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News Observer Los Angeles

Volume 36 Number 16

Serving Los Angeles County for Over 36 Years

Observer Group Newspapers of Southern California

29th Annual Pan African Film and Arts Festival Evolution

By Ricky Richardson Contributing Writer (Los Angeles, Ca)- The show must go on is a popular saying in the entertainment industry. This is good news for film and art patrons in the Greater Los Angeles area and Globally.

For nearly three decades, the Pan African Film and Arts Festival welcomed thousands of visitors to browse their wonderful showcase of artistic aesthetic that is rooted in Africa and its diaspora.

Locals as well as a contingent of international tourist strolled and perused over 100 international and emerging fine artists and quality crafts peoples from all over the world taking part in The PAFF ArtFest.

The featured artists presented their creative works using oil on canvas, watercolor and pastels, acrylic paper, glass, ceramics, metal, cloth, plastic, wax, wire, leather, and stone.

The ArtFest is an experience in and of itself that guarantees something for every taste and every budget, whether it is fashions, jewelry, home décor, fashion accessories and so much more!

I am pleased to share with you that the 2021 ArtFest has found a new home in Leimert Park Village, the heart of the African American community.

The new location is inside Aziz Gallery, owned

Diane Harris Banks (Photo By Ricky Richardson) Aziz Diagne (Photo By Ricky Richardson)

and operated by internationally acclaimed artist Aziz Diagne. The gallery is located at 3343 West 43rd Street, Los Angeles, CA., 90008 (323)815-1843. The location is be-

tween the Fernando Pullum Community Arts Center and Regency West. The ArtFest went on display February 1st and be available for viewing until March 14, 2021, 11:00am-7:00pm.

Visitors to the ArtFest can expect to view a great selection of high-quality crafts on display, in a nice, intiContinued on page A4

Law Ending “Slavery” in Prisons

Asm. Sydney Kamlager-Dove and Jamila Land, co-founder of A.S.A.P. (Courtesy Photo)

Tanu Henry California Black Media For 24 years now, Samual Brown – who was convicted for attempted murder in Sacramento – has been serving time in California state prisons. Right now, he is at a correctional facility in Lancaster, a Los Angeles County town northeast of L.A. While in prison, Brown says he has evolved. In addition to earning an associate degree, Brown will be awarded his B.A. from CSU Los Angeles in the Spring, graduating with a 4.0 GPA. Before moving to the Lancaster facility that currently houses him, Brown says he was serving his sentence at a maximum-security prison in New Folsom near Sacramento.

That prison was notorious for its high homicide and suicide rates, Brown says. Responding to the death, violence and

despair all around him there, Brown says he drafted the proposal for a successful intervention effort called the 10 P program. Since authorities implemented his plan, there have been less deaths at New Folsom.

“At the core of the program is effectuating emotional literacy,” Brown told California Black Media on a phone call from California State Prison Los Angeles County.

“We encourage the inmates to adopt pro-social behaviors and reclaim their narratives. We teach them how to address intergenerational trauma and adverse childhood experiences that influence their behavior. We prepare them to face the parole board.”

But as an inmate, Brown says he is also forced to work.

He has no say-so regarding his safety, or about how much he is paid, or the kinds of work he performs. Recently, the state prison has assigned him to COVID-19 sanitation duties, paying him 55 cents per hour.

“It’s unfortunate but this is true: the 13th amendment did not end slavery in the United States,” said Brown. “As long as there is forced labor and state constitutions that have conditions for ‘involuntary servitude,’ there is still slavery.”

Brown says too many racist ideologies and practices from the old slaveholding South survive today. They didn’t end, he argues, they transitioned.

“It’s wrong to have private prison corporations that can influence policy -- not because of what is right or wrong but because they directly benefit from it,” says Brown.

“In prison, if you refuse to work, you get the modern-day equivalent of a whip on your back. You could get a 115, a disciplinary write-up that could prevent you from getting parole.”

Assemblymember Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Los Angeles) agrees with Brown. The lawmaker is pushing legislation that would strike out the words “involuntary servitude” from the California Constitution.

In January, Kamlager-Dove introduced ACA 3: The California Abolition Act. Kamlager-Dove who represents the 54th Assembly District -- which covers sections of Los Angeles County, including Ladera Heights and Baldwin Hills -- says she wants to build off the momentum of similar laws recently

Samual Brown an inmate at a correctional facility in Lancaster, CA. (Courtesy Photo)

Continued on page A4

Vaccine Push Focuses on K-12 Workers

By Bo Tefu California Black Media Sprawling parking lots at California State University Los Angeles and Oakland-Alameda Coliseum in “Oaktown” are two locations in California where the state is set to conduct focused vaccine pushes for education workers. The effort is part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s health equity plan as he prioritizes the reopening of schools.

According to the equity-centered plan, as of March 1, 10 % of the state’s vaccine supply is dedicated to K-12 educators and staff. The mobile sites and vaccine drives will focus on “counties and school communities weighted by equity, including the proportion of students from low-income families, English learners, and homeless youth,” state officials said.

“Our top priority is getting students back in the classroom as safely and quickly as possible, and the expanded access to vaccines will build on the momentum and confidence that we can do so with urgency,” Gov. Newsom said.

Candidates eligible for the vaccination include teachers, paraprofessionals, bus drivers, childcare workers, and site-based administrators.

State officials have committed to providing

75,000 vaccinations each week at mobile sites set up to administer vaccines for registered school staff statewide.

The health equity plan aims to prioritize vaccine access for communities disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus. The equity plan also addresses the ethical issues presented by reports of individuals from outside target communities, including educators at a Los Angelesbased private school, skipping the line to get early vaccinations from medical providers.

Gov. Newsom said the state officials are working closely with medical providers, healthcare administrators, and local organizations to speed up vaccine delivery across California.

“The education professionals who nurture and support our children deserve to be and have been prioritized for vaccines, and I am proud to accelerate those efforts in all 58 counties,” Gov. Newsom said.

According to state officials, prioritization is based on occupational health exposure. Eligible candidates will receive single-use codes to schedule vaccine appointments.

The health equity plan is an integral addition to Gov. Newsom’s “Safe Schools for All” plan which initiated plans to vaccinate education workers in January.

So far, 35 state counties have vaccinated education workers based on supply since the launch of multiple mobile sites statewide.

Efforts to Counter the Privilege Gap that Leads to Skipping Ahead for Vaccines According to administration officials with the California Health and Human Services Agency, part of the state’s plans to promote vaccine equity includes partnering with community organizations and understanding demographic data for appropriate vaccine access statewide.”

Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, said the state is working with trusted local organizations for outreach and education campaigns to engage underserved communities.

“We work hard to make sure we don’t have blind

spots and we’re paying attention to where we can make improvements,” Ghaly said.

Public health officials are also moving forward with plans to work closely with third-party administrators to provide vaccines in communities disproportionately affected by the coronavirus.

The state can achieve health equity by, “simply doing more for those who’ve been disproportionately impacted.

So, they are not overlooked and that is something that we are deeply committed to whether it’s on age or race, or sexual orientation, gender identity,” Ghaly said.

“Administration officials have also put metrics in place to help measure the impact of its outreach and education campaigns in California’s Black and Latino communities.

Equity efforts by the state include keeping a “keen eye on the data” and “making adjustments” to address the privilege gap in California’s health care system,” he said.

Affluent people receiving early vaccinations discloses the important equity issue, “we know that we have more work to do in some communities than others,” administration officials said.

State lawmakers have prioritized school staff in efforts to accelerate and support the legislative proposal to reopen schools, “as safely and quickly as possible,” Gov. Newsom said.

The state has launched online tools for accountability and transparency to counter the imbalance of vaccine distribution and also provided routine testing for more than 1,000 schools in California.

Although the legislature’s proposal is a step in the right direction, “it doesn’t go far enough or fast enough,” Gov. Newsom said.

“I look forward to building on the growing momentum to get our schools open and continuing discussions with the Legislature to get our kids back in school as safely and quickly as possible,” Gov. Newsom said.

Free!

Thursday, March 4, 2021

Hulu Sets Mike Tyson Miniseries, But the Boxer Punches Back

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Hulu announced it has ordered a limited series dramatizing the life of boxing great Mike Tyson, who quickly slammed the production as “cultural misappropriation.”

In a press release Thursday, Hulu said “Iron Mike” will explore “the wild, tragic and controversial life and career” of a polarizing athlete.

Tyson, who is not involved in the project, criticized Hulu on social media, saying the series smacked of insensitivity.

“Hulu’s announcement to do an unauthorized miniseries of the Tyson story without compensation, although unfortunate, isn’t surprising,” Tyson said in an Instagram post. “This announcement on the heels of social disparities in our country is a prime example of how Hulu’s corporate greed led to this tone-deaf cultural misappropriation of the Tyson life story.”

Hulu didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Tyson’s post further criticized the announcement’s timing _ during Black History Month _ and called on Hollywood to “be more sensitive to Black experiences, especially after all that has transpired in 2020.”

An “authorized” autobiographical project would be announced in the coming days, Tyson said.

The eight-episode “Iron Mike” is from the makers of “I, Tonya,” the 2017 movie that starred Margot Robbie as ice skater Tonya Harding.

LA County Hits Record Low Positive Tests

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Los Angeles County, which was among the hardest-hit by a deadly coronavirus surge, reported a record low number of new cases Monday as California’s overall figures continued to plummet.

The county of 10 million reported under 1,000 new daily cases _ back to numbers not seen since before the fall and winter surge _ and the daily rate of COVID-19 tests that were positive averaged about 3% over seven days compared to about 20% in early January.

“That’s actually the lowest its ever been since we’ve been offering testing in the community,’’ county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said.

While the number of new cases could be lower because of a lag in weekend reporting, Ferrer said overall the county is moving in a positive direction. She said people appeared to have heeded social distancing and other safety measures designed to reduce COVID-19 transmission.

Cases, hospitalizations and deaths continue to decline “and we have not seen any increases due to gatherings that may have happened during the Super Bowl or the Presidents Day weekend,” Ferrer said.

“These declines are real and we’re grateful for the choices made and the work done by everyone _ individuals and businesses – that is making this possible,’’ Ferrer said.

Another hopeful sign was that the number of COVID-19 cases among health care workers had plunged to the lowest level since the beginning of the pandemic last year. More than 1,800 cases were reported during the week of Nov. 29 compared to 69 for the week of Feb. 14.

Health care workers were among the first to receive COVID-19 vaccinations and the reduction is “one of the first visible signs of the power of the vaccine to decrease our cases,’’ Ferrer said.

The county, which has about a quarter of California’s population, has had some 1.2 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and nearly 21,500 deaths, or about 40% of all virus deaths in the state.

The county’s positivity rate was finally approaching that of California as a whole but the decline appeared to be general.

The state’s 7-day positivity rate as of Monday was down to 2.3%. Health officials couldn’t immediately says whether that was a record low. However, officials said California’s 14-day test positivity rate of 2.6% was close to the state’s recorded low in mid-October.

“Just remember, six weeks ago, we were announcing over 50,000 cases,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said. “So things are moving in the right direction, things seem to be stabilizing.”

With a vaccine rollout ramping up and COVID-19 cases dropping, state and local officials have come under increasing pressure to reopen businesses closed for nearly a year and for schools to reopen for in-classroom instruction.

