member
Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles Mayor, Metro Board Member
James T. Butts, City of Inglewood Mayor, Metro Board Member
Mike Bonin, LA City Council Member, Metro Board Member (Taped appearance)
Alex Padilla, U.S. Senator
Steven Bradford, State Senator
Isaac Bryan, State Assembly Member Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Los Angeles City Council Member
Heather Hutt, Los Angeles City Council Member
Stephanie Wiggins, Metro CEO
VISUALS:
Early morning live shots will be available at the entrance to Leimert K Line Station. Metro staff will provide one-on-one media interviews. Media can also descend into the station for additional taped station footage.
For the banner breakthrough, a new K Line train will burst through a commemorative banner as it travels to Leimert Park Station.
The official opening ceremony at Leimert Park will include Metro transportation officials, community members, food and entertainment. Performers will include the Crenshaw High School Mighty Marching Cougars, White Hall Academy Arts and Motherland Drummers and Dancers. Officials will conduct a ribbon-cutting photo opportunity. The K Line will officially open at 12 p.m., allowing Metro riders their first opportunity to ride the trains for free that day. Metro will host a local community event from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Leimert Park.
About Jody Watley
Grammy winner and 3-time Grammy nominee Jody Watley; multi-platinum singer/songwriter/producer/independent label owner, and Style Icon is one of the architects of 21st century Pop/R&B/Dance music. She is the gold standard of artistry. A brilliant songwriter, artist, entrepreneur, producer, and visionary.
Jody Watley has sold over 30 million albums worldwide with gold and platinum albums and singles. To her devoted fans she is affectionately referred to as “The Queen of Cool.”
From her groundbreaking marriage of Rap/R&B with 1989’s “Friends,” collaboration with hip-hop legends Eric B. & Rakim – the first such pairing to crossover Top 10 on the Hot 100, Hot R&B & Dance on Billboard. Her visionforward marriage of high fashion, street fashion and music in the ‘80s (long before it became the norm), to her fusion of jazz and underground club culture with keen pop instincts, and the ease with which she crossed and still crosses genre; Watley forged the template that is now in everybody’s playbook.
To date as a solo artist: 6 Hot 100 Singles, 15 Top 40 Singles, 13 #1 Dance
Singles, 2 #1 R&B Singles with iconic hits such as “Looking For A New Love,
“Don’t You Want Me”, “Real Love” and more!! Watley is listed in Billboard
Magazine as one of the Top 60 Hot 100 & Top 25 Female Dance Artists of All Time. In 2022, Jody Watley was honored with a Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award in service to humanity as well as receiving an honorary doctorate in entrepreneurship and business making her Dr. Jody Watley with a career that continues to excel for this resilient and legendary artist. Keep up with Jody Watley on social media on her verified pages as well as the Official Jody Watley Website & Blog: https://jodywatley.net / You can follow Jody Watley on her social media.
About Metro
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is building the most ambitious transportation infrastructure program in the United States and is working to greatly improve mobility through its Vision 2028 Plan. Metro is the lead transportation planning and funding agency for L.A. County and carries about 800,000 boardings daily on a fleet of 2,200 low-emission buses and six rail lines.
Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net, facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and instagram.com/metrolosangeles.
*This one is for the history books and generations to come! Chart-topping singer Jody Watley and Vice President Kamala Harris showed their support for the LGBTQ+ community at 2022 Capital Pride in Washington, D.C.
Read full article:
It’s really sad that our Asian sisters and brothers are being targeted- we are all of the human race. Violence of any kind is heart breaking. Those in public office who contribute to the division should be voted out.
Love not Hate. That is all.
Kamala Harris has become the first Woman — First black woman Vice President of the United States. She was born to Indian and Jamaican immigrants. Madam Vice President is also a proud graduate of the historically-black Howard University.
Amanda Gordon was outstanding. The LA born 22-year-old is the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history and youngest youth Poet Laureate.
More Light!
The amount of vitriol I’ve received in social media today just from sharing my joy – my pages – shows a lot of work on the path of love is yet to be done.
Always choose love – on this MLK Day and – every day!
In celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King & Coretta Scott King, founder of The King Center instrumental in making this a Federal Holiday – Happy MLK Day.
Let’s not forget Stevie Wonder, Labor Unions, Rep. John Conyers / Congressional Black Caucus, Southern Christian Leadership Conference & then President Jimmy Carter all instrumental for this day – only two other figures have Federal holidays (George Washington & Christopher Columbus ) . It takes a village. Keep going in the fight for justice, equality and greater humanity.
Sometimes you just have to take a step back..reflect and breathe. I’m glad to have this blog here on my website to share thoughts whether anyone agrees or not..I don’t post for likes or comments when I write here. Mostly, I’m about my music and business and inspiring others. Sometimes in these significant events, one must hit the pause button in the midst of it all.
