Our Authors Study Club, PO Box# 361454, Los Angeles, CA (2026)

09/28/2026

OASC PRESIDENT WITNESSES HISTORIC KWANZAA STAMP DEDICATION

As the nation prepares to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Kwanzaa this December, OASC President Lura Ball witnessed a special moment in Kwanzaa history while attending the 111th Annual ASALH Conference in Norfolk, Virginia.

On September 23, 2026, the United States Postal Service held the First Day of Issue Dedication Ceremony for its new Kwanzaa Forever Stamp. The 2026 stamp is the 11th Kwanzaa stamp issued by the Postal Service since the first was released in 1997.

The new stamp features a father and daughter, a first for the USPS Kwanzaa stamp series. The artwork also incorporates two important Kwanzaa symbols: the zawadi, or gift, held by the daughter, and the kikombe cha umoja, or unity cup, held by the father.

The dedication ceremony brought together history, culture and community through West African drumming and dance and remarks from scholars and community leaders. Dr. Cassandra Newby-Alexander, Endowed Professor of Virginia Black History and Culture at Norfolk State University, delivered remarks, and Norfolk Postmaster Matthew Toman conducted the official stamp dedication. Sylvia Cyrus, Executive Director of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), welcomed attendees.

For Our Authors Study Club, the occasion has special meaning as we look ahead to the 60th anniversary of Kwanzaa, which will be observed beginning December 26, 2026.

Kwanzaa was created in Los Angeles in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga. Dr. Karenga is a member of OASC, as are members of his family, and OASC has an ongoing relationship with the African American Cultural Center (Us).

That relationship is also woven into OASC's work to share the history of Black Los Angeles. For the past two years, the African American Cultural Center has been a stop on OASC's Historical Bus Tour of Los Angeles, providing participants an opportunity to visit and learn about an institution connected to the cultural and intellectual history of our city.

From its beginnings in Los Angeles in 1966 to the dedication of the 11th USPS Kwanzaa stamp 60 years later, Kwanzaa's story continues.

We are especially pleased that President Lura Ball was there to witness this historic dedication and share her candid photographs with OASC as we prepare to commemorate this important milestone.

Photos courtesy of OASC President Lura Ball.

09/28/2026

KWANZAA AT 60: A LIVING LOS ANGELES LEGACY

In 2026, Kwanzaa celebrates its 60th anniversary, and Our Authors Study Club, Inc. (OASC) has a special connection to this important chapter of African American history.

Kwanzaa was created in Los Angeles in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, founder and chairman of the organization Us and the African American Cultural Center. Dr. Karenga is a member of OASC, as are members of his family and the African American Cultural Center.

As we commemorate 60 years of Kwanzaa, OASC has an extraordinary opportunity to celebrate this history through people and institutions with whom we have an ongoing relationship. This is not simply the story of a holiday observed each December. It is the story of a cultural tradition born in Los Angeles that has reached communities throughout the United States and around the world.

Our relationship with the African American Cultural Center has already become an important part of how OASC shares the history of Black Los Angeles. For the past two years, the Cultural Center has been a stop on OASC’s Historical Bus Tour of Los Angeles, allowing participants to visit and learn about a place directly connected to the cultural and intellectual history of our city.

For the 60th anniversary, we want to go deeper.

We want to hear more from Dr. Karenga about what led to the creation of Kwanzaa and the development of the Nguzo Saba, the Seven Principles. We want to hear from the Karenga family about what it was like to live this tradition as it grew. We want to recognize the African American Cultural Center and the community that helped nurture and sustain this cultural legacy.

We also want to preserve these stories.

OASC understands the importance of documenting history while those who made it can still tell us what happened, what it meant and what they hope future generations will carry forward.

The 60th anniversary of Kwanzaa gives us an opportunity to look back at where it began, honor the people and institutions that helped carry it forward, and introduce another generation to the enduring principles of Umoja, Kujichagulia, Ujima, Ujamaa, Nia, Kuumba and Imani.

Kwanzaa began here.

Its history lives here.

And 60 years later, its story continues.

KWANZAA AT 60
1966–2026
Family. Community. Culture. Legacy.