Some counties – although not L.A. – have dropped out of the state’s highest tier of COVID-19 restrictions, allowing them to reopen businesses such as movie theaters, gyms and indoor restaurant dining. Seven more were expected to join the lower tiers on Tuesday, including San Francisco and Santa Clara.

Newsom and legislative leaders on Monday announced they had reached an agreement aimed at getting most children back in classrooms by the end of March. Under the deal, school districts could receive up to $2 billion if they reopen by March 31.

Phoenix Dismantles Offensive St. Signs PHOENIX (AP) – The city of Phoenix officially installed new signs for two streets whose names have long been considered offensive.

Mayor Kate Gallego watched Monday morning as workers erected a new sign for Piestewa Peak Drive, formerly Squaw Peak Drive.

“This is a huge milestone in becoming the city we strive to be and we will continue working hard to ensure every resident feels respected and safe,’’ Gallego said later on Twitter.

Historically, “Squaw’’ is a slur used to describe Native American women. Piestewa honors fallen Native American soldier Lori Piestewa, who was a member of the Hopi tribe and was killed during an ambush in Iraq in 2003.

Officials also unveiled signage for Desert Cactus Street, formerly Robert E. Lee Street.

Critics said having a street named for the Confederate general glorifies the pro-slavery Confederacy.

For years, critics have urged the street name changes.

But it wasn’t until last year’s rise of the Black Lives Matter movement and talk of racial reckoning that the issue gained momentum.

The Phoenix City Council approved both new names.

Some residents disagreed, arguing it would force them to change their addresses on personal documents and records.

A2

World & Nation LOS ANGELES NEWS OBSERVER

Thursday, March 4, 2021

Lowballing Black Californians News Observer Home Appraisals Los Angeles

Adjudicated a Newspaper of General Circulation on July 2, 1991, Los Angeles Superior Court Decree, Case No. BS007262, Government Code 6023.

Antonio Ray Harvey California Black Media Assemblymember Chris Holden has (D-Pasadena) introduced legislation, Assembly Bill (AB) 948, to address discrimination in the real estate appraisal process in California.

AB 948 proposes requiring the Bureau of California Real Estate Appraisals to gather demographic data on home sales and sellers of real estate property – and, most importantly, from homeowners from protected classes who file complaints about low appraisals.

“Black homeowners in predominantly White neighborhoods are getting their homes appraised for far less than their neighbors,” said Holden. “It’s just another example of how bias, whether explicit or implicit, creates inequity for Black Americans. This is redlining 2.0.”

According to Nationwide, the insurance and financial services company, during the process of buying or selling a house, a home appraisal is supposed to be “an independent, unbiased assessment” of how much a property is worth.

Administered by a licensed or certified professional, an appraisal is “based on equivalent sales in the neighborhood and market” as well as a visual assessment of the condition of the home, Nationwide stated.

Racial discrimination in housing has persisted for decades in California and across the country. There is a large body of evidence that has confirmed systemic bias in mortgage lending for decades now. There is also documentation of redlining, deliberate tactics governments and companies used to prevent potential Black homebuyers from securing home loans or purchasing property in majority White neighborhoods.

Home appraisals are just one of the ways real estate companies have discriminated against African Americans.

Racism has also been widespread in the home buying process for Blacks, too, according to numerous studies.

A UC Berkeley study showed that both traditional and online lenders overcharge Black and Brown borrowers for mortgage loans to the tune of $765 million a year compared to equally qualified White borrowers,” reports Greenlining, a public policy and research institute based in Oakland. “Researchers found that banking algorithms still give White borrowers better rates and loans than Black ones.”

If the California Legislature approves AB 948 and the governor signs it into law, the measure would require appraisers to take anti-bias training when renewing their licenses. The bill has been submitted to the Assembly Committee on Business and Professions for review.

Making his case, Holden cites the example of a Black couple in Marin City, just north of San Francisco. In the process of selling their home, an appraiser lowballed their home value by nearly $500,000 less than the amount quoted to a White couple for the same property. Similar incidents have been documented in other parts of California and throughout the Country.

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Holden’s legislation in California is aimed at combating just one front of a broader national issue that is pervasive.

Bryan Greene, vice president of policy advocacy at the National Association of Realtors, told the Philadelphia Inquirer in January that the ills of home appraisals will open up a window to other aspects of housing discrimination.

“As an industry we’re all concerned about the homeownership gap for Blacks, and we need to roll up our sleeves and figure out what those barriers are,” said Greene, who oversaw enforcement of the Fair Housing Act at the Department of Housing and Urban Development before joining the realty group. “As we dedicate more attention to that, it’s going to uncover issues throughout the entire industry that need our attention and that includes the appraisal industry.”

Fifty-three years after the Fair Housing Act of 1968 became law, Blacks still face racism in the housing and real estate markets. That federal legislation, signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, outlawed discrimination based on race, religion, sex or national origin in the sale, rental or financing of housing.

In California, the Fair Housing Act of 1963,

commonly called the Rumford Act, predated the federal anti-discrimination housing legislation that became national law a few years later. That first-in-the-nation fair housing law that protected the rights of Blacks and other minorities became a lightning rod for conservative groups and real estate organizations who vehemently pushed back against it. In November 1964, California voters repealed the law through Proposition 14, a ballot initiative. Then, two years later in 1966, the U.S. Supreme Court declared Proposition 14 illegal, restoring the Rumford Act in California.

Now, the housing industry is increasingly coming under a microscope again. More and more, Black homeowners are voicing complaints, and more data is being mined that corroborate allegations that African Americanowned properties are being appraised for less than those of their Non-Black neighbors.

“This bill reflects a starting point in a much-needed conversation about how discrimination is still prevalent in the home buying and selling process, and I am committed to addressing this inequity,” said Holden.

Savings Bank in New York, Citizens Savings Bank & Trust in Nashville, Commonwealth National Bank in Mobile, Ala., M&F Bank in Durham, N.C., and Optus Bank in Columbia, S.C., are receiving critical equity capital, because of Well Fargo’s generous contribution.

The financial commitment structure means that the investments are in the form of critical equity capital, which is foundational to the MDIs’ ability to expand lending and

Wells Fargo said it is also supporting each MDI’s development through a banking relationship in the form of a single touchpoint coverage model that will help them access Wells Fargo’s expertise and pursue strategic priorities like entering new markets, expanding locations, designing new products, and hiring staff to support loan growth.

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Wells Fargo’s Major Investment in Six Black-Owned Banks

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent Wells Fargo is observing Black History Month in a meaningful way.

The banking giant has selected six African American minority depository institutions (MDIs) for equity investments.

Broadway Federal Bank in Los Angeles, Carver Federal

Based in Los Angeles, Broadway Federal Bank is one of the several minority depository institutions that Wells Fargo is investing in.

deposit-taking capacity in their communities.

The investments, primarily non-voting positions, are designed to enable the banks to maintain their MDI status.

Wells Fargo said it is also supporting each MDI’s development through a banking relationship in the form of a single touchpoint coverage model that will help them access Wells Fargo’s expertise and pursue strategic priorities like entering new markets, expanding locations, designing new products, and hiring staff to support loan growth.

The investments are part of a March 2020 pledge by Wells Fargo to invest as much as $50 million in Blackowned banks.

“MDIs are a viable and very important sector of the banking industry that can directly support the financial health of communities where typically there are gaps in banking services,” said Gigi Dixon, head of External Engagement for Wells Fargo’s Diverse Segments, Representation & Inclusion group.

“By working together with MDIs, Wells Fargo can address some of the issues where these banks are located and help reach the unbanked. These investments will complement our community development efforts while positively impacting people in many communities we serve.”

Dixon continued: “We are trying to break the cycle where these institutions and their communities have faced barriers to raising significant capital,” Dixon said. “Ideally, this is going to promote the ability of MDIs to stimulate growth in low- to middle-income communities and be more profitable.”

The Wells Fargo commitment is in the form of equity

instead of deposits. For example, with $1 of new deposits, an MDI can make $1 of new loans, but with $1 of new equity, an MDI can make $10 of new loans.

Wells Fargo officials said its investment goes beyond cutting a check, but the goal is to have meaningful, lasting relationships with the banks.

“We’ve spent considerable time getting to know each MDI and understanding their unique needs,” Dixon noted.

Each MDI will have a dedicated relationship team as part of Corporate & Investment Banking.

Wells Fargo will provide day-to-day relationship coverage and a central point of connectivity for MDIs to access various resources.

Dixon asserted that the MDIs receiving the investment had requested non-financial resources in their business plans, and Wells Fargo will be aligning resources to those needs.

Some of the requests include technology solutions for digital transformation, leveraging Wells Fargo’s consumer footprint (ATM/branch access), loan origination partnerships), financial education, and mentorship.

“These investments are designed to help the banks become stronger and more impactful to the minority communities they serve, which leads to economic revitalization and job opportunities,” said Bill Daley, vice chairman of Public Affairs at Wells Fargo. “So many communities have suffered over the past year. MDIs need capital, but they can also benefit from access to other resources, and Wells Fargo is committed to building lasting, strategic relationships with these institutions in support of their goals.”

Miami Artist Unveils Mural Honoring Civil Rights Leader Benjamin F. Chavis Jr.

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent Nice the Artist, one of the most talented and unsung at his craft, unveiled a stunning mural of National Newspaper Publishers Association President and CEO, Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. The unveiling took place in Liberty City, a downtown section of Miami, on Saturday, Feb. 27.

The event, which featured an appearance by Dr. Chavis, city officials, and members of the Black Press, also was filmed by a professional crew who plan to release a video on the historic event.

“It’s always a pleasure to be in the company of history, and when history is enhanced for who you are, it’s more of a confirmation of what you are doing,” Westside Gazette Publisher Bobby Henry stated.

“It’s always an honor to be in the presence of Dr. Chavis, and the fact that he took time out of his busy schedule to come to Liberty City, the heart of the city, means a whole lot to all of us,” Henry continued.

The mural features the distinct likeness of Dr. Chavis, the civil rights icon and member of the famed political prisoners, the Wilmington 10.

Nice the Artist said the mural, which encompasses

one side of a large brick building, took about 2 weeks to complete. He has painted murals in the area for about a decade.

“To have Dr. Chavis come here to Liberty City and to honor him like this is a dream,” stated Broadway Harewood, a majority owner of commercial real estate in Liberty City, who has used the arts to reduce crime in the area.

The unveiling occurred in the Broadway Arts District at 6209 NW 18th Avenue. The Broadway Art District encompasses 18th Avenue, between 62nd and 71st street. “[An acquaintance] said to me that I’ve been doing murals for so many people who don’t appreciate it and those who really haven’t done anything for the community,” Harewood told NNPA Newswire.

“He asked me had I thought about Dr. Ben Chavis, and I was like, ‘wow, here’s a man who has done so much for so many,’” Harewood exclaimed.

Harewood noted that he had always found himself spellbound by the story of the Wilmington Ten, the Dr. Chavis-led civil rights activist group that served nearly a decade in prison in the 1970s on trumped-up and racially motivated charges of arson and conspiracy.

The Wilmington Ten were eventually released from

The unveiling took place in Liberty City, a downtown section of Miami, on Saturday, Feb. 27.

prison and exonerated.

In 2012, North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue pardoned the civil rights leaders, correcting a nearly five decades-old false conviction.

“Dr. Chavis was one of the Wilmington 10 and author of ‘Psalms from Prison,’ a book that was an inspiration for the film’ Blood Done Signed my Name,’” Harewood recalled.

The 2010 film starred Natalie Alyn Lind, Michael Rooker and Nate Parker.

“You are talking about someone who continues to fight for what’s right,” Harewood stated about Dr. Chavis.

Besides recognizing Dr. Chavis, organizers distributed 1,500 protective masks to the community during the mural unveiling.

The Broadway Art District kicked off Black History Month, 2021, with Commissioner Keon Hardemon’s mural unveiling and special recognition.

Harewood said the South Florida community continues to advocate for proper safety protocols and health guidelines about social distancing. With that, all who attended the unveiling had to adhere to guidelines.

“I could hardly wait for this one,” Harewood stated.

Thursday, March 4, 2021

Entertainment

LOS ANGELES NEWS OBSERVER A3

Los Angeles Firefighters Relied on Axe, and Luck to Free Woods from Crash

By STEFANIE DAZIO Associated Press ROLLING HILLS ESTATES, Calif. (AP) _ With short, sure strokes of a flathead axe, firefighter Cole Gomoll methodically chopped along the edge of the SUV's broken windshield as golf icon Tiger Woods _ tangled up in his seatbelt and covered in a sheet to avoid shards of glass _ waited in shock inside the mangled wreck.

When Gomoll had cut a long, continuous line to the end of the glass, he and another Los Angeles County firefighter peeled back the windshield. The 6-lb (2.7-kilogram), 36-inch-long (91-centimeter-long) axe went down, and the backboard was swapped in.

Within minutes, the ambulance had raced away, bound for the trauma center with its famous patient in the back.

It would be hours before the news broke around the world but for Gomoll and the other nine members of Fire Station 106 in Rolling Hills Estates, California, Tuesday's call – initially reported as a traffic collision with a person trapped – lasted just 12 minutes.

“He's just another patient,” Gomoll told The Associated Press on Friday at Fire Station 106.

The 106's firefighters, from Gomoll up to Battalion Chief Dean Douty, stressed that anyone in Woods' dire situation would have received the same care from them.

“I didn't know who was inside the car,” Capt. Joe Pena said, until a sheriff's deputy told him.

And anyone else would get the same privacy, too – the firefighters declined to recount the athlete's conversations and condition at the scene to preserve patient confidentiality.

“His identity really didn't matter in what we do,” Capt. Jeane Barrett said.

Even so, those minutes marked a milestone in Gomoll's career: It was the first time the 23-year-old Marine Corps veteran had performed an extrication like that in the field.

Gomoll joined the fire station, located about a mile (1.6 kilometers) away from the crash site, in August as a probationary firefighter. Just three weeks ago, he'd

practiced similar moves with one of his superiors, Barrett.

“We've trained for stuff like this,” Gomoll said.

Woods was transferred from Harbor-UCLA Medical Center on Thursday to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for “continuing orthopedic care and recovery,” hospital officials said. He had shattered the tibia and fibula bones of his lower right leg in multiple locations. Those injuries were stabilized with a rod in the tibia during a long surgery.

Additional injuries to the bones in the foot and ankle

required screws and pins.

Woods had been driving a 2021 Genesis SUV on a downhill stretch of road known for wrecks when he struck a raised median in a coastal Los Angeles suburb, crossed into oncoming lanes and flipped several times.

The crash was the latest setback for Woods, who has won 15 major championships and a record-tying 82 victories on the PGA Tour. He is among the world's most recognizable sports figures, and at 45, even with a reduced

schedule from nine previous surgeries, remains golf's biggest draw.

He was in Los Angeles last weekend as the tournament host of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club.

Monday and Tuesday had been set aside for him to give golf tips to celebrities on Discovery-owned GOLFTV. The Los Angeles County sheriff has called the crash “purely an accident” and says drugs and alcohol did not appear to be a factor.

Everyone says Woods is lucky to be alive _ and “if nothing else, it's a good PSA for wearing a seatbelt,” Barrett added.

The first responders did, however, correct previous reports that said they'd used the Jaws of Life and a pry bar called a halligan tool to free the celebrity.

Barrett, a 25-year fire service veteran, and her fellow firefighters know the dangers of the eponymous rolling hills in the area and have cut many drivers out of their twisted cars.

They initially had three plans for Woods' SUV: First, try the axe on the windshield. If that didn't work, see if going through the sunroof was a possibility. A third option would be to cut the entire roof off.

The firefighters and paramedics spoke to Woods _ who introduced himself as “Tiger” _ throughout, reassuring him through a hole in the windshield that he'd soon be free.

“You can tell he was in pain,” firefighter Sally Ortega said, but he was still responding to their questions and clearly anxious to get out.

“Luckily, our first plan was the one that worked,” Barrett said.

As the ambulance pulled away, Barrett surveyed the SUV to see what lessons her crew might be able to apply to save a future driver.

“No car is ever crumpled in the same way,” she said.

The firefighters later debriefed together around their station's kitchen table, then ate salads for lunch in a nearby park _ savoring the last of the quiet as the news finally made its way around the world.

78TH Annual Golden Globe Awards

Chadwick Boseman Wins Posthumous Award

By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer NEW YORK (AP) – With homebound nominees appearing by remote video and hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler on different sides of the country, a very socially distanced 78th Golden Globe Awards trudged on in the midst of the pandemic and amid a storm of criticism,

with a bounty of awards for streaming services, pleas for inclusivity, and a posthumous award for Chadwick Boseman.

Netflix, which came in with a commanding 42 nominations, won the top TV awards. “The Crown,” as expected, took best drama series, along with acting wins for Josh O'Connor (Prince Charles), Emma Corrin (Princess

Globes Org Says It Will Recruit Black Members after Outcry

LOS ANGELES (AP) – The organization hosting the Golden Globes says it is developing a plan to recruit Black members after falling under sharp criticism for lacking diverse members.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association said in statement Friday that an “action plan” is under development to admit Black members. The group currently has 87 members who are journalists, but none are Black.

Former HFPA president Meher Tatna told Variety in an interview that the organization hasn't had a Black member in nearly two decades. The Mumbai-born board chair said she couldn't recall when there had been a Black member, but she says the organization will keep trying.

Some including Time's Up and presenter Sterling K. Brown are among those who have criticized the HFPA's lack of inclusion and diversity. The criticism comes just days before the Globes air live on Sunday.

An HFPA spokesperson said it welcomes the opportunity to meet with groups such as Time's Up and prospective Black members who are interested in joining the organization.

“We are fully committed to ensuring our membership is reflective of the communities around the world who love film, TV and the artists inspiring and educating them,” the HFPA statement read. “We understand that we need to bring in Black members, as well as members from other

underrepresented backgrounds, and we will immediately work to implement an action plan to achieve these goals as soon as possible.”

Time's Up took aim at the HFPA in a tweet saying “a cosmetic fix isn't enough.” The activist organization also included the hashtag (hash)TimesUpGlobes.

Brown, an award presenter, posted the Time's Up photo on social media with his own criticism.

“For any governing body of a current Hollywood award show to have such a lack of voting representation illustrates a level of irresponsibility that should not be ignored,” he said.

Brown said the HFPA must do better. He said the organization has a responsibility to show its “constituency is fully reflective of the world in which we live.”

“And having a multitude of Black presenters does not absolve you of your lack of diversity,” he continued. “This is your moment to do the right thing. It is my hope that you will.”

The HFPA said it welcomes journalists from all ethnic and cultural backgrounds based in Southern California that cover entertainment for foreign media. The organization says membership is majority female and more than 35% percent of its members are from non-European countries across the world.

Diana) and Gillian Anderson (Margaret Thatcher). The streaming service's “Queen's Gambit” won best limited series, and best actress in the category for Anya TaylorJoy. “Schitt's Creek,” the Pop TV series that found a wider audience on Netflix, won best comedy series for its final season. Catherine O'Hara also took best actress in a comedy series.

Chadwick Boseman, as expected, posthumously won best actor in a drama film for his final performance, in the August Wilson adaptation “Ma Rainey's Black Bottom” _ a Netflix release. Boseman's wife, Taylor Simone Ledward, accepted the award.

“He would thank God. He would thank his parents.

He would thank his ancestors for their guidance and their sacrifices,” said Ledward. “He would say something beautiful, something inspiring.”

Chloe Zhao, the China-born filmmaker of “Nomadland,” became the first woman of Asian descent to win best director. She's the first woman to win the award since Barbra Streisand won for “Yentl” in 1984.

They were among many of the evening's awards to go to streaming services, which _ facing scant traditional studio competition _ dominated the Globes like never before. Apple TV+ scored its first major award when a sweatshirt-clad Jason Sudeikis won best actor in a comedy series for the streamer's “Ted Lasso.”

Fey took the stage at New York's Rainbow Room while Poehler remained at the Globes' usual home at the Beverly Hilton. In their opening remarks, they managed their typically well-timed back-and-forth despite being almost 3,000 miles from each other.

“I always knew my career would end with me wandering around the Rainbow Room pretending to talk to Amy,” said Fey. “I just thought it would be later.”

They appeared before masked attendees but no stars.

Instead, the sparse tables _ where Hollywood royalty are usually crammed together and plied with alcohol during the show _ were occupied by “smoking-hot first responders and essential workers,” as Fey said.

In a production nightmare but one that's become familiar during the pandemic, the night's first winner accepted his award while muted. Only after presenter Laura Dern apologized for the technical difficulties did Daniel Kaluuya, who won best supporting actor for his performance as Black Panther leader Fred Hampton in “Judas and the Black Messiah,” get his speech in. When he finally came through, he waged his finger at the camera and said, “You're doing me dirty!”

Pandemic improvising was only part of the damage control for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which puts on the Globes. After The Los Angeles Times revealed that there are no Black members in the 87-person voting

body of the HFPA, the press association _ which Ricky Gervais last year called “very, very racist” in his opening monologue _ came under mounting pressure to overhaul itself and better reflect the industry it holds sway in.

This year, none of the most acclaimed Black-led films _ “Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,” “One Night in Miami,” “Judas and the Black Messiah,” “Da 5 Bloods” _ were nominated for the Globes' best picture award. With the HFPA potentially fighting for its Hollywood life, Sunday's Globes were part apology tour. Fey and Poehler started in quickly on the issue.

“Look, a lot of flashy garbage got nominated but that happens,” said Poehler. “That's like their thing. But a number of Black actors and Black-led projects were overlooked.”

Within the first half hour of the NBC telecast, members of the press association also appeared on stage to pledge change. “We recognize we have our own work to do,” said vice president Helen Hoehne. “We must have Black journalists in our organization.”

When attendees would normally be streaming down the red carpet on Sunday evening, many stars were instead posing virtually. Regina King, resplendent in a dazzling dress, stood before her yawning dog. Carey Mulligan, nominated for “Promising Young Woman,” said from a London hotel room that she was wearing heels for the first time in more than a year.

The circumstances led to some award-show anomalies.

Mark Ruffalo, appearing remotely, won best actor in a limited series for “I Know This Much Is True” with his kids celebrating behind him and his wife, Sunrise Coigney, sitting alongside.

