Michael K. Williams, Star of ‘The Wire’ and ‘Lovecraft Country’ Dead at 54
More than 80 % of Californians Have Now Taken at Least One COVID Shot
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News Observer Bakersfield
Volume 48 Number 1
Serving Kern County for Over 47 Years
Observer Group Newspapers of Southern California
New Coronavirus Variant a ‘Concern’ for Health Officials By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent Delta be damned. The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that it is monitoring a new coronavirus variant called “Mu,” a strain that first surfaced in Colombia earlier this year. “Mu is a variant of interest,” the WHO noted in a news release. The variant contains mutations that indicate a risk of resistance to COVID-19 vaccines, health officials determined. “The Mu variant has a constellation of mutations that indicate potential properties of immune escape,” WHO officials stated. Nearly 219 million people globally had contracted the novel coronavirus since March 2020, when officials officially declared a pandemic. Over 4.5 million have died, including more than 657,000 in the United States, where the disease has disproportionately attacked African Americans and other communities of color. Health officials have identified the Delta variant — and the number of people that remain unvaccinated — as the primary reasons that more than 100,000 people in the United States are currently hospitalized — the largest number since the beginning of the year. The Department of Health and Human Services revealed that 30 percent of intensive care beds in hospitals Continued on page A2
Just under 52 percent of the U.S. population has full vaccination, while 61 percent received at least one dose.
By Breonna Randall Howard University News Service For the first time since March 2020, millions of students, pre-kindergarten to high school seniors, will be attending in-person classes. Aside from attending class, they will be also participating in extracurricular activities, like sports, music and clubs. Parents have many concerns and questions. Howard University News Service reached out to five physicians for answers, Dr. Hadie Shariat, pediatrician, Howard University Hospital; Dr. Katherine Hager, Infectious Disease Fellow, Howard University Hospital; Dr. Catherine Marshall, pediatrician at Balboa Pediatrics; Dr. Andrea Goings, pediatrician, Baby Doc House Calls, and Dr. Stacey Eadie, pediatrician at her own private practice, Peds in a Pod. Should I get my child vaccinated? The unanimous opinion among our doctors was if your child can get vaccinated, they should. The only thing that has proven to be effective so far in fighting COVID-19 is the vaccine, they said. While a tiny fraction of people has died from the vaccine, more than 600,000 have died from the disease. Children under the age of 12 cannot be vaccinated, though pharmaceutical companies are working on a vaccine for them. What if my child is too young for the vaccine? In this case, the doctors advise, your child should stay away from unvaccinated adults, stay away from crowded
indoor places, always wear a mask and keep practicing social distancing and good hygiene. Also always remember to keep up with your local safety guidelines. Guidelines and prevalence of coronavirus are different in different cities and states. Residents may need to be more careful in some locales. What kind of mask should my child wear and how many do they need? The readily available blue and white surgical masks are the best option for students of all ages. They will protect your child if they are wearing them properly. The mask should cover their nose and their mouth. If the mask falls to the ground or gets wet either by sneezing into it or from water, they should be discarded, and a new mask put in place. Younger children should carry about a half a dozen surgical masks with them a day. Students in grades 9-12 should not need to change theirs as often. They may only need to have about three. For older children doubling up by wearing a surgical mask and a cloth mask on top throughout their school day is the best option. If your child is most comfortable wearing only a cloth mask, that is fine, but remember it needs to be cleaned daily, never wait more than a day to clean or rotate your child’s cloth mask. N-95 masks are said to be the best option, but only if they have been fit tested by a doctor to a child’s face. Children with disabilities who are not able to Continued on page A6
5 Things You Should Know If You’re Voting on Election Day Edward Henderson California Black Media The election to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom is about a week away. Some mail-in ballots have already been counted. In person voting is now possible at voting centers and voting continues by mail, drop boxes and dropping off mail-in ballots at voting centers. But if you expect to be among the Californians who exercise their civic duty in person at the polls on Sept. 14, there are rules you need to follow and rights you have that workers at the polls must respect. Here are 5 things you should know about voting on election day. When polls open and close Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021. To find your nearest polling place, use the Secretary of State’s online tool. How to register on-site On-site registration is available for this election. When you arrive at your local polling place, you will receive a voter registration form and a ballot. Once officials have verified your voter registration, your vote will be counted. You can check your voter registration status at https:// voterstatus.sos.ca.gov. Ballot casting information Once you arrive at your local polling place, it is important to know that if you are still in line when the polls close, your vote will still be counted. You have the right to get help casting your ballot and you may receive a new ballot if you made a mistake. You also have the right to cast a secret ballot and get election materials in a language other than English. You may also drop off your mail-in ballot physically at your local polling place. What is on the ballot There will be two questions on the ballot once you arrive at your voting station. 1. Do you want to recall the Governor? 2. If yes, who would you like to see replace him? If you do not wish to recall the Governor, you do not
Wednesday, September 8, 2021
Facebook Sorry for ‘Primates’ Label on Video of Black Men NEW YORK (AP) – Facebook has apologized for putting a “primates” label on a video of Black men, according to a report in the New York Times. The newspaper said the video was posted by a tabloid in June and showed Black men in altercations with white civilians and police officers. After the video ended, an automatic message popped up that said “keep seeing videos about Primates,” according to the Times. Facebook turned off the artificial intelligence feature that showed the message, the Times said, and apologized for what it called “an unacceptable error” and told the newspaper that it would investigate further so that it doesn’t happen again. Facebook on Saturday did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. But a company spokeswoman told the Times that even though Facebook has made improvements to its artificial intelligence, “it’s not perfect” and has “more progress to make.” Artificial intelligence has mislabeled people of color before. In 2015, Google apologized after it labeled a photo of two Black people as gorillas.
