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“Council Approves Emergency Ordinance” See Page 3
July 30 to August 5, 2020 VOL. 35, No. 31
Hey Zuckerberg, We’re Still Dying
at the Hands of Facebook’s White Supremacy Problem
By Brenda Victoria Castillio, President & CEO of National Hispanic Media Coalition
From the moment Trump disgustingly labeled Mexicans as criminals and rapists in 2016, our Latinx community has fallen further into the shadows as conservatives are emboldened to act in hate. In recent years, hate crimes against the Latinx community have been on the rise. In fact, according to the FBI,
hate crimes targeting Latinx victims increased 41 percent between 2016 and 2019, with a steady increase for the last three consecutive years. There is a very real correlation between hate rhetoric and hate crimes. Janice Iwama, researcher and professor at American University, found a distinct correlation between the rise in antiimmigrant, anti-Latinx rhetoric and legislation and the rise in hate crimes
The California Endowment Pledges 10-Year Support
For Black-Led Organizing & Activism
IT News Wire
LOS ANGELES - The California Endowment Board of Directors today announced it has approved a 10-year, $225 million pledge of funding support for Black-led organizing, activism, and advocacy in California. “The disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on the African-American community, in combination with recent tragic events of racial injustice, remind us that we must push further and harder to achieve meaningful systemic and structural change to advance racial equity,” said Board Chair Dr. Shawn Ginwright, professor of Africana Studies at San Francisco State University. The identified funding is long-
term commitment by The California Endowment to build and strengthen Black-Led organizations and organizing throughout the State of California. While there will be an immediate infusion of one-time funding support, The Endowment has pledged a decadelong commitment of support to help sustain funding for organizations who are working to reimagine systems built on structural inequality and racism. “We are aware that structural racism in America constitutes a public health crisis,” said Board Vice-Chair Bishop Minerva Carcaño of the United Methodist Church. “Above all, we know that reaching health and wellness in the African-American community Continued on page 8
against Latinx in Los Angeles in recent years. It’s no secret that anti-Latinx and anti-immigrant rhetoric thrives in social media. Hate, White Supremacy, and anti-Latinx messages, graphics, and ads continue to flourish on Facebook. Facebook has done very little to address organized hate that targets, harasses, dehumanizes, and attacks Latinx on their platform.
But this is not just about online hate; our lives are at stake. Facebook has a real problem with defining hate, identifying hate, and acting to address hate on the social media platform. Armed protests in front of mosques or to counter stay-at-home orders often use Facebook to organize and spread awareness of their campaigns. Continued on page 2
NNPA boost Magic Johnson
efforts fund $100 million IT News Wire
(Washington, DC) — Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) announced that he and the NNPA have agreed to assist the efforts of Earvin “Magic” Johnson, majority owner of EquiTrust, the nation’s largest minority-owned insurance company, and MBE Capital Partners (MBECP), the largest certified minority-owned asset-based lender to fund over $100 million in PPP loans. EquiTrust, MBECP and the NNPA together are focused on informing
Buppie is Back! See Page 6
and encouraging minority and women owned businesses throughout the United States to take advantage of the current PPP loan opportunities for businesses in underserved communities. Dr. Chavis emphasized, “I have the highest regard and respect for the entrepreneurial leadership and courage of Earvin Magic Johnson. The NNPA, therefore, is enthusiastic and pleased to assist Johnson’s EquiTrust and with MBE Capital to enhance the economic recovery of African American and other minority owned businesses amidst Continued on page 8
JOIN US ON
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July 30 to August 5, 2020
Candidates Are Needed For Three Seats on the IUSD Board ID=1710777 Or go to the Inglewood Trustee No. 5 D’Artagnan Scorza. Unified School District Website https:// They are running for a full term of 4 The Inglewood Unified School www.inglewoodusd.com/ and click on years. Trustee Area No 3 is expected to District needs candidates to fill 3 seats on the School Board up for election on November 3. The seats up for election are: School Board Trustee No. 3 Remainder of the unexpired term - 2022 School Board Trustee No. 4 Full term of 4 years School Board Trustee No. 5 Full term of 4 years The nomination period for a School Board seat started on July 13, 2020, and will close Friday, August 7, 2020. Candidates must obtain 40 signatures from registered voters living in the trustee area to qualify to be on the ballot. In August 2018 the school district switched from at-large district wide elections for seats on the Inglewood Board of Education to 5 defined trustee areas similar to city council seats. This Board then Trustee Area. be an open seat and its term will expire will be the first election held according To find your Trustee Area if you can’t in 2 years because the person elected to to School Board Trustee Area. Because tell from the school district map go to it resigned. the City of Inglewood has 4 city council https://lavote.net/apps/precinctsmaps. The Inglewood School District areas and the school district has 5 Click on “district and precinct map has been in state receivership since Trustee Areas the numbers don’t match, lookup by district” then “click on 2012. Under state receivership the so to avoid confusion you will have to district map by address” then fill in school board acts as an advisor to an look at the school district Trustee Area home number and street then click on appointed State/County Administrator. Map to determine your trustee area. the address. You will then see what While the County Administrator This is the link to see where school district you live in. assumes all the legal rights, duties, each Trustee Area is located. Current School Board members and powers of the governing board https://www.inglewoodusd.com/ expected to run for re-election are and acts as both the governing board apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ Trustee No 4 Margaret Evans and and superintendent, each School Board ID=1471610&type=d&pREC_