Lee Isaac Chung, writer-director of the tender KoreanAmerican family drama “Minari” (a movie the HFPA was criticized for ruling ineligible for its top award because of its non-English dialogue), accepted the award for best foreign language film while his young daughter embraced him. “She's the reason I made this film,” said Chung. “'Minari' is about a family. It's a family trying to learn a language of its own. It goes deeper than any American language and any foreign language. It's a language of the heart,” said Chung. “I'm trying to learn it myself and to pass it on.”

John Boyega, supporting actor winner for his performance in Steve McQueen's “Small Axe” anthology, raised his leg to show he was wearing track pants below his more elegant white jacket. Jodie Foster (“The Mauritanian”) won one of the biggest surprise Globes, for best supporting actress in a film, while, sitting on the couch next her wife, Alexandra Hedison, and with her dog, Ziggy on her lap.

Bob Odenkirk, while appearing on five screens with fellow TV actor nominees before an ad break, took the moment to meet a legend, virtually. “Mr. Pacino, very good to meet you ... on the screen,” he said.

Some speeches were pre-taped. The previously recorded speeches by Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for the wining “Soul” score went without hiccup even though presenter Tracy Morgan first announced “Sal” as the winner.

Even if speeches sometimes lacked drama without Hollywood gathered in one place, representation was a common refrain. Pointedly referring to the diversity of the HFPA, presenter and previous winner Sterling K. Brown began, “Thank you. It is great to be Black at the Golden Globes,” he said. “Back.”

Jane Fonda, the Cecil B. DeMille Award honoree, spoke passionately about expanding the big tent of entertainment for all. “Art has always been not just in step in history but has lead the way,” said Fonda. “So let's be leaders.”

Other awards included Pixar's “Soul” for best animated film; Rosumund Pike took best actress in a comedy or musical film for “I Care a Lot”; and Aaron Sorkin (“Trial of the Chicago 7”) for best screenplay. The film, a favorite to win best drama film at the Globes, was sold to Netflix

by Paramount Pictures last summer due to the pandemic.

“Netflix saved our lives,” said Sorkin.

As showtime neared, the backlash over the HFPA threatened to overwhelm the Globes. Yet the Globes have persisted because of their popularity (the show ranks as the third most-watched award show, after the Oscars and Grammys), their profitability (NBC paid $60 million for broadcast rights in 2018) and because they serve as important marketing material for contending films and Oscar hopefuls. That may be especially true this year when the pandemic has upset the normal rhythms of buzz in a virtual awards season lacking the usual frenzy.

The Globes took place on the original date of the Academy Awards. Those will instead be held April 25.

A4

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Thursday, March 4, 2021

29th Annual Pan African Film and Arts Festival Evolution Continued from page A1

mate environment. There is limited occupancy due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

I was greeted by Khalifa Bey, Assistant Manager of Aziz Gallery. Ms. Bey pointed out the various artists and designers who were featured at Aziz Gallery.

An incredible display of Art, Fashion and Jewelry can be seen throughout the gallery. Aziz Diagne featured paintings, African attire, T-shirts. Jeffrey Stephenson also has an amazing display of artwork at the gallery and Smiles from Africa-African Artifacts.

The Baltimore Bag Company included men’s and women’s sandals, purses. The booth Afro Centric, by Brenda Snowden, consist of masks, headwraps, calendars, journals, and stylist bonnets.

Diane Harris Banks is the owner of Designs by DHB, One of a Kind Jewelry Creations reasonably priced for both men and women. As you spent more time at home during the pandemic, you have probably come across some memorable family photos. Designs by Ardena, Photo Restoration Art can restore damage photos and create acrylic, Collage art, Photographic Fine Art, and Graphic Designs.

Yendi Collections featured a wonderful display of functional and sculpture art. The Body Butter Lady featured several products- oils, soaps, Shea butter, Body scrubs, and shampoo to name a few.

Wilbourn Sisters Designs- Designs to Soothe the Soul for all occasions, fabulous fashions when you are ready step out in style. The booth consists of jewelry, matching headwraps and masks, dresses, purses etc.

A friendly reminder, the 29th Annual Pan African Film Festival Evolution! will screen movies virtually. The film festival is scheduled from February 28-March 14, 2021.

The 29th Annual Pan African Film Festival Evolution! got underway, Sunday, February 28th, with the

Smiles From Africa (Photo By Ricky Richardson)

Opening Night Gala screening of ‘The Water Man’ directed by David Oyelowo. ‘The Water Man’ is a fantasy adventure film about a young boy named Gunner who sets out to save his ill mother by searching for a mystic figure who knows the secret to immortality. The screenings were followed by a Q&A session with the filmmaker and actors.

The film’s stellar ensemble cast includes David Oyelowo, Rosario Dawson, Lonnie Chavis, Amiah Miller, Alfred Molina and Maria Bello.

Tickets and more information (film guide and schedule) are available at www.paff.org or by calling (310)3374737.

I am sure that you have a variety of options when it comes to lunch or dinner. You can enhance and enjoy your movie going experience in the comfort of your home by ordering takeout from the many wonderful restaurants in your neighborhood. You cannot go wrong with the pairing of a good movie(s), with a serving of mouthwatering foods.

These restaurants served up delicious cuisines from the African diaspora.

This is a few suggestions that are located within walking distance from Aziz Gallery. Ackee Bamboo Jamaican Cuisine serves up Caribbean dishes such as jerk chicken, oxtail, curry shrimp, and Jamaican patties. 4305 Degnan Blvd. Los Angeles, CA. 90008 (323)295-7275 Azla is a popular Ethiopian eatery in Leimert Park Village. 4309 Leimert Blvd. Los Angeles, CA. 90009 (323)596-3028 Hot and Cool Café proudly serves innovative and healthy vegan food, such as chicken curry bowl, vegan mac and cheese. Their coffee blends come from Ethiopia. 4331 Degnan Blvd. Los Angeles, CA. 90008 (323)903-6449 Harun Coffee serves great coffee and a variety of healthy food. 4336 Degnan Blvd. Los Angeles, CA. 90008 (323

Voter Suppression a Lasting Legacy of the Transatlantic Slave Trade

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Correspondent “Presidential elections and the voter experience have long been fraught for black people. From racist poll taxes to made-up literacy tests to the egregious rollback of voting rights over the past 50 years, American democracy has, at times, felt like a weird and failed social experiment.” — Patrisse Cullors “Every American citizen must have an equal right to vote.

There is no reason which can excuse the denial of that right. There is no duty which weighs more heavily on us than the duty we have to ensure that right. … It is wrong—deadly wrong—to deny any of your fellow Americans the right to vote in this country.

There is no issue of states’ rights or national rights. There is only the struggle for human rights.” — President Lyndon B. Johnson, from ‘The Voting Rights Act Address’ New U.S. Census data projects that in in 2045 the United States will be “minority white,” and with several factors considered, The Progressive succinctly noted the implications: In thirty years, more potential voters will be non-white.

Donald Trump continues to prime audiences with his racial fear-mongering and rhetoric of white nationalism and, nationwide, Republicans have gone out of their way to prevent non-white people from voting, as also noted in The Progressive.

According to the Pew Research Center fewer than 3 percent of black people are registered as Republican and fewer than 15 percent of Latinos register Republican.

Voter suppression, it’s totally clear, is about racial politics more than party politics.

It’s also clear that voter suppression is one of the many lingering and lasting effects of the 500-year-old Transatlantic Slave Trade.

“The whole idea of the slave trade was the disenfranchisement of our human rights,” the Rev. Al Sharpton said in an interview with NNPA Newswire at the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s recent Rainbow Push Coalition Wall Street Project.

“Voter suppression is the disenfranchisement of our human and civil rights and that’s why our struggle must have continuity because we’re still fighting for justice and equality,” Sharpton said.

Jackson agreed.

“Clearly, disenfranchisement has been the theme from the time they brought our people over here on slave ships from Africa,” Jackson said.

“What you see with voter suppression and disenfranchisement is a product of the slave trade for sure,” he said.

During the 2018 midterm elections, voter participation was more than 10 percentage points higher than it was in the 2014 midterm elections, demonstrating Americans’ demand for change and increased enthusiasm for exercising their civic duty to vote.

That said, nearly 120 million eligible Americans did not participate in the November elections, according to a report from the Center for American Progress.

The report noted that widespread voter suppression – particularly against historically marginalized groups – is a reoccurring problem in the United States.

Each election cycle, untold numbers of eligible Americans are prevented from voting due to barriers in the voter registration process, restrictions on casting ballots, and discriminatory and partisan-rigged district maps.

The report described some of the voter suppression measures and other Election Day problems that potentially kept millions of eligible Americans from participating in the 2018 midterm elections.

Those included: • Voter registration problems • Voter purges • Strict voter ID and ballot requirements

(Photo: iStockphoto / NNPA)

• Voter confusion • Voter intimidation and harassment • Poll closures and long lines • Malfunctioning voting equipment • Disenfranchisement of justice-involved individuals • Gerrymandering Many, like Sharpton and Jackson, said the actions of voter suppression and disenfranchisement are remnants of the transatlantic slave trade.

“Africans came here with nothing and with no rights to anything, not even their children. They had to learn an entirely new language,” said Janice Robinson-Celeste, a former nanny, early childhood specialist and one-time daycare owner who publishes SuccessfulBlackParenting.com.

“Today, too many red states have manipulated the system by redistricting voting areas, suppressing votes, using malfunctioning machines which create long lines and deter people, to requiring identification to vote,” Robinson-Celeste said.

“We owe it to our ancestors — from slavery to the Civil Rights era — to vote in every election. The GOP wants to strip our rights away which is reminiscent of what the slave traders did when our people were kidnapped from Africa and at the least to the pre-civil rights movement. We have to fight for our rights, or we will gradually lose them in a slow boil,” she said.

Finally, Robinson-Celeste added: “It doesn’t matter what candidate you like or don’t like at this point. It matters which will do the best for your children, for you and your family. That’s the one you vote for. The idea is to keep the worst one out of office.”

“From the birthing pains of American Democracy came the racist deformity that remains a part of us today,” said Maxim Thorne, an attorney and managing director of The Andrew Goodman Foundation, which supports youth leadership development, voting accessibility, and social justice initiatives on campuses across the country with mini-grants to select institutions of higher learning and other financial assistance to students.

“This is despite centuries of legal and legislative efforts to repair that core infection of the three-fifths clause that is embedded in the U.S. Constitution,” Thorne said.

In Federalist No. 54, James Madison wrote about the chief concern of the representation of slaves concerning taxation and representation, Thorne said.

“This federalist paper states that slaves are property as well as people, therefore requiring some, but not full, representation.

Ultimately a decision was made to count every three out of five slaves through the creation of the Three-Fifths Compromise,” he said.

What’s more, white people, the economic and cultural beneficiaries of the plantocracy, have for centuries tried to maintain that same power structure, Thorne said.

“For many, especially in the American South, this notion has become a sought-after norm. Embedded deep in our racist culture, white citizens continue to undermine the African-American vote and that of other marginalized racial groups today,” he said.

All of that could be seen in the 2018 Midterm Election through the rebirth and escalation of voter suppression tactics throughout the country, Thorne further contends.

He said since 2013 when the United States Supreme Court struck down key provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, many attempts have been made to recreate Jim Crow-era policies meant to disenfranchise minority voters.

