about us
Values:
Black History: Past, Present, and Future - We make the world more aware of, more connected to, and more invested in the African American and the African diaspora experience by creating opportunities for everyone to experience our history through culture, scholarship, technology, and research.
Mission:
Our Authors Study Club is dedicated to igniting meaningful conversations around the African and African American experience, inspiring the creation of new books, films, artistic expressions, music, podcasts, blogs, and social interactions across diverse communities. We strive to celebrate and amplify our rich heritage and legacy, ensuring it is accurately represented in history, literature, and media. By partnering with libraries, museums, schools, and media outlets, we aim to promote inclusive storytelling and support scholarly study at the college level. Through these efforts, we foster the creation and dissemination of works that showcase the richness and vibrancy of our history and culture.
Vision:
Our Authors Study Club seeks to offer a fresh perspective on Black History, emphasizing that it is not merely a part of American history but an integral foundation of it. We are dedicated to recognizing, amplifying, and honoring the contributions of Black Americans, ensuring that their stories, struggles, and triumphs are celebrated and remembered. By preserving and sharing this rich history, we inspire future generations to appreciate the profound impact of Black History on shaping the fabric of our nation.
Our Name:
Established in 1945, Our Authors Study Club is dedicated to celebrating and studying African American authors and their contributions to literature and culture. This study club was founded to address the lack of representation and focus on Black content in mainstream educational and literary circles.
For African Americans, study clubs have historically served as crucial spaces for education, community organization, and empowerment. These clubs emerged as a response to systemic exclusion from mainstream educational institutions, providing a platform for intellectual growth, cultural preservation, and social activism.
A study club is a group that comes together regularly to discuss and collaborate on academic or literary subjects. The primary purposes are to enhance learning, improve study habits, encourage collaborative learning, prepare for exams, and provide motivation and support.
Thus, our name, Our Authors Study Club, reflects our commitment to highlighting African American authors and their works. We create a space for members to delve into Black works, whether it be literature, art, or film, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of African American culture and history.
Branding and Style Clarification for Media and Marketing:
Our name is written without an apostrophe as a deliberate stylistic choice. This reflects the organization’s mission to study and celebrate authors and their works, rather than implying ownership (e.g., "a club belonging to authors"). Omitting the apostrophe simplifies the name, enhances readability, and aligns with modern branding conventions, ensuring a clear and inclusive message that emphasizes purpose over possession.
oasc leadership
Dr. Lura Daniels-Ball, President
Dr. Ayesha K. Randall, Vice President
Dr. Ayesha K. Randall, Vice President
Lura Daniels-Ball has been an avid OASC supporter for more than 35 years, first as a corporate sponsor and chair of the city-wide Black History month events, later as a member and volunteer. Daniels-Ball spent many years on the West Coast as a corporate executive, mentoring women of color. An accomplished vocalist trained at UC Berkeley and USC, Daniels-Ball launched Lura’s Kitchen, a gourmet cookie mix company, luraskitchen.com.
Dr. Ayesha K. Randall, Vice President
Dr. Ayesha K. Randall, Vice President
Dr. Ayesha K. Randall, Vice President
Ayesha K. Randall is a community college educator and former dean of Academic Affairs in the Los Angeles Community College District. As past district coordinator for the African American Outreach Initiative, Randall strengthened community engagement and amplified Black culture, history, and leadership through innovative programs, such as a tailored OASC Black Heritage Tour, introduced to the district in 2014.
Terri Lyons, Secretary
Dr. Ayesha K. Randall, Vice President
Paqueta Davis, Treasurer
Terri Lyons is a seasoned professional with over 35 years of experience in human resources and more than a decade as an insurance agent with World Financial Group. A graduate of UC Berkeley, Terri holds a California insurance sales license and certifications in cultural diversity. With endorsements in areas such as team building, staff development and customer service, Terri creates impactful solutions for her teams.
Paqueta Davis, Treasurer
Ernestine J. Gordon, Historian
Paqueta Davis, Treasurer
Paqueta "Keta" Davis is a native of Los Angeles who has expressed her passion for helping young girls ages 12-18 through a ten-year investment of time and resources by working at the County of LA Probation Department's Deliann-Lucille Achievement Home Short Term Residential Therapeutic Program (STRTP), of which she is a Board Member. Paqueta enjoys traveling the world and listening to jazz music.
Ernestine J. Gordon, Historian
Ernestine J. Gordon, Historian
Ernestine J. Gordon, Historian
Ernestine J. Gordon graduated from Lincoln University with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. She joined Our Authors Study Club in 2003, and has held various elected offices. Ernestine retired from Kaiser Permanente Medical Center as an educator and is a former Executive Director of People Coordinated Services. She active in her church, Lewis Metropolitan CME, serving in local and regional positions.
