Listen & Be Heard Weekly Archives

From the time Theo and Kenyatta Kashaka could pick up a pencil or a paintbrush, the two brothers knew that art, in some form, would be their future. Perhaps, being nurtured in a creative household ? their mother, Ruth, has taught art, their father, Imani, has a deep love of music- may have had something [...]

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Over the past few weeks, I have been researching some of Vallejo?s earliest residents. That research has taken me to a variety of places, including [tag]Vallejo?s Carquinez Cemetery[/tag] on Benicia Road. Far from being creepy, my visits to the ancient burial site, located next to St.Vincent?s Catholic Cemetery at Benicia Road and Rollingwood Drive, have [...]

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Sixty two years ago, on a warm July night, James and Minnie Smith were at a dance on Sonoma Boulevard in Vallejo when they heard the huge explosion. While the Smiths didn?t know it then, the blast at nearby [tag]Port Chicago[/tag] Naval Magazine killed 320 men, many of them African Americans. ?The windows in the [...]

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?Reclaiming Our Family Values,? is the theme of Vallejo?s 18th annual Juneteenth celebration set for Saturday, June 17. ?Juneteenth has come to symbolize a day when African-Americans come together to recognize and celebrate our heritage,? said Diana Davis, chairwoman of this year?s celebration. ?We want to emphasize family unity as often as we can and [...]

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Mel and Belle Orpilla, directors of the upcoming Pista sa Nayon: Filipino Cultural Celebration, have set their sights on accomplishing three major goals: They want this year?s event to highlight local Filipino achievements, showcase the culture?s rich talents, and broaden the majority community?s understanding of its largest minority group. On Saturday, June 3, thousands are [...]

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A month ago, the Vacaville City Council offered Vacaville Community Television a firm, one-time only grant of $75,000 to purchase equipment. Disappointed, but undaunted, the Vacaville public access group, no stranger to shoe string budgets ? decided to take the grant and make the most of it. ?At least we are at a point where [...]

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When California?s Poet Laureate Al Young says he is the right person for the job, there is not the slightest hint of braggadocio in the remark. Articulate and unafraid to speak his mind, the state?s most visible poet believes the poet laureate position gives him license to be that thorn in the side of those [...]

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Ask Jeannie Erickson about her Bay Terrace neighborhood and a smile lights up her face. To say Erickson likes her B Street community, which she has called home for the past 30 years, is putting it mildly. ?It?s a wonderful neighborhood,? Erickson says, as she warmly greets a visitor to her B Street home. Erickson, [...]

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Walk into T. Louis Giles? Vallejo home and you are struck by a sweeping ceiling graphic that looks like the vibrant blue shadow of a grand mosque. That expansive sweep of color, or the fact Giles painted it on his living room ceiling, came as no surprise to anyone who knows the artist. ?It?s something [...]

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