member has the important job of representing the interests of students, parents and community members in
for the month of July. Led by the National Hispanic Media Coalition, Anti-Defamation League, NAACP, LULAC, Common Sense, Color of Change, Free Press, Sleeping Giants, and Mozilla, Stop Hate For Profit has seen little movement from Facebook, despite meeting with Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg at the beginning of July. Facebook’s long pattern of complacency amid racial injustices is what birthed the Stop Hate For Profit campaign in the first place. Civil rights organizations leading the cause decided to band together after the social media platform repeatedly made empty promises and gaslit requests for increased enforcement against white supremacists, politicians, and other bad actors who spread dehumanizing and false information. In the midst of organizations pushing for change, Facebook’s final civil rights audit report was released in July of 2020. While we hoped that Facebook would take the auditor’s recommendations and make this platform safe for all communities, we, again, found ourselves discomposed and at our wits’ end. Facebook’s ability to hide behind supposed “policy changes” that only put a bandaid over the issue is unacceptable. Namely, Facebook’s “Dangerous Individuals and Organizations” policy is widely criticized by the civil rights community, who continue to take issue with the fact that the policy doesn’t ban some white supremacist and hate organizations (over 100 hate
organizations identified by Southern Poverty Law Center remain on the platform), and that Facebook doesn’t consistently enforce the policy altogether. Conservative politicians, unable to acknowledge their own role in the dissemination of white supremacy, cry out that Facebook and other social media platforms have a bias against conservatives. Not only is that claim flat out false; it completely misses the point. We are not talking about free speech in the public square, we are talking about the monetization and organized targeting of hate content. To undermine the civil rights community’s concerns about content moderation and the proliferation of hate online, demeans the simple demand that we seek: to continue to live safe and free from monetized, targeted hate. Today, Mark Zuckerberg is sitting before Congress, again, reciting polished talking points designed to uplift Facebook’s minimal efforts to protect our communities from hate and downplay the fact that we are simply not guaranteed the same safety on Facebook as our white counterparts are. Zuckerberg may be able to convince some of us that he has no interest in being “the arbiter of the truth,” but we know the real facts; he will continue to be the arbiter of the convenient truth so long as it
IT News Wire
Continued from page 1: Hey Zuckerberg...
PRESIDENT/ EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER Willie Brown PUBLISHER Kenneth Miller VICE PRESIDENT Gloria Kennedy PRODUCTION Kenneth Denson QUALITY CONTROL MANAGER Gloria Kennedy Inglewood Today Weekly is a legally adjudicated newspaper of public circ ulation, published weekly by Ads Up Advertising, Inc. News and press releases may be submitted for consideration by mail to 9111 La Cienega Boulevard, Suite 100, Inglewood, CA 90301 or by email to itnetworks@msn.com.
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Facebook, in response, typically takes days if not weeks to take down hateful content. Domestic terrorism, like white supremacy, is thriving and spreading on platforms like Facebook. This was clearly demonstrated in El Paso, Texas in August 2019, where a white nationalist shooter murdered 23 shoppers and injured 22 others after disseminating his manifesto online, calling for an end to a “Latino invasion” ahead of his trek across Texas to murder Mexicans. Where did this hate and rhetoric come from? Perhaps from one of the 2,200 ads the Trump Administration ran on Facebook referring to Latinx immigrants as “an invasion.” Unfortunately the tragedy in Texas was not an isolated incident; the Gilroy, California shooter posted to instagram praising a white supremacist manifesto the same day he opened fire on the Garlic Festival crowd. Dozens of Latinx have been murdered at the hands of white supremacists who use Facebook to build power. Facebook is providing a pay-to-play platform for white supremacists to consume, spread, and organize hate and dehumanizing messages about Latinx. It wasn’t until recently that Facebook even came to the table to engage about its practice of profiting off of hatefilled advertising – largely as a result of more than a thousand advertisers joining the Stop Hate For Profit campaign to boycott the platform
one of five Trustee Areas. They have a platform to make sure that the County Administrator is making necessary progress toward fiscal and operational recovery so that Inglewood schools can be returned to Local Control. Nominating papers for one of the three seats up for election are available at the Inglewood City Clerk’s Office, 310-412-5280, between 9:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Making an appointment is recommended.
