L.A. Focus Newspaper August 2020

VOLUME XXV • ISSUE 7 • August 2020 >>

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CHURCH NEWS A Call for Black Live Matters to Dialogue with Black Church PAGE

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THROUGH THE STORM Tamar Braxton Shares What Led Her to Attempt Suicide PAGE

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SEE PAGE

Upfront

Senate Bill 793: What’s Worse…the Tobacco Policy or the Puff?

Black Lives Matters Protests Target L.A. District Attorney Jackie Lacey

On July 23, Greater Zion Church Family head pastor, Michael Fisher, hosted a Facebook Live conversation via Zoom which addressed the topic of criminalizing menthol.

SB 793 is a bill that would prohibit the sale of flavored tobacco products and/or having the product with the intention of selling it...

>>SEE PAGE

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contents

L.A. Focus Publications

August 2020

Left: Supervisor Ridley-Thomas championed the preservation of the Mayme A. Clayton Collection of African American History and Culture that chronicles African American history with Cal State Dominquez Hills’ University as its new home; Middle: Anthony Anderson, Mayor Garcetti, and Councilmember Curren Price give out donations and talk about the importance of getting tested for the COVID-19 at the Kedren Community Health Center. Right: Comedian Tiffany Haddish joined Councilmember Herb Wesson in handing out Chromebooks to students in foster care.

From The Editor

4 Commentary “Good Trouble”

Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation

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UpFront Black Lives Matters’ Weekly Protests Target L.A. District Attorney Jackie Lacey; Senate Bill 793: What’s Worse…the Tobacco Policy or the Puff?

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Head to Head Making The Argument for Whether Schools Should Open or Not...

Headlines From Africa

8 Money Matters 9 Biz News Briefs Game Changer Tabetha Plummer

“Dumpster Baby” Worth Millions Today

Oprah Winfrey’s Magazine to Go Digital; OneUnited Bank Sees Outpouring of Support

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Feature Story Season of Uncertainty: What’s Next for Angelenos As CARES Act & Eviction Protection Expire

staff Publisher/Editor-In-Chief Staff Writers Production Photographer Advertising

Lisa Collins Gerald Bell, Keith DeLawder Kisha Smith, Christal Mims Ian Foxx Leatha Davis

L.A. Focus–On the Word, is published monthly.

Address all correspondence to: L.A. Focus, 333 W. Florence Ave., Suite C333 Inglewood, CA 90301 • (310) 677-6011 Subscription rates $25.00 per year.

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Eye On Gospel Grammy®-Nominated Koryn Hawthorne Releases “Pray”; New Look and New Music for Tamela Mann

COVID-19 Updates Dr. Anthony Fauci Discusses the Impact and Severity of COVID-19 Disparities in African Americans

17 Hollywood Buzz 18

Through The Storm Tamar Braxton Shares the Mental Anguish that Led Her to Attempt Suicide

Tamera Mowry-Houseley Exits The Real; Bryshere Gray Arrested for Domestic Violence; Plus Alicia Keys and more

One On One

22 From The Pulpit of 23 People 24 In Good Taste 25 Saving Grace 26 Pastor Profile Anthony Williams

Bethel MBC of South L.A.

Camille Tucker

Marla Pruitt

John Robert Lewis

John Legend

19 Church News 20 First Lady Files 21

Red Carpet Style Lupita Nyong’o

Leading Pastor Say Black Lives Matter Should Dialogue with the Black Church

Khalilah Tulloss

Civil rights icon and Martin Luther King Jr.’s field lieutenant, C.T Vivian, passed away at the age of 91 on July 17, the same day that his friend and fellow activist, John Lewis, also died.

Rev. Jesse Jackson called him “one of the tallest trees in the civil rights forest.”

honorary advisors West Angeles C.O.G.I.C. City of Refuge Greater Zion Church Family Southern Saint Paul Church Faithful Central Bible Church Mt. Moriah Baptist Church Baptist Minister’s Conference

Bishop Charles Blake Bishop Noel Jones Pastor Michael Fisher Rev. Xavier L. Thompson Bishop Kenneth C. Ulmer Pastor Emeritus Melvin Wade Pastor K.W Tulloss

Siebert, Brandford, Shank & Co. Bible Enrichment Fellowship International Church Morgan Stanley Bob Blake & Associates

Cover Design: UpScale Media Group

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L.A. Focus/August 2020

advisory board Napoleon Brandford Pastor Beverly Crawford Lem Daniels Bob Blake

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Commentary

JOHN LEWIS Guest columist

Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation hile my time here has now come to an end, I want you to know that in the last days and hours of my life you inspired me. You filled me with hope about the next chapter of the great American story when you used your power to make a difference in our society. Millions of people motivated simply by human compassion laid down the burdens of division. Around the country and the world you set aside race, class, age, language and nationality to demand respect for human dignity.

That is why I had to visit Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, though I was admitted to the hospital the following day. I just had to see and feel it for myself that, a f t e r

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many years of silent witness, the truth is still marching on.

Emmett Till was my George Floyd. He was my Rayshard Brooks, Sandra Bland and Breonna Taylor. He was 14 when he was killed, and I was only 15 years old at the time. I will never ever forget the moment when it became so clear that he could easily have been me. In those days, fear constrained us like an imaginary prison, and troubling thoughts of potential brutality committed for no understandable reason were the bars.

Though I was surrounded by two loving parents, plenty of brothers, sisters and cousins, their love could not protect me from the unholy oppression waiting just outside that family circle. Unchecked, unrestrained violence and government-sanctioned terror had the power to turn a simple stroll to the store for some Skittles or an innocent morning jog down a lonesome country road into a nightmare. If we are to survive as one unified nation, we must discover what so readily takes root in our hearts that could rob Mother Emanuel Church in South Carolina of her brightest and best, shoot unwitting concertgoers in Las Vegas and choke to death the hopes and dreams of a gifted violinist like Elijah McClain.

Like so many young people today, I was searching for a way out, or some might say a way in, and then I heard the voice of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on an old radio.

He was talking about the philosophy and discipline of nonviolence. He said we are all complicit when we tolerate injustice. He said it is not enough to say it will get better by and by. He said each of us has a moral obligation to stand up, speak up and speak out. When you see something that is not right, you must say something. You must do something. Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation must do its part to help build what we called the Beloved Community, a nation and world society at peace with itself.

From the Editor

Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America by getting in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble. Voting and participating in the democratic process are key. The vote is the most powerful nonviolent change agent you have in a democratic society. You must use it because it is not guaranteed. You can lose it.

You must also study and learn the lessons of history because humanity has been involved in this soul-wrenching, existential struggle for a very long time. People on every continent have stood in your shoes, through decades and centuries before you. The truth does not change, and that is why the answers worked out long ago can help you find solutions to the challenges of our time.

Continue to build union between movements stretching across the globe because we must put away our willingness to profit from the exploitation of others.

Though I may not be here with you, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe. In my life I have done all I can to demonstrate that the way of peace, the way of love and nonviolence is the more excellent way. Now it is your turn to let freedom ring.

When historians pick up their pens to write the story of the 21st century, let them say that it was your generation who laid down the heavy burdens of hate at last and that peace finally triumphed over violence, aggression and war. So, I say to you, walk with the wind, brothers and sisters, and let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide.

John Lewis, the civil rights leader and congressman who died on July 17, wrote this essay shortly before his death.

It was published by the New York Times on July 30, the date on which he was funeralized by former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Nancy Pelosi in Atlanta.

LISA COLLINS Publisher

“Good Trouble” ith his death, Congressman John Robert Lewis added yet another historical milestone to his storied legacy, becoming the first Black lawmaker to lie in state in the U.S. Capitol rotunda. The national coverage of his life in the six-day long memorial services honoring his legacy and contributions to this nation serve as a reminder to all of just how far we’ve come and of just how respected he was.

The poignant picture of his final crossing of the Edmund Pettus Bridge–which was lined with rose petals spoke volumes– in what he personally had accomplished as a civil rights activist and legislator dubbed “the conscience of the Congress”.

For his first trip over the Edmond Pettus Bridge, he was beaten so badly by state troopers that he was hospitalized for three days.

“I thought I was going to die,” he recalled in his biography. “There was mayhem all around me.” He was just 25 when he and Hosea Williams took the charge over upwards of 500 mostly college students Leatha Davis was one of those students. She took time out to remember John Lewis last month. She was just 17 when she and three friends headed out to march.

She would later testify to a federal judge in a Montgomery court about what happened.

As we were walking across the bridge, they’re shouting ‘Nigger, go home’, blowing car horns and throwing rocks at us, but we were determined.

Then they started beating people and you could hear them cracking people’s heads with billy clubs and the blood. Andrew Young and Hosea Williams told us to form a circle, lock arms, kneel down and pray. Then they threw that tear gas and we all ran.

It was chaotic. We were run down under the bridge and then they herded us back over the bridge.

“One of the officers told me that I said I wanted to march, so he was going to show me how to march. He kept punching me in the back with his billy club and telling me to get up and go on. But I told him he would just have to kill me, because I couldn’t go on.”

She still has nightmares about what happened to this day and yet understands all too well what drove John Lewis to be arrested over 40 times, including after the onetime “Freedom Rider” was among civil rights demonstrators beaten by state troopers in 1965. In that protest, he suffered a near-fatal concussion.

In memorializing him last month, Pastor Raphael Warnock said of Lewis, that he loved America until America learned to love him back. Said former president Barack Obama, “He brought this country a little bit closer to its highest ideals.”

Calls are growing for the Edmund Pettus bridge–named for a Confederate army

L.A. Focus/August 2020

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Lt. Colonel turned Senator who served as a grand dragon of the Ku Klux Klan– to be renamed in honor of John Lewis.

For his poignant crossing over the bridge on horse drawn carriage last month, he was escorted by state troopers who saluted his casket. Some in the crowd shouted “thanks to a man who put his life on the line so that there’s could be more fulfilled. Others in the crowd shouted we’ve got it from here.

(For more on Lewis’ life, see our Saving Grace on page 26).

What is all too painfully clear is that there is still much work to do, or as Lewis would call it some “good trouble” to get into.

So many of today’s youth don’t truly understand the sacrifices of those like Lewis. The nation has dramatically changed since he was denied entrance to the community library as a boy because he was black. His open defiance of Jim Crow laws same during a period where killing blacks as they did George Floyd was an everyday occurrence with no consequences.

In fact, the beatings and murders were in most cases sanctioned by local and state authorities like Alabama Governor George Wallace---- and sheriffs like the infamous Bull Connor.

There would have been little need for videos to record the atrocities. They beat black people in the daylight, wearing their actions as a badge of pride.

Another courageous man–who walked alongside King and Lewis and who I had the privilege of meeting and spending time with–also died last month. His name is C.T. Vivian and he too, was beat and bloodied so that we could have the right to vote this November.

Never a kinder man was there than Vivian.

"He was one of the tallest trees in the civil rights forest," Rev. Jesse Jackson tweeted. "He never stopped dreaming. He never stopped fighting. We are better because he came this way."

You can honor John Lewis and C.T. Vivian by voting in November and taking advantage of a right they were willing to die for to make sure we were able to exercise.

Keep the faith.

UpFront

News Briefs

Black Lives Matters’ Weekly Protests Target L.A. District Attorney Jackie Lacey

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ver the last three years, Dr. Melina Abdullah, cofounder of Black Lives Matter L.A. has spearheaded weekly protests outside Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey's office for failing to prosecute officers who kill civilians– especially those of color.

Relatives of the victims of deadly police shootings and about a hundred protesters j o i n e d Abdullah for that cause on Wednesday with one goal in mind: vote out Lacey, L.A.'s first Black D.A. Standing in front of the Hall of Justice, Abdullah, told protestors, “What we can’t do is allow ourselves to be distracted. We have a purpose. Seven years ago when Black Lives Matter was birthed; it was birthed as a sacred calling; a sacred duty. We can’t pretend as if a revolutionary movement or a point in black freedom struggle is not going to be met by opposition. It will because we are trying to tear down the system of white supremacy.”

The protest began a little after 3 p.m. with a series of speeches from organizers as well as three relatives of police killing victims and the Black Lives Matter Youth Vanguard. They surrounded a stage erected in front of the Hall of Justice's steps. Law enforcement blocked off streets leading to the gathering, as chants of “f**k the police” and “Jackie Lacey must go” echoed among the protesters.

Lacey is waiting to see if she can clinch a third term. The controversial DA is among the country’s first district attorneys to advocate diversion programs for mentally ill offenders and establishing a conviction review unit. The 62-year old

mother of two also stressed that she’d made attempts to meet with BLM representatives, telling a local news channel in an interview that she has “tried to reach out” to them several times to have discussions, but they declined.

Lacey’s lying, says Abdullah who told L.A. Focus that BLM representatives have pursued talks with Lacey for three years but she repeatedly refused to engage with them.

“The reason she doesn’t want to meet with us is because she might get yelled at by some of these families,” said Abdullah.

“They have a right to yell. That yelling does not compare the slightest to the murder of our people.”

Among the speakers at the rally was Helen Jones, the mother of John Horton who died in 2009 inside LA County jail, and whose severe injuries to his liver, kidney, and skull raised suspicions that he didn’t die by suicide as alleged by his jailers.

“Lacey should have talked to us a long time ago,” said Jones. “Now she’s crying because everybody knows what she’s about and that’s why she wants to talk.

But we cannot let Jackie Lacey sit in this office no more.”

Abdullah said she had high hopes when Lacey became district attorney in 2012 because she was the first woman and first African-American to serve as L.A. County District Attorney since the office was established in 1850.

But Abdullah’s hopes dwindled once it

Senate Bill 793: What’s Worse…the Tobacco Policy or the Puff?

YERA NANAN Black Voice News

L.A. Focus/August 2020

On July 23, Greater Zion Church Family head pastor, Michael Fisher, hosted a Facebook Live conversation via Zoom which addressed the topic of criminalizing menthol.

SB 793 is a bill that would prohibit the sale of flavored tobacco products and/or having the product with the intention of selling it. This bill stems from the Stop Tobacco Access to Kids Enforcement (STAKE) Act, which was made effective Jan. 1, 1995 to stop the selling of tobacco products to persons under 21 years of age.

As the Zoom call commenced, a theme that became recurring throughout the conversation was no one is in support of any using tobacco products but there is an argument as to whether legislation can create harm for the Black community. Senior pastor at Weller Street Missionary

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Baptist Church, K.W. Tulloss, started off the argument by being opposed to the bill since he believes it will increase the criminalization of Black people. “A bill that is prohibiting and possibly criminalizing our community is a bill that we cannot support”, said Tulloss.

Tulloss acknowledges that smoking has been a problem in the community for long time but efforts should be poised toward educating people instead of unwanted attention by authorities.

The American Lung Association reports that nearly 17 percent of smokers in this country come from the AfricanAmerican community, making them the second largest ethnic population of smokers. Out of this ethnic population, roughly 3 in 4 smokers use menthol cigarettes which can make the smoking process easier yet harder to quit.

Carson Councilmember, Jawane Hilton,

STEPHEN ODUNTAN Staff Writer

became apparent Lacey had turned a blind eye to police abuse and the unjust murders of African-Americans.

“We’ve always had skin folk who ain’t kinfolk,” said Abdullah. “White supremacy has always used faces who will prioritize their own individual advancement above what’s good for the community. We call those kind of folks sellouts.

Jackie Lacey is one of those people.”

Lacey, however, is unwavering in the defense of her record as it relates to the prosecution of police officers. According to the D.A.'s office, police in L.A. County have shot and killed 342 people during her tenure.

“I’m like everyone else. I look at the news and see the number of people who are killed by police and I say to myself why is this happening, but as the top prosecutor, when I actually get the cases, there’s so much more to the story,” she said. “The other part of the story is that the law is skewed heavily in favor of allowing officers to use deadly force if they feel their lives were in danger or if they feel someone else’s life is in danger and in the cases I have reviewed, it is difficult to overcome the presumption that the force was reasonable.”

Still, Lacey’s handling of the case against Ed Buck drew this observation from activists Jasmyne Cannick and Nana Gyamfi in a July 2019 op-ed.

“Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey’s failure to charge Ed Buck for the deaths of Gemmel Moore and Timothy Dean was not because of a lack of evidence or probable cause. Her failure was a direct result of a lack of interest and political will. All of which was the reason that the sheriff’s department sought outside help from their federal counterparts to finally bring Buck to justice.”

To put it bluntly, says Abdullah, “Just because you’re black it doesn’t mean you’ll advocate on behalf of black people.

Think of every person who has sold their soul for individual advancement: that’s Jackie Lacey.” expressed how this ban is targeting menthol and people within the community will be negatively affected by this.

“I think it has a few consequences in it that we need to rethink…we have a broad brush and we need to paint the brush back just a little bit to make sure out community is healthy”, said Hilton.

Pastor William D. Smart Jr. of Christ Liberation Ministries, also added to the argument by making this a civil rights issue. “You cannot deny us a cigarette but not deny it to White people and their predominant choice…to me that’s racism and discrimination”, said Smart.

He argued that White people predominately smoke Newport cigarettes which have no flavor and hookah tobacco retailers are exempt from this bill which took the Mediterranean population into consideration. Others in this discussion felt that this is not a matter of race but instead this bill help save Black lives in the long run.

ES Advisors Group President, Edward Sanders, supports the bill getting passed since he believes it will help not only the SB 793 continued to page 24

“Wall of Moms” Vow to Protect Protesters all Over the Country

The increasingly violent federal response to protesters in Portland has prompted the rise of an unlikely group, the Wall of Moms. The group was formed by 35-year-old Portland resident Beverly Barnum and aims to protect protesters from federal agents by forming a barrier or “wall” in front of them. New chapters of Wall of Moms have since popped up all over the country in an effort to combat law enforcement brutality and are “dedicated to supporting the current civil rights movement to end police brutality by defending and supporting BLM protesters on the front line and online.”

"As soon as you become a mom, something is triggered in you. It’s primal. It doesn’t matter if it’s your kid or not, you’re going to help them.

If you see a kid drowning, you’re going to jump into the water,” a statement on their website reads.

Barnum, also known as “Bev,” says that the idea for the group came to her when she started to see videos online of protesters being taken by federal officers into unmarked vehicles. She decided to start a Facebook group to rally a few dozen moms to guard the protesters at following demonstrations. Clad in yellow tshirts and holding flowers, the moms have made it to every protest since their formation on July 18.

The group's emergence has also led to the formation of the Wall of Dads, who can be spotted using leaf blowers to redirect tear gas thrown at protesters, and the Wall of Veterans.

Republicans Announce HEALS Act, Slash Unemployment Benefits Last month, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced the HEALS (Health, Economic, Assistance, Liability Protection, and Schools) Act, the Senate’s response to the House’s proposed HEROES Act. The bill includes a second round of stimulus checks for $1200 and a reduction in federal unemployment assistance - from a weekly $600 to a weekly $200. It pledges $105 billion to schools who are hoping to reopen amidst the pandemic and provides a small tax breaks for small businesses and restaurants.

The legislation would also shield entities such as businesses, doctors and schools from lawsuits in relation to the coronavirus, except for cases of “gross negligence” or “willful misconduct.”

Once the bill is signed, citizens could receive the stimulus check within a few weeks.

Terms reportedly remain similar to the CARES Act which included a one-time $1,200 payment for individuals with an adjusted gross income of $75,000 or less and $150,000 for married couples. The amount of the check decreased in 5 percent increments per thousand dollars until the maximum income level of $99,000 for individuals and $198,000 for married couples. If you made beyond this amount, you were not able to receive a stimulus check.

As unemployment benefits run out and people face the inability to pay rent, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stressed the importance of coming to an agreement fast.

HeadToHead Making The Argument for Whether Schools Should Open or Not... resident Donald Trump published its new report with a Open announced at the White Schools press release headline reading, This House his unequivocal com"Schools Should Prioritize Fall mitment to getting America's Reopening in Fall 2020, Especially schools back open. for Grades K-5, Weighing Risks and "What we want to do is we want to get Benefits." our schools open," he said. "We want to get "Without in-person instruction, schools them open quickly, beautifully, in the fall." risk children falling behind academically When the COVID-19 crisis was just and exacerbating educational inequities," beginning to grip the nation in March, par- according to the release. ents were already concerned about the Both the president impact of school closings. and Education SecreA Gallup poll showed 42% of parents tary Betsy DeVos expressing concern that the crisis would have suggested the have a negative effect on their child's possibility of withlearning. Of these parents, the most con- holding federal fundcern was among nonwhite parents, with ing from schools that 52% concerned, compared with white par- refuse to reopen. ents, 36% of whom were concerned.

Who has been on Nearly twice as many nonwhite par- the front line pushing Star Parker ents, 39%, compared with 21% of white back against the president? Yes, of course, parents, said the school year should be the teachers unions. extended into the summer months if "No one should listen to Trump, DeVos schools remain closed for the remainder of on reopening schools," says the president the regular school year. of the National Education Association in a A new report from the LAUSD, the recent headline. nation's second largest school district, No surprise. The NEA's priority has sharpens the picture regarding why par- never been educating children. Its priority ents, particularly black and Latino par- is protecting its members – teachers. ents, are concerned.

Teachers get paid whether schools are According to the report, 67% of Latino open or not. What do leaders of teachers and 67% of black middle school students unions care about the hard work needed to have been actively participating in online create a safe environment now so children classes. Among high school students, 73% can be physically present in school – the of Latino and 71% of black students have only real viable option for learning? They been actively participating. This compared don't care. with 88% of white middle school students Most recently, both the major teachers and 85% of white high school students. unions, the NEA and the American Two prestigious organizations now Federation of Teachers, filed briefs in the urge that schools reopen and emphasize Espinoza v. Montana Department of how critically important physical presence Revenue case urging the court to rule in is in education. favor of the state to deny tax creditThe American Academy of Pediatrics financed scholarships to parents who want has issued its "Guidance for School Re- to send their children to religious schools. entry" report. It provides extensive guidFortunately, in this landmark case, the ance for safe reopening and operation of court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs: the schools. It begins saying: "(T)he AAP mothers who filed suit claiming that makstrongly advocates that all policy consider- ing scholarship funds available to everyations for the coming school year should one except parents who choose religious start with a goal of having students physi- schools for their children violates constitucally present in school. The importance of tionally protected free exercise of religion. in-person learning is well-documented, Responsible, free people courageously and there is already evidence of the nega- balance risks and competing objectives to tive impacts on children because of school come up with creative solutions. closures in the spring of 2020."

We know the measures we must take to Now the National Academies of battle COVID-19. We can make schools Star Parker continued to page 24 Sciences, Engineering, and Medi-cine has

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Headlines From Africa Congo: The UN Children's Fund provided life-saving assistance to 100,000 children and families in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. “Over 1.6 million people – the majority of which are women and children – have been displaced in DRC’s Ituri province and have ‘’sought shelter in host communities and already overcrowded displacement sites in and around Bunia.

Gambia: African First Ladies of 18 Countries—including Gambia— are working closely with the Merck Foundation’s More Than A Mother Campaign to build fertility care. The First Ladies hope to empower infertile women through access to information, education and change of mind-sets. Infertility is almost twice as high on the African continent than in affluent industrial countries.

Ivory Coast: The recent death of Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly thrust the nation into mourning and led to uncertainty over the election in the nation this fall.

Liberia: President George M. Weah has urged citizens of Liberia to use the celebration of the country's 173rd Independence celebration to strengthen bonds and forge ahead in order to consolidate the gains made together as a people over the years of independence.

Mali: The Economic Community of West African States proposed a four-point plan to resolve Mali’s political crisis that includes re-doing some contested local elections and establishing a government of national unity.

Mozambique: Multiple churches have been burned, people beheaded, girls kidnapped, boys recruited and hundreds of thousands displaced by escalating violence in northern Mozambique aggravated by what some are characterizing as the world’s indifference.

n July 17, America lost a called for slowing down testing to We Can’t courageous leader and a Trust Trump make the numbers look better and remarkable teacher. From refused to implement national With Our a young age, Congressman Kids’ Health mask guidelines or coordinate the John Lewis sacrificed his comfort distribution of protective equipment and safety–Freedom Riding, crossing to those who needed it. Because of his Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge, marching failed response, more than 140,000 on Washington, serving as the conscience Americans are dead and cases are rising of Congress–so that others may live to see more rapidly than ever. More than four equal justice and experience the promise of months into this crisis, he still doesn’t this nation. have a plan to get us out of it.

He called this Because Trump let the virus get so out work “good trouble” of control, many schools can’t reopen safeand urged us to keep ly. Instead of listening to experts, parents, it up as he watched and teachers, Trump is threatening to the Trump adminis- force schools to reopen without the necestration stoke flames of sary equipment and testing, and he wants hate, eliminate and to cut their funding if they don’t. drastically cut essenAs the mother of a rising kindergartenNikema Williams tial programs, and lead er, I would never put his safety and wellthe country down a path of death and being in the hands of Donald Trump. destruction with its glaring mismanage- Trump continues to ignore the data that ment of the coronavirus. shows children can contract the coronAn unyielding passion for public serv- avirus and infect their teachers and family ice, social justice, and the people of members without showing any symptoms.

Georgia, led me to work as a state senator A new study says kids starting at age 10 and chair of Georgia’s Democratic party. are at least as likely to spread the virus as Congressman Lewis was not only my men- adults. And after he claimed the corontor but my friend. He taught me many avirus would ‘disappear’ and has still valuable lessons over the years, but on one failed to set up the testing and contact point he never wavered: never let a bully tracing we needed to confront the pandemstand in the way of what’s right for the ic, we can’t trust him to make decisions American people. about our kids’ health.

With coronavirus numbers rising in The federal government should be proGeorgia, and nearly 4 million cases across viding schools with the resources they the country, unemployment topping 11%, need during this crisis, but that is not hapmass voter disenfranchisement, and the pening under Trump. Former vice presimovement to protect Black lives sparking dent Joe Biden has released a roadmap for protests in neighborhoods across the how to reopen schools safely and get the nation, the country is crying out for help coronavirus under control. We desperately and stable leadership. Instead, we have a need that kind of leadership in the White president who has made these crises so House. much worse.

I am honored to carry the mantle for Experts have told us what it will take Congressman Lewis and the 5th to end this virus, but Donald Trump just Congressional District. I am ready to get does whatever it takes to save himself. He into good trouble. It’s time to stand up to bullies like Donald Trump and vote for the Democratic leadership that we can trust with decisions that affect our kids. Let’s elect Joe Biden, confront the crises facing our nation, and show Congressman Lewis that his legacy lives on.

Nikema Williams, state senator and Chair of the Georgia Democratic Party, will be on the ballot to replace Congressman Lewis this November.

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A look at current news from the continent of Africa Nigeria: Hit hard economically after implementing COVID lockdowns, Africa’s top oil producer was also reeling from a collapse in crude prices and is suffering rampant dollar shortages. Combined they have exacerbated the strain on business. Nigeria’s unemployment is expected to rise to 33.6% by end of the year.

Rwanda: Rwanda has recorded the biggest number of COVID-19 recoveries since the first case was confirmed on March 14. Nearly 1000 patients have recovered against 899 active cases. The country has had a total of 1879 confirmed cases and five deaths.

Senegal: Senegal says it will not re-open its airspace to EU travelers after the bloc of nations did not include it on a list of “safe” states due to the coronavirus.

Sudan: Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok announced the names of the new civilian state governors—including two women and heralding the appointments as "the real start of change in the states". Hamdok said that he regretted the “poor representation of women”, adding “We will work for a better participation of women."

Tanzania: Self-exiled opposition politician Tundu Lissu returned to a throng following the death of former president Benjamin Mkapa. The leader who left the country after being shot 16 times is expected to challenge President John Magufuli, who is seeking a second five-year term in presidential elections set for October 28.

Uganda: The Mastercard Foundation announced its Young Africa Works strategy in Uganda, which has set a goal to enable more than 3 million young people in the country to access dignified and fulfilling work opportunities by 2030. Under Young Africa Works, the Foundation has committed $200 million to ensure young women, men, and refugees in Uganda have access to economic opportunities.

Game Changer: Tabetha Plummer “Breaking Through In The Big Leagues” ports and entertainment attorney Tabetha Plummer, is doing big business negotiating multimillion-dollar contracts for an impressive, if not intimidating, list of clients. The native of small-town Madison, Il has humbly earned access to rooms and conversations dominated most often by white males.

Representing artists such as Snoop Dog, Anthony Hamilton, India Arie, Far East Movement, JoJo, Gospel music’s Judith McAllister and producer Aaron Lindsey, it’s not surprising that several others in the industry would look in her direction.

What is really causing heads to turn towards Plummer is her expansion to the NFL, NBA and FIBA as a certified sports agent. Alongside her law firm, Plummer founded her own sports agency, Represent International Sports & Entertainment, LLC, where she most recently signed Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Brandon Powell.

Further, she’s amid negotiations on behalf of NBA player Brandon Moss, who has his eyes on the Los Angeles Lakers after a stint on their G-League team. There are a few other emerging unsigned professional athletes on her roster as well.

“My mission is to zealously provide quality representation for whoever I am representing, be it on the sports side or the entertainment side,” says Plummer. “I want to speak the language and make sure [my clients] are informed about the deals they are doing. And, also make sure they understand the business they are in while helping them fulfill their goals.”

Like team coaches, managers, and owners, the number of African American sports agents compared to the number of black athletes continues to face scrutiny around the difficulty these agents face attracting athletes of the same race. A reported 70 percent of NBA players are black, and in the NFL that number hovers above 60 percent.

“I walk into rooms where there’s a lot of testosterone.

From scouts, to coaches, to players, they’re all men,” notes Plummer, who began as a transactional attorney negotiating athlete’s entertainment deals. “In the last two years [black agent’s] numbers have increased and particularly among women of color. My goal is to be first African American female sports agent representing active players on both and NFL and NBA teams.”

Several influences motivate Plummer to achieve her dreams within such a fierce industry, one of which is her mother who gave birth to Plummer as a teen. “My mom had me when she was 16, and part of what drives me is

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“I walk into rooms where there’s a lot of testosterone. From scouts, to coaches, to players, they’re all men. In the last two years [black agent’s] numbers have increased and particularly among women of color. My goal is to be first African American female sports agent representing active players on both and NFL and NBA teams.”

to always make her proud,” Plummer said. “I want her to know that every sacrifice she made for me was worth it.”

Plummer’s trajectory has been far from smooth. She moved to Los Angeles after college to pursue a career in entertainment law, and it took her ten tries to pass the California bar exam. “I am not ashamed of that,” she confides. “I knew I just had to stick with it until it was my time.” Taking jobs with general practice law firms, she has not forgotten when some of her most affordable meals were Top Ramen noodles. Her biggest hurdle was overcoming the fear of being the only one in the room who looked like her. “I finally said to myself, ‘what are you afraid of? The worse thing that could happen is you don’t succeed in that area. But you won’t know if you don’t try it,’” she reflects.

“So, I jumped in the deep end, and now I am swimming.”

As an African American female agent, Plummer’s work involves much more than a well negotiated high paying deal for her client. She is fully cognizant of the financial troubles that plague athletes

GERALD BELL

Contributor during, and especially after their career. An estimated 80% in the NFL go broke within three years of retiring from pro football — many with agents who don’t care and just move on to the next big client. Part of Plummer’s approach is to build the careers of her clients and ensure both artists and athletes are financially secure when they retire and avoid the traps too many fall in with their money.

“It’s a huge undertaking, but we are here to help [artists and athletes] attain all of their goals,” adds Plummer. “And we want to help talent maintain a level of wealth for when they are done playing [and performing], so they have a future beyond their careers.”

It’s also important to Plummer that her clients establish trust with her as their representative. She invests time listening and relating to their story and often discovers how most have come from similar upbringings as hers. In addition, she wants her story to be an inspiration to others who fear they may not have what it takes to realize their dreams.

“I have always tried to help other people and I know that I have an obligation to turn around and help others coming behind me,” Plummer says. “Being able to share my story with others and really being a true resource is something that has always been in my heart.”

“I tell people, if you have a dream of doing something figure out a way to do it and go for it,” says Plummer, who is a mother of one son. “If you start down the path you may get somewhere that you never would have gotten to if you didn’t start. Don’t let fear of doing something prevent you from doing what you want to do. If you’re not successful at it, you won’t know it if you don’t try,” she continues. “I just thank God that He is using me to inspire somebody else. So that I can be a light to others.”

Money Matters “Dumpster Baby” Worth Millions Today By all accounts, Inventor, CEO, and philanthropist Freddie Figgers should not be alive to tell his story. Left for dead next to a dumpster at birth, the thirty-year-old is living his dream today as founder of a more than $62 million telecom company.

As an infant, Figgers had the fortune of being rescued by a passerby who called police to report the discovery of abandoned baby boy. After two days in the hospital, Figgers was placed in the foster home of Nathan and Betty Figgers who ultimately adopted him. The couple lived in Florida with their daughter and were known for taking in foster children. “My parents adopted me and gave me love and a future,” he said. “They did their best to make the world a better place [for me]. They taught me not to let my circumstances define who I was.”

His father, Nathan worked at Florida State University as a maintenance man. Hoping to keep his growing boy out of trouble, he brought home a broken 1989 Macintosh computer he’d purchased from a thrift store for $25. This was all young Figgers needed to set his life on a course that would shape him into the sought-after expert and millionaire he is today.

“It’s what sparked my interest in technology,” explains Figgers, who at age 9 took the computer apart and put in back together again numerous times. “As a kid I would build computers on a piece of plywood. I mastered this technique, but I would ask myself, ‘what is the next big thing I can build?’…”

At 13, Figgers accepted a job with the City of Quincy to repair their office computers. Two years later he started his own company, Figgers Computers, in his parent’s home, providing clients with computer repair services and helping them store their data on servers he created. By the time he was 17, he had 150 clients that needed websites and storage for their files on a cloud database he built himself.

Following high school, Figgers took a few college courses but realized his self-taught education, coupled with a rapidly growing company, demanded he reprioritize earning a degree.

When Figgers' father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, he invented a solution to keep his dad safe. Figgers developed a small GPS tracker with a built-in communication device that would inform him of his father’s whereabouts. “I created a device that I could insert in his shoe that would allow me to track him, plus talk to him through his shoe,” said Figgers. “I can say, ‘Hey dad, where are you, just talk into your shoe’.” In 2012, the device was sold to an undisclosed company in Kansas for $2.2 million — Figgers was age 23.

Using the money he earned from his “smart shoe” technology, in 2014, this cloud computing whiz and software engi-

On the Money

GERALD BELL Contributor

neer, launched Figgers Communications, which includes; Figgers Wireless, an FCC-regulated company offering cellular, mobile broadband, home phone, international calling solutions, and smart TVs. There’s also Figgers Health, providing innovative technologies to improve the lives of chronic health patients and more than 80 other custom software programs that can do an array of things such as block texting while driving, monitoring blood sugar and undistort international calling.

Recognized as the youngest person in America to own and operate a U.S. based wireless telecommunications company, he has also added to his portfolio The Figgers Foundation, which has participated in relief efforts following natural disasters, supported cancer patients and survivors through the American Cancer Society, and provided college scholarships to students pursuing higher education.

“It feels good to uplift people and see change in their lives — not just financially but mentally giving people hope,” he says about his Foundation. “So many of the young kids I have met over the years have given up hope. So just being in a position to give them a scholarship, or a job, or an internship and see them succeed—and know that they didn’t let their circumstances define them—that makes me sleep happy at night.”

With the current COVID-19 crisis, Figgers is offering his Tele-health platform free of charge so healthcare providers can give services to the elderly. Tele-health allows patients to receive medical attention without leaving their home. “My healthcare platform is so passionate to me because every product I have ever built has been designed to help people.”

Now married and the father of one daughter, Figgers says, “I’m at a happy place in my life and it’s important to me to pay it forward. I believe if I can have an impact on even one other person, it can multiply. I want my daughter to grow up knowing that.”

Though he has no desire to meet is own biological mother, Figgers has the highest regards for the values and upbringing his adoptive parents provided him.

“I want people to know that Freddie Figgers is a someone who made it out of a situation that most people would have let drown them,” he offers. “I have met so many people that have similar stories that have let their problems over-bear them, their professional life and even their personal life. I want to be known as a guy who figured out a solution to a problem and took it to the market and did something to help change the average day-to-day life of people.”

Patrick Mahomes Snags Richest Deal in Sport History Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and 2020 Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes became one of the youngest team owners in sports last month as he was welcomed as the newest member of the Kansas City Royals ownership group.

“We are very proud and excited to have Patrick as our partner in the ownership group of this franchise,” said John Sherman, Chairman/CEO, and principal owner. “Along with the rest of Kansas City, I have watched Patrick compete and become an extraordinary leader, both on and off the football field.”

"I'm honored to become a part owner of the Kansas City Royals," said the 24-year old, whose father played in Major League Baseball for ten years. "I love this city... This opportunity allows me to deepen my roots in this community, which is something I'm excited to do."

It’s a big year for Mahomes who recently signed the richest deal in sports history. The ten-year, $503 million deal which takes effect in 2022, marked the first time ever that an NFL player became the world’s highest-paid athlete (and that doesn’t include his endorsement deals).

The deal–which will keep Mahomes in Kansas City through 2031–includes a $1.25 million incentive for winning the AFC Championship game and a $1.25 million incentive for winning NFL MVP. With the announcement of the new deal, Mahomes posted, “Here to stay!”

With the new deal, Mahome’s average annual pay would be around $50 million. Here’s how it compares to the average annual pay of other top paid NFL players: Russell Wilson $35 million Ben Roethlisburger $34 million Aaron Rodgers $33.5 million Jared Goff $33.5 million Kirk Cousins $33 million

Biz News Briefs After 20 years of print publication, Oprah Winfrey’s magazine will make the switch to digital and cease their monthly print copies. The magazine may continue quarterly editions, special editions and newsstand editions.

“As the brand celebrates twenty years of O, The Oprah Magazine, we’re thinking about what’s next, but again the partnership and the brand are not going away,” said a representative of Hearst Magazines in a statement. “This is a natural next step for the brand, which has grown to an online audience of 8 million, extending its voice and vision with video and social content. We will continue to invest in this platform as the brand grows and evolves into one that is more digitally-centric.”

The publishing industry has taken a huge hit following the emergence of the coronavirus and its following economic repercussions. But Winfrey’s print readership decline began after she ended her talk show in 2011.

When O began in 2000, its total circulation was over 3 million before dropping to 2.3 million in 2019. Despite this still being a high number, the highly profitable sin-

Oprah Winfrey’s Magazine to Go Entirely Digital Next Year

gle-copy sales portion of that total had fallen to 228,989 per month, according to the Alliance for Audited Media.

This is what led to the ultimate decision of following the trend, which is online.

“I’m proud of this team and what we have delivered to our readers over the past 20 years,” said Oprah, who appeared on every cover through the years. “I look forward to the next step in our evolution.”

OneUnited Bank Sees Outpouring of Support Following Protests Following the push to support black businesses as a result of the Black Lives Matter protests, OneUnited CEO Kevin Cohee stated that the bank saw a record 50 million deposits into various accounts and a growth of 50 percent in customers. Traffic to their website was also up 100 percent in June compared to the same time last year.

Operating since 1968, the Boston-based bank has branch locations in Los Angeles as well as Miami and offers a range of financial services including a Unity Visa secured card that helps its users rebuild their credit and their Harriet Tubman-themed debit card.

Companies like Netflix even seem to be onboard. They recently announced that they would bank 2 percent of their total earnings with black financial institutions which would come out to about $100 million.

The increase in business led OneUnited to double its social media team. The bank also intends to roll out a number of new online banking features.

Showtime and BET Announce New Partnership; Will Create New Channel SHOxBET

Showtime is partnering with BET to create a co-branded channel titled, SHOxBET. The multiplex channel will feature a mix of series, feature films and documentaries.

The two networks are currently under the same parent company ViacomCBS. “This channel is really a reflection of taking those complementary elements to the next logical conclusion,” said BET Networks President Scott Mills. “And that is, both platforms really understand premium programming to African American viewers and people who value content that is anchored in African American narratives and African American stories.”

SHOxBET will also feature replays of Showtime originals on the same night as their premiere on the main network. Comedy specials and boxing will also be featured.

Walmart Hosts 7th Annual Open Call Entrepreneurs who’ve dreamed of having their U.S.manufactured products on Walmart shelves can apply now through August 10 for the opportunity to meet with Walmart buyers on October 1 via virtual pitch meetings.

In addition to one-on-one pitch meetings with Walmart buyers, participants will have an opportunity to hear directly from Walmart executives and learn from company leaders during smaller breakout sessions designed to inform, empower and encourage supplier-hopefuls. This year’s attendees could secure deals ranging from a handful of stores in local markets to supplying hundreds, even thousands of stores, Sam’s Clubs and on Walmart. For more information or to apply, visit Walmart-jump.com.

KEITH DELAWDER Contributor It was only two months ago when we all collectively braced ourselves, hoping that the worst of the COVID-19 crisis was behind us. We saw the shelter in place orders relax, business start to reopen, and more people slowly start to go back to work as the number of reported cases were seemingly on the decline.

But as we now know, that moment was painfully short-lived.

In the time that’s passed since midMay, the exact opposite of progress has happened with one in five Angelinos currently out of work and the number of positive cases and deaths resulting from the virus hitting record highs almost weekly.

To top it all off, the limited protections set by the federal government have recently expired. In March the U.S. House of Representatives passed the largest economic bill in U.S. history- the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) which was signed by president Trump into law. The massive $2.2 trillion package came as relief in many forms including $1,200 assistance checks for all Americans whose income was less than $99,000, assistance for small businesses, and assistance for state, local and tribal governments. The bill also included an additional $600 weekly benefit for anyone receiving unemployment as a result of the crisis which has helped over 25 million out of work Americans stay afloat.

Like many of the programs in the CARES Act, the $600 weekly benefit has now expired along with the CARES Act moratorium on evictions for specific government subsidized housing which are home to roughly 43 million Americans, representing 28% of all renters.

In its place Senate Republicans have proposed the so-called “HEALS Act” which calls for reducing the $600 weekly benefit down to $200 until October, at which point states will have to shift to a system where combined state and federal benefits replace up to 70% of a worker’s prior pay. Notably, no protections for renters are included in the HEALS Act. Both parties are currently in negotiations over the HEALS Act, as

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Democrats have found many of the measures in the proposal unacceptable.

With millions of Americans reliant on unemployment payments to make ends meet-- and not to mention the thousands of Californians stuck in limbo, waiting for their unemployment claim to make its way through the exhausted system-- and eviction protections either non-existent or variable to state and local ordinances, the potential for a humanitarian crisis comparable to the great depression is closer than we’ve seen in generations.

An estimated 28 million renters in the U.S. are facing evictions over the next three months, as states begin lifting their COVID-19 related eviction moratoriums.

While Congress drags its feet back to the discussion table-- deadlocked in negotiations on if and how to renew aid benefits-- millions of Americans are going to bed each night unsure if they will have a roof over their heads next month.

So, what is California doing about this potential eviction catastrophe? In early July, Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order that gave local governments the authority to halt renter evictions through September 30th. The moratorium will expire 90 days after Gov. Newsom declares the end of the state of emergency.

In Los Angeles, the County Board of Supervisors and City Hall followed suit, each approving their own extension of the temporary eviction moratorium through the end of September which may be extended on a month to month basis.

So, what should you do if you’re one of the many tenants in Los Angeles County that find themselves in a position where they can’t pay the rent due to the pandemic?

“In general, there are two very important things for people to do if they can’t pay their rent,” says Ryan Kendall, staff attorney with the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles in the Eviction Defense-Inglewood workgroup. “First, notify your landlord-- and preferably in writing-- as soon as you’re aware that you are not going to be able to pay because of COVID.

With the current massive unemployment rates and limited government aid-- when the moratorium lifts, we can expect a massive eviction crisis. “If we allow the evictions to simply start again without any long-term assistance, it’s going to have a devastating effect on renters, and in particular, communities of color.

Supervisor Kathryn Barger said in a statement.

Despite the current moratorium on evictions, there have been widespread reports of landlords attempting to displace tenants from housing through a variety of deceptive methods including calling the police, trying to trick tenants into leaving by serving them with papers that look like they’ve been ordered by the court but haven’t, or by changing the locks. All of these methods are illegal and cause undue stress on people who are undoubtedly already anxious about their future.

“Many folks are receiving notices who are getting pressure from their landlords to move, and this is happening all over,” says Lópe. “The landlords who are very motivated to make profit are being a lot more aggressive with their tenants about telling them they have to move.

“We are reminding folks that no one can tell you that you have to leave your home- it doesn't matter where you live, if a landlord tries to lock you out they have to go through the court process and that process is on hold, for at least a few more weeks No summons are being issued. They are filing cases, but you cannot serve them yet. If landlords are trying to lock you out and remove your things, we’re telling folks to seek some kind of legal assistance.

“We encourage folks to look into their local tenant’s association,” she added. “The big one in L.A. is the Los Angeles Tenants Union and they’ll be able to direct you to people that can help you if you're facing an illegal lock out.”

Even though there is a current moratorium on rent collection and eviction in place, this does not let renters off the hook for paying their rent. An eviction moratorium is not rent forgiveness-- once the state of emergency is declared to be over back rent will begin to be due along with regular monthly rent many struggle to pay

even when they haven’t been laid off for months.

According to experts, this is likely to lead to a tsunami of evictions and a sharp spike in the already overwhelming homeless population.

“The real problem we will be facing with this crisis is in the piecemealpatchwork public policy response we’ve had to COVID which is really just disastrous,” says Kendall.

“It’s a failure of leadership locally, statewide and nationally. The only solution for tenants at risk is for state governments to pass into law some kind of mechanism to protect people either by compensating landlords, or issuing tax credits to landlords, or other various means because unless the government passes some kind of comprehensive policy solution we are expecting to have tens of thousands of people evicted in Los Angeles alone and many more thousands throughout California. It will be a crisis like we’ve never seen in modern times.”

Margot Kushel, Director of the Center for Vulnerable Populations at the University of California, San Francisco, predicts there will be a twenty to forty percent rise in homelessness as eviction moratoriums are lifted.

“With the current massive unemployment rates and limited government aid-- when the moratorium lifts, we can expect a massive eviction crisis,” says Nisha Vyas, senior housing attorney at the Western Center on Law and Poverty. “If we allow the evictions to simply start again without any long-term assistance, it’s going to have a devastating effect on renters, and in particular, communities of color.”

In response to the looming evictions crisis and resulting wave of homelessness, Vyas’ firm the Western Center on Law and Poverty is co-sponsoring Assembly Bill 1436, “the COVID-19 Eviction Prevention and Stability Act”. AB 1436 would prevent the eviction of renters unable to pay rent during the COVID-19 emergency period, keeping them housed while still allowing landlords to collect rent owed.

“At its core this legislation is designed to give renters a fair chance to pay back rent owed and preserve the ability for landlords to pursue unpaid rent through civil action as opposed to through the eviction process. It also contains protections for renters from negative impacts to credit and therefore the ability to rent in the future,” says Vyas.

Under current policy, renters in many places would immediately need to come up with all past due rent when a state of emergency order is lifted in order to avoid eviction. AB 1436 seeks to give renters and landlords a framework to come to mutually beneficial arrangements that allow tenants to remain stably housed while landlords collect what they are owed.

“California simply cannot afford a wave of mass evictions,” said Assembly member David Chiu (D-San Francisco), who introduced the bill to the State Assembly in June. “Doing nothing means millions could potentially be forced into homelessness. We are stepping in to keep tenants in their homes while allowing landlords to collect past due rent in a reasonable way.”

AB 1436 would prohibit renters from being evicted from non-payment during the “COVID period” plus 90 days. The bill then gives renters an additional 12 months before a landlord can seek a civil action to collect rent owed, but those civil remedies do not include eviction. After the COVID period ends, renters must keep up with their current month’s rent and can be evicted for failing to pay current rent. Any government subsidies that a landlord receives from a rental assistance program would be deducted for the amount the tenant owes the landlord.

Assembly Bill 1436 is currently going through the Senate Judiciary Committee in the State Assembly.

L.A. Focus/August 2020

“Second is to attempt to gather documentation of that impact. For instance, get a letter from your employer saying you’ve been laid off. Also gather any medical paperwork if you or someone you are caring for is sick with COVID and that’s why you can’t work.

You're going to want to gather as much as you can. You may not have to provide it in the end, but it’s best for people to do both of those things.”

As it stands now, landlords can file eviction notices but they will not go into effect in L.A. County until 90 days after the emergency is declared over and the moratorium on evictions ends, at which point tenants with outstanding rent will have twelve months to pay back their rent.

“What we are counseling people to do is to try to be very cognizant of not over promising in those payment plans how much you can pay towards your back rent,” says Lorraine A. Lópe, Supervising Staff Attorney with Public Counsel's Homelessness Prevention Law Project.

“Folks are facing a lot of economic instability right now, even for people who do have jobs whose hours are reduced. There’s no guarantee that they’re going to be back at their full schedules. Rent, while important, shouldn’t necessarily come before all your other needs-especially for people on fixed income who have medical expenses, who have to eat and have kids to support.

“Even though, yes, you’re going to have to pay all this rent eventually,” she continued, “the best thing to do is be very conservative on how much you promise your landlord, even if you have landlords who will work with you-- especially since it’s easier to work with you than replace you in many cases.”

Ryan Kendall takes it one step further and believes that just allowing landlords and tenants to set up payment plans is simply not sustainable.

“A payment plan is a really impractical solution for people who can’t pay rent,” says Kendall. “That’s why we need sweeping action from the legislators. If they don’t have enough money to pay now, then how are they going to pay all that back rent plus current rent in twelve months? It’s a dumb solution.”

According to a recent report by the UCLA Luskin Institute on Inequality and Democracy, even before the pandemic, about 600,000 people in Los Angeles County lived in households where 90% of household income was being used to pay rent. Now that thousands of renters have seen their income shrivel or disappear completely, the report predicts that as many as 120,000 households with 184,000 children could find themselves unable to pay rent as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using census data and unemployment claims, the study found that nearly 450,000 people who live in L.A. County are unemployed and not receiving unemployment benefits.

But the hardships don’t end there. Understandably, with so many people unable to pay rents on time-- or possibly at all-- landlords are feeling the pressure of having to pay mortgages and taxes on properties they currently cannot collect rents on.

The Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles has sued the city over its ban on evictions and rent increasing, claiming that it violates their constitutional rights.

“They’re feeling like the economy has reopened, most businesses are open now and they feel like extending [the moratorium] will put undue pressure and burden on them," said L.A. County Board Supervisor Janice Hahn said. "There's two sides to this."

The county also relies on landlords paying their taxes for income, as property and sales taxes are the county’s two primary sources of direct revenue. If landlords were to delay paying property taxes the county could find itself in a cash flow problem of its own at a time when it is already under financial pressure.

“We did not waive property tax due dates,”

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Eye On Gospel Grammy®-Nominated Koryn Hawthorne Releases “Pray” Two-time Grammy-nominated hitmaker, Koryn Hawthorne, released her new single “Pray” with an accompanying music video. The new video dropped last month with a world premiere broadcast on BET Gospel, BET Soul, BET Her, and BET.com. The new song marks the Billboard Music Award-winning artist’s first official single off her sophomore album, I Am, which is slated for release this fall.

The 22-year old singer–who was a season 8 finalist on NBC’s “The Voice”–continues to bring a fresh sound to the Gospel genre with “Pray.” Co-written by Hawthorne, the new single offers an encouraging reminder, especially during these unprecedented times, that regardless of circumstance prayer is always a necessity. The track offers a soothing R&B sound, continuing to demonstrate the songstress’ boundless vocal artistry.

Carving a fearless path in the genre with buzzworthy bold hits and powerful performances, Hawthorne has truly made a name for herself in these three short years. In 2018, the songstress claimed the recordbreaking title of longest reign on Billboard's Hot Gospel Songs chart by a female artist, with her infectious #1 smash hit “Won't He Do It,” which was released in 2017. Billboard also named the song the #2 Hot Gospel Songs of this past decade, on their Decade-End charts for the 2010s. In addition to two GRAMMY® nominations for her hit songs “Won’t He Do It” and “Speak the Name,” the chart-topper has garnered a sweep of accolades, winning an NAACP Image Award, Billboard Music Award, GMA Dove and Stellar Awards for her music, and a gold milestone with “Won’t He Do It,” being RIAA-Certified Gold® in the past year.

“Won’t He Do It” continues to be a signature favorite among fans, and Hawthorne recently performed the single at the 50th Annual Essence Festival. She will be co-hosting the

35th Annual Stellar Awards, slated to air later this year.

New Look and New Music for Tamela Mann In addition to her new slimmed down look, Tamela Mann has a new album due out this month. The lead single, “Touch From You” is set to drop on August 8. The top selling gospel artist has reportedly lost well over 70 pounds and is showing off those new curves in a form-fitting red dress. Her weight loss has inspired her husband to lose weight as well. Mann who once tipped the scales at over 300 pounds followed a Weight Watcher’s plan that was designed for the singer to embrace a healthier lifestyle. You can catch she and her husband, David Mann on TV this month as BET has announced they'll stream Madea's Farewell Play starting August 27 on BET+. The production marks Perry's final stage performance as Madea. Last month, she joined her husband and son taking part in a Black Lives Matter protest.

Jekalyn Carr’s Power of Love

Koryn Hawthorne

Singer/songwriter Jekalyn Carr has earned her 6th Billboard Top 10 at Gospel radio with her latest single, "Changing Your Story." Additionally, the singer-songwriter has cracked the Top 30 on Mediabase R&B Radio chart for the first time with her single, "Power of Love."

Written by Jekalyn and produced and video directed by her father, manager, and 3-time GRAMMY® nominated producer Allen Carr, "Changing Your Story" is a song of hope and encouragement during these tumultuous times that the world is facing with the COVID-19 pandemic, social injustice, defeat, failures, unemployment, divorce, sickness, domestic violence, and poverty.

Ranking as the #1 Most Added Song on Mediabase Urban AC Radio formats its debut week with 14 monitored stations, "Power of Love" is vastly moving up the charts. "Power of Love" expounds on the

message that we can live, we can walk, and we can stand in unity. "Love is powerful, and we must embrace our family, friends, and others using that power," states Jekalyn. "We all need a hug at times, and this song is to share that hug with you through the Power of Love."

Putting A Gospel Twist on An R&B Classic Three-time Grammy Award nominee and popular singer-songwriter Brian Courtney Wilson has releases Marvin Gaye classic, “Inner City Blues”.

Recorded last year, Wilson re-released an extended version of the song as a response to the movement for change, and justice. As relevant today as it was almost 50 years ago, "Inner City Blues," remains a powerful declaration against the injustices and police brutality that face the Black Community.

Wilson is a modern-day, soul singer ("Worth Fighting For," "A Great Work,” “All I Need,”) who profoundly feels the impact of today's current events, and this song holds as much meaning to him today, as it did to those who first heard Marvin Gaye's impassioned vocals. Lyrically, the song is an indictment on the widening gulf of inequality, racial instability, and social hardship that was prevalent then and continues now. Wilson delivers them with just as much potency.

Brian has also launched a new conversation series on Instagram and on the Houston-based Amazing 102.5 radio station called "Breathe Again with Brian Courtney Wilson." This series will feature ministry leaders, mental health clinicians, artists, and community activists to focus on moving past the pain of injustice and loss.

Focusing on encouraging and empowering positive esteem within the Black community, "Breathe Again," will offer constructive and worthwhile conversations for these unprecedented times.

“It’s important to me to make an impact on my community, and all communities where it is needed,” said Wilson. “I believe collectively we can repair the breaches - racial injustice, poverty, access to healthcare, pay disparities - that continue to separate our communities.”

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Dr. Anthony Fauci Discusses the Impact and Severity of COVID-19 Disparities in African Americans STACY M. BROWN

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Americans occupying essential jobs that provide employees with little – or no – protection.

“On the one hand, there’s a greater opportunity and risk of getting infected, but even as important is that once you get infected, you have prevalence and incidence of co-morbidities that make it more likely you’ll get a severe outcome from the infection,” Dr. Fauci noted.

“Those co-morbidities are like diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, chronic kidney disease, and lung disease.

It’s very clear that African Americans have a higher incidence, and the reality is that you suffer more.”

The hospitalization rates per 100,000 people are stunning when comparing African Americans and Caucasians, Dr. Fauci proclaimed.

“In many respects, it’s unacceptable that it should be that way,” he said, noting that the hospitalization rate per 100,000 African Americans stands at 247, compared to 53 per 100,000 whites.

“In other words, that’s almost five times the chance of getting hospitalized even though African Americans comprise just 13 percent of the [U.S.] population,” Dr. Fauci observed.

“That’s more than something we need to deal with.”

Dr. Fauci added that there are five fundamental things everyone could do to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

“Wear a mask, avoid crowds of more than 10, keep a distance of at least six feet, locations should seriously consider closing bars and getting people who go to bars to stop or do it outside, and wash hands frequently either with soap and water or alcohol Purell.”

Clinical trials are vital, Dr. Fauci said.

“We hope that we will have an effective vaccine by the end of the year, which means that as we get into 2021, we want to distribute it for those who could benefit,” he added.

“We need to spend extra effort to protect African Americans, and the way you find out if the vaccine is effective is the enrollment in a vaccine trial. It would be a terrible shame if African Americans stayed away from clinical trials, and they didn’t provide for themselves the vaccine that could protect them.”

Dr. Fauci suggested that he wears a mask everywhere goes and demanded that doing so shouldn’t be about politics.

“This is about protecting each other.

We’re all in this together,” Dr. Fauci said.

“I’m pleased to see that we now h a v e

the president talking about wearing a mask where he didn’t before, and the vice president wears a mask everywhere he goes. We’ve got to pull together.”

Whether reinfection of the coronavirus can occur remains somewhat of a mystery, Dr. Fauci explained.

“When you get infected with any virus, generally, when you recover, your body has made a good immune response to recover,” Dr. Fauci noted.

“We know that happens in people who had COVID-19. We don’t know what the duration of that is. There are varying levels of antibodies in people who recover, and what we’re following is how long they last. Some people find that it doesn’t last very long.”

“There are other types of immunity that go beyond, and they’re called Tcells or cellular immunity, which may also play a role in protecting people from being infected. Likely a degree of protection is pretty good for a finite period.

“There are no well-documented cases of people actually being reinfected. There have been some anecdotally stories of people recovering who seemed to have gotten infected, but we don’t know. There’s no real hard evidence that’s happening.”

L.A. Focus/August 2020

uring a 30minute interview with BlackPressUSA that was streamed live over Face-book, YouTube, and w w w .

BlackPress USA.com, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, spoke of the importance of convincing African Americans to participate in clinical trials. He also said that school re-openings should depend mainly upon the location and the infection rate in a given area.

Fauci also said a viable coronavirus vaccine is likely only a few months away.

“The fundamental principle is that we should try as best as we possibly can to get children back to school because we know the psychological aspect of that and the unintended consequences for mothers and fathers who may need to stop working, so we should try to get back to school,” Dr. Fauci said when asked about the impact of the pandemic on the upcoming school year.

“However, paramount needs to be the safety, health, and welfare of children, teachers, and families,” Dr. Fauci added.

“We live in a big country. Some places have low incidents and can open schools while some are high. Some areas rate of infection is so high where it’s not prudent to open schools. You don’t want to endanger their health.”

Addressing the disparities surrounding COVID-19 and other illnesses, Dr. Fauci pointed to many African Americans, Latinx, and Native

13

COVID-19 BEHIND BARS COVID Prison Release: State to Start With Non-Violent Inmates Over Age 30 QUINCI LEGARDYE California Black Media

Prison officials announced July 10 that an estimated 8,000 incarcerated individuals will be eligible for early release by the end of August, in order to stem the COVID19 outbreak in California’s prison system.

“These actions are taken to provide for the health and safety of the incarcerated population and staff,” California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) Secretary Ralph Diaz said. “We aim to implement these decompression measures in a way that aligns with both public health and public safety.”

Multiple prisons in California have become COVID-19 hotspots. According to the CDCR, 2,286 incarcerated people have tested positive for the virus and 31 have died across the state’s prison system as of July 10.

CDCR prison population reduction guidelines prioritize the release of incarcerated people who have 365 days or less to serve in their sentences; are not currently serving time for domestic violence or violent crimes; and have no convictions that require them to register as sex offenders.

While individuals age 30 and over who meet these criteria are immediately eligible for release, those age 29 or younger will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

“We have an unprecedented moment in time to actually augment the work of prison reform and the reduction of the already overcrowded conditions that have persisted,” said Joe Paul, Managing Director of the Los Angeles Regional Reentry Partnership and Director of Political and Civic Affairs, City of Refuge Church-L.A. The announcement follows a July 8 press conference organized by the #StopSanQuentinOutbreak Coalition to amplify concerns of the people incarcerated at San Quentin, the oldest prison in California. Some elected officials attended the press conference, including Senator Scott Weiner (D-San Francisco) and Assemblymembers Marc Levine (D-San Rafael), Ash Kalra (D-San Jose), and

Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), as well as family members and friends of people currently incarcerated at San Quentin, which is located north of San Francisco, across the Golden Gate Bridge, in Marin County.

According to the CDCR, San Quentin, which is a men’s prison, has had 1,880 positive cases among its incarcerated population and staff as of July 10. In June, Amend at UC San Francisco, an advocacy organization focused on changing negative aspects of correctional culture, and Berkeley Public Health released a memo calling for the state to reduce the prison’s population to below 50% of its current capacity.

During a press conference last week, Gov. Newsom acknowledged the problem at San Quentin.

“It's a concern, always has been. We have not been shy about leaning in on this over the course of many, many months,” said the governor. “We still have a lot more work to do and we recognize our responsibility.”

As a longer-term strategy to reduce the state’s prison population beyond the San Quentin drawdown, Paul said decision makers in California’s criminal justice system should “assess the state’s prison population and identify low-risk or elderly inmates that could successfully do the minimum required time for their conviction and receive adequate rehabilitative support, while incarcerated.”

“Then they should be released based on good behavior and other suitability conditions for successful reintegration into community,” he continued.

California Black Media also spoke with James King, member of the #StopSanQuentinOutbreak Coalition and State Campaigner for the Oakland-based Ella Baker Center for Human Justice.

“We [the Coalition] continue to agree with the public health experts who have said that at least a 50% reduction in the incarceration rate is necessary for public health

safety, not just for people inside the prison but people outside of prison,” the activist said.

But he says getting to the 50 percent goal will not be immediate.

“This is less than a 10% reduction, over the course of several months. So it’s really modest. It's an improvement, but it's an incremental one. We need bold decisive action here,” King said.

Previously incarcerated at San Quentin, King was released last December. For him, there are other ways the state could assist incarcerated people once released.

“According to the CDCR, about seventy percent of people consistently have somewhere to go. Also, there’s Project Roomkey, in which the state has paid for several hotel rooms,” King continued. “Our suggestion would be that they be allowed to go there for the first 14 days postrelease in order to safely quarantine, and then return to their families.”

At the press conference, Assemblymember Levine called for sustained action.

“We must sustain our attention here at San Quentin, and at every facility where people are sentenced for time and locked up across the state of California,” he said. “We need to sustain this attention because unfortunately COVID-19 is not going away. So we can't let our guard down.”

Activists say they want the state to base inmate releases on data and best practices learned from past experience.

“The science of people aging out of crime, as well as the CDCR’s own risk assessments that have identified tens of thousands of people as low risk for recidivism or violence” should be the criteria, King said. “And we stand by ready to help facilitate and use our resources to facilitate safe reentry.”

Call 9-1-1 if you experience the following emergency warning signs:

Free Testing

L.A. Focus/August 2020

Over 105 locations Test type/criteria vary by location

The City of Los Angeles, in partnership with the County is providing COVID-19 testing to all L.A. county residents, whether or not you are experiencing symptoms. If you have insurance, the provider may bill your insurance carrier for the cost of the test. By law, the insurance company may not charge you any co-pay, deductible, or out-of-pocket expense for the test. Priority for same/next day testing is given to people experiencing symptoms and certain critical front-line workers. “Testing saves lives, and we have to deliver more testing to the people hardest-hit by COVID-19: communities of color and vulnerable Angelenos,” said Mayor Garcetti. “We can only defeat this virus if everyone does their part and if we tackle the deep racial inequities baked into our health system. We have tests prioritized for you if you have symptoms or think you’ve been exposed, and we need everyone to wear a face covering, stay home when you can, and avoid gatherings with anyone outside your home.”

CENTRAL LOS ANGELES Carbon Health - Echo Park (2110 Sunset Blvd., Suite M, Los Angeles, CA 90026) Dodger Stadium (1101 Scott Ave., Los Angeles 90012) Lincoln Park (3501 Valley Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90095) Exposition Park (3986 S. Hoover St, L.A., CA 90037) St. John’s Well Child and Family Center – Magnolia Pl. (1910 Magnolia Ave. Los Angeles 90007) (323) 541-1411 St. John’s Family Center – Warner Traynham Clinic (326 W. 23rd St. Los Angeles, CA 90007) (323) 541-1411 MacArthur Park - Total Testing Solution (2130 James M Wood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90006) (323) 792-7652 Cedars-Sinai (8730 Alden Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90059) Center for Community Health (522 South San Pedro St., Los Angeles, CA 90013) (562) 867-7999

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Wesley Health Centers - East Hollywood (954 Vermont Ave., Los Angeles 90029) (562) 867-7999 EAST LOS ANGELES California State University, Los Angeles (5151 State University Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90032) East LA College (1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez, Monterey Park, CA 91754 - Stadium Parking Lot) CVS - (5176 East Whittier Blvd,Los Angeles 90022) Alta Med - East Los Angeles (2219 E 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033) Alta Med - Boyle Heights (3945 Whittier Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90033) SOUTH LOS ANGELES Crenshaw Christian Center (7901 S. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90044)

Kedren Community Health Center (4211 Avalon, Los Angeles, CA 90011) Los Angeles County - Crenshaw Area Office (3606 West Exposition Blvd. Los Angeles 90016 St. John’s Well Child and Family Center – (1060 Exposition Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90007) (323) 541-1411 St. John’s Well Child and Family Center – Washington Prep (1555 W. 110th St. L.A. 90047) (323) 541-1411 St. John’s Well Child and Family Center – Mark RidleyThomas Wellness Center Manual Arts (4085 S. Vermont Ave. L.A., CA 90037) (323) 541-1411 St. John’s Well Child and Family Center – (4251 Crenshaw Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90008) (323) 541-1411 St. John’s Well Child &Family Center/Louis Frayser Health Center (5701 S. Hoover St., Los Angeles 90037) (323) 541-1411

California Soaring Unemployment Numbers Working Angelenos have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially those of color, whose jobs are all but disappearing due to the high numbers who work in the service industries. The chart below illustrates the staggering numbers.

St. John’s Family Center–Hyde Park Elementary School (6505 8th Ave. L.A, CA 90043) (323) 541-1411 St. John’s Well Child and Family Center – (808 W. 58th St. Los Angeles 90037) (323) 541-1411 Watts Healthcare Corporation (10300 Compton Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90002) (323) 564-4331 Central Neighborhood Health Foundation - (2707 S. Central Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90011) (844) 660-9086 Charles R. Drew University Campus (1731 E 120th St. Los Angeles, CA 90005 SAN FERNANDO VALLEY Hansen Dam Recreational Center (11798 Foothill Blvd., Lake View Terrace, CA 91342) West Valley/Warner Center (6097 Canoga Ave., Woodland Hills, CA 91367) Northridge Hospital Medical Center (18460 Roscoe Blvd., Northridge, CA 91325) CVS - Winnetka (19701 Vanowen Street, CA 91306) CVS - Reseda (7400 Reseda Boulevard, CA 91335) CVS - North Hollywood (10945 Victory Bl, CA 91606) CVS - San Fernando (1204 San Fernando Rd, CA 91340) St. John’s Well Child and Family Center – Lincoln High School (2512 Alta St. L.A., CA 90031) (323) 541-1411 Mid Valley Comprehensive Health Center (7555 Van Nuys Blvd., Van Nuys, CA 91405) (818) 627-3000 Balboa Park (6300 Balboa Blvd., Van Nuys, CA 91406) (parking lot next to soccer field)

Black-Owned Businesses & Restauranteurs Caught In the Balance of Pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted communities of colors on nearly every level from unemployment and housing to hospitalizations and deaths. A report by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that 41 percent of Black-owned businesses– some 440,000 enterprises–have been shuttered by COVID-19, compared to just 17 percent of white-owned businesses.

A key factor in the closures is that black businesses entered the lockdowns with less resources and capital than many other companies.

“Most lack the capacity,and technical assistance needed to survive a pandemic,” said Ken Harris, president of the National Business League.

Black-owned businesses have also benefitted less from federal stimulus programs, with up to 95% not receiving any federal support. So much so that lawmakers negotiating the next small-business rescue package are facing pressure to direct more aid to minority employers.

In the meantime, the protests have shined a spotlight on the need to support black owned businesses and major corporations have responded, pledging billions in loans and support to black-owned businesses.

Even the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has pledged to spend tens of billions to help blacks overcome inequities in the economy.

In the meantime, Google is launching a new tool that allows businesses to identify themselves as Black-owned through the company’s maps and search listings. The feature is part of the company’s pledge to support the Black community with “initiatives and product ideas that support long-term solutions,” particularly as black-owned businesses tend to be in industries like restaurants or retail that lockdowns have hit especially hard.

L.A. restaurant community is one such industry. To that end, a newly formed coalition is advocating for Los Angeles County’s BlackOwned restaurants to help keep their doors open during the coronavirus pandemic. The Black Restaurant Coalition of Los Angeles exists to support and promote a movement to Dine Black, supporting Black institutions that support vibrant Black Communities. Their mission is to amplify issues facing Black restaurant owners during the coronavirus pandemic, including cost of goods, rent and temporary COVID-19 regulations and policies and beyond.

“The coalition considers this a time to call for a “state of emergency” while many Black-owned restaurants are still struggling to gain access to resources and having little to no say in the emergency policies being put in place,” said Executive Director of the Black Restaurant Coalition of Los Angeles Jade Stevens. “The Black Restaurant Coalition is focused on building a network of restaurants that can come together to face critical issues so that everyone can survive.”

Assisted by the Black Business Association, the Black Restaurant Coalition of Los Angeles is working to ensure that their members, who have lost a significant amount of revenue in the effort to abide by local, state, and federal social distancing guidelines, will continue to exist long after this crisis is over. Many of the Black-owned restaurants represented by this coalition have had to overcome unique barriers and have not received adequate financial support to survive this crisis. They are also forced to adapt to the ever-changing temporary policies including social distancing guidelines, rate caps on food delivery apps, among others.

The Black Restaurant Coalition looks to be a resource to help restaurants navigate through these many issues.

The Coalition continues to grow with 37 members which includes Post and Beam, Hotville Chicken and Mel’s Fish Shack. A full list of members can be found on their website www.dineblackla.com. You can also follow the coalition on social media with @dineblackla.

Resources • Unemployment Insurance eligibility has been expanded, and may include those who have to miss work to care for children. While benefits are typically capped at 26 weeks in a year, two new extensions allow for 13 and then 20 additional weeks.

• Pandemic Unemployment Assistance is a new federal program that provides unemployment benefits ranging from $167-$450 to those ineligible for typical unemployment insurance, like freelancers, independent contractors, gig workers and people with limited work histories. COVID-19related job impacts qualify workers for this program.

• 211 FoodFinder:The Los Angeles County 211 website has a map that residents can use to find a variety of food resources, such as school meals, groceries/food pantries, senior meals, and government food benefits programs. Add your location and filter by type of resource, then click to see detailed information about the resource and how to access.

• Farmers' Market Finder: This site allows you to search for a local farmers market by address. It also tells you which farmers markets accept payment from food assistance programs such as CalFresh, CalFresh Market Match, and WIC. • LA Food Bank: This site allows you to search for your local food pantry by address. Results include address, hours

of operation and contact information for each pantry listed.

• World Central Kitchen:The World Central Kitchen provides an interactive map of School Districts food programs and distribution sites as well as information about local restaurants providing discounted or free meals to kids, emergency and medical workers and others across Los Angeles County.

• LA County & City of Los Angeles Elder Nutrition Program: LA County and the City of Los Angeles are providing free meals to adults age 60 and older who are impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. Meals are provided at distribution sites or via home-delivered meals. View the map below for information about each site. Adults age 65 and older must send a family member, friend or caregiver who is under the age of 65 to pick up meals at their assigned site.

Call 1-800-510-2020 to request services.

• Student Meals Distribution: Use their map to access active Student Meal Distribution Sites throughout L.A. County. Information specific to each location (address, open days and hours of service, and meals) is provided.

Additional details are linked for school district sites where available. This map is maintained by the County of Los Angeles Office of Emergency Management and Office of Education.

Through the Storm CHRISTAL MIMS Staff

Tamar Braxton shares the mental anguish that led her to attempt suicide.

T

According to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America, depression affects 18.1% of Americans aged 18 and older every year.

Public health officials believe that unprecedented public health actions needed to contain the new pandemic, along with social distancing requirements, stayat-home orders, and the added stress of job loss is contributing to a dramatic rise in the number of suicides this year. Just half of all Americans experiencing an episode of major depression receive treatment.

Research has also shown the importance of social connections in helping people overcome depression and suicidal thoughts. The closure of churches –yet another vital connection to others and spiritual support–have only made the isolation harder to bear for some.

If you are in crisis, call the toll-free National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All calls are confidential. For more information, visit: www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

“

I have without fail, shared with you my brightest days, and I know that sharing with you what has been my darkest will be the light for any man or woman who is feeling the same defeat I felt just only a week ago.

”

demands of being a single moter, a new relationship and her career. We know, when the time is right, Tamar’s fans will relate to seeing this honest portrait of her life, but — at this moment — we are joining with her fans and sending strength and healing in the hope that she is getting the support and help she

needs at this difficult time,” WE tv said in a statement provided to Deadline.

The network also announced that changes were being made to the show given 43-year old star’s situation. The singer who is the youngest of the Braxton family, also stars in WE tv’s Braxton Family Values, and hosts To Catch a Beautician on VH1.

Last week, she broke her silence, posting the following on social media: "Thank you to each and every individual who has prayed for me, thought of me, sent me their love and has showered me with their support. In this present moment, it is my only responsibility to be real with myself and to be real with the ones who truly love me and care for my healing. I have without fail, shared with you my brightest days, and I know that sharing with you what has been my darkest will be the light for any man or woman who is feeling the same defeat I felt just only a week ago."

“I believed that, that as a black woman, as an artist, an influence, a personality I could shape my world, and with whom I believed to be my partners, they could help me share my world.

“In this present moment, it is my only responsibility to be real with myself and to be real with the ones who truly love me and care for my healing,” she wrote. “I have without fail, shared with you my brightest days, and I know that sharing with you what has been my darkest will be the light for any man or woman who is feeling the same defeat I felt just only a week ago.”

“Over the past 11 years there were promises made to protect and portray my story, with the authenticity and honesty I gave. I was betrayed, taken advantage of, overworked, and underpaid. I wrote a letter over 2 months ago asking to be freed from what I believed was excessive and unfair. I explained in personal detail the demise I was experiencing.” My cry for help went totally ignored.

However, the demands persisted.

“It was my spirit, and my soul that was tainted the most… Who I was, begun to mean little to nothing, because it would only be how I was portrayed on television that would matter. It was witnessing the slow death of the woman I became, that discouraged my will to fight.

I felt like I was no longer livin, I was existing for the purpose of corporations gain and ratings, and that killed me.”

“Mental illness is real. We must to normalize acknowledging it and stop associating it with shame and humiliation. The pain I have experienced over the past 11 years has slowly ate away at my spirit…

“It was only God’s grace and his mercy on my attempt to end my pain and my life that I am her to utilize my voice.

Braxton– who went through a divorce last year amid challenging financial woes–went onto say that she would use her voice and experience to be an ally for minorities who have suffered the exploitation of reality TV, making it her mission to establish an initiative that fights for ethical business practices in reality TV. “I am learning to grow through my pain instead of looking for an escape,” Braxton wrote. “I’m on an irreversible path to healing.”

On July 31, WEtv granted Braxton’s wish to be released in the following statement: "Tamar Braxton has been an important part of our network family for more than a decade. As she focuses on her health and recovery at what is clearly a difficult and personal time, we will work with her representatives to honor her request to end all future work for the network."

The show, “Get Ya Life” will still air beginning September 10 as previously edited and Braxton is still set to appear in already shot episodes of the “Braxton Family Values” upcoming seventh season.

L.A. Focus/August 2020

he Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, credit suicide with being the second leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 10 and 34, and the fourth leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 35 and 54. The National Survey of Drug Use and Mental Health estimated in 2018 that approximately 1.4 million adults (0.5%) aged 18 or older made at least one suicide attempt. On July 16, Tamar Braxton became one of them.

At around 10pm on July 16, dispatchers received a 9-1-1 call from Braxton’s boyfriend, David Adefeso.

“My girlfriend is not responding. She’s been drinking and she’s on medication for depression. She sent a letter earlier. She was very angry earlier…” he went on, suggesting that might have attempted suicide with a toxic mix of pills and alcohol.

“She left a note,” said Adefeso, who was heard sobbing uncontrollably on the call.

Moments later, paramedics rushed Braxton from the Ritz Carlton Hotel in downtown Los Angeles to Cedars Sinai, where she would remain hospitalized for three days before being transferred to a mental health facility for further evaluation and treatment.

On the call Adefeso noted the trouble with the network Braxton was having over creative control.

A note, reportedly from Tamar read: "I am a slave. I do not own my life. My stories. My pictures. My thoughts or beliefs. I’ve asked my massa to free me. I’m threatened and punished for it. The only way I see out is death. I will choose that before I continue to love (sic) like this. Please help me (praying hands emoji)," Tamar said in the note.

Just three days earlier, Braxton posted this on social media: “Are we going to talk about pay.... I 100 percent wrote the theme song... where is the coin... our show is on Netflix.... where is the coin... 10 years on The air... we make 75 percent LESS than the kardashians. How come there are no villains on that show”.

Fans and friends posted their support on social media, including Viola Davis, who wrote: “Praying for Tamar Braxton. Mental Health has got to be a part of our "wokeness". There is strength in vulnerability.

You matter Miss Tamar Braxton.”

Just days before her new WEtv reality show, “Get Ya Life!” was set to premiere, the network announced it had been postponed The docuseries follows Braxton’s life with her new boyfriend David as she relaunches her music career, navigates co-parenting with her ex and battles the pressure to reconcile and reunite with her family, while characterizing the series as “the most authentic side of Tamar Braxton ever”.

“Tamar Braxton has been an incredibly important member of the WE tv family for more than a decade, and our first concern is for her recovery and well-being. Given the current situation, we are postponing the premiere of ‘Tamar Braxton: Get Ya Life!’ until September 10. This series was conceived by Tamar and is a real portrait of a dynamic woman juggling the

17

INSIDE HO L LY W OOD

by Neily Dickerson “Quarantine Watch List” As we continue developing our “new normal” in these unusual times figuring out how to stay entertained is interesting.

I’ve been doing so with Showtime, HBO, and several apps that have helped me escape “our real.”

There are a few shows that have given me a much needed mental break and one of them is Apple TV’s, “The Banker”, featuring Marvel’s next Captain America - Anthony Mackie, fan favorite - Nia Long, movie power house - Samuel Jackson, and Nicholas Hoult from Hulu’s, “The Great.”

“The Banker” is the story of two successful African American businessmen who work together to help others pros-

per forward financially and personally.

They also decide to get involved in an area of business that raises eyebrows and have to secure unexpected outside assistance.

Another show for your consideration is, HBO’s “The Watchmen.”

Regina King keeps getting it right

and she’s done so in a major way with this show. If you have not watched it, please do, it’s just good. The cast features, two 1980’s television staples, Don Johnson of “Miami Vice” and Jean Smart from “Designing Women.” Two of my other favorites are also featured, Jeremy Irons and Louis Gossett Jr. Both of these shows are not only good, but relevant for the times we’re living in.

Do yourself a favor and check them out, you won’t be disappointed.

Last but not certainly not least, be sure to watch, “John Lewis: Good Trouble.”

We all need to be reminded of the good he did, to continue achieving and striving towards gooder.

STREAMING & IN THEATRES THIS MONTH

L.A. Focus/August 2020

HOLLYWOOD BUZZ

Cut Throat City ?????

18

Tamera Mowry-Houseley Exits The Real After seven years on the hit daytime talk show, “The Real” Tamera Mowry-Housely will be leaving the show to focus on her family and future endeavors. The announcement came shortly after her fellow co-host Amanda Seales revealed that she would also be leaving the show. “The Real” is currently in its sixth season and also stars Loni Love, Jeannie Mai and Adrienne Houghton.

Mowry-Houseley took to Instagram to discuss her departure.

“I had NO intention to talk about this today, especially in light of the news of my dear friend Naya (Rivera), but now some reports are coming out and I’d rather you hear it from me first,” she said. “To my fellow host, I love you, I will miss you, and I will always be there for you,” wrote. she “Thank you for me, teaching supporting me, and loving all of me...I’ll be rooting for you, as I look forward to spending more time with my family, pursuamazing ing new opportuniand ties, embarking on the next chapter of my life.”

42The

Tenet August 12

Mulan August 21

year-old mother of two is married to former Fox News correspondent Adam Housley. They have two children: Aden, 7, and Ariah, 5.

Antebellum August 21

Tyra Banks to Host “Dancing With the Stars”

“Empire” actor Bryshere Gray was recently arrested in Arizona for assaulting his wife. The 26-year-old was taken into custody after a young woman reportedly flagged someone down and told them that she had been attacked by her husband for several hours. The bystander then drove her to a local Circle K to call the police.

Authorities drove to the couple’s home, but Gray allegedly refused to speak with them. The SWAT team and crisis negotiators were dispatched to assist, leading to Gray’s arrest. .

“Dancing With the Stars” has found its new host in model and actress Tyra Banks. The former “America’s Next Top Model” host will also executively produce the show set to start later this fall if COVID restrictions don’t deter production, "I've been a fan of 'DWTS' since its beginning. The fun mixed with raw emotion, seeing celebrities push past their comfort zones, the sizzling dance performances ... it's always transported me to my days of turning it up 10 notches on the catwalk," Banks said.

The 46-year-old added that the team was doing “all this crazy stuff” to take the show to the next level, while also making sure that they retain the stuff that “America loves.”

Alicia Keys to Produce Documentary about Black, Female Entertainers

Viola Davis to play Michelle Obama and “The Woman King”

Bryshere Gray Arrested for Domestic Violence

Singer Alicia Keys is set to executively produce a documentary highlightingsix iconic black women in entertainment including Lena Horne, Nina Simone, Cicely Tyson, Abbey Lincoln, Diahann Carroll and Pam Grier. Titled, “American Masters: How It Feels to Be Free,” the PBS documentary will tackle the trials and tribulations the women faced in an industry filled with racism, sexism and stereotypes. Based on the book, “How It Feels To Be Free: Black Women Entertainers and the Civil Rights Movement –it will also contain segments featuring entertainers who were influenced by the women including Keys, Halle Berry, Meagan Good, and Samuel L. Jackson, as well as living family members.

“I am proud to be a part of such a meaningful, important project,” Keys said in a statement.

The documentary is set to air in early 2021 on PBS and the Documentary Channel in Canada.

Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis is set to play former first lady Michelle Obama in the upcoming “First Ladies” series on Showtime as well as the lead in “The Woman King”.

The one-hour drama Showtime series will also be executively produced by the 54-year-old actress.

First Ladies’ fits perfectly within the Showtime wheelhouse of drama and politics, revealing how much personal relationships impact both domestic and global events.

“The Woman King” is a historical epic inspired by true events that took place in The Kingdom of Dahomey, one of the most powerful states of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries.

It is the story of Nanisca, general of the all-female military unit known as the Amazons, and her daughter, Nawi, who fought the French and neighboring tribes who violated their honor and enslaved their people.

Q&A John Legend Hometown: Springfield, Ohio Big Break: “Ordinary People” Upcoming Projects: Bigger Love Tour With soul-stirring vocals and a knack for making hits, John Legend has become a household name. The 41year-old even has a rare EGOT to his name (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony). A philanthropist and social justice advocate, Legend continues to lend his voice to the political and social movements that have defined 2020. Legend’s activism and artistry go hand in hand.

The singer started a multi-year campaign called FreeAmerica that seeks to end mass incarceration in the United States. His seventh studio album, “Bigger Love” was released on June 19.

What did the process of recording and promoting a new album look like during a global pandemic and growing racial tension?

I didn’t know what the world would be like when we released this music. I was inspired by love, I was inspired by the hope and joy that I feel. And I still feel some of that, but we’ve had a lot of tragedy recently with the pandemic, with these police killings and the protests. We’ve had a lot of images of us mourning and of us in outrage, but we also are fully human and we experience joy and love and human connection and this album is a celebration of that. Hopefully it’ll help people get through these tough times.

How were you able to collaborate given COVID-19?

I would send notes to all the guys I was working with and say I need you to add this to this section and add this to that section, but we did it all remotely. When I asked Koffee and Jhené Aiko and Rapsody to be on the song, most of their vocals were recorded after we went into quarantine as well. So I had to communicate with them digitally and just explain what I was looking for in the records and had them record it on their own time whenever they could.

Juneteenth celebrations were especially extravagant this year and people really seemed to enjoy the sing-off between you and Alicia Keys that day...

We had a blast. Alicia and I were just giddy afterwards because the music was so fun. Our collaboration was fun, even the unexpected moments. When she started doing the talking part for “You Don't Know My Name” and I started playing and singing, those kinds of moments, you just couldn't have had them in any other setting. And it was really beautiful and powerful.

I heard we’ll be getting more of you on season 19 of “The Voice.” What can we expect this season?

Well I just do the best I can every season. I turn for singers that really move me and really inspire me, and I try to help them win. And you know we all have differences of opinions about whether or not this or that singer deserved to win, or whatever the case, but the people decide. And all we can do is put our best foot forward and coach our artists up and make them the best they can be, and then the people are going to decide.

RedCarpet Style

ACADEMY AWARDS 2014

MET GALA 2017

Lupita Nyong’o’s lovely skin and acting chops have landed her in the spotlight time and time again. The actress just wrapped up the narration of Discover’s nature documentary, “Serengeti” and continues to stun with her red carpet looks. Here are some of our favorites.

CANNES 2018

BAFTA 2018

CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS 2020

ChurchNews

Agape Church of Los Angeles Worship Center Consolidated Plaza: 3725 Don Felipe Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90008

Leading Pastor Says Black Lives Matter Should Dialogue with the Black Church ishop Clarence McClendon of the Inglewoodbased Place of Grace says that while he is grateful that the Black Lives Matter movement has thrust the mantra of black lives into the national conversation, he believes there needs to be dialogue between the black church and Black Lives Matter and he is hoping to help facilitate it.

“I believe that the prophetic community will welcome the Black Lives Matter m o v e m e n t , ” McClendon said. “I'm not sure the Black Lives Matter movement will welcome the prophetic community, but I believe we are a voice among a multiplicity of voices that have to be heard, and I do not believe that there will be any substantial, long-lasting change without the prophetic community making the contribution to it.”

To that end, McClendon says he is in the process of attempting to arrange such dialogues, though the pandemic has made it more challenging.

“But,” he says, “I believe that those conversations need to happen, and they need to happen now.

“I have said it publicly, and will say again,” McClendon continued, “whether black lives matter to white people is immaterial to me. I understand and I'm grateful for the pushing of the mantra and the insertion of the mindset into the corporate consciousness of America, but whether black lives matter, doesn't matter to me at all relative to people of European descent, because whales lives matter to them and dogs lives matter to them. The question is, is my black life equal to yours… because only if my life is equal to yours, will you take your foot off my neck when I say I can't breathe. Only when my life is equal to yours, will what I say make any real difference in how you leave my presence and live your life.”

He says the problems with movements is that they can become commercialized.

“I see young Caucasian brothers and sisters saying black lives matter and holding BLM signs and do not understand the issues nor have a real concept of the substance.

“I am not seeking reparations and I have nothing against the people who are seeking reparations. If the U.S government starts handing out checks, I want them to know where my address is. But with the disenfranchisement that has been systemically perpetrated on people of color in this nation, this government cannot afford to pay me what they owe me.”

The biggest issue McClendon has is with the discussion of race itself.

“There was nothing in the Bible that speaks about race in the distinction of the colors of people. I challenge anyone anywhere in the world to read the Bible and show me where God makes distinctions in the lives of people on the basis of race. It is not there. And I believe the church has not done its job in actually dismantling the historical lie of race. Race is an invention of the white, Western, European subjugation, colonialistic, capitalistic mentality.

“There is one race. It is human. And within that race, there are different ethnicities,” he continued.

“I believe that white preachers and pastors and black preachers and pastors have to begin declaring to their congregations, there is one race.

“When you begin from a standpoint of unity, then you are able to begin to discuss distinctions without conflict. The fact of the matter is there's got to be a conversation now where the actual issues are being discussed. And I don't think that conversation is happening yet.

L.A. Focus/August 2020

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Pastor Reginald Pope Retires The Baptist Minister’s Conference came together late recently to honor the legacy of one of their own. That man is Pastor Reginald Pope and in his 44 years of pastoring at the Bethel Missionary Baptist Church have helped to change and inspire the Watts community he has come to serve and organize both through his church and the Watts Area Minister’s Association he founded.

According to 88-year old pastor who officially retired on July 30, “We got some things done in the community– from improving the streets to the dedication of Harold Hambrick square. But you reach a certain milestone and you say it’s possible that someone could take it now,” Pope paused for a moment.

“I’m going to do some preaching whenever the opportunity presents itself. They say you can retire from pastoring, but you can’t retire from preaching.”

Pope–whose likeness is enshrined on the Walk of Fame in Watts– says he accomplished what he set out to do.

“Souls got saved…people maturing and seeing people be successful in their careers. Being there when people were facing their last days and being able to give them a sense of peace.”

Those, for Pope–are the high points,–the people he had the privilege of saving and growing.”

He preached his last official message as pastor on July 18. For now, Rev. Alvin Stafford Jr. is set to take over.

Churches Sue Governor Over Ban On Singing Three northern California churches are suing Governor Gavin Newsom in an attempt to overturn his ban on singing and chanting inside places of worship.

The churches argue that Newsom unfairly targeted places of worship and didn’t enact the same guidelines for businesses and the ongoing protests that have swept the nation.

Public health officials and medical professionals have reiterated that there’s evidence that suggests talking and increased ventilation increase germ particles in the air, two occurrences that happen while singing. The officials suggest that these particles, should they contain COVID19, can cause infection after lingering in the air for a time and then being ingested.

Jordan Sekulow, executive director of the ACLJ (American Center for Law and Justice) says that the governor’s order is unconstitutional.

“Banning singing in California churches is an unconstitutional abuse of power,” said Sekulowin in an announcement about the suit. “And to do it in the name of a pandemic is despicable.”

Along with Tyler & Bursch, The National Center for Law and Policy and Advocates for Faith & Freedom, ACLJ acted as the churches’ legal team for the lawsuit and many of the attorneys have challenged Newsom’s past orders regarding places of worship during the pandemic.

Pasadena-based Harvest Rock Church and Harvest International Ministry Inc. filed an emergency request with a federal judge seeking a temporary restraining order that would halt the enforcement of Newsom’s ban on singing. The civil complaint states that the ban violates religious freedom and the "cherished liberties for which so many have fought and died.'' The lawsuit also states that in times of distress ''congregants are to sing to the Lord even more and to sing aloud to him.”

Corprate Office: 4602 Crenshaw Blvd, Suite 2A, Los Angeles, CA 90043 (323) 295-5571 www.agapela.org Bishop Craig A. Worsham, Founder & Senior Pastor Sunday School: 10:00am Morning Worship: 11:00am Loving, Lifting & Liberating Humanity Through The Word Bethel Missionary Baptist Church of South L.A. 10905 S. Compton Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90059 (323) 566.5286 Pastor Reginald A. Pope Sunday School: 9:30am Morning Worship: 8am • 11am Children’s Church: 11am (2nd/4th Sundays) Evangelism Training/Bible Study/Independent Prayer: (Mon): 7:29pm Mobile Prayer/Bible Study: (Wed) 11am Book by Book Bible Study (Wed.): 6:30pm

Bethesda Temple Apostolic Faith 4909 Crenshaw Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90043 (323) 299-2591 • thevoice4904@att.net Pastor Kyron S. Shorter Sunday Morning Prayer: 9:00am Sunday School: 9:30am Morning Worship: 11:00am Children’s Church: 11:00am Sunday Evening Service: 6:00pm

Bryant Temple AME Church 2525 W. Vernon Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90008 (323) 293-6201 • F: (323) 293-0082 Pastor Dwaine Jackson Sunday School: 8:15am Morning Worship: 9:15 am Bible Study (Tues): Noon Pastor’s Bible Study( Tues): 6:00pm

Calvary Baptist Church 4911 W. 59th Street,Los Angeles, CA,90056 (323)298-1605•F: (310) 568-8430 • calvarybaptistla.org Rev. Dr. Virgil V. Jones Sunday Prayer: 8:30am Sunday School: 9:30am Sunday Worship: 11:00am Wednesday Bible Study: 12:00pm & 7:00pm We are the Church on the Hill where the Light Shines Bright!

Congregational Church of Christian Fellowship 2085 S. Hobart Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90018 Phone: (323) 731-8869 • F: (323) 731-0851 www.christianfellowshipla.org Pastor James K. McKnight Sun. Early Worship: 8:00am Prayer Meeting: 10:30am Morning Worship: 11:00am Wed. Afternoon Bible Study: 1:00pm Wed. Prayer Meeting: 6:00pm Wed. Evening Bible Study: 7:00pm View Pastor McKnight’s Sermons on YouTube Crenshaw Christian Center 7901 South Vermont, Los Angeles, CA 90044 (323) 758-3777 • F: (323)565-4231 • www.faithdome.org Pastor Frederick K. Price, Jr. Sunday Service: 9:45am Bible Study (Tue): 11:00am & 7:30pm Tue. Night Children’s Ministry: 7:30pm Tue. Night Bible Study (Teens): 7:30pm Alcohol & Drug Abuse Program (Wed): 7:30pm

God’s Faithful Disciple of Jesus Christ / Prayer Clinic & Deliverance Ministry P.O. Box 561368, Los Angeles,CA 90056 (323)293-7566 • www.gfdjc.org• gfdjc@att.net Ruby Cottle, Ph.D., Pastor & Teacher Prophetess June Morgan / Assistant Pastor

Services Every Friday: 7:00pm -9:30pm We meet at: St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church 3901 West Adams Blvd, LA, CA 90018 Watch Dr. Cottle on HBN TV on Wed’s 7:30am Channel 20 Dish & DirectTV,Channel 3 U-Verse

Grace Temple Baptist Church 7017 South Gramercy Place, Los Angeles, CA 90047 (323) 971-8192 Rev. Rodney Howard Sunday L.I.F.E Group: 8:30am Sunday Worship Service: 9:30am Wednesday Intercessory Prayer: 6:30pm Wednesday Night Bible Study: 7:00pm E-Mail: gtbcla@gmail.com

Grant AME Church 10435 S. Central Avenue • Los Angeles, CA 90002 (323) 564-1151 • F: (323) 564-5027

Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church 1300 E. 50th Street Los Angeles, CA 90011 (323) 235-2103 • F: (323) 235-3177 • www.mtzionla.org Dr. Edward V. Hill, II, Pastor Sunday Intercessory Prayer: 9:15am Morning Worship: 9:30am Children’s Church: 9:30am Sunday School: 11:30am Baptism: 2nd Sun. & Lord’s Supper: 1st Sunday Tues. Pastor’s Bible Study: 6:30pm Wed. Noon-day Prayer: Noon

FIRST LADY FILES

Khalilah Tulloss

Rev. Dr. J. Arthur Rumph, Senior Pastor Reappointed to Grant AME Church Los Angeles Rev. Dr. James A. Rumph

Sunday School: 8am Worship: 9:30am Wed. Bible Study: 11:30am •6pm

Greater Ebenezer Baptist Church 5300 S. Denker Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90062 (323) 759-4996 Rev. DeNon Porter Early Worship: 8am Sunday School: 9:30am Mid-Morning Worship: 11am Radio-KALI 900AM: Sun. 11-Noon, 7-8pm KTYM 1460AM Sundays: 5:30pm Bible Study (Tues, Wed & Thurs): 7pm

Holman United Methodist Church 3320 W. Adams Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90018 (323) 703-5868 • www.holmanumc.com Email: holman@holmanumc.com Rev. Dr. Ken Walden, Senior Pastor Sunday Morning Worship: 8:00am & 11:00am Sunday Radio: KJLH 102.3FM at 11:00am Sunday School: 9:30am (Children/Youth) & 9:45am (Adults) Bible Study: Every Thursday @ Noon We Gather,Grow,Go and Live the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Israel Missionary Baptist Church - A Holy Spirit Filled Church 4501 South Compton Ave, Los Angeles,CA 90011 Church/Fax: (323) 233-3295 or 3296 Website: www.Israelmbc.com • Email: israelmbc@yahoo.com Rev. Rodney J. Howard, Sr. Sunday School: 10:00am Morning Worship: 11:30am Sunset Service: 5:00pm Communion Every First Sunday First Sunday Men In Prayer: 8:30 am Pastor’s Bible Study Tuesdays: 7:30pm McCarty Memorial Christian Church 4103 W. Adams Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90018 (323) 731-4131 • www.mccartychurch.org Senior Pastor Edward Anderson Sunday Worship: 10:45am Sunday School: 9:30am Bible Study: Tues Noon

Mount Moriah Baptist Church of Los Angeles, Inc. 4269 South Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA 90037 (323) 846-1950 •Fax: (323) 846-1964

Weller Street Missionary Baptist Church

W

hen First Lady Khalilah Tulloss met Reverend K.W. Tulloss of the Historical Weller Street Baptist Church as a child, she never thought they’d end up married. But after reconnecting after a few years, the rest was history.

Khalilah was born in Arkansas but moved to Gardena, California at a young age.

Growing up in a first family, she’s very familiar with the ins and outs of being a first lady after watching her mother. “(The role) is important because you have the ability to impact other women and young people so I definitely take the role seriously,” she expressed. “But at the same time, I think I can just be me. I know I’m representing God and I know that I have to carry myself in a way that is respectful and can be an example for other people.”

Khalilah became first lady just as the coronavirus pandemic hit, and although she hasn’t been able to have much face-to-face interaction with the congregation, she’s excited to be more involved when things return to normal.

“I do plan to be very involved in the women’s ministry. I think women play a very important role in the church and can really help to shape and mentor the younger women in the church,” she expressed. “I also really want to be involved with the youth. Education is very important to me.”

Khaliliah is looking forward to getting back in the building with everyone, saying, “For me it would be a ‘thank God’ type of celebration, being thankful and grateful that we made it, we survived the pandemic and now we’re able to come back into the house of worship.”

New Antioch Church of God in Christ 7826 So. Vermont Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90044 (323) 778-7965 Elder Jeffrey M. Lewis

Reverend Johnteris Tate-Pastor Sunday Church School: 8:00am Worship Service: 9:15am Baptist Training Union: 7:00am Tues. Bible Study/Prayer:Noon & 7:00pm

Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church 3669 W. 54th St. Los Angeles, CA 90043 • (323) 291-1121 F: (323) 291-1133 • office@sinai.church • www.sinai.church George E. Hurtt, Pastor-Teacher Sunday Worship: 8:00am, 11:30am Discipleship Groups (Sun): 9:45am Noonday Bible Study(Tue): 12:00pm Tuesday Night in the Truth: 7:15pm Radio: KKLA 99.5 FM (Sat): 9:00pm Our Goal: To glorify God by winning more Christians and developing better Christians (Matt. 28:18-20)

Sunday Early Morning Worship: 8:00am Sunday School: 9:30 am Morning Worship: 11:00am Tuesday Prayer and Bible Band: 11:00am Wednesday Bible Study: 7:30pm Wednesday in the Word: 7:30pm Park Windsor Baptist Church 1842 W. 108th St. Los Angeles, CA 90047 (323) 756-3966 • RevTerrellTaylor@sbcglobal.net Rev. Terrell Taylor Morning Worship: 8:00am & 11:00am Bible Study Wednesday: Noon & 7:00pm Communion: 1st Sunday at 8:00am & 11:00am

People’s Independent Church of Christ 5856 West Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90043 • (323) 296-5776

Sundays: Morning Worship: 8:00am & 11:00am Wednesday Bible Study & Mid Week Worship: Noon & 7:00pm Prayer Meeting: 6:30pm

St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church 5017 S. Compton Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90011 (323) 231-1040 • stmarkmbcofla.org Reverend Dr. Lovely Haynes, Pastor Sunday Morning Worship: 8:00am & 11:00am Sunday School: 9:30am Mon-Wed Corporate Prayer: 6:00 - 6:55 pm Monday Night Bible Study: 7:00pm Wednesday Noon Prayer: 12 Noon Wed. Exposition of Sunday School Lesson: 7:00pm

The Potter’s House at One LA 614 N. La Brea Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90036 (818) 763-4521 • www.tphla.org Sr. Pastor Toure’ Roberts Sunday Worship: 9:00am, 11:15am & 1:00pm Thursday Midweek Service: 8pm Watch Live: http://tphla.org/watch-live/

Trinity Baptist Church 2040 West Jefferson Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90018 (323) 735-0044 • F: (323) 735-0219 Rev. Alvin Tunstill, Jr Sunday Worship: 7:30 & 10:30am Sunday Church School: 9:00am Radio Broadcast KJLH FM: 9:00am Wed. Prayer & Bible Study: Noon-7:00pm www.trinitybaptistchurchofla.org Weller Street Baptist Church 129 S. Gless St, Los Angeles, CA 90033 (323) 261-0949 • F: (323)264-6601 • www.wellerstreetlive.com Pastor K.W. Tulloss Sunday School: 8:00am Sunday Morning Worship: 9:00am Tues. Bible Study: 6:45pm www.wellerstreetlive.com “We have not walked this way before” Joshua 3:1-6

West Angeles Church of God In Christ 3045 Crenshaw Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90016 (323) 733-8300 Bishop Charles E. Blake Sunday School: 8:00am & 10:30am Early Worship: 8:00am Morning Worship: 11:00am Evening Worship (North Campus): 7:00pm Wed. Mid-Week Worship: 7:00pm Sun. Radio Broadcast KJLH 102.3FM: 10am www.westa.tv

Lifeline Fellowship Christian Center In Altadena 2556 N. Lake Ave., Altadena, CA 91001 (626) 797-3585 • F: (626) 797-3233 • www.lifelinefcc.org Bishop Charles D. Dorsey Sunday School: 9:00am Early Worship (Glory Prayer): 8:00am Morning Worship: 10:30am Evening Worship (1st & 2nd Sun.): 5:00pm Wed. Bible Study: 7:00pm

Peace Apostolic Church 21224 Figueroa Street, Carson, CA 90745 (310) 212-5673 Suff. Bishop Howard A. Swancy

In Carson

Sunday School: 10:00am Morning Worship: 11:45am Evening Worship: 6:30pm Wed. Noon Day Bible Class: 12:30pm Wed. Bible Class: 7:30pm

Citizens of Zion Missionary Baptist Church In Compton 12930 No. Lime Ave., Compton, CA 90221 (310) 638-0536 • F: (323) 636-2080 • www.citizensofzion.org Rev. Bobby Newman, Jr., Senior Pastor; Rev. B.T. Newman, Pastor (Pastor Emeritus) Sunday School: 9:00am Morning Service: 10:45am Wed. Mid-Week Bible Study: 7:00pm Greater Zion Church Family 2408 North Wilmington Avenue, Compton, CA 90222 (310) 639-5535 • (Tues - Thurs 10am -4pm)

Love and Unity Christian Fellowship 1840 S. Wilmington Ave, (P.O. Box 5449), Compton 90224 (310) 604-5900, www.loveandunity.org Apostle Ronald C. Hill, Sr. Founder and Pastor Sunday Worship: 8:00am & 11:30am Sunday Evening Worship: 6:30pm Bible Studies: Wed. 7:30pm & Sat. 9am Prayer w/Apostle: Tue - Fri: 9am Food for Your Soul TV Ministry- 6:30am Impact Network Television: Mon-Fri 6:30am KJLH 102.3 Sundays: 9pm The City of Refuge 14527 S. San Pedro Street, Gardena, CA 90248 (310) 516-1433 Bishop Noel Jones

In Gardena

Dr. Michael J. Fisher, Senior Pastor Sunday Worship: 8:00am|10:45am| 5:00pm Wednesday Bible Study: 12pm|7:00pm FB: GreaterZion IG: GZCFamily www.gzcf.us

Holy Chapel Missionary Baptist Church In Compton 1016 E. Rosecrans Avenue, Compton, CA 90220 (310) 537-3149 • F: (310) 537-3149 Rev. Dr. George L. Thomas Sunday School: 9:45am & 10:15am Early Morning Worship: 7:30am Mid-Morning Worship: 11:15am New Members’ Class: 9:45am Holy-Communion (1st Sunday): 7:30 & 11:15am Mid-Week Prayer & Bible Study (Wed)- 7:00pm Broadcast (KALI 900AM - Sunday): 2:00pm3:00pm

Morning Worship: 8:00am & 11:00am Evening Worship: 6:00pm Bible Study (Wed): Noon & 7:00pm BET/Fresh Oil (Wed): 7:00am

Atherton Baptist Church 2627 W. 116th Street Hawthorne,CA 90250 (323) 757-3113 • www.athertonbc.org F: 323-757-8772 • athertonbaptist@sbcglobal.net Pastor Larry Weaver

In Hawthorne

Sunday Morning Worship: 8:00am & 11:00 am Sunday Bible Enrichment Class: 9:45am Mon.-Thurs. Bible Study: 7:00pm Wednesday Bible Study: 12:30pm & 7:00pm

Bible Enrichment Fellowship International In Inglewood 400 E. Kelso, Inglewood, CA 90301 (310) 330-4700 • www.bamcm.org Dr. Beverly “BAM” Crawford Morning Worship: 9:30am Tues. Bible Study: 7:30pm Wed. Mid-Week Prayer: 5am, Noon & 7:00pm Wednesday Pathway: 7:00pm Thurs Bible Study: 10:00am Sat Marriage & Family Prayer: 7:30am

Blessed Family Covenant Church 325 North Hillcrest Blvd, Inglewood, CA, 90301 (310)-674-0303 • F: (310)-674-0303 • blessedfamilycovenant.org Rev. Wendy Howlett Sunday School: 8:30am Morning Worship: 9:30am Wed. Prayer & Bible Study: 7:00pm

Church of God Center of Hope 9550 Crenshaw Blvd., Inglewood, CA 90305 (323) 757-1804 www.go2Hope.com Pastor Geremy L. Dixon Morning Worship: 8:00am & 11:00am Wed. Mid-Week Service: Noon Wed. Teaching Ministry: 7:00pm 1st Sunday Communion 5th Sunday Baptism

Pastor Profile: Anthony Williams Church: 88th Street Temple COGIC How Long at Church: 30 years (10 years as senior pastor) Hometown: Los Angeles Family: Wife Bukeka and four children

L.A. Focus/August 2020

How did you get into ministry?

Well, I grew up in the church. My grandfather, the late Bishop B.R Benbow was one of the original four bishops in the Church of God in Christ here in Southern California. My grandfather was given California southwest jurisdiction, so I grew up a church boy, played basketball, had a college scholarship with an offer to play at Pepperdine University, went through some hard times and came back to the church to help my grandfather.

He was about 80 when I came back in '92, a month after the riots and this was what really started me on my journey.

As we were watching television, when the riots hit in '92, my grandfather said, "Let's go down to the church.

They're burning up everything on Vermont." I'm like, "We have to drive down there now?" He said, "Yeah, let's check on the building." So we pull up and there's some gang members outside the front of the church with their guns drawn. The street’s on fire, but our church wasn't touched. These gang members look in the car and one says, "Oh it's the Bishop."

We drove up on the lot and they stayed out there. My grandfather asked me to go back and ask them why they're in front of our church with guns." I'll never forget what they said. It let me know what the church is really about.

He said, ‘We're making sure nobody burns the church because you feed us and help us.

At that time, my grandfather was doing a food program out his pocket every Friday and every Christmas, we gave away free toys.

One of the other gang members said, "Man, I got my first bike from this church." Rev Bimbo is all right with us.

We're going to look out for the church. That's when it dawned on me, "there's more to the church than just getting people to heaven. There are people's lives being impacted now."

You say that a shooting near the church mischaracterized as being at the church that got you into activism– tell me about that?

I'm looking at the TV when the news pops up that a man dropping his wife and child up at Bible study gets shot and killed. I'm like, honey come here. Then our church sign pops up. I said, "Oh my

22

God. The story was all backwards. We didn't even know the guy that got killed. He had never come to church. He was shot just outside the gate before hobbling onto church property. But out of tragedy comes treasure because of that story I did a press conference and started openly talking about how bad it was over here and I started getting calls from Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas and the mayor's office asking how could they help? That started us partnering and was the number one thing that led to my activism.

What are you working on now?

I'm partnering with Community Build and I'm on the advisory board for METRO’s transportation school. The school is my heart, because when you figure Metro Transit Authority, you just think buses and trains, right?

But actually, there are 901 departments within the MTA, 12,000 jobs for these kids who will be learning valuable skills.

Oftentimes you have churches in areas of transition and maybe high crime rates and you’ve tackled that aggressively and successfully with the liquor store across the street....

Absolutely. 78% of the deaths in this area were happening right in front of that liquor store. So what I did was I partnered with a Community Coalition and a couple of other major stakeholders and we marched, picketed and went downtown to get the liquor license suspended. They had a bunch of violations, so their liquor license was suspended. We got rid of the liquor maybe eight months ago, and there hasn't been any disturbance or killings. The area is own upward swing and getting rid of that liquor was paramount.

What did that experience teach you?

You can't change anything, throwing rocks at it or talking about it from the outside in. You change it from being active. It's our community. No one's going to come in on a white horse and save us. We have to save ourselves.

With Coronavirus, I feel like God just hit the reset button. Since we can't come to church, my slogan now is it's time to be the church, so we're doing kingdom work. We're supposed to be expanding the kingdom of God, not the empire as in individual churches.

The kingdom is about who did you feed that was hungry. Who did you cloth that was naked? Who did you visit in the hos-

pital or prison? And who did you tell about me? That's the mission of our church– helping the community.

We're meeting the need with the food giveaway, gang intervention, housing assistance, medical help–the resources we're giving and the community outreach for public policy to change what's going on in our community.

You talked about your dream of playing pro ball…is your transition to ministry part of the hard times you referenced briefly?

I was a pretty good basketball player in high school, so I had a couple offers. I didn't have a lot of world experience, so when I went to Santa Monica Junior College. .

Church was all I knew. We won a championship in '87.

I'm getting letters from everybody and I got an invitation to play in the NBA summer league. I'm on my way.

But crack was sweeping the streets. So I was experimenting with some professional athletes and it took me. By that time, I'd got a scholarship offer from Pepperdine University, but I started doing more drugs than going to class and lost my scholarship. Now, I'm doing drugs and running the streets and truth is, I ended up homeless on the street for about a year. Literally, every door that had been open to me, closed, and the only door open was the church.

That's the beautiful thing about growing up in the church. The bible says, if you train up a child the ways of God, when they get old, they won't depart. That's how I ended up back in the church How did you come to pastor the church?

Trust me, I didn't reach for it.

It took 23 years. When I first came back, my grandfather needed a driver because he was getting too old to drive. After about maybe a year, he's like, You need to teach the Sunday school class. So I started teaching Sunday school.

Then he sent me back to theology school. I was made a licensed minister in '94 and in '98 I was ordained an elder in the Church of God in

continued to page 23

From the Pulpit of: Bethel MBC of South L.A.

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ur sermon begins in Mark 9: 17-27 “And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; 18 And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.

19 He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.

20 And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.

21 And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.

22 And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us.

23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.

26 And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.

27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up; and he arose.

In this scripture have a father searching for help for his son. As you notice, he has known intimately about his son. That he had this situation from a child and is able to detect that something is wrong.

How good it is for fathers today, who are

close enough to their children to determine when something is wrong.

It marvels me when I hear sons having AK-47s in their bedroom and their parents don’t know anything about it. It bothers me when they are certain chemicals causing them to act unusual and the parents don’t detect it.

Here was a father who was close enough to his son to know that he was in trouble and being that close, he sought some help.

He didn’t try to hide it. No, instead he went public in looking for some help for his son.

(Too often we don’t want to go for help because we believe it might reflect badly on us).

First, he goes to Jesus’ disciples to see if they could do anything and lo and behold they were unable to do what needed to be done.

How often do we go looking for help only to find that someone can’t help us?

There was this big crowd around, but no one was able to do anything. The disciples were learners but they had not learned everything and God gave some of them powers to do things like heal, but this time, the disciples weren’t able to help.

Can you imagine the letdown this father felt?

But he didn’t give up.

We’ve got to keep on searching–when someone else is not able to help us, don’t give up.

I would imagine that someone here has gone to an attorney and the attorney couldn’t help you–Someone has gone to the doctor and in spite of the good things that doctors do, they couldn’t help your case.

But don’t give up.

This father was not satisfied with his son being in that condition.

So what kind of condition was he in?

Well, I’m glad you asked me. Demons would possess him and he would fall on the ground knashing his teeth, tormenting himself and even sometimes he was falling in the water and in the fire.

Don’t you know that evil spirits still exists. If you don’t watch it, they will make

Faithful Central Bible Church 321 N. Eucalyptus Ave. Inglewood, CA 90301 (310) 330-8000 • F: (310) 330-8035 Bishop Kenneth C. Ulmer, Ph.D. Senior Pastor/Teacher Services at The Tabernacle: Sunday Services: 7:00am, 9:30am & 11:45am Wed. Mid-Week Service: 7:00pm The Tabernacle is located at 321 N. Eucalyptus Ave., Inglewood www.faithfulcentral.com

New Mount Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church 434 S. Grevillea, Inglewood CA 90301 (310) 673-6250 Office • (310) 673-2153 Rev. Dr. Phillip A. Lewis, D. D., D. Th., Senior Pastor Early Worship: 8:00am Sunday School: 9:30am Morning Worship: 11:00am Mid-Week Bible Study (Wednesday): 7:00pm Afternoon Bible Study (Thursday): 1:00pm

True Friendship Missionary Baptist Church 7901 South Van Ness Ave. Inglewood, CA 90305 (323) 750-7304 Rev. James A. Perkins Sunday School: 9:30am Early Worship: 8am Morning Worship: 10:45am Bible Adventure Hour (Tues): 6pm Bible Study (Tues): 7pm Bible Study (Thurs): Noon

“Father & Son Seeking Help”—Mark 9:17-27

you, me and everyone else act crazy.

The disciples had empathy and sympathy, but they couldn’t do anything about the son’s condition. But here comes Jesus.

So, we now have a seeking father, a suffering son and a saving savior.

Jesus asks some questions and oftentimes we hear the song, when Jesus asks a question, he already knows the answer.

Yet, he asked the father how long has the boy been suffering. And the father says from a child, suggesting that this father has been there all the time and is not an absentee father.

Jesus rebukes his disciples for not being further along in their development than they were. “You’re still not ready for these kinds of challenges.

So Jesus says, bring him unto me.

Hallelujah.

As a last resort, you can still bring them to Jesus. It should be the first resort.

Whatever age and stage your child is, you need to bring them to Jesus. They may be healthy on the outside, but all of us have an inward condition that only Jesus can handle. All of us came here with a condition that only the Holy Spirit, God and the Son can handle. That condition is we were born in sin, shaped in inequity, and cannot heal ourselves.

So here He is and the man says, if you can do anything, have mercy on us, meaning whatever the son was going through, the father was going through with him. When the son hurt, the father hurt also.

We don’t abandon our children because they act a little crazy sometimes. Just go back to your childhood and see when you were young and restless. Go back and remember where the Lord brought you from.

Jesus had to test him out and say, if all believe, you

Antioch Church of Long Beach Mailing address P.O. Box 2291, Long Beach, CA 90801 website:www.antiochlb.com

In Long Beach

Pastor Wayne Chaney Jr. Sunday Worship Services: 10:00am Long Beach Poly High School 1600 Atlantic Avenue Long Beach, Ca 90813

Christ Second Baptist Church 1471 Martin Luther King, Jr., Ave. Long Beach, CA 90813 (562) 599-3421 • Fax: (562) 599-6175 • www.csbclb.org Rev. Welton Pleasant II, Senior Pastor Sunday School: 8:30am Sunday Worship Service: 9:40am Wed. Bible Study: 7:00pm Wed Youth & Young Adult Ministry: 7:00pm

Family of Faith Christian Center 345 E. Carson Street, Long Beach, CA 90807 (562) 595-1222 • F: (562) 595-1444 Bishop Sherman A. Gordon, E.D. Min Sunday School: 8:00 am Morning Worship: 9:00 am

things are possible. And the man said, Lord, I believe but I want you to help my unbelief.

What he is saying is I’m not yet full grown in the spirit. I believe, but I’m trying to get a little better.

I don’t know everything, but I know someone who knows everything.

The devil got busy again, throwing the boy on the ground, but Jesus reached down caught him by the hand and lifted him up and healed him.

Somebody out there needs to be able to reach up and touch the hand of Jesus in your life. You need to be able to know that whatever you’re going through God is able.

I don’t know what condition you have today, but the same Jesus who raised up this boy, can raise you up again. The same Jesus that the heard prayer of the can father your hear prayer today. same The Jesus is able to deliver you from your dilemma.

All we have to do is ask.

Rev. Reginald Pope

Gospel Memorial Church of God In Christ 1480 Atlantic Ave. Long Beach, CA 90813 (562) 599-7389 • F: 562-599-5779 • gospelmemorial@aol.com Bishop Joe L. Ealy Sunday School: 9:30am Sunday Worship: 11:00am Evening Worship: 6:30pm Wed. Intercessory Prayer: 7:00pm Wed. Pastoral teaching adults: 7:30pm Wed. Youth Ministry Boot-Camp; Youth Bible Study: 7:00pm & Choir Rehearsal: 7:30pm Grant AME Church of Long Beach 1129 Alamitos Ave. Long Beach, CA 90813 • (562) 437-1567 grantamelb@aol.com • www.grantamelb.org Rev. Michael W. Eagle, Sr. Sun. Worship Experience: 10:45am 3rd Sun. Healing & Anointing: 10:45am Wed. Bible Study: Noon & 6pm Mothers of Murdered Youth & Children Where all receive a little attention, affection and love.