09/28/2026

Our Authors Study Club Welcomes the Ninth Pastor of Historic Second Baptist Church

Our Authors Study Club of Los Angeles, Inc. proudly joins the Second Baptist Church family in welcoming Rev. Dr. James D. Key as the ninth pastor of this historic congregation, inaugurated on January 10, 2026.

His leadership begins a new chapter in the remarkable story of Second Baptist Church, founded in 1885 as Los Angeles' first Black Baptist church and, for more than 140 years, a spiritual, civic, and cultural home for generations of African Americans.

For OASC, this occasion carries special meaning.

Second Baptist Church was OASC's first home. Our histories are intertwined through OASC founder Vassie D. Wright, an active member of Second Baptist Church whose commitment to education, Black history, literature, and community service helped shape the organization we continue today. From these early roots, OASC grew into the Los Angeles Branch of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, chartered by Dr. Carter G. Woodson in 1945.

More than eight decades later, the relationship between our institutions remains meaningful. Second Baptist has stood as a gathering place for faith, justice, scholarship, leadership, and Black cultural life, while OASC has carried forward the work of studying, preserving, teaching, and celebrating the history and contributions of people of African descent.

As Rev. Dr. Key begins his pastorate, OASC celebrates not only the arrival of Second Baptist's ninth pastor, but also the continuation of a legacy that is deeply connected to our own.

We honor our shared history, celebrate this new chapter, and look forward to strengthening the historic relationship between Our Authors Study Club and Second Baptist Church of Los Angeles.

09/28/2026

OASC REPRESENTED AT THE 111TH ANNUAL ASALH CONFERENCE

Our Authors Study Club, Inc. (OASC) was proudly represented on the East Coast at the 111th Annual ASALH Conference, held September 23–27, 2026, in Norfolk, Virginia, in the Hampton Roads region.

OASC President Lura Ball, Treasurer Keta Davis, and Special & Signature Events Coordinator Maude Johnson traveled to Virginia to participate in the annual gathering of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), joining scholars, historians, educators, authors, preservationists, branch members, and community leaders from across the country.

President Ball shared several highlights from the conference, including the First Day of Issue Dedication Ceremony for the new USPS Kwanzaa Forever Stamp, a Freedom School, and a workshop focused on digitizing history.

The conference offered five days of programs exploring Black history, culture, education, preservation, oral history, social justice, and the responsibility of communities to document and safeguard their own stories. Sessions included discussions on teaching Black history, ethical oral history and storytelling, voting rights, Black Studies, descendant empowerment, and preserving history in the digital age.

For OASC, the sessions on digitization and historical preservation were especially timely as we continue strengthening our work to document oral histories, preserve photographs and artifacts, and record the stories of our elders and community for future generations.

The conference also included heritage tours, film screenings, author book signings, branch meetings, luncheons, exhibits, the annual awards banquet, and opportunities for ASALH branches from throughout the nation to connect and learn from one another.

Founded in Los Angeles in 1945, OASC has a long history of advancing the study, preservation, and celebration of African American history and literature. More than 80 years later, that work continues.

We welcome home President Lura Ball, Treasurer Keta Davis, and Special & Signature Events Coordinator Maude Johnson, and we look forward to hearing more about what they learned and bringing those ideas home to strengthen OASC’s preservation, education, and community programming.

Preserving our history. Sharing our stories. Carrying the legacy forward.

09/28/2026

OASC Celebrates Living History at the Bilbrew

Our Authors Study Club, Inc. (OASC) gathered at A.C. Bilbrew Library on August 1, 2026, to welcome new members, share stories, and introduce the Charter Class of its Senior Legacy Recognition Program.

OASC welcomed Dr. Donna J. Nicol as a new member and its new Historian, along with Dr. Maulana Karenga. In conversation, Dr. Nicol spoke about making family history meaningful to younger generations and shared plans to help community members record oral histories and build family archives. Dr. Karenga reflected on Kwanzaa, shared responsibility, and the importance of building strong Black families and communities.

OASC Vice President Ayesha Randall created the Senior Legacy Recognition Program and introduced its first honorees: Mary Louise Reeves, 104; Agatha Daniel Lang, 100; Christine Nelson, 92; Barbara L. Kelley Lindsey, 90; Theresa Curtis, 88; and Dr. Maulana Karenga, 84. The program honors elders while recording their oral histories and preserving their stories and materials for future generations.