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July 30 to August 5, 2020
EYE ON THE CITY GEORGE DOTSON
ALEX PADILLA
JAMES BUTTS
ELOY MORALES
RALPH FRANKLIN
AROUND THE CITY
City Council Approves Emergency Ordinance Authorizing Outdoor Restaurant Dining
By Francis Taylor, Senior Correspondent
Before the public comments were heard at this week’s city council meeting, the council approved Mayor Butts’ emergency ordinance allowing Inglewood Restaurants to establish outdoor dining areas that comply with COVID-19 guidelines. A number of public hearings were conducted to consider an ordinance amending Inglewood Municipal Code Chapters 8 and 12, including
Zoning Code Amendment 2018-01 (ZCZ2018-01) to establish short term rental regulations and short term renal fees; to consider assessment levies for the Morningside Park Maintenance Assessment District No. 1974-2; to consider assessment levies for the InTown Maintenance Assessment District No. 1975-1; to consider assessment levies for the Inglewood Street Lighting Assessment District No. 1980-1; and to consider assessment levies for the Darby-Dixon Maintenance Assessment
District No. 1987-1. These matters were approved by the city council. The council approved two purchase orders for various computer maintenance, supplies, software and hardware and a one-year (with the option to extend three (3) additional one-year periods, and six (6) month-to-month extensions) cooperative agreement (piggy-back) with Ocean Blue Environmental Services, Incorporated (Ocean Blue), for on-call and scheduled City-wide hazardous waste removal services. The council approved a three-year professional services agreement with A+ Traffic Management, Inc., for Traffic Management and Control Services. The council approved Amendment No. 3 to Agreement No. 18-134 to reflect the addition of the contractor’s legal business name as California Recycle Team, Incorporated, doing business as (dba) Electronic Waste Solutions (EWS). The council approved Amendment No. 1 to Agreement No. 19-224 with UrbanTrans Consultants, Inc., extending the term of the agreement by one year to aid with development, operation and management of the Transportation Demand Management Pilot Program. (LAMP Funds) The council approved Amendment No. 2 to Agreement No. 20-020 with Kane, Ballmer & Berkman (“Special Counsel”) to provide legal services to the City, Successor Agency, Housing Authority and Parking Authority.
The council adopted four (4) ordinances (introduced at the public hearing held on July 21, 2020) associated with the Inglewood Basketball and Entertainment Center (IBEC) Project, that includes an arena intended to promote the enjoyment and recreation of the public by providing access to the City’s residents in the form of spectator sports, specifically basketball, with up to 18,000 fixed seats to host National Basketball Association games, and with up to 500 additional temporary seats for other events such as family shows, concerts, corporate and community events, and other sporting events; an up to 85,000-square foot team practice and athletic training facility; up to 71,000 square feet of LA Clippers office space; an up to 25,000-square foot sports medicine clinic; up to 63,000 square feet of ancillary and related arena uses including retail and dining; an outdoor plaza adjacent to the arena; parking facilities; relocation of a City of Inglewood groundwater well; and various circulation, infrastructure and other ancillary uses (the Project). The Project will also include a limitedservice hotel. Before adjourning the meeting Mayor Butts thanked members of the city council for their dedicated work on behalf of the Inglewood residents and business owners during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Opinion – Note to Congress: Voting to Strengthen AmeriCorps Means Jobs, Opportunity for Our Children By Kellee Kemp, Special to Inglewood Today
With many California schools remaining closed this fall for in-person instruction and unemployment only getting worse, expanding tried and true programs that help bridge the learning gap and support workforce development will be critical to our response to the pandemic. Right now, members of Congress have an opportunity to do that and invest in our communities by passing the Cultivating Opportunity and Response to the Pandemic through Service Act (CORPS Act). The CORPs Act would expand important national service programs that serve communities and offer young people important professional development. Take for example AmeriCorps. AmeriCorps is a network of national service programs that address critical community needs, including increasing academic achievement, mentoring youth, fighting poverty and sustaining Continued on page 7
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July 30 to August 5, 2020
Area Communities S e r v i n g L a d e r a , H a w t h o r n e , W e s t c h e s t e r, L a w n d a l e , G a r d e n a , C a r s o n
Assembly member Rendon Host SELA Arts Festival local culture and each other,” Assembly member Anthony Rendon. In 2019, nearly 10,000 people from across the LA area attended the SELA Arts Festival to celebrate local art, culture, and the river that connects us all. This year, we’re connecting virtually to present some of the best that SELA has to offer. This community showcase will highlight the stories and experiences of people in Southeast LA. With exhibitions and interactive activities, the SELA Arts Festival is an event for the whole family. Join us for the 3rd Annual SELA Arts Festival. 3rd Annual SELA Arts Festival Saturday, August 1, 2020 4-8pm
IT News Wire
South Gate— Assembly member Anthony Rendon is excited to invite you the 3rd Annual SELA Arts Festival on August 1st from 4-8pm. This year, we’re hosting the same festival in a virtual venue. Local artists are bringing the fun and creativity from past festivals to your home through social media platforms. The Festival features online performances from musicians, DJs, poets and dancers, including Mother Rose and the Latinas Art Foundation. Viewers can also support local businesses by shopping with our vendors and view amazing artwork in our virtual gallery. “Art has always been a way of expressing what is going on in people’s lives, whether that is love or hard times. Despite the new coronavirus, it’s important that we don’t abandon the SELA Arts Festival and the opportunity it provides for people to connect with our
Advocates Connect Black Justice, Health and Money to Environmental Concerns Quinci LeGardye | California Black Media
