CONTACT: 
Ellen Zoe Golden
[email protected]
Jody Miller [email protected]

JLM PR, Inc   
(212) 431-5227

MEDIA ALERT

WHO: Dr. Benjamin Chavis and The Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, Elenore Williams, Chairperson for the Board of Commissioners for the Housing Authority for the City of Los Angeles; Mr. Rudolf Montiel, Executive Director for the Housing Authority for the City of Los Angeles; David Dunson, Director of the Imperial Courts Music and Arts Development Project and Ms. Cynthia Mendenhall, Imperial Courts Mentor and Community Director; Jonathan Hart, Mentor Coordinator for Imperial Courts Music and Arts Development Project

WHAT: A press conference/dedication ceremony announcing the Grand Opening of the first recording studio in a housing project in South Central Los Angeles. A grant of $25,000 was given via the Pepsi/Hip-Hop Summit Partnership. Called The Imperial Courts Music and Arts Development Project after the housing project in which it resides, it will celebrate the young people of the area who will benefit from the opportunities it provides them, whether it be as a recording artist or behind the boards.

WHERE: Imperial Courts housing project; 2220 East 114^th Street, Los Angeles

WHEN:  Friday, September 16, 2005; 9:30am sharp

The Story:

A young resident of Imperial Courts, Jonathan Hart, had an idea to create a music studio in Imperial Courts and took his idea throughout the community until he found receptive ears in a local Housing Authority program. Through this encouragement of believing his idea could take form, he took it to ex-Imperial resident, Youth Minister David Dunson, with whom he had been involved on other projects. David  became the catalyst and, with Jonathan, created the Imperial Courts Music and Arts Development Project for which he acts as Project Director. The Project includes a 24-week structured curriculum program and all of the equipment necessary for it. Dunson also brought Cynthia Mendenhall, a well-known Watts activist and resident of Imperial Courts, on board for this program as a key community liaison. The Imperial Courts Music and Arts Development Project is the creation of that vision. It is a resident driven program with the full support of the Imperial Courts Resident Advisory Council and the Jobs Plus program. The goal of the program is to train, equip and empower inner city youth in their various musical interests with digital audio and video editing and production.  This program will provide opportunities for the residents and youth to receive training in the music and entertainment arena, as well as provide an environment of technical excellence and, at the same time, encourage high moral standards and a strong social and work ethic. It is a program to allow the youth an opportunity to channel their positive energies into some form of artistic expression.

Staff for this project are: David Dunson, Project Director; Cynthia Mendenhall, Mentor and Community Director and Jonathan Hart, Mentor Coordinator.