Bakersfield News Observer 2.8.23

California Advocates Shine Light on Pregnancy-Related Deaths Among Black Women

Charlene Muhammad California Black Media

April Valentine, 31, planned to celebrate her new birth with family and friends, but instead her loved ones found themselves in front of Centinela Hospital in Inglewood on Jan. 28, protesting her death.

Valentine’s family alleges that she complained about leg pain for hours during the birth of her child on Jan.10, but was ignored and neglected by her caretakers at the medical center that specializes in maternal care.

Valentine, pregnant with her first child, died that day.

and we want to share with legislatures, policy makers, with healthcare institutions, the lived experience of people who are coming into the screenings so they actually have the real data, and we can use that to make the case for some of the actions we want to see happen,” she said.

The event was sponsored by African American Infant/Maternal Mortality (AAIMM), Girls Club-Los Angeles, Southern Christian Leadership (SCLC)-Southern California, Charles Drew University, Black Maternal Health Center of Excellence, Children’s Institute, and Black Women for Wellness (BWW).

‘Viola Davis’ Grammy Win for Audiobook Makes Her an EGOT

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Viola Davis has achieved EGOT status.

habits placed them in this situation. When compared to poor White women with less education, Black women had worse death rates. Black women are unable to buy or educate themselves out of being a statistic when it comes to pregnancy-related deaths. The cause is not race, but racism.

The actor won a Grammy Award Sunday for best audio book, narration, and storytelling recording for her memoir “Finding Me.” “I just EGOT!” she shouted from the stage as she accepted the trophy, using the term for the rare person who’s won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award during their career.

The celebrated actor has two Tonys, most recently for “Fences” in 2010, she won an Emmy in 2015 for “How to Get Away with Murder,” and won an Oscar in 2017 for the film version of “Fences.”

“Oh, my God,” she said. “I wrote this book to honor the 6-year- old Viola, to honor her, her life, her joy, her trauma, everything. And it has just been such a journey.”

Pines recommended supporting and volunteering

Women In The Room Productions has partnered with the National Birth Equity Collaborative (NBEC), one of the leading policy organizations in the country, to support legislation and public education they believe will make a difference. One such policy change is the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021, which is comprised of 12 i bills addressing various dimensions of the Black maternal health crisis. One of the bill’s sponsors, U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) appeared in the film.

Pastor Thembekila Smart, Executive Director, Women of Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Southern California Chapter moderated the four-person panel in Inglewood and kicked off the discussion with her own birthing stories, ranging from an emergency c-section with her second child during which the doctor asked her husband ‘if one must be saved, who would it be: his wife or his son? Her third birth was in her 24th week and her son was hardly one pound. Both babies survived and are now thriving young men, Smart shared.

“We did not have any idea that our birthing experience would go this way,” said’ Smart, who described the current state of Black maternal health in the United States as “medical apartheid.”

During their discussion, the panelists amplified the main themes of Birthing Justice as they made the case that encouragement, resources, and support are necessary, along with improved medical care, to transform the maternal care system.

Dr. LaTanya Hines, an OB/GYN and member of the Association of Black Women’s Physicians (ABWP) said she was an unapologetic and proud advocate for Black women.

“Nobody should die in pregnancy,” she said.

Dr. Hines addressed the importance of OB/GYN care, stressing the need to start conversations with patients from their first visit about planning their pregnancies. She said their vital statistics are also critical -- making sure that their blood pressure, blood sugar and weight were well controlled before they got pregnant so that their birthing experience is healthy and safe.

Birthing Justice film screening with community partners and advocates (l-r) Pastor Thembekila

Smart (SCLC), Adjoa Jones (Outreach & Engagement African American Infant/ Maternal Mortality Prevention Initiative, Debbie Allen (Tribe Midwifery), Leigh Purry (Blue Shield), Khefri Riley (Frontline Doulas), Dr. LaTanya Hines (Association of Black Women’s Physicians), Gloria Davis (Girls Club of Los Angeles), Denise Pines (Executive Producer), Gabrielle Brown (Black Women for Wellness) (Photo: Courtesy Photo Black Women for Wellness)

Her plight is only one episode, advocates say, in what is an escalating crisis affecting Black women during pregnancy throughout California and across the country

Recently, a group of advocates collaborated to bring awareness to the Black maternal and infant health crisis with a free screening of the film “Birthing Justice: Every Woman Deserves A Beautiful Birth Story” at The Miracle Theater in Inglewood. A panel discussion complemented the feature-length documentary.

Birthing Justice covers the issues underpinning – and helping to fuel -- the maternal health crisis within the African American community and articulates best practices to enhance birthing equity for all women, especially Black women.

The audience completed a preliminary survey online prior to viewing the film, and later filled out a post survey online. Denise Pines, the executive producer of Birthing Justice and co-founder of Women In The Room Productions, talked about the “the goal of this survey.”

“We probably will end up having a hundred screenings,

with the organizations that do the much-needed work to address pregnancy-related deaths of Black mothers and babies and to get better outcomes overall.

The filmmakers explored what they are calling a “national epidemic” in four regions: Washington, D.C., Augusta, GA, and several areas in Missouri, and California. They interviewed women affected by current policies -- birthing moms and healthcare professionals, as well as birthing advocates, activists and policy makers at the forefront of advancing policy change.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Black women were three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than White women. Multiple factors contributed to these disparities, such as variation in quality healthcare, underlying chronic conditions, structural racism, and implicit biases.

Birthing Justice strongly noted that the high mortality rates among Black women are not due to their genetic makeup, what they ate, how they behaved, nor any bad

“I am going to work with you, and we will have a shared decision-making plan,” Hines emphasized. “The goal of giving more to your patients because they need more, and if we happen to give little more than what they need, it’s okay.”

Debbie Allen, Founder of Tribe Midwifery, said women should not assume that medical establishments will give them the care they are supposed to receive.

“Demand it,” she said. “There are so many layers as to why we get the care that we get, but until those things change, we have to take responsibility to make sure we get the care we deserve,” Allen advised.

Allen said women should ask questions, involve their partners, and treat childbirth like planning a wedding.

Leigh Purry is Senior Manager of Community Health, Blue Shield of California’s Health Transformation Lab.

“This film will shine light on the critical issue of saving lives and this film will help ensure that every pregnant and birthing person’s voice is heard,” said Purry.

“This film will help ensure that people have access and receive all the support they need to feel safe and cared for. Racism exists and it exists in healthcare,” she added.

For more information about the movement to ensure Birthing Justice for Black mothers and their families, and to find a film screening in your area, visit BirthingJustice. com.

