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“TRIBUTE TO THE WEST ANGELES COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORP. AND ITS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, LULA BAILEY BALLTON” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E158 on Jan. 23, 1995.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO THE WEST ANGELES COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORP. AND ITS
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, LULA BAILEY BALLTON
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HON. JULIAN C. DIXON
of california
in the house of representatives
Monday, January 23, 1995
Mr. DIXON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and salute the West Angeles Community Development Corp. [West Angeles CDC] and its executive director, Mrs. Lula Bailey Ballton. Under Mrs. Ballton's outstanding and innovative leadership, West Angeles CDC is working to empower residents of the Los Angeles community. Located in my congressional district, the West Angeles CDC was established for the purpose of promoting, developing, and fostering economic development, social justice, and community transformation opportunities in and around the Crenshaw community.
West Angeles CDC's approach to economic development is simple: to attain and maintain local control of capital and management of community assets. Progeny of the West Angeles Church of God in Christ and its spiritual leader--Bishop Charles E. Blake--West Angeles CDC understands that the key to an economically secure future rests in achieving economic parity. To help residents of the community accomplish this goal, West Angeles CDC forms new partnership arrangements with the private sector to create new jobs and stimulate economic activity in the community.
West Angeles CDC offers several important training initiatives to help the community prepare for the new jobs that come into the area as a result of the organization's outreach. Through its Adult Learning Center, classes are offered in computer applications, clerical training, English as a second language, and business skills critical to enhancing employment opportunities for residents. Nearly 100 trained tutors, operating under the auspices of the West Angeles Literacy Empowerment Team [WALET], work to improve the reading and comprehension skills of students.
West Angeles CDC's executive director, Mrs. Lula Bailey Ballton, has been instrumental in steering the organization toward its goals. Under her leadership, a program is being developed to rehabilitate low-
income, mixed-income, and affordable housing in communities surrounding the West Angeles Church. Future plans call for the development of a senior low-income housing project and providing comprehensive services such as housing rehabilitation mortgage counselling, and housing development.
Educator, businesswoman, and attorney, Lula Bailey Ballton brings a wealth of experience to her position. She has served on the faculties of several colleges and universities, including city colleges of Chicago, Los Angeles City College, and El Camino College. She also served as director of education for the Chicago Urban League, and founded the Whitney M. Young Scholarship and the Edwin Berry Loan Fund. In 1984, she founded SCHOOL SEARCH, Inc., a school finders service. She chairs the corporation's board of directors.
Mrs. Ballton received a juris doctorate in 1990 from the UCLA School of Law. She served as an attorney in the civil rights division of the California Department of Justice, and prior to joining West Angeles CDC, was with the law firm of Bryan, Cave, McPheeters, and McRoberts.
Residents in and around the Crenshaw community are indeed fortunate to have an individual of Mrs. Ballton's statute at the helm of West Angeles CDC. Her skills are formidable and will be a tremendous asset to the organization as it moves to launch several other programs, all designed to bring self-sufficiency and economic parity to the community.
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to have this opportunity to salute the fine work being done by the West Angeles Community Development Corp. and Mrs. Lula Bailey Ballton. I ask my colleagues to join me in extending to them best wishes for continued success as they persevere to fulfill a commitment to community empowerment.
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