Maude Johnson, Events
Ernestine J. Gordon, Historian
Ernestine J. Gordon, Historian
Maude Johnson is a vibrant and gregarious personality, fully committed to the goals of Our Authors Study Club and everything positive. A retired educator, Maude has been a member of OASC for nearly 25 years and leads the planning for the city-wide African American Heritage Month programming and OASC's signature Black History Tour of Los Angeles highlighting the rich cultural heritage and contributions of LA.
Theresa Curtis, Chaplain
Theresa Curtis, Chaplain
Theresa Curtis, Chaplain
Theresa Curtis, who has a sincere desire is to reflect the image of Christ in her daily walk. Theresa serves at her church in dual capacities as Superintendent of Sunday School and the Director of Christian Education. She is a hospice volunteer at Kaiser Permanent Medical Center, Downey, CA. Theresa retired from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services after 32 years of service.
Vassie D. Wright
Mrs. Vassie D. Wright
FOUNDER, OUR AUTHORS STUDY CLUB
LOS ANGELES BRANCH OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR THE
STUDY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN LIFE AND HISTORY, INC.
Mrs. Wright and a group of Terminal Annex Postal Employees founded Our Authors Study Club, Inc. on February 14, 1945, for the purpose of studying the biographies of African American authors, reading and reviewing their books, and learning the true history of African American people in the Diaspora. In June of 1945, Dr. Carter G. Woodson chartered the group to become members of his Association for the Study of African Life and History, Inc. Mrs. Wright also helped to establish lending libraries in the YMCA, YWCA, and at the Second Baptist Church’s Henderson Community Center. Other notable achievements included the first citywide celebration of Negro History Week in Los Angeles and initiating a Black History curriculum in the Los Angeles Unified School District Adult Schools.
Mrs. Wright was educated in the public schools of Denver, Colorado. She graduated from Western University in Kansas City, Kansas, and did her graduate work in Teaching at the University of Kansas. After moving to California, she attended the University of Southern California Extension and completed courses in Sociology and Business Administration. Mrs. Wright became well known for her abilities as an organizer, socialite, and civic worker.
Mrs. Wright was a real estate broker, community activist, a Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. member, and a very active member of Second Baptist Church. In addition, she was an organizing member of many community groups.
Mrs. Vassie D. Wright was born in Paola, Kansas on December 6, 1899, the daughter of Samuel Davis and Lula Ann (Pertilla) Davis. She died on March 20, 1983, in Los Angeles, California. On June 5, 1985, the Los Angeles Jefferson Branch Library was renamed the “Jefferson-Vassie D. Wright Memorial Library.” The library is located at 2211 West Jefferson Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, 90018.
Carter G. Woodson
Carter G Woodson
FATHER OF BLACK HISTORY
FOUNDER OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN
LIFE AND HISTORY, INC
Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson was born on December 19, 1875, in New Canton, Buckingham County, Virginia. His parents were former slaves Anne Eliza (Riddle) and James Henry Woodson. He died suddenly on April 3, 1950. He was the second African American to receive a Ph.D. degree from Harvard University (Dr. W.E.B. DuBois was the first). Dr. Woodson and four supporters organized the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History on Thursday, September 9, 1915, in the Wabash Avenue YMCA office located on the south side of Chicago, Illinois.
His dream for ASALH was to archive sociological and historical data, publish books, promote the study of African American life and history, and encourage racial harmony through the organization and the work of clubs and schools. In 1916, ASALH published the first issue of the Journal of Negro History, an highly respected and scholarly digest that was followed in 1937 by the Negro History Bulletin, a widely circulated historically-oriented magazine. In 1920, Dr. Woodson founded the Associated Publishers, the for-profit arm of the Association. Associated Publishers is responsible for the publication and circulation of ASALH’s renowned African American History Month Kits. Additionally, Associated Publishers sells books and other literature authored by Dr. Woodson and other prominent scholars in the field of African American history.
In February 1926, Dr. Woodson announced the institution of Negro History Week, which coincided with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. In 1976, the observance was expanded to “National African American History Month,” in honor of the nation’s bicentennial. Beginning in 1975, U.S. Presidents have paid tribute to the mission of the Association and urged all Americans to celebrate African American History Month. Since 1926, ASALH has established the national theme for the monthlong celebration of African American History Month. The Association maintains the Carter G. Woodson Home in Washington, D.C., where Woodson operated ASALH from 1923 until his death in 1950. The Woodson Home is a National Historic Landmark.The work of the organization has historically been to promote, research, preserve, interpret, and disseminate information about African American life, history, and culture to the global community. www.asalh.org