“That’s why we see a resurgence of voter ID laws, purging of voter rolls, as well as threats and intimidation,” Thorne said.

“This paradigm was never more glaring than in the 2018 Georgia Gubernatorial Race. Stacey Abrams, the first Black woman to be nominated for governor in the United States, had

been surfacing as a viable candidate for the position since 2013,” he said.

Thorne continued: “Like Obama, she electrified the African-American and progressive communities. It became clear however that the voting structure was rigged against her.

“The Georgia Secretary of State, Briana Kemp, who oversaw voting in the state, refused to step down from his position while running as her opponent.

“Mr. Kemp attempted to close polling stations in majority Black precincts. Malfunctioning voting machines in largely Black counties affected voting. Voters complained to the Georgia NAACP that the voting machines registered a vote for Kemp even when they selected Abrams.

“Fifty-three thousand voter registration applications were never processed, from predominantly Black districts, greater than the margin by which Stacey Abrams lost the election. Ultimately, Abrams conceded in a race that was sullied by suppression.”

Those nefarious and racist voter suppression activities fulfill the spirit of the three-fifths clause, Thorne said.

“The nation appears to have moved on from the Georgia election with many of the structural problems remaining intact and I expect there will be loud rumblings of unfairness in 2020 again but vested interests are only thinking in partisan patterns, not about real inclusive democracy,” he said.

“This unquestioned acceptance of the denial of AfricanAmerican voting rights is the current festering of the racist seed of our founding.”

Pushing Law to End “Slavery” in California’s Prisons Continued from page A1

passed in Colorado, Nebraska and Utah.

“As it currently reads, the Constitution of California prohibits slavery and involuntary servitude ‘except to punish crime,’” she said. “The California Abolition Act would remove such conditional language, abolishing slavery and involuntary servitude without exception.”

Brown’s wife Jamilia Land, who lives in Sacramento, is a member of the Abolish Slavery National Network (ASNN), an organization committed to ending all forms of slavery in the United States. She is also the co-founder of A.S.A.P, an organization that advocates for the mental health and well-being of children impacted by police or community violence.

With Land’s input, Brown drafted the original language that appears in Kamlager-Dove’s bill. Along with other Sacramento community activists, the couple has worked closely with the Assemblymember’s office and others in the state legislature to lobby for the bill.

“We are very excited. My husband and I are strong supporters of ACA 3. Our organization and ASNN now have 30 states on board,” Land says. “Senator Jeff Merkely of Oregon is working on this legislation on a federal level, and we are building a coalition here in California while working with a national steering committee.”

Kamlager-Dove, who calls involuntary servitude “modern-day slavery,” has written to her legislative colleagues asking them to support the bill by becoming co-authors.

“The U.S. House of Representatives passed the 13th Amendment in 1865, codifying what is commonly considered the outlawing of slavery and involuntary servitude nationwide,” Kamlager-Dove wrote in the letter.

“California was the second state -- behind Oregon -- to ratify the amendment. However, conditional language remains in both the federal constitution and that of our state’s.”

In California, there are an estimated 115,000 people incarcerated, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. Based on the demographics of the state prisons and county jails, Blacks are 10 times more likely to be imprisoned than whites. Black men alone account for 28.5 % of the prison population although they make up under 6 % of all adult Californians.

Kamlager-Dove said neither the California Constitution nor the state courts require physical labor as a condition of imprisonment. But she points out that most incarcerated prisoners end up working in jobs that can pay them as little as 8 cents an hour.

Sometimes in California, prisoners are given an option to volunteer to work. For example, CalFire hires inmates who are serving time in minimum security prisons through its Conservation (Fire) Camps program and pays them $2 a day when they are on duty and $1 a day when they are not. The program saves the state between $90 million and $100 million annually, according to Bill Sessa, a spokesperson for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Brown says many of the businesses that have profited from the prison industrial complex are the same ones now investing in rehabilitative programs.

“The prison industrial complex is not one corporation or one group of people. We have to attack the beast and deconstruct it from many angles,” said Brown.

On March 5, Land says ACA 3 co-sponsors are organizing a rally in Sacramento at a location to be decided.

“We have to educate the public,” says Land. “Instead of tearing down statues, we need to be tearing down statutes.”

Thursday, March 4, 2021

Features

LOS ANGELES NEWS OBSERVER A5

Barbershop 2.0: The App That’s Putting Black Health in the Palm of Our Hands Charlene Muhammad California Black Media Dr. Bill J. Releford, a Los Angeles County-based physician and founder of the Releford Foot and Ankle Institute in Inglewood, is putting Black health care in their own hands.

Last week, he launched a high-tech digital tool that he hopes will save lives during the COVID-19 pandemic -- and beyond.

He also hopes it will turn around the troubling disparities that exist when it comes to the health of Black Americans.

The “Barbershop 2.0,” Releford’s new app, allows users to access Black physicians from anywhere in the world. Dr. Releford says he is building on another project he launched in 2009, the Black Barbershop Health Outreach Program. With that initiative, he worked to screen 500,000 Black men for diabetes and high blood pressure in over 100 barbershops.

Releford says during the development process, he has had to keep some of the features of his software program under wraps before it officially launched last week. In a one-on-one conversation with California Black Media contributor Charlene Muhammad, Releford talked about the benefits of the app -- not just for Black men, but for their families and communities, too.

CBM: Congratulations on your creation, Dr. Releford. It appears uniquely positioned to have an immediate effect on Black men’s health. Barbershop 2.0. Tell us what’s it all about?

BR: With my first health initiative for Black men, we were going to Black-owned barber shops across the country, screening men for diabetes and high blood pressure, with nurses and volunteers. Now, we have Covid-19. It has been bittersweet. We know the bitter part very well, but some of the things that have come out of it have been beneficial. The sweet part would be the fact that it’s forced people to leverage a lot of technology that has always been there but has never been optimized. Number two, we are launching the Black Barbershop Physician Network, where

you can see a Black physician, on your phone in the comfort of your home.

Health disparities have a number of driving factors. One of the most prominent driving factors, other than the racism, of course, is that studies have shown that African Americans prefer to get care from Black doctors, and studies also have confirmed that outcomes are better when patients are treated by Black physicians, particularly Black men. Study results that that were particularly granular in their data showed that White doctors tend to make less eye contact with Black patients as compared to their White patients. White doctors also touch their Black patients less than their White ones. One thing that I have been hearing over the decades in practice, is a Black patient

will come to me and say, ‘Wow! We’re so glad to see you, because they act like they didn’t want to touch me at such-and-such office.

I hear it all the time, not knowing that there was some scientific confirmation of the things that people were just saying to me organically.

How does the app work?

You’ll be able to see a Black physician on your phone, in the comfort of your home, using telemedicine. We also have a remote vitals component, where I can check your respiration, your heart rate, and your oxygen saturation from your phone, just by downloading the app. We can check your vitals anywhere, around the world -- whoever downloads this.

Is this just for Black men?

It’s not just for Black men, but the focus, our main brand has been, of course, dealing with health disparities, focusing on African American men. It’s available to anyone who wants to use the application, but a lot of our messaging is related to African American men.

When is your launch?

The app was fully operable on December 19, however, I needed to give my myself a little time to get the kinks out. It launched last week on all major digital app stores.

The urgency is now. It’s a health risk just being Black in America. We do live in the most technologically advanced country in the world. However, African Americans usually are not beneficiaries of that technology until maybe it’s antiquated or never at all. So, we know the bittersweet part, but the sweet part of this is I’m hoping we can start having some genuine conversations about our health.

How did you come up with this idea, and what was the draw for Black physicians?

Number one, they’re passionate about our people, and this is a program where money is not the driving force. Love has to be the driving force first. People first, then money, then things.

I discourage people to join our network if their first question is, “well how do I get paid?” That’s not going to be for them.

Although there’s money to be made, I don’t want that to be your primary objective. Before you ask for money, tell me how you can serve, first. How can you add value, first. Or add value, then ask.

So, there is a spiritual component so to speak?

It’s got to be! It’s got to be. So, this is a program that’s not for everybody. An old man told me, “Men count numbers, but God makes numbers count.” I’m passionate about this. Not just me, but for me to serve.

Life Expectancy of Black Men Has Dropped by Three Years COVID-19 School Closures Are Costing Black Parents Dr. Margaret Fortune President/CEO of Fortune School While politicians in Sacramento debate how to reopen schools, there is one thing they should keep in mind: our public policy ought to acknowledge the vital role parents are playing to educate their own children during this pandemic. While we have rightly secured the jobs of public school employees, we need to be clear, parents are doing some real heavy lifting — and at a price.

In a soon-to-be-released poll of California’s Black registered voters, 71 percent of respondents who are parents said they or someone they know has spent out-of-pocket to cover educational expenses due to COVID-19 school closures.

Parents have hired teachers and tutors, bought desks and paid for childcare or given up jobs to stay home with their children. Some are paying tuition for their children to attend private school because their neighborhood public school is closed.

In California, the decision to reopen schools has been left to local school systems, putting the pressure on school boards, superintendents, and charter school leaders. What has resulted is a hodge-podge response – dictated in part by local public health mandates, in part by public pressure and increasingly by politics as President Biden overlaid his goal to reopen schools within his first 100 days in office on the landscape.

There are public schools that have been opened for much of the school year in areas of the state where the coronavirus is less prevalent and others that have remained closed where the virus continues to be widespread.

As of the writing of this piece, Governor Gavin Newsom and leading Democrats in the Legislature have dueling reopening plans. Governor Newsom offered $2 billion to public schools to reopen in February which proved too quick a pivot. The Legislature’s plan calls for schools to reopen by April 15th consistent with President Biden’s timeline to reopen schools within his first one hundred days. But one wonders if it makes sense to reopen schools in mid-April only to have them close again for the summer in May in some instances.

As the debate drags on, one thing remains constant. Parents across California are footing the bill for the hidden costs of distance learning and shuttered schools. I believe it would be reasonable for California to pay parents for the education expenses they are incurring because of COVID-19 school closures.

There are different vehicles to accomplish this at a state level, including tax credit scholarships which put less pressure on the state budget. A tax credit scholarship allows individuals or corporations to make a tax free contribution towards education scholarships for families in need. A nonprofit organization chosen by the state would distribute the scholarships to eligible families for allowable education expenses.

Schools have never successfully done the job of educating children alone. We’ve always relied on parents as our partners. The pandemic throws into sharp relief the indispensable role parents play in their child’s education. California lawmakers should make provisions for parents to receive economic relief in light of the real costs they are shouldering during COVID-19 school closures. affiliate of Rev. Al Sharpton’s national civil rights organization.

Blacks on average live six years less in life expectancy than whites.

Non-Hispanic Black males now have the lowest life expectancy of any group.

Overall, African Americans are hospitalized at three times the rate of white Americans. African Americans die at double the rate from COVID than all other groups according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Photo: iStockphoto / NNPA)

By Lauren Victoria Burke NNPA Newswire Correspondent Black Americans have lost three years in life expectancy over the last two years according to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The decline is the largest since World War II. The life expectancy gap by race is now the widest since 1998 and at a 15-year low overall.

Non-Hispanic Black males now have the lowest life expectancy of any group. The new data shows that African Americans on average live six years less in life expectancy than Whites. The Covid-19 pandemic hit Black and Americans harder than any other group of Americans.

