New COVID-19 Variant HV.1 Emerges as Dominant Strain in the U.S. Page A2
Bullying in California: In Some School Districts, Black Students Are Being Targeted by Their Latino Peers Page A7
News Observer Bakersfield
Volume 50 Number 9
Serving Kern County for Over 49 Years
Observer Group Newspapers of Southern California
NAACP California-Hawaii State Conference Hosts 36th Annual State Convention
Antonio Ray Harvey California Black Media The NAACP California Hawaii State Conference (Cal-Hi NAACP) held its 36th annual State Convention at the San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront Hotel. The convention featured a series of workshops and discussions organized to promote solutions for some of the most pressing issues impacting Black communities in California and Hawaii. The focus was on a range of topics, including next-generation leadership, environmental justice, housing, veteran’s affairs, labor, education, and more. “This is when we bring our branches to get them trained up and ready to go back into their communities ready to fight for what we’re fighting,” said NAACP CalHi President Rick Callender. “What we are fighting, we’re fighting for criminal justice, environmental justice, equity in education, equity in the legislation and trying to move the NAACP’s agenda forward.” This year’s event, themed “This Is How We Thrive,” was held from Oct. 27 to 29. Around 500 NAACP CalHi leaders, delegates, elected officials, activists, organizers, faith leaders, and entertainers from across the state and Hawaii participated in the festivities. Keynote speakers at this year’s Convention included Dr. Hazel N. Dukes (Spingarn Medalist, NAACP Board of Directors, NAACP New York President), Eleni Kounalakis (Lt. Governor of California), Rob Bonta (California Attorney General), Shevann Steuben (NAACP Texas Youth & College Division President, NAACP Houston, Young Adult Committee Chair, NAACP Board of Directors), Oakland City Councilwoman Treva Reid (District 7)
Los Angeles-based attorney Kamilah Moore shared information about the California Reparations Task Force and the importance of the NAACP. Oct. 27, 2023. (CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey)
Former NAACP California Hawaii State Conference President Alice Huffman (in the foreground) was honored with the Hats Off Award of Distinction at the civil rights organizations’ state convention at the Marriott Waterford Hotel in San Francisco. Shown left to right in the background are San Francisco NAACP President Dr. Rev. Amos Brown, Dr. Hazel N. Dukes (Spingarn Medalist, NAACP Board of Directors, NAACP New York President), Asm. Mia Bonta (D-Alameda), and Los Angeles-based attorney Kamilah Moore. Oct. 27, 2023. (CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey) and Los Angeles-based attorney Kamilah Moore (Chair, California Reparations Task Force). Moore reminded the attendees at the Women In the NAACP Labor Luncheon on Oct. 28 that the NAACP has been a beacon of light ensuring Black Americans are granted their constitutional rights. Since Feb. 12, 1909, the NAACP has advocated, agitated, and litigated for civil rights. Its legacy is built on a foundation of grassroots activism by the biggest civil rights pioneers of the 20th century and is sustained by 21st century activists. “We are resiliently surviving the afterlife of chattel slavery. In fact, as African Americans we have been confronting these lingering badges and incidents of slavery without any significant government aid or private actions. We’ve been doing it on our own and the NAACP is a testament of that,” Callender said during the luncheon. Several influential leaders -- U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-12), Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Alameda), Exodie C. Roe III (General Services Administration, Washington D.C.), NAACP Senior Vice President of Communications Trovon C. Williams -- spoke at the convention. NAACP Cal-Hi’s Youth and College Division hosted multiple workshops, including a “Stop the Hate Mock Trial,” and another titled “Youth Focused Dinner, Juvenile Justice Workshop, and Health Forum.” On Oct. 27, NAACP Cal-Hi presented an exclusive preview of “The Space Race,” a National Geographic documentary that weaves together stories of Black astronauts seeking to break the bonds of social injustice in their quest to reach for the stars. On the evening of Oct. 28, Callender joined Dr. Hazel N. Dukes for a fireside chat at the President’s Awards Dinner. Earlier, on the afternoon of Oct. 27, a special “Hats Off Award” ceremony was held honoring Alice Huffman, President Emeritus of the NAACP Cal-HI State Conference, at the WIN Luncheon. From this day on, the Hats Off Award will be incorporated into the convention to recognize individuals from California and Hawaii who have demonstrated
