Oakland County MI, Chapter of The Links, Incorporated

I am hoping that Juneteenth will not just be about festivals but that it will be about uplifting each other.”
— Opal Lee, The Grandmother of Juneteenth

Through our commitment to service and uplifting communities, we stand in solidarity by celebrating Juneteenth and continuing the fight for a more equitable future for all.

Get a second chance to attend the Black Family Wellness Family Expo tomorrow at Welcome Missionary Baptist Church between 11 am and 1 pm. Don't miss out on screenings, presentations, raffles, and snacks!

Don't miss out on our Black K.A.R.E. Program on March 19th at 11AM! Our very own Link member and expert nephrologist, Dr. Crystal Martin, will be sharing valuable insights on chronic kidney disease prevention.

Purple power (with the touch of green) as we celebrate Women’s History Month. Applauding dynamic women everywhere! 💜💚

Michigan residents: It’s time to “Link up the Vote” and participate in the Michigan Presidential Primary. You can participate in early voting now. 👍🏽🗳️🇺🇸

Early in person voting Elections administration, including the Election Inspector's Guide; absentee voting; and the Michigan Qualified Voter File.

It was a Links meeting full of love as we donned a touch of red and learned about women’s heart health for February - American Heart Month.

We are excited for the mission trip and the members of the Oakland County (MI) Chapter participating this year.

We applaud the recognition our sponsored school, St. Mary’s Preparatory, is receiving.

Merry Christmas! May your day be jolly and bright celebrating with family.

Merry Christmas from The Links, Incorporated!

We did it again. We out did ourselves during the “Mark the Moment: 40 Magical Years” - 40th Annual Gift Giving Luncheon on Saturday, December 2, 2023.

The room was gorgeous in green and silver with splashes of red representing the Ruby for 40 Years. The sounds of Kym Brady, The Urban Violinist, and Randy Scott, Saxophonist and Sony Recording Artistist, filled the air. The smiles, laughter, hugs and the sheer joy exuded when a raffle number was called for a fabulous gift, we knew the day was a success!

Thank you to the Luncheon Planning Committee, the Sponsors, Donors, every guest, and Links Incorporated member that made it a success.

Thank you to the Catering and Event staff of St. John Armenian Church for the excellent service.

Link Trudy Gallant-Stokes joins husband Chuck Stokes as he is honored by the Detroit Chapter of the National Association of Black Journalist for his stellar work as WXYZ's Editorial Affairs Director.

Detroit NABJ honors WXYZ Editorial Affairs Director Chuck Stokes The Detroit chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists honored WXYZ Editorial and Public Affairs Director Chuck Stokes on Sunday with a roast.

Link Alicia Nails directs a Wayne State program geared toward empowering students to take their place in newsrooms and in the media. She promoted the program on CBS Detroit.

Journalism Institute for Media Diversity at Wayne State University There's an honor program at Wayne State University aimed at bringing the media industry the next round of well-trained professionals. The program's director, Alicia Nails, joins CBS News Detroit to share details about The Institute.

We started the season with a magnificent screening of a HBO Original Documentary DONYALE LUNA: SUPERMODEL. The documentary is directed by Nailah Jefferson, sister of Jelani Jefferson Exum, Oakland County (MI) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated member.

Donyale Luna is the first Black supermodel and the first woman of color to have her image on the cover of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar in the ‘60s. She is a Detroit native but her story was lost to history until now.

The screening was attended by members of Donyale Luna’s family. They joined for the Q&A with Director Nailah.

The documentary premiers tonight at 9PM on HBO.

See our prior posting with interviews with the director on Fox 2 News.

HBO Documentary DONYALE LUNA Supermodel Pre-screening of the HBO Documentary DONYALE LUNA Supermodel explores the amazing life and career of native Detroiter Donyale Luna, as one of the first black models to appear on the cover of Vogue and Harper's Bazaar in Europe. The movie launches globally September 13, 2023.

FOX 2's Lee Thomas TV interviewed Nailah Jefferson, the director of the HBO documentary on Detroit's Warhol-era supermodel Donyale Luna. OCC Links hosted a pre-screening of this amazing film by the sister of our member, Jelani Jefferson Exum
https://www.fox2detroit.com/video/1278344

We have added another page to the history book of the Oakland County (MI) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, with the induction of six new Link sisters, on June 17th.

Dr. Crystal Gardner-Martin
Ms. Monica Rich-McLaurin
Mrs. Linda Jones
Mrs. Kimberley Will
Mrs. Donetta Houser-Sly
Mrs. Jackie Davis-Betserai

Join us in celebrating and welcoming these wonderfully accomplished women into our circle of friendship!

The Charles H. Wright Museum would like to express its sadness upon hearing of the passing of The Honorable Rev. JoAnn Watson. Mama JoAnn or Mother JoAnn, as she was fondly known in the Detroit community, served as a Detroit City Council Member and was the first woman to serve as Executive Director of the Detroit NAACP.