The Healthy Air Alliance, a California-based organization committed to reducing environmental pollution, and the Rev. Dr. William D. Smart Jr., president and CEO of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Southern California, co-hosted a panel discussion on environmental justice July 23. Jamarah Hayner, president of the Healthy Air Alliance, moderated the Zoom event, bringing faith, social services, civil rights and policy leaders together to discuss solutions to health and environmental inequities in California. Smart opened the discussion by highlighting the connection between the COVID-19 pandemic and environmental concerns already impacting Black communities. “This discussion is important because, right now, we look at the risks of COVID-19 and see how the lungs of Black and Brown people are already infected with pollution,” Smart began. “Now there’s a contamination that is furthering it.” African Americans and other minorities living in the 10 most-
polluted zip codes in California are up to six times more likely to be exposed to harmful agents in the air than Whites, according to the American Public Health Association. Results from another study released by the Union of Concerned Scientists revealed that Blacks and Latinos are exposed to about 40 percent more particulate matter from cars, trucks and buses than white Californians. “We have to do something right now to create a better environment for Black and Brown people in Los Angeles so that they can breathe better,” Smart continued. “And so, this is a start. It’s about how we can work together and come up with the resources and the programs that can better fix our communities.” Kip Lipper, Chief Policy Advisor for Energy and Environment for the California Senate Pro Tempore Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) spoke on how communities of color tend to be left out of large-scale environmental policies in terms of their day-to-day impact. “If a person in South LA is paying more on their electric utility bill, or a higher cost for their transportation, because they are in a disadvantaged community, that has an impact on them.
That is impact every bit as real on their pocketbooks as it is in their daily lives. This is a complicated area of law and policy that we work in,” he said. The panel also looked at state legislation that focuses on environmental justice solutions. Fabian Wesson, Assistant Deputy Executive Officer and Public Advisor for South Coast Air Quality Management District, spoke about her experience managing her organization’s AB 617 program. AB 617, a bill that passed in 2017, aims to improve air quality in certain communities by
offering financial incentives to replace high pollution equipment such as lawnmowers and cars that use gasoline with zero-polluting machines like electric models and hybrids. “How do we keep the fight for environmental justice from stopping when the economic downturns come, when the attention stops focusing on Black Lives Matter, because it will,” she said. “It’s up to us to make certain that it does not stop. Because it’s the people that count, and if we work with the people, then we can make this happen.”
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July 30 to August 5, 2020
Sports & Entertainment Prep Spotlight Keith Mency goal of playing D-1 hoops takes flight Point guard enrolls at NY power Archbishop Stepinac man on Marist High roster, but the school closed down. He received praise from his head coach. “We rely on him a lot,” Ben Gamble said of Mency. “He can score, he can shoot, and he can defend. I think he’s one of the most underrated shooters around.” During his junior season with the Royal Knights he averaged 13 points, 5.4 assists and four steals per outing and has been starting since his freshman year. With modest offers from obscure American University and Caldwell, Mency was a kid without a high school and a country in the grips of coronavirus pandemic clouded his future even more. However all that can change when Mency begins playing at prestigious Stepinac which has been a Garden State and national power for the past four years, capturing New York State AA Federation, New York State AA Catholic and New York State Archdiocese titles, respectively. Perhaps even more significant is that Mency will be on the same team with nationally No. 9 ranked and Duke bound signee AJ Griffin with the Crusaders. The Crusaders have sent 14 players to colleges during the past four seasons and Mency is likely to
By Kenneth Miller, Publisher
During my 40 plus years of observing high basketball, one thing that has always been crystal clear is the most popular players are not necessarily the very best players. It was just over a year ago when I first observed 6’1 New Jersey then sophomore guard Keith Mency at the Columbia University summer basketball camp. Mency was more than dominant at the showcase for potential Ivy League recruits, so I sought out his father Keith Sr. to discover who was recruiting his son. “He’s not really on the division college radar at the moment,” his dad said. Well what a difference a year can make, after Columbia and several other summer camps, Mency returned to the AAU circuit with a bang and concluded his coming out party with a dazzling display at the USA National Championships. His uncanny ability to create shots for himself while also playing within the framework of the team was impressive, but his grade point average is also stellar at 3.5. Mency reminds me of the staple Villanova guards, not super fancy, rock solid and ultra efficient. Last season Mency was the sixth
join that list. “My dream is to continue to be a true facilitator on the court, have an opportunity to become recognized and allow myself options to attend a D-I University,” he stated. Adding, “I would like continue with my low rate of turnovers and improve my average points, assists and steals per game. I know if I increase my opportunities to drive as well as increasing my overall motor/level of energy it will improve my overall game.” What clearly sets Mency apart from other players is his extreme amount of poise and self-control. “I have managed to remain calm and in control in extremely intense games and regardless of the situation I will not fold under pressure. I am a listener and know how to properly play the role I am given and live up to the expectations of me on and off the court.” Coronavirus has spread like wild fire in other parts of the country, but New Jersey and New York have slowed the pandemic, therefore allowing for high school basketball to be played. Mency can’t wait! He’s more than anxious to prove what he always believed, that he is one of the best high school players in the state of New Jersey and beyond and ultimately realizing his dream for a division I college basketball scholarship is on the horizon.
