Lela Rochon
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Lela Rochon
Lela Rochon Staples (born April 17, 1964) is an American actress, best known for her starring role as Robin Stokes in the 1995 romantic drama film ''Waiting to Exhale''. She also had notable roles in the films ''Harlem Nights'' (1989), ''Boomerang'' (1992), '' The Chamber'' (1996), ''Gang Related'' (1997), ''Knock Off'' (1998), '' Why Do Fools Fall in Love'' (1998), and ''Any Given Sunday'' (1999). Early life Rochon was born in Los Angeles, the daughter of Zelma, a nurse practitioner, and Samuel Staples, a business owner and graphic artist. She graduated from Cerritos High School in Cerritos, California in 1982. After high school, Rochon attended California State University, Dominguez Hills where she earned a BA in Broadcast Journalism, with minors in Sociology and Theatre. In 2016, Rochon returned to give the commencement speech at California State University, Dominguez Hills. Career Early works In 1984, Rochon appeared as an extra in the movie ''Breakin’'', where she met the m ...
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California State University, Dominguez Hills
California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH, CSU Dominguez Hills, or Cal State Dominguez Hills) is a public university in Carson, California. It was founded in 1960 and is part of the California State University (CSU) system. In 2020, the university had an enrollment of 17,763 students, comprising 15,873 undergraduates (89.4%) and 1,890 post baccalaureates (10.6%). About half of all students identify as the first in their families to go to college. CSUDH is one of the most ethnically and economically diverse universities in the western United States. It enrolls the largest number and percentage of African American students of any CSU campus. CSUDH is consistently ranked nationally as a top degree producer for minority students, including graduating more African American students than any public university in California. CSUDH offers 53 Bachelor's degrees, 26 Masters programs, a variety of single, multi-subject and specialized teaching credentials and a number of under ...
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Essence Awards
''Essence'' is a monthly lifestyle magazine covering fashion, beauty, entertainment, and culture. First published in 1970, the magazine is written for African-American women. History Edward Lewis, Clarence O. Smith, Cecil Hollingsworth and Jonathan Blount founded Essence Communications Inc. (ECI) in 1968. It began publishing ''Essence'' magazine in May 1970. Lewis and Smith called the publication a "lifestyle magazine directed at upscale African American women". They recognized that Black women were an overlooked demographic and saw ''Essence'' as an opportunity to capitalize on a virtually untouched market of Black women readers. Its initial circulation was approximately 50,000 copies per month, subsequently growing to roughly 1.6 million.Bynoe, Yvonne. ''Encyclopedia of Rap and Hip-hop Culture''. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2006, p. 263, . Gordon Parks served as its editorial director during the first three years of its circulation. In 2000, Time Inc. purchased 49 perce ...
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Cerritos, California
Cerritos (Spanish for "Little hills") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and is one of several cities that constitute the Gateway Cities of southeast Los Angeles County. It was incorporated on April 24, 1956. As of 2019, the population was 49,859. It is part of the Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim, California Metropolitan Statistical Area designated by the Office of Management and Budget. History Cerritos was originally inhabited by Native Americans belonging to the Tongva (or "People of the Earth"). The Tongva were called the "Gabrieleños" by the Spanish settlers after the nearby Mission San Gabriel Arcángel. The Tongva were the largest group of indigenous peoples in Southern California as well as the most developed in the region. The Tongva lived off the land, deriving food from the animals or plants that could be gathered, snared or hunted, and grinding acorns as a staple. Beginning in the late 15th century, Spanish explorers arrived in ...
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Tupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists, having sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Much of Shakur's music has been noted for addressing contemporary social issues that plagued inner cities, and he is considered a symbol of activism against inequality. Shakur was born in New York City to parents who were both political activists and Black Panther Party members. Raised by his mother, Afeni Shakur, he relocated to Baltimore in 1984 and to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1988. With the release of his debut album ''2Pacalypse Now'' in 1991, he became a central figure in West Coast hip hop for his Political hip hop, conscious rap lyrics. Shakur achieved further critical and commercial success with his follow-up album ...
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Al B
This a list of characters in the ''Left Behind'' novel series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. Suhail Akbar Suhail Akbar is a supporting antagonist in the ''Left Behind'' series. A native of Pakistan, he was a prominent member of the Global Community. He was hired by Nicolae Carpathia during the last half of the Tribulation period to be his Security and Intelligence chief in control of Peacekeepers and Morale Monitors throughout all the world regions. Jim Hickman was his predecessor. In contrast to the ineptitude of Hickman, upon hearing the appointment of Akbar, David Hassid feared he would be competent enough to stymie the Tribulation Force. Akbar was characterized as a man who is reticent and slow to voice an opinion, but someone who is loyal and effective behind the scenes. In ''Desecration'', he received the mark of the beast along with his fellow members of the Global Community cabinet – Walter Moon and Viv Ivins – at the Temple Mount a day before Carpathia commi ...
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All Night Long (All Night)
"All Night Long (All Night)" is a hit single by American singer and songwriter Lionel Richie from 1983. Taken from his second solo album, ''Can't Slow Down'' (1983), it combined Richie's soulful Commodores style with Caribbean influences. This single reached number one on three ''Billboard'' charts (pop, R&B and adult contemporary). In the UK, it peaked at number two on the singles chart. The song lyrics were written primarily in English, but Richie has admitted in at least one press interview that "African" lyrics in the song, such as "Tom bo li de say de moi ya" and "Jambo jumbo", were in fact his sui generis dialects. Richie has described these portions of the song as a "wonderful joke", written when he discovered that he lacked the time to hire a translator to contribute the foreign-language lyrics he wished to include in the song. '' Cash Box'' summed up its review of the single saying "Richie’s command of these diverse musical elements and shifts in melodic directio ...