Oakland City Councilwoman Treva Reid receives a passionate hug after her speech during the NAACP’s Political Luncheon on Oct. 28, 2023. (CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey) outstanding leadership and commitment to social justice and equity. Huffman was first elected president of the Cal-Hi NAACP in 1999 and served eight terms of unwavering service and provided significant contributions. She expressed her gratitude for having an award named after her and said she was proud to be around appreciative people at the convention who understood the work she performed for the Cal-Hi NAACP. “It’s an honor to see all of you, feel your love, feel your understanding and appreciation,” Huffman said. “Let me tell you, it wasn’t always easy, but it was great. I hope that I never let you down. I don’t think that I ever have. I don’t know what else to say to you all but thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Asm. Mia Bonta (D-Alameda) spoke about her work with NAACP California Hawaii State Conference and the NAACP Branch in Oakland. Oct. 27, 2023. (CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey)
Breakthrough Research Sheds Light on Aggressive Breast Cancers in Black Women
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent Researchers at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center are spearheading a pioneering study to unravel the biological underpinnings of aggressive breast cancers in Black women. Led by Dr. Harikrishna Nakshatri, a breast cancer researcher at the IU School of Medicine and a key researcher at the Vera Bradley Foundation Center for Breast Cancer Research at the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, the investigation holds promise for targeted treatments that could significantly reduce disparities in breast cancer outcomes among Black women. While breast cancer incidence is now considered lower among Black women, they face significantly poorer outcomes, often developing more aggressive triple-negative breast cancers at a younger age. “Even after you correct for socioeconomic and healthcare access factors, African ancestry is still associated with the worst outcomes,” Nakshatri emphasized. Nakshatri’s lab has been dedicated to uncovering the influence of genetic ancestry on the biology of normal breast tissue and its implications for developing aggressive breast cancers. Women of African descent had more PZP cells in their normal breast tissue than women of Caucasian descent, according to a previous study under Nakshatri’s direction. Notably, PZP cell numbers increase when Caucasian
While breast cancer incidence is now considered lower among Black women, they face significantly poorer outcomes, often developing more aggressive triple-negative breast cancers at a younger age. women develop breast cancer, while they are naturally more abundant in Black women. Adding to this, Nakshatri and his team showed that PZP cells have a significant effect on how cancer cells behave and grow, especially when they interact with epithelial cells, which is where breast cancer usually starts. Researchers have also found that PZP cells are one of the
sources of metaplastic breast cancers (MBC), which are rare and aggressive and make up less than 1% of all breast cancers. The team drew upon tissue samples from the Susan G. Komen Tissue Bank at the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, the world’s sole repository of healthy breast tissue, to conduct this research. “When these PZP cells interact with epithelial cells, they trigger the production of a crucial protein called interleukin-6. This prompts distinct behavior in the epithelial cells and activates a signaling pathway known as STAT3,” Nakshatri explained. “This is what makes tumors originating from the epithelial cells more aggressive.” The findings have laid the foundation for an upcoming clinical trial led by Kathy Miller, MD, a prominent figure in oncology at IU School of Medicine. Miller also serves as the Ballvé Lantero professor of oncology and holds the position of associate director of clinical research at the cancer center, in addition to her role as a researcher at the Vera Bradley Foundation Center. “This study could help us determine if physicians need to consider the genetic ancestry of the person when deciding on possible treatments for breast cancer,” Nakshatri stated. Based on the biology of normal breast tissue, he said the study represents a significant departure from conventional treatment approaches, offering new hope for more effective, targeted treatments in the fight against breast cancer.
Take One!
Wednesday, November 1, 2023
Maryland Supreme Court Posthumously Admits Black man to Bar, 166 Years After Rejecting Him
BALTIMORE, Md. (AP) –– More than a century after Edward Garrison Draper was rejected for the Maryland Bar due to his race, he has been posthumously admitted. The Supreme Court of Maryland attempted to right the past wrong by hold a special session Thursday to admit Draper, who was Black, to practice law in the state, news outlets reported. Draper presented himself as a candidate to practice law in 1857 and a judge found him “qualified in all respects” –– except for his skin color and so he was denied. “Maryland was not at the forefront of welcoming Black applicants to the legal profession,” said former appellate Justice John G. Browning, of Texas, who helped with the petition calling for Draper’s admission. “But by granting posthumous bar admission to Edward Garrison Draper, this court places itself and places Maryland in the vanguard of restorative justice and demonstrates conclusively that justice delayed may not be justice denied.” Maryland Supreme Court Justice Shirley M. Watts said it was the state`s first posthumous admission to the bar. People “can only imagine” what Draper might have contributed to the legal profession and called the overdue admission an indication of “just how far our society and the legal profession have come.” Judge Z. Collins Lee, who evaluated Draper in 1857, wrote that the Dartmouth graduate was “most intelligent and well informed`` and would be qualified “if he was a free white Citizen of this State,” according to a transcription in a petition for the posthumous bar admission.
2 White Boaters Plead Guilty to Misdemeanors in Alabama Riverfront Brawl
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) –– Two white boaters charged in an Alabama riverfront brawl that drew nationwide attention pleaded guilty Friday to misdemeanor charges of harassment and assault. The August riverfront melee in Montgomery drew national attention after white boaters were filmed hitting a Black riverboat co-captain and crew members rushing to his defense. Video of the fight was shared widely online, sparking countless memes and parodies. Montgomery police said the brawl began when the white boaters refused to move their pontoon boat so the city-owned Harriott II riverboat could dock in its designated space. The boat`s co-captain said he was attacked after moving the pontoon boat a few feet to make way for the riverboat. Four white boaters and one Black man, who was filmed hitting people with a folding chair, were charged with misdemeanor offenses. Two of the white boaters entered guilty pleas Friday, news outlets reported. A man pleaded guilty to charges of assaulting the Black riverboat co-captain and a white teen deckhand. The Montgomery Advertiser reported that he was given a four- month suspended sentence and will serve 32 days on weekends at a detention facility. A woman pleaded guilty to harassment and was ordered to complete anger management classes. The three other defendants had their cases postponed until next month.
Robert E. Lee Statue that Prompted Deadly Protest in Virginia Has Been Melted Down
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) –– A statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that was a focal point of a deadly white nationalist protest in 2017 has been melted down and will be repurposed into new works of art. The Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, a Charlottesville-based Black history museum, said Thursday that the statue had been destroyed. The Charlottesville City Council voted in 2021 to donate the statue to the heritage center, after it proposed a Swords into Plowshares project that would melt the statue and repurpose it into “public art that expresses the City’s values of inclusivity and racial justice,” according to the proposal submitted to the city. The statue was taken down in 2021 after years of debate and delay. Protests over the plan to remove the statue morphed into the violent “Unite the Right” rally in 2017. It was during that rally that James Alex Fields Jr., an avowed Hitler admirer, intentionally drove his car into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer and injuring 19 others. Fields is serving a life sentence. Two groups that had sought to preserve the statue sued last year to try to block the city from donating it to the heritage center, but a judge tossed out their case. At a news conference Thursday, heritage center officials said they now plan to solicit proposals on how to repurpose the statue. The center hopes to pick an artist next year and is conducting a $4 million fundraising campaign. For now, the bronze from the statue has been molded into ingots stamped with the words “SWORDS INTO PLOWSHARES,” some of which were on display at the news conference. “Our efforts have been not to remove history but bear witness to the truths about our racist pasts and our aspirations for a more equitable future,” said Andrea Douglas, director of the heritage center.