Bak 02 21 18 4c updated

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Celebrating BLACK HISTORY Bakersfield

News Observer Volume 44 Number 25

Serving Kern County for Over 40 Years

Observer Group Newspapers of Southern California

Bakersfield Alumnae of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Host 2018 “Love” Luncheon By Darlene L. Williams Bakersfield News Observer Contributing Writer Bakersfield, CA.- President of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona) and Keynote Speaker, Dr. Soraya Coley spoke to a crowd of some 225 people, including 9 high school scholarship recipients, about overcoming life’s many obstacles, disappointments, and failures to achieve their goals and dreams in a speech titled, “Through It All, I Still Rise.” Bakersfield Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. hosted its annual Love Luncheon Scholarship Program, Saturday, February 17, 2018 from 11:00a.m. -2:00 p.m. at the Stockdale Country Club. Tickets sold for $50.00 per person with proceeds benefitting the chapters’ scholarship fund. Dr. Coley has over 26 years of academic and administrative experience. She is the sixth President of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona-and the first woman to serve in that role. Coley began the 30 minute speech with excerpts from the powerful poem “And, Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou. ‘You may write me down in history with your bitter twisted lies, you may tread me in the very dirt, but still, like dust, I’ll rise.’

Cell Locks Failed During Brawl at Lerdo Pre-Trial Facility

Letter of Correction from the Editor “We must accept finite disappointment with infinite hope, Coley said. I want, for the sake of the youth, to pose the question; how do we rise?” “Self perception, faith, hope, and access and opportunity provided by society, are four key elements which enables one to rise above frustrations and disappointments, she said. For even in the midst of closed doors or rejections, we rise through it. Through our faith, we are trusting the unseen and knowing without evidence.” Criterion for the nine scholarship recipients was based on GPA, extracurricular, or community involvement. Each of the nine chosen students have maintained outstanding GPAs, ranging from 3.5- 4.5, while taking challenging Advanced Placement and Honors Classes. The recipients are: Terrance De’Louth, outstanding senior at East Bakersfield High School, serves as Vice President of EB’s BSU, is an active member of Project BEST (Black Excellence in Scholarship and Teaching) and a member of EBH Varsity Swim, Basketball, and Football Teams. His future plans include attending CSU and major in Accounting.

Malcolm Francisco, senior at South High School, scored in the 99th percentile for US high school students on the SAT, active member of project of BEST, and has remained on the honor roll throughout his entire school career. He is enrolled in SHS prestigious Math Science Engineering Academy. Malcolm plans to attend UCLA and earn a Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering. Bryce Jackson, senior at Stockdale High School, is a scholar athlete of the Varsity Basketball Team, represents the community by being a part of a large-scale community service project. He is currently working on a Human Trafficking Awareness Video that will be seen in all Kern County Health classes, he’s an active leader in the BSU, and is Associate Student Body Commissioner of Athletics. Bryce plans to attend UCLA or UCSB and major in Engineering or Economics. Jade Johnson, senior at Stockdale High School, She is the President of Black Student Union, serves as the Associated Student Body Commissioner of Athletics, and has volunteered numerous hours in her community. Jade

Continued on page A7

Black Entrepreneur Finds Success with Minnesota Tech Firm ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) _ The founder of a thriving Twin Cities startup company is providing guidance to other black tech entrepreneurs in overcoming a dysfunctional home life on the path to success. Clarence Bethea founded Upsie, a technology company that sells warranties that undercut retailers’ prices. Founded in 2016, Upsie now has more than 14,000 users, Minnesota Public Radio reported . Bethea grew up in a dysfunctional home. His father abused his mother, and he had to overcome homelessness and drug dealing. “It was a lot of work, but I met the right people at the right time who changed the trajectory of my life,’’ said Bethea, 37. “I received guidance and support from

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) _ Officials say cell locks failed during a brawl involving 120 prisoners at a central California jail that left four inmates injured last week. Tyson Davis, the chief deputy who oversees the Lerdo Pre-Trial Facility, told KBAK-TV Wednesday that the locks are old and inmates have begun to tamper with them, with some success. The Kern County Sheriff’s Office said several inmates became disruptive Feb. 6 and refused to comply with the night’s lockdown. The violence sent four inmates to hospitals and left housing units damaged. The labor union representing the guards says low staffing also contributed to the problem. The Lerdo lockup North of Bakersfield is being improved and expanded and a new facility is expected to begin housing inmates by May.\

Some 225 people, including 9 high school scholarship recipients, this past Saturday at Stockdale Country Club. (Carrington Prichett/ Bakersfield News Observer)