Six-Figure Earners Also Living Paycheck-to-Paycheck

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

In 2022, the economy proved as volatile as ever, with less disposable income and greater unpredictability. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index, inflation in the United States peaked at 9.1 percent in July 2022 and dropped to 7.1 percent by November 2022. A new study found that more people are having to spend all their income on necessities, and they are counting on their next salary to meet the costs they’ll incur until then. Researchers discovered that many people of higher socioeconomic status have had their first taste of living paycheck to paycheck this year. While researchers found that most paycheck-to-paycheck consumers can pay their bills on time, one in every five Americans still require assistance to make ends meet. Research conducted by Pymnts.com and LendingClub Corp. revealed that by the end of the year, 64 percent of American customers (166 million individuals) will be living paycheck to paycheck. That represents a rise of 3% from a year ago, or 9.3 million additional people in the United States. Almost 8 million of them made $100,000 or more per year. By the end of 2022, 51% of people in that income bracket reported that they were living paycheck to paycheck, up 9% from the year before. U.S. consumers, especially those who must spend every dollar they earn each month to meet their financial obligations, have been hit hard by inflation and economic uncertainty in 2022, as the authors of “The Paycheck-to-Paycheck Report: 2022 Year in Review”

detail. This study analyzed consumers’ responses to the ongoing financial pressures of an ever-changing economic landscape by drawing on PYMNTS’ series of 12 unique reports, conducted in collaboration with LendingClub and released each month from January to December

— and representing insights from a total of 45,700 U.S. consumers. The researchers determined that living paycheck to paycheck is currently the norm in the United States. Over the past year, the percentage of consumers living paycheck to paycheck fluctuated, and while it is now comparable to a year ago, it is up 11 percentage points from a low in April 2021. Although people of all income levels have felt the pinch, the percentage of high-income people living paycheck to paycheck has increased significantly in the last two years. From July 2021 to November 2022, the percentage of high-income customers who reported living paycheck to paycheck increased from 34 percent to 47 percent. While 6.8% of consumers making above $200,000 report living paycheck to paycheck and having trouble making ends meet, 10% of those making between $150,000 and $200,000 and 12% of those making between $100,000 and $150,000 admitted a similar financial situation. The report revealed that consumers with lower incomes are more likely to require bill payment assistance. When asked why they were having trouble making ends meet, 18% of middle-income consumers and 33% of low-income consumers said it was because of their income level. Lydia Boussour, senior economist at EY Parthenon, told MSN that “consumer spending prospects are unclear.” She claimed that consumers’ discretionary spending will be low this winter because of rising costs, depleted savings, and growing reliance on credit. The decline in stock prices and property values will have a “negative wealth effect,” exacerbating these dynamics.

The audiobook category has seen some seriously famous winners, including Michelle Obama and expresidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.

Davis’ fellow nominees this year included LinManuel Miranda, Jamie Foxx, and one of the other 17 members of the EGOT club, Mel Brooks.

Other EGOT winners include Jennifer Hudson, John Legend and Rita Moreno.

Tony Hawk to Donate Photo Proceeds to Tyre Nichols Fund

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Skateboard legend Tony Hawk says he will donate half of the proceeds of autographed photos of himself and BMX rider Rick Thorne to the memorial fund for Tyre Nichols.

“My proceeds from these will go to the Tyre Nichols Memorial Fund, which includes plans to build a public skatepark in his honor; as our worlds continue to grieve his loss,” Hawk tweeted Friday. “He was a talented skater among other admirable traits. Let’s keep his legacy alive.”

The photos can be purchased on Thorne’s website for $30. Only 1,000 copies will be available for sale.

Half of the proceeds from the autographed photos will go to Nichols’ memorial fund “to help his family out, and to build a memorial skate park in his name, honoring his love for skateboarding,” according to Thorne’s website.

Nichols was a 29-year-old skateboarder, FedEx worker and father to a 4-year-old boy.

He died Jan. 10 after police stopped him for what they said was a traffic violation and beat him. Video released after pressure from Nichols’ family shows officers holding him down and repeatedly punching, kicking and striking him with a baton as he screamed for his mother.

Six officers have since been fired and five of them have been charged. One other officer has been suspended, but has not been identified.

3 Killed in Crash Near LA Involving Driver Fleeing Police

SOUTH GATE, Calif. (AP) – Three people were killed and one person was injured in a crash involving a driver who was fleeing police near Los Angeles early Sunday, authorities said. The two-vehicle collision occurred around 2 a.m. at an intersection in the city of South Gate, according to the LA County Sheriff’s Department.

Two people died at the scene and two others were taken to a hospital, where one died, officials said. The survivor’s condition wasn’t known.

Occupants of both vehicles were among the deceased, ABC 7 reported.

Officers were investigating a theft when they began following – and then chasing – a vehicle, the South Gate Police Department said.

Officials canceled the pursuit due to the suspect’s dangerous speeds and the crash occurred a short time later, police said.

Los Angeles Man Admits Selling Ghost Guns, 17 lbs of Meth

LOS ANGELES (AP) – A 27-year-old Los Angeles man has pleaded guilty to federal charges for selling 17 pounds (7.7 kilos) of methamphetamine and 89 firearms, including dozens of untraceable “ghost guns,’’ prosecutors said.

Julio Ernesto Lopez-Menendez could face life in prison when he’s sentenced May 26, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

He entered guilty pleas on Friday to one count of distribution of meth and one count of engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license, the statement said. He’s been in federal custody since his arrest last April.

In one deal in January 2022, Lopez-Menendez sold a buyer a dozen firearms, including 10 semi-automatic pistols that were ghost guns lacking serial numbers, prosecutors said.

In another transaction a month later, he sold the same buyer 14 more guns and a pound (.45 kilos) of meth, according to the statement.

What African Americans Want Most from Congress in 2023

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

As 2022 closed, Black Americans saw gains with historic candidates and timely legislation.

President Joe Biden signed the Emmett Till Antilynching Act and later, the Respect for Marriage Act, which protected interracial marriages.

A slim majority in Congress prevented other significant bills from reaching the president’s desk.

As Black History Month begins, there remains key issues that African Americans want to see happen.

A December poll of Black voters revealed that African Americans want the government to do more to fight white supremacy.

That FBI helped underscore that need when it issued a report noting that hate crimes disproportionately target African Americans.

With mass shootings continuing at a record pace, gun control remains a hot-button issue for Black America.

Further, many Black voters have suggested strong desires for a comprehensive voting rights package, whether that’s in the form of the Freedom to Vote Act, or the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

The former would expand mail-in, early voting, and automatic voter registration, while the latter would restore the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

And, following the brutal murder of Tyre Nichols at the hands of five Tennessee police officers, African Americans have continued to voice outrage over the failure of lawmakers to pass the George Floyd Justice in Police Act. While the bill has twice passed the House, the measure has stalled in the Senate despite a Democrat majority there.

The legislation would end qualified immunity, which many believe would greatly curtail the type of police behavior that led to the deaths of Nichols, Floyd, and so many other African Americans.