Underlying health issues and lack of health care were a factor.

Overall, African Americans are hospitalized at three times the rate of white Americans. African Americans die at double the rate from COVID than all other groups according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The impact of COVID-19, which is the cause of 500,000 deaths in less than two years, is a leading cause, not just on deaths directly due to infection but also from heart disease, cancer and other conditions. The definition of “life expectancy” is calculated by how long someone

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born today is expected to live. The average life expectancy last year was 77.8.

Though Covid-19 was clearly the driver of the depressing new statistics on life expectancy, drug overdoses and other health factors also factored into the data.

President Biden and Democrats in Congress are currently structuring a multi-billion COVID relief package. Former President Trump largely ignored the coronavirus crisis as mortality numbers mounted.

After Trump’s loss to Biden, departments of the federal government are focused on the COVID pandemic.

Features

A6

LOS ANGELES NEWS OBSERVER

Thursday, March 4, 2021

The ‘Roots’ of Slavery and Its Lasting Effects This is Part 6 in a Series on Slavery in America The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) has launched a global news feature series on the history, contemporary realities and implications of the transatlantic slave trade.

Still, those names come with a price because many agree that hate is as American as Apple Pie and baseball. And, victims of such hate not only include the once enslaved African American, but America is a country where it once was illegal for all women to vote.

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Correspondent Kunta Kinte: What’s snow, Fiddler?

Fiddler: Never you mind, boy, never you mind. Let’s get on back to home. I got enough trouble teaching you the difference between manure and massa. ‘Course there ain’t all that much difference when you gets right down to it.

“The first time he had taken the massa to one of these “high-falutin’ to-dos,” as Bell called them, Kunta had been all but overwhelmed by conflicting emotions: awe, indignation, envy, contempt, fascination, revulsion—but most of all a deep loneliness and melancholy from which it took him almost a week to recover. He couldn’t believe that such incredible wealth actually existed, that people really lived that way. It took him a long time, and a great many more parties, to realize that they didn’t live that way, that it was all strangely unreal, a kind of beautiful dream the white folks were having, a lie they were telling themselves: that goodness can come from badness, that it’s possible to be civilized with one another without treating as human beings those whose blood, sweat, and mother’s milk made possible the life of privilege they led.” ― Alex Haley, “Roots: The Saga of an American Family.”

“I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character…” — Martin

Slave quarters at the McLeod Plantation, which has been turned into a museum on the outskirts of Charleston, S.C./ Photo by Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission

Luther King, Jr. The year was 1976 and America was still feeling the aftershocks of the Civil Rights Movement, the murder, some eight years earlier, of Martin Luther King Jr., and the end of the Vietnam War. King’s death along with the murders of President John F. Kennedy and his brother, Sen. Robert Kennedy – both of whom were proponents of civil rights and equal opportunity for African Americans and other minorities – were reminders to many that America still had not come close to achieving the slain leader’s “Dream.”

What’s more, in 1976, author Alex Haley released his family’s autobiography, “Roots.”

It would not only go onto become a best-selling book, but a much-watched and talked about ABC Television mini-series that re-awakened everyone to the darkness, horrors and inhumanity of the transatlantic slave trade.

“Alex Haley tapped into something very special, the idea that black Americans have been, are, and will always be compelled to understand their history,” said Dr. Kellie Jackson, an assistant professor of Africana Studies at Wellesley University.

Jackson’s research focuses on slavery, abolitionists, violence as a political discourse, historical film, and black women’s history.

That “Roots” spawned an era where African Americans would give their newborn children African-themed names was no surprise and counts as an important moment in self-recognition, said Jackson, whose new book, “Force & Freedom: Black Abolitionists and the Politics of Violence,” examines the conditions that led some black abolitionists to believe slavery might only be abolished by violent force.

“For many African Americans giving their children names with meaning is incredibly important. What’s remarkable about ‘Roots,’ is that despite the master’s attempts to rename Kunta Kinte, ‘Toby,’ the name in popular culture and memory never stuck,” Jackson said.

“Kunta Kinte is only referred to by his African name.

I think this is a signal of the value African Americans place on names. In the 1970s and beyond, giving black children Afrocentric names provided not only a feeling of pride, but a sense of heritage in history.”

Jackson continued: “Naming children after great rulers such as Nzinga, Kenyatta, or Chaka still resonates with many black parents today. I know parents who have given their children the name Obama. Names that are also signposts to historical moments. What’s more powerful than your name?”

Still, those names come with a price because many agree that hate is as American as Apple Pie and baseball.

And, victims of such hate not only include the once enslaved African American, but America is a country where it once was illegal for all women to vote.

It’s also a country that not only devastated Native Americans, but today still prevents those living on reservations to cast a ballot despite the historic amount of bloodshed and despair brought upon that group.

“I believe America does owe Native Americans the chance to cast a ballot,” said Shawn Halifax, a cultural history interpretation coordinator at the MacLeod Plantation Museum in Charleston, South Carolina. “I understand that what the law is and what people who are attempting to exercise their rights are told the law is can be

two different things,” Halifax said.

America has always had a system of discrimination and prejudice against all groups who were not identified as “White Anglo-Saxon” native, said Walter Palmer, the founder of the Walter D. Palmer Leadership Learning Partners Charter School in Philadelphia and current faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania where he teaches urban studies and social policy and practice.

“Because historically American indigenous native’s language, culture, history, customs and way of life has been wiped out and they have been a ward of the government, they lost their personhood,” Palmer said of Native Americans.

“As American citizens, native indigenous people should be entitled to all the same privileges, rights and entitlements as all other American citizens,” he said.

Palmer said America has continued to try and hold onto slavery, but in more legal forms like hate groups and prisons.

“After the abolishment of slavery and the end of the reconstruction period, there was the rise of the Klu Klux Klan, which was a replacement of the slave patrols after this period,” Palmer said.

“America always used the prison system as a means of threat, intimidation and social control and this was later enlarged to use Chain Gangs and Jim Crow laws to further control the African Americans,” he said.

Palmer said “Roots” was built on the legacy of prior black historians over the past two hundred years, like Fredrick Douglas, William B. Dubois, Booker T. Washington, Marcus Garvey, G. Carter Woodson, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. “The connection that African Americans have had to the African Diaspora goes back to the “Back to Africa” movement of the early 19th century like the American Colonization Society American that was created in 1821,” Palmer said.

For the 20th Century, “Roots” proved a watershed moment, Halifax said.

“I imagine it inspired an incredible number of people to seek to learn more about their family’s past, because they knew little about it or had not been listening carefully to the stories of their elders,” Halifax said.

“I think ‘Roots’ influenced some white Americans.

I think the movie helped place the notion in the minds of many whites that enslaved populations were families and communities that experienced pain and suffering, that experienced joy and wonder, that were founders and builders of this country. That they were more than property,” he said.

Halifax continued: “I think ‘Roots’ helped usher changes regarding the placement of African Americans within the context of our national history. Of course, this did not happen just because of ‘Roots.’

“In fact, I think ‘Roots’ was a crashing wave into America’s consciousness that had been pushed by a swell generated during the Civil Rights and Black Power movements that preceded it. Stories from America’s history were to be highlighted as “American History” for so long were decided by white male academics.

“I think ‘Roots’ helped send a message. Historians needed to be more inclusive in their storytelling. It was during the 70s and 80s that more inclusive social histories were being researched and pursued in academia and academia began to become more diversified.

“By the 90s museums and historic sites began recognizing that there is more to America’s story than just rich white guys, their families, and the wars they waged.

And equally important it was by then that people began demanding more of these stories. Unfortunately, following the crashing wave of Roots there has been a very slow seep into the American conscious as a whole.”

“I think evidence of its importance is in the fact that its remake was released the same year as the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture,” Halifax said.

“I suspect that was not an accident. We have a long way still to go. The study by the Southern Poverty Law Center on how Slavery is taught in American schools is damning.”

Halifax pointed out that it took 100 years for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture to open. To lesser fanfare and just before the opening of that museum on the National Mall, two other smaller museums opened within a few months of each other.

Both state that their purpose is to share the history of enslaved people and their descendants. Both are former slave labor camps, known euphemistically as plantations – the Whitney Plantation in Edgard, Louisiana and McLeod Plantation Historic Site in Charleston, South Carolina.

“As far as I know they are the only two former plantation sites who have rejected the white dominated narrative, to look at these sites as places of memory for those held captive and enslaved and for those whose families survived,” Halifax said.

“These two sites hold promise as places of healing where slavery, its legacy, and American racism can be examined. In the end, I think Roots has had an important and lasting impact.

(Read the entire series: Slavery Part 1, Slavery Part 2, Slavery Part 3, Slavery Part 4, Slavery Part 5)

Please wear a mask and socially distance youself.

Do your part to end COVID-19

Thursday, March 4, 2021

Sports

LOS ANGELES NEWS OBSERVER A7

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise at NASCAR

(Photo: Ryan Vargas is a 20-year-old native of La Mirada is part NASCAR’s Diversity program now racing in the Xfinity series.)

By Earl Heath Contributing Sports Writer For the last year the country has experienced many changes and surprises. From the closing of restaurants and bars to meetings and appointments that had to be done virally.

William Byron has become the NASCAR Cup Series third surprise this year.

Bryon joins Michael McDowell and Christopher Bell as unexpected winners. His victory at the HomesteadMiami Speedway landed him in the playoffs early in the racing season.

“A lot of people obviously made some good decisions on how to get better,” Martin Truex Jr. finished in third.

“The rules are the rules and they haven’t changed in a while.

The smaller teams get to catch-up.”

This was something he clearly earned as he led for 117 laps while being in control of the final two stages. He dodged a couple of mishaps during the race and stayed consistent. The win was his second in 111 previous Cup starts. His first came at Daytona last August at Daytona.

This assures Byron will join McDowell and Bell of automatic spots in the post-season. McDowell had his third consecutive Top 10 finish.

The early wins already have put a slight pressure on the likes of Alex Bowman Ryan Blaney who were qualifiers last season.

Byron former crew chief Rudy Fugle was hired

by Kendrick Motorsports and paired with Byron. He previously worked for KBM in the truck program. His trucks won 28 races and Byron drove to seven of those wins.

“That guy has been huge for my career,” said Byron.

“He’s the reason I’m here and I’m just glad we could get him.”

Bubba Wallace finished 22nd-He did lead for a lap during the race and is currently 16th in points with 67th.

The rest of the top 10 is 4-Kyle Larson (Chevy), 5-Kevin Harvick (FORD), 6-Michael McDowell (Ford),7Ryan Newman (Ford), 8-Kurt Bush (Chevy), Alex Bowman (Chevy), 10-Kyle Bush (Toyota).

This WEEK the CUP Series heads to Las Vegas ADD RACING: Newcomer Alvin Kamara All-Pro running back of the New Orleans Saints has partnered with JD Motorsports with Gary Keller to sponsor NASCAR Xfinity series Chevrolet #6 car driven by LaMirada native Ryan Vargas.

Kamara owns a chain of Juice Bars in Louisiana named THE BIG SQUEEZY. They were the Primary sponsor in last weeks Super Start Batteries 188 race at the Daytona International Speedway.

