Being an African-American woman, I'd been faced with some ugly (racial) things in my life. When I went there, the home was so bright, and it was cheerful. It was amazing. The mother was 100-percent devoted, and the father, too, and the big church family. ... That was the true outreach that people imagine churches to be.

These wonderful entertainers are coming together with a common bond — honoring Bessie Coleman, the world's first licensed African-American woman pilot.

Major roadblocks to better health for the African American community are the lack of safe areas for physical activity and lack of availability of affordable, quality fruits and vegetables in grocery stores. There are many obstacles that make it difficult for our residents to get nutritious foods and engage in physical activity. I am committed to working with Los Angeles community members, like the Southwest Neighborhood Council, to establish partnerships to create a healthier Los Angeles.

So the first woman to do something, the first African-American person to do something, the first gay or lesbian person to do something, gets noticed.

Excuse me. We don't want to interrupt, but we want to thank the African-American Student Affairs group for putting this on. We wouldn't have this if it weren't for you.

Quite literally, we don't want our first African-American president and coach to be our last.