A SPECIAL REPORT: BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Ebonics, Etc.

Since its inception, Black History Month has drawn attention to complex and often painful issues. This year, in discussions around the San Fernando Valley, Ebonics will join a list of hot-button topics including Jewish-black relations, the legacy of the Black Panthers and how African American women are portrayed in the mass media.

Close-Up

“Watermelon Woman,” a sexually explicit film about a black lesbian, will be featured in a black women’s film festival at CalArts in Valencia. The movie gained modest notoriety last year when U.S. Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-Mich.) balked at its $31,500 NEA grant. Hoekstra was in the Valley last week, but not to quash the film. He came to attend a series of congressional hearings on education.

Next Hope

The USO--whose morale-boosting stage shows were once synonymous with entertainers such as Bob Hope, Betty Grable and Bing Crosby--wants to ensure that its new lineup reflects the diversity of today’s armed forces. So talent scouts will be holding auditions before a Feb. 26 performance of the Black Theater Ensemble at CSUN.