Ebony on the scene

IN CASTELNAUD-LA CHAPELLE, FRANCE (above), a statue of Josephine Baker was unveiled in honor of her devotion to children. The ceremony, held near Baker's former chateau, Les Milandes, was attended by Akio Bouillin (c.), Baker's oldest son, and Sonia Rolland, a former Miss France, who will play the role of Baker during a French film production.

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IN NEW YORK CITY, NBA legends (I. to r.) Julius Erving, Clyde Drexler, Dave Bing, Jamal Mashburn and Dominique Wilkins join Brent Rasmussen, COO of CareerBuilder.com, to announce a new "Legends in Business" team, a partnership that will promote diversity recruitment among employees and career development among young people. The group hopes to highlight the importance that diversity hiring practices play in the workplace.

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IN MARINA DEL REY, CALIF., Academy Award and Emmy Award-winner Louis Gossett Jr. is joined by actor Garrett Morris and other friends and relatives at Gossett's 70th birthday pare/celebration, which was held at Aunt Kizzy's Back Porch restaurant.

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IN ATLANTA, rapper and actor Ludacris is joined by actress Gabrielle Union and L.A. Reid, chairman of Island Def Jam Music Group, at the third annual benefit dinner for the Ludacris Foundation. The foundation supports organizations that work to help youth. IN LOS ANGELES (right), Debbie Allen (with California first lady Maria Shriver) receives a proclamation from Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa at the "Dancing in the Streets" art festival.

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IN LABADEE, HAITI (left), radio personality Tom Joyner gets drenched during a water gun fight with vacationers who joined hito on his annual Fantastic Voyage[R] cruise on Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas. The cruise, also known as "the ultimate party with a purpose," raises money for the Tom Joyner Foundation, which provides scholarships to help keep students in historically Black colleges and universities.

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IN BEVERLY HILLS, Rachel Robinson, founder of the Jackie Robinson Foundation, is joined by actress Jasmine Guy at the foundation's "Celebrating Excellence Gala" which honored legendary Dodgers pitcher Don Newcombe and Suzanne de Passe, chair and CEO of de Passe Entertainment Group. At right, also in Beverly Hills at the ASCAP Pop Awards, Ciara was one of the recipients.

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IN LOS ANGELES (below), honorees at the Torch Awards Gala included (I. to r.) Nancy Wilson, Dr. LaDoris McClaney and Yvonne B. Burke, supervisor of L.A.'s second supervisorial district.

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IN NEW YORK (below, right), Little Richard, "the architect of Rock & Roll," performs at the internationally famous Apollo Theater.

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COPYRIGHT 2006 Johnson Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning