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News Observer Los Angeles

Volume 36 Number 12

Serving Los Angeles County for Over 36 Years

Observer Group Newspapers of Southern California

IN MEMORIAM: Film and Stage Legend

Cicely Tyson Dies at 96 “So many great stories about Cicely Tyson,” Tweeted Soledad O’Brien. “Whew, that lady was amazing. While shooting a doc on her in Spanish Harlem, people kept stopping their cars. In the street. To hop out and say hi. Old people. Teenagers.

Middle-aged fans. “Ciss-el-lee” they’d chant as she’d walk by.”

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent From her first significant role as Jane Foster in the TV drama “East Side/West Side” to her recurring role as Ophelia Harkness in “How to Get Away with Murder,” Cicely Tyson’s nuanced portrayals of proud Black women “were a powerful counterbalance to the negative stereotypes prevalent in film and television.”

The legendary film, television, and stage actress who earned an Academy Honorary Award, three Emmy’s and a Tony, has died at the age of 96.

“Often at great personal cost, she demanded truth and dignity in the roles she accepted. Few actors have done more to advance the cause of racial justice than the incomparable Cicely Tyson,” National Urban League President and CEO Marc Morial said late Thursday.

“The National Urban League was proud to present her with one of our highest honors, the Arts Award, at our 2013 Conference. The entire Urban League Movement mourns her passing and honors her memory.”

A cause of death was not immediately released.

“With heavy heart, the family of Miss Cicely Tyson announces her peaceful transition this afternoon,” her manager, Larry Thompson, said in a statement. “At this time, please allow the family their privacy.”

Born in New York on December 19, 1924, Tyson grew up in Harlem’s famed but hardscrabble streets.

As a teenager, she worked as a typist but decided she wanted to go into show business.

She began modeling at the age of 18, but her love of the stage almost immediately took over.

In 1963, Tyson made history with East Side/West Side, becoming the first Black lead in a television drama series.

Her star soared after an Academy Award-nominated performance for the 1972 film, Sounder.

She had previously appeared in an episode of the TV western “Gunsmoke,” and had made a name for herself in “The FBI,” “A Man Called Adam,” and I-Spy with Bill Cosby.

“Cicely was a brilliant actress, who was a woman of color, with the strength of her Blackness, she made it possible for Black women to grace the stage of theatre, film, and television,” comedian Bill Cosby wrote in a statement posted to his official Twitter account.

“I still smile because I had the blessings of witnessing her talent on an episode of ‘The Bill Cosby Show’ called ‘Blind Date’ I can only imagine how strong Miles Davis is blowing that trumpet, welcoming you in his arms with the song, ‘So What.’

Thank you for your brilliance and grace.”

Continued on page A4

The legendary film, television, and stage actress who earned an Academy Honorary Award, three Emmy’s and a Tony, has died at the age of 96.

Madam Secretary Shirley Weber Takes Oath to Serve as California Secretary of State Tanu Henry California Black Media On Jan. 29, former Assemblymember Shirley N. Weber, who represented parts of San Diego and its eastern suburbs in the lower house of the state legislature for eight years, has been sworn in as Secretary of State of California.

In her new role as the state’s top election official, the former chair of the California Black Legislative Caucus replaces Alex Padilla, who Gov. Newsom appointed to represent California in the U.S. Senate.

“I will be the 1st Black woman to serve in this role and only the 5th Black person to serve as a constitutional officer ever #RepresentationMatters,” Weber tweeted, celebrating her confirmation and the mark she has made on California political history.

Later, she thanked the people of California for placing their confidence in her and promised to fulfill the duties of the role.

“I am humbled to be able to continue to stand up for Californians as Secretary of State,” Weber said. “I thank the governor for his nomination, the state senators and the Assembly members who voted to confirm my appointment, and the Californians who expressed their faith in my ability to assume this critical office. I look forward to lifting up and defending our democratic values of inclusivity and participation in this new role.”

Both houses of the state legislature unanimously confirmed Weber. On Thursday, Senators gave Weber their nod with a 20-0 vote. No republicans voted.

The day before, her former Assembly colleagues approved her appointment by a 70-0 vote.

“Dr. Weber is a tireless advocate and change agent with unimpeachable integrity,” Gov. Newsom praised Continued on page A3

Gov. Newsom swore in Dr. Shirley Weber as secretary of state on Jan. 29. (Photo via @CASOSVote Twitter)

Pan African Film Festival Announces

Virtual Lineup for 2021

By Ricky Richardson Contributing Writer It is already February, where has the time gone? It can only mean one thing. Yes, Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, time to travel through the African Diaspora through cinema.

Please note the new dates for the 29th Annual Pan African Film Festival, which will be held virtually this year. America’s largest Black film festival set for February 28 through March 14 PAFF will showcase films and events that will thoroughly entertain the entire family. Gather the family together for a virtual 15-day journey of the African Diaspora without leaving the comfort of your home. PAFF has the distinction of being the largest celebration of Black History Month in Los Angeles, and the largest Black Film Festival in the United States.

The 29th Annual Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) will take place February 28 through March 14, 2021 and will be entirely virtual--a move festival organizers say will increase their audience and bring the African diaspora to film lovers around the world regardless of their physical location or travel budget.

“PAFF is known for being the largest Black History Month celebration in Los Angeles,” said PAFF executive director, Ayuko Babu, an international legal, cultural, and political consultant who specializes in Pan African Affairs. “This year we had to recalibrate to meet this moment. We will certainly miss seeing everyone in person this year, but we are excited about our innovative new platform that promises to be a unique experience for viewers and will bring the Pan African Film Festival to audiences worldwide.

Virtual or in-person we remain dedicated to the promotion of ethnic and racial respect and tolerance through the exhibit of films, art, and creative expression.”

Festival co-founder and award-winning actor and activist Danny Glover is set to serve as the celebrity ambassador for the 2021 PAFF. As an ambassador, Glover will help bring awareness of this year’s festival lineup and PAFF’s 29-year legacy.

PAFF is the largest Black film festival in the United States and the largest Black History Month cultural event in the nation featuring over 200 Black films and 100 fine artists from around the world. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has designated PAFF as an official qualifying film festival for liveaction and animation short films. The Los Angeles based festival is normally held at the Cinemark 15 Theatres at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival will take place entirely online.

Out of over 900 submissions from 83 countries, the 2021 PAFF will feature over 200 films including 168 narrative films, 39 documentaries, 159 short and mini short films from 45 countries and in 43 languages.

PAFF proudly continues its tradition of showcasing the broad spectrum of Black creative works, particularly those that reinforce positive images, help to destroy negative stereotypes, and depict an expanded vision of the Black experience.

This year’s PAFF will feature four Academy Award Best Foreign Film submissions including the U.S. premiere of The Continued on page A3

Free!

Thursday, February 4, 2021

Woman Sells Bernie Doll for Over $20K CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) – Bernie Sanders went from becoming a hit meme to a nearly $20,000-crochet doll in less than a week.

After the Vermont senator went viral on social media for his simple Inauguration Day fashion choices of quirky brown mittens and over-sized olive green coat, Tobey King in Texas got to crocheting. She turned the sensational image that trended for days into a crochet doll.

It sold for $20,300. Yes, you read that right.

“It’s mind-blowing because I knew Bernie was trending because of that picture, and I already had a Bernie pattern and a Bernie doll. So I just went and got that, and I modified that super quick,” King said.

But recreating Sanders’ exact look that captured people’s eyes, and laughs, took King about seven hours of crocheting, in addition to the time she had invested in the design a year ago. And her attention to detail is obvious, nailing the iconic mittens that stole the show on Inauguration Day. “The mittens are not that hard it’s just some color changing, a special stitch,” King said.

King, 46, initially posted photos of the 9-inch doll on her Instagram account, and they garnered thousands of likes and comments. On Saturday, she posted the doll on eBay and later auctioned it for $20,300, which she said will be donated to Meals on Wheels America.

Her donation was inspired by Sanders, whose campaign created sweatshirts with the image on them and donated all the proceeds to Meals on Wheel in Vermont.

“This could be my purpose; this is my new path,” King said. “This is a new way of helping people in a way that I’ve never been able to do before.”

King, who lives in Corpus Christi, Texas, said more than 30,000 people bought her Sanders doll crochet pattern from her Etsy store. She said she hopes Sanders approves of her efforts.

“I really hope that he thinks this is something cool and that I’m doing something good,” King said.

Black Bus Driver Whose Crash Killed 11 to Be Freed SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – The driver of a private bus in Northern California that crashed in 2008 and killed 11 passengers headed to a casino is being released from prison after his sentence was reduced due to changes in state law.

Quinton Watts, 64, was told Friday that he will be released next week, The Sacramento Bee reported.

Colusa County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Thompson took nine years off Watts’ 26-year prison term during a hearing Monday, ruling that he was properly sentenced at the time but that subsequent legal changes to sentencing enhancements made him eligible to have his sentence shortened.

Watts was driving the bus with 40 passengers from the Sacramento area to a casino near Colusa on Oct. 5, 2008, when the bus veered off the road.

Passengers said Watts seemed to be asleep or unconscious, and prosecutors alleged that he was sleep deprived and hadn’t properly cared for his insulindependent diabetes before the crash.

In an earlier story, however, The Bee found that a physician assistant had erroneously cleared Watts to drive despite his history of having a seizure disorder.

It said Watts’ attorney did not put on much of a defense, presenting just one witness; that the prosecution featured statements that Watts made while he was medicated at a hospital hours after the crash; and questioned whether Watts, who is Black, was unfairly convicted by a jury with no Black jurors.