The Lang family made a special contribution to that work, presenting OASC with a limited-edition commemorative plate honoring founder Vassie Davis Wright. Mrs. Lang’s late husband, Dr. Charles Lang, served as OASC Second Vice President. Her family also shared a 1974 OASC program booklet that documents their connection to the organization.

Christine Nelson’s son recalled his mother’s love of teaching Black history and her memorable portrayals of Biddy Mason and Ellen Craft during OASC events and bus tours. Barbara L. Kelley Lindsey shared her motto, “Keep moving,” and reminded everyone to always wear your earrings! Theresa Curtis spoke about the honesty, fairness, and responsibility that guided her public service: “Integrity, that is my word, that is my legacy.”

Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell joined the celebration and presented County recognition to the honorees. It was a joyful day of scholarship, family memories, and living history—and a reminder to hear and preserve our elders’ stories while they are here to tell them.

09/28/2026

OASC Honors Directing Legend Charles Burnett with the 2026 Origin Award

Our Authors Study Club, Inc. (OASC) proudly honored legendary filmmaker Charles Burnett with the 2026 Origin Award, recognizing more than four decades of extraordinary storytelling and his enduring contribution to Black film, Los Angeles history, and American culture.

The celebration was part of OASC's historic 100th Anniversary of Black History Commemorations, with Cookie Parker serving as the 2026 OASC Honorary Chair alongside OASC President Lura Daniels-Ball. Parker, Founder and Chair of YES2JOBS and a longtime advocate for opportunity and engagement within Los Angeles's entertainment community, helped bring civic, cultural, community, and entertainment leaders together around this milestone year and the recognition of Burnett's extraordinary legacy. OASC's 2026 coalition also included Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, members of the Los Angeles City Council, county leadership, and leaders from throughout the arts and entertainment community.

Burnett, who was raised in Watts and South Central Los Angeles, emerged as a cornerstone of the historic LA Rebellion, the groundbreaking movement of Black independent filmmakers associated with UCLA. A double UCLA graduate, Burnett built a body of work centered on people and communities whose everyday lives were too often absent from the screen. His films portray Black working- and middle-class life with humanity, complexity, honesty, and dignity.

Among his most celebrated works are Killer of Sheep, To Sleep with Anger,* and *The Glass Shield. His work has extended beyond feature films into television, including Nightjohn, Selma, Lord, Selma, and Warming by the Devil's Fire for Martin Scorsese's PBS series The Blues.

In 2017, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented Burnett with an Honorary Oscar, recognizing him as an influential film pioneer. But the Origin Award recognizes something more.

The award honors a distinguished Black Angeleno whose work carries forward the legacy of the 26 African-descended founders of Los Angeles in 1781. In 2026, as the nation commemorated 100 years of Black History commemorations, honoring Charles Burnett connected generations of Black history, from Los Angeles's earliest African-descended founders to the artists who have fought to ensure that Black lives, families, neighborhoods, struggles, joys, and accomplishments remain part of the historical record.

OASC President Lura Daniels-Ball described Burnett's importance not only in terms of the stories he has told, but also the generations of filmmakers and storytellers who have followed him. As OASC noted in announcing the honor, Burnett has told Los Angeles stories about people whose names were not always famous while helping preserve histories too often missing from the official record.

The celebration brought together an extraordinary Origin Award Honorary Committee representing film, television, theater, literature, education, and the arts. Under the larger leadership of 2026 OASC Honorary Chair Cookie Parker, the Origin Award Honorary Committee included Co-Chairs Henry G. Sanders, Julie Dash, Carl Lumbly, April Grace, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ilyon Woo, with Alfre Woodard, Ava DuVernay, Danny Glover, Antwone Fisher, Jurnee Smollett, Lori Petty, Lynn Whitfield, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television Dean Dr. Celine Parreñas Shimizu, and many others. Acclaimed actor and producer William Allen Young served as Master of Ceremonies.

The 2026 Origin Award was presented at the Los Angeles Central Library's Mark Taper Auditorium, placing the celebration of one of America's important Black filmmakers in a public cultural institution and making the program accessible to the community.

