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by Gov. N wyers hope the resu ed his innocence th u C yer w n , in o h d a o ae er o p th S v.

Bernardino help prove ewsom, which cou lts of the re-testin over the oinf g in the case is beinNewsom’s order toerbto the murders. e on socipalressure for makinlgSelyem, who is Wan h g cr ld it g ro th th m e, o u m ad ta rd ei d e ed resigned et e an k r client’s in er Observer en NA te m rders Jo Newspapers . His insult him. 17 Volume 34 Number Thursday, March 7, 2019 ismSouthern st- chelle Obama,iaU shua Ryenwith dof nocence eanseveral months, wed ay. The lonDCalifornia porters ofuGroup s targeteddforacist and commen ill th an e ,S d finally ex th su ts B . d e rm R la In 1985, a rv fa R ep ck er iv y m en . o F sh il M r ir s y, ooting victi ey are disap st axine Water and Hughes onerate friends an San Diego on four co pointed w s and an uLnady Mi“Unfortun ith the gov all across the statdesup- Los Thomas R. Parkmer. named 26 and an unts of murder. ACt ounty jury convicte at er , Angeles offi el say n a former d ep ce cord - incluescaped prison inmthe time of his arre d Cooper nfor justice in this cay,seover time it seemosr’s decision. , u b ty el head of the ieves This guy is o District st, he was e victims’ d FBI’s in Pennsylv ding several burglaate. His lengthy crim innocent,” Cooper.

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What has k per’s guilw e cops lied e him have t, agreed to t.” months onldear Pittsburgh, PenRichard Goodman, ep t a th fe all confirm e case goin deral appel and nsylvania. was born Y et ed g la p During his , he was adopted an te er M an su W ec co r. dC as e argum ution and re hen he was urt Cooalive - is L(AP) ents based six monies and allegiv AKE–FAOportrait iew the ca’ssedecision in 2004 toooperPHILADELPHIA and he spenchildhood, his par d renamed Kevin thought to ations of ev Gov. Newvso REST, Clong o re n as en is recoverenslaved w stayGeorge C t co o it o a ts n h n o ab g fl p his exWashington’s p alif. cooked m o er ic le h id o juvenile det o ysically abu ti . gat d part of ad be of chef, who for q en m re (AP) – O n in u D ’s g ce es sc g

N d te ti ie af ta ec A o n st te m tific eviden isio testing com r beinand yonatroMount cials g stru ad in SoVernon a mental h ention centers. In olescence living sed him at ors used to nail nCsoabout the methodspering, keep raisinithe formercepresident Philadelphia ck by a pffi es early inn to allow anoth .

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Ray p so o R ving to could have bees who were White. HJoshua RyenAntonio li m ti eg ca eo is st sa l n te in gued that nCg his murder trial, L e’ id r ef g s h so p t h e sh et n lv e initially thoMc e o e sa H w la u ld th w h is te California Black Media en p r e o p im F an te o R ro eb th F p st ic m y se u . e er en ifi . ed rt 1 cu ca ug ed that they Chiang killed husb her iately take Ryen, th t darted in case an fi tors succ Experts who9.

SACRAMENTO -said Sacramento District nally en front of place to re in named Diacomplicating the pro during the dCounty McGuire sa neighboreiCr 10-year-old daughand and wife Dougesansfully ar- ban 2017 sure tojusticgathered th n se at a cu R D ca o ti y N p s o m Attorney Anne Marie Schubert took a little over an hour el ter Jessica an e er A hristopher n w th o p d s’ is hen he got nging to her evidence ca ca aign. “Not e animal w Peggy cl ms, a w rved,” Vernon, Mount butoffice Hughes. Po d out to chec as n help la only atis it se testinwill former bomye forward with bloai m - her announce that charges against g innot w enfopolice lice foundan 11-year-old inal. She turned pro A’ ns imal Cobigger than a house k, h thisfile ody clothoin fr W a s h i n g t o n v ie en rc ca n em d se w w en th the bloodie E h o n o d t g cat. e u v tr es so w officers who shot and killed Stephon Alonzo Clark. ld en ev o to tr as lv l id co o o th an e a y ffi en m cr o ed v ce u an iolent crim ce over to e im d g Virginia plantation, it. rs at im h es ru is n N , al o sh b ew h co o ed ospital, wh ld, hMercadal som’sRobinet, st to the stat the police, Two cops, - Terrence trau e is treadinand Jared African Am decision shot ma. ere it was dthe bleedin agree e.” issu22, ut theyClark, in the Cunanimously g ca ericans, His e thinatthe fullgrandmother’s iagnosed w andbkilled ofrehis Calbackyard o y o p o if D er n o panics and r. rn a the 18th-century ca K p ia se w ri o te atchin . H March v18, sti Krause, oters2018. ntially pola other min across Seven home out sh e a e is keepin ex v th ri p et ec zi portrait believed to be e oritiesinliv-Sacramento gon er ng b political sp ts arian, tells g hishit of about 20 bullets fired Continthe ectruHercules ack into ththe 11-pound (5-kin focuthe the ne s onformer m are of wearing uedpolicemen ilogram) ca fairness an on pathe e wild after ge A Sacramento High athlete from back, d t to be 2 according to an McGuire v it regains st just’sictoque a chef is not e independent autopsy report conducted by the family. thatman, if he sees it isited the bobcat rength. actually of the on Friday. again, he’ll The official police report says Clark was facing and Philly.com reported H issue a tick approaching officers when they killed him. He was a et for jayw Friday. The findings vandalism suspect. are now public.

Schubert spoke during a press conference on March “There is a real 2. Her presentation on the killing, resembled a courtroom sense of loss there. trial without the judge and jury, Clark’s family members It’s such a powerful say. It included a number of details unrelated to the portrait,” Mount shooting almost a year ago.

Vernon senior curator Community members were outraged by the DA’s Susan P. Schoelwer told Philly.com. report on the victim’s alleged emotional state when the Hercules had cooked for Washington for a number of shooting occurred. They felt his past run-ins with the law years before escaping in 1797. He wasn’t heard from again. and her attempt to paint the picture of a troubled and Schoelwer helped coordinate the gathering to discuss volatile young man should not have been the focus of her the mystery of “Presumed Portrait of George Washington’s statement.

Cook.” The portrait had long been attributed to Gilbert “Many things were weighing heavily” on Clark’s mind, Stuart, best known for his unfinished portrait of Schubert said. “We must recognize that [police officers] are Washington. But that also doesn’t appear to be true. often forced to make split-second decisions and we must Dorinda Evans, a Stuart scholar, said the portrait is recognize that they are under tense, uncertain and rapidly “very different from how Stuart would have done it.” evolving circumstances.”

The experts agree the painting is from the 1700s Nearly five hours after the DA’s report, Clark’s fiancée and say the subject must be notable if a portrait was and the mother of his two children, Salena Manni, 24, commissioned. Experts also said what was thought to be spoke to the press and supporters in his defense. Her a toque is actually a headdress similar to ones worn in by father Raj Manni and mother Rothigian Mohammed free Dominicans in other paintings.

When journalist and author Ramin Ganeshram, who Grandfather Raj Manni holds the children of Stephon Clark during the press conference. (Photo by Russell accompanied her. used the image on the cover of her novel “The General’s Stiger/CBM) Continued on page A3 Cook,” was told of the experts’ new realization, she couldn’t let it go. Ganeshram is executive director of the Westport Historical Society in Connecticut and gathered information on Hercules, hoping to prove the portrait was of him.

Instead, the quest led her to documents about a “Hercules Posey.” Posey is the surname of a previous owner of Washington’ chef. She and her historical society colleague, Sara Krasne, who is a trained genealogist, done. Black people are used like animals to work the land, a death notice from New York City. They believe but they get no reward from it. Mrs. Turner initiated that recovered was left behind at a Manhattan cemetery when whole project, and now, it’s just being taken away. Just, ‘get Hercules bodies were moved to Brooklyn in the early 1800s. He’s out and we’ll take it from here.’ It’s just not right. most likely still buried under what is now sidewalk, they

By Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell Turner wrote Shivers on January 29. said. Two historians agree.

Special to the New Tri-State Defender “I have made several attempts to reach you by phone “I would totally feel comfortable speculating that Heritage Tours, which principal operator Elaine after the receipt of your letter,” her letter read.

“This letter it was him,” said Erica Armstrong Dunbar, a history Turner describes as the state’s first African-American(to vacate) comes as a total shock since we have been in professor at Rutgers University. owned tour company, no longer is overseeing the blue-andfrequent communication with you, and there was no white shotgun house that reflects the meager beginnings of indication that you had other plans that did not include W.C. Handy, renowned as the “Father of the Blues.”

Heritage Tours.”

Situated on the east end of the Beale Street She ended her letter with a request for a meeting that Entertainment District, the house is where a young William she never got.

Christopher Handy lived at the turn of the century. A For Councilman Jones, the issue of respect – and the letter from the Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC) manner in which Turner and Heritage were dealt with – informed Turner that the operating services of Heritage matters.

Tours would not be part of the Handy home’s future.

“I don’t know how or why the Downtown Memphis Heritage had been the operator for 24 years. feels they can run Handy House better than The letter – forwarded to Turner on January 2 – For many, the W.C. Handy Home & Museum had be- Commission Elaine Turner Heritage House,” said Jones. “I was floored her. She had until February 2 to completely vacate come synonymous with Elaine Turner and Heritage talking about and Beale Street Management from the first the property, as possession was being taken by the DMC. Tours, the operators since 1995. Now that tie has day I got here (on the council). They have no experience The DMC letter simply stated: “After much discussion, been severed. (Photos: Karanja A. Ajanaku) whatsoever in running an entertainment district. we’d like to inform you that we will no longer require the “They are learning on the job just like anybody else. services of Heritage Tours, Inc., as operator of the W.C. And then, was it done in a respectful way? I think that’s informed her that DMC was in compliance with the 30Handy Home & Museum as of February 2, 2019.” very good question to ask the Downtown Memphis Jennifer Oswalt, president and CEO of DMC, told day notice for terminating the agreement with Beale Street aCommission.

Do they feel this process was done in a The New Tri-State on Tuesday that the changeover move Management. The letter advised Turner to acknowledge respectful manner?” receipt.

Turner said she made numerous calls to Shivers and was a matter of economics from Beale Street Management’s In a timeline detailed in her letter to Shivers, Turner left messages, with no indication of a response. standpoint.

Turner also was instructed to make an inventory of asserted that in 2017, DMC reached out to offer assistance “For the significant capital investment we are making upkeep. In November 2018, DMC informed her that in repairs of the house and courtyard, we felt that it was everything inside the museum, determining what belonged with they had received money from the city and would send to Heritage, what the Handy family owned, and which the best decision going forward as we work on devising a contractor to begin work on repair of a busted water items belonged to Beale Street Management. plans to increase awareness of the house and visitors,” said Turner reached out for two Memphis City Council pipe behind a wall and the resulting water damage, Turner ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) – Another horse has died at Oswalt. wrote in her letter.

Santa Anita, making it 20 fatalities at the racetrack since “Also, we are responsible for reporting on the condition members: Martavius Jones and Joe Brown.

In December of 2018, DMC sent a photographer to “When Mrs. Turner called me, I told her to write its winter meet began on Dec. 26. of the property to Mr. Handy’s grandson, and we felt we Handy House for photos to add to the Beale Street website.

The latest incident occurred Saturday during the could best do that if we were in possession of the property.” them a letter,” said Brown.

Why, and why now? It’s the same way sharecropping is On January 2, two weeks later, Turner received the vacate third race when 4-year-old filly Eskenforadrink was in Jon Shivers, who sent the letter to Turner, also the lead of the $16,000 claiming race. Jockey Geovanni Continued on page A2 Franco pulled her up with an injury to her front leg. The filly was vanned off the track and later euthanized.

The dirt surface was rated sloppy from rain, but it’s unknown whether the track condition played any role in the horse’s injury.

Earlier in the week, Santa Anita closed for two days for extensive testing of its surface. Mick Peterson, “The media is in a state of great disruption, a soil and safety expert from the University of Kentucky, but despite all of the change, one thing remains proclaimed the track “100 percent ready” to resume the same: the role of women is significantly racing. smaller than that of men in every part of Of the 20 deaths, seven have occurred during a race on the dirt, five have occurred on turf and eight came news, entertainment and digital media,” Julie during training on dirt.

Burton, president of the Women’s Media Horses resumed training and racing on Thursday Center (WMC), said in a news and Friday without incident. Training was canceled on Saturday because of rain.

By Stacy M. Brown The weather forecast for the upcoming week calls for NNPA Newswire Correspondent several days of rain.

With observances planned throughout March to commemorate Women’s History Month, a new report revealed that women are still mostly absent from newsrooms.

The Women’s Media Center’s 2019 report on the status of women in U.S. media shows that despite some gains, men still dominate in every part of news, entertainment and digital media.

“The media is in a state of great disruption, but despite all of the change, one thing remains the same: the role of women is significantly smaller than that of men in every part of news, entertainment and digital media,” Julie Burton, president of the Women’s Media Center (WMC), said in a LOS ANGELES (AP) – New York Knicks center news release.

DeAndre Jordan is out of the lineup for their game against Burton said the data in the report paints a stark picture. the Los Angeles Clippers.

“It is clear that a cultural, systemic shift is necessary if all parts of the U.S media are to achieve gender and racial parity Jordan will miss his fourth straight game Sunday and move toward a world where stories fully represent the after he sprained his left ankle in practice. voices and perspectives of diverse women,” she said.

Although he practiced Saturday, coach David Fizdale “Research spotlighted in this report shows that diversity says he’s not sure whether Jordan will play when the boosts corporate profits. When boardrooms, newsrooms, Knicks visit Sacramento on Monday in the second game studios and tech companies fully reflect the faces, genders of a back-to-back. and myriad talents of our society, we’re all exceedingly bet Jordan is averaging 11.8 points and 12.0 rebounds ter served,” Burton said. in eight games with New York since being traded by The report titled, “The Status of Women in the U.S. Dallas on Jan. 31. He previously played 10 years with the Media 2019,” is comprised of 94 studies, including original The 2018 Empowering women in Media, a networking and panel event that presented women of color in meClippers. dia sharing their stories with other women who are looking to break into the world of media/En la Escena/ The Knicks are 2-1 since Jordan has been out.

Continued on page A2 Kizzy Cox.

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A “Shameful Legacy” of Cops Killing Black Men and Getting Off

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Bobcat Re cover A f teGeorge This is Not r Being Hi t Police CChef Washington’s ar

Heritage Tours Told to Vacate Handy House After 24 Years

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Knicks DeAndre Jordan is Out with an Ankle Injury

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LOS ANGELES NEWS OBSERVER

Thursday, March 7, 2019

World & Nation

Students Need Representation on School Board

By Ortavia Easly Special to The New Tri-State Defender Students in Shelby County Schools feel like they do not have a voice when it comes to issues that affect them.

Many students feel unmotivated to attend school because issues like school cleanliness, lunch food and other complaints are left seemingly unheard.

Students don’t see the point in attending a school where their voices don’t matter. Schools are essentially second homes to students and should be a place where they want to spend their time.

Currently, there is no student representative for the Shelby County Schools Board of Education. This means students have no one to represent their voice. In order for real change to happen, students need a representative who truly understands their struggles. A student representative would be an ideal solution to this problem.

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Credo - The Black Press believes that America can best lead the world away from racial and national antagonisms when it accounts to every person, regardless of race, color, or creed full human and legal rights. Hating no person, fearing no person, the Black Press strives to help every person in the firm belief that all are hurt as long as any one is held back.

According to the Shelby County Schools’ website, the district serves more than 100,000 students in 200 schools. However, there is no collective representation of these 100,000 students. A student board member would be able to close the gap left through the current school board structure.

As a student, the representative would truly understand what students go through, and why their concerns should be voiced and addressed. Teachers and administrators do not use the same restrooms, eat the same foods or have the same experiences; therefore, they can’t be a complete voice for the students.

According to the Shelby County Schools’ website, the district serves more than 100,000 students in 200 schools.

However, there is no collective representation of these 100,000 students. A student board member would be able to close the gap left through the current school board structure.

The idea that one person could effectively represent 100,000 students in such a diverse city is simply not realistic.

However, a realistic approach to this problem would be to create a student advisory council with representatives from each of the 200 schools. In elementary schools, the representatives could be fifth grade students. At this point, students are able to comprehend issues and make valid arguments. In middle and high schools, the representative

could be any student elected by their student body.