NNPA Wraps Midwinter Conference

Showing Strength of Black Press, and Star-Studded Celebration for Dr. Benjamin Chavis

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the trade association for more than 230 African American-owned newspapers and media companies, held its 2023 midwinter training conference in Puerto Rico. By the end of the four-day event, publishers, partners, sponsors,

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members, guests, and anyone else who visited the San Juan Marriott Beach Resort and Stellaris Casino gained a better appreciation of the power of the Black Press of America. Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer of the NNPA, received the organization’s highest accolade while colleagues, family, and friends celebrated his birthday. With “Digital Innovation Training and Engagement” as the conference’s theme, NNPA Executive Administrator Claudette Perry and conference planners did not disappoint. The NNPA began by introducing everyone to its new app, which facilitated registration, provided information and instructions to each session. Publishers left the Island of Enchantment with a better understanding of the importance of their digital products and how to monetize both print and online publications. Kate Cox, adjunct professor at the Poynter Institute in Tampa, Florida, conducted an enlightening conversation on overcoming obstacles to produce sustainable corporate outcomes through digital transformation. Cox advised publishers on how to engage in a presentation that was developed expressly for NNPA members to generate revenue streams because of digital transformation. In a separate workshop, Cox assisted publishers in implementing the suggested evaluations of their current audiences, staffing, and consultants to maximize potential for raising digital revenue and expanding their total market influence. Later, NNPA Digital Manager Norman Rich and Rolling Out COO Randy Fling discussed the digital revenue success approaches adopted by certain members, including Rolling Out. “Digital ads are an important part of digital, but there are many other benefits,” Fling advised publishers. “It can help your business,” he said. “Do not unsell yourself,” Rich pleaded to publishers. Ashley Edwards, vNews Lab’s US Partnerships Manager, and Tina Xiao, Google News Initiative’s global program manager,

presented publishers with three best practices for driving traffic to their websites. They also instructed journalists on how to use Google tools to find, verify, and tell stories tailored to their audiences. In addition, the pair discussed the importance of GNP resources for publishers to grow and sustain their digital businesses. Chavis spoke with Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL) about the importance of Black lives and the Black press in a pre-recorded conversation. He also had a live fireside chat with Dorothy Tucker, President of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), about strengthening the bond between the two organizations. The Illinois proprietors of The Times Weekly, Jayme and Dwight Casimere, conducted a session entitled “The Business of Wine and How it Became a Digital Advertising Opportunity.” A workshop on the opinions and recommendations of Generation Z and Millennials regarding the future economic sustainability of the Black Press was a highlight of the conference. Discussion was led by Chelsea Lenora White of the Houston Forward Times, Jarren Small, founder of Reading with a Rapper, Michale Green, managing editor of the Washington Informer, and Lafayette Barnes, publisher of The Bridge.

The quartet discussed and illustrated how publishers may generate new revenue streams as a result of the intersection and engagement of adolescents with their digital and print media.

Chavis, the recipient of the 2023 NNPA Lifetime Achievement Award, was feted with a 75th birthday party on Day 3 and a star-studded awards ceremony to help close out the conference. Chavis’ family offered heartfelt words of appreciation and admiration during the ceremony, hosted by Rev. Mark Thompson. Chavis’ longtime friend and hip-hop pioneer Russell Simmons, Public Enemy founder Chuck D, Fat Joe, Kurtis Blow, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, Congressman James Clyburn

(D-South Carolina), Rep. Barbara Lee (D-California), NAACP President Derrick Johnson, and many others paid tribute in video form.

Rocky Bucano, Executive Director of the Universal Hip Hop Museum, also arrived in San Juan to take part in the celebrations honoring Chavis. Billy Murphy, a wellknown Baltimore attorney, announced a $50,000 Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. Scholarship.

General Motors, Hyundai, Wells Fargo, AARP, Nissan, MCRD, Zillow, Compassion & Choices, Rebuild Local News, Comcast-NBC Universal, API, Diageo, Reynolds, Pfizer, Google News Initiative, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation counted among the NNPA’s partners and sponsors. “Our NNPA executive committee and convention planning committee, chaired by Data News Weekly Publisher Terry Jones, are grateful that [everyone involved] has taken the time to join us in support of the Original Black Press,” said NNPA Chair Karen Carter Richards. “We are grateful to all of the NNPA’s corporate partners, sponsors, and supporters who have generously contributed to allow us to be together here in Puerto Rico,” Jones added. Chavis, gracious but overwhelmed, stated that the NNPA is devoted to keeping its readers, constituencies, and supporters informed, engaged, and empowered through breaking news, cultural excellence, and visionary opinions and editorials. “We are African American businesses that continue to provide a vital service to all communities across the country and around the world,” Chavis stated. “This year marks the beginning of my tenth year as president and CEO, and it has been a remarkable journey as I have personally encountered some of the world’s best publisher leaders, journalists, and advocates for freedom, justice, equality, and equity.”

Why is R&B Music More Explicit Than Ever? It’s Complicated.

By GARY GERARD HAMILTON

Associated Press New York (AP) _ Tank was nervous after sending his manager a preview of “When We” _ he'd never released a song that explicit. “He's like, `You're crazy, but it's jammin'!”' the R&B singer recalled. “It ended up being my biggest record ever.”

Released in 2017, the seductive chorus of “when we (expletive)” was obviously too explicit for radio, so a “clean” version used the phrase “when we touch.” Despite releasing his first album in 2001 and crafting hits like “Maybe I Deserve” and “Please Don't Go,” it was “When We” that's been Tank's most successful, finishing No. 1 on Billboard's 2018 year-end adult R&B airplay chart.

“I didn't reinvent anything vocally _ a little R&B here and there, tapped into my rap cadence, tapped into my Migos (style),” Tank, now 47, said. “I was competitive.”

Being competitive _ and collaborative _ with hip-hop is one of the reasons today's R&B is more explicit. Last year's Luminate Year-End report found that R&B/hip-hop is America's most popular genre, accounting for the most U.S. on-demand song streams and the largest share of total album consumption.

“It just seems a little bit more extravagant now because some of the R&B singers are acting like rappers,” said Colby Tyner, senior vice president of programming at Radio One and Reach Media, which operates the largest urban radio network in the United States. “It was a clear separation of church and state. Now, it's a little bit together and so the music reflects it.”

So how did R&B go from Boyz II Men's “I'll Make Love to You” to Chris Brown singing “(expletive) you back to sleep”? It's complicated.

“It used to be that television and radio was where you got your content. And if it was television and radio, it was censored because of the FCC. Well, you got YouTube, you got all these streaming services and you got social media. So, we are in the authentic era,” said Tyner. “We (radio industry) are the last sort of bastions of 'we can't do that' because we're controlled by the government regulations.”

During interviews over several months, The Associated Press asked those who create the music and industry experts about changes in R&B. Ahead of Sunday's 65th annual Grammy Awards airing on CBS and Paramount+, here are some of their thoughts in their own words: THE HIP-HOP EFFECT

Just one offensive or curse word can lead to a parental advisory label, so what's defined as explicit can be subjective. It's the parent test: Would they want their children listening? While Hollywood has an independent ratings board, record companies and artists determine what receives a parental warning.

As hip-hop grew in popularity, Billboard had to adapt; Some charts began grouping rappers and singers together, triggering fights for airplay which remains a sore subject. And with the recent explosion of melodic rap _ a blend of rapping and harmonizing _ spearheaded by artists like Future, Drake, Lil Uzi Vert and Travis Scott, the Grammys now recognize it as a category.

In the 1990s, a period considered by some as R&B's last golden age, it was almost unthinkable that an artist would curse because radio couldn't play it. None of the top 25 songs on Billboard's 1990 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart required an explicit label. In 2022, with rap more dominant, all but one in the top 25 _ Beyonce's “Break My Soul” _ needed a clean version.

“There was definitely some explicit R&B ... but there's no limit to what you can say sexually in hip-hop. And then when R&B and hip-hop merged, you had the hip-hop and R&B world _- so that's literally what happened. And so now, the R&B singers have taken that way of speaking from the hip-hop cats. And the hip-hop cats have taken the melodic singing.” _ Robert Glasper, four-time Grammy winner, 2023 R&B album nominee.

“Chris Brown is the top of the food chain....He lives and rolls like a rapper. He has an entourage like a rapper. His energy is like a rapper _ not like Tevin Campbell in the `Can We Talk Days,”' said Tyner. “He can make the most sensual, classic, urban AC or R&B record that you would love, but he also can express that other side as well.”