Los Angeles Chargers Announce
LA Phil to New Spanish-Language Radio Broadcast Team feature benefit Emmy award-winning broadcasters Francisco Pinto and Adrian Garcia concert Marquez set to reunite on Chargers Spanish-Language Radio Broadcasts
IT News Wire
The Los Angeles Chargers will have a new Spanish-language radio broadcast team entering the 2020 season. Both fixtures in Los Angeles sports for more than two decades, Francisco Pinto will provide color commentary and Adrian Garcia Marquez will serve as the playby-play announcer on Que Buena 105.5/94.3 FM. In addition to calling the games, Pinto and Garcia Marquez will make appearances on EstrellaTV 62 Los Angeles (the Chargers flagship Spanish-language television station), across the Chargers various digital media platforms and at select community events. A native of Concepcion, Chile, Pinto will lend his talents in the radio booth to serve as color analyst for the Chargers
Spanish-language radio team. Pinto’s long, illustrious career in television and radios spans over 20 years, and he is a popular on-air personality in Los Angeles. He won the 2012 and 2015 NBA Broadcasting Award for Best Live Call and a 2013 LA Area Emmy Award for Live Sports Coverage for the contest between the Lakers and Raptors on December 8 of that year. Prior to joining the Lakers broadcast team, Pinto spent 12 years with KMEX-TV, Univision’s LA affiliate, where he was a sports anchor for seven years before switching to news and becoming a host on the station’s morning newscast, Primera Edición. Pinto has covered many of the biggest sporting events in the world, including two World Cups
(2002 and 2006) and several NBA Finals, Super Bowls, World Series and world title boxing matches. Garcia Marquez returns to the Chargers booth after serving as the team’s Spanish-language play-by-play announcer in 2008. Like Pinto, he has been a fixture in the Southern California sports landscape for more than 20 years. The San Diego native began his career in baseball in 1999 as the host of the San Diego Padres Pregame Show for the team’s Spanish radio flagship K1040am. Garcia Marquez spent six seasons as “La Voz de Los Lakers” on television where he won an Emmy Award for ‘Live Sports Coverage’, two NBA ‘Best Live Call’ Awards, and three Southern California SportsContinued on page 7
IT News Wire
The Los Angeles Philharmonic will debut the Play Your Part online benefit concert hosted by Gustavo Dudamel and Thomas Wilkins, and featuring the GRAMMY Award-winning singersongwriter and producer Brandi Carlile, Friday, August 7, at 7pm. Carlile had been scheduled to open the Hollywood Bowl’s 2020 season with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and YOLA (Youth Orchestra LA). Following the season’s cancelation, she instead connected with the young musicians of YOLA online, and they will perform together as part of the Play Your Part benefit. The program, which will also feature members of the LA Phil, will be available for streaming ondemand for free from August 7 through Continued on page 7
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July 30 to August 5, 2020
The Lion Queen QUEENDOM
COME
By Michelle Lyons, Columnist
This is the week we have been anxiously waiting for Joe Biden to select his running mate. On his short list are four phenomenal Black women, all who are quite appealing. Just a few days ago, Elon Musk tweeted “the left is losing the middle” so HER job will enviably be to unite The Country by bringing everyone to the middle. I am in the middle, also known as a conservative democrat/ moderate so I can easily envision what this possible Queendom will look like. I say possible because there has never a been a woman of any color to serve as vice president. So hopefully The America Is READY! Is She READY? Because she must be a strong woman who is focused on rebuilding this nation for our children. The Conservative Right feels as if America has lost it’s core values, while The Progressive Left argues there weren’t many to begin with. Both sides have valid points and both sides have to be open for reform. The American Dream is what makes this The Greatest Nation on Earth, but unfortunately even Dorothy of the Wizard of Oz and her crew could barely survive without a home, a heart, a brain and courage. Meaning The American Dream is rare for those who do not come from loving homes and are not educated and even the educated have to be willing to take risk without losing their heart. The perfect moderate will understand both sides and convey to both sides the worry and fears of the other side. We took prayer out of schools and never replaced it and we took trades out of schools and never replaced them. Prayer needs to be replaced with 15 minutes of silence that way each child can choose to pray, meditate or think about all the things that they are grateful for. I often times think kids snap, similarly to adults, from lack of gratitude. No matter how bad your life is, it instantly becomes better when you focus on what you’re grateful for, even if it’s just waking up. I love the word Queendom. Queendoms are Patriarchal societies Continued on page 7
BUPPIE | BUSINESS She came from East Africa to organically beautify us
By Kenneth Miller, Publisher