“I did a bit of research on Ryan as individual and JD Motorsports and was impressed with what I read,” said Kamara in a released statement. “I am excited to play a small role in what they have already have going on.”

William Byron celebrates after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021, in Homestead, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Lakers Return to Winning Form

Los Angeles Lakers forward Markieff Morris makes a jump shot over the Warriors Steph Curry during Sundays Lakers victory. (Photo Credit: Adam Pantozzi/Joshua Williams/Andrew D. Bernstein/NBA E/Getty Images)

By Earl Heath Contributing Sports Writer The NBA season is a long season and the Lakers have reeled off two wins in a row after a four-game losing streak. They jumped out to a 20-point first quarter lead against Golden State at Staples.

There was a bit of revenge in the air from the defeat the home team suffered on Jan 18 at Staples.

This time the Lakers rolled up a 41 point first quarter on the way to routing the Warriors 117-91. The team came out like gang-buster’s forcing 16 first half turnovers as they were making a statement.

They also had a season high 73 first half points resulting in a 29 point lead.

“Our starters played terrific they had a mind-set of taking care of business in the first quarter,” said Frank Vogel.

The team is 2-0 with the return of Dennis Schroder who had 12 points and six assists.

Nearly everyone got into the act as six players scored in double figures and Kantavious Caldwell-Pope and Marc Gasol had nine points each as they also had 18 fast break points.

“The communication and passing definitely were key,” Vogel added.

Newcomer Damian Jones had 8 points and 3 boards and two blocks in an eight-minutes during his Lakers debut. Including a

big ally-oop pass from Schroder in the third period. The 25-yearold was a 2016 first-round pick of Golden State in 2016 and is a two NBA championship teams. He’s also spent time with Atlanta and Phoenix. He’s signed to a 10-day contract with L.A. With a big lead James played just 24 minutes, the third lowest as a Laker.

The Lakers are 11-1 when holding opponents under 100 points. No one played more than 25 minutes.

Eric Paschall 18 and Stephen Curry 16 led the visitors.

LA vs. Portland--Dennis Schroder returned to start after missing 4 games due to COVID protocol. He controlled a lot of the offense and had nine first quarter points and finished with 23 on the night as the Lakers defeated the Trailblazers 102-93. He also went 9 for 9 from the stripe.

“He has the ability to get to the paint and get shots for others,” said coach Frank Vogel.

There was a difference in rhythm with Schroder on the floor everyone appeared to be better in sink. “Dennis gives us an added dimension,” said James. “He can set shooters up pretty well.”

The team got off to it’s usual slow start trailing by 11 at around the seven-minute mark. With just seconds left in the first quarter Portland’s Robert Covington shot an eight footer as the ball was headed up LeBron swatted it away as the buzzer sounded.

The Portland bench erupted with displeasure calling for a goal-

tend.

The replay was shown on the video screen after it showed no infraction the Blazers calmly went in their huddle in disbelief in what James had just done.

Montrezl Harrell added 17 and nine boards as he outscored the Portland bench (13). It was the fewest such points allowed by the team this season.

On the defensive end Lakers hands were active, they played with intense aggressive defense after the opening period.

Damion Lillard was lighting up the nets for 25 first half points but after halftime adjustment’s the Lakers sent different looks at the perennial All-star only had 11 in the second half.

“Earlier in the game we didn’t execute [on Lillard] and we paid the price,” said James.

Lebron finished the night with 28 points.11 rebounds, 7 assists,4 steals. It was his 15 double-double of the season.

At this point in the season they have the top ranked defense (106 ppg).

Lakers @ Utah--The absence of Anthony Davis and Dennis Schroder was so glaring in a lopsided loss on the road. It appeared no matter what they did there was no catching the Jazz as they piled on three-pointers in a 114-89 win over the Lakers.

Talen Horton-Tucker and Markieff Morris each started for the Lakers for a change of pace in line-up by coach Frank Vogel.

Courtside with Clippers – Week 8

By Cameron Buford whatsgoodinsports.com 2/25/21 (23-10) Los Angeles Clippers vs (13-14) Memphis Grizzlies The Clippers embark on a five-game road trip to close out the first half of their season, they head to Memphis for their third back-to-back series of the season. Upon their arrival to Memphis, they find the Grizzlies fighting to get the .500 threshold this season. They will have the services of all on the team except Patrick Patterson who will be out due to personal reasons.

Though the Clippers won the first quarter 27-24 on the scoreboard, by having 8 of their 9 players that played, get points on the board. The Grizzlies finished the initial quarter with a large, points in the paint advantage. The Grizzlies would only increase this disparity throughout this game.

This game was ultimately decided in the second quarter of this game, as the Grizzlies inserted their dominance in the paint by outscoring the Clippers by 28 points. Couple that with the Clippers’ inability to force turnovers by Grizzlies and not impact their shooting, as the Grizzlies shot 52.9% from the field and 62.5% from behind the arc at the end of the second quarter.

Grizzlies scored 42 points in the paint by halftime, marking the 76th consecutive game where they have scored at least 40 paint points. This is also the longest streak on record since the NBA began tracking this data.

For the most part, this season the Clippers have won the third quarter of games this season. That wasn’t the case in this game, as the Grizzlies extended their points in the paint advantage to 58-14 and continued to control the boards 36-29 through three-quarters of this game. They also held the Clippers to 37.9%, which is under their league-leading 42%.

The Grizzlies finished the game having scored 72 points in the paint as compared to 24 for the Clippers. Clippers Head Coach Ty Lue would say post-game giving up 72 points in the paint, “that was embarrassing!” Paul George said win asked about losing that second quarter, “They got stops. They shrunk the floor on defense. It’s a young team. You can’t give a young team life to play in transition. They got out. They ran the floor. They just showed their athleticism.”

2/25/21 (23-11) Los Angeles Clippers vs (14-14) Memphis Grizzlies After admittedly being embarrassed in their matchup up

against the Grizzlies just one night prior. The Clippers are the only team in the NBA not to lose the second game of a backto-back this season and are looking to improve to 6-0 on these second games.

Clippers Head Coach Ty Lue compared this second game of a back-to-back game to that of a playoff game when he stated this is “sort of like a playoff game. You get a chance to go home and see what you did wrong… Playing the same team back-toback reminds you of the playoffs. So we’ve got to come out with a playoff mentality and do things better.”

The Clippers went up by 16 points at the half, they are 23-3 when holding a 10-point lead in games this season. They also dished out a season-high 33 assists in their second night vs the Grizzlies. This is the sixth game this season that the Clippers have recorded at least 30 assists and there 5-0 when registering at least 30 assists.

Ja Morant did score 20 points, however was ejected scored receiving a pair of technical for arguing a no-call with just over two minutes remaining. His frustration was likely caused by the type of defense the Clippers played. Post-game Clippers Head Coach described what he thought about their defense early, “I thought we had great physicality in that first quarter.”

Clipper forward Kawhi Leonard shared his coach’s sentiments when he stated, “We wanted to come out tonight with a hit-first mentality.” Additionally, Leonard finished the game with 30 points, as he has done for 10 games this season.

2/28/21 (24-11) Los Angeles Clippers vs (20-13) Milwaukee Bucks This matchup with the 19-13 Bucks would be a unique game for National Basketball Association fans to enjoy. Considering that both of these teams have underachieved by anyone standards.

Not only have the Bucks have had the defending League MVP the past couple of seasons, but they have had the best record in the NBA these past couple of seasons. While the 24-10 Clippers had the second-best record in the west and proceeded to fizzle out in the playoffs.

All that being said, this becomes a prove-it season for both teams and makes this a uniquely fun game for hoop fans. Jrue Holiday, their key off-season acquisition, rejoins Giannis and the Bucks for the first time in ten games and conversely, the Clippers have their full complement of players available for the first time in the past few games.

The Bucks won the first quarter and the second quarter to take a narrow lead into the half. Per usual, the Clippers jumped on the Bucks in that third quarter, going in a 21-7 run to close out the quarter and taking a lead heading into the fourth quarter.

The fourth quarter would be pivotal for both teams as closing out games has, historically, been a challenge for each of them.

Kawhi Leonard finished the game with 25 points, and Paul George, Lou Williams, Serge Ibaka, and Marcus Morris Sr. combined for 57 points. Though the Bucks led the NBA in defensive efficiency each of the last two seasons, they haven’t played up to that standard this season. However, they shutout the Clippers down the stretch of this game not allowing them to score in the final four 4:01 of the game.

When asked about their challenges down the stretch of this game, Kawhi Leonard told us, “I thought we came down too slow.

As a team, I don’t feel like we’re there yet. We’re looking to the sideline a lot for plays. I feel like our pace has pretty much slowed down. You’ve got to give them credit, though. They locked in.”

Giannis tallied 36 points against the Clippers, this makes four straight games he has scored 35 points or more. This makes him the first Bucks player since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in Jan. 1973 to achieve this mark. After a five-game skid, the Bucks’ have followed that up with a five-game winning streak.

3/2/21 (24-12) Los Angeles Clippers vs (17-17) Boston Celtics In their last meeting, just short of a month ago, the Celtics beat the Clippers 119-115 behind Jayson Tatum’s game-high 34 points. The Celtics have gone 10-5 in home games while the Clippers are 12-6 on the road and lead the league in 3-point shooting percentage.

The Clippers were dealt a tough blow before this game started when it was announced that shortly before tip-off that Kawhi Leonard would miss this game due to back spasms. As Kawhi sits out his eighth game of the season, so does his 26.8 points per game, 6.3 Rebounds, and nearly five assists per game. Veteran starter Reggie Jackson would get the start in his place.

In his 15th start of the season, Reggie Jackson registered a season-high 25 points along with 7 assists in replacement of Kawhi. For only the third time this season Paul George would compete without Kawhi, they are now 1 and 2 during these 3 games Kawhi would miss and would be only the second time, this season, which the Clippers would loss back to back games.

The Clippers also lost Marcus Morris near the end of the first half when he took an inadvertent elbow from Brown to the head. Morris eventually walked off the floor under his strength.

In his Post-Game press conference Coach Lue told us, he was diagnosed with a concussion.

The Celtics had four starters in double digits tonight with Kemba Walker leading the way with 25 points. They have also assisted with 40 points off the bench and two of those guys scored in double digits. Third-year Celtics big man Robert Williams III was impactful on both sides of the floor by scoring 13 points, recording 4 assists, and had a game-high 3 blocks to control the paint for the Celtics.

These have been consecutive games that the Clippers’ offense faltered down the stretch. Jackson hit a 3-pointer and Patrick Beverley knocked down a free throw to bring Los Angeles within 113-109 at the 1:53 mark. George hit a 3 to cut it to 114-112 and that’s the closest they would get to take the lead over the Celtics.

When asked about the offensive struggles closing another game out, Coach Ty Lue seemed unbothered when asked if he was concerned about this, by telling us they just needed to, “make the plays and move the basketball… We got 28 assists and we got to keep moving the ball. Keep driving attacking the paint, not taking bad shots, and keep making plays.” Paul George elaborated on this by saying, “We need to do a better job pushing the pace and pushing the tempo. We got to do a better job playing faster, but that’s on me.”

The Clippers do have the remainder of the season to improve their late-game execution. I am eager to hear how you see the past week with the Clippers, kindly share your thoughts on what’s stood out to you and let me know what you think their ceiling is. You can reach out to me on Twitter @whatsgoodnsport or forward any suggestions on what additional topics or angles you’d 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.

