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Mary J. Blige Gets Golden Globe Nod

D.J.Reed Adds Walter Camp All-American Award

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Thousands Could Lose Health Care, Student-Aid Under New Tax Bill

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News Observer Bakersfield

Volume 44 Number 15

Celebrating Our 40th Anniversary 1977- 2017

Observer Group Newspapers of Southern California

FREE!

Wednesday December 13, 2017

Funeral Held for SC’s 1st AfricanAmerican Chief Justice

ORANGEBURG, S.C. (AP) _ He was the first African-American to serve as South Carolina’s chief justice, and she was the first woman. The Times and Democrat of Orangeburg reports that on Saturday, Jean Toal remembered her friend Ernest Finney Jr. as “brilliant, strategic and wonderfully persuasive.’’ The memorial service for Finney was held Saturday at the Elmore Chapel at Claflin University in Orangeburg. The 86-year-old Finney died Dec. 3. Toal succeeded Finney on the state Supreme Court. The two were acquainted since her college days, when she was among white students who held voter registration drives with black students. Finney was elected to the S.C. 3rd Circuit Court judgeship in July 1976. Nine years later, he was appointed to the state Supreme Court, then became chief justice. He retired in March 2000. Members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc./Bakersfield Alumnae Chapter (Carrington Prichett/Bakersfield News Observer photo)

The National Pan-Hellenic Council of Bakersfield Hosts Unity Brunch By Darlene L. Williams and Austyn Williams Bakersfield News Observer Contributing Writers BAKERSFIELD, Calif. _ Voices of strength, unity, and pride filled the banquet hall as local sororities and fraternities answered to the roll call with their own distinguished response. On Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017, The National Pan-Hellenic Council of Bakersfield hosted its first Unity Brunch in Hodel’s Liberty Banquet Hall 5917 Knudsen Drive, to share an afternoon of fellowship and to give awards to community honorees: Dr. Horace Mitchell (President of California State University, Bakersfield) and Mrs. Lilli Parker (Executive Director, Bakersfield Senior Center) along with special recognition of the Ronald McDonald House. Approximately 110 sorority and fraternity members and well-wishers came out to support the event.

The historical NPHC organization has a history dating back to 1930 beginning on the campus of Howard University, in Washington DC. The Bakersfield local NPHC chapter is currently composed of nine international Greek letter Sororities and Fraternities (a.k.a. the Divine Nine) Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. NPHC promotes interaction through forums, meetings and other mediums for the exchange of information and engages in cooperative programming and initiatives through various activi-

ties and functions. “We take pride in our activities. We have a scholarship in honor of Mr. Carlos Smith (Founder) and have given 10 youths a total of two-thousand four hundred dollars in scholarship funds. We collect toiletries for children connected with the Ronald McDonald House,” stated LaShane Williams, Historian of NPHC of Bakersfield, and member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., as she gave a brief back story of how the organization of the Divine Nine began. The three-hour celebration got underway with a welcome address, NPHC history, and roll call. Then the crowd joined in and sang a soulful melodious rendition of The Black National Anthem, Lift Every Voice and Sing. Continued on page A8

Black Faith Leaders Encourage Their Flocks to

Sign Up for Obamacare

By Freddie Allen NNPA Newswire Editor-In-Chief Faith leaders in the Black community are encouraging members of their congregations to sign-up for healthcare coverage during the Affordable Care Act’s open enrollment period that ends on December 15. Reverend Edwin Sanders, the senior pastor and founder of the Metropolitan Interdenominational Church in Nashville, Tenn., said that supporting positive dialogue about healthcare is a part of the faith tradition. “We lift up healing as a benefit of our relationship to the God that we serve; we talk about the God who is a healer,” said Sanders. “There is a way in which those of us who are disciples, especially in the tradition of Jesus Christ, have a commitment to trying to make sure that we sustain these kinds of opportunities for people to get healed in our communities.” Sometimes, that commitment means working with political leaders. Congressman James Clyburn (D-S.C.) helped to launch the “Soul 2 Enroll” campaign, a national healthcare initiative aimed at mobilizing faith communities during the open enrollment period of the Affordable C a r e Act, also known as “Obamacare.” During a recent press conference on Capitol Hill, Clyburn said that faith is about much more than a relationship between you and the God you serve. “We are instructed that ‘faith without works is dead,’” said Clyburn. “If your brother or sister comes to you hungry or naked—and I believe if James were writing his epistle today, he would add sick—you feed them, you clothe them and provide them with healthcare.” Pastor Marquez Ball of Uplift Church in Laurel, Maryland said that healthcare is not a game to score political points. “Healthcare is a whole life issue,” said Ball. Uplift Church is just one of the organizing faith partners for the “Soul 2 Enroll” initiative. That group also includes: the National African American Clergy Network, Joseph A.C. Smith Ministries, the National Action Network, the Network Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, the Skinner Leadership Institute, The United Church of Christ

and Values Partnerships. During a discussion about the Affordable Care Act (ACA) between congressional and faith leaders, Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner, the co-chair of the National African American Clergy Network, said that despite the budget cuts imposed on the ACA by the Trump Administration, the faith community is marching forward. “The faith community knows how to do one thing: we know how to make bricks with no straw and we’re going to do it again,” said Williams-Skinner. “Healthcare is not a privilege; it is a right of every child of God.” Williams-Skinner continued: “My Bible teaches that Jesus’s ministry was about healing and helping the afflicted and lifting up those that are wounded…we must do that with the Affordable Care Act.” Reverend DeVes Toon, the national field director for the National Action Network (NAN), said that

NAN has helped to sign people up for healthcare coverage through the ACA since 2013 in more than 100 cities. “All of our chapters have health and wellness committees that are doing on-the-ground outreach in their perspective cities,” said Toon. “We just don’t focus on this during the open enrollment period, we do this year-round.” Toon added: “We will continue to do outreach to encourage people who might be afraid of the process to enroll for healthcare under [the Affordable Care Act].” Sanders said that because of the rich oral tradition of the Black community, everyone from the American Heart Association to local community health centers comes to the doorsteps of the church to promote answers to health problems. “God is the one that gives the intellect, God is one that gives the wisdom to doctors and to researchers to help them to develop the modern day cures that are increasingly available, but we need to make sure that more is done to make sure those cures and those medical responses are available to [our congregations],” said Sanders. “So, I believe that God is working miracles through the researchers, who are developing new ways to treat diseases and to address health problems.” Sanders continued: “As far as the open enrollment period, I think it ought to be a message that we are including in every worship experience that we have, as a people. For indeed, it is through our efforts and our tradition that we don’t let these moments pass us by.”

Reverend Edwin Sanders, the senior pastor and founder of the Metropolitan Interdenominational Church in Nashville, Tenn., said that supporting positive dialogue about healthcare is a part of the faith tradition. This photo was taken during a panel discussion on the role of faith leaders in fighting the AIDS epidemic during the 2017 CBCF Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. (Freddie Allen/AMG/NNPA)

Statement from Senate President Pro Tempore Regarding Leadership Transition

SACRAMENTO – California Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) released the following statement Thursday December 7th, 2017: “For nearly four years, it’s been a profound honor to lead a unified, progressive and collaborative California State Senate. Together, we’ve put the public interest over individual ambitions and made enduring progress on behalf of millions of Californians. “Unfinished work remains - and so does our Senate’s important tradition of seamless and peaceful leadership transitions. “To that end, I have announced to our Senate Democratic Caucus that a formal vote to elect our next Senate President pro Tempore will be held in early January and a formal transition later in the year. “Better yet, I’m pleased to announce that our Caucus is unified in support for Senator Toni G. Atkins of San Diego to serve as our next President pro Tempore. “We aren’t just making consensus - we’re making history. “Four years ago, our Caucus elected the first Latino leader in over a century to lead the California State Senate - and, next year, Senator Atkins will become our first ever woman to be elected Senate Leader. “Toni is a leader of great experience, achievement and integrity, and I have every confidence that she will lead America’s most accomplished legislative chamber to even greater heights. “As always, I thank the members of the Senate for their confidence, camaraderie and unwavering commitment to the future of this state. “Working together, I look forward to another year of extraordinary progress.”

Apple Makes Deal for Song Recognition App Shazam SAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Apple has bought Shazam, the maker of a song-recognition app that Apple’s digital assistant Siri has already been using to help people identify the music playing on their iPhones. The companies didn’t disclose the price of the acquisition announced Monday. Technology news site Recode previously reported Apple is paying about $400 million for Shazam, citing three unidentified people familiar with the deal. Apple Inc. issued a statement describing Shazam as “natural fit’’ with its services. “We have exciting plans in store, and we look forward to combining with Shazam,’’ Apple said. The Cupertino, California, company declined to say whether Shazam’s app will still be available after the deal closes. Some of Shazam’s features conceivably could be blended into Apple’s music streaming services, which has accumulated more than 27 million subscribers since the company created it in 2015. Siri began drawing upon Shazam’s technology to answer questions about songs as part of a 2014 update to the iPhone’s operating system. The Shazam deal marks Apple’s biggest acquisition in music since paying $3 billion for Beats Electronics’ line of headphones and music service in 2014. Digital services have been playing an increasingly important role for Apple as the sales of iPhones _ the company’s main moneymaker _ have slowed. Software and other services generated $30 billion in revenue during Apple’s last fiscal year, a 23 percent increase from the previous year. Shazam was founded in 2002 and made one of the first apps for the iPhone. It has about 250 employees working at its London headquarters and seven other offices in the U.S., Australia and Germany.


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