John Poyner, the former Colusa County district attorney who prosecuted Watts, told the paper he didn’t know about the seizure disorder and said Watts had paid the price and should be released from prison for a crash he didn’t cause on purpose.

The judge did not address those allegations in his ruling.

“It should be noted 11 people died because of Watts’ criminal negligence,” Thompson said, according to the paper. “That being said, Mr. Watts is entitled to a benefit in a change in the law.”

The shorter sentence means he became eligible for parole in 2018 instead of his original eligibility date of 2027, determined the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. He remained in California State Prison, Solano, in Vacaville southwest of Sacramento, on Friday while the department awaited the court documents, said spokeswoman Dana Simas.

The crash happened on Watts’ first time driving to Colusa Casino Resort aboard a bus owned by his stepfather, Daniel Cobb, who sat behind him, tried to right the careening bus, and was among those killed.

“It’s been a hard, long road, but it’s almost over. It’s not like it’s gonna be easy when I get out. This will still be hard. But this is over with anyway,” Watts said in a brief interview from prison Friday, the paper said.

He was convicted of 11 counts of felony vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. Jurors also added sentencing enhancements of 21 counts of causing great bodily injury.

Corrections Secretary Kathleen Allison last month asked the judge to reconsider Watts’ sentence based on a court ruling in 2015 that found state law barred applying the enhancement to such crimes.

Officers Resign After Racist Body Camera Video

HAMILTON, Ga. (AP) – The police chief in a west Georgia city has resigned and an officer was terminated after footage from a body camera was discovered that shows the two making racist comments, a news station reported.

News outlets report that the Hamilton City Council asked for the resignation of Chief Gene Allmond and Sgt. John Brooks on Jan. 25. The recording was made hours before a Black Lives Matter march in Hamilton in June.

A part-time city employee found the footage while checking if the body camera was functional and brought it to the attention of the mayor’s office.

The video shows the two using racial slurs, speaking negatively about Blacks and about slavery, among other things.

According to WRBL, city attorney Ron Iddins said the footage “speaks for itself.”

A failure by the city to take action “would have been inexplicable,” he said. “It had to be done.”

Reaction from the city’s mayor was similar in sentiment.

“We wanted them off the force because we don’t want that kind of ugliness here in Hamilton,” Mayor Julie Brown said.

“The whole country needs more unity, we need to heal, so we didn’t want anything stopping that,” Brown said.

A2

World & Nation LOS ANGELES NEWS OBSERVER

Thursday, February 4, 2021

New Administration’s Biggest Challenge:

Biden Launches Head-On COVID-19 Attack

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent A Senate impeachment trial, the aftermath of a deadly insurrection, racial tension boiling, and a myriad of foreign policy and other issues are among the many challenges facing President Joe Biden’s administration.

Perhaps the biggest – or at least of most immediate concern – is the coronavirus pandemic, which many maintain former President Donald Trump mostly (and dangerously) ignored.

The underlining challenge of the pandemic is health care. A challenge which only heightens when one considers that Trump spent the last four years weakening and attempting to completely dismantle the Affordable Care Act, which protects health care for tens of millions of Americans.

President Biden unveiled a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan, which he titled “American Rescue Plan.”

The plan includes direct payments in the form of $1,400 stimulus checks, to struggling Americans, increased federal unemployment benefits from $300 to $400 per week through the end of September, and raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour.

The President also proposed a new $15 billion grant program for struggling small business owners, separate from the existing Paycheck Protection Program, along with a $35 billion investment in local financing programs that provide businesses with low-interest loans.

He stated that the package would provide additional support for American workers and families until the COVID-19 vaccine is more widely available.

“A crisis of deep human suffering is in plain sight, and there is no time to wait; we have to act now,” the new President said.

“In this moment of crisis, we cannot afford inaction.

These investments in jobs will prevent long-term economic damage, and the benefits will far surpass the cost.”

President Biden’s overall plan also calls for the restoration of emergency paid sick leave, $350 billion in aid for state and local governments, and $170 billion to assist K-12 schools and higher education.

Additionally, the plan includes extending eviction and foreclosure moratoriums until the end of September, with $5 billion pledged to help tenants struggling to pay rent.

The ambitious plan contains $50 billion for coronavirus testing, $20 billion toward a national vaccine program. What’s more, the President seeks to increase SNAP benefits by 15 percent through September and raise the Child Tax Credit to $3,000 per child – and $3,600 for children under 6. President Biden said he desires to make the Child Tax Credit refundable for the year.

Because of Trump’s assault on the Affordable Care Act – and health care in general, the percentage of uninsured Americans rose dramatically in the three years since President Barack Obama left office.

In November, the Supreme Court heard arguments

by Republican attorneys general and the Trump administration, seeking to repeal Obama’s signature legislation.

President Biden’s team estimates that roughly two to three million people lost employer-sponsored health insurance between March and September of 2020.

The President said even families who have maintained coverage might struggle to pay premiums and afford care.

Further, going into the pandemic, 30 million people were without coverage, limiting their access to the health care system in the middle of a pandemic.

To ensure access to health coverage, President Biden has called on Congress to subsidize continuation health coverage (COBRA) through the end of September.

He is also asking Congress to expand and increase the Premium Tax Credit’s value.

President Biden said he wants to lower health insurance premiums for most Americans and potentially

President Biden unveiled a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan, which he titled “American Rescue Plan.”

eliminate them altogether for the poor, ensuring enrollees in government-sponsored health care exchanges (including those who never had coverage through their jobs), will not pay more than 8.5 percent of their income for coverage.

“During this pandemic, millions of Americans, through no fault of their own, have lost the dignity and respect that comes with a job and a paycheck,” President Biden said.

“The very health of our nation is at stake.”

In acknowledging the toll the pandemic and racism have taken on Black America, the President also seeks to address racial disparities.

He promised to increase funding for community health centers.

With America’s jails and prisons disproportionately populated by African Americans, President Biden added that he wants to financially support efforts to help mitigate the impact the virus has had behind bars.

He addressed the growing hunger crisis that also primarily affects minority communities.

“More than one in five Black and Latino households in America report that they do not have enough food to eat,” the President remarked. “It’s wrong. It’s tragic. It’s unacceptable.”

Notes: Data from Colorado, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Texas and Virginia is for non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic white residents. Data from all other states is for Black and white residents regardless of Hispanic ethnicity.

Data from North Dakota, which does not release specific numbers, was excluded from the graphic but the state’s analysis shows similar gaps by race.

States with higher rates of missing race data will appear to have lower vaccination rates across all groups, so vaccination rates by race should not be directly compared across states.

Credit: Hannah Recht/KHN Source: Data from state health departments collected from Jan. 26 to Jan. 28, 2021; American Community Survey 2019 (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES)

Black Americans Left Behind Vaccine Rollout

By Hannah Recht and Lauren Weber Black Americans are still receiving covid vaccinations at dramatically lower rates than white Americans even as the chaotic rollout reaches more people, according to a new KHN analysis.

Almost seven weeks into the vaccine rollout, states have expanded eligibility beyond front-line health care workers to more of the public — in some states to more older adults, in others to essential workers such as teachers. But new data shows that vaccination rates for Black Americans have not caught up to those of white Americans.

Seven more states published the demographics of residents who have been vaccinated after KHN released an analysis of 16 states two weeks ago, bringing the total to 23 states with available data.

In all 23 states, data shows, white residents are being vaccinated at higher rates than Black residents, often at double the rate — or even higher. The disparities haven’t significantly changed with an additional two weeks of vaccinations.

In Florida, for example, 5.5% of white residents had received at least one vaccine dose by Jan. 26, compared with 2% of Black residents. That’s about the same ratio as two weeks ago, when the rates were 3.1% and 1.1%, respectively.

African Americans are being left behind because of barriers stemming from structural racism, as well as a failure to address nuanced hesitancy and mistrust about the vaccines and the medical system overall. The ongoing vaccination gap has prompted officials from around the nation to call for action.

“With covid-19 continuing to take a disproportionate and deadly toll on communities of color, we need urgent solutions to address health inequities and crush this virus,” said Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), first vice chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. He said he is working to pass legislation to address inequity.

Across the U.S., non-Hispanic Black Americans are 1.4 times more likely to contract covid, and 2.8 times more likely to die of it, than white Americans, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis.

The ongoing disparity in vaccinations may be a selffulfilling prophecy: A new KFF poll shows a correlation between people who know someone who has gotten the vaccine and their willingness to get it. (KHN is an editorially independent program of KFF.) Thus, it is harder to gain ground in communities that don’t have many people getting vaccinated.

One of President Joe Biden’s first executive orders prioritized covid data collection. He also established the COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force, led by Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, who cited KHN’s analysis in a CNN town hall Wednesday when describing the country’s vaccine inequity. She stressed the task force’s need to build confidence in the vaccine and fix access issues.

But Dr. Celine Gounder, a former covid adviser for Biden, cautioned there is no quick fix to the structural inequities reflected in the numbers — and Congress still needs to decide on Biden’s $1.9 trillion covid relief plan.

“If they fund it in full, you’ll have the money to do some of these things,” Gounder said. “What you really need to do is change the system so it doesn’t happen in the first place.”

Earlier this month, the CDC told KHN it planned to add race and ethnicity data to its dashboard, but could not say when.

Citing KHN’s initial analysis, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) tweeted on Jan. 19 that the CDC “needs to add race and ethnicity data to its public dashboard immediately — we can’t address what we can’t see.”