Dodgers Preparing for Repeat Season

By Earl Heath Contributing Sports Writer The Dodgers have all players in camp and are ready to roll for the 2021 season. Newcomer Trevor Bauer is the biggest star to join the team during the off-season.

Thus far he has been welcomed warmly by his new teammates and has gone to work with the attitude of helping them repeat.

He began by pitching two innings and throwing 28 pitches in helping rout the Rockies by a 10-0 score in a shorten six inning game. His fastball had speeds ranging from 89 to 94 and he had a curveball that looked like it was breaking at three feet-while striking out two.

“It’s just a game,” said Bauer. “It felt good to be out there doing my job.”

Kenly Jensen also struck out two while throwing a scoreless inning.

It was second baseman Gavin Lux and Will smith each went 2 for 3 with an RBI. Lux will be looking at a being the starter if he stays healthy. Smith will be alternating with Austin Barnes in the catchers spot.

Barnes works great with the pitchers as they are confident with is pitch-calling. He also does a super job framing. He did start four of the six World Series games including the finale with Julio Urias on the hill.

But also has his ways, ”It’s just being confident in my opinion on what fingers I’m putting down,” said Smith in a video conference call. “Its having a reason for what I’m calling and what I see, what I communicate to the picture.”

They both can play infield positions. Look for the Dodgers to be favorites this season.

Los Angeles Dodgers Newcomer Trevor Bauer. (Photo: theathletic.com)

Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George (13) scores on a reverse lay up last Friday night vs the Memphis Grizzlies at the FedExForum in Memphis, TN. (Photo Credit: Los Angeles Clippers

A8

Local

LOS ANGELES NEWS OBSERVER

Thursday, March 4, 2021

Black Churches Fill a Unique Role in Combating Vaccine Fears

Pastor Eddie Anderson leads the McCarty Memorial Christian Church in Los Angeles. He’s asking members who have already gotten the vaccine to write down their experiences and prepare to share them with the rest of the congregation. (Rudy Espinoza Courtesy Photo)

By Anna Almendrala California Healthline In the hospital with covid-19 in December, Lavina Wafer tired of the tubes in her nose and wondered impatiently why she couldn’t be discharged. A phone call with her pastor helped her understand that the tube was piping in lifesaving oxygen, which had to be slowly tapered to protect her.

Now that Wafer, 70, is well and back home in Richmond, California, she’s looking to her pastor for advice about the covid vaccines. Though she doubts they’re as wonderful as the government claims, she plans to get vaccinated anyway — because of his example.

“He said he’s not going to push us to take it. It’s our choice,” Wafer said, referring to a recent online sermon that praised the vaccines as God-given science with the power to save. “But he wanted us to know he’s going to take it as soon as he can.”

Helping people accept the covid vaccines is a public health goal, but it’s also a spiritual one, said Henry Washington, the 53-year-old pastor of The Garden of Peace Ministries, which Wafer attends.

Clergy must ensure that people “understand they have an active part in their own salvation, and the salvation of others,” said Washington. “I have tried to suggest that taking the vaccine, social distancing and protecting themselves in their household is something that God requires us to do as good stewards.”

Many Black Americans look to their religious leaders for guidance on a wide range of issues — not just spiritual ones.

Their credibility is especially crucial on matters of health, as the medical establishment works to overcome a legacy of experimentation and bias that makes some Black people distrustful of public health messages.

Now that the vaccines are being distributed, public health advocates say churches are key to reaching Black citizens, especially older generations more vulnerable to severe covid disease. They have been hospitalized for covid and died at a disproportionate rate throughout the pandemic, and initial data on who is getting covid shots shows that Black people lag far behind other racial groups.

Black churches have also suffered during the pandemic.

African American pastors were most likely to say they had had to delete positions or cut staff pay or benefits to survive, and 60% said their congregations hadn’t gathered in person the previous month, as opposed to 9% of white pastors, according to a survey published in October by Lifeway Research, which specializes in data on Christian groups.

Washington’s 75-member church is in Richmond, which has the highest number of covid deaths in Contra Costa County, outside of deaths in long-term care facilities. The very diverse city, across the bay from San Francisco, also has one of the lowest rates of vaccination.

Lavina Wafer was hospitalized with covid in December. Now that she’s well, she’s looking to her pastor for guidance on the covid vaccine shot.

(Lavina Wafer Courtesy Photo)

Sabrina Saunders is the founder of One Accord Project, a nonprofit that brings together Black churches in the Bay Area on nonpartisan campaigns like voter registration and low-income housing. Throughout the pandemic, she’s hosted monthly conference calls with up to 30 pastors to connect them with public health officials and epidemiologists. (Sabrina Saunders Courtesy Photo)

In 4 Cities, California Homicides Increase Antonio Ray Harvey California Black Media Los Angeles recorded over 300 homicides in 2020, a statistical high mark it had not reached in 11 years.

Now, a little over a year later, the body count from that sharp homicide increase continues to stack up -- not only in California’s largest city but also in other major cities across the state. As authorities begin to investigate the uptick in crimerelated deaths, one thing is clear: a majority of those homicides have occurred in urban areas of the state where large numbers of African Americans live.

Within the 15-day period before 2021 began, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) reported 19 murders.

During the first few days of the new year, that number doubled.

By the seventh day, 45 people had been shot and killed, the LAPD reports.

After crunching the 2020 data, the LAPD reported a 38 % uptick in homicides. Among them, there were more than 350 shooting victims, indicating an increase in the use of firearms.

“This is just over twice the rate of the same period last year,” LAPD chief Michel Moore said during a January press briefing.

As of Jan. 29, Sacramento reported that six people had been shot and killed during five different incidents. Before that, during the last six months of 2020, there was a slew of killings involving young people in the state capital, ending a 24-month stretch since 2018 when not one youth was murdered.

Last year, Sacramento saw 43 homicides, up from 34 in 2019, and the most since 2015, according to the Sacramento Police Department (SPD). Eight of those homicides were gangrelated, and four of them involved juvenile victims. One victim was a nine-year-old girl who was shot and killed by a stray bullet during a drive-by shooting. There were 192 firearm-related assaults in 2020, a nearly 30% increase over the previous year.

SPD police officers made over 50 arrests and seized over 60 illegally possessed firearms in the month of January alone. In 2019, officers seized a total of 974 illegal firearms. In 2020, this number increased to 1,235.

“The year 2020 was a challenging year for our community (and) our department,” said SPD public information representative Karl Chan.

“The last year saw a strain on the police’s resources like never before,” Chan continued. “Officers were often pulled from

City of Los Angeles and Oakland CA (Editorial credit: David Tran Photo / Shutterstock.com)

policing our communities to stop major demonstrations around our (State) Capitol.”

Oakland is also off to a violent start this year. The Oakland Police Department (OPD) reports that January was the deadliest month in almost 20 years. A total of 15 murders were recorded during the first month of 2021. Only one homicide was committed in January of 2020.

Overall, Oakland had 64 murders in January alone, a 129% increase. The city’s mayor Libby Schaaf said Oakland is at a point where “emotions are high.” The violence is “caused by overall stress,” she believes.

Schaaf also blames the spike in homicides on an influx of weapons.

“We are seeing more and more powerful guns on our streets than we have ever seen before,” Schaaf said.

In San Diego County, 52 murders were registered in the first six months of 2020 with sharp increases in March and April, according to the San Diego Association of Governments. San Diego County experienced 38 homicides during the same sixmonth period in 2019. Homicide detectives said 41 % of those killings were connected to arguments, 22% to robberies and 3% to gang violence. Another 34 % were attributed to other factors.

In Chula Vista, a city10 miles south of San Diego, there were 10 homicides in 2020. That number represents more than a 300 % increase over the city’s average of three homicides a year.

San Francisco has neither experienced an uptick nor a decrease in homicides in 2021. The three murders committed in the city so far this year happened in January -- the exact number that occurred in January of 2020, according to the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD). The first of the San Francisco homicides in 2020 was a Black woman, Emma Hunt, a 32-yearold a mother of two.

The COVID-19 pandemic is likely one culprit helping to trigger the increase in homicides in the state over the last 24

months. Stress brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic fallout and the national racial reckoning centered around protests that erupted after the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor are considered factors as well, crime experts say.

“This year, we’re really seeing something really unprecedented,” said Jeff Asher, a co-founder of AH Datalytics, a national data analysis firm, during a television interview with NBC 7 in San Diego.

Asher, who studies national crime numbers every year, stated that 57 police departments across the country saw homicides climb 36.7% last year over 2019 figures.

“This really is a national trend,” Asher said.”

With the largest population in the country, California recorded the largest number of homicides in 2019: 1,690 for the year, according to Statista.com, a national market research and consumer data company.

In 2019, of the California homicides where the victim’s race or ethnicity was identified, 44.2 % of victims were Hispanic, 28.6 %were Black, 19.8 % were white, and 7.4% were from other race or ethnic groups, according to the California Attorney General’s 2019 annual report.

Additionally, firearms continue to be the most “common weapon” used in homicides, the report found.

On Feb. 19, the SPD’s SWAT team and Sacramento District Attorney’s Office Investigators announced the arrest of two individuals charged with two counts of possession of assault weapons with extended magazines and handguns.

“By taking these guns off the streets, our officers have made our city safer for the community and our officers,” said Daniel Hahn, California Capital city’s first African American police chief. “These investigations are important, as they not only address violence occurring in our community, but also can lead to other serious crimes.”

Inglewood’s City Treasurer nominated for Woman of the Year

by State Senator Steven Bradford

By Wanda M. Brown, B.S. MBA, PhD, PhD, CCMT, CPFIM, CPT State Senator Steven Bradford has nominated Treasurer Wanda Brown, Woman of the Year. Dr. Wanda M. Brown, has served as City Treasurer for 32 years. She is the longest serving elected officer in the history of the City of Inglewood.

She is among the best professionally qualified Treasurers in the nation. She earned her Bachelor of Science Degree from Cal-State University Long Beach, MBA from UCLA, and post graduate studies at UCLA, and a double doctorate from Ministerial Training Institute in Biblical Counseling and Church Administration. Additionally, she is a licensed Real Estate Broker, Life & Disability Agent, and is a Registered Representative, licensed to sell mutual funds investments and variable contracts.

Treasurer Brown she has greatly enhanced and renovated the Treasurer Office. She has earned more than $90,000,000 in Gross Investment Interest Income. She prepared the first comprehensive Investment Policy and Treasurer Investment Oversight committee for the City.

Treasurer Brown established an after school four week City Treasurer Student Intern Program for students enrolled in the 8th through the 12th grades. Students are taught about their local municipal government, how their local official represent the city, tour several city departments, and are taught important financial concepts and strategies. Treasurer Brown also conducts Getting Your House in Financial Order workshops annually for the Inglewood residents, as well as Free Income Tax Preparation service for seniors whose income does not exceed $50,000. She was given an award by the California Department of Corrections for parole and community service.

Treasurer Wanda Brown was honored for 31 years of excellence at the April 2018 City Council Meeting. The mayor, each councilmember, and a host of City employees thanked the Treasurer for her service to the City and excellent investments

made on behalf of the City. Congresswoman Maxine Waters attended to extend her congratulations to the Treasurer.