_ Colby Tyner, SVP of programming, Radio One and Reach Media.

“We started having to compete with rap music, which is extremely explicit _ extremely ... When you're trying to compete for space on a chart or in a playlist, and these are the things that they're playing, how do you find your way? How do you even get into the conversation? And so, our language has kind of had to evolve to be competitive.” _ Tank, five-time Grammy nominee.

NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN

Themes of romance and sensuality have always breathed within soul music, but much of today's R&B has replaced innuendo with bluntness. But while profanity has increased, artists are divided on whether the actual content has changed, citing classics like Marvin Gaye's “Sexual Healing,” “Prince's “Darling Nikki” and much of R. Kelly's sexually-charged catalog that dominated the '90s and early 2000s.

“The stuff my mama used to be listening to in the car: Marvin Sease and Clarence Carter _ `I be stroking!' That stuff was pretty vulgar! . So, no, I don't think it's more explicit.” _ Muni Long, 2023 Grammy nominee for best new artist.

“A lot of R&B artists were just as savage back in the day _ they just had to be tame. Think about it: the record companies forced them to be clean cut and preppy and all those things. I think now, artists have found their freedom.” _ Rico Love, vice-president of the Recording Academy and producer.

“I think music was still explicit back in the day _ they just had a better way of delivering it. You go all the way back to Rick James, `Super Freak' _ they just had a beatingaround-the-bush type of way that they would say things.” _ Yung Bleu, R&B recording artist SOCIETAL SHIFT

While hip-hop's influence might be the lowest hanging fruit, it's only one factor within a larger explanation. Psychologist Jean Twenge, author of “iGen: Why Today's

Super-Connected Kids

Are Growing Up Less

Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy--and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood,” says technology has decreased many rules of the past.

“More technology just allows people to be more independent. And that's been just a very, very steady change in culture in the U.S. and in many other countries over the past hundred years . individualism is at the root of an enormous number of cultural changes that we see today,” explained Twenge, who authored a study on the rise of swear words in American books. “These changes have affected everybody, not just young people. ... The society has definitely shifted more in that direction of being more casual and favoring self-expression more.”

Film and TV have also become more explicit in depicting sexual situations, nudity, violence and language. Pop music carries more warnings than ever, and even friendly-family artists like Beyonce and Taylor Swift have released albums labeled as explicit.

“It's not just R&B, the world is more explicit . even in the 90s, it would have been great to use a couple of cuss words in a couple of songs. It would've just hit so much better if you could've just went there because it just would have said it better.” _ Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, 11-time Grammy winner, 2023 best traditional R&B performance nominee.

“This generation has kind of become numb to it, the same way as like someone could be bleeding on the floor and someone will be on the phone and just step over that person . we've become numb to a lot, and I think music is included.” _ Ashanti, Grammy winner.

“They say, `the truth shall set you free.' So, I guess the more honest you are, the more free you're going to be. And that's where we at. We say whatever we got to say . it's just direct _ literally direct. And if you don't like it, you just don't like it, and that's how we feel.” _ Lucky Daye, Grammy winner, 2023 best R&B performance nominee.

EASY ACCESS Generation Z and younger Millennials only know a world with the internet, and nearly all teens _ 95% _ have access to a smartphone, according to a 2022 Pew Research Center study. As information flows faster with each generation, some believe young people are learning mature subject matter earlier, and it trickles into what they create. Making and releasing music is easier than ever; expensive recording studios or record labels are no longer barriers.

“This generation feels very free and open, and a lot of people who wouldn't have had access to create music back then, they can now create in their bedroom. So, there is a vast amount of product coming out. So maybe that's why it seems like there's so much explicit music because there's just more music now, period.” _ Chloe Bailey, five-time Grammy nominee.

“I think art is a reflection of life ... this generation deals with those things more explicitly. I think there's more access _ the internet made that so, where it's like we get information way quicker. As a father with little kids, they're getting things quicker than I ever did.” _ PJ Morton, 2023 Grammy nominee for best R&B album.

“I think it's just the natural progression of now it's the next generation. . this generation just has everything at their fingertips.” _ Robert Glasper, whose “Black Radio lll” is nominated for best R&B album.

GOING VIRAL

While it's not hard to guess most teenagers and social media are inseparable, 84% of adults 18-29 say they use at least one social media site, according to 2021 data from Pew. Naturally, social media behavior can influence the content choices people make with their music.

“The best way to get clicks and streams is let me be as wild as I could possibly be. So, if I'm an R&B singer talking about what sexual positions that I like and how I do it . people are going to pay attention,” said Tyner, the Radio One exec. “Artists would kill to have a “WAP” (by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion) or a big song like that because honestly, really, it only takes one song. You get that one song that's a monster record, you can live off that song for the rest your life.”

“Everybody's just trying to outdo each other. It's all a popularity contest. So, whoever gets talked about the most, that's what it is. And the more risque you are, the more attention, the more you get talked about.” _ T-Pain, twotime Grammy winner

“Sometimes you have to get out there and say things to catch people's attention.I like being creative and witty and having the double meaning for certain things and being subliminal. But some people like to just splat it on out there!” (laughs) - Ashanti “Maybe people feel like that's what they need to do to get the sales or get the attention. You know, it's a lotta shakin' out there (laughs) ... there's a lot of lyrics that are like cringe if I'm listening to it with my daughter. But music is self-expression _ people express themselves however they feel like they need to express themselves.” _ Brandy, Grammy winner

While there is crossover of younger artists on the adult R&B airplay chart, which generally features more traditional R&B, the content is far less explicit. Only 11 of the top 25 songs from last year's year-end chart were labeled explicit, with eight of the 11 by younger artists. On the year-end Hot R&B chart which tracks mainstream R&B, 19 of the top 25 songs carried an advisory.

Mary J. Blige, a nine-time Grammy winner who has been successful through R&B's changes since the 90s, says it's all about expression.

“Just like when we were growing up, we came from a place where we expressed ourselves from where we were living and how we were living. So, these new generations are expressing themselves,” she said.

Blige, a nominee for album of the year at Sunday's Grammys, says she can relate to younger artists.

“I'm so proud of them. I love them. They're doing exactly what we did: They're speaking from their experience, and I respect that,” Blige said. “I have so much respect for their artistry.”

Will Smith, Martin Lawrence Reteaming for ‘Bad Boys’ Sequel

By

The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) – Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are reteaming for a fourth “Bad Boys” movie, in one of Smith's most high-profile new projects since the slap. Sony Pictures announced Tuesday that the untitled “Bad Boys” sequel is in early pre-production. In a video posted on Instagram, Smith filmed himself driving to Lawrence's house. Embracing at the door, Smith exclaims, “It's about that time!”

Development on the “Bad Boys” sequel, which follows 2020's “Bad Boys for Life,” was reportedly put on hold after Smith hit Chris Rock at last March's Academy Awards. But last May, Sony Pictures chief Tom Rothman disputed those reports.

“There weren't any brakes to pump because the car wasn't moving,” said Rothman. “That was a very unfortunate thing that happened, and I don't think it's really my place to comment, except to say that I've known Will Smith for many years, and I know him to be a good person. That was an example of a very good person having a very bad moment, in front of the world. I believe his apology and regret is genuine, and I believe in forgiveness and redemption.”