On Wednesday, CDC spokesperson Kristen Nordlund said officials plan to release the data publicly early next week.

Vaccine providers have already been required by the CDC to collect race and Hispanic ethnicity information for each person they vaccinate. In states that refused KHN requests for the data, local reports suggest disparities can be stark.

Many of the states that have shared data by race put it on dashboards that are difficult to understand. Some report data by dose, meaning that people who have received both doses are represented twice.

All 23 states that are reporting data by race break out numbers for Black and white residents. But beyond that, data is often limited. Eight of them do not report specific numbers for Native Americans and Alaska Natives, who are dying from covid at 2.6 times the rate of white Americans, according to the CDC study.

Massachusetts, for example, combines all data for

people whose race is unknown with Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders and others.

Race and ethnicity information in health care data is often incomplete, and covid data is no exception. Although most states that provide the data have relatively low rates of missing information, in a few states race or ethnicity demographics are missing for half the people who have been vaccinated.

The data on Hispanic ethnicity is particularly fraught.

Those who give vaccines are supposed to ask patients about both race and Hispanic ethnicity in separate questions, because Hispanics can be of any race or combination of races. In nearly all states that break out such numbers separately, the percentage missing Hispanic ethnicity information is far higher than those missing race information. Hispanic Americans have died at far higher rates than non-Hispanic white Americans.

The CDC data release should help standardize what data is available — in addition to possibly providing clarity on the dynamics in the 27 remaining states — but it is not yet clear how the CDC will address the gaps in data collection.

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Features

Thursday, February 4, 2021

LOS ANGELES NEWS OBSERVER A3

Red Flag on Bank-Breaking Prop 19 Tax Costs Antonio Ray Harvey California Black Media Malia M. Cohen, the only African American member of the California Board of Equalization (BOE), has some critical concerns about the cost homeowners will have to bear because of Proposition 19, a constitutional amendment that took effect on Dec. 16, 2020.

Cohen, an elected official who represents some 10 million Californians in 23 counties on the board, is particularly concerned with how Prop 19 will affect Black and other minority homeowners across California. The BOE is the commission responsible for implementing the law.

“The challenge is that it was voted upon and the election has been certified. So, it’s the law,” Cohen said during a virtual media news briefing with reporters from across the state on Jan. 29 organized by California Black Media.

In her commentary, Cohen discussed the ways the law will impact all property owners.

“It not only affects our respective Black communities,” she told the reporters. “It affects all homeowners and property owners in the state of California. When people wake up there is going to be a massive coalition (to fight it) -- possibly an uprising. People need to know what the real deal is.”

Cohen said, at appearances she is planning similar to the news briefing she had with CBM, residents of California will begin to hear about “the first steps” they can take to become educated about how Prop.19 will hit their bottom lines. This is something she feels was not adequately explained to voters when the referendum was placed on the ballot last November.

On Nov. 3, 2020, California voters approved Prop. 19, the “Home Protection for Seniors, Severely Disabled, Families, and Victims of Wildfire or Natural Disasters Act.” Although Prop 19 was enacted in December, Cohen warns that a critical part of the legislation will take effect on Feb 16.

Until that date, the state currently allows tax breaks for parentchild transfers. When parents give or sell real property to their children (or perhaps, grandchildren), that heir continues to pay property taxes at the same rate assessed on the home value as the parent.

After Feb. 16, Prop. 19 will eradicate the parent-child exclusion. Then, parents would still be able to transfer their house to a child, and the child may keep the parent’s assessed value. But the Prop. 19 law has added one critical condition: the child must move into the residence and make the property his or her own primary residence. If not, the property will be reassessed at what the current tax cost is for the home at that time.

Cohen discussed the immediate property tax implications and how it might impede property owners’ intentions to create generational wealth by transferring their personal residence and other property they own to their children as part of their estate planning.

BOE Tax Counsel Richard Moon also participated in the briefing.

“What is required that a child moving into the home must file a homeowner exemption and that needs to be done within a year of the transfer date,” Moon said. “The child has one year to move into the family home and maintain that family home in order to keep the exclusion. But if they move out after three years, the property would be assessed at that point.”

Rates of Black homeownership in California and across the country are still far below that of Whites and other minorities.

Critics of the law say the fact that Prop. 19 could set up even more barriers to African Americans owning homes – and straddle struggling families with additional financial burdens – is problematic.

About 2.2 million Black people reside in California, around 5.5% of the state’s population. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the rate of White American homeownership sails over 73%, while that of African Americans stands at 41%, Black Enterprise magazine reported in 2019.

According to data compiled by Lending Tree, the country’s leading online home loan marketplace, Los Angeles is one of the cities with the highest percentage of Black homeowners. Utah’s Salt Lake City, Texas’ San Antonio, Oregon’s Portland, and Northern California’s San Jose are also included on that list.

African Americans primarily generate wealth through homeownership and home inheritances, according to data included in the Urban Institute’s “2019 Black Homeownership Gap: Research Trends and Why Growing Gap Matters” report.

“Homeownership is currently the largest single source of wealth-building” among the Black population, the study stated.

Between 2005 and 2008, over 240,000 African Americans lost their homes to foreclosure according to the Center for Responsible Lending.

“The financial crisis triggered a massive destruction of wealth for African Americans,” Alanna McCargo, co-director of the Urban Institute’s Housing Finance Policy Center told

the Washington Post in 2019. “Wealth is inextricably linked to housing, and that wealth gap is evident in figures for Black-owned property in this country.”

The law, as it is written, would exclude from the term “purchase” and the phrase “change in ownership” for purposes of determining the “full cash value” of property in the purchase or transfer of a family home or family farm, for example.

Hardy Brown, Publisher Emertius of the Black Voice News in Riverside – the oldest African American-owned newspaper in that city -- says some of the spirit of Prop 19 may have been positive. The state intended to provide financial cover for the mostly White Californians living in fire and flood prone parts of the state in the event disaster happens. But what it ends up doing, he argues, is decimate the wealth of Blacks and other minorities.

“It doesn’t help,” Says Brown. It might make a quick buck for campaign contributors or help the state to be a good neighbor to some people, but severely harms others in the process. What it really ends up doing is putting another law on the necks of Black people in the state of California. It will choke the breath right out of us.”

Under its constitutional mandate, the BOE oversees the assessment practices of the state’s 58 county assessors, who are charged with establishing values for approximately 13.6 million properties each year.

“We are not talking about $25 million palaces in Malibu. We are talking about humble homes. Middle-class homes,” Cohen said. “I live in the Bay View community (of San Francisco). We’re talking about Baldwin Hills of Los Angeles or Encanto in San Diego and other communities throughout California. Homes that were purchased for $100,000 decades ago that now have a market value of over $1 million. These homes were paid for through hard work and could be potentially lost.”

at things that are available in typical grocery stores in the U.S.,” said Sarah Reinhardt, the lead food systems and health analyst in the food and environment program at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

In July the USDA released a whopping 835-page scientific report that formed the basis for the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines, released at the end of December.

Wait, there’s more. The federal committee also examines piles of food research. But it cannot evaluate research that isn’t available. Vegetarian and Mediterranean diets have been rigorously examined, but not many studies are looking at West African or Native American diets, for example.

The USDA acknowledges this gap. In the 2020 report, the members highlighted the issue. “Nutrition science would benefit from scientists in the field conducting primary research in more diverse populations with varying age groups and different racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds,” a USDA spokesperson said.

Still, the food industry dominates and guides the discussion.

Due to a lack of public funding, Reinhardt said, a lot of nutrition

research is funded by industry. “Science isn’t unbiased. It really depends on who is setting the agenda,” she said.

One issue is that the African American diet isn’t a monolith.

“There are many immigrants in this country who are Black but hail from different cultural backgrounds,” Edosomwam said.

For instance, the African diet involves lots of tubers — things like yams and cassava, she said. But some African American diets, especially those traced back to slavery, are based on the “soul food” concept, which comes from the practice of making meals from leftover scraps that slave owners would allow them to eat — foods such as pig intestines, called chitterlings.

“Cultural foods and traditions matter,” she said. But part of the challenge is helping people “reimagine these dishes to make them healthier by changing the ingredients and creating new traditions.” Unfortunately, she added, “there’s no plant-based substitute for chitterlings.”

This story was produced by Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Food Guidelines Change but Fail to Take Cultures Into Account

By Chaseedaw Giles California Health Line The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services have once again developed new food guidelines for Americans that urge people to customize a diet of nutrient-dense food. For the first time, they make recommendations for infant nutrition and for different stages of life.

But, as in past iterations, they lack seasoning. They do not acknowledge the nuances of culture and ethnicity at the heart of how Americans feed themselves.

Congress requires a revision of these guidelines every five years to ensure they reflect the best available science and respond to the general population’s health needs.

Ethnic variations have been suggested for years, but there is still little guidance given to Americans of different backgrounds on how to eat more healthfully.

“There’s different ways you can be racist,” said Esosa Edosomwan, a certified nutrition specialist and behavioral coach in Washington, D.C. “You can be racist by omitting people, by making guidelines that only cater to a specific group.” Edosomwan — a Nigerian American also known as the Raw Girl — began her nutrition journey while trying to find a diet that would help alleviate persistent acne. She found a raw food class and began writing about her food-as-medicine reeducation on her blog, Raw Girl Toxic World.

“I was trying to figure out what I could become that would allow me to treat people with nutrition,” she said. “I saw mostly white women in this field that were celebrity nutritionists.”

“A white dietitian, she’s probably going to tell you to have some Greek yogurt with a handful of almonds and a serving of protein the size of your fist, when what you really want is egusi soup,” Edosomwan said, referring to the West African dish made from the ground, nutrient-dense egusi seed, vegetables and meat or fish. Food is a big part of culture, and you can’t dismiss where a client comes from, she said. Her clients are encouraged to cook within their culture, but to make changes to ingredients when needed to improve nutritional quality.

“These guidelines are completely incompatible with us achieving our best health,” Edosomwan said of the government guidelines. Statistics bear this out. According to a 2017 JAMA study, nearly half of all U.S. deaths from heart disease, stroke and Type 2 diabetes may be attributed in part to poor diet. These health conditions disproportionately affect people of color. For instance, 11.7% of Black people, 12.5% of Hispanics and 9.2% of non-Hispanic Asians have been diagnosed with diabetes, versus 7.5% of non-Hispanic whites, according to the 2020 National Diabetes Statistics Report.

The USDA boasts a long history of providing “science-based dietary guidance to the American public” and frequently revising it. It goes back to before World War II. An attempt to correct overeating came with the “Food Pyramid” — first published in 1992. The recommendations have more recently been branded simply as “My Plate,” with an app that can be downloaded to any mobile device. But simplifying the recommendations may make them less relevant.

“Culture is everything,” said Inez Sobczak, certified nutritionist and owner of Fit-Nez in Arlington, Virginia. Sobczak was born in Miami to Cuban refugees and has been a nutritionist

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services have developed new food guidelines for Americans — but, once again, the revisions don’t incorporate ethnic and cultural differences. While many dietitians often recommend foods such as Greek yogurt and fruit, specific cultural dishes such as egusi soup — a nutrient-dense West African dish (pictured) — are often left out of the conversation. (Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP via Getty Images)

for 15 years, specializing in weight loss, hormone management and emotional and crisis eating.

While USDA guidelines can’t account for every food culture, Sobczak said, they could be more inclusive. And while she can’t create a new food pyramid overnight — it’s a more complicated process than one would think — she tries to teach people of color how to eat better.

Oldways, a Boston-based organization, has been trying for decades. It first developed a Mediterranean food pyramid in 1993 and has since created charts for African, Latin American and Asian diets, as well as ones for vegetarians and vegans. It also offers classes, such as their six-week Taste of African heritage program. Kelly Toups, director of nutrition at Oldways, said the organization also participates in sessions with the USDA. But not much has changed.

“It would be great to see more cultural representations more explicitly shown in the guidelines,” she said.

Why has it never happened? Partly because the process is elaborate: A government committee of about 20 scientists and health experts study the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The survey attempts to discover what people are eating and how healthy they are. The interviews, conducted in either English or Spanish, leave out Americans who speak other languages.

Next, the committee conducts “food pattern modeling” by looking at different food groups, the nutrients they provide and how much of each group is needed at each stage of life to establish recommendations.

These recommendations are set by age and gender but do not consider variables such as ethnicity, geographic location or access to healthy foods. “If I had to guess, you’re mostly looking

Madam Secretary Continued from page A1

Weber when he appointed her in December.

“The daughter of sharecroppers from Arkansas, Dr. Weber’s father didn’t get to vote until his 30s and her grandfather never got to vote because he died before the Voting Rights Act passed in 1965,” the governor continued.

“When her family moved to South Central Los Angeles, she saw as a child her parents rearrange furniture in their living room to serve as a local polling site for multiple elections.

Now, she’ll be at the helm of California’s elections as the next Secretary of State – defending and expanding the right to vote.”

Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) tweeted After the Senate confirmed Weber.

“This is a loss for the assembly, but a huge gain for our state. @ShirleyWeberPHD has been an incredible leader of

our house. We will miss her, but I know she will serve as secretary of state with the same strength and leadership she brought as a legislator.”

In the Assembly, Weber authored several high-profile bills that became law, including a measure that created one of the strongest laws against police use of force in the country. Another set up an 8-member commission to study California’s role in the enslavement of – and discriminatory practices against -- Black men, women and children, and the ways the state may be liable for those actions.

No date has been set yet for the special election to replace weber in the state’s 79th Assembly District. But late last month, Weber’s daughter, Akilah Weber, who is a medical doctor based in San Diego, announced her candidacy to run for the seat her mom just vacated.

Secretary of Equity Continued from page A1

of vaccinations among Black people is smaller than their share of cases in all 16 reporting states and smaller than their share of deaths in 15 states.

For example, in Mississippi, Black people account for 15 percent of vaccinations, compared to 38 percent of cases and 42 percent of deaths, and, in Delaware, 8 percent of vaccinations have been received by Black people, while they make up nearly a quarter of cases (24 percent) and deaths (23 percent).

In Pennsylvania, just 3 percent of those vaccinated are Black.

“As vaccine distribution continues, ensuring racial equity will be important for mitigating the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 on people of color, preventing widening health disparities, and achieving broad population immunity,” KFF officials wrote.

Dr. Hilton noted further that the Secretary of Equity would provide strategic and programmatic leadership for diversity and inclusion initiatives that advance diversity as a critical component of federal and local policies.

“This position will lead a team of Equity Officers that sit within these targeted federal agencies to assess the existing and potential disparities specific to that agency and its respective industries – greater than racial disparities and within all diversity

dimensions,” Dr. Hilton noted.

“As mentioned, this position would work across various agencies with specific interest and collaborative partnerships with the agencies that directly impact the social determinants of health like the Department of Justice, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Education, Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Treasury, the Small Business Administration and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.”

Regarding establishing a White House Office on Racial Equity and Inclusion, the National Urban League President Marc Morial also noted his support.

“Even before 2020 exposed our pandemic of a deadly triple disease and economic hardship and racial unrest, America was a nation that still had only begun to grapple with the legacy of white supremacy,” Morial stated.

“Establishing a White House Office on Racial Equity and Inclusion is our best hope of nurturing that awakening and achieving our true potential.”

Watch Dr. Ebony Hilton’s interview with the Black Press at Facebook.com/BlackPressUSA, Twitter: @BlackPressUSA, and YouTube.com/BlackPressUSATV.

Legal Notices

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FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE NO: 2020 215233 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: EPIQ LENDING at 123 N. Lake Ave. Suite 102, Pasadena, Ca. 91101 Mailing Address: 3160 Crow Canyon Rd. Suite 400, San Ramon, Ca. 94583 County: LA REGISTERED OWNERS(S): EVO HOME LOANS, LLC, CA, 123 N. Lake Ave. Suite 102, Pasadena, Ca. 91101 The business is conducted by: a Limited Liability Company SIGNED: KIM CALLAS, Manager The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: 11/2020 This statement filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on: Dec 9, 2020 DEAN C. LOGAN, Los Angeles County Clerk By: A. TORRES, Deputy NOTICE: IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUBDIVISION (a) OF SECTION

17920, A FICTITIOUS NAME STATEMENT GENERALLY EXPIRES ST THE END IOF FIVE YEARS FROM THE DATE OF WHICH IT WAS FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK EXCEPT, AS PROVIDED IN SUBDIVISION (b) OF SECTION 17920, WHERE IT EXPIRES 40 DAYS AFTER ANY CHANGE IN THE FACTS SET FORTH IN THE STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 17913 OTHER THAN A CHANGE IN THE RESIDENCE ADDRESS OF A REGISTERED OWNER. A NEW FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE FILED BEFORE THE EXPIRATION. EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2014, THE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY THE AFFIDAVIT OF IDENTITY FORM. This statement expires on Dec 14, 2025 LOS ANGELES BAY NEWS OBSERVER (E) PUB: Jan 14, 21, 28, Feb 4, 2021 �������������������������������

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FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE NO: 2020 215705 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: HOYLE GLOBAL SOLUTIONS, LLC. / HGS at 3362 Puma Avenue, Rosamond, Ca. 93560 Mailing Address: Same County: LA REGISTERED OWNERS(S): HOYLE GLOBAL SOLUTIONS, LLC, CA, 3362 Puma Avenue, Rosamond, Ca. 93560 The business is conducted by: a Limited Liability Company SIGNED: SHENITA HOYLE, CEO The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: 09/2020 This statement filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on: Dec 14, 2020 DEAN C. LOGAN, Los Angeles County Clerk By: L. MCCOY, Deputy NOTICE: IN ACCORDANCE WITH

PUBLIC NOTICE SUBDIVISION (a) OF SECTION 17920, A FICTITIOUS NAME STATEMENT GENERALLY EXPIRES ST THE END IOF FIVE YEARS FROM THE DATE OF WHICH IT WAS FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK EXCEPT, AS PROVIDED IN SUBDIVISION (b) OF SECTION 17920, WHERE IT EXPIRES 40 DAYS AFTER ANY CHANGE IN THE FACTS SET FORTH IN THE STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 17913 OTHER THAN A CHANGE IN THE RESIDENCE ADDRESS OF A REGISTERED OWNER. A NEW FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE FILED BEFORE THE EXPIRATION. EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2014, THE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY THE AFFIDAVIT OF IDENTITY FORM. This statement expires on Dec 14, 2025 LOS ANGELES BAY NEWS OBSERVER (E) PUB: Jan 14, 21, 28, Feb 4, 2021 �������������������������������

Pan African Film Festival Announces

Virtual Lineup for 2021 Continued from page A1

Milkmaid (Nigeria), The Fisherman’s Diary (Cameroon), The Letter (Kenya), and This Is Not A Burial, It’s a Resurrection (Lesotho).

Other notable entries include the world premiere African America (South Africa), the first film from director Muzi Mthembu about a cynical South African woman accepted to Julliard who finds out the hard way that 2017 U.S.A. isn’t as welcoming as she had dreamed. Set in Rio de Janeiro in a near and hypothetical future, Executive Order (Brazil) is a feature fictional film whose plot starts with the enforcement of a law that determines the compulsory return of all Afro descendants to their “countries of origin”. In its U.S. premiere, Finding Sally (Ethiopia), is a documentary that tells the incredible story of a 23-year-old woman from an upper-class family who became a communist rebel with the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Party. Also making its U.S. premiere, hip hop and art historians will enjoy Fresh Guide to Florence with Fab 5 Freddy (Italy/US/ UK) where the hip hop pioneer goes on a quest to uncover the hidden black figures of Italian Renaissance art.

With over 160 filmmakers of African descent, this year’s PAFF will feature 84 female directors and 15 LGBTQ+ directors.

The festival will hand out juried prizes for Best Narrative Feature, Best First Feature Film, Best Documentary Feature, Best Documentary Short, and Best Narrative Short as well as audience favorite awards at the close of the festival.

The 2021 PAFF will be powered by the El Segundo, CA based and Black-owned cloud-based content management, distribution, and TV and Film monetization platform Envoi.

Envoi has agreed to license its technology platform to power the 2021 PAFF including powering the cloud services, handling customer acquisition, ticket purchasing, live streaming, and video-on-demand delivery. The partnership will provide both PAFF and all participating filmmakers and distributors in this year’s festival with the technology and cloud computing services for independently distributing and monetizing their works. In addition, the Envoi platform will power the video-on-demand streaming for all PAFF’s virtual live events and PAFF’s newly launched TV network on the Apple, Amazon, and Android smart TV platforms.

“The film industry in the U.S. has been particularly hard hit by the global pandemic,” explained Envoi CEO Nicholas Stokes. “Traditional theatres have been closed due to COVID-19 now for 10 months and creators need solutions to monetize their content directly. Through our partnership with PAFF, we are enabling filmmakers to get their content in front of a global audience and directly monetize their creative work without giving up ownership, distribution rights, or first-person customer data.

By providing creators with our enterprise customer relationship management platform “CRM” the playing field will be leveled and filmmakers will be able to directly communicate with their

audience, further democratizing the management of customer acquisition and communication.”

In addition to the films, PAFF will virtually host their celebrated industry panel discussions, filmmaker workshops, SeniorFest, StudentFest, ChildrensFest, SpokenwordFest, and the PAFF LOL comedy show.

The full schedule and ticketing are available at www.paff.org.

A4

Entertainment LOS ANGELES NEWS OBSERVER

Thursday, February 4, 2021

“The Little Things” Review

By Dwight Brown NNPA News Wire Film Critic A young blonde woman drives down a deserted California highway at night, alone. A mysterious car drives alongside her, passing, then stopping in the middle of the road. She freaks. She’s scared. The big car and her sedan play cat and mouse. Terrified, she drives to a closed motel looking for help. No one is there. No one hears her cries for help. She runs. A man hunts her, weapon in hand. Could he be the serial killer that’s paralyzing Los Angeles and confounding the LAPD? That’s the dire setup for this 2h 7 min crime/drama/ thriller, a film that doesn’t break new ground and fails to invent an innovative, distinguishable or memorable murder spree. Yet within the confines of the genre, it nails basic elements enough to keep crime fans engaged until its reveal-after-reveal-after-reveal ending. Theatergoers may get restless, but HBO Max streaming viewers will be content.

Writer/director John Lee Hancock (The Highwayman, The Blind Side) wrote the script 30 years ago, hence the 1990 time period, the old cars and clothes. Influenced by buddy cop movies of the era, Hancock teams up two disparate officers of the law who are eager to stop the grisly murders of young women by a homicidal maniac. Layers and layers of missed opportunities and close calls augment that premise. The killer looks smart, elusive. The cops committed but floundering.

As a director Hancock is not in a rush. There is very little action, car chases don’t break the speed limit and if you’re looking for exciting fight scenes, it’s not that kind of party. He gives the lead actors room to explore their characters, toy with each other, savor the tangy dialogue and establish their identities. Tension grows as they get mired in head games and confounding dilemmas during their search for that big breakthrough.

In the fall of 1990, Sheriff’s Deputy Joe “Deke” Deacon (Denzel Washington) leaves Kern County, in Central Valley California, headed to Los Angeles to retrieve bloody boots, evidence for a trial. As he walks into an L.A. police station, some greet him, some look askance. That’s what happens when you return to your old workplace after leaving under murky circumstances.

The 60ish and gray-haired Deke butts heads with a press-hungry young Homicide Detective Jim Baxter (Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody). The upstart is in the midst of having Deke’s truck towed, as it’s blocking his car. It’s

an awkward introduction. The detective is trying to solve a string of murders, and his efforts are going nowhere. When he learns laconic, confidant Deke was once a successful gumshoe in the department and involved in a similar case years ago, he cozies up to him. The old guy and young apprentice unite, digging, surveilling, interrogating and deducing. Evidence leads them to appliance repairman Albert Sparma (Jared Leto, Dallas Buyer’s Club). He’s a long-haired, tall skinny man with buggy eyes. Looks like a weasel, thinks like a fox. Is it him?

The growing bond between Baxter and Deke exposes key differences: 1.) Experience: At a crime scene young Jim tries to school his elder: “Things have changed a lot since you left.” Deke: “Still gotta catch him right?” 2.) Approach: Baxter questions Deke’s intimidating methods: “Your old pal (a crook under investigation) said you broke his jaw.”

Deke: “Gotta kiss a lot of frogs to catch your prince.” 3.)

Lifestyle: One is a lively young family man. The other is estranged from his relations.

It looks like Washington finds great pleasure creating the Deke character, molding its persona and slowly revealing a history filled with mystery and regret. Grimaces, inflections, head turns and cagy smiles… It’s all a calculated effort by a great actor to bare every inch of Deke for his audience. He does it with a craftsmanship that is nearly unmatched. Leto makes a mercurial and scary suspect.

Never overdoes it. Just temptingly evil enough.

While Malek plays the needy investigator in a more understated way, never matching the masterful, thoughtful interpretations rendered by Washington and Leto. The supporting actors, from Natalie Morales, Terry Kinney and Chris Bauer to the very focused Michael Hyatt, play off the leads appropriately.

Highway scenes, and there are plenty, have hints of David Lynch as shot by cinematographer John Schwartzman (Seabiscuit). Production design by Michael Corenblith (The Blind Side) creates a ‘90s aura, but why are so many rooms and hallways green? Why do interrogation rooms and crime scenes look like obvious sets? The clothes, courtesy of costume designer Daniel Orlandi (The Blind Side), wisely blend in and don’t stand out. Editor Robert Frazen (The Founder) knows when to trim. And yes Thomas Newman’s (1917) musical score adds atmosphere, but the playlist leans too heavily on obvious songs. Etta James’s “At Last” is not the only mesmerizing tune in her arsenal. Pick another.

Yes there are convoluted moments in this police story

Denzel Washington stars in The Little Things. (Courtesy Photo)

and missed opportunities: Deke going for coffee just as Sparma sizes up Baxter and invites him for a ride in his shiny crabgrass green Chevy: “Come on in, what are you scared of?” Threats from a commanding officer that the detective could be pulled off the case by the Feds have a tinny ring.

One of the pursuers getting flummoxed and adhering to commands no cop would follow, is nonsensical. And why not give the serial killer a catchy name? It did wonders for

the “Zodiac Killer” and “Son of Sam.” There are scenes that will be etched in viewers’ minds indefinitely. Most are in the fairly astonishing finale, when it looks like the hunter could be captured by the game.

That’s when a flurry of evocative images, surprising twists and deceptive performances make this whodunit better than ordinary. Better, but never extraordinary.

Film and Stage Legend

Cicely Tyson Dies at 96

Continued from page A1

The ultra-talented Tyson would earn Emmy Awards for her portrayal of Kunta Kinte’s mother in Alex Haley’s “Roots,” and as the lead character in “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman.”

In 1994, Tyson earned her third Emmy in her supporting role as housemaid Castalia in CBS’ miniseries “The Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All.” Among her more memorable stage performances were 1968’s “Carry Me Back to Morningside Heights,” 1969’s “To Be Young, Gifted and Black,” and 1983’s “The Corn is Green.”

“So many great stories about Cicely Tyson,” Tweeted Soledad O’Brien. “Whew, that lady was amazing. While shooting a doc on her in Spanish Harlem, people kept stopping their cars. In the street. To hop out and say hi. Old people. Teenagers. Middle-aged fans. “Ciss-el-lee” they’d chant as she’d walk by.”

The Hollywood Reporter received statements from some of Hollywood’s biggest stars.

Viola Davis, who worked with Tyson on How to Get Away with Murder and wrote the foreword of Tyson’s memoir, wrote: “I’m devastated. My heart is just broken. I loved you so much!! You were everything to me! You made me feel loved and seen and valued in a world where there is still a cloak of invisibility for us dark chocolate girls. You gave me permission to

I’m not ready for you to be my angel yet. But...I also understand that it’s only when the last person who has a memory of you dies that you’ll truly be dead.

“In that case, you will be immortal. Thank you for shifting my life. Thank you for the long talks. Thank you for loving me.

Rest well.”

In a tribute, Tyler Perry emotionally shared that the news “brought me to my knees,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“She was the grandmother I never had and the wisdom tree that I could always sit under to fill my cup. My heart breaks in one beat, while celebrating her life in the next,” he wrote.

“She called me son. Well, today your son grieves your loss and will miss our long talks, your laughter from your belly, and your very presence.”

Whoopi Goldberg also paid tribute by describing Tyson as “a tower of power, a pillar of strength, CLEAR about who she was, and how she was to be treated.”

LeVar Burton paid tribute to his “first screen Mom.” “Elegance, warmth, beauty, wisdom, style, and abundant grace.

She was as regal as they come. An artist of the highest order, I will love her forever,” he wrote.

TODAY I LEARNED George Foreman has earned substantially more from the George Foreman Grill than he ever did from his boxing career.

At the peak of sales he earned 4.5 million a month in payouts.

In 1999, he was paid 138 million for the full rights to use his name.

Terri Lyne Carrington is the definition of

Black Girl Magic.

By MESFIN FEKADU AP Music Writer NEW YORK (AP) – Terri Lyne Carrington is just 11 years old and hanging backstage at a concert hall with her friend “Ella” – that's Ella Fitzgerald to us mere mortals _ and the jazz legend wants to introduce her to jazz virtuoso Oscar Peterson, who had just finished performing.

“Ella Fitzgerald says, `You need to hear her,”' Carrington, now 55, recalls. “She was just somebody who would encourage me and hang out with me. She was shy, and I was disarming because I was a kid. She took a liking to me.”

So Peterson invites the young drummer to perform alongside him before the audience escapes. They jam onstage, impressing the crowd. One attendee _ the thenPresident of Berklee College of Music _ was so wowed he offered Carrington a scholarship to the exceptional music school.

“It was really because Oscar let me play but (also) because Ella introduced me to him and told him, basically, he should hear me,” she said.

Anointed by jazz legends, literally, Carrington was destined for greatness. Four decades later, she's proven she is not only great, but groundbreaking.

She's earning the highest honor bestowed on jazz artists, the prestigious NEA Jazz Masters Award. The threetime Grammy winner is nominated for best instrumental jazz album - an award she won in 2014 and is the only woman to do so in the show's 63-year history. She worked as a musical and cultural consultant on the hit Disney/Pixar animation “Soul,” making sure it portrayed the jazz world accurately. And she's the founder and artistic director of the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice and has spent nearly 16 years teaching at the college, well versed in Zoom thanks to the recent pandemic.

She is the personification of Black Girl Magic.

“I knew she was going to open some doors since she was around 12 years old,” 11-time Grammy winner and jazz icon Wayne Shorter said. “She's one of the finest drummers in the world. She has a lot of finesse. She decorates. And she can also drop some bombs.”

Shorter, 87, remembers auditioning 12 drummers for a tour and hearing Carrington play, leaving him in awe.

“When Terri played, she mixed things up,” he said before using his mouth to imitate her drum playing, starting slow then speeding up his rattle.

“She was doing some historical stuff,” he continued.

“She made the bass drum sing and the tenor drum sing and the snare drum, not just rattle, she knew how to put pressure, release and have a flowing (set). She knew how to tell a story.”

“We didn't tell all the other drummers who was going to be the one. We just said, `We'll call you later on.' And as soon as everybody left, we said, `Terri Lyne, you stay here.”'

Carrington, who grew up in Medford, Massachusetts _ just minutes from Berklee in Boston _ first played saxophone and piano but fell in love with the drums at 7.

She came to national prominence decades ago as the drummer in “The Arsenio Hall Show” band and earned her first Grammy nomination with her 1989 debut, “Real Life Story.”

Twenty-two years later she scored her second Grammy nomination, and first win, with her fifth album “The Mosaic Project.” And she's honed her skills on the road, playing alongside Herbie Hancock, Al Jarreau, John Scofield, Dianne Reeves, Stan Getz, Cassandra Wilson, David Sanborn, Clark Terry, Joe Sample, Woody Shaw, Diana Krall and James Moody.

At the March 14 Grammys she could continue to make history. “Waiting Game,” her album with her band Social Science that explores heavy topics like politics, racism, sexuality and police brutality, is nominated for best jazz instrumental album, the award she previously won for 2013's “Money Jungle: Provocative in Blue.” The only other frontwoman to earn a nomination for that Grammy was Carrington's mentee, the skilled saxophonist Tia Fuller, for an album Carrington produced.

“The jazz instrumental category is a really big category.

To have risen to the top of that via jazz critics is something that I don't take lightly. Especially because I didn't assume at all that this one would get that kind of recognition from the critics,” said Carrington, who won DownBeat magazine's Critics Poll for top jazz artist, top jazz album and top jazz group _ making the drummer the first female instrumentalist to win in all three categories in the same year in the magazine's 68-year history.

“Those critics seem to be older generation, I don't want to say, white guys, is what it feels like ... For them to embrace this album the way they have really taught me a lot,” she said. “Not to judge other people. Other people are really hipper than you thought. I really had to look at myself. I just felt like, `They're not going to get it.' And they did.”

Carrington spent three years creating “Waiting Game,” which features collaborations with Esperanza Spalding, Rapsody, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Meshell Ndegeocello and more. “I wanted to surround myself with people that were younger than me, that had their pulse on what's happening in jazz today,” she said.

But Carrington is still a spring chicken, sort of, in jazz.

At 55, she's one of the youngest to receive the NEA Jazz Masters Award and one of few female instrumentalists to earn the honor. Fitzgerald turned 68 the year she entered the famous jazz club and Sarah Vaughan was 65, earning the prize a year before she died.

“It's always a great honor to be the first to break through something. I think I've had a long career doing that,” Carrington said.

But she adds that she “started looking at it differently since I became the first woman to win a Grammy in instrumental jazz. I think from that moment it made me feel like, as much as I feel honored to have received these accolades and awards, the bigger problem is that it hasn't happened before. There's been women before me that have had lots of amazing work out there, one being Geri Allen.

“Even with the Grammy, I was the first woman even nominated in that category. That seems really crazy to me and really speaks to how we have to change this. With this triple crown win with DownBeat, it's the same kind of feeling.”

Carrington has a number of theories when it comes to the lack of female jazz instrumentalists on the scene, starting with there just aren't enough of them.

“There's a lot of reasons for that patriarchy. We can go back. When slavery ended men could travel. They could go on the road and bring their guitar and play in juke joints around the corner and make money. That was respectable, but it wasn't for women,” she explains.

Carrington said it was later OK for women to sing or play instruments such as piano, violin or even the flute.

“Instruments that feel more feminine, for whatever reason, to a society that gendered instruments,” she says.

“It's very different sitting at a piano than sitting at a drum set. I sit at a drum set with my legs open, standing in front of a band and leading a band and blowing a horn _ that just wasn't really what was accepted as much.

“Most of the time (women) have to work harder and don't have the same access and support. That makes it not fun, so women quit.”

Has Carrington ever quit, or thought of doing so?

“Never,” she boldly says, adding: “Well because I had support. My dad was my biggest champion and he knew everybody, and nobody really messed with me because I was kind of protected in that way. I didn't have to worry about some of the silly stuff. I had access to all these great musicians. I had talent that they were willing to engage with.”

And now she wants to make sure she passes the torch.

“I'm late to the party,” she admits. “I was just really worried about being as good of a musician as I could be and following my dream. Then eventually I was like, `Whoa!' What am I doing to really help this situation?

Once I realized I wasn't doing very much, I decided that I had a responsibility.”

Thursday, February 4, 2021

Sports

LOS ANGELES NEWS OBSERVER A5

Courtside with Clippers – Week 5

By Cameron Buford Whatsgoodinsports.com 1/26/21 (13-4) Los Angeles Clippers vs (9-8) Atlanta Hawks In this initial game of their six-game road trip, the Clippers are looking to maintain their seven-game win streak. Though, they would have to play the Hawks without their first and second-leading scorers, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, due to the health and safety protocol. The Clippers would also be without their sparkplug Point Guard Patrick Beverley, allowing Reggie Jackson to get his first start of the season.

As anyone may have expected, this depleted Clippers’ lineup struggled with shooting from deep. Making only two of its first 11 3-point shots and then finishing the game 8 of 26 overall. In only his second start, Reggie Jackson did the best he could to keep the game close by leading the Clippers with his first 20 point game as a Clipper, including eight assists, and seven rebounds.

Serge Ibaka chipped in 15 points, while Ivica Zubac had another double-double with a season-high 13 points and 10 rebounds. Post-game told the media, “We were lucky to have everyone so far, but it is what it is.” He continued, “We’ve got to adjust. It’s going to be this type of season for everyone, and we’re not the exception.”

On Tuesday night, the State-Farm Arena was filled to nearly 10% capacity, with fans to see their Atlanta Hawks take on the Clippers. It was a good night for the hometown crowd as they saw Tre Young light up the Clippers for 38 points in their new City Edition MLK jerseys, which are meant to honor Atlanta native Dr. Martin Luther King and his legacy. Though the Clippers did tie the game up at 79 all, the Hawks closed the game out with a 29-20 run, to claim their ninth victory of the season.

1/28/21 (13-5) Los Angeles Clippers vs (6-12) Miami Heat Thursday night game against the Heat would be the second game of the Clipper’s five-game road trip and their second consecutive game without Kawhi Leonard, Paul George (safety and health protocol), and Patrick Beverley (knee). It would also be another game playing in front of local fans, as the Miami Arena was allowing ticket holders in the building for the first time since the NBA suspended its season due to COVID19 in March 2020.

The Miami Heat would be without their floor leader in Jimmy Butler, but the fans would see the return of their young star Tyler Herro as the Heat try to avoid a fifth consecutive loss.

Though both teams were depleted and without their team leaders. Each team would be looking to rebound from their previous loss. With that in mind, the Heat jumped out to a 14 point lead in the game after the first quarter score 33-19. In contrast, the Clippers would win the second quarter by 22-17 to pull the game within 50-48.

The Clippers came into the game shooting 41.6% from deep to lead the NBA. In the third quarter, they would tie a franchise record by going 9-14 and winning the quarter 40-19 to take control of the game. Post-game Ty Lue said he told the team to “Take your shots,” and that they did.

In his third start of this young season, Reggie Jackson would find out just how much support he had from this team.

As the Heat worked their way back into this game, both teams competed for a loose ball when Jackson called a timeout thought the Clippers were out of them. This penalty would give the Heat a free throw and possession of the ball, which very well have been costly for the Clippers, as the clock winds down in the fourth quarter.

Nic Batum was the first teammate to console Jackson for the mental mistake, though each of his teammates would quickly go

Los Angeles Clippers forward Marcus Morris Sr. takes a jumpshot as New York Knicks forward Julius Randle defends last week in Madison Square Garden in New York. (Photo Credit: Los Angeles Clippers)

to Jackson to offer him words of encouragement, “Don’t worry about it; move on… we’re going to get the rebound, and you’re going to make the free throws” This was a revealing situation for the Clippers as it displayed, to anyone watching, that this team is on the same page, unified, and playing for one another.

Not only were the Clippers undermanned they were also on the verge of a collapse late in this game, right up until the moment Jackson called that timeout. Their unity allowed them to hold onto the win. When asked about this moment, Marcus Morris said, “We all make mistakes!” Facetiously speaking, Morris added, “It wasn’t as bad as Chris Webber’s (timeout)… but we were on his a** in the locker room.”

This game has the looks of being a seminal moment for this Clippers season, playing outmanned as they did and coming together in a moment like could be huge for this team. The Miami Heat, however, are sent to the locker room dejected as this is a game they certainly should’ve won, instead this loss pushes their losing streak to 5 games.

1/29/21 (14-5) Los Angeles Clippers vs (9-12) Orlando Magic Though Patrick Beverley would miss his third straight game with a sore knee. The Clippers were happy to have Kawhi Leonard and Paul George back in the lineup when they travel to Orlando to take on the Magic. Just as expected, they provided an immediate impact on the game upon their return, as they combined for 35 points in the first quarter.

After missing the previous games due to NBA contact tracing

protocols, Leonard added 24 points while Paul George becomes the only player in franchise history to have at least 26 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and two steals in under 30 minutes played.

George was asked, about his ability to bounce back from missing games without missing a beat, he responded by saying, “Yeah, it’s a ton of film, coming into games seeing how teams are guarding (me), see how I can score, how I can be aggressive. How I can make my teammates better.”

The Magic did score the first 11 points of the second half to narrow the Clippers’ lead to three, but then the Clippers outscored those Magic 28-11 the rest of the third quarter. This gave them a 90-71 lead going into the final period. Amazingly, the Clippers were a plus-23 with Leonard on the court, and even more impressively George was a plus-27 on the floor. This enabled them to get some additional rest as their lead blew up to 27 points.

Terrence Ross led the Magic with 24 points off the bench and Vucevic, their only likely All-Star candidate, only hitting a meniscal 4 out 13 shots for 10 points. This would be the Clippers’ 15th win of the season and the 14th consecutive win over Orlando. Their 15th win has tied this team for the second-best 20-game start in franchise history (16-4, 1974-75; 15-5, 201415, and 2016-17), through the first 20 games of a season.

1/31/21 (15-5) Los Angeles Clippers vs (9-11) New York Knicks As the Clippers took off for their six-game East Coast Road

By Earl Heath Contributing Sports Writer After all the rumors, speculations and theories, Jared Goff was traded from the Rams to Detroit for quarterback Matthew Stafford.

Goff was the first overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft. He was the beginning of the many roster moves the enabled the Rams to get to the 2018 Super Bowl. The following year the team failed to make the playoffs and this year’s post season they were one and done.

Even getting to the post season was dramatic this year as the team went 3-3 in its final six games including a loss to the lowly Jets giving the New Yorkers their first win after 14 straight losses.

Just a few days before the trade Les Snead, Rams General Manager said, “Jared Goff in our quarterback in this moment.

“Throughout history in sports that means a demotion or ‘That guy is outta here’.”

Goff had a rough season passing for a career low 20 touchdowns and 13 interceptions including a four-turnover game (two fumbles and two picks) versus the Dolphins.

Stafford also was the first pick in the 2009 draft. He has passed for 45,109 yards, 282 touchdowns, and 144 interceptions.

He’s passed for more than 3,000 yards nine seasons and seven 4,000-yard campaign’ s. His banner year was 2011 when he threw for 5,000 yards and 41 touchdowns.

This season he threw for 4,082 yards 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. The 12-year veteran has an 0-3 play-off record and was selected to a Pro-Bowl.

His teams have had average talent with the exception of AllPro Calvin Johnson. Detroit has not been the place to go for top level free agents.

Stafford has two years remaining on his current contract that that calls for him to receive 33 million in 2021 and 26 million in 2022 according to the L. A. Times. He has shown durability have

Trip, they left Los Angeles leading the NBA in 3 point shooting percentage by shooting over 40% from behind the arc so far this season. They also have recorded an 8-3 record on the road while going 9-1 in their most recent ten games. On Sunday afternoon they took their 15-5 record into the Madison Square Garden to play the (9-11) New York Knicks. They would be without Nic Batum (Groin Contusion) in this game in addition to Patrick Beverley who would miss his 4th consecutive game.

Julius Randle led the Knicks with a game-high 12 points and 6 rebounds in the 1st quarter. This assisted the Knicks in dominating the points in the paints as they led this 14 -4. The biggest lead of the first quarter was held by the Knicks who had a 7 point lead at one point, but they narrowed the lead down to 2 points by the end of the quarter behind Kawhi going 5-5 at the Free Throw line and Patrick Patterson’s going 3-3 from the field.

RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickly would lead the Knicks in the 2nd quarter scoring with 14 and 10 points respectively.

Speaking of Quickly Paul George says, “I like him; His float game is off the charts for a young guy. What I love the most, is a hard quality to find, I thought he was fearless.” They would also continue their domination on the boards extending the 28-12.

However, the Clippers would also have nine of the ten players that played score lead them in taking a 66-65 lead at the half.

Aided by controlling the boards and shooting 88.7% from the Free Throw line.

Though the Knicks continued to dominate the boards, the Clippers finished the 3rd quarter shooting 13-19. This enabled the Clippers to increase their lead from 1 to 10 points by the end of the quarter. The Clippers, also finished the 3rd quarter with only two turnovers while dishing out nine assists.

Surprisingly, this was a very competitive game that saw ten ties and eleven lead changes, with the Clippers taking the biggest lead of the game at 16. Though the Knicks had three players score over 23 points the Clippers had six players in double figures and, once again, shoot over 44% from behind the arc and 56.7% from the floor.

Not only has Clippers Head Coach Ty Lue created an atmosphere where the players feel comfortable talking to him about anything. He is also making the proper adjustments that impact the game at the most appropriate times. He addressed this in his post-game media availability by stating, “We changed our offensive package a little bit… and then we change defense we put Pat Pat (Patrick Patterson) on Mitchell to take away their but dribble (NBA lingo) and rolls, and we switched 1-4 and Serge was on (Julius) Randle.”

Many fans could’ve viewed this game as a trap game, considering the Clippers will face the superbly talented Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, in the fifth game of their six-game road trip.

Kindly share your thoughts on what you have noticed about the Clippers team thus far by reaching out to me on Twitter @ whatsgoodnsport. Or forward any suggestions on what topics or angles you would like to see discussed to info@whatsgoodinsports. com.

Lastly, be sure to subscribe to our weekly “Voice of the Fans Podcast”, which is available for you on most podcasting platforms; Apple and Google Podcasts, including Spotify, TuneIn, and iHeart Radio, to name a few. On our Podcast, we have passionate banter about various NFL storylines while addressing the multitude of NBA topics!

Rams Make A Big Deal; Goff for Stafford

Matthew Stafford played 136 straight games while playing for the Lion. (Courtesy Photo)

in 136 consecutive games.

The Rams gave the Lions a 3rd round pick this year and two first round picks. The Rams have not had a first-round pick since Goff in 2016.

The Rams hope Stafford can get them back to the Super Bowl. They’ve had the top-notch defense for the last few seasons including the leagues number one ranked this past season.

Untimely and multiple turnovers have killed drives and give the opposing team the ability to capitalize.

Stafford brings a fire to the team, he has a hardcore attitude and a strong desire. Not being surrounded by good players in Detroit had a massive effect on him winning games.

“He has a lot of dog in him,” Said Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson on ‘Roggin and Rodney’. When you play in Detroit its like play in Sealy, TX my hometown he had little support. He’s got the kind of dog the Rams need.”

Lakers Answer Road Challenge

By Earl Heath Contributing Sports Writer The Lakers wrapped up the longest road trip of the season with a win over the Atlanta Hawks Monday night. There was a little drama during the fourth period of the game at courtside when some of the 1,300 fans allowed in got into a vocal exchange with Lebron James. Four of the fans were ejected from the arena.

“I am happy they (fans) are back in the building. I’m glad to have engagement,” said James. I need engagement during a game, all players need engagement. But I think they probably had a few drinks.”

The Lakers came away with a 107-99 win over the Hawks.

They now have won 31 straight when holding teams under 100 points.