January 6, 2021 was historic in more ways than one – needless to say. We began the day with the news that in two Senate runoffs, the state of Georgia elected its first black senator in the state’s history. Raphael Warnock who’d been a pastor for the past 15 years at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once preached defeating incumbent Kelly Loeffler. Warnock lamented in a powerful acceptance speech that his mother’s 82 year old hands that once picked someone else’s cotton helped pick the first black senator for the state. Not long after, Democrat Jon Ossoff, who will be the youngest to be sworn in, also secured a senate seat, defeating incumbent Republican David Perdue. These wins turned both houses Democratic for President Elect Joe Biden and VP Kamala Harris – maybe things will be easier to get done now. We shall see.
At the helm of this seismic shift was the incredible Stacey Abrams (voting rights activist, lawyer, politician and best selling romance author) who has shown fearless leadership in galvanizing the voters of Georgia after her own run for Governor was fraught with voter suppression in 2018. This is how you turn things around. Strategize. organize and keep it moving.
On the other said, before this flipping of Georgia could be totally celebrated be those who worked so tirelessly in these efforts and the voters of Georgia..another sort of organization was in full in effect with the attempted coup led by the current ‘President 45’ who has stoked the fires of divisiveness, hate and conspiracy on all fronts. If you can’t see it and haven’t seen it the past several years – you are blind and a part of the problem. It was shocking – but then not really if being honest that the scene of extremists. domestic terrorists, anarchists, thugs, whatever you want to call them once they were so freely able to storm and take over the Capital bldg. The wannabe dictator probably enjoyed every minute – his ego reveling in the ‘look at my people, those are my people..trying to overturn a legit election and outcome. They were encouraged and enable so it was no surprise to hear 45 refer to them as ‘special people’ and loved.. while using not so kind language when Colin Kaepernick took a knee, when Jemelle Hill called him a racist and so on. ‘Nasty people’.. he calls anyone one fighting for social justice and an end to police brutality. Most of know what his not so coded language has meant. That’s why his supporters carry his flag or the confederate flag. We also know if those who stormed the State Capitol were black, there would have been a bloodbath. Where were the dogs? Arrests? Rubber bullets shooting people in the face?? There is no doubt in my mind there was assistance from the ‘inside’ to pull this off and have the outcome be as it was. These people had free reign and were allowed to walk out of there as if they had just attended a rave..with bad costumes I’d add. Who left the doors unlocked?! Where was security? Did no one see this coming – all of the rhetoric and provocation was there.
Taking selfies with cops, mocking the killing of George Floyd. No buses lined up, no one made to sit on the sidewalk with plastic handcuffs for hours while being processed (typical in what they describe as protests or civil unrest)..nothing. Where I live here in an area in what some would say an affluent area in Los Angeles…there were tanks placed on the streets with armed military during the BLM actual protests..not one trying to take over the damn government or government structures – they had to protect Gucci and Chanel! The Capitol Building and Congress? Not so much. But yes.. arrest the kids stealing Nikes, while doing nothing to those trying to actually steal the country and election and destroying one of the most revered buildings in D.C. with Congress inside attempting to do ‘the people’s work.’ It’s insane and yes on the wrong side of history in this case.
In the midst of the failed coup yesterday -remember there’s still a pandemic and they were out there of course with no masks..these are the same people calling it a hoax..
God bless and universal protection for the front line workers, doctors, nurses.. EMT’s, respirator technicians..all of the hospital staffs in all capacities putting their lives on the line to save lives.
It’s a lot to take in but I hope Congress and all powers that be invoke the 25th Amendment and get him out..as he continues to spread lies, wreaking havoc as the ultimate sore loser. Criminal in Chief.
Obama would be charged with treason and they would still be removing bodies off from inside and outside the Capitol building has this happened under his leadership and watch..but gasp remember the tan suit?!
That is all .. had to get this off my chest before going back to my music and candles..and trying to live, stay healthy, safe and in gratitude no matter how troubling these times are.
Keep it moving forward – no matter what. Most of us just want to live a good life, make a good living to be self-sufficient, have some joy, enjoy family and loved ones.. the simple things in life. Some people will always be miserable, hateful and dissatisfied no matter what.
On this historic day and joyful day — I can’t think of a better message..it’s time for ‘The Healing’
Wishing great success to President Elect Joe Biden and the first woman and woman of color VP Elect Kamala Harris.
More Love. More Peace. More Respect. More Unity… among other things.
Voted early for the first time – thank you Governor Newsom in California for making sure all ballots were sent out and to allow tracking of ballot as well.
I never recall an election period so tense and full of divisiveness that has been created to the point businesses feel the need to board up fearing an uprising because the current lack of leadership has been fueling this negativity.
Looking forward to some positivity, decorum and class back in the Oval in the results tonight. Vote Him Out, so The Healing Can Begin.
Whatever the outcome – life will have to proceed forward and we must make the best of what we have regardless of who you voted for.