For OASC, the recognition of Charles Burnett was especially fitting during the 100th Anniversary of Black History Commemorations. OASC was founded in Los Angeles in 1945 by Vassie D. Wright, was chartered by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the Father of Black History, and has remained dedicated to preserving, celebrating, and advancing African American history, arts, and scholarship.

Charles Burnett has spent a lifetime making certain that ordinary Black lives are never treated as ordinary history. The 2026 Origin Award celebrates the filmmaker, the Angeleno, the pioneer, and the legacy.
Congratulations to 2026 OASC Origin Award honoree Charles Burnett, and thank you to 2026 OASC Honorary Chair Cookie Parker, OASC President Lura Daniels-Ball, the Origin Award Honorary Committee, and the many civic, cultural, and community partners who came together to honor a Los Angeles legend.

09/28/2026

OASC CLOSES FOSTER CARE MONTH WITH ANTWONE FISHER

On May 31, 2026, Our Authors Study Club, Inc. (OASC) brought community, literature, film, and young people together for a special closing observance of Foster Care Month at Highways Performance Space & Gallery in Santa Monica.

The intimate late-afternoon program featured a reception and screening of Antwone Fisher, followed by a conversation with Antwone Fisher, whose remarkable life inspired the acclaimed film. The discussion was moderated by Bill Haley of Inherited Roots, grandson of Alex Haley, and the program concluded with an opportunity for guests to meet Fisher and have books signed.

Among those invited to participate were 36 young people from Los Angeles Job Corps, ages 16–24. Their participation was particularly meaningful because the afternoon was designed to be more than a film screening. It was an opportunity for young people to hear directly from Fisher, ask questions in a welcoming environment, and engage with someone who has spoken openly about his experiences in foster care, family separation, identity, healing, and finding his own voice.

The response from Los Angeles Job Corps afterward said it best: their students loved the event, especially hearing Fisher's stories.

OASC also wanted the experience with literature to continue after everyone went home. Books were provided for participating students.

The program also included Fisher's books Finding Fish, A Boy Should Know How to Tie a Tie, and Who Will Cry for the Little Boy?, giving attendees an opportunity to connect the man and the film with his work as an author.

OASC extends its appreciation to Antwone Fisher, Bill Haley and Inherited Roots, Highways Performance Space & Gallery, Los Angeles Job Corps, and everyone who helped make the May 31 program possible. We also recognize the support of Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath and Los Angeles City Councilmember Traci Park, whose offices helped support the effort.

For more than seven decades, Our Authors Study Club has worked to study, celebrate, preserve, and share the literature and history of people of African descent. Programs such as this one remind us why that work continues to matter.

A book can tell a story. A film can bring that story to life. But sometimes the greatest impact comes when a young person has the opportunity to sit in the room with the person who lived it — and discover that their own story matters, too.

Our stories matter. Our authors matter. Our young people matter.

05/19/2026

As Black History faces erasure in classrooms, libraries, and public discourse across the nation, six courageous young people took the mic and made sure our stories were heard. ✊🏾📚

On Saturday, May 16, 2026, Our Authors’ Study Club, Inc. (OASC), the Los Angeles branch of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), proudly hosted the 74th Annual Carter G. Woodson Oratorical Contest, “Rising Voices,” at the historic A.C. Bilbrew Library in Watts.

This year’s contest carried special significance as ASALH commemorates “A Century of Black History Commemorations,” marking 100 years since Dr. Carter G. Woodson launched Negro History Week in 1926 — the observance that officially became Black History Month in 1976.

Before a packed room of families, educators, and community leaders, six outstanding student orators delivered original speeches rooted in research, truth, courage, and community storytelling.

Congratulations to our winners:
🥇 Hanadie Bazzelle-Keyes – Woodbridge High School
🥈 Bryce Young – Torrance High School
🥉 Shia Watts – Notre Dame Sherman Oaks
🥉 Kholin Young – Torrance High School
🥉 Kamiyah Satterfield – Gahr Richard High School
🌟 Honorable Mention: Franklin Windom Jr. – Culver City High School

At a time when history is being challenged and erased in many places across the country, these students reminded us that Black history is living history — and the next generation is ready to carry it forward.

Special thanks to our distinguished judges, committee members, educators, families, and volunteers who continue to uplift youth voices and preserve the legacy of Black history through this longstanding tradition.

The future is bright. ❤️🖤💚

Our Authors Study Club

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