Los Angeles Urban League

What could mean more to star Laker guard Earvin "Magic" Johnson than winning back-to-back NBA championships and being named Most Valuable Player? A small hunk of crystal shaped like a star, presented to him by the Los Angeles Urban League. "This is the greatest award I've ever received in my life," Johnson said with genuine humility. The 16th annual Whitney M. Young Jr. award was presented to Johnson at the Urban League's black-tie dinner at the Century Plaza Thursday night.

Blair Taylor, executive vice president of College Summit, a Washington, D.C.-based organization that helps low-income high school students get into college, will succeed John W. Mack as president and chief executive officer of the Los Angeles Urban League, the league announced Thursday. The appointment was hailed by Assemblyman Mark Ridley-Thomas (D-Los Angeles), for whom Taylor served as a senior staff member when Ridley-Thomas was a member of the Los Angeles City Council.

"Tom Bradley served this city long enough and well enough and with enough integrity and honor that he should be given the benefit of the doubt." --John Mack, head of the Los Angeles Urban League, defending the embattled mayor.

Heads turn and murmuring begins when the distinguished, silver-haired African American walks through Harold and Belle's, a popular Creole restaurant in southwest Los Angeles. A professor looks up from her shrimp and crawfish etouffee. Genteel little old ladies dressed to the nines for lunch grab at his hands. Diners approach his table before he can savor the shrimp, crab, smoked beef sausage, ham and chicken thickening his file gumbo. "Isn't that John Mack from the Urban League?" a diner asks.

The Times' June 11 Letters column, by using a photograph of the new First Interstate World Center building with First Interstate's Joe Pinola in the foreground, seems to single out the company in connection with an accompanying letter that criticized businesses for failing to provide capital that would provide jobs for the homeless. Fairness dictates that I point out that First Interstate Bank has recently made an unpublicized six-figure donation to the Los Angeles Urban League for its new facility.

Mary Cryer, director of human relations for the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Region, based in Pasadena, has been named chairwoman of the board of governors for the Pasadena-Foothill branch of the Los Angeles Urban League. Cryer also has received the "Distinguished Leadership Award" from the Black Support Group at Cal State Los Angeles. The group was founded to provide opportunities for minority students attaining academic excellence.

Banks Donate Training Center Funds: Local thrifts and savings banks donated $1 million to the Los Angeles Urban League to establish and run a program to train inner-city youths and guarantee them entry level jobs in the banks. About 100 people are expected to complete the program each year at a training center in Inglewood. Many of the candidates for the three-month instruction are expected to come from senior classes of local high schools, particularly in South-Central Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Urban League was attempting Monday to persuade federal officials to rescind a decision withholding funds for the agency's Head Start program, a decision that some employees said could prevent opening of classes for nearly 800 disadvantaged children today. There was no indication as to whether the Urban League would go ahead with the program in the hope of obtaining the funds later on a retroactive basis.

Lee A. Merriwether Jr., special consultant at Good Shepherd Homes of Inglewood (a $3-million project of the Department of Housing and Urban Development for the disabled), died on May 12, The Times has learned. He was 68. Previously, he was an equal-opportunity specialist for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, a consultant for the Minority Construction Contractors Assn.

Chase Manhattan is making $50 million available for mortgage loans over the next two years to increase the number of homeowners in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods of Los Angeles County, the company announced Tuesday. Chase Manhattan Mortgage Corp. and Chase Manhattan Bank are backing the program with the Los Angeles Urban League and Operation HOPE, a nonprofit investment banking organization.

Los Angeles Urban League President John W. Mack said Thursday night that corruption within the LAPD is "out of control," but he commended the Los Angeles Police Commission for establishing an independent panel to investigate the Rampart scandal. Mack, however, called for more diversity among committee members. "It's basically white male attorneys," Mack said before the league's 27th annual Whitney M. Young Jr. Award dinner. "What kind of message does that send?" he said.

Stepping up public pressure, a broad coalition of Los Angeles-area political, civil rights and community leaders Tuesday joined other supporters across the country to urge the U.S. Senate to approve embattled Bill Lann Lee as the nation's chief civil rights enforcer.

On stage, speaker after speaker showered the youths with praise: for being positive, for being responsible, for doing the right thing. Out in the crowd, a group of children from Phillips Temple Christian Methodist Episcopal Church quietly embodied those values. As the program stretched on and a restless second-grader whined to play basketball, 18-year-old La Shawnda Freeman took care of things. "You can't go yet," La Shawnda said, carefully watching her charge while listening to the speeches.

Chase Manhattan is making $50 million available for mortgage loans over the next two years to increase the number of homeowners in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods of Los Angeles County, the company announced Tuesday. Chase Manhattan Mortgage Corp. and Chase Manhattan Bank are backing the program with the Los Angeles Urban League and Operation HOPE, a nonprofit investment banking organization.

The Los Angeles Urban League's automotive training center in the Crenshaw district has joined in a partnership with Philadelphia-based Pep Boys to provide instruction and employment for 300 people in the next year, officials announced Thursday. The automotive training center was established in 1992 after the Los Angeles riots in a joint venture with Toyota to teach skills that would lead to careers in the automotive industry.

The Los Angeles Urban League will present its highest honor this year to Lodwrick (Lod) Cook, chairman and chief executive officer of Arco, at the 18th annual Whitney M. Young Jr. Award Dinner at the Century Plaza Hotel at 7:30 p.m. on April 4. Cook will receive the 1991 Whitney M. Young Jr. Award, given annually to individuals who have made significant contributions in advancing human and civil rights for African Americans and other minorities.

Blair Taylor, executive vice president of College Summit, a Washington, D.C.-based organization that helps low-income high school students get into college, will succeed John W. Mack as president and chief executive officer of the Los Angeles Urban League, the league announced Thursday. The appointment was hailed by Assemblyman Mark Ridley-Thomas (D-Los Angeles), for whom Taylor served as a senior staff member when Ridley-Thomas was a member of the Los Angeles City Council.

Bringing people together and getting them to act in unison are not necessarily the same. The crowd that filled the Century Plaza Hotel ballroom to its rim Thursday night for the Los Angeles Urban League 22nd annual Whitney M. Young Jr. award dinner was clearly delighted to be there; it just wasn't much inclined to stick to the schedule. "I'm the person who drew the short straw so you'll be spared some of my thoughts," said League President John W.

Get educated: Travel. The opportunity to experience life outside of South Los Angeles was given last week to 40 lower-income area youngsters, who got a taste of life in Northern California for three days. "California is large," said Darwin Laidley, 12, from a telephone at Monterey's Fisherman's Wharf. "I've never seen these beautiful things before. There's more trees out here." The trip was sponsored by the Los Angeles Urban League through a donation from the private sector.