Lifestyle

Chillin’ in Inglewood at the 2019 Earth Day Music Festival

LOS ANGELES SENTINEL — The festivities were already on and crack a lackin when I arrived on the scene. Several thousand people, 4,000 to be exact, from near and far heeded the invite to join the City of Inglewood for one of their signature events.

Published

7 years ago

May 23, 2019

Oakland Post

By Ricky Richardson

The City of Inglewood partnered with Clippers Arena Inglewood, Consolidated Disposal Service (A Republic Service Company), West Basin Municipal Water District and 102.3 FM, RadioFree KJLH for the annual Earth Day Music Festival, Saturday, April 20, 2019, on the South Lawn of City Hall.

The festivities were already on and crack a lackin when I arrived on the scene. Several thousand people, 4,000 to be exact, from near and far heeded the invite to join the City of Inglewood for one of their signature events.

The City of Inglewood presented this event as part of their commitment to quality living and visionary leadership, to protect and respect the environment. A huge round of applause and shout out are for Angela Williams and Joi Aldridge of the Environmental Services Division of the Public Works Department, for organizing and producing the Earth Day Music Festival. This was a tremendous undertaking with immediate and noticeable rewards-4,000 happy faces and smiles. Various resources booths provided information to raise awareness about our responsibility to Mother Earth.

The host of this fun-filled, engaging family event was none other than, Guy Black, Radio Personality, 102.3 FM, RadioFree KJLH. DJ Jeff Onee manned the soundboards to provide an eclectic mix of music to enhance the vibes of the Earth Day Music Festival.

Singer/Songwriter Phillip Lauth made a returned engagement to entertain the crowd. Mr. Lauth is the artist who holds the record for the most appearances/performances at the Earth Day Music Festival. That says a lot about his popularity.

Actor/comedian Flex Anderson introduced his wife, Shanice as the next performer to take to the stage. Her opening tune was “Can You Dance,” featuring a multi-cultural talented group of dancers. She continued her set with “The Way You Love Me.” The next portion of her set honored her musical influencers, first with “Square Business,” by Teena Marie, “Heart Break Hotel,” by Michael Jackson followed by “Lovin’ You,” by Minnie Riperton. I can assure you that Shanice hit all the high notes and the right notes. Shanice continued her set with “Saving Forever for You,” “Don’t Settle for Less,” “This Love is Real,” “I’ll be Your Fantasy,” “I Love Your Smile,” and closed her set with “I Won’t.”

Club Nouveau consisting of vocalist Jay King, Valerie Watson English and Samuelle Prater laid down a heavy dose of R&B, Soul and high-octane dance tunes. They cast a spell that had the crowd “Under a Nouveau Groove” throughout their set. The opened their set with “Let It Go,” followed by “That Ain’t Love,” from their latest CD/EP Consciousness. Club Nouveau continued their set with “Tonight, Get a Hold of Me,” “Heavy on my Mind,” “Situation #9,” “Why You Treat Me So Bad,” “ I Want to Change the World,” and concluded their set with an up-tempo version of “Lean on Me.”

Susie Hansen Latin Band literally heated up the festivities with a set of spicy, Latin rhythms to the delight of the salseros in the crowd. The sun finally came out during their set. Up until their set, everyone was bundled up on this unusually cold day in the Southbay.

Two soulful crooners performed backed to back sets. Kenny Lattimore and Eric Benet turned up the wow factor to the delight of their adoring fans. Stevie Wonder made a surprise appearance to introduce Eric Benet. What an honor.

The rest is history in the making, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. The Conductor of Funk introduced the last and final act of the evening. Con Funk Shun turned up the throttle and went full steam ahead with a set of classic hits from their extended catalog. Their set was “Ffun,” and people had no choice but to “Shake and Dance with Me” throughout their highly entertaining set.

This evening will go down in the record books as the largest and most successful Earth Day Music Festival in Inglewood. The producers of this year’s festival raised the bar for future celebrations. Don’t be surprise if next year’s stellar line-up continues to broaden and enhance the Earth Day Music Festival, one of several signature events in the City of Inglewood. Stay Tuned!!!

This article originally appeared in the Los Angeles Sentinel.

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Financial Wellness and Mental Health: Managing Money Stress in College 

While everyone’s financial situation is unique, several common sources of stress have the potential to strain your financial health. These include financial and economic uncertainty, existing debts, unexpected expenses, and mental or physical health changes. Financial stress may differ from situation to situation, but understanding the factors contributing to yours may help you begin to craft a plan for your unique circumstances.

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3 weeks ago

March 17, 2026

Oakland Post

Sponsored by JPMorganChase

As a college student, managing financial responsibilities can be stressful.

If you’ve found yourself staying up late thinking about your finances or just feeling anxious overall about your financial future, you’re not alone. In one survey, 78% of college students who reported financial stress had negative impacts on their mental health, and 59% considered dropping out. While finances can impact overall stress, taking steps to manage your finances can support your mental, emotional and physical well-being.

When it comes to money, the sources of stress may look different for each student, but identifying the underlying causes and setting goals accordingly may help you feel more confident about your financial future.

Consider these strategies to help improve your financial wellness and reduce stress.

Understand what causes financial stress

2. Determine your financial priorities

Start by reflecting on your financial priorities. For students this often includes paying for school or paying off student loans, studying abroad, saving for spring break, building an emergency fund, paying down credit card debt or buying a car. Name the milestones that are most important to you, and plan accordingly.

3. Create a plan and stick to it

While setting actionable goals starts you on the journey to better financial health, it’s essential to craft a plan to follow through. Identifying and committing to a savings plan may give you a greater sense of control over your finances, which may help reduce your stress. Creating and sticking to a budget allows you to better track where your money is going so you may spend less and save more.

4. Pay down debt

Many students have some form of debt and want to make progress toward reducing their debt obligations. One option is the debt avalanche method, which focuses on paying off your debt with the highest interest rate first, then moving on to the debt with the next-highest interest rate. Another is the debt snowball method, which builds momentum by paying off your smallest debt balance, and then working your way up to the largest amounts.

5. Build your financial resilience

Some financial stress may be inevitable, but building financial resilience may allow you to overcome obstacles more easily. The more you learn about managing your money, for instance, the more prepared you’ll feel if the unexpected happens. Growing your emergency savings also may increase resilience since you’ll be more financially prepared to cover unexpected expenses or pay your living expenses.

6. Seek help and support

Many colleges have resources to help students experiencing financial stress, like financial literacy courses or funds that provide some assistance for students in need. Talk to your admissions counselor or advisor about your concerns, and they can direct you to sources of support. Your school’s counseling center can also be a great resource for mental health assistance if you’re struggling with financial stress.

The bottom line

Financial stress can affect college students’ health and wellbeing, but it doesn’t have to derail your dreams. Setting smart financial goals and developing simple plans to achieve them may help ease your stress. Revisit and adjust your plan as needed to ensure it continues to work for you, and seek additional support on campus as needed to help keep you on track.

 JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC