Bakersfield News Observer 7.5.23

Friends and Family Gather for the Funeral of Houston Rapper Big Pokey

California Braces for a Hot Summer Ahead

News Observer

Reparation is Due

Judge Awards Black Church $1 Million After BLM Banner Burned by Proud Boys Protest

WASHINGTON (AP) - A judge on Friday awarded more than $1 million to a Black church in downtown Washington, D.C. that sued the far-right Proud Boys for tearing down and burning a Black Lives Matter banner during a 2020 protest.

Superior Court Associated Judge Neal A. Kravitz also barred the extremist group and its leaders from coming near the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church or making threats or defamatory remarks against the church or its pastor for five years.

‘’Our courage and determination to fight back in response to the 2020 attack on our church is a beacon of hope for our community and today’s ruling showed us what our collective vision and voice can achieve,” said the Rev. William H. Lamar IV, pastor of Metropolitan AME, in a statement from the church’s counsel on Saturday. “While A.M.E. refused to be silenced in the face of white supremacist violence, that does not mean real trauma and damage did not occur - merely that congregants and the church have and will continue to rise above it. “

The ruling was a default judgment issued after the defendants failed to show up in court to fight the case.

Two Black Lives Matter banners were pulled down from Metropolitan AME and another historically Black church and burned during clashes between proDonald Trump supporters and counterdemonstrators in December 2020.

The destruction took place after weekend rallies by thousands of people in support of Trump’s baseless claims that he won a second term, which led to dozens of arrests, several stabbings and injuries to police officers.

Metropolitan AME sued the Proud Boys and their leaders, alleging they violated D. C. and federal law by trespassing and destroying religious property in a biasrelated conspiracy.

California Reparations Task Force: The California reparations task

Secretary of State Building in Sacramento. From

(D-Gardena),

final

Antonio Ray Harvey

California Black Media

The California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans delivered its final report to the California Legislature two days before the July 1 deadline.

The nine-member committee submitted a 1075-page, brown-and-gold hardcover book with a comprehensive reparations plan that includes more than 115 recommendations and a survey. Published by the California Department of Justice, the report documents the harms enslaved ancestors of Black Californians experienced during chattel slavery and due to the Jim Crow laws that followed. It also details the history of discriminatory state policies in California.

Attorney Kamilah V. Moore, the task force chairperson, provided a summary of the group’s activities over the last two years leading up to the compilation of the first-in-the

to

nation report addressing the effects of slavery.

“As you all know, this illustrious nine-member California reparations task Force has been working diligently over a course of two years, not only to study the enumerable atrocities against the African American community with special considerations for those who are descendants of persons in slavery in the United States,” Moore said.

“Obviously, we’ve been working diligently to develop on numerous policy prescriptions to end what we consider to be lingering badges of slavery in California as well,” Moore added.

Ironically, the Task Force’s last meeting happened the day the U.S. Supreme Court prohibited the use of racebased affirmative action in college admissions. A couple of task force members addressed the decision before the meeting but stayed focused on the release of the report.

Each page of the report offers an explanation of

reparations, evidence of past aggressions and systemic racism, and recommendations for restitution and atonement.

The report is 40 chapters, beginning with an Introduction; followed by evidence of Enslavement; Racial Terror; Political Disenfranchisement; Housing Segregation; Separate and Unequal Education; Racism in the Environment and Infrastructure; Pathologizing the African American Family; Control Over Creative, Cultural, and Intellectual Life; Stolen Labor; and Hindered Opportunity.

“I would like to commend Governor Gavin Newsom for making this Task Force a reality, Secretary of State Shirley Weber for authoring the legislation creating this Task Force, and each and every Member of the Reparations Task Force who have worked tirelessly over the past two years,” said Assemblywoman Lori D. Wilson, Chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus in a statement.

Continued on page A2

SCOTUS Strikes Down Student Loan Forgiveness Plan

By Stacy M. Brown

NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

The Supreme Court has blocked President Joe Biden’s ambitious student loan forgiveness program, which aimed to provide up to $20,000 in relief to millions of borrowers.

The decision comes as a blow to the Biden administration’s efforts to alleviate the burden of student debt on struggling individuals.

President Biden, determined to support student loan borrowers, plans to announce new actions during his upcoming address later today.

The source reveals that while the White House strongly disagrees with the Supreme Court’s ruling, they had been preparing for such an outcome.

Considering the decision, the administration intends to emphasize to borrowers and their families that Republicans are responsible for denying them the muchneeded relief that President Biden has been fighting to deliver.

The White House said it remains committed to its mission of easing the financial strain on Americans burdened by student loans.

Democrats for Education Reform DC (DFER DC), an organization dedicated to improving education policies, issued a statement expressing disappointment in the Supreme Court’s ruling.

Jessica Giles, Executive Director of DFER DC,

condemned the conservative justices for what she perceived as their alignment with Republican political interests.

Giles argued that the decision has not only disrupted the lives of over 40 million student loan borrowers but has also dealt a particularly devastating blow to Black Americans.

She asserts that the ruling will exacerbate the racial wealth gap, push numerous borrowers into financial hardship, and erode public trust in the Supreme Court.

In response to this setback, DFER DC urged Mayor Bowser and the D.C. Council to take proactive measures to expand existing programs aimed at reducing student loan debt and fixing the flaws within the higher education system.

The organization said it believes that local initiatives can help mitigate the negative impact of the Supreme Court’s decision and provide much-needed support to borrowers in the absence of federal relief.

President Biden’s student loan forgiveness program, with an estimated cost of $400 billion, was designed to offer significant relief to borrowers burdened by the weight of their student loans.

However, with the program now blocked by the Supreme Court, the administration will need to explore alternative avenues to address the pressing issue of student debt in the United States. “This Court clearly has a self-imposed mandate to

legislate from the bench. They have waged war on women, unions, Black and Brown Americans, the LGBTQ+ community, religious freedom, and democracy,” the Rev. Al Sharpton said in a statement.

“In the last two days, they have set their sights on college students to either block them from getting into elite institutions or put a financial albatross around their neck so they can’t succeed.

“We applaud President Biden’s commitment to following through on this campaign pledge, because millions of Black and Brown Americans are counting on it.”

“The attack against Metropolitan A.M.E. was an attempt to silence the congregation’s voice and its support for Black life, dignity, and safety. It represents just the latest chapter in a long history of white supremacist violence targeting Black houses of worship,” said Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, in the church counsel’s statement. “These attacks are meant to intimidate and create fear, and this lawsuit’s aim was to hold those who engage in such action accountable.’’

Proud Boys leader Henry “Enrique’’ Tarrio, of Miami, publicly acknowledged setting fire to one banner, which prosecutors said was stolen from Asbury United Methodist Church.

In July 2021, Tarrio pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor criminal charges of property destruction and attempted possession of a high-capacity magazine.

He was sentenced to more than five months in jail.

Tarrio and other members of the Proud Boys were separately convicted of seditious conspiracy charges as part of a plot to attack the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in a desperate bid to keep Donald Trump in power after the Republican lost the 2020 presidential election.

Venus Williams 24th Wimbledon Appearance Against Elina Svitolina

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) - Five-time

Wimbledon champion Venus Williams will begin her 24th appearance at the tournament against 2019 semifinalist Elina Svitolina, while Friday’s draw put twotime titlist Andy Murray up against wild-card entry Ryan Peniston in an all-British first-round matchup. Williams, who is 43 and has played just five matches this season, and Svitolina, who returned to the tour in April after taking time off to have a baby, both were given wild cards by the All England Club.

Whoever wins that contest could face No. 28 seed Elise Mertens in the second round, followed perhaps by a matchup against No. 7 Coco Gauff, the American who was just 15 when she began her Grand Slam career by eliminating Williams at Wimbledon in 2019.

Williams won Wimbledon in 2000, 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2008, to go along with two U.S. Open trophies. Audible gasps filled the All England Club’s main interview room where the draw was being conducted when Murray - who has twice undergone hip surgery since winning Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016 - was drawn to face a fellow British player, and again moments later when the winner of that match was slated to take on either No. 5 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, twice a major finalist, or 2020 U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem.

Murray’s initial title at Wimbledon made him the first British man in 77 years to earn the singles title there.

Play at the year’s third Grand Slam tournament begins Monday, when No. 2 seed Novak Djokovic will open his bid for a fifth consecutive championship - and eighth overall - at the All England Club against Pedro Cachin, a 67th-ranked Argentine making his Wimbledon debut.

The potential men’s quarterfinals are No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz vs. No. 6 Holger Rune, and No. 3 Daniil Medvedev vs. Tsitsipas on the top half of the bracket, and Djokovic vs. No. 7 Andrey Rublev, and No. 4 Casper Ruud vs. No. 8 Jannik Sinner on the bottom half.

Possible women’s quarterfinals are No. 1 Iga Swiatek vs. Gauff, and No. 4 Jessica Pegula vs. No. 5 Caroline Garcia on the top half, and No. 3 Elena Rybakina vs. No. 6 Ons Jabeur,

2

Sabalenka vs. No. 8 Maria Sakkari on the bottom half.

and No.

Aryna

force

meeting was held in the First Floor Auditorium of the March Fong Eu

right

left: Asm. Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles), Dr. Cheryl Grills, Attorney Lisa Holder, Sen. Steven Bradford

the Rev. Amos Brown, Attorney Kamilah Moore, Attorney Don Tamaki, San Diego City Councilwoman Monica Montgomery-Steppe, and Dr. Jovan Scott Lewis. June 29, 2023. (CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey)

President Biden Amplifies Importance of the Black Press of America

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

This week, during the NNPA’s Annual Convention, which celebrated 196 years of the Black Press of America, Biden appeared via video to salute the NNPA and its member publishers on the occasion.

“Congratulations to the Black Press of America for celebrating 196 years of serving communities across our nation,” Biden stated in the address which aired on July 1.

“Ida B. Wells once said, the way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon the wrong. That’s the sacred charge of a free press. That’s the charge African American publishers have pursued for nearly two centuries,” Biden continued.

“With every story you publish, you make our democracy stronger. Thank you for what you do to turn the light of truth wherever your work leads you. Thank you.”

President Joe Biden has always maintained that the Black vote pushed him over the top in his 2020 election victory over Donald Trump.

And it’s never been lost on the president that the pivotal day in his campaign occurred in Charleston, South Carolina, on Feb. 26, when he sat down for a live roundtable interview with Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., the president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the trade association of the more than 200 African American-owned newspapers and media companies.

Joining Chavis at that campaign-turning event were dozens of Black Press publishers and media company owners, and the livestream of that event, followed later in the day by

an endorsement from Democratic South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn, catapulted the once slumbering candidacy all the way to the White House.

Dr. Chavis and outgoing NNPA Chair Karen Carter Richards, praised the President for recognizing the importance of the Black Press of America.

“The NNPA is especially honored to hear directly from President Joe Biden for his continued support and advocacy of the importance of the Black Press of America,” Chavis stated. “As we celebrate 196 years of the Black Press, it’s always gratifying and encouraging to have the support of the President of the United States. In the wake of the recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions on civil rights, the Black Press rededicates our journalism to be a clarion voice for freedom, justice, equality, and equity.”

Richards who is the publisher of the Houston Forward Times, also thanked the President.

“To have the President of the United States take the time out to be a part of our convention is of course special,” Richards said. “But, it’s also a testament to just how vital the Black Press remains. Collectively, as Black publishers and Black business owners, we are stronger than ever and the President’s message reinforces that.”

Newly elected board chair Bobby Henry, publisher of the Westside Gazette in Florida, added, “That message from President Biden to the association was one that signifies that he remains true to his pledge to value the role African Americans play and have played in this country. Further, acknowledging the role that the Black press plays in reaching our people and those sympathetic to our plight remains a critical component of the 2024 electoral strategy.”

Atty. Lisa Holder: Lisa Holder, Oaklandbased attorney and member of the California Reparations Task Force, holds up the 1075page final report. The nine-member panel submitted 115 recommendations to the California legislature two days before the June 30 deadline. June 29, 2023. (CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey)

Sec. of State Shirley N.  Weber: Secretary of State Dr. Shirley N. Weber makes a statement about the California Reparations Task Force final report. Weber authored AB 3121, the legislation that created the nine-member panel when she was a member of the state Assembly. June 29, 2023. (CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey)

California Task Force Delivers 115 Recommendations in Final Report

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“The findings are clear. Lawmakers must take direct and determinative action to address the vast racial inequality which exists in California today. The California Legislative Black Caucus looks forward to partnering with the Newsom administration and our colleagues in the Legislature as we look towards the coming Legislative Session.”

Additionally, recommendations made by the task force include a request for a formal apology from the state and acknowledgment of discrimination against the descendants of enslaved Blacks.

“This work has been relentless, has been meticulous (and) it is unsaleable,” Oakland-based civil rights attorney and task force member Lisa Holder said. “It has been a work of a collective. We partnered with the Department of Justice, we partnered with hundreds of scholars, and we partnered with the community. Public commenters and participants in listening sessions who poured out their hearts and souls told us some of the most devastating stories of racial discrimination. They shared their pain and made themselves vulnerable during this process.”

The task force decided on March 30, 2022, that lineage will determine who will be eligible for compensation, specifically, individuals who are Black descendants of enslaved people in the United States. If reparations become law, a proposed California American Freedmen Affairs Agency would be responsible for identifying past harms and preventing future occurrences.

The specialized office, with additional branches across the state, would facilitate claims for restitution, process claims with the state, and assist claimants in proving

eligibility through a “genealogy” department.

Marcus Champion, a board member of the National Assembly of American Slavery Descendants Los Angeles (NAASDLA) and the Coalition for a Just and Equitable California (CJEC), is a longtime reparations supporter and one of the activists who worked with Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber when she was an Assemblymember to make Assembly Bill (AB) 3121, the law that established the task force, a reality.

Speaking at a CJEC gathering in North Sacramento after the final task force meeting, Champion said now is the time to persuade the legislature to make reparations law.

“For us, on the ground as grassroots (organizations), we are about to start putting the pressure on the legislators to make sure that the words are right,” Champion told California Black Media. “We’re about to make sure the community’s eligibility is right, make sure that there are cash payments, and make sure that this is not watered down and that this is real reparations.”

The 16th and final Task Force meeting was held in the First Floor Auditorium of the March Fong Eu Secretary of State Building in Sacramento on June 29. The facility was filled with an overflow of people waiting in the lobby and outside of the building.

All nine members of the task force were present as well as some of the speakers who testified before the panel over the last two years. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, members of the California Legislative Black Caucus, and Weber also spoke during the three-hour event.

“The policies and laws of this nation have affected

Sen. Steven Bradford and Dr. Cheryl Grills: Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) and Loyola-Marymount psychology professor Dr. Cheryl Grills, both members of the California Reparations Task Force, sign copies of the 1075-page final report for members of the California Legislative Black Caucus.  June 29, 2023. (CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey)

every state and many instances beyond the state. It’s important to let people know that reparation is due whether you’re in Mississippi or you’re in California,” Weber said. “Reparation is due because the harm has been done. And we need to begin to repair the harm and stop patching it up as we’ve done for many years.”

Department of Justice Preparing 30 to 45 Federal Charges Against Donald Trump

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National

Correspondent

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is reportedly making significant progress in its investigation into former President Donald Trump and his associates, with preparations underway for a “superseding indictment” against the ex-president.

Yahoo! News quoted a “source familiar with the matter,” who said the DOJ is considering bringing additional charges against Trump and other figures in his orbit in the Southern District of Florida.

The ongoing case and the actions of the Trump-appointed district judge, Aileen Cannon, who presides over the proceedings in the Southern District of Florida, would impact the decision to file additional charges against Trump.

The report noted that the DOJ could consider a different venue to bring the additional charges. Special Counsel Jack Smith and his team of federal prosecutors could add 30 to 45 charges to the existing 37-count indictment against Trump, filed on June 8.

The charges could involve presenting previously undisclosed evidence, including incriminating recordings of Trump.

Several news outlets recently broadcast recordings of the former president appearing to brag about sharing classified documents, including information about potential U.S. military action against Iran.

The charges are expected to cover various aspects of Trump’s actions, including his attempts to undermine the 2020 election results. The DOJ is also preparing to bring charges against several attorneys who assisted Trump in his efforts to overturn the election.

One notable figure among them is Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s former personal attorney and former mayor of New York City. Giuliani, whose law license has been suspended in New York and Washington, participated in a voluntary interview with prosecutors under the supervision of the Special Counsel.

Yahoo! News said Guiliani’s cooperation took place under a “queen for a day” deal, allowing him to avoid jeopardy for any disclosures made to prosecutors during the interview.

Still, according to the report, Smith would bring certain charges against Guiliani for his work as a lawyer for Trump between the November 2020 election and the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots.

During his interview, Giuliani allegedly provided insight into Trump’s actions during that period as he sought to retain power despite the election results.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis leads a statelevel investigation into Trump and Giuliani in Georgia.

The Georgia investigation focuses on Trump’s alleged attempts to pressure local officials to overturn President Joe Biden’s victory in the state.

Indictments resulting from this investigation could be announced as early as next month. They may involve Trump, Giuliani, prominent Republicans in Georgia, and Mark Meadows, Trump’s former White House chief of staff.

Meadows, who testified before a special grand jury last year, is reportedly cooperating with the DOJ’s probe into Trump’s efforts to overturn the election.

Yahoo! News said Meadows signed an agreement outlining his obligations to assist in any prosecution related to Trump or other individuals connected to the former president in exchange for potential leniency in his legal situation.

Special Counsel Jack Smith and his team of federal prosecutors could add 30 to 45 charges to the existing 37-count indictment against Trump, filed on June 8.

President Joe Biden (Photo: @whitehouse on Instagram)

Fox Ushers Out Geraldo Rivera with tribute as he says he was fired from ‘The Five’

He also noted - a day after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in higher education - that he got his start in television when the Ford Foundation and Columbia Journalism School teamed to promote minorities in journalism. He had been working with Puerto Rican activist groups in New York.

By DAVID BAUDER

AP Media Writer NEW YORK (AP) - Fox News ushered Geraldo Rivera off the air with cake and balloons on Friday, while he left with a timely reminder that his journalism career was a product of affirmative action.

Rivera said that Fox fired him from his regular perch on "The Five," and that he decided to leave the network as a result. With his last two appearances on the afternoon political talk show apparently canceled, Rivera received a going-away party on the morning show "Fox & Friends, " where he generally delivered commentary once a week.

"I feel very emotional and deeply moved," Rivera said following a tribute that included clips from his career and goodbye messages from the likes of Jesse Watters, Bret Baier, Sean Hannity and Jeanine Pirro.

He also noted - a day after the U.S. Supreme Court struck

down affirmative action in higher education - that he got his start in television when the Ford Foundation and Columbia Journalism School teamed to promote minorities in journalism. He had been working with Puerto Rican activist groups in New York.

Rivera had a celebrated stint in local New York television, exposing abuse in the state's mental health system, and parlayed that into a colorful career as a national talk show host. His tribute poked fun at one infamous stunt when he opened Al Capone's

vault on live TV to find it empty.

Rivera joined Fox following the 2001 terrorist attacks because he wanted to be a war correspondent.

His job as a part-time panelist on "The Five" required him to represent a liberal point of view in political combat with four conservatives.

"Jousting with you has been a privilege," Watters said on the filmed tribute Friday. "You always brought your 'A' game."

His battles with panelist Greg Gutfeld, who Rivera once called arrogant and an "insulting punk" on the air, grew increasingly personal. With "The Five" becoming Fox's top-rated show, conservative panelists and rising stars Gutfeld and Watters have parlayed it into their own prime-time programs on the network schedule.

Unlike colleagues Watters and Pirro, Gutfeld didn't deliver a filmed goodbye to Rivera on Friday.

Rivera, who said he was briefly suspended from "The Five" shortly after he profanely criticized some of fired prime-time host Tucker Carlson's theories, told The Associated Press last week that he had decided to quit the show because of tensions there. It was not entirely clear what had changed to make Rivera say, both on the air Friday and on Twitter, that he had been fired from the show. Fox said in a statement that "we reached an amicable conclusion with Geraldo over the past few weeks," and a spokeswoman had no further comment. Rivera, due to turn 80 on the Fourth of July, is not characterizing his exit from Fox as a retirement.

Friends and Family Gather for the Funeral of Houston Rapper Big Pokey

HOUSTON (AP) - Family and friends gathered at the funeral over the weekend for Houston rapper Big Pokey, an original member of the pioneering group Screwed Up Click.

Pokey, who was born Milton Powell, died June 18 at the age of 48 after collapsing at a performance in Beaumont, located east of Houston. Those attending his service Saturday at Fountain of Praise church in Houston included Mayor Sylvester Turner, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and rappers Paul Wall, Trae Tha Truth and Slim Thug, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Pokey was known for Texas and Gulf Coast hits such as "Ball N' Parlay," "Who Dat Talking Down," and a verse on DJ

Screw's nearly 36-minute freestyle known as "June 27th." He was also featured on Megan Thee Stallion's 2022 "Southside Royalty Freestyle."

Nationally, Pokey was most known for a featured appearance on Wall's 2005 debut hit song, "Sittin' Sidewayz." The chorus was sampled from Pokey's verse on "June 27th."

Pokey, who grew up in Houston, began garnering local fame in the late 1990s as an original member of the Screwed Up Click, a friend group-turned-rap collective led by DJ Screw, who developed a slowed, pitched-down music style known as "chopped and screwed," which become synonymous with Houston.

Pokey released his debut album, "Hardest Pit in the Litter" in 1999 and "Da Game 2000" the following year.

Small-town Nostalgia and Inspiring Sisterhood Make ‘Goodbye Earl’ Ideal Summer Reading Book Review:

By DONNA EDWARDS

Associated Press

“Goodbye

Earl: A Revenge

Novel” by Leesa

Cross-Smith (Grand Central)

Whether you know the song by The Chicks or not, there’s a lot to love about Leesa Cross-Smith’s latest and uber-personal novel, “Goodbye Earl.”

But it does help to know the context: There are Earls in this world - men who abuse women. And, as the song explains, Earl’s gotta die.

When Kasey travels back to Goldie after 15 years away, she faces a traumatic past that she’d just as soon keep buried. But her best friends since they were babies - Rosemarie, Ada, and Caroline, together known as RACK - are there to help her through it.

RACK’s sisterhood transcends shared experiences and close proximity. Cross-Smith crafts a magical bond between them, capturing their easy, deep camaraderie as the now-33-year-old women slip into fun teenage banter when they reunite, their Southern accents bleeding through the page when they’re especially excited.

The chapters flip between then and now. In 2004, their final months together in Goldie before RACK graduates high school and Rosemarie and Kasey split town for wide open spaces and new faces. Jump 15 years, the four reunite in their hometown for a wedding.

The past reveals the abuse Kasey witnessed and

experienced at the hands of her stepdad. The present uncovers a second chance for all of them to make things right and to rid the world of an Earl

But the people in their lives aren’t all Earls - some of them are positively delightful, with scenes that buoy the book like a breath of fresh air:

rejuvenating kinship, contented

Baking pies meets kimbap by the lake. A straight Southern red-headed cupcake- baking sweetheart is best friends with a god-loving Black polyamorous bisexual hippie. Nosy Nancy keeps an eye on the town and everyone loses themselves dancing down at Duke’s.

It takes a bit to get acquainted with everyone, but after the wedding is over, things start moving at a breakneck speed. Then it somehow keeps rolling forward with the same momentum and doesn’t stop.

Ideal summer reading, “Goodbye Earl” is the kind of story you want to tell all your friends about because the content is heavy enough to need to vent it out, but the narration is light enough to merit gossip. Cross-Smith’s incredible, easy voice will make your skin crawl one moment and give you goosebumps the next, then smooth out your frazzled emotions with a contented, sunshiny vibe two pages later.

friendship, giddy Cross-Smith’s novel reflects her wide-ranging interests, which are so broad you’d have to be a total curmudgeon not to connect with at least one of the items in the extensive list on her About Me page. At once small Southern hometown and bigtime world-traveling interests, Cross-Smith pours bits of herself into these four besties to create a nostalgically familiar flavor with a wow-what-is-that-spicy-kick note that’s refreshing and fun all the way through.

Big Pokey,

Ancestral Connections- Political Elite’s Ties to Slavery Revealed

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

Recent research conducted by Reuters has shed light on the genealogies of America’s political elite, revealing that a significant portion of members of Congress, living presidents, Supreme Court justices, and governors are direct descendants of ancestors who enslaved Black people.

Among the 536 members of the last sitting Congress, Reuters found that at least 100 have ancestors who were slaveholders.

Furthermore, over a quarter of the Senate, or 28 members, can trace their families back to slaveholding ancestors.

This spans Democratic and Republican lawmakers, including influential figures such as Republican Senators Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham, and Tom Cotton, as well as Democrats Elizabeth Warren, Tammy Duckworth, and Jeanne Shaheen.

The examination also revealed that President Joe Biden and every living former U.S. president, except Donald Trump, have direct connections to slaveholders.

That list includes Jimmy Carter, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and even Barack Obama through his white mother’s lineage.

Additionally, two of the nine sitting U.S. Supreme Court justices, Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch, have ancestors who were involved in enslavement.

The research conducted by Reuters also delved into the gubernatorial level, revealing that in 2022, 11 out of 50 U.S. states had governors who were descendants of slaveholders.

Eight governors hail from states that formed the Confederate States of America, which fought to preserve slavery.

Among them, Asa Hutchinson, the former governor of Arkansas, and Doug Burgum of North Dakota are seeking the Republican nomination for president.

According to Reuters’ findings, at least 8% of Democrats and 28% of Republicans in the last Congress had ancestral ties to slaveholders.

This disparity reflects the historical strength of the Republican Party in the South, where slavery was concentrated.

South Carolina, where the Civil War began, exemplifies the familial connections between lawmakers and the nation’s history of slavery.

Sen. Tim Scott, a Republican presidential candidate, and Rep. James Clyburn, a prominent Democrat, both have ancestors who were enslaved.

All seven white lawmakers from South Carolina in the 117th Congress are direct descendants of slaveholders, as is the state’s Republican governor, Henry McMaster.

The unveiling of these ancestral ties to slavery comes at a time when the legacy of slavery is under renewed and intense debate.

The investigation by Reuters emphasizes the ongoing relationship between America and the institution of slavery, particularly among those who influence the country’s laws.

Henry Louis Gates Jr., a professor at Harvard University specializing in African and African American Research, emphasized in an NBC News interview that identifying these ancestral connections is not about assigning blame but recognizing the close link between lawmakers and slavery.

Gates stated that it served as an opportunity for individuals to learn and for the American people to gain a deeper understanding of their shared history.

The Reuters analysis goes beyond previous documentation of ancestral ties to slavery by focusing on the most powerful officeholders of today, many of whom have taken stances on race-related policies.

The comprehensive research provides a broader and more detailed perspective on the extent of these leaders’ connections to America’s “original sin.”

It also explores the personal and significant implications for lawmakers and prominent officials as they confront the realities of their own family’s involvement in slavery.

The research focused on direct lineal descendants rather than distant cousins. c

The sources analyzed included Census records, tax documents, estate records, family Bibles, newspaper accounts, and birth and death certificates.

To ensure accuracy, board-certified genealogists reviewed each case linking a contemporary leader to a slaveholding ancestor.

While the Reuters examination provided a valuable understanding of the ancestral ties between the political elite and slavery, it’s further acknowledged that the records available may not capture the full extent of those connections.

Among the 536 members of the last sitting Congress, Reuters found that at least 100 have ancestors who were slaveholders.

Every member of the state’s delegation to the last Congress has ancestral ties to slavery.

Many records have been lost or destroyed over time, leading to the possibility of an undercount.

Honoring Our Past and Looking Towards the Future

By Assistant Democratic Leader James E. Clyburn (SC-06)

In 2019, my daughter Jennifer and I took part in a Congressional Delegation to Ghana that included my good friend, the late Congressman John Lewis. Our visit was to commemorate the 400 years since Blacks were forcibly taken from the continent of Africa and enslaved in America. During that visit, Jennifer and I stood silently in the “door of no return,” holding hands. I never asked her about her thoughts, and she did not ask me about mine. Last Saturday, she and her husband joined me at the dedication of the International African American Museum (IAAM) in Charleston. It is fitting that IAAM stands on the site of Gadsden’s Wharf, where nearly half of all enslaved Africans brought to this continent arrived.

When I was asked by then-Charleston Mayor Joe Riley 23 years ago to chair the steering committee to develop his vision of establishing such a museum in Charleston, I thought of the countless slaves that were stolen from their homeland, stripped of their identities, and brought to this strange land in shackles. But I also thought of the African Americans who rose above the circumstances of their ancestors and their countless descendants eager to honor their memories. I said during my dedication remarks that IAAM tells the story of perseverance through the middle passage, resistance to enslavement, triumphs over Jim Crow, and significant contributions to the greatness of this country.

In the early days of our efforts, there was significant debate about the focus of the museum. But I knew we had to do justice to all 400 years of the Black experience in America. On the day we broke ground on IAAM, another good friend, Congressman Elijah Cummings, was being funeralized in Baltimore, Maryland. Elijah was the greatgreat-grandson of Scippio Rhame, who, until he was freed

in 1868, worked the same land as Elijah’s parents, who were sharecroppers.

Because of his parents’ participation in the great migration, Elijah was born and grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, where Elijah was placed in special education classes. He overcame that profiling and graduated college, Phi Beta Kappa. He became an accomplished lawyer, rose to serve in the United States Congress, and became Chairman of the powerful Oversight Committee. IAAM tells the story of the ancestors and descendants of Scippo Rhame, and countless others with similar backgrounds and experiences.

Those stories are about more than the institution of slavery—they are uplifting experiences that epitomize the varying possibilities of who we are and what we can—and have—become. In that spirit, IAAM has established a oneof-a-kind center dedicated to African American genealogy research. The Center for Family History hosts a growing collection of photos, historical documents, and family histories that the public can comb through to find more information about their family trees.

To help bolster their records, the IAAM Center for Family History has issued an open call for obituaries, photos, family histories, and other historical documents. It is not lost on me that at the site where some researchers say half of all African Americans arrived in this country will sit a museum committed to reunifying their descendants with lost histories.

There is significant currency in the museum’s acronym, “IAAM.” In my office is a statue of a sanitation worker holding a sign with a simple message: “I am a man.” This statue tells the story of the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Workers’ strike, born out of anger over the deaths of Black sanitation workers Echol Cole and Robert Walker, who were killed on the job by malfunctioning equipment. The

primarily Black sanitation force demanded recognition of their union, improved safety standards, and a living wage. It took nearly 2 months and the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., but in the end, their demands were met. The museum’s acronym, “IAAM,” serves to recognize their struggle and ultimate success.

I often quote George Santayana’s admonition, “Those who do not remember past lessons are condemned to repeat them.” African American history encompasses far more than the horrors of those who were enslaved. Their

countless descendants include history-making visionaries, and IAAM honors and preserves their struggles and accomplishments and dares us to look toward the future.

I must admit that there were times during my chairmanship, especially in those early days, when I was not sure we would get this project across the finish line. I am proud that after more than 20 years of hard work and dedicated commitment, we are celebrating its opening, and future generations can learn fuller and more accurate stories of America’s greatness.

NNPA Welcomes New Chair, Executive Board

By Stacy M. Brown

NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

Bobby Henry, the publisher of the Westside Gazette in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., won the election as chair of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) during the organization’s 2023 convention in Nashville, Tenn.

The NNPA is the trade association of more than 200 African American-owned newspapers and media companies in the United States.

Dr. Frances Draper, publisher of The Afro-American newspaper in Baltimore and Washington, will serve as 1st Vice Chair, while Jackie Hampton, publisher of The Mississippi Link, earned election as 2nd Vice Chair.

Fran Farrer, the publisher of The County News in Charlotte, N.C., was elected Secretary, and Cheryl Smith, publisher of The Texas Metro News and CEO of IMessenger Media, will serve as Treasurer.

Denise Rolark Barnes, publisher of The Washington Informer, and Walter L. White of The Cincinnati Herald will serve as At-Large Board Members. Henry, whose Westside Gazette has been published continuously since 1971 when his father, Levi, started the newspaper, takes over for Houston Forward Times Publisher Karen Carter Richards who served as chair for the past four years. Richards will join Brenda Andrews of The New

Publisher

Carter

Journal & Guide in Norfolk, Va., Kenneth Miller of Inglewood Today in Calif., Rod Doss of the New Pittsburgh Courier, Carl Anderson of The New Tri-State Defender in Memphis, and Sonny Messiah-Jiles of the Defender Network in Houston, as members of the NNPA Fund Board, the nonprofit division of the NNPA.

Levi Henry was in attendance at the NNPA’s Legacy Awards Gala when Bobby Henry was announced as the new chair, bringing the elder to tears.

Bobby Henry demanded that the NNPA continue to work together and to ensure that the Black Press remains the trusted voice of the African American community. He waxed poetic about his new role and what he expects going forward.

“It is not always a pleasurable chore to serve and to be a servant,” Henry proclaimed in preparing to lead the Black Press of America.

“What appears to be a joyful moment of basking in bliss quickly fades away faster than a snowflake over an open campfire. Be that as it may, I am honored to be in the business of ‘Pleading our own cause’ as ‘Soldiers without swords.’”

As a team, Henry said the NNPA’s new executive board would “continue to be a preeminent example of the Black Press of America no matter how ‘Stony the road we trod’ or having feet no less beautiful than those who preach or print the gospel.”

E-Cigs Are Still Flooding the US, Addicting Teens With Higher Nicotine Doses

By Liz Szabo California Healthline

When the FDA first asserted the authority to regulate e-cigarettes in 2016, many people assumed the agency would quickly get rid of vapes with flavors like cotton candy, gummy bears, and Froot Loops that appeal to kids.

Instead, the FDA allowed all e-cigarettes already on the market to stay while their manufacturers applied for the OK to market them.

Seven years later, vaping has ballooned into an $8.2 billion industry, and manufacturers are flooding the market with thousands of products — most sold illegally and without FDA permission — that can be far more addictive.

“The FDA has failed to protect public health,” said Eric Lindblom, a former senior adviser to the director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products. “It’s a tragedy.”

Yet the FDA isn’t the only entity that has tolerated the selling of vapes to kids.

Multiple players in and out of Washington have declined to act, tied the agency’s hands, or neglected to provide the FDA with needed resources. Former Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump both have prevented the FDA from broadly banning candy-flavored vapes.

Meanwhile, today’s vapes have become “bigger, badder, and cheaper” than older models, said Robin Koval, CEO of the Truth Initiative, a tobacco control advocacy group. The enormous amount of nicotine in e-cigarettes — up 76% over five years — can addict kids in a matter of days, Koval said.

E-cigarettes in the U.S. now contain nicotine concentrations that are, on average, more than twice the level allowed in Canada and Europe. The U.S. sets no limits on the nicotine content of any tobacco product.

“We’ve never delivered this level of nicotine before,” said Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, which opposes youth vaping. “We really don’t know the long-term health implications.”

Elijah Stone was 19 when he tried his first e-cigarette at a party. He was a college freshman, grappling with depression and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and “looking for an escape.” Store clerks never asked for his ID.

Stone said he was “hooked instantly.”

“The moment I felt that buzz, how was I supposed to go back after I felt that?” asked Stone, now 23, of Los Angeles.

The e-cigarette industry maintains that higher nicotine concentrations can help adults who smoke heavily switch from combustible cigarettes to vaping products, which are relatively less harmful to them. The FDA has approved high-nicotine, tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes for that purpose, said April Meyers, CEO of the Smoke-Free Alternatives Trade Association.

“The goal is to get people away from combustible products,” said Nicholas Minas Alfaro, CEO of Puff

Bar, one of the most popular brands with kids last year. Yet Alfaro acknowledged, “These products are addictive products; there’s no hiding that.”

Although e-cigarettes don’t produce tar, they do contain harmful chemicals, such as nicotine and formaldehyde. The U.S. Surgeon General has warned that vaping poses significant risks: including damage to the heart, lungs, and parts of the brain that control attention and learning, as well as an increased risk of addiction to other substances.

More than 2.5 million kids used e-cigarettes in 2022, including 14% of high school students, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Most U.S. teen vapers begin puffing within an hour of waking up, according to a survey of e-cigarette users ages

earn as much money as possible before being shut down.

In 2018, public health groups sued the agency, charging that the delay in reviewing applications put kids at risk. Although a court ordered the FDA to finish the job by September 2021, the FDA missed that deadline. An estimated 1.2 million people under the legal age of 21 began vaping over the next year, according to a study published in May in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Recently, the FDA announced it has made decisions on 99% of e-cigarette applications, noting that it had rejected millions and authorized 23. All authorized products have traditional tobacco flavors, and were deemed “appropriate for the protection of public health” because tobaccoflavored products aren’t popular with children but provide adult smokers with a less dangerous alternative, King said.

The agency has yet to make final decisions on the most popular products on the market. Those applications are longer and need more careful scientific review, said Mitch Zeller, former director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products and a current advisory board member for Qnovia, which is developing smoking-cessation products.

The FDA said it would not complete reviewing applications by the end of June, as it previously forecast, but would need until the end of the year.

Before the FDA can announce new tobacco policies, it needs approval from the president — who doesn’t always agree with the FDA’s priorities.

For example, Obama rejected FDA officials’ proposal to ban kid-friendly flavors in 2016.

And in 2020, Trump backpedaled on his own plan to pull most flavored vapes off the market. Instead of banning all fruit and minty flavors, the Trump administration banned them only in “cartridge-based” devices such as Juul. The flavor ban didn’t affect vapes without cartridges, such as disposable e-cigarettes.

The result was predictable, Zeller said.

selling menthol vapes, a flavor popular with teens. In both cases, court-imposed stays halted the FDA’s orders pending review and the companies’ menthol products remain on the market.

Luis Pinto, a spokesperson for parent company Reynolds American, said, “We remain confident in the quality of all of Reynolds’ applications, and we believe that there is ample evidence for FDA to determine that the marketing of these products is appropriate for the protection of public health.”

Under the Biden administration, the FDA has begun to step up enforcement efforts. It fined 12 e-cigarette manufacturers more than $19,000 each, and has issued more than 1,500 warning letters to manufacturers. The FDA also issued warnings to 120,000 retailers for selling illegal products or selling to customers under 21, King said. Five of the companies that received warning letters made vapes decorated with cartoon characters, such as Minions, or were shaped like toys, including Nintendo Game Boys or walkie-talkies.

In May, the FDA put Elfbar and other unauthorized vapes from China on its “red list,” which allows FDA agents to detain shipments without inspection at the border. On June 22, the FDA announced it has issued warning letters to an additional 189 retailers for selling unauthorized tobacco products, specifically Elfbar and Esco Bars products, noting that both brands are disposable e-cigarettes that come in flavors known to appeal to youth, including bubblegum and pink lemonade.

In October, the Justice Department for the first time filed lawsuits against six e-cigarette manufacturers on behalf of the FDA, seeking “to stop the illegal manufacture and sale of unauthorized vaping products.”

16 to 19 presented at the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco in March.

The potential for profits — and lax enforcement of vaping laws — has led to a gold rush. The number of unique vaping products, as measured by their bar codes, quadrupled in just one year, rising from 453 in June 2021 to 2,023 in June 2022, according to a Truth Initiative review of U.S. retail sales data.

FDA officials say they’ve been overwhelmed by the volume of e-cigarette marketing applications — 26 million in all.

“There is no regulatory agency in the world that has had to deal with a volume like that,” said Brian King, who became director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products in July 2022.

The agency has struggled to stop e-cigarette makers who continue selling vapes despite the FDA’s rejection of the products, as well as manufacturers who never bothered to apply for authorization, and counterfeiters hoping to

Teens switched in droves from Juul to brands that weren’t affected by the ban, including disposable vapes such as Puff Bar, which were allowed to continue selling candyflavored vapes.

After receiving its own warning letter from the FDA last year, Puff Bar now sells only zero-nicotine vapes, Alfaro said.

When the FDA does attempt bold action, legal challenges often force it to halt or even reverse course.

The FDA ordered Juul to remove its products from the market in June 2022, for example, but was immediately hit with a lawsuit. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit sided with Juul and issued a temporary stay on the FDA’s order. Within weeks, the FDA announced it would hold off on enforcing its order because of “scientific issues unique to the JUUL application that warrant additional review.”

E-cigarette makers Logic and R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co. both sued the FDA after the agency ordered them to stop

Some lawmakers say the Justice Department should play a larger role in prosecuting companies selling kidfriendly e-cigarettes. “Make no mistake: There are more than six e-cigarette manufacturers selling without authorization on the market,” Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said in a March letter. Children are “vaping with unauthorized products that are on store shelves only because FDA has seemingly granted these illegal e-cigarettes a free pass.”

This article was produced by KFF Health News, formerly known as Kaiser Health News (KHN), a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism.  KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF.

New Charleston Museum Nods to Historical Roots of US Health Disparities

at any other site in America, Butler said. Other states had already made the importation of slaves from Africa illegal; South Carolina was the last holdout.

“It was peak madness of the African slave trade in North America,” he said, adding that the health of enslaved people at Gadsden’s Wharf “totally deteriorated” during those years.

Once in Charleston, Africans died in such large numbers from disease, exposure to cold, malnutrition, and physical trauma, Butler said, that local lawmakers passed an ordinance in 1805 establishing fines for anyone caught dumping the bodies of Black people into Charleston Harbor.

A line can be drawn between what transpired at Gadsden’s Wharf more than 200 years ago and health outcomes observed among Black Americans today, historians and health care providers say.

Thaddeus Bell, a North Charleston family physician and founder of the nonprofit Closing the Gap in Health Care, attended the museum’s groundbreaking. When he visited Gadsden’s Wharf, he said, he couldn’t help but think of his Black patients, many of whom suffer disproportionately from cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.

Research published in JAMA last month found that Black people in the U.S. experienced 1.63 million excess deaths from 1999 to 2020, representing 80 million years of potential life lost, compared with white Americans. African Americans today have higher infant, maternal, and cancer mortality rates, and overall mortality rates, compared with white Americans, according to KFF.

Felice Knight, director of education at the museum, is a historian and an expert on the lives of enslaved people in the city. Research suggests that 40% of enslaved Africans came through ports in South Carolina during the Colonial period, Knight says. The museum in Charleston has been “a long time in the making,” she says. (LAUREN SAUSSER / KFF HEALTH NEWS)

main gallery allow visitors to sit and privately process their grief. A sign in the memorial garden designates the site as a “sacred space” — an acknowledgment that the experience of visiting Gadsden’s Wharf may be difficult, even traumatic, for some people.

By Lauren Sausser

KFF Health News

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Maude Callen, a Black nurse-midwife, delivered more than 800 infants across the South Carolina Lowcountry starting in the 1920s, when segregation made it difficult for Black people to get medical care.

Although Callen isn’t commonly considered a household name, visitors passing through the new $120 million International African American Museum that opened this week will learn about her work.

The Callen display serves as both a celebration of Black achievement in medicine and a reminder that the origins of modern-day health disparities are rooted in history and racism. More than 100 years after Callen launched her midwifery career, South Carolina remains one of the deadliest states for Black mothers and babies and continues to battle troubling health inequities.

“We want to constantly cause people to recognize that there isn’t that much distance between past and present,” said Felice Knight, director of education at the new museum, which was more than 20 years in the making.

The galleries span centuries of trauma and triumph. But what sets this museum apart from other sites dedicated to Black history is its location. It is built on Gadsden’s Wharf — where tens of thousands of enslaved Africans first stepped foot in America after their capture and twomonth transport across the Atlantic Ocean.

“That fact alone makes it probably the most significant landing spot for Africans in North America,” said Nic Butler, a historian for the Charleston County Public Library.

During the two years leading up to 1808, when the importation of enslaved people from foreign countries to the United States became a federal crime, it’s likely more Africans were sold into slavery at Gadsden’s Wharf than

“You think about all of the health issues that Black people did not get the appropriate care for, all of the racist doctors we had to deal with,” Bell said. He said he wished museum leaders had done more to focus on health disparities. “The medical system was just stacked against us. It’s just heartbreaking.”

It’s common for historians who study health disparities to link current health outcomes to the past, said Kevin McQueeney, an assistant professor of history at Nicholls State University in Louisiana and author of “A City Without Care: 300 Years of Racism, Health Disparities, and Health Care Activism in New Orleans.”

McQueeney cited research in his book estimating huge numbers of Africans captured in their homeland died from disease or trauma before ever boarding a slave ship. Up to 20% of those being transported died during the Middle Passage, he said. Then, thousands more men, women, and children who’d survived up to the point of being sold would die within the first 18 months of arriving in America. Those who didn’t die would likely suffer from a variety of health ailments related to respiratory illness, malnutrition, and physical injury for the rest of their lives, he said.

Health disparities have persisted over generations for a variety of reasons, including poverty, racism, and genetics. “In a lot of ways, these are the legacies of slavery,” McQueeney said.

Museum architects designed the building and gardens with this trauma in mind. Small, quiet rooms near the

“I want people to feel the sorrow, the pain, the burden of the history of the site,” said Walter Hood, a California landscape architect whose studio designed the outdoor space. At the same time, he said, he doesn’t want visitors to consider Gadsden’s Wharf a memorial to the dead.

“It’s almost like Plymouth Rock when you think about it. It’s a place of arrival,” he said. “We are still here.”

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF.

Flavored vape and e-cigarette products on display at a convenience store in El Segundo, California, last summer. (Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images)

The new International African American Museum in Charleston, South Carolina, features nine galleries and multiple exhibits that span several centuries of Black history. (LAUREN SAUSSER / KFF HEALTH NEWS)

One exhibit inside the museum describes the accomplishments of Black leaders in health care, including nurse-midwife Maude Callen, who delivered hundreds of infants across the South Carolina Lowcountry during a time when segregation limited access to medical care for many African Americans. (LAUREN SAUSSER / KFF HEALTH NEWS)

An exhibit in the museum features the names and ages of enslaved Africans who were captured and shipped to America during the transatlantic slave trade — many of them children.(LAUREN SAUSSER / KFF HEALTH

In Wake of Conservative Court Striking Down Affirmative Action, Justice Jackson and Civil Rights Leaders Agree:

‘America Has Never Been Colorblind’

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

As she watched her conservative majority colleagues on the high court issue the death knell to affirmative action on Thursday, June 29, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote another masterpiece to express her dissent.

Jackson’s disapproval could easily be summed up in a single and precise sentence: “Our country has never been colorblind.”

“The best that can be said of the majority’s perspective is that it proceeds (ostrich-like) from the hope that preventing consideration of race will end racism,” Jackson wrote in blasting the six-member majority.

“But if that is its motivation, the majority proceeds in vain. If the colleges of this country are required to ignore a thing that matters, it will not just go away. It will take longer for racism to leave us.”

In the majority ruling, the conservative justices declared that the admissions policies of Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, which consider race a factor, were unconstitutional.

Students for Fair Admissions had presented two cases for consideration against Harvard and UNC, representing private and public universities.

They argued that the practice violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment and put white and Asian-American applicants at a disadvantage.

Harvard and UNC maintained that affirmative action should be upheld, contending that their admissions policies align with previous court decisions.

They argued that considering race ensures a diverse student

body. They denied any discrimination in their practices.

However, the Court ruled that affirmative action violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

The justices stated that the universities’ policies do not conform to the limited exceptions for equal rights without regard to race, color, or nationality.

The justices determined that the universities failed to provide sufficient justification for using race in admissions.

Further, they claimed that affirmative action programs do not comply with the Equal Protection Clause’s requirement that race not be used negatively or as a stereotype.

The Court noted that affirmative action resulted in a lower acceptance rate for Asian American applicants at Harvard.

The Court further stated that basing admissions on race leads to stereotyping and assumes that individuals of a particular race think alike, which it said it found offensive and demeaning.

The justices did acknowledge that race can still be considered if it is directly tied to an applicant’s character or unique abilities that they can contribute to the university.

Chief Justice John Roberts, in the majority opinion, emphasized that students should be evaluated based on their experiences rather than their race.

He criticized universities that he said had wrongly prioritized skin color, stating that America’s constitutional history does not support such a choice.

Jackson lambasted that opinion.

“With let-them-eat-cake obliviousness, today, the majority pulls the ripcord and announces, ‘colorblindness for all’ by legal fiat,” Jackson forcefully dissented.

“But deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so

in life. And having so detached itself from this country’s actual past and present experiences, the Court has now been lured into interfering with the crucial work that UNC and other institutions of higher learning are doing to solve America’s real-world problems,” Jackson asserted.

“No one benefits from ignorance. Race matters in the lived experience of Americans, even if legal barriers are gone.”

Casting aside decades of precedent, the Court’s “antiopportunity majority further undermines its own legitimacy by gutting race-conscious university admissions, which will benefit the wealthy and well-connected most,” the Chairs of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Congressional Black Caucus Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nevada), and Congressional Hispanic Caucus Rep. Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.) offered in a joint statement.

“We know that not all students are afforded equal opportunity in our education systems, and we know that diversity on college campuses benefits the entire student body by enriching their college experiences and better preparing them to enter our workforce,” the statement continued.

“Holistic, race-conscious admissions policies allow all students, regardless of their race or ethnicity, to be able to tell the full story of who they are and participate in a thriving, multiracial democracy. Importantly, though, this decision should not be viewed to impact race-conscious processes outside the scope of university admissions.”

President Biden, former President Barack Obama, and a host of civil rights activists also condemned the Court’s decision.

Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump said the ruling “reeks of the intellectual justification of discrimination.”

Ketanji Brown Jackson’s disapproval could easily be summed up in a single and precise sentence: “Our country has never been colorblind.”

“As we have recently witnessed in politics, this is a coordinated effort to undo much of the progress made to turn America into a land of equal opportunity,” Crump stated.

“The truth is, Black Americans do not have equal opportunity because our starting line is miles behind that of our white peers. It’s obvious that social inequities and systematic discrimination create a more difficult and treacherous path for Black and Brown people to achieve stability and success, blocking their ability to accumulate generational wealth and get their families to a place of financial security. Affirmative action opened doors for bright, young people that were closed to them for generations.”

Black Caucus Members Welcome New Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas

California Black Media

The California Assembly ushered in new leadership last week with the swearing in of Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) at the State Capitol in Sacramento on June 30.

Rivas replaces Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood), the outgoing Speaker who presided over the Assembly for the last seven years.

Rivas is the 71st Speaker of the state legislature’s lower house. Known for being a pragmatic coalition builder, Rivas’ rise to power has been steady, colleagues say, since he was first elected to the State Assembly in 2018.

After being sworn in, Rivas informed the 79 other members of the Assembly that his leadership, which he says will benefit everyone, will be characterized by “urgency and unity” as his top priorities.

“California is still the greatest state in the union. But if we in this room do not act and do not act with greater urgency, it will get more and more difficult to build a good life here,” Rivas said. “I feel, and I know that you all do, too, a great sense of responsibility because we are the ones who can keep the door open for the next generation.”

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-11), U.S. Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (DCA-18), Gov. Gavin Newsom, and Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass were among politicians, state officials, family members, members of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) and others were present to witness 43-year-old Rivas take his oath of office.

Assemblymember Lori D. Wilson (D-Suisun City) said the day celebrates “the new season of leadership under the Honorable Robert Rivas” and all members of the Assembly hearts’ “should be filled with joy” about a man who came from humble beginnings.

“On behalf of the Black caucus, congratulations on your success,” Wilson, the chairperson of the CLBC said to Rivas. “We look forward to working with you on monumental legislation to ensure equity for all and continue dismantling systematic discrimination and racism.”

Civil rights icon and labor rights advocate Dolores Huerta, Rivas’ mother Mayra Flores, his grandmother and about 30 farmworkers from his district were “scattered throughout the chamber” to see the swearing in ceremony along with his wife Christen and their daughter Melina, Rivas said.

The three African American state Constitutional officers Controller Malia Cohen, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, and Secretary of State Shirley Weber also attended the proceedings on the Assembly floor.

“California is still the greatest state in the union. But if we in this room do not act and do not act with greater urgency, it will get more and more difficult to build a good life here,” Rivas told the audience. “I feel, and I know that you all do, too, have a great sense of responsibility because we are the ones who can keep the door open for the next generation.”

Raised in Paicines, a small town in San Benito County with a population of under 700 people, Rivas says he watched his grandfather as a child stand side by side with Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers (UFW) as a leader in the movement that won equal rights and fair contracts for farmworkers.

Rivas attended local public schools in San Juan Bautista and Hollister. During his inaugural speech, he mentioned that along with his mother and brother, he

once shared a house of “three beds” with five other family members, including his cousins.

In 1988, Rivas’s grandparents, aunts and uncles pooled together money to purchase a small house for $140,000 in the city of Hollister, a community established by ranchers and farmers in 1872.

“It was a massive investment, but it was doable,” Rivas remembered his family’s ambition to own a home of their own. “It gave us a sense that our future was not so precarious and that there was a place for us in in the greatest state in country in California.”

Rivas graduated with a bachelor’s degree in government from California State University Sacramento and later earned a master’s degree in public administration from San Jose State University.

A lifelong resident of the 29th Assembly district,

Rivas served two terms on the San Benito County Board of Supervisors prior to becoming an Assemblymember in 2018.

During his first term in the Fall of 2020, Rivas was appointed as the Chair of the Assembly Agriculture Committee and elected as Vice-Chair of the influential Latino Legislative Caucus.

Rivas’ priorities are directed at tackling California’s housing and homelessness crisis, battling climate change, and enhancing public services and infrastructure.

“I am excited for the future of this body and even more excited for the future of this great state with Robert as our speaker,” said Assemblymember Akilah Weber (D-La Mesa), who is also a member of the CLBC. “So, congratulations to our speaker designate and my good friend Robert Rivas.”

Before he took the oath of office, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) listens to his colleagues provide words of encouragement and support. June 30, 2023. (CBM photo by Robert Maryland)

Assemblymember Akilah Weber (D-La Mesa) thanks Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas’ wife, Christen, for being patient with him while he represents his community in the Assembly. June 30, 2023. (CBM photo by Robert Maryland)

Assemblymember Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) was sworn in as the 71st Speaker of the Assembly on June 30, 2023, at the state capitol in Sacramento. (CBM photo by Robert Maryland)

Assemblymember Lori D. Wilson CLBC, chair (D-Suisun City) told the Assembly that Robert Rivas’ swearing in ceremony was a day of joy. June 30, 2023. (CBM photo by Robert Maryland)

Antonio Ray Harvey

California Black Media Political Playback: News You Might Have Missed

Joe W. Bowers Jr. and Edward Henderson

California Black Media

Your roundup of stories you might have missed last week.

Gov. Newsom, Legislature Agree on $310.8 Billion Budget

Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature reached an agreement on a state budget totaling $310.8 billion for the 2023-24 fiscal year. It came into effect July 1.

The agreement includes provisions for trailer bills that support clean transportation, expanded Medi-Cal coverage, expedited judicial review, advanced mitigation by Caltrans, the conversion of San Quentin into a rehabilitation center and wildlife crossings on I-15, among other initiatives.

“In the face of continued global economic uncertainty, this budget increases our fiscal discipline by growing our budget reserves to a record $38 billion, while preserving historic investments in public education, health care, climate, and public safety,” said Newsom.

Negotiations had been delayed because the of the Governor’s demands, including an infrastructure proposal that lawmakers opposed. A compromise was reached by limiting the types of projects eligible for expedited approval permits and excluding a proposed water conveyance tunnel under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

“We started our budget process this time around with tough economic challenges, but one overarching goal: to protect California’s progress,” said Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego).

On July 1, California Officially Recognized Juneteenth as a State Holiday

This past weekend, on July 1, Assembly Bill (AB) 1655, which declares Juneteenth an official California state holiday took effect.

AB 1655, introduced by Assemblymember Reggie

Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles), a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus, was signed into law by Gov. Newsom last September.

On June 19 of next year, California state employees can elect to take the day off work to commemorate the holiday celebrating the emancipation of formerly enslaved Black Americans.

California “Renters Caucus” Announces Pro-Tenant

Bills

On June 29, The California Legislative Renters Caucus – a group of five lawmakers who are all renters -- held a press conference to announce a package of bills aimed to protect the rights of tenants in California.

The Renters’ Caucus was formed in 2022 in response to the state’s dire housing crisis. This unique caucus is committed to ensuring that the interests of California’s 17 million renters are represented in state government.

Each member of the caucus is responsible for introducing a bill for consideration. Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco), Chair of the Caucus, hosted the press conference and introduced Senate Bill (SB) 555. The bill aims cap limit security deposits to no more than one month’s rent.

“Each of the pieces of our legislative agenda is addressing a different challenge that renters are facing,” said Haney. “

Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D- Ladera Heights), Vice Chair of the Caucus, introduced AB 1248. This bill limits independent redistricting to fight gerrymandering.

Assemblymember Alex Lee (D-San Jose) introduced

AB 309. The bill would set eligibility criteria for residents of social housing and establish a lottery system for selecting residents.

Assemblymember Tasha Boerner (D-Encinitas) introduced AB 548, which protects renters by giving more authority to inspectors to insure safe living conditions.

Sen. Aisha Wahab (D-Hayward) introduced SB 555 which creates a practical data driven masterplan that outlines a plan to produce 1.2 million affordable housing units over the next 10 years.

Attorney General Bonta Releases 2022 Hate Crime Report: Blacks Still Most Targeted Group California Attorney General Rob Bonta on June 27 released the 2022 Hate Crime in California Report. The document also highlighted resources to support ongoing efforts across the state to combat hate.

In California, hate crime events rose by 20.2% from 1,763 in 2021 to 2,120 in 2022. Reported hate crimes targeting Black people remain the most prevalent and increased 27.1% from 513 in 2021 to 652 in 2022, while reported anti-Asian hate crime events decreased by 43.3% from 247 in 2021 to 140 in 2022. Hate crimes involving sexual orientation bias rose by 29% from 303 in 2021 to 391 in 2022.

“This report is a stark reminder that there is still much work to be done to combat hate in our state. I urge local partners and law enforcement to review these findings and recommit to taking action,” said Bonta. “The alarming increases in crimes committed against Black, LGBTQ+ and Jewish people for the second year in a row illustrates

the need for our communities to join together unified against hate.”

Controller Malia Cohen Updated her Office’s Compensation in Government State Controller Malia M. Cohen published 2022 self-reported payroll data for cities and counties on the Government Compensation in California website. The data cover 688,912 positions and a total of more than $54.65 billion in 2022 wages.

Users of the site can view compensation levels on maps and search by region, narrow results by name of the entity or by job title and export raw data or custom reports.

The data covers 459 cities and 53 counties. The City of Hayward had the highest average city employee wage, followed by Pleasant Hill, Atherton, and Hillsborough. Topping the list for highest average county employee wage were Alameda, Los Angeles, San Mateo, Monterey, and Sacramento counties. The highest-salaried city employee in California was the City Manager for the City of Montebello. The top 25 highest-paid county employees work in health care.

With Words of Encouragement and a Resolution, Assemblymember Mike Gipson Uplifts Fatherhood

In recognition of Father’s Day this year, Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D-Carson) introduced House Resolution (HR) 36, legislation declaring June “Fatherhood Well-Being Month.