Shortly before the pandemic shuttered theaters, “Bad Boys for Life” was a box-office hit, grossing $426 million worldwide. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer is returning for the fourth film, as are “Bad Boys For Life” directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah.

Beth and Chuck Harris – We See Our Legacy in the New Generation

By Chavah Benzion Carib Press via Ethnic Media Services

Beth and Chuck Harris are still in love after 36 years of living together. They met in 1984 while working in the business department of a Los Angeles hospital. Beth, a fair-skinned, ginger-haired woman of Northern European ancestry, noticed Chuck, a young musician and college student of African American ancestry.  Over time they developed a friendship and began dating which led to marriage.

Chuck’s parents immediately accepted and welcomed Beth. However, Beth’s parents struggled to accept the interracial couple. They were from the South and had what Beth calls “Southern sensibilities.” Beth’s father barely made conversation with Chuck and Beth’s mother had a difficult time connecting with her baby granddaughter because she did not feel the baby “resembled” her. Beth also confided that her great grandfather had been a Confederate soldier who owned slaves.

Over the first years of marriage, they received countless ignorant comments from her parents. At her wit’s end, Beth wrote them a letter, pouring out her heart. She wanted them to be part of the life she had chosen; by holding onto their cultural programming, they were missing out on knowing, and growing to love, their own family, including Chuck and their grandchildren.

Whether because of the letter, or the passage of time, the rift in the family began to close. By the time her parents passed years later, Chuck had become a beloved son to both of them.

It was far from easy being a mixed-race couple in the 1980s. It was only 17 years after the 1965 Loving vs. Virginia Supreme Court decision that struck down laws banning marriage between individuals of different races, and America was still adjusting. Widespread acceptance of interracial relationships had not yet come to pass, and Beth and Chuck found themselves contending with micro aggressions and inappropriate questions from many in and

out of their community. When Beth displayed her family photos on her desk at work, a coworker noticed and asked her, “What’s it like being married to a Black?” Chuck talked about how he got uncomfortable stares and ignorant remarks when he took his white stepson to the playground or to a doctor’s appointment.

“We thought we existed in a hip, progressive era, but

in reality, people weren’t always accepting. Neither of us cared about what others thought of us or our union, but we had our fair share of stares and inappropriate comments and questions” although no open hostility.

Beth and Chuck live in Carlsbad. They have a daughter and Chuck has a white stepson. Both say that depending on where they are, they still receive stares. If they go on a date in a small, conservative town or among

an older crowd, they definitely turn heads. If they’re in a more progressive area or with a younger generation, no one pays them any mind.

They say they wouldn’t feel comfortable purchasing a home in just any neighborhood – the political climate would definitely influence the level of acceptance they feel.

Instead of shutting people down for making ignorant remarks, Chuck said that they get amazing results when they pursue a conversation. “It’s an opportunity to turn people’s hearts and minds around and see the scales drop from their eyes,” he added. “If love can expand, hate retreats.”

Chuck, who has had a career as a TV cameraman, noticed that in the past producers would try to match up TV families to make them look alike when, in reality, family members may not resemble each other. Today, there are representations of blended families and couples and children all over television, film and advertising.

Beth and Chuck feel strongly that hope rests with the young. “Change is happening, and in many ways change is already here. We don’t see many young people accepting the disease of racism as a cultural norm, and many are likely to have friends or to know someone who is of a different race,” says Beth.

“Look at the young people galvanizing and mobilizing the masses through social media to march and vote, and get legislation passed. This is our legacy. This is the hope we always had together, as a couple.

“A child born to parents of different races or raised by parents of a different race is the recipient of a priceless gift that can be passed along to future generations, the  gift of acceptance. Children from these unions represent generational hope. They are the ones who will change the world.”

This article is part of the Love Across Colorlines series, a collaboration of 20+ ethnic media outlets looking at interracial marriage in California at a time of rising hate. Visit Love Across Colorlines to see more in the series.

ChatGPT, Software Created in Calif Lab, to Change Way We Learn and Live

Maxim Elramsisy California Black Media

In December, OpenAI, a San Francisco-based artificial intelligence (AI) research lab, released a free, publicly available version of their AI-based bot called ChatGPT.

The “GPT” stands for Generative Pre-training Transformer.

Transformers are programs, originally invented by Google, that use data to predict -- as you’ve more than likely seen in your Google search bar -- the next characters you will type.

Since the summer of 2021, a series of new AI-based products have exponentially advanced internet technology. Applications like Lensa takes pictures uploaded by a user, extracts (or learns) information about the person’s appearance, then creates its own images of the person.

AI music generators like Amper Music work in a similar way, learning from available music databases then creating original music.

A spokesperson for OpenAI, which owns ChatGPT, said the company “made ChatGPT available as a research preview to learn from real-world use, which we believe is a critical part of developing and deploying capable, safe AI systems.”

The technology in ChatGPT’s large language model, GPT 3.5 uses data from the internet to predict the best possible response to a query. It can piece together vast chunks of data to create a response that is not a repetition from a singular site or source, but rather fragments from the whole dataset which, together, make a unique answer –a critical difference from a search engine’s function.

So, a romantically inclined individual, for example, looking for a unique way to show affection to a love interest could instruct ChatGPT to “make a list of some oneof-a-kind Valentine’s Day gifts.” A search engine would

return an index of links to websites with words matching that query, along with sponsored results/advertisements. ChatGPT, on the other hand, would reply with a list of gifts that, together, would represent, statistically, the most likely gifts to appear in your search. This method of AIassisted brainstorming is one of the greatest strengths of ChatGPT.

With some very specific instructions, the software application could also write a Valentine’s Day song, heartfelt letter or poem for our lovestruck friend. The program’s ability to generate original text could be useful here. The lyrics or poetry it spits out will not be plagiarized.

The program can write jingles for advertisements, cover letters for prospective employees, or scripts for cold calls. It can write a story in Shakespearian prose, or it can take paragraphs from a college physiology textbook and explain it at a 4th grade level.

Although the potential for this technology is mindblowing, it has some very distinct and important drawbacks especially at a time when the proliferation of disinformation and misinformation has become a pressing national concern. For one, as a predictive text generator, it is not very good at math. As of now, it cannot correctly answer some simple questions and it can generate some blatantly false information and convey it with confidence. Since the text is generated by AI itself, there is no source material to which the intelligence it gathers can be attributed.

According to the Frequently asked questions page, “ChatGPT will occasionally make up facts or “hallucinate” outputs. If you find an answer is unrelated, please provide that feedback by using the ‘Thumbs Down’ button.” If the data that trains the AI is biased or not representative, then its results will have many of the same biases.

The machine learning algorithms in ChatGPT allow

it to learn, expanding its data with each successive use. It makes sense, then, that OpenAI would allow the public to use it for free. The more it is used, the greater the data it can draw upon to improve its responses. The engineers who created the technology perhaps could not have envisioned all of the ways the technology could be used, for better or for worse. In this iteration, engineers are explicitly requesting that improper results be flagged.

One of the first companies to invest in OpenAI was Microsoft. The technology giant increased its investment to $10 billion, hoping that the ChatGPT could, perhaps, enable valuable features for their existing software like Microsoft Office Personal Assistant, or incorporate text generation into their Bing search engine, which has been dominated byGoogle.

