Wyllisa Bennett

Rantings From The Red Carpet

My Byline Is Back!

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In the news!! I was happy to have a front page story in Inglewood Today about award-winning radio host Dominique DiPrima and her new gig as the morning drive talk show host of the new KBLA Talk 1580.

At the stroke of midnight on June 19, 2021 – that is, Juneteenth 2021 — LA will have its first and only “Unapologetically Progressive” talk radio station for the AfricanAmerican listening audience!! Helmed by Tavis Smiley of Smiley Audio Media, KBLA Talk 1580, is the only Black owned and operated talk station in Southern California!! #Blackownedbusiness.

It’s fitting on that on this holiday, she will make history as the first Black woman on Los Angeles commercial talk radio to host her own morning drive show! #BlackExcellence #BlackGirlMagic Congrats Dominique!

I’m running out to get hard copies of the newspaper, meanwhile … extra, extra … read all about it here!

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Black History Is Being Televised, Just In Time for Juneteenth, Part 2

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It’s been a year since I’ve posted anything, but I survived the pandemic, and I’m back with some really great news!! I’m soooooo so excited to be working with Tavis Smiley on his latest venture. He’s back and doing big things! Still educating and empowering Black folks!

At the stroke of midnight on June 19, 2021 – that is, Juneteenth 2021 — LA will have its first and only “Unapologetically Progressive” talk radio station for the AfricanAmerican listening audience!! Helmed by Tavis Smiley of Smiley Audio Media, KBLA Talk1580, is the only Black owned and operated talk station in Southern California!! #Blackownedbusiness BLOOP! The studios of KBLA Talk 1580 are located in historic Leimert Park.

Talk about a comeback! #BlackExcellence strikes again!

A FEW HIGHLIGHTS ABOUT KBLA TALK 1580!

  • After 16 years, award-winning radio host Dominique DiPrima left her show, “Front Page” on Radio Free 102.3 KJLH-FM to anchor morning drive with the new show on KBLATalk 1580, “First Things First With Dominique DiPrima.” She’s the only African American woman in Los Angeles to host her own commercial talk radio show!
  • Don Amiche, a longtime fan favorite returns to the LA radio scene, bringing his boldness and brashness to late night talk, focusing on news, politics and pop culture. Get ready!
  • Comic and political commentator DL Hughley finally lands in Los Angeles. Although his afternoon show is heard around the country, listeners can now tune into Hughley in the City of Angels.
  • A regular on NPR’s “Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me,” and the season three  winner  of NBC’s “Last Comic Standing,” Alonzo Bodden brings his comedic commentary to KBLA Talk 1580 with his own show, “Alonzo Bodden: Who’s Paying Attention?”
  • After an almost four-year absence, Tavis Smiley is back on the air with his own show. But, this time he’s not just talent, but owner of LA’s first Black-owned talk radio station. He’s built a career empowering, enlightening and encouraging fellow citizens, and is excited to bring an “Unapologetically Progressive” talk radio stationto African American and progressive listeners
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#BLACKGIRLMAGIC

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IN THE NEWS!! Me!

I’m am so excited to share that I was honored at City Hall on Tuesday, February 4, 2020 as a part of Black History Month by the office of LA City Councilman President Emeritus Herb Wesson. This honor is particular sweet because President Emeritus Wesson is the first an only African American to be selected the president of the Los Angeles City Council – and to get this during Black History Month, means everything to a conscious sister like me! And I gave an unapologetically Black, Black, Blackity, Black speech! Lol

I was honored for my work in arts and entertainment. As a celebrity publicist, my job is to make people famous and keep people famous.  But the most rewarding work of all is when I can bring my talents to the Black community, and work on projects that empower and uplift our people  — such as the Leimert Park Village Book Fair and the Pan African Film Festival. I do this for the culture!

I’m so thankful to my friends and family from North Carolina who could attend this monumental career highlight for me. Their presence meant everything to me. It was a beautiful day for me!

The City of Los Angeles honored iconic comic legends like Luenell, Eddie Griffin; Marsha Warfield; Miss Laura Hayes – the Original Queen of Comedy; and Emmy-winning comedienne and actress Tiffany Haddish as part of their Stand UP: The Art and Politics of Comedy for Black History Month.  There’s an exhibit of their work in the City Hall Bridge Gallery on the third floor of City Hall.  The exhibit will be on display through March 9, 2020.

Along with Los Angeles City Council President Emeritus Herb J. Wesson, Jr. (District 10), special thanks to Councilmen Curren Price (District 9), and Marqueece Harris-Dawson (District 8) for their constant support. They have been instrumental in my work in the Black community.

PSA: FOR WELLNESS WEDNESDAY

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There’s A Pill For That!

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Consider this a public service announcement!

In Los Angeles County, women living with HIV are predominantly African American (35.4%) or Latina/Hispanic (44.8%), along with an estimated 30 % of transgender women, living with the virus. Today, there’s a pill for that! It’s called PrEP.

Heath professionals, dignitaries, and special guests gathered at the California African American Museum (CAAM) on Wednesday, October 24, 2018 for the launch of the “Sister Friends” video series for HIV awareness, informing women about a pill that can help stop the spread of the virus.

Me and Dr. Leo Moore, a clinical scholar and “Morehouse Man,” who spearheaded the “Sister Friends: Get PrEP’d” video campaign series for LA County Public Health.

The campaign is titled “Sister Friends: Get PrEP’d.” It hopes to increase the awareness and use of the Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (or PrEP) pill among women who are at-risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The campaign is spearheaded by Dr. Leo Moore, who is a “Morehouse Man,” a clinical scholar and acting medical director of the Division of HIV and STD Programs at the LA County Department of Public Health.

Like a birth control pill, PrEP is a daily medicine that can prevent HIV infection for HIV-negative individuals who are at risk of being exposed to the virus. Although it is not a vaccine or a cure for HIV, PrEP can reduce the risk of HIV transmission by as much as 99 percent if taken daily as prescribed.

For the “Sister Friends” video series, LA County tapped Daytime Emmy winner and co-host of “The Real,” Loni Love as well as Alicia Machado (Miss Universe 1996) and actress Alexandra Grey (“Transparent” and “Glee”).

For many women, PrEP can be invaluable in staying healthy and HIV-negative when they have a partner who is HIV-positive. The PrEP pill has been shown to be safe for women to use while attempting to get pregnant and during pregnancy, as well as breastfeeding. Most insurance plans, including Medi-Cal, cover the cost of PrEP.

Do you know what this is? A female condom.

In 1991, I remember when basketball great Earvin “Magic” Johnson announced to the world that he had contracted HIV, which forced an early retirement of his basketball career. I was a news assistant at WCNC-TV in Charlotte, and all the tv monitors were tuned in to the “Breaking News.” I remember that my heart stopped and I cried. “This ‘shit’” is real,” I remember saying to myself. And since that day, I’ve gotten tested at every doctor’s appointment to know my status.

Believe it or not, some doctors thought it was unnecessary because I didn’t fall into any “at-risk groups.” Yet, here we are today with Black women disproportionately affected by HIV, and 87 % of woman diagnosed with HIV is through heterosexual contact, according to the CDC.

Kudos to medical advancement! If you want to know if the PrEP pill is right for you, visit www.getPrEPLA.com/women. Plus, a full directory of PrEP providers is available at www.GetPrEPLA.com.

LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX!

Check out the “Sister Friends: Get PrEP’d,” video series, featuring Daytime Emmy winner Loni Love of “The Real.” Press Play!

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Religious Leaders Band Together for Auntie Maxine

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For Immediate Release

July 1, 2018

MEDIA RELEASE!

LOS ANGELES RELIGIOUS LEADERS BAND TOGETHER
TO SUPPORT CONGRESSWOMAN MAXINE WATERS
IN RESPONSE TO HARSH RHETORIC, DEATH THREATS

Pastors Release Statement, Press Conference Scheduled for Monday, July 2nd

LOS ANGELES – A coalition of religious leaders and black pastors in Los Angeles will hold a press conference at 3 p.m. on Monday, July 2, 2018 in front of the office of Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), located at 10124 South Broadway in Los Angeles. The coalition is being organized by Pastor Shane B. Scott, who is a senior pastor at the Macedonia Baptist Church.

At the press conference, the pastors will show support for Congresswoman Waters, who has received criticism from the White House as well as death threats for her call to publically confront White House staffers for the way the Trump Administration is treating and separating immigrant families.

The pastors feel the words and intensions of the congresswoman have been mischaracterized and taken out of context because she is a black woman who is passionately imploring people with a conscience to confront Trump supporters about the administration’s anti-immigrant agenda. The harsh rhetoric from the White House and the double standard of Congresswoman Waters are seen as racist, and a weapon of words used to energize Trump supporters for the mid-term elections.

“Auntie Maxine”


STATEMENT BY PASTOR SHANE B. SCOTT ON BEHALF OF RELIGIOUS LEADERS:

“As we prepare to celebrate the Fourth of July, our democracy is under attack and we’re on the verge of a constitutional crisis under the Trump Administration. This administration has created an atmosphere of divisiveness to satisfy the base, and not represent all people in the United States of America. Immigrant children have been separated from their families at the borders. Trump’s travel ban is rooted in anti-Muslim prejudices, which discriminates against religious freedoms and lawmakers ignore implementing reasonable gun laws to stop mass shootings in our most sacred public places. This is not who America is suppose to be. We are better than this. Congresswoman Maxine Waters is courageously raising her voice and leading the fight in the Democratic Party to maintain the moral fiber of this country. She is a true patriot, and she should be celebrated as such. She has been an exemplary public servant for all the people, and any attempts to disrespect, discredit or assassinate her character are unwelcomed and unwarranted.” – Pastor Shane B. Scott

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