First United Methodist ChurchCompton 1025 S. Long Beach Blvd •Compton, CA 90221 (310)639-0775•F: (310) 639-1161 Dr. Arnetha E. Inge, Pastor Sunday School: 8:30am - 9:30am Sunday Morning Worship: 10:00-11:45am TONGAN Worship:1:00pm(2nd&3rd Sundays) Wed. Prayer & Bible Study: 7:30am & 6:30pm

Greater Emmanuel Temple 3740 E. Imperial Highway, Lynwood, CA 90262 (424) 296-0400 •www.greateremmanuel.org

In Lynwood

Pastor Nissan Stewart Sunday Morning Worship: 11:00am Wednesday Prayer: 6:30pm Mid-Week Refuel/Bible Study: 7:00pm (Wednesday) Follow us: @GETFamilyNow The Greater Emmanuel Temple App Available in App Store Walking In The Spirit Ministries Double Tree (Sonoma Grill) 13111 Sycamore Drive, Norwalk CA 90650 (213) 248-6343 P.O Box 1597 Norwalk CA,90651 Tim & Leshia Brooks

In Norwalk

Morning Worship: 11:00am Services Held Every 2nd & 4th Sunday and Free Breakfast Is Served Bible Study: 8:30am (Every 5th Friday)

Morning Star Christian Church In Pasadena 980 Rio Grande Street, Pasadena, CA 91104 *Mailing Address: 1416 N. Mentor Ave. Pasadena, 91104 (626) 794-4875 • F: (626) 794-7815 Pastor W. Harrison Trotter and First Lady Ranza Trotter Sunday School: 8:30am Sunday Worship: 10:00am Bible Study Wednesday: 7:00pm Intercessory Prayer (Fourth Wed.): 7:00pm Christians Uniting To Make A Difference -Eph. :13 Greater Morning Star Missionary Baptist 1973 Seventeenth St., Santa Monica, CA 90404 (310) 450-1168 • Pastor Study:(310) 450-4880 (City by the Sea) Pastor Michael Larry, Jr. Senior Pastor Sunday School: 9:00am New Member Class: 9:45 - 10:15am Children Church.: 11:15am Wed: Mid-week Bible Worship: 7:00pm 1st Sunday Communion Trusting God to Transform the Creature, the Church and the Community, Romans 12:2

Arise Christian Center In Westchester 6949 La Tijera Blvd. Suite C,Westchester, CA,90045 (310)568-8445•F: (310) 568-8430 • Arisechristiancenter.com Pastor Ron Taylor Morning Worship: 9:00am & 11:15am Bible Study Wednesday: 7:00pm Intercessory Prayer Tuesday : 7:00pm Intercessory Prayer Sunday: 8am - 8:45am Thursday:11:30am-12:30pm

People Files: Camille Tucker s a woman of faith who is also an ordained minister, screenwriter Camille Tucker has learned at many points in her life that each day moves according to God’s plan, and not always by what’s outlined in her Google calendar.

Tucker was reminded of this during the 15 years she worked on The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel, the highly-rated biopic that aired this spring on the Lifetime network. Tucker developed the story about the music industry’s most successful gospel group and their rise to fame, and shares screenwriting credit with Sylvia L. Jones.

“This particular project was not just a journey, but a test,” said Tucker. “We began pitching the story of the Clark sisters back in 2005, and once I was commissioned to write the screenplay, there were several more drafts that followed,” recalled Tucker, who was first brought onto the project by producer Holly Carter.

“Getting a network or studio to buy and produce a script involves factors that are out of your control,” she says. “The one thing you do control is your talent. But when another year passes and your project has yet to gain traction, I began to wonder if the film industry was the right place for me. ” As Tucker continued revising The Clark Sisters story, she put her time to good use, earning an MFA degree in screenwriting from Loyola Marymount and a masters’ degree in theology from Fuller Seminary. At present, Tucker is Associate Professor of Screenwriting at Biola University.

When Carter pitched the Clark sisters’ story to Queen Latifah in 2017, she, in turn, brought Mary J. Blige and Missy Elliott on board, as all were longstanding fans of the influential, Grammy-winning gospel group. Not long after, Lifetime brought the project under its wing and filming finally began in January 2019. With a stellar cast including Aunjanue Ellis as Dr. Mattie Moss Clark--the matriarch and guiding force behind the singing group-and director Christine Swanson at the helm, The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel was set to air on Easter weekend of 2020.

“It was an exciting time,” Tucker recalls. “I was feeling blessed to have a co-writing credit on my first produced script after selling several screenplays in the past that didn’t get greenlit. Lifetime premiered The Clark Sisters trailer at the 2019 Essence Festival in New Orleans, which sparked audience expectations and positive word-of-mouth long before the actual air date. We had no idea what was waiting for us around the corner.”

In January 2020, news stories on the respiratory illness known as coronavirus began generating headlines, but the threat seemed distant at the time, especially amid assurances from officials here that that the disease was unlikely to penetrate into the U.S. Shortly thereafter, the COVID-19 dominoes began to fall. The first coronavirus death in the U.S. was reported in Washington state on February 29. Amid reports of several players testing positive for coronavirus, the NBA cancelled its season on March 11, with other sports to follow. Film and television production came to a halt, and film studios scrambled to find late summer slots to debut their blockbusters. On March 13th, in the face of a pandemic, the nation entered a protective shut-down phase

A

L.A. Focus/August 2020

SB 793 continued from page 12 Black community but all communities. “If there is one thing you can do to save Black lives, it is moving menthol off the market…it’s not a question of racism and special treatment”, said Sanders.

The CDC reports that tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States with more that 480,000 deaths annually. Sanders argues that 45,000 of those deaths are African-Americans with tobacco being a major contributor to heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes.

Co-Chairperson of the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council, Carol McGruder, also supports SB 793 and argues that racism doesn’t play a role in this specific bill.

“The FDA in two different reports said it would be in the best interest of the public to take menthol off the market…we want to take off a product that kills 45,000 Black people every year in this country”, said McGruder.

The African American Tobacco Control Leadership council Star Parker continued from page 7 is suing the FDA since they believe they have not protectphysically safe. We also know what measures to take to ed Black people and racism can be found on their end. prevent ruining a child's future by depriving them of the Councilwoman Michelle Chambers of District 1 in the City education they must have. We must get them to school. of Compton, also gave her input on where resources and Star Parker is president of the Center for Urban attention should be directed which is healthcare.

Renewal and Education and author of the new book “Give us some money for cessation…help us with can"Necessary Noise: How Donald Trump Inflames the cer research and help us with mental therapy”, said Culture War and Why This is Good News for America."

Chambers. As someone who is against the bill, she Readers can respond to Star's column by emailing starargues that if this bill passes another George Floyd or parker@urbancure.org.

Eric Garner incident could ensue and the criminal justice will be affected. As this bill continues to make its Pastor continued from page 22 way through the legislature, the debate still remains if Christ. this will help reduce tobacco use across the board or You qualify to be a pastor when you're an elder, but I marginalize the Black community even more. was still serving under my grandfather. I'm teaching the The California Senate has already passed the bill and men's class, the pastoral class and Sunday school. I played it will make its way to the Assembly for considera- the drums. I'm the sound man… By this time, he's 91. I'm tion. the assistant pastor preaching on second Sundays. This is

24

that would last the next eight weeks.

The pandemic forced Lifetime to cancel a robust schedule of advance screenings of The Clark Sisters with mega-churches around the country, and Tucker scuttled a long-planned Raleigh Studios screening she hoped to host.

How many viewers The Clarks Sisters would attract absent the marketing support that had been in place was an open question, Tucker says. But the nationwide shelter-in-place order bore out a result that no one could have anticipated: with more than 2.7 million viewers, Lifetime’s broadcast of The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel became the network’s highest-rated biopic of the past four years and an Internet sensation. To date, more than 13 million people have watched the tele-film.

How is it that The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel was so widely embraced at a time when Easter overlapped with a pandemic?

“It is during times of national or personal trauma, times when people are the most vulnerable and feeling the most powerless that they invoke the help of the transcendent,” said Pastor Phil Allen, Jr. of Own Your Faith Ministries, a non-denominational Christian ministry based in Santa Clarita, CA. “I also think that the Clark Sisters film was embraced because people wanted a peek into the collective life of one of the most beloved gospel groups of all time,” Allen added. “People crave stories outside of stereotypes that are usually seen, and this is especially true for the Black community. But I think that white people, generally speaking, also want to see and even know our stories, for a myriad of motivations.”

Although the pandemic remains present and persistent, the country is now re-opening in phases. Hollywood is coming back, too, as Tucker found out in a big way a few days ago. Posted by friends to her social media page was a photograph of an immense blue Sunset Boulevard billboard. Poised almost as high as the sky, The Clark Sisters actors were silhouetted behind the word “EMMY” with “For Your Consideration In All Categories” sharing the spotlight.

Is there an Emmy nod in Tucker’s future for outstanding writing in the television Academy’s limited series/movie category?

“Can we not go there, please?” says Tucker as if the mention of a nomination too overwhelming to consider.

“I’ll tell you what…let me get back to you in a few weeks and I’ll let you know if that recognition was part of God’s plan for me,” she adds with a smile. in around '08. And he falls and hurts his hip.

They didn't even expect him to walk again, so he can't come to church and while he's gone, He says, "just keep it going."

By the time I take over the church which seats over 1,000, attendance has dwindled down to a handful. I'm not a traditional preacher. I'm a teacher. So I start teaching the word. The church started to grow and by the time my grandfather came back, I’d taken in more in the last couple of months then he’d taken in in years. That’s when he let me know it was time for me to take over. I just celebrated ten years. The church has grown exponentially. We’ve renodeled and become the staple in the community.

Now, I'm a superintendent in the Church of God in Christ and I serve on the executive board of the general council of the pastors and elders of the Church of God in Christ. It’s been God.

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SavingGrace John Robert Lewis

I

L.A. Focus/August 2020

t is a great honor to be back in Ebenezer Baptist Church, in the pulpit of its greatest pastor, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to pay my respects to perhaps his finest disciple – an American whose faith was tested again and again to produce a man of pure joy and unbreakable perseverance.”

Those are the words of Former President Obama during his eulogy for Lewis’ funeral in Atlanta on July 30.

Obama’s remarks were pointed and political, remembering Lewis as an icon consistently on the front lines of a relentless fight for justice against “against the darker currents of this country’s history, of our own history, with their whirlpools of violence and hatred and despair that can always rise again.”

The conscience of Congress, he was called by his colleagues.

Obama compared Lewis to “John the Baptist preparing the way” and “Old Testament prophets speaking truth to kings.”

Born in rural Alabama, Lewis grew up with the dream of becoming a preacher (his family nicknamed him “Preacher.) He loved telling the story of the first congregation he preached to, made up of the family chickens he was responsible for. Young Lewis’ flock was treated to his early sermons and bible readings. He even conducted chicken weddings. When they died they would be honored with funerals and eulogies.

“I was truly intent on saving the little birds’ souls,” he wrote in his 1998 memoir, “Walking With the Wind.”

Lewis delivered his first public sermon days after he turned 16. He remembered seeing his name and photo in the local newspaper afterward in “March,” the awardwinning graphic novel series about his young days of ministry.

For inspiration, he listened to a young minister named Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He closely read and followed King’s Montgomery Bus Boycotts in 1955 and first met King in 1958 when he was 18 after young Lewis had written to Dr. King. King sent Lewis a round trip bus ticket to Montgomery to formally meet.

He graduated from the American Baptist Theological Seminary (now American Baptist College) in Nashville.

It was in Nashville where he first met other civil rights leaders who would go on to stage lunch counter sit-ins, Freedom Rides and voter registration campaigns. His first arrest in 1960 in Nashville came when he joined other students sitting-in at a whites-only lunch counter demanding service.

The sit-ins would become one of the catalysts for the formation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which he would become chairman of in 1963.

These early sit-ins would also become the first example and inspiration of Lewis’s life motto: getting into “good trouble.”

Lewis would go on to embark on a “holy crusade” as he called it and after graduating from the seminary.

“It was no accident that the movement was led primarily by ministers–not politicians, presidents or even community activists–but ministers first, who believed they were called

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DIANNE LUGO

Contributor

It was no accident that the movement was led primarily by ministers—not politicians, presidents or even community activists—but ministers first, who believed they were called to the work of civil rights as an expression of their faith.” to the work of civil rights as an expression of their faith,” he wrote in “Across That Bridge: A Vision for Change and the Future of America” co-authored with Brenda Jones.

“Religious faith is a powerful connecting force for any group of people who are working toward social change.”

He joined as one of the original Freedom Riders in 1961. Organized by the Congress of Racial Equality, known as CORE, the original Freedom Riders would be met with horrific violence during their quest to integrate public travel and draw attention to the federal government’s failure to enforce the 1960 Supreme Court decision in Boynton v. Virginia that declared segregated interstate bus travel to be unconstitutional.

“It was very violent. I thought I was going to die. I was left lying at the Greyhound bus station in Montgomery unconscious," Lewis recalled of a moment when riders were met by a mob and assaulted with stones, baseball bats, lead pipes and chains.

“If there was anything I learned on that long, bloody bus trip of 1961,” he added in his memoir, “it was that we were in for a long, bloody fight here in the American South. And I intended to stay in the middle of it.”

In 1963, he became the youngest speaker at the 1963 March on Washington, speaking just before Dr. King would go on to deliver his “I Have A Dream” speech.

“By the forces of our demands, our determination, and our numbers, we shall splinter the segregated South into a thousand pieces and put them together in the image of God and democracy,” said Lewis.

Perhaps most famously, Lewis would help organize and lead one of the most famous marches in American history, the march in Selma across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on March 7, 1965, that would become known as “Bloody Sunday.”

25-year-old John Lewis would join 600 others demanding the voting rights they had been denied. After all, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 had passed months earlier but little change had come as a result. In Dallas County, Ala, for example, African Americans made up more than half of the population, yet accounted for just 2 percent of registered voters.

Walking from the Brown Chapel AME Church on, Lewis marched partway across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., into a waiting group of state troopers in riot gear.

Despite orders to turn back

and disperse, protesters silently stood their ground. In response, troopers attacked the marchers with tear gas, bullwhips and rubber tubing wrapped in barbed wire.

Lewis’s skull was fractured with a billy club.

The violence was televised nationwide and outrage was swift. Bloody Sunday would become a turning point in the civil rights movement and it would help galvanize public opinion and mobilize Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act, which President Johnson signed into law on August 6, 1965.

"Yes, I was beaten, left bloody and unconscious. But I never became bitter or hostile, never gave up. I believe that somehow and some way if it becomes necessary to use our bodies to help redeem the soul of a nation, then we must do it," Lewis told CBS News.

“We were beaten, we were tear-gassed. I thought I was going to die on this bridge,” he said in a tweet on the 55th anniversary of Bloody Sunday . “But somehow and some way, God almighty helped me here. We cannot give up now. We cannot give in. We must keep the faith, keep our eyes on the prize.”

This determination and fearless commitment to combatting injustices followed Lewis’ legacy until his death along with his unwavering faith. He would join politics in 1981 when he was elected to the Atlanta City Council. He would be elected into Congress in 1986, representing Georgia's 5th Congressional district for 17 terms.

As Congressman, Lewis would become a thorn in the side of the Trump administration, as he had been for other Republican administrations, unashamedly speaking out against what he saw as the rise in bigotry and forces he’d faced before.

In 2016 Lewis would compare Trump to the racist Alabama governor that vocally supported segregation.

"I've been around a while and Trump reminds me so much of a lot of the things that George Wallace said and did,” he said. “When you see something that is not right, not just, not fair, you have a moral obligation to say something,” he added after the vote for Trump’s impeachment. “To do something. Our children and their children will ask us, ‘What did you do? What did you say?’ For some, this vote may be hard. But we have a mission and a mandate to be on the right side of history.”

Shortly before his death, Lewis would commend protestors around the country who had mobilized after the death of George Floyd, a Black man killed by police in Minneapolis. They were just another example of the continued fight against racism, he said. Progress, after all, can be fragile, he recognized, and demanded constant vigilance and action.

“It was very moving, very moving to see hundreds of thousands of people from all over America and around the world take to the streets – to speak up, to speak out, to get into what I call ‘good trouble,’” he told “CBS This Morning” in June. "And with a sense of determination and commitment and dedication, there will be no turning back. People now understand what the struggle was all about. It's another step down the very, very long road toward freedom, justice for all humankind."

Lewis never became that traditional preacher he thought he’d become, but he had no regrets, he told Religion News in 2016.

“I think my pulpit today is a much larger pulpit,” he said. “If I had stayed in a traditional church, I would have been limited to four walls and probably in some place in Alabama or in Nashville, Tennessee. I preach every day. Every day, I’m preaching a sermon, telling people to get off their butts and do something.”