After working in the corporate world for over 20 years, Selam Kelati made the jump and followed her passion for beauty and fashion. Selam used her skills along with her wealth of knowledge about herbal and homeopathic ingredients to bring to life her vision. In essence, her desire was to create natural and plant-based products that do good for the body while still feeling and looking your best. Inspired from her early beginnings, Selam draws inspiration from effective natural remedies driven from herbs that her family weaved into daily life including cooking, medicine, and cosmetics. Growing up, Selam watched her mother who learned from her grandmother working with a multitude of medicinal plants, herbs and oils; many of which are adaptogens. As compared to today, herbal living was not particularly a hot topic, it was a way of life. Selam always knew she wanted to work in the beauty space and apply her knowledge of natural herbs but didn’t know how. It was clear at an early age, share with the world, the secrets of her she was destined to develop authentic, ancestors that have benefited her family all-natural and highly effective, for generations. skincare products. She wanted to Selam, devoted to the study of essential oils, herbal and homeopathic
ingredients, immersed herself in the world of clean beauty. From attending Continued on page 8
Common Space Brewery launces in BLM movement IT News Wire
Common Space Brewery is inspired by Black Lives Matter to join the fight for Equal Justice. In doing their part, Common Space chose to do what they do best: brew a delicious beer that improves the lives of others and brings people together. The end result is Take Action IPA, an all Citra Hopped IPA at 7.2% ABV, decorated with vibrant artwork by local Artist Devon Blow. Take Action IPA is the product of local collaboration, with a focus on advancing the Equal Justice advocacy of Black Lives Matter LA. Take Action IPA will be available at Common Space Brewery for pick up, local delivery, and at select retailers since July 24th. Common Space Brewery was founded in 2016 in Hawthorne, CA with the simple goal of improving the lives of others. Common Space pursues this goal by employing a strong and diverse team who create beers that bring people together.
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July 30 to August 5, 2020
Real Estate/Classified PUBLIC NOTICE
Continued from page 5: Prep...
14 on the Hollywood Bowl website. This very special event raises vital funds for YOLA and the LA Phil’s influential Learning programs and is made possible by a generous community of supporters. To join them by making a gift to support the LA Phil’s Learning programs like YOLA, which have continued to operate throughout the pandemic, please visit https:// www.hollywoodbowl.com/campaigns/ abenefitforyola
Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2020102125 The Following Person Is Doing Business As: Elite Signing Services 2200 W. Century Blvd., # 470736 1544 W. 111th St. Los Angeles, CA 90047 Registered Owner: Marquis Lamont Cox, 1544 W. 111th St., Los Angeles, CA 90047 This business is conducted by a company. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business listed above on July 8, 2020 I (We) declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. Continued from page 3: Opinion... (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be national parks, among other things. City Year, a program of AmeriCorps, false is guilty of a crime.) Marquis Lamont Cox, Owner places corps members in public schools
throughout the country to provide support to students from systemically under-resourced communities. You may have seen them around your community wearing their distinct bright yellow jackets. The program also provides intense, wellrounded leadership development and professional growth for those graduating high school or just out of college and facing grim job prospects. I never worked as hard as I did as a City Year AmeriCorps member. My service at 112th Street Elementary in the shadow of the Watts Towers and next to Nickerson Gardens public housing complex started early with classroom prep and ended late with meetings with other City Year members. To this day, I credit my strong work ethic to this experience. At the same time that I learned how to be a professional, I learned how to support elementary
This statement was filed with the County much-needed Clerk on July 8, 2020. NOTICE-In accordance with Subdivision (a) of Section 17920, a Fictitious Name Statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except as provided in Subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before the expiration. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State or common law (See Section 14411 et.seq., Business and Professions Code.) Original July 16, 23, 30; Aug 6, 20200 IT0042230120020134 Inglewood Today
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without misogyny. Patriarchy or Matriarchy societies are not innately bad unless they oppress. Misogyny oppresses women and when you oppress women you suppress the love that a society needs to function correctly. A Chinese Emperor once said, “Women hold up half the sky”. Which means if only men are holding the sky then half the people are in the clouds. When we bring more women to the table The Entire Sky will be lifted: Women will love and respect themselves more and in return will give love and respect to men and each other more. Our systems will begin to fix themselves over time, but in the short run, together, women and men, will reform children services and prisons, put more money in Education and eradicate homelessness, create more green jobs for a sustainable future and continue to have the number one military in The World. I know that we are at least four years from a woman President, but I can’t wait for Queendom To Come in the selection of a vice president!
Broadcaster Association Awards for best ‘TV Play by Play.’ He also serves as the principle play-by-play voice for
FOX Deportes’ coverage of the NFL and Premier Boxing Champions as well as MLB, College Football and Liga MX broadcasts. Garcia Marquez has also served as the play-by-play announcer for Super Bowl LIV and the World Series on five occasions. “We are excited to reunite two of LA’s most recognizable and respected voices on our Spanish-language radio broadcast,” said Chargers President of Business Operations A.G. Spanos. “Francisco and Adrian have great on-air
school students and their families. The job training was rigorous: be on time, be prepared, have a pen and paper, listen, and ask questions. Those are the kind of soft skills young people entering the workforce need – especially during an economic downturn. I ended my City Year service in 2008 as the economy came crashing down. My experience working with students, their families, and teachers, showed me what social-emotional support looks like. It can be hard for a student to focus on their learning when there are other things going on in their lives, like food insecurity or unstable housing. They require more support. They needed more resources, not punishment and suspension. Having a City Year member in the classroom allowed the teacher to keep teaching and students to get the individualized attention they needed. It’s a formula that works almost every time and it’s one we have the opportunity to invest in at a time of intense need. As students are marching in the streets, raising important issues of overpolicing and inequity in our schools chemistry, as witnessed by their multiple Emmy Awards calling Los Angeles Lakers games for Spectrum SportsNet Deportes. Both are consummate professionals with extensive sports broadcast experience not just in LA, but on the national and international stages as well. We cannot wait for their call to hit the airwaves this season and bring Chargers fans the action in a way that only Francisco and Adrian can.” Que Buena 105.5/94.3 FM was announced as the new flagship Spanish-language radio broadcaster of the Chargers earlier this year. It is owned and operated by Estrella Media, and will broadcast all preseason, regular season and postseason Chargers games, including pre and postgame shows. Throughout training camp and the regular and postseason, players, coaches and Chargers personalities will appear in regularly scheduled segments.
and other public institutions, I can’t help but think of AmeriCorps as being a part of the solution. COVID-19 and lost instruction time will set students of color, in particular, back even further without intervention. In fact, NWEA, a research-based nonprofit, estimates that for elementary school students who do not receive or are not able to participate in effective distance learning during COVID-19 school closures, their learning loss could leave them a year behind if they return in the fall. AmeriCorps programs like City Year address urgent local needs and fill gaps in social services. Congress must expand them and pass the CORPS Act as part of the COVID-19 response and recovery. I grew up in South Los Angeles, so I lived at home during my AmeriCorps year. I remember two friends doing their service year with me had to share a bed in a bedroom in a crowded house to make it on the stipend AmeriCorps members receive. The CORPS Act would raise the stipend, something that hasn’t happened for many years, making it more accessible to young people who are on their own or without savings to fall back on. It is important to me that AmeriCorps members, caregivers, and service providers come from and understand the community in which they are serving. Leaning into and expanding existing national service infrastructure through the CORPS Act will put national service within reach for more people and provide young adults training as they prepare for their careers. It’s a unique opportunity to invest in current and future AmeriCorps members, as well as the communities they serve. Ask your members of Congress to pass the CORPS Act.
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July 30 to August 5, 2020
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tradeshows, to educating herself on the industry, she also spent time researching and networking within the skincare space. She finds that making products from scratch is extremely satisfying, like baking the most fabulous dessert or writing a wonderful story. She enjoys the excitement that comes with perfecting and creating new skincare products. Selam has always been a “product girl.” “I am always trying new products and sharing what works with my CoFounder Jennifer Culpepper. When Jennifer introduced me to some CBD products, it was like a light bulb went off,” Selam recalls. “I immediately got excited about combining CBD with other natural ingredients that I’d grown up using— like Moringa. The next steps came naturally as we began playing with ingredients and testing different formulations.” When creating I+I Botanicals and its products, Selam says they intentionally are different from many of the mainstream CBD-infused beauty brands as the products focus on the skin first. “We strive to create products that are good for the body, earth and soul, and we don’t compromise one for the other,” explains Selam. “Our packaging and ingredient sourcing are a testament to our commitment to be a positive
force.” As working mothers, both CoFounders Jennifer and Selam, understand that many women do not prioritize self-care. “We’re trying to promote a message that self-love and self-care are important – especially during our current climate,” Selam adds. Even the company’s name – I+I Botanicals – centers on self-love. In Rastafarian culture, “I and I” represents “One Love” and is often used as the expression of the physical body being in oneness with the soul. “I” is interchangeable with “you,” meaning that we are all connected. “To us, that also means that the love we give to one another should be the same love we show to ourselves,” Selam explains. “This symbolism spoke to us as we, the founders, are both from different backgrounds, have different skin and hair types, therefore we wanted to create products that are universal for all people.” The brand’s collection includes a moisturizing Dry Oil Body Mist (jojoba oil, moringa oil, blend of citrus essential oils), hydrating Face Serum (prickly pear seed oil and hyaluronic acid), a relaxing Bath Tea Blend (3-pack with essential oils) and a rich-foaming exfoliator Coffee Body Scrub (fairtrade Ethiopian coffee and seaweed).