Dr. Soraya Coley, President of California State Polytechnic University, Pamona. (Carrington Pricett/ Bakersfield News Observer Photo)

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them along the way.’’ He went to Bemidji State University in 2002 on a basketball scholarship but dropped out of college to pursue entrepreneurship. Bethea said his acceptance into Techstars Retail, an international startup accelerator, played an important role in his success. The accelerator offerings funding and mentorship for a three-month period. Upsie was one of 10 startups selected in 2017. “It took away the black or white thing,’’ he said. “It made people judge me on who I am, how I am as a founder, what our team is doing every day and the business.’’ Entrepreneurs of color have a more difficult time

securing funding, said Sharon Kennedy Vickers, founder of the Twin Cities chapter of Blacks in Technology. “The numbers are small for black tech founders because they don’t have the access to resources and capital to take their ideas to market,’’ she said. “There still exists a lot of preconceived ideas of what a tech founder looks like.’’ Bethea recently raised $1.7 million in nine weeks for the business, which will be used to hire more employees this year. “For that next African-American founder who is like, ‘Can I do this?’ and is at a crossroads... hopefully this says that they can because I’m not anything special,’’ Bethea said.

Black Panther” Breaking Records

at the Box Office

“Black Panther” raked in nearly $200 million over its first weekend. Lupita Nyong’o (left) and Letitia Wright star in “Black Panther.” (Marvel)

By Lauren Victoria Burke NNPA Newswire Contributor “Black Panther” starring Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyong’o and Michael B. Jordan, surpassed box office expectations during its opening weekend. With $192 million in ticket sales so far, the film is expected to take in $218 million over the four-day President’s Day weekend and an incredible $361 million worldwide. According to ComScore, global ticket sales were set to reach $387 million over the weekend. According to Entertainment magazine, “Black Panther” is already the eighth-largest single-day gross for the film industry ever and the third-biggest opening for a superhero movie. “Black Panther” scored a $75.8 million opening day. “The Avengers” opened with $80 million and “Avengers: Age of Ultron” opened with $84 million. The film also became the highest-grossing title in history at 33 AMC Theaters across the country, according to a report in the Hollywood Reporter. “Black Panther earned more at those cinemas on Thursday evening and Friday—along with advance ticket sales for other times during the weekend—than any other Continued on page A6

Last weeks headline contained a mistake incorrectly noting Dr. Dyson’s name as Eric Michael Dyson, it should have been Michael Eric Dyson. We sincerely apologize to Dr. Dyson and Bakersfield College.

Nobody Hurt when Train Derails Near Tehachapi

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) _ Authorities say nobody was hurt when six freight train cars derailed near a Southern California mountain town. The BNSF Railway Company says most of the train cars were empty and the others were carrying wine when they came off the tracks Saturday near Tehachapi east of Bakersfield. The derailment briefly shut down some lanes on rural State Route 58 but the debris was cleared after several hours. KBAK-TV says the cause is under investigation.

USC Women’s Hoops Player: OR State Fans Used Racial Slurs

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) _ A Southern California women’s basketball player says fans directed racial slurs at her and her black teammates as they left the court following a loss at Oregon State on Sunday night. USC player Minyon Moore sent tweets about the derogatory remarks after the game, though she quickly deleted them. Both schools say they are investigating. ``There is no place at Oregon State University _ nor do we believe in intercollegiate athletics _ for racially derogatory actions or statements that are directed at student-athletes, coaches, officials or fans in attendance,’’ Oregon State spokesman Steve Clark said in a statement to The Associated Press on Sunday night. Clark said that Oregon State was in contact with USC officials and ``have communicated our efforts to investigate this matter immediately.’’ ``Both schools strongly agree that there is no place for such racially insensitive language in sports,’’ USC senior woman administrator Donna Heinel said in a statement provided to the AP. ``And we appreciate Oregon State and the Pac-12’s immediate dedication to investigating this incident and their efforts to ensure that our collective values of respect and inclusion are upheld.’’ Oregon State won 69-63.

Woman Burned as Gas is Pumped into Garbage Can in Her Backseat

MOSES LAKE, Wash. (AP) _ Authorities say a Washington woman suffered severe burns after gasoline fumes ignited when gas was being pumped into a garbage can in a car’s backseat. KOMO-TV reports the Grant County Sheriff’s Office says the woman, who was a passenger early Saturday morning at a Cascade Valley Grocery convenience store, was smoking a cigarette, which ignited the flames. Deputies later found a large amount of marijuana in the car’s trunk. A bystander took the woman to Samaritan Healthcare in Moses Lake. The male driver who was pumping the gas ran away.


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