Media companies struggling to create content as they cut their workforce have pounced on the opportunity to have AI generated content with mixed results. Technology website CNET allowed AI to write stories, but the experiment backfired when users pointed out inaccuracies within the generated content. Currently, the programs have no capacity to distinguish truth from lies or good sources from bad ones.

Educators around the country are grappling with how to use the technology, or to coexist with it. The New York City Department of Education has banned the technology outright, fearing that it would enable cheating and circumvent tools that teachers may use to use to check for plagiarism. School districts in Los Angeles, Oakland and Seattle have banned the use of OpenAI tools. Some teachers see an opportunity. Cherie Shields, a high school English teacher, found that the bot could help her with evaluating and generating feedback for her students. It can also write test questions and study guides based on submitted text.

The information on the internet, as we all know, is imperfect. So, while ChatGPT allows for greater creation and dissemination of misinformation, it can also perpetuate biases.

The pace of technological innovation is faster than that of regulation, so many tech companies have to selfregulate. ChatGPT is trained to refuse to create content that is hateful, offensive, triggering, or could lead to violence, but there are ways around these safeguards and hackers/ bad actors will be looking to exploit these vulnerabilities.

OpenAI has already announced the next iteration of their large language model, GPT4, which is expected to be smarter than GPT3.5. Semafor reports that OpenAI is also reportedly working on a mobile app version of ChatGPT to be released in the coming weeks.

Voters Will Determine Fate of Fast Food Workers Pay Raise

Edward Henderson California

Black Media

Last September, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 257 into law. Supporters of the legislation, authored by Assemblymember Chris Holden (D-Pasadena), hailed it for its promise to provide a minimum wage and improve working conditions for fast food workers.

But late last month, the future of AB 257 -- also known as “the Fast Act” or “the Fast Food Recovery Act” -- came into question. California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber’s office announced that a referendum seeking to overturn the law had gathered enough signatures to be placed on the November ballot.

“To qualify for the ballot,” the Secretary of State’s office wrote, “the referendum needed 623,212 valid petition signatures, which is equal to five percent of the total votes cast for governor in the November 2018 General Election.

When AB 257 passed last year along party lines, it authorized the establishment of the Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act or FAST Recovery Act. The bill established the Fast Food Council within the Department of Industrial Relations, to be composed of 10 members to be appointed by the Governor, the Speaker of the Assembly, and the Senate Rules Committee. According to the bill’s language, the purpose of the council is to establish “sectorwide minimum standards on wages (up to $22/hour in 2023 with capped annual increases), working hours, and other working conditions related to the health, safety, and welfare of, and supplying the necessary cost of proper living to, fast food restaurant workers, as well as effecting interagency coordination and prompt agency responses in this regard.” The act prohibits retaliation against fastfood workers for making certain workplace complaints. Opponents of AB 257, led by a coalition called Save Local Restaurants, gathered more than 1 million signatures on a referendum petition. 712,000 of them were deemed to be valid by Weber’s office putting the referendum on the Nov.

5, 2024, ballot. The Los Angeles Times published an article telling the stories of 14 voters who say they were misled by canvassers collecting signatures for the referendum. Many

of them said that information was withheld from them about the nature of the campaign and were simply told it would support fast food workers.

But the laws’ opponents insist that their challenge to AB 257 is widely supported.

“California voters have made clear that they want a say on whether they must shoulder the burden of higher prices

and job losses caused by the FAST Act,” said Save Local Restaurants in their press release. “This legislation singles out the quick service restaurant industry by establishing an unelected council to control labor policy, which would cause a sharp increase in food costs and push many Californians, particularly in disenfranchised communities, to the breaking point.” The referendum means that the law is suspended until the November 2024 election when voters will decide whether to repeal it.

Holden, who is a former franchise owner said he believes AB 257 would protect both owners and employees – if those opposing the law allow it to work.

“Given, the final version of the bill removed many expressed concerns of subpoena power and joint-liability. While, strengthening the over-site role of the legislature, providing for equal Sector Council representation and adding a sunset clause to evaluate effectiveness. As a result, this first in the nation worker protection bill is worthy to become law in California,” Holden said when Newsom signed the law last year.

Labor advocates believe the legislation could create a precedent in the U.S for negotiating workplace standards, which would, in turn, revolutionize the collective bargaining process.

However, the coalition of businesses opposing the law feel it would leave businesses with higher labor costs and hiked-up food prices.

According to the nonpartisan Fair Political Practices Commission, fast-food corporations and business trade groups including In-N-Out, Chipotle, Chick-Fil-A, McDonald’s, Starbucks and the National Restaurant Association donated millions to support the referendum effort.

“The FAST Act is bad policy that threatens not only quick service restaurants, but the independents operating in the same neighborhoods,” National Restaurant Association Executive Vice President for Public Affairs Sean Kennedy said in a press release. “There is no way that the regulations passed by this unelected council would not damage the state’s restaurant industry, harm its workforce, and leave diners paying the bill. We’re pleased that Californians will get the chance to exercise their constitutional right to vote on this law and will continue to support the operators, small business owners, and workers that make the restaurant industry so important to our customers’ lives.”

After 36 years of marriage, Beth and Chuck Harris say younger generations are realizing the legacy they helped to create

Reproductive Justice is Black History How Twelve Black Women Sparked A Movement

By Kara James,

Planned Parenthood Los Angeles Nurse Practitioner Sunday, January 22nd, 2023, should have marked 50 years since the U.S. Supreme Court issued one of its most momentous decisions; the Roe v. Wade ruling that a Texas statute criminalizing abortion in most instances violated a woman’s constitutional right to privacy. Instead, Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, and the fight for reproductive rights was again on.

As we begin Black History Month, it is worth reflecting on the origins of reproductive justice and the historical impact of Black women. In fact, Black women coined the term “reproductive justice” in 1994, providing a framework for social movements across the country. It is often said, “Educate a woman, educate a nation.” Black women throughout history have been prime examples of influencing and mobilizing their communities to achieve social, racial, and health equity.

Just like much of American History, where Black’s contributions across the business, scientific, educational, and cultural sectors has been systematically washed, our influence in human rights efforts is also often underrepresented. Our brothers and sisters have always been at the frontlines of movements, from civil rights to women’s rights to Black Lives Matter and many more. Fighting for reproductive health and social justice has always been part of our Black History.

This heritage in Reproductive Justice crystallized in 1994 when Toni M. Bond Leonard, Reverend Alma Crawford, Evelyn S. Field, Terri James, Bisola Marignay, Cassandra McConnell, Cynthia Newbille, Lorretta

Ross, Elizabeth Terry, ‘Able’ Mable Thomas, Winnette P. Willis, and Kim Youngblood, gathered in a hotel room in Chicago to plan, plot and strategize on President Clinton’s healthcare reform effort.

The Women of African Descent for Reproductive Justice (WADRJ), as the twelve women would become known, felt Clinton’s reform did not address critical issues, including systemic biases and racism, that directly, and continue to, disproportionately affect Black women’s choices around reproductive care. Through their joint efforts to combine ideals of reproductive rights and social justice, the term “Reproductive Justice” was born and defined “as the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities.”

WADRJ launched the Reproductive Justice movement by publishing a historic full-page ad with more than 800 signatures in The Washington Post and Roll Call.