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the devastating COVID-19 pandemic in America. Our businesses are the lifeblood of our communities.” Johnson’s EquiTrust is providing critical financial support to underserved communities and businesses that have been traditionally neglected. These small and diverse businesses often have
difficulty developing strong lending relationships with big banks. According to the Center for Responsible Lending, up to 90% of businesses owned by people of color have been, or will likely be, shut out of the PPP program. MBE Capital is perfectly positioned to help small and diverse businesses take advantage of this latest round of PPP funding; and the company is an approved SBA lender with over 20 years of experience serving diverse and minority businesses. They can process up to 5,000 loans per day, utilizing end-
to-end online technology to accept, underwrite and transmit the applications to the SBA. MBE Capital has already processed over $300,000,000 in PPP loans — including the EquiTrust partnership funding $100,000,000. The NNPA is the nation’s largest trade association of African American owned newspapers and media businesses that reaches 22.4 million readers per week across the nation. MBECP has also partnered with The Enterprise Center (TEC), a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), providing them with technology and resources to help them process over $100,000,000 in PPP loans. This will allow TEC’s CDFI to process more SBA loans in two weeks then they have in the last 10 years. By working with Earvin “Magic” Johnson’s EquiTrust, MBECP pipelines is over $500,000,000. MBE Capital is committed to providing vital funding for small businesses in underserved communities. With almost $100 billion left in the second round of PPP funding, it is imperative that vulnerable small businesses are able to secure resources to sustain. According to Rafael Martinez, CEO of MBE Capital: “I contacted EquiTrust, to be an additional strategic partner because I know that EquiTrust believes in changing outcomes for underserved communities the way I do. The team at EquiTrust and my direct contact Kenyatta Matheny were incredible, and we put this deal together from first
call to contracts in a week.” He added: “After receiving hundreds of emails and calls from applicants asking if they can receive their PPP loans as soon as possible because this was a last hope to stay open - and in some cases to keep food on the tables of their employees - I was moved to expand this and look to fund over 20,000 PPP loans for minority companies” “This is a unique SBA-backed opportunity to use the vast resources of EquiTrust’s to prudently provide real and much needed cash to deserving minority and women-owned businesses that find it difficult to secure such funding through traditional means,” said Eric Holoman, President and Chief Executive Officer of EquiTrust. “The jobs saved will make a significant difference to their families and communities. Equitrust is excited to partner with Rafael Martinez and MBECP to do this and more as we try to level the playing field for businesses that are the backbone of America.” APPLY FOR A PPP LOAN TODAY OR LEARN MORE: https://mbeppp. com/go/nnpa/ Loan Referral Code: NNPA Continued from page 1: The California ...
will require an investment that addresses the impact of centuries of oppression. But the healing of this community will contribute to the healing of every other community of color. The resourcing of activist, Black-led organizations to lead the critical efforts necessary to overcome racial injustice and inequity will help us all become healthy and
well.” The 10-year pledge of support builds upon existing efforts by the Endowment to fund community organizing and activism in African American-led organizations across California, with a projected $50 million dollar increase in support in the coming decade. “We have witnessed extraordinary, unprecedented multi-racial and multiethnic support in the movement for Black Lives in recent weeks,” said President & CEO Dr. Robert K. Ross. “We also intend to enhance support to build and strengthen alliances that cross racial and ethnic boundaries in the state. California is poised to show the nation that by focusing on anti-Black structural racism, all vulnerable communities will benefit from structural change.” The Endowment also announced the immediate deployment of $5 million in resources to Black-led groups engaged in health-related racial justice battles now, such as criminal justice, juvenile justice, and policing reform efforts. The California Endowment, a private, statewide health foundation, was established in 1996 to expand access to, quality health care for underserved individuals and communities, and to promote fundamental affordable improvements in the health status of all Californians. The Endowment challenges the conventional wisdom that medical settings and individual choices are solely responsible for people’s health. At its core, The Endowment believes that health happens in neighborhoods, schools, and with preven