Last week, at Ted Watkins Park in South Los Angeles, Gipson joined residents in his community to highlight the importance of fathers and father figures in collaboration with a South Los Angeles community initiative called Project Fatherhood.

“This elevates the work of Project Fatherhood that is originally from this Watts community; that goes out and provides skill building for fathers, giving them experiences they need to be great fathers in this community,” said Gipson. “It’s a great blessing for me.”

(Courtesy Photo)

Gov. Gavin Newsom at the swearing-in for Assemblymember Robert Rivas (D-Hollister)  on June 30, 2023, at the state capitol in Sacramento. (CBM photo by Robert Maryland)

Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D- Gardena) (CBM photo by Robert Maryland)

California Braces for a Hot Summer Ahead

Mark Hedin Special to California Black Media Partners

As the first three-digit temperatures of 2023 arrive with the start of summer and the Fourth of July, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services is taking steps to ensure the safety of residents through any potential emergencies.

At a June 29 press briefing hosted by California Black Media and Ethnic Media Services, Cal OES and Listos California unveiled a package of safety guidelines prepared in expectation of climate extremes.

Alf LaMont from LaMont Digital introduced a collection of “Summer of Safety” graphics providing advice on keeping people ready for and safe during potential summer emergencies: wildfires, flooding, power outages and high temperatures. These graphics are available in English, Spanish and more than a dozen other languages, and available at listoscalifornia.org.

“In California, we don’t actually see a lot of our record all-time temperatures until late in the season,” National Weather Service meteorologist Brayden Murdock said, citing “June gloom, no-sky July and ‘Fog-ust’ for a good portion of August.”

“Usually, our strongest heat impacts wind up being more toward late August going into September,” he said. But high temperatures lead to low winds, he said, “so we don’t get that sea breeze that helps us cool down.”

“Think of it more as a marathon than an individual sprint.”

And the end of 2023’s relatively cool temperatures so far, he said, will now bring increased snow melt in the Sierra. Already, the state has closed off some river stretches.

“Summers are becoming hotter and drier, and families are going to want to cool down in the water,” said Cal OES Assistant Director of Crisis Communications and Public Affairs, Diana Crofts-Pelayo, “but it is very dangerous right now, we have already seen too many people that have lost their lives. So do what you can to stay indoors to stay cool!”

Cal OES is making mutual-aid arrangements between state and local fire agencies “on a huge push to train swift water rescue teams,” she said.

“So, if you do head out on the water, many local teams will be out there, but we don’t want them to do those rescues! It’s very dangerous for them and for you.”

Crofts-Pelayo cited five keys for people to focus on for summer safety:

Get alerts: calalerts.org.

Make a plan: “Have that conversation with your family to ensure that your little ones, your older ones, all know what they would do during an emergency. What

emergency routes they would take, where to meet if separated.” Pack a “go bag” in case you need to leave your home very quickly: important documents, medication, food, water, for instance.

And finally, Crofts-Pelayo said, “help others. This is a community movement.” She suggested sharing only official resources, but doing so via familiar networking channels: phone calls, social media posts and emails.

Jacqueline Nushi, of Project Camp’s emergency preparedness center, manages pop-up camps for kids during disasters, providing support and a safe environment for families.

She said a key lesson she and other emergency managers learned was the value of empowering children with knowledge and coping skills -- “a great way to build mindfulness and preparedness.”

“Children are the best when it comes to learning preparedness and taking it home to their families. They’re very resilient. It’s amazing to see them make it through what they have to make it through.”

Nushi also wanted to endorse the printed materials Listos provides, via listoscalifornia.org.

She spoke about how, years ago prior to the Slater Fire in Happy Camp (Siskyou County) in 2020, she’d distributed some of their material.

“After that fire, I was at a local assistance center,” she said, when a survivor she’d counseled before the fire approached. “This information saved us!” she said. Other survivors there then chimed in with similar stories.

“The Listos materials, the disaster guides, are very easy to read, very, very to the point and cover the information in very simple language” she said. “This material is super easy, it’s not hard to read, it’s not hard to understand.”

CORE – Community Organized Relief Effort – has worked globally from Ukraine, Turkey and all around the U.S. George Hernandez Mejia, CORE Director of Emergency Operations, said that in doing wildfire preparation in Siskyou County last year, it turned out that some of the greatest needs were simply for clear information on evacuation zones or where wildfires were burning.

He also agreed with Nushi’s testimony about the importance of educating children on these matters.

“100% of our clients have experienced natural disasters,” said Peter Thao, of the Fresno Asian Business Institute and Resource Center, which provides disaster relief training and preparedness for farmers and small businesses.

“It’s not if, but when, a natural disaster will happen. “Always be prepared; have a plan.” “Take pictures,” he said, “and keep your insurance agent informed of your concerns.”

Along with efforts to prepare Californians for extreme weather conditions, the state has also allocated $200 million to help communities build “resilience cooling centers.

Similarly, make a “stay box” in case you need to stay home. “It doesn’t have to be cost-prohibitive,” she said. “Think about it ahead of time and put everything together that would be necessary.”

\Joining Crofts-Pelayo, Murdock and LaMont at the briefing were three Listos California community partners who shared experiences from previous encounters with extreme weather conditions.

This article is provided to you by California Black Media in collaboration with Ethnic Media Services.

CSUB Honors Juneteenth With a Panel of Local Leaders

By Dana Carrillo South Kern Sol

Juneteenth is a historical federal holiday that honors the first June 19th in 1865 when Texas was forced by Union troops to free all enslaved people. California State University of Bakersfield (CSUB) hosted a Juneteenth panel discussion to honor the significant day.

Panelists included Elder Ralph Anthony, Assistant Pastor at St. Peter Restoration Community Christian Ministries, L. Dee Slade, Executive Director of the African American Network of Kern County (AANKC), and Michael Bowers, Vice President of Government Relations and Public Affairs, and Director of Public Relations and Business Development for Centric Healthcare in Bakersfield.

Slade is a community historian among a variety of other roles, and was one of the panelists at last week’s  discussions. Slade began her talk with spoken word that imagined the experiences of enslaved African Americans.

“The rules are still the same- I am not free,” read Slade from the excerpt.

For Slade, it is vital not to forget the nuances and discourses of enslaved Black Americans and to teach the historical significance of those social contracts to new generations.

Slade focused on the importance of recalling history and keeping Black stories alive.

“What Juneteenth means to me is that it’s a crack in the door…It’s a time where we can show out and show up. It’s a time when we can demand a seat at the table, and to be recognized for who we are,” Slade stated.

The door being described symbolizes freedom, reparations, equity, liberation and so much more that Black Americans are owed in the United States. According to The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), they strongly support reparations and refer to documents such as the Emancipation Proclamation and the Declaration of Independence for the many reasons why the United States government needs to make major policy and legislative changes.

“There was a time here in the 50 and the 60s that door was not open. That this community always had an open

heart- so let me tell you that. That’s what Juneteenth did. It cracked the door,” explained Slade.

Ralph Anthony followed Slade’s talk with a greeting that made the crowd laugh, then a speech that reflects his years of knowledge from serving the community. Anthony concluded his message with a call to action to support the mental health of fellow community members.

It was alarming to Anthony that the suicide rates among Black individuals have risen, and he shared anecdotal stories about counseling struggling people who sought out the help of his church. Anthony advised the crowd to invest in alkaline dirt as a home remedy for several ailments and alluded to its healing effect plus the benefits it has to your quality of life. He also encouraged them to stand up for what they believe in.

The last to speak was Michael Bowers. Bowers balanced a friendly, familiar atmosphere while also inspiring the audience.

“It’s not the view but the vision,” Bowers said.

Bowers educated the audience about barriers African and Black Americans faced in the 1960s that kept them from voting and further explained that jobs and justice became many formerly enslaved families’ foci.

“Here we are in 2023 and the call is still for jobs and justice,” Bowers continued. “I often tell African Americans it’s important to be engaged in the political process, and the reason why it’s important to be engaged in the political process is because that’s how we move from ‘Black History to Black Futures.’”

Bowers described Black Futures as a symbol of progress which could include more mentorship for Black youth, younger generations getting involved in local electoral campaigns, and encouraging elders to continue to follow their passions like suggesting a loved one over 60 years of age utilize CSUB’s free or reduced tuition policy.

All three panelists made note that Juneteenth is also a celebration.

“What Juneteenth for me signifies, or highlights, is the opportunity to say thank you, to pay tribute to those unsung heroes that were behind the scenes… Juneteenth is a tip of the hat to say thank you to them,” said Bowers.