Additionally, in partnership with the Women of Color Partnership Program of the Religious Coalition of Reproductive Choice, the WADRJ republished their “We Remember” pamphlet featuring 29 more signatures as a way for government leaders, afraid of backlash from their constituencies, to initiate conversations around abortion access and supporting the right to choose. One of the original twelve women, Toni M. Bond Leonard, stated at the time, “We were still fighting for Black women to be able to discuss abortion and also to be trusted as moral agents with the capacity to make decisions about our bodies.”

Reproductive Justice isn’t just about abortion access, though it is critical. It’s about ensuring access to women and

people of color that face barriers to receiving contraception, comprehensive sex education, STI prevention and care, alternative birth options, adequate prenatal and pregnancy care, domestic violence assistance, mental health services, legal aid, and so much more.

Planned Parenthood Los Angeles’s Black Health Initiative was established to address the same issues that WADRJ fought for almost 30 years ago. We stand on the shoulders of the sistas before us to defend the needs of women of color and under-resourced individuals. We must continue to bring to light the needs of our communities to be heard, seen, and advocated for in our healthcare systems. Reproductive Justice, and the movement it inspired, are Black History. I strive every day to advocate for equitable health outcomes for our communities.

To learn more about Planned Parenthood and the services offered through the Black Health Initiative, please visit https://www.plannedparenthood.org/plannedparenthood-los-angeles.

Kara James is a Nurse Practitioner with Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, providing trauma-informed direct clinical care to patients since 2015. As an evidencedbased clinician and activist, Kara’s work is framed through racial equity and anti-racism. She also played a vital role in creating the Black Health Initiative in 2020 to promote holistic well-being and health in Los Angeles’ Black communities.

Republican Lawmakers Announce Agenda to “Fix California”

California Black Media

California Senate Republicans recently held a rally at the State Capitol announcing their legislative goals “to fix California” for the next year.

Slamming proposals and policies their Democratic colleagues and Gov. Gavin Newsom are championing, the GOP State Senators presented several bills of their own. They also called for more oversight – and in some cases, a total rehaul -- of state programs addressing crime, homelessness, education, climate and more.

“Crime is soaring, homelessness is out of control, the cost of living is unsustainable, schools are failing students, our water infrastructure is outdated, and our communities are susceptible to wildfires,” said Sen. Brian W. Jones (R-Encinitas), Senate minority leader and host of the Jan. 25 event.

“As the loyal opposition I am proud to stand here with my colleagues and commit to fixing this state,” Jones added.

The Republican lawmakers presented their agenda for 2023 a few weeks after Sen. Janet Nguyen (R-Huntington Beach) delivered the Republican response to Newsom’s 2023-24 California budget proposal. More than once, Nguyen, in her speech, pushed for oversights and audits and rebuked Democrats’ handling of the state government.

Sen. Kelly Seyarto (R-Murriato) slammed high crime rates and human trafficking under Democrat leadership. Democrats hold a super majority, he said, pointing out the 32-to-8 ration of Democrats to Republicans in the State Senate. He blamed progressive policies for rising crime in the state, citing Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon who met heavy opposition for his attempts at bail and police reforms.

Seyarto called for the creation of a task force to examine the fentanyl epidemic, which he links to high crime rates. Opioids have been a leading cause of drug overdoses across the country, according to death rates reported by the

National Institute of Health.

“California’s approach to public safety needs to change, for our families for the survivors and for our community,” said Seyarto.  “In order to do that we need to fix California and pass these effective policies.”

The Republicans’ condemnations of California’s social and economic health go against assessments Democratic leaders are making.

During his budget announcement earlier in January, Newsom said his proposals are putting the state on “solid economic footing while continuing to invest in Californians – including transformative funding to deliver on universal preschool, expand health care access to all and protect our communities.”

Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego) said Newsom’s decision not to cut critical resources is making a difference.

“We’re seeing that in action as local communities, emergency responders, and state agencies do all they can to help us get through these severe winter storms, armed with the resources and tools made possible in past budgets by lawmakers determined to prepare our state for what may come,” she said. “While no one can predict the future, we are entering this year from a position of strength and readiness.”

Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Inglewood), one of two Black State Senators (the other is Sen. Lola Smallwood Cuevas (D-Ladera Heights), said Newsom’s budget moves the state “in the right direction,” while acknowledging that, facing a $24 million shortfall, lawmakers will have a challenge to set priorities.

Water woes and wildfire fears were also on the Republican agenda. Sen. Brian Dahle (R-Bieber), said there are several major dams and the Sites Reservoirs in his district, which is the largest Senatorial district in square miles in the state. Dahle blames Democrats for the ongoing drought, calling them out for not making more of an effort to complete the reservoir, which was funded in 2017.

The Sites Project Authority issued put out a report, that concluded had the facility been completed, it could have stored a total 382,000 acre-feet of water for the state.  Dahle criticized the lack of action on water storage and plans to streamline the process while holding Democrats “feet to the fire.”

Sen. Roger Niello (R-Fair Oaks) discussed the Republican proposal for homelessness, called the ACT

Plan. Almost 28% of all unhoused people in the United States (about 170,000 people) in 2021 lived in California –although the state’s population accounts for about 12% of the US population. These numbers are growing according to a data sheet from the Senate Housing Committee. Niello said, California has “thrown” $20 billion on the homelessness problem, but it remains unsolved. “Common sense measures,” he said, created by California Senate Republicans are needed to tackle the issue. Niello said he introduced Senate Bill (SB) 232 to make it easier to treat mental health among the unhoused. But Niello also wants to know where monies earmarked for homelessness in the past have gone.

“No more fake checks, no more failing programs,” warned Niello, “Californians deserve better for their money.”

Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R-Yucaipa) used “choice” when referring to school policies, a word which has become synonymous with Charter schools. Ochoa Bogh said recent state test score data reveals that 53% of students don’t meet the English standard; 67% failed math; and 71% scored below the passing grade in science.

Although California student test scores have fallen over the last few years, Education officials say the lower scores are the result of COVID shutdowns, and many of those numbers are slowly improving, according to a report from the California Department of Education. The report shows that significant improvements have been made and that all scores across the country are lower, but California has done better on average than most of the nation. Black students, however, have been the lowest performing sub-group in the state (only above students with disabilities) even before the pandemic began. “Quality education is one of the most important services that government provides to our children,” Ochoa Bogh said. “Unfortunately, California students continue to fall further behind.”

Recovery Resources for Those Impacted By Floods in California

By Philtrina Farquharson

Contributing Writer Listos California, a disaster preparedness organization and Cal OES (California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services hosted a briefing this past week to share recovery efforts and resources for those impacted by recent floods.

The impact of these storms has caused damage to homes, roads, and infrastructure and as a result, the issue of severe rainstorms has become a growing concern for many. “In addition to floods and fires, complex disasters will be ongoing as a result of climate change”, says Diana Crofts-Pelayo, Assistant Director, Crisis Communication & Public Affairs, Cal OES.

It is important for residents all throughout California to stay prepared and better understand the range of recovery resources available and how to access them online, by phone or in-person.

Listos California Resources

People can go to listoscalifornia.org for preparedness tips and keep in these five simple steps to be disaster ready:

Get alerts to know what to do

Make a plan to protect your people

Pack a go bag with things you need

Build a stay box for when you can’t leave

Help friends and neighbors get ready

Those are five simple steps that can be used in any emergency or disaster and it’s good to be prepared. “Let this be a reminder for you to have those conversations with your family and really make the difference for the next time an emergency strikes, so that families are ready,” says Diana Crofts-Pelayo.