The Honorable Rev. JoAnn Watson dedicated her life to fighting for justice for African Americans in Detroit, America, and worldwide. Her leadership, and dedication, has inspired countless activists to rise up and join the fight.

We extend our deepest condolences to Mama/Mother JoAnn’s family, friends, congregation, and community.

Please plan to attend the LINKS-STEMREADY WildSTEM Webinar tonight, April 25th at 8:30 PM EST.

The webinar will be hosted via Zoom and all Links members are encouraged to register to attend. The registration link is below.

https://linksinc-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ZDy0XLsDQ1ubc5kBxp4iTw #/registration

The webinar will also be made available to the public via the Links, Incorporated page.

https://www.facebook.com/thelinksinc

Please share this information with your family members and friends!

On April 22, 1970, over 150 countries, including 20 million Americans (10% of the then-U.S. population), took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate a healthy, sustainable environment in massive coast-to-coast rallies. Earth Day 1970 achieved a rare alignment, enlisting support across political parties, multiple generations, and ethnicities, which included civil rights leaders, college students, and anti-poverty and anti-war supporters. Since then, we have moved the needle in saving “Mother Earth,” but there is more work to do, particularly in the stewardship and environmental education arena. In celebration of the 53rd Anniversary of Earth Day, this webinar will offer tips from some of our WildSTEM pioneers and champions on ways to stop the impacts of climate change on our environment and health and in so doing, inspire the next generation of environmental stewards.

Our scholarships are available to graduating high school seniors and to past awardees who are currently enrolled in a two or four-year academic program, or in a certificate program.

Scholarships range from $500 to $2000 and may cover books, tuition and/or stipends. Preference will be given to students majoring in a science, technology, engineering, art or math STEAM program.

TO QUALIFY:
· Applicant is either a graduating high school senior, or a past recipient of our scholarship who graduated from the Pontiac or Southfield school system within the last 48 months.
· Applicant is enrolled in a two or four-year college or university program, or in a certificate program for skilled trades, healthcare or technology, beginning no later than fall 2022.
· Applicant demonstrates financial need.

TO APPLY:
Applicants must complete the online application located on our website, www.oaklandcountylinks.org. The application period begins March 1 and ends on March 27th. Scholarship recipients will be announced on April 27.

Please use the attached links to access our formal letter that explains the scholarship opportunity in more detail as well as a flyer that can be shared with others. If you have questions please feel free to reach out to Link Alison or to me.

Website: https://oaklandcountylinks.org/2023-scholarships/

oaklandcountylinks.org

Friends,

Habari Gani?

We continue our Kwanzaa celebration today by honoring its second principle. Kujichagulia (self-determination) declares our ability to shape our lives and destiny.

December 2022 proved to be a busy return to in person events.

Thanks to everyone that either joined us or contributed to “Celebrating The Light We Shine” Gift Giving Luncheon on December 3rd. It was a wonderful start to the holiday season with friends and good cheer.

On December 15th, we shared the holiday spirit with the students at Pontiac Middle School during the Festival of Giving. Treats, gifts, and fun for all!

We are looking forward to 2023!

Habari Gani?

We wish you a season surrounded by the laughter of good friends and loving family. May it fill your heart and provide you with comfort.

From The Oakland County (MI) Chapter of The Links, Incorprated

May the warmth of friendship melt the cold of the season.
May the spirit of giving rest upon your heart.
May the blessing of family comfort your soul.
And may the peace and happiness of the holiday season remain with you throughout the new year.
Merry Christmas!
From The Links, Incorporated and The Links Foundation, Incorporated.

Today, we celebrate Founders Day. 76 Years of Friendship and Service.

Happy Founders Day!

In 1946, Co-Founders Margaret Rosell Hawkins and Sarah Strickland Scott invited seven of their friends to form the Philadelphia Club. The aim: “to do some good to help less fortunate citizens, raise the cultural level of our race, and to enjoy the social company of our friends,” Hawkins said.

As we enter our 76th year, The Links, Incorporated is a philanthropic force 17,000 strong with members and outreach all over the world. We are an organization that is committed to protecting and exercising the right to vote, reducing health disparities, increasing the number of African American college students and we have awarded more than $27 million to partners who work in tandem with us to address community concerns.

From 1946 to now, we are never far from where we started—friends transforming communities through service.

Make sure you exercise your right to vote on November 8th.

The Leadership Experience has selected Oakland County Link Chanel as a speaker in their upcoming event being held in June at the MSU Center in Troy.

Congratulations!

The topic is
Are You Living In Your Full Potential? How Unresolved Trauma Affects Everything, Especially in Finding Love!

CLICK HERE FOR FOR REGISTRATION AND INFORMATION: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/leadership-experience-tour-pm-michigan-state-university-education-center-tickets-296308234907?aff=ChanelDeGuzman

We are excited to congratulate Ketanji Brown Jackson on this historic day.

When it is your time nothing can dim your light!

Ketanji Brown Jackson has been confirmed as the US Supreme Court’s first Black female justice after a historic Senate vote.