OPINION&LETTERS
Page A4 • March 15, 2018 • Inland Empire Community Newspapers
Views expressed in Opinion & Letter s do not necessarily r ef lect the views of IECN
COMMUNITY COMMENTARY
You can email letters to editor@iecn.com. Please include your name and city of residence. Anonymous letters will not be printed.
Fifty years later, IECN continues to be ‘Una ventana para la comunidad’
I
Anthony Victoria
t was fifty years ago that our newspaper was birthed through the vision of providing underserved and underrepresented communities local news that related best to them. The Civil Rights Movement was at its climax in 1968. People of color all over the U.S. were fighting for inclusion in education and the workforce. In San Bernardino, where public schools and places were segregated well into the 1970s, a push for social change was demanded and took place through the leadership of stalwarts like Frances Grice and Graciano Gomez. And in the thick of that fight for social justice were the reporters of a small ethnic media publication that prided itself on providing a voice for the voiceless. Teachers, activists, and other professionals volunteered their time as editors, photographers, and reporters to bring to life the experiences of Chicanos. The El Chicano Weekly, founded by sisters Gloria Macias Harrison and Marta Macias, helped bring the news of huelgas, political victories, and community accomplishments to hundreds across the region.
It was truly “Una ventana para la comunidad”--a window open for the community to share its most precious and trying moments. So fifty years gone, where do we stand? Where do we go from here? In some ways, we’re right back where we began. Like in the 1960s, our country’s most marginalized residents again face discrimination from the highest echelons of the political order. The rise of digital media and shrinking newsrooms has made it extremely challenging for small news publications to compete with news corporations. But like in the past, the Inland Empire Community News group, which consists of the El Chicano, Colton Courier, and Rialto Record Weekly publications, has learned to adapt to the challenges of time. Shrunken newsrooms dwindled the size of our staff. We’ve dealt with that issue through adopting new professional skills and business practices to better inform our followers. Learning to produce video and audio content, while more tedious than a newsprint story, has only served to strengthen our storytelling. And we’re working on increasing our subscriptions by encouraging more engagement and participation from people on social media. We encourage residents to submit press releases and photos of events they want to promote. The challenge moving forward will be staying relevant in a corporate-dominated media market. Your stories of perseverance, hardship, determination, success, and pride will continue to stand out from trite traditional narratives. While we face many challenges, I’m confident that with your help we can spend another fifty years being that “ventana” for the Inland Empire.
New Medicare cards coming!
By Greg Dill
Starting in April 2018, Medicare will mail new Medicare cards to all people with Medicare, to help protect you from identity fraud.
Fraudsters are always looking for ways to get your Social Security number, so we’re removing those numbers from Medicare cards to make them safer. Your new card will have a new Medicare number that’s unique to you. The new card will help protect your identity and keep your personal information more secure. You can start using your new card as soon as you get it. Your Medicare coverage and benefits won’t change at all.
Medicare will automatically mail your new card -- at no cost -- to the address you have on file with Social Security. So make sure your mailing address is up to date. If your address needs to be corrected, contact Social Security at ssa.gov/myaccount or 1-800772-1213. TTY users can call 1800-325-0778.
If Social Security has your current mailing address, there’s nothing else you need to do to receive your new card.
Mailing everyone a new card will take time. Your card might arrive at a different time than your friend’s or neighbor’s.
IECNInland Empire Community Newspapers (909) 381-9898 • FAX 384-0406
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 110, Colton, CA 92324 • Office Location: 1809 Commercenter West, San Ber nardino, CA 92408 Letter s ar e printed in the order t hey ar e r eceived a nd a re subject t o editi ng for cl arit y. Deadline is Tuesda ys a t noon. Reader s m ay also submit their per spect ives onl ine at iecn1@m ac. com • For adver tisi ng inquiries ema il sal es@iecn.com
Publisher
Gloria Macías Harrison
Co lton Courier Established 187 6.
El Chicano Established 1969.
Published weekly on Thursday. Adjudicated as a newspaper of general Maryjoy Duncan circulation by the Superior Court of San Managing Editor Published weekly on Thursday. Community News Editor Anthony Victoria Bernardino County, State of California, Adjudicated as a newspaper of case #73036 and therefore qualified to general circulation by the Superior Advertising/Classified Sales Bruce Martinez publish legal notices. Court of San Bernardino County, Legal Advertising State of California, case #154019 Denise Berver & Receptionist RIALTO REC ORD Co-Publisher
Bill Harrison
Fictitious Business Name Denise Berver & Accounting Graphic Artist/Web Mgr. Circulation
Michael Segura
BDM Interprises
Established 1910.
Published weekly on Thursday. Adjudicated as a newspaper of general circulation by the Superior Court of San Bernardino County, State of California, case #26583 and therefore qualified to publish legal notices.
and therefore qualified to publish legal notices. C IR CU L A TI O N V E R I FI C AT I ON
OF CA LIFORNIA
I nl and Em pire Com munity Newspaper s Colton Courier • RIALTO RECORD El Chicano
We are award-winning newspapers, having been so recognized by the Inland Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists In addition to mail subscriptions a combined total of 20,000 copies are distributed to approximately 400 locations in Redlands, Mentone, Highland, San Bernardino, Colton, Rialto, Bloomington, Grand Terrace Loma Linda, Moreno Valley, Riverside
Once you get your new Medicare card, take these three steps to make it harder for someone to steal your information and identity: 1. Destroy your old Medicare card right away. 2. Doctors, other health care providers, and health plans approved by Medicare know Medicare is replacing the old cards. They are ready to accept your new card when you need care. 3. Beware of anyone who contacts you and asks for your new Medicare number, personal information, or to pay a fee for your new card. There are no charges whatsoever for the new cards.
Guard your card. Treat your new Medicare number like you treat your Social Security or credit card numbers. Only give your new Medicare number to doctors, pharmacists, insurers, or other people you trust to work with Medicare on your behalf. Medicare will never call you uninvited and ask you to give us personal or private information to get your new Medicare card.
Scam artists may try to get personal information (like your current Medicare number) by contacting you about your new card. If someone asks you for your information, or for money, or threatens to cancel your health benefits if you don’t share your personal information, hang up and call us at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
Your new Medicare card will be paper. Paper cards are easier for many providers to use and copy, and they save taxpayers a lot of money. Plus, you can print your own replacement card if you need one.
Carry your new card and show it to your health care providers. Doctors, other providers, and health care facilities will ask for your new Medicare card when you need care.
If you forget your new card, you, your doctor, or other health care provider may be able to look up your new Medicare number online.
If you’re in a Medicare Advantage plan (like an HMO or PPO), your Medicare Advantage plan ID card is your main card for Medicare – you should still keep and use it whenever you need care. However, you also may be asked to show your new Medicare card, so you should carry this card with you, too.
If you don’t get your new Medicare card by April 2019, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800633-4227). TTY users can call 1877-486-2048.
Greg Dill is Medicare’s regional administrator for Arizona, California, Nevada, Hawaii, and the Pacific Territories. You can always get answers to your Medicare questions by calling 1800-MEDICARE (1-800-6334227).
E-mail us your opinions, photos, announcements to iecn1@mac.com. Letters limited to 500 words