Happy first week of June, Tomatoes! It is bursting forth with gorgeous cactus blooms.  The California African American Museum (CAAM) is back and open with great exhibitions and one exhibit caught my eye. We’ve got some mighty big Angeleno’s residing here, and you can experience them in person at the La Brea Tar Pits. “Reykjavik”is a wonderful new play streaming from the Road Theatre Company. And there are two virtual talks, “Even After They’ve Gone” from the Gentle Barn and “What We Eat” from Vroman’s Bookstore that you might find valuable. And join us for our next ZOOM event.

African American Debutant Culture

“Rights and Rituals: The Making of African American Debutante Culture” at the California African American Museum (CAAM) investigates the origins of the social organizations and the ways they supported young Black women’s participation in vital race work from the 1890’s to the 1960’s.  One of the many great reasons to head to CAAM, Tomatoes.

The Links, Incorporated, the Questionettes, and the 20th Century Onyx Club have a long history of challenging institutionalized stereotypes that limited the role and potential of Black girls. The image above is Warner R. Wright introducing his daughter, Brenda, at Cotillion at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, October 19, 1957. Just one of the photographs, objects and ephemera in the collection that focuses on the 1880’s through 1950’s and 60’s and explores the foundational ideas of W.E.B. Du Bois’s racial uplift movement and how African American social organizations melded that with established European debutante traditions to create a unique phenomenon.  Worth your attention at the museum, Tomatoes.

June 22. Personal Branding Event

The marketplace has never been more competitive — whether you’re an entrepreneur, a corporate executive, or one of the many people job searching right now, you need to distinguish yourself from the competition. Join us for a zoom event that could change your life with two top experts in personal branding. SIGN UP HERE.

Titans of The Ice Age

You can travel back in time with “Titans of the Ice Age 3D” playing at the La Brea Tar Pits theater. And don’t forget you can get up close and personal with Ice Age Angelenos with the Tar Pits amazing exhibits. I’m so looking forward to visiting the LaBrea Tar Pits and immersing myself in our LA ancient history again, Gals.

“Titans of the Ice Age 3D” follows the journey of how magnificent creatures of the Ice Age that lived 10,000 to 50,000 years before us became trapped in tar, preserved in time, and are being unearthed today in Los Angeles.   And all the magnificent Giants of the Ice Age exhibited were excavated right here in LA at the Tar Pits.  You can say “Hello” to Giant Ground Sloths, Columbian Mammoths, Ferocious Felines and Dire Wolves.  What fun!

Till June 13. Reykjavik

We are very lucky Tomatoes that The Road Theatre Company has extended the streaming dates of their 2^nd fully staged show “Reykjavik” of their 2021 virtual season. And we are doubly lucky because the play is directed by friend and fellow Tomato, the wonderfully talented Ann Hearn Tobolowsky.  It is a wild, whimsical, and sometimes scary ride.

And shot live at the Magnolia Theatre with 4 cameras. Wow! In Ann’s words:

“So many things I loved about this play – from the first time I read it, I couldn’t get it out of my head – just the crazy humor, the wacky, magical, real, mysterious, foreign, Icelandic but not Iceland – magical world that made me laugh and cry and broke my heart – I said, I need to see this, and I need to make it able to be seen – so those are primarily the reasons I am on-board!” It certainly is magical to see a play come to life fully realized/ Remember it stops streaming soon so don’t hesitate to get your tickets  , Ladies.

FYI: The Road Theatre Company, led by founding artistic director Taylor Gilbert and artistic director Sam Anderson, is a multi-award-winning theater that has been named one of the top ten intimate theater companies in Los Angeles (LA Weekly).

June 13. Even After They’ve Gone

Join Ellie Laks in the live virtual talk, “Even After They’re Gone,” as she shares what The Gentle Barn animals have taught her about their passing in the hopes that their stories will give you as much strength, courage, and hope that they do for her. If you’ve ever grieved over the loss of a beloved animal in your life, I believe this live virtual talk will bring you comfort, Tomatoes.

There’s also live Q & talk after. As much as we miss our animals when they pass, their memories and the lessons they taught us will live on The Gentle Barn has had to say many farewells in their 22-year history. But the animals have taught them so much about healing from loss and how to open their hearts again. I adore this nonprofit organization and all the proceeds from the talk will go to support the animals at The Gentle Barn.

June 11. We Are What We Eat

“We Are What We Eat” certainly makes you think twice about what we fill our stomachs with, Tomatoes.  Alice Waters, Chef, a food activist and VP of Slow Food International will share her valuable healthy thoughts on that topic with investigative journalist and Pulitzer Prize nominee Eric Schlosser during this informative, enlightening and lively conversation.

Waters will make clear how every decision we make about what we put in our mouths affects not only our bodies but also the world at large–our families, our communities, and our environment. We have the power to choose what we eat, and we have the potential for individual and global transformation–simply by shifting our relationship to food. All it takes is a taste and tuning in to the conversation “We Are What We Eat,” Tomatoes.