Dayana Contreras, Listos California Program Manager, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Fresno says, “from the first day of the floods, we provided food to the migrant camps and had a pop-up disaster relief center.” “Pillows, blankets, water, and other supplies were also provided. “We are going to help people create a long-term recovery plan,” says Contreras.

FEMA Resources

Under housing assistance, eligible survivors may be eligible for rental assistance; temporary lodging; repair assistance; or replacement assistance. Under other needs assistance, personal property damage can be replaced; transportation repairs; can be assisted with funeral costs; medical and dental costs; childcare and other miscellaneous costs; the current maximum for each category of assistance this fiscal year is up to $41,000 per household, and this is expense or losses not covered by insurance.

For the process of registering for FEMA, an applicant can call 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). Those impacted can also go in person to a state local assistance center or a joint disaster recovery center. There’s staff, not only from FEMA, but also mitigation that can assist with a survivor’s recovery efforts.

In order to be eligible for FEMA aid, a survivor must meet the general conditions of eligibility which includes uh being a U.S. citizen, a non-citizen national, or a qualified alien. They must prove their identity and that they were occupying the primary residence at the time of the disaster, and this is for uninsured or underinsured disaster cause expenses and serious needs as it relates to housing assistance and other needs assistance SBA (Small Business Administration) Resources SBA offers federal low interest disaster loan to businesses of all sizes, most private non-profit organizations, homeowners, and renters. Business of any size may borrow up to $2 Million for the specific purpose to repair or replace the disaster property damage through a Physical Disaster Loan. The interest rate can be as low as 3.305%.

“Our job is to try and truly measure the impacts from disasters because all disasters are different, and to try and bring together whatever support we can that will help local communities respond to those disasters,” said Robert. Troy, Assistant Director, Interagency Recovery Coordination, Cal OES. “Storm events like this can take months and years to fully repair local infrastructure and local recovery

capabilities,” he adds. “We need to be prepared and vigilant as we see more complex and natural disasters. It’s not if but when, the next disaster will strike.

Republican Caucus Members press conference

Solomon O. Smith

Jovon Dangerfield: An Authentic Artist And Activist

By Janell Gore South Kern Sol

Jovon Dangerfield is an authentic artist and activist, focused on bringing the community together to set a better future for the youth.

Dangerfield is the Executive Director for TYME 4 Change (Transitional Youth Mobilizing for Change), host of “The Danger Zone” on forge 103.9, and founder of Kingdom Activists.

“We should be doing and thinking about giving something to our kids and our kid’s kids to have something to commemorate us not commemorating the past all of the time,” said Dangerfield. “That drives me to say let’s create some future, let’s create some history now… I’m more interested in creating a legacy that can be commemorated at some point for the type of work we are putting in now.”

With his heart focused on the community, Dangerfield found a way to integrate his music and his activism. Along with working with organizations like the Baker Street Initiative he wanted to create music that could be taken anywhere.

“I noticed that there was a lot of music that people of my demographic and my talent were creating but it wasn’t admissible to any spaces other than mixtapes and albums,” said Dangerfield about merging music and activism. “Can’t take this music into the schools because of the content, can’t take it to anyplace for activism, can’t take it to the jails because of the content.”

Dangerfield took this and created music that could be taken anywhere and he traveled the country performing in prisons, youth facilities, and other places that mixed activism and entertainment.

Continuing with his need to take action, he was a part of starting a store during the pandemic called Kams Kloset he explained took high-end clothes into the hood and gave them away for free. He also does consultations with churches and businesses.

Working with the churches is important to him because he wants to see more of the church being more involved with the community with the intent to serve. He explained that they work with businesses that have an “activism twist” like Rollerama East which he has partnered with.

“Businesses like that really do play a big part in how well our community does in terms of recreation, in terms of having things to do, in terms of stimulating business in rougher sides of the city and do how to reimagine what it looks like to get people involved,” said Dangerfield.

He explained that this is another way activism and entertainment mix together and that is part of what he’s trying to do with TYME 4 Change. By having events with a cause for the community and bringing out artists. He explained that this is the process of innovating, collaborating, and mobilizing.

“We innovate the ideas, we find collaborators, and we then mobilize together outside of our entities,” said Dangerfield. He uses this to help younger artists as well, understanding that there are a lot of young creatives who are from the hood or that had harder backgrounds, so he wants to get them involved with something positive and helps them go forward.

Dangerfield understands this from experience, he

explained that he used to be more involved in the streets and wanted to be a thug before making a complete 180 in his life.

“I’ve been there and I can tell you there ain’t no future in it. It makes it a lot different when somebody sees it. So, I want to engage with those youth, get them developed, help them grow, and find out who they are,” said Dangerfield.

On the Danger Zone, Dangerfield incorporates not only musicians but also other prominent people working in the community with the hopes of getting people who may not typically be interested in the community more involved.

“My goal is to galvanize the city around platforms that produce change,” said Dangerfield. “This is the call. The call isn’t to find the audience that already exists and I think that’s the problem with people. They find the audience that already exists and things to market to them but that only serves you for today.”

Dangerfield stated that it is important to expand because it becomes a microcosm and people become a minority within a minority.

“We’re a fragmented community. We don’t even have the full 7% that we boast… Then on top of that, you guys want to be fragmented within that so now you’re like a minority of a minority of a minority. So, we can’t mobilize

to get anything accomplished. Our words don’t carry any weight. When we say we’re gonna protest something 10 people come. When we say we’re gonna make a move 20 people come,” said Dangerfield.

Dangerfield wants people to know they don’t have to Ph.D. or a master’s to have these conversations, so he tries to meet everyone on their levels.

He does this a lot through TYME 4 Change because he wants to encourage youth to be able to organize and find non-conventional ways to have conversations that have been going on for years. He also wants youth to know that they can come as they are.

“Develop youth and tell them that you can come exactly how you are. I’m not throwing you in no suit. I’m not trying to make you look like no baptist pastor. I’m not trying to control your language, I’m not trying to do any of that,” said Dangerfield explaining his goals with TYME 4 Change.

Dangerfield hopes to find the gift that is in each young person because he feels what makes someone a good leader is recognizing the gift in others.

This passion to work with others is seen in him by others as well. Bianca Haynes explained that Dangerfield has a personality that reaches everyone.

“He could be in the room with politicians and elite

leaders and he can be in the slums in crack houses with prostitutes and drug dealers and be comfortable in either setting and have a heart forgiving to either group” said Haynes. “There’s nothing that blurs that for him at all. Everyone’s equal and worthy of all love and adoration in his eyes.”

To other young Black men that are trying to find their way in life and may be hesitant about stepping into different spaces he advises them on his “three P’s” passion, purpose, and pursuit.

“Your passion, what are you passionate about? You can hate the cops and think that it’s just because you hate them but really it’s because you have a knack for standing up against unjust authority systems,” said Dangerfield. “So finding the purpose in your passion. After you find enough about what you’re passionate about, it drips, bleeds, and trickles into your purpose. Because enough passion will move you to do something and that’s indicative of your purpose. Those things should be really closely related a lot of the time.”

Editor’s Note: To celebrate Black History Month, Kern Sol News is highlighting notable Black leaders in Kern County who are working to create positive change in their community.