February Meeting Agenda

Place:   Alpert Jewish Community Center, Senior Room

              3801 E. Willow St
              Long Beach, CA  90815
              Click to see a map

Program:          Toxic Relationships

Speaker:           Ruth Beckford

Ruth Beckford is a woman of many talents. She is an actress, speaker, community volunteer, author, playwright, dancer and choreographer.  She currently acts in television and film, and works as a consultant for the Private Industry Council as a Life Skills Counselor for men and women in pre-apprentice nontraditional trades.  Ruth’s presentation will include discussion about emotional and physical battery, discussion about anger control, self-esteem and confidence tips, poetry, affirmations and even a quiz!

Ruth is the author of several books including: Still Groovin’: Affirmations for Women in the Second Half of Life; Katherine Dunham: A Biography; a cookbook, A Little of This and Some of That; and her autobiography, The Dance Lady.  Ruth also co-wrote a play with Ron Stacker Thompson, ‘Tis the Morning of My Life, which she produced and starred in.

Ruth has lived a life of firsts.  Some of these firsts include being: the first Black student at Florelle Batsford’s dance studio at age three; the first Black modern dance student at the University of California, Berkeley; the first Black member of the Orchesis Modern Dance Honor Society at U.C. Berkeley; the first Black member of the Anna Halprin/Welland Lathrop Dance Company; the founder of the first recreational modern dance department in the United States at the Oakland Parks and Recreation Department; the founder of the first African-Haitian dance schools in Oakland and San Francisco; charter member of the Isadora Duncan Dancers Hall of Fame, 1985; and the first president of the African American Museum Library Coalition.

We thank CATTA and CAPIT for supporting our Council by enabling us to bring Ruth from Oakland, California for this dynamic presentation—not to be missed!

Opinions expressed are those of the speaker and not necessarily those of the Council and its membership.
For more information, please log onto www.EndAbuseLB.org or contact Program Chair:
Maren Founds at (949) 433-3849 or email MarenFounds@yahoo.com