‘Were playing extremely hard covering for one another, we have a lot of energy and a lot of speed and we just let ourselves play basketball. It’s our whole team.” added James.

Anthony Davis led the scoring with 25 followed by James 21 and nine assists. Katavious Caldwell-Pope had 11, Dennis Schroder had 16, and Harrell chipped in with 19.

The win gave the team a 5-2 road trip and they return to Staples Center this week. The team now has a 16-6 (At press time) Before going to Atlanta the team left TD Bank Garden with a 96-95 win over rival Boston. With less than 20 seconds left Alex Caruso raced back to the defensive end and foiled a Celtic fast break. The hustle play by Caruso helped the visitors escape with

a 96-95 win.

“Alex just flies from the corner from nowhere,” coach Frank Vogel. Caruso only scored 2 points but finished the game with a team high wit a plus 14 in the box score.

Anthony Davis led the team with 27 points and 17 rebounds after returning to the line-up after sitting out the previous game.

James had 21,7 rebounds and 7 assists.

Montrezl Harrell added 16 points, five boards and a season high three blocks.

The Lakers held Boston to a season low 17 fourth quarter points.

Before heading to Boston the Lakers had their ten-game road win streak snapped in Philadelphia 107-107.Former Clipper Tobias Harris hit the game winner with 2.4 seconds left. Led by Dennis Schroder 16 second half points the Lakers came from 11 points down in the final four minutes before just falling short.

James led all scorers with 34 points he also had six rebounds and six assists. Caruso added 10 points giving him his first double digit game of the season. Before the game Kobe Bryant was honored with a moment of silence and a brief video. The Lakers were in the Keystone State when Bryant passed in a plane crash killing him, his daughter and seven others nearly a year ago to the day.

The team had back-to-back losses for the first time this season when they fell to Detroit 107-92 the following day.

Former Clipper Blake Griffin led all scorers with 23. James and

Kyle Kuzma led the with 22 points each. Kuzma added 10 boards giving him his fifth double-double of the season. Talen HortonTucker had 13 points 2 rebounds in 14 minutes. He’s the first

Laker to have 13 plus points in 14 minutes since Rajon Rondo in 2019. It’s the fifth time this year he has led the bench in scoring.

Felton and National Team Win Senior Bowl Bowl UCLA’s Dometric Felton Jr. had a solid day at the Senior Bowl. (Photo Credit: Senior Bowl)

By Earl Heath Contributing Sports Writer Demetric Felton Jr. of UCLA showcased his talents at the 71st edition of the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. Felton had 2 catches for 28 yards and a touchdown as the Nationals outscored the Americans 27-24.

Felton led the PAC-12 in all-purpose yards 165 average per game and ranked sixth nationally. He caught a passes from Sam Ehlinger (Texas) Ian Book of Notre Dame (Oak Ridge High in Eldorado Hills, CA).

Book was voted top quarterback by teammates on the National team. Kelly Mond (Texas A&M) was named game MVP. He completed13 of 27 passes for 173 yards and 2 TD’s for the Americans.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James takes a jumper Monday night in Atlanta against the Hawks.

(Photo: Scott Cunningham/Kevin C. Cox/NBA E/Getty Images)

A6

Black History LOS ANGELES NEWS OBSERVER

Thursday, February 4, 2021

Biden Pushes Harriet Tubman $20 Bill In April 2016, then-President Barack Obama announced that Tubman would replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill. Obama wanted the release of the new bill to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment in 2020 that gave women the right to vote. However, Trump had expressed an affinity toward Confederate figures and sang the praises of Andrew Jackson, claiming that he had led the U.S. to great success during his two-terms in office from 1829 to 1837.

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent After four years of push back from the administration of Donald Trump, Underground Railroad heroine Harriet Tubman may finally appear on U.S. currency.

“The Treasury Department is taking steps to resume those efforts to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Monday, Jan. 25.

“[The Biden administration] is exploring ways to speed up that effort. It’s important that our notes, our money reflect the history and diversity of our country, and Harriet Tubman’s image on our new $20 note would certainly reflect that,” Psaki commented.

In April 2016, then-President Barack Obama announced that Tubman would replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill. Obama wanted the release of the new bill to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the passage of

the 19th amendment in 2020 that gave women the right to vote.

However, Trump had expressed an affinity toward Confederate figures and sang the praises of Jackson, claiming that he had led the U.S. to great success during his two-terms in office from 1829 to 1837.

Jackson, a slave owner, joined the Confederate army after Virginia seceded in 1861. He served under Gen. Robert E. Lee during the Civil War. Tubman, an escaped slave, led countless people to freedom. Trump suggested that he might consider placing her image on a $2 bill, but not replace Jackson.

President Biden has vowed to right the many wrongs of the Trump administration, including working toward improving race relations in America and offering more opportunities to people of color. Tubman would be the first African-American woman featured on U.S. currency.

“The $20 currently features a former president, Andrew Jackson, who not only owned slaves, but ordered the death march of thousands of Native Americans,” NNPA’s General Counsel A. Scott Bolden wrote in a 2019 editorial.

“Euphemistically called ‘Indian Removal,’ the Trail of Tears made way for white settlers to claim millions of acres of southern land,” Attorney Bolden wrote.

He continued: “The attempted erasure of Tubman represents yet another move in the Trump playbook to disconnect racial reality from white fantasy. Harriet Tubman should be a respected and lauded icon for people of every race and ethnicity. Did she not personify American ideals, at the risk of her own life? As a Black woman in antebellum times, she was vulnerable to capture, prison, assault or lynching, but did she falter? Did she not refuse to kneel to any man or any king? Did she not fight for freedom against overwhelming odds? Are these not the qualities we hold dear in our American heroes?”

“The Treasury Department is taking steps to resume those efforts to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Monday, Jan. 25.

TODAY I LEARNED That slaveholders in the U.S. knew that enslaved people were escaping to Mexico, the U.S. tried to get Mexico to sign a fugitive slave treaty, but Mexico refused to sign such a treaty, insisting all enslaved people were free once they set foot on Mexican soil.

Martin Luther King with his son removing a burnt cross from their front yard 1960.

ASU Renames Film School to Honor Sidney Poitier

President Barack Obama awarded Poitier the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009, and in 2011, he earned the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s prestigious Chaplin Lifetime Achievement Award.

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent Arizona State University has named its new film school after legendary actor Sidney Poitier.

According to a USA Today report, the decision to name the school after Poitier, 93, is about much more than an emphasis on diversity.

In an interview ahead of The Sidney Poitier New American Film School’s unveiling, University President Michael M. Crow said Poitier embodies everything that one would look for in an icon.

“With Sidney Poitier, it’s his creative energy, his dynamism, his drive, his ambition, the kinds of projects he worked on, the ways in which he advanced his life,” Crow asserted, according to USA Today.

The legendary actor filmed his Oscar-winning “Lilies of the Field” in Arizona in 1963. Poitier became the first Black person to win an Oscar for lead actor in a motion picture.

Crow noted the unusually scandal-free life that the superstar has lived despite being in the public limelight for decades.

“Look at his life: It’s a story of a person who found a way,” Crow added. “How do we help other young people

find their way?”

As noted in his biography at Oscar.com, Poitier is both an esteemed actor and a respected humanitarian.

In addition to his Oscar for Best Actor, he received an Honorary Award in 2001. Born in Miami, he grew up both in the Bahamas and the United States and became a noted actor both on the stage and in such films as “The Defiant Ones” in 1958, which he earned his first Oscar nomination.

Throughout his career, Poitier provided some of the most legendary performances ever on the Silver Screen.

Among the most memorable were “A Patch of Blue” in 1965, “In the Heat of the Night” in 1967, and “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” in 1967.

Poitier also directed and starred in a series of 1970’s hits with Bill Cosby, including “Let’s Do it Again” and “Uptown Saturday Night.”

He went on to direct nine feature films.

In 2000, Poitier published the autobiography “The Measure of a Man” and earned a Grammy Award for the best-spoken word album for the audio version of “The Measure of a Man.” He followed up his autobiography eight years later when he published “Life Beyond Measure: Letters to My

Great-Granddaughter.”

A recipient of numerous awards and honors throughout this career, Poitier was knighted in 1974 by the British government.

President Barack Obama awarded Poitier the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009, and in 2011, he earned the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s prestigious Chaplin Lifetime Achievement Award.

According to USA Today, Arizona University reportedly has invested millions of dollars in technology to create what’s intended to be one of the largest, most accessible, and most diverse film schools.

Crow said the film school would measure success not by exclusivity but by inclusivity.

“If it has my Dad’s name on it, it has to be inclusive because that’s the foundation of who he is and what he stands for,” Anika Poitier, the legend’s daughter, remarked.

“And it’s important to not only have inclusion but to have diversity, and to give people the opportunity to tell their stories. I think it’s imperative to cast a wide net and allow anyone who’s called to tell their story to learn how to do that.”

Meet Roberts Smalls Ronald McNair Defied • Born into slavery in 1839 • Steals a Confederate military ship in 1861 • Disguises himself as the captain • Uses the secret code book and hand signals to pass Confederate guard ships •Rescues more slaves and their families • Escapes to freedom • Works as a military advisor to the Union until war ends • Buys a house • Wins • Runs for Congress • Lives happily ever after

All Odds and Became Sucessful in Life

In 1959 police were called to a segregated library in South Carolina when 9 year old Ronald McNair refuses to leave. He later got a PhD in Physics from MIT and died in 1986 aboard the space shuttle Challenger. The library that refused to lend him books is now named after him.