News Observer Bakersfield
Volume 46 Number 42
Serving Kern County for Over 46 Years
Observer Group Newspapers of Southern California
Free!
Wednesday, June 24, 2020
Bakersfield Native and Stanford Graduate Erica McCall Discusses Give Big Kern 2020:
Making a Difference in Her Community
“I stand strongly with being a black athlete. I am proud of who I am and overcoming the expectations of society to fail. I made its as I am a successful black athlete.” - Erica McCall (Courtesy Photo)
By Cameron Buford Bakersfield News Observer via whatsgoodinsports.com It’s been said many times, “a family that plays together stays together.” The McCall family is an example of the unity and joy any family can enjoy through the game of basketball and all that it has to offer. This article highlights the impact basketball has had on Erica McCall and her father Greg McCall: life lessons, skill development, father and daughter bonding, and travel and exposure to countries around the globe. Growing up as a coach’s daughter Erica was consistently around the game, and having an older sister that excelled in the game naturally inspired her to play. Once she decided this is what she wanted to do with her life, her father began to coach her and encourage her to be all she has become, both on and off the court. In my telephone interview with Erica, it was easy to tell from her
voice inflection and excitement how proud she was when talking about the positive reinforcement she received from her father, Greg, who supported her every step of the way as she developed into the player, person, and leader she has become. Because I am a firm believer the world of sports can have such a powerful impact on society, I was curious to hear from Erica, what life lessons she learned from the game of basketball. Erica was quick to point out her faith in GOD has grown because she understands she couldn’t have accomplished all she has without “his support, strength, and guidance”. She then added, “leadership and teamwork” are also lessons she learned from years of playing basketball and credits these traits for aiding her ability to “communicate with many people from various backgrounds” in addition to making her a more “relatable” person. As a standout basketball player at Ridgeview High School in Bakersfield, CA. and the Stanford Cardinal, Erica’s hoop game has taken her all over the world; she’s played in Merida, Mexico in the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), Americas U16 Championship for Women, she also played in FIBA Under-17 World Championship for Women in Amsterdam. She also represented Team USA U16 in FIBA Americas that was played as FIBA 3x3 U-18 World Championships which was played in Alcobendas, Spain, this was after playing Gwangju, South Korea for 2015 Summer Universiade competition where her teams won gold in each of the aforementioned tournaments. Erica, a 6-foot-3 center, was the Stanford Cardinal leading scorer and rebounder as they reached the 2017 NCAA Women’s Final Four in her senior season, before being knocked out by South Carolina. Later that year she was drafted with the #17 pick by the Indiana Fever in the WNBA draft where she’s played the past few seasons. With the combination of our country’s current unrest due to the George Floyd murder and the COVID 19 pandemic that has spread throughout this country, I wanted to know Erica’s thoughts on if she would welcome the opportunity to play out the WNBA season in Orlando or not. She responded by saying, “If everything was set up in a safe environment for the players, I would go in a heartbeat! People don’t like to recognize it as much, but the WNBA has been on the frontlines of Social Justice. We were one of the few leagues to have players take a knee during the anthem [in protest], we had people [players],
Erica McCall shoots over defender while playing for KSC Szekszard. (Courtesy Photo)
wearing the ‘I can’t breathe’ shirts.” She continued to say, “They [the WNBA] just announced that, there’s going to be a strong platform for social justice!”
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COVID Couldn’t Stop Good!
Report to the Community Analyzes Biggest Fundraising Year Thus Far Close to three quarters of a million dollars! That’s how much money was raised by 125 Kern County nonprofits through Give Big Kern 2020, hosted by Kern Community Foundation. Observed as “One Day to Celebrate the Giving Spirit of Kern County!” on the first Tuesday in May, which this year was May 5, Give Big Kern 2020 turned out to be our community’s most successful Online Day of Giving yet, despite the COVID-19 crisis. How was this accomplished? A detailing can be found in Kern Community Foundation’s Report to the Community - Give Big Kern 2020: The Year COVID Couldn’t Stop Good! The report features: • An analysis of this year’s accomplishments and areas for improvement; • The reasons for Give Big Kern’s continued success (raising 72% more funds this year than in 2019) even in the face of our current era’s most overwhelming health and financial challenge; • A listing of competitive and opportunity drawing prize winners; • An acknowledgment of Give Big Kern sponsors; • Important lessons learned that will help the Foundation plan for Give Big Kern 2021; • A very telling snapshot of the aspirations and concerns of Give Big Kern’s participating nonprofits, with a call to action for more members of the community to get involved in helping to meet their needs through future Give Big Kern Online Days of Giving; • And more! Kern Community Foundation President and CEO Kristen Beall Watson said, “The generosity of our giving community never ceases to amaze us. The wonderful support from our sponsors continues to sustain an online fundraising effort that keeps growing year over year to the benefit of Kern County’s hard-working nonprofits. The encouragement and knowledge sharing of our online fundraising partners helps us at Kern Community Foundation go on challenging ourselves as giving day leaders. Give Big Kern Day may have taken place more than a month ago, but our hearts are still full of thanks and will remain so for a long time still.”
White Man Yelled Slurs, Mooned Black Parishioners
SHARON, S.C. (AP) – Church officials in South Carolina said a white man shouted racist slurs at black parishioners and pulled down his pants to show them his butt while they were holding services outdoors due to the coronavirus pandemic. The man was “being loud and boisterous” in an attempt to disrupt the service at St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Sharon on Sunday before he yelled the slurs and mooned the worshippers, according to an incident report filed with the York County Sheriff’s Office. He also shouted “white power” as he spewed the slurs at people, including children, Pastor John Brown told The Herald. “I spoke during the sermon to our people and told them that we have been called that before, but God created us this color and that as black people we are just as important and part of God’s world as anyone,” Brown said. York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson told the newspaper that he learned about the alleged incident on Tuesday and called church officials, urging them to file an official report, which they did the next day. He said the church leaders told him that no one had confronted the person. “The people there at the church that day handled the incident extremely well,” he said. Authorities have not yet identified a suspect, Tolson added.
2 Arrested after ‘Black Lives Matter’ Painted in Street San Diego County Administration Building (Photo by Chida Rebecca editor and chief, Black & Magazine)
State Capitol (Photo by Antonio Harvey)
California State Capitol Goes Black, Red and Green to Mark Juneteenth Aldon Thomas Stiles California Black Media As California goes, so does the nation. You’ve probably heard that cliché many times before. It certainly rings true for Juneteenth. The state of California started recognizing Juneteenth or Black “Freedom Day,” marking the emancipation of enslaved African Americans, back in 2003 as an official state observance. That was 17 years before Juneteenth became a household word across the United States this year. On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger led troops into Galveston, Texas, to announce the end of the Civil War and to let enslaved people in that town know that nearly 250 years of slavery was finally over. They were now recognized as free people. Thousands of African Americans in that former Confederate Gulf Coast town had not yet heard that more than two years before on January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation. That document officially granted them their freedom. “Four hundred years, African Americans have fought through struggle and oppression only to rise to the occasion and be the creators, inventors and leaders of society,” said the Rev. Shane Harris, a San Diego based civil rights leader, reflecting on the history behind the holiday. In the wake of the brutal murder of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who Minnesota police killed last month — and amid the global protests his
death has sparked — there were more Juneteenth celebrations across California than ever before in history. The commemorations took on especial significance as Californians up and down the state paid homage to the suffering and triumphs of African American history in the United States. “Juneteenth is Freedom Day and a cause for celebration,” said Assembly member Shirley N. Weber (D-San Diego, chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus. On Friday night in Sacramento, Weber, other members of the California legislature, and people from all walks of life, watched from the lawn of the California Capitol as the building’s famous dome lighted up in Red, Green and Black. African Americans use those colors to symbolize the pain and the richness of the African American experience and the African heritage of Black people in the United Sates. “What is encouraging is the renewed interest in Juneteenth by young people. I think it is this moment where they recognize their power to make change. The message of Juneteenth is especially salient in the context of the current protests over ongoing and persistent brutality and inequity in the lives of Black Americans,” said Weber. American ideals promise equality, but have yet to fulfill that promise. By lighting the State Capitol in red, black and green, the California Legislative Black Caucus demonstrates its commitment to making that promise a
reality in California,” she said. Across the country, more and more, businesses — including Nike, Target and Spotify —have started to consider Juneteenth a paid holiday. And as social and recreational venues began to open across the United States, Californians last weekend organized events for an all-American holiday celebration throughout the state. There were marches for justices in San Francisco, Oakland, Fremont, Pittsburg, Palo Alto and Santa Clara that ended up with political rallies. Some events featured live performances, food and other entertainment. In Sacramento, the California Black Agriculture Working Group held an event at Cesar Chavez Plaza called “2020 Sacramento Juneteenth, Dia De Los Negroes.” According to their Eventbrite page, the goal of the event was to educate Californians about “the unique legacy of ‘Slavery in California’ our journey towards freedom and ongoing systemic impacts from ‘America’s Peculiar Institution’ here in the Great State of California.” Beginning last Friday, Californians have been joining other Americans around the country for a Juneteenth Online Festival, which will run through June 28, 2020. The U.S. Census Bureau is participating in the national virtual festival to raise awareness about this year’s census count. “This online festival is something for the
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FLORISSANT, Mo. (AP) – Two women are facing charges after protesters began to paint “Black Lives Matter” in the street near a suburban St. Louis police department that has has been the site of protests since a white detective’s SUV struck a Black suspect earlier this month. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the arrests came Sunday night after multiple warnings during a protest in Florissant, Missouri. The department in the north St. Louis County town has been the site of several protests since the Black suspect was injured June 2. The detective, Joshua Smith, was fired and was charged last week with assault and armed criminal action. Smith’s attorney said the man was struck accidentally. Video was captured from two home security systems. On Sunday, 50 to 70 protesters gathered outside police headquarters and some sought to paint “Black Lives Matter” similar to what was painted near the White House in Washington. The slogan was first painted on Friday, but it was painted over the next day at the direction of the city’s street department, police spokesman Steve Michael said, Protesters repainted “Black Lives Matter” in 12-foothigh(3.7-meter-high) letters on Saturday, but it was again painted over. Protesters who gathered Sunday night were warned that anyone painting in the street would risk getting pepper sprayed or arrested. Police moved in when the painting started. Michael said the words were were causing confusion for drivers and attracting onlookers to the busy stretch of road. “It’s not the message we are painting over, it’s the fact they are painting over the highway,” he said. Protesters and police had a brief but violent encounter late Friday and early Saturday. Police used pepper spray to disperse a crowd after demonstrators threw objects that damaged the police building. Michael said up to four officers were struck by thrown objects. Three people were arrested Friday, one each for assault, property damage and peace disturbance.