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Lionel Richie
Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of funk band the Commodores; writing and recording the hit singles " Easy", " Sail On", "Three Times a Lady" and "Still", with the group before his departure. In 1980, he wrote and produced the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number one single "Lady" for Kenny Rogers. The following year, he wrote and produced the single " Endless Love", which he recorded as a duet with Diana Ross; it remains among the top 20 bestselling singles of all time, and the biggest career hit for both artists. In 1982, he officially launched his solo career with the album '' Lionel Richie'', which sold over four million copies and spawned the singles " You Are", " My Love", and the number one single " Truly". His second album, ''Can't Slow Down'' (1983), reached number one on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart and sold ...
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Luther Vandross
Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Known for his sweet and soulful vocals, Vandross has sold over 40 million records worldwide. He achieved eleven consecutive Platinum albums and eight Grammy Awards, including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four different times. In 2004, Vandross won a total of four Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Award for Song of the Year for a song recorded not long before his death, " Dance with My Father". Vandross worked as a backing vocalist in the 1970s, and appeared on albums by artists such as Roberta Flack, Donny Hathaway, Todd Rundgren, Judy Collins, Chaka Khan, Bette Midler, Diana Ross, David Bowie, Ben E. King, Stevie Wonder, and Donna Summer. He later became a lead singer of the group Change, which released its Gold-certified debut album, ''The Glow of Love'', in 1980 on Warner/RFC Records. After Vandross left the group, he was signed to Epic Records as a ...
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LeVert
LeVert was an American R&B vocal group from Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Formed in 1983, LeVert was composed of Sean and Gerald Levert (sons of Eddie Levert, founder and lead singer of R&B/Soul vocal group O'Jays) and Marc Gordon.Wells, Chris (1986) "It's in the Blood", ''Echoes'', 8 November 1986, p. 5 Biography The group released their first single, "I'm Still", for Harry Coombes's Tempre label. In 1985, they released their debut album, ''I Get Hot'', which included tracks whose vocals drew strong comparisons to Sean and Gerald Levert's father Eddie. ''Bloodline'' followed in 1986, and this album included the band's first big R&B hit " (Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop) Goes My Mind", a track that went all the way to Number One. However, the band's next album, 1987's ''The Big Throwdown'' became an even bigger success, on the strength of the Number One R&B hit "Casanova", which gave them a crossover hit on the pop chart (number 5) and also a UK Top 10. A pair of additional R&B Top F ...
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Gerald Levert
Gerald Edward Levert (July 13, 1966 – November 10, 2006) was an Americans, American singer-songwriter and producer. Levert was best known for singing with his brother, Sean Levert, and friend Marc Gordon of the vocal group LeVert. Levert was also a member of LSG (band), LSG, a supergroup comprising Keith Sweat, Johnny Gill, and himself. Levert is the son of Eddie Levert, who is the lead singer of the R&B/soul music, soul vocal group the O'Jays. He released nine solo albums, six with LeVert, two with his father Eddie Levert, two with LSG, as well as discovering the R&B groups the Rude Boys, Men at Large and 1 of the Girls. Levert was also part of the R&B group Black Men United. Early life and education Levert was born to the frontman of the O'Jays, the O'Jays, Eddie Levert and his wife Martha in Canton, Ohio, on July 13, 1966. He grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. Due to his father's career, Levert would travel with the band regularly. While in high sc ...
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Playboy Bunny
A Playboy Bunny is a waitress who works at a Playboy Club and selected through standardized training. Their costumes were made up of lingerie, inspired by the tuxedo-wearing Playboy rabbit mascot. This costume consisted of a strapless corset teddy, bunny ears, black sheer-to-waist pantyhose, a bow tie, a collar, cuffs and a fluffy cottontail. In more recent Playboy Clubs, such as Sin City that was re-opened in 2006, Playboy bunnies wore slightly altered costumes that were based on the original bunny suit. Origins The original Playboy Bunny costume was designed by the mother of Ilse Taurins, who was a Latvian émigrée. At the time, Taurins was dating one of the Playboy Club co-founders, Victor Lownes III. Taurins had suggested a costume modeled after the Playboy Magazine trademark, either a rabbit or bunny, and she had her seamstress mother make a costume prototype. The prototype was reviewed at a meeting attended by Playboy Club co-founders Hugh Hefner, Victor Lownes and ...
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Gloria Steinem
Gloria Marie Steinem (; born March 25, 1934) is an American journalist and social-political activist who emerged as a nationally recognized leader of second-wave feminism Second-wave feminism was a period of feminist activity that began in the early 1960s and lasted roughly two decades. It took place throughout the Western world, and aimed to increase equality for women by building on previous feminist gains. ... in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Steinem was a columnist for ''New York (magazine), New York'' magazine and a co-founder of ''Ms. (magazine), Ms.'' magazine. In 1969, Steinem published an article, "After Black Power, Women's Liberation", which brought her national attention and positioned her as a feminist leader. In 1971, she co-founded the National Women's Political Caucus which provides training and support for women who seek elected and appointed offices in government. Also in 1971, she co-founded the Women's Action Alliance which, un ...
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