Visitor Center at Pullman National Monument Opens
Things Parents Should Know Sending Their Kids Back to School
Children, especially younger children, seem to always have a sniffle or runny nose. However, in today’s climate, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
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CHICAGO (AP) – Years in the making, the visitor center and state historic site grounds at the Pullman National Monument have officially opened to the public. Chicago’s first national monument marks the site where Pullman passenger railroad cars were built; Employees lived nearby in the neighborhood on the city’s South Side Side. The sprawling Pullman company factory closed in 1982. The National Park Services’ visitor center features exhibits on worker demonstrations that helped plant the seeds of the modern labor movement. For instance, Black railroad workers won a significant labor agreement in the 1930s that helped lead to worker protections. Robert Bushwaller, a Historic Pullman Foundation board member, was encouraged by the crowd on Saturday. Some drove vintage cars to mark the opening day during the Labor Day weekend. “The public support has been better than expected,” Bushwaller told the Chicago Sun-Times. “The turnout is tremendous. They remember so much from how it used to be and want to see if it still tasted that way, and they’ve been satisfied.” Former President Barack Obama designated the factory and surrounding area a national monument in 2015. Restoration and revitalization at the site has been ongoing for years.
Jesse Jackson’s Wife Released From Hospital
CHICAGO (AP) – The Rev. Jesse Jackson’s wife will be released from a Chicago hospital where she has been treated for COVID-19, her family said in a statement Friday. A statement from Jonathan Jackson, one of the couple’s five children, did not specify when his 77-year-old mother, Jacqueline, would be released from Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Rev. Jackson, a famed civil rights leader and former presidential candidate, was transferred recently to a hospital focused on physical rehabilitation after receiving treatment for a breakthrough COVID-19 infection. He has been vaccinated against the virus. But he told The Associated Press last week that Jacqueline, also a civil rights activist, had not been vaccinated because she has a “preexisting condition” that worried them. The couple, who have been married nearly 60 years, were admitted to Northwestern on Aug. 21. Jackson, who is 79 and has Parkinson’s disease, remains at The Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, where he is receiving intensive occupational and physical therapy, the family said. “The love that has been poured out to our family at this time of sickness and need from around the world has helped in our parent’s healing and for each of you who prayed and expressed concern we are grateful, even as we continue to express our love and concern for the millions of people who are victimized by the COVID-19 virus and its variants.,” the statement said before ending with a plea for “all who have not yet been vaccinated for the COVID-19 virus to do so immediately.”
Fisk Jubilee Singers Get $1.5M to Start Endowment
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have to answer the second question. If you do, you may write in the certified candidate of your choice from this list. What to do if you are denied your rights You have the right to report any illegal or fraudulent election activities if you witness them at the polls. If you
believe you have been denied any of these rights or you’ve witnessed any election fraud or misconduct, call the Secretary of State Office’s confidential hotline at 800-3458683.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – The Fisk Jubilee Singers, a vocal group at Fisk University whose tradition dates back 150 years, received a $1.5 million anonymous donation to establish a permanent endowment. The university in Nashville, Tennessee, announced Thursday that the gift was one of the largest donations ever made to the Fisk Jubilee Singers, who also earned their first Grammy Award this year. The musical tradition began in 1871 as a group of students who sang slave spirituals at public performances to raise money for the university. Over the years, their singers have preserved the music created by African slaves as well as served as ambassadors for the historically Black university. The university said the money will established an endowed fund named after longtime musical director Paul T. Kwami, who is also an alumnus of the Fisk Jubilee Singers. The university is committed to raising $5 million for the endowment to fund retention, recruitment and programming. “This donation provides a wonderful lead gift, and we are hopeful many others will follow in this historic year,” said Kwami.