The members of the student advisory council could then select one person to meet with the board as the student representative. The advisory council would first meet and discuss issues at the schools, and then those issues would be brought before the Board of Education members.

According to the Center for Public Education, highperforming school districts consider their student needs.

How better to consider student needs than through the students?

According to an article published in The Atlantic, the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second-largest in the country, voted in 2014 to allow a non-voting student representative on their school board. This structure is working in a diverse city like Los Angeles, and could absolutely work in a diverse city like Memphis.

Ortavia Easly is one of the students that the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center staff has been working with during weekly workshop sessions at Kingsbury High School.

Eleanor Holmes Norton Fighting for Black Press in New Congress

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Correspondent Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton is a living legend with more than 50 honorary degrees and a list of accomplishments the size of her beloved District of Columbia. One of the ways that Norton remains updated through her book club.

“I think the book that I enjoy is ‘On the Basis of Sex,’ about Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg,” Norton said. “But, as far as having a favorite movie, television show or song, I don’t have time.” That’s because she’s busy fighting for the rights of her fellow Washingtonians.

It’s a battle she’s fought for nearly 30 years as the District’s representative in the House of Representatives.

The Observer Group Newspapers reserves the right to publish views and opinions that may not necessarily reflect those of the staff and management are soleley the product of the responsible individuals who submit commentaries published in these newspapers. Letters, articles and comments appearing in the Observer Newspapers reflect the opinions of the contributor and do not constitute the opinion or endorsement by The Observer Newspapers or its staff. The Observer Group Newspapers assumes no responsibility for photographs, articles, letters, press releases and unsolicited materials. Decisions as to the editiing and publishing of materials are at the discretion of the Publisher and Editors. All rights are reserved on materials accepted for publication unless otherwise specified.

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Ortavia Easly is one of the students that the MidSouth Peace and Justice Center staff has been working with during weekly workshop sessions at Kingsbury High School in Memphis, Tenn.)

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton is a living legend with more than 50 honorary degrees and a list of accomplishments the size of her beloved District of Columbia.

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“Certainly nothing can be more important than making the District a state and I don’t suppose that any member of Congress can do anything that’s more important,” said Norton, 81. “We are going to get a vote on statehood this time and I expect it to be successful in Congress. We’ll just have to see what happens in the Senate,” Norton arrived in Congress in 1991.

Already a national figure known for her work during the civil rights movement, Norton arrived with a determination that others could easily see.

Her hard work helped to break barriers for Washington as she successfully fought for a bill that provided up to $10,000 annually for high school students in D.C. to attend any public U.S. college or university.

That bill also provided up to $2,500 per year for D.C. students to attend many private colleges and universities.

She also gained a unique $5,000 D.C. homebuyer tax credit for residents and helped stabilize the city’s population with various incentives during times of economic crisis.

Most of that was accomplished while Democrats sat in the minority.

“What really excites me is that for most of my time I’ve been in the minority and now I’m subcommittee chair of the biggest subcommittee,” Norton said. “Being in the majority means I get to vote on the House Floor in the Committee of the Whole. This is very important for the District on its way to statehood,” she said.

The history of D.C. and her upbringing has kept Norton active and fighting, she said.

“I’m [was] born and raised in this segregated city without any Home Rule rights and no equal rights when the city was segregated,” Norton said. “I’m a third generation Washingtonian and I’m the great, great granddaughter of a runaway slave, so motivation is built into my DNA.” As a child, Black History Month was known as Negro History Week, but the importance of the observance is hard to lose when you are a child of the District, she said.

“Washington had slavery and it wasn’t liberated until just before the Civil War. So, the black part of things is that it’s a major part of the life of my country,” Norton said.

“Women’s History Month is likewise because I had parents who encouraged me to be whatever I wanted to be. I’m fortunate enough to be at the birth of the Women’s Rights Movement. It means that [she and her two sisters] have been a part of the most important movements of the 20th century,” she said.

Each movement arrived when she was a young woman so she feels that happenstance being a part of both movements of freedom, Norton said.

Along with the many battles still ahead, Norton has also tackled the issue of federal agencies and how they spend their combined more than $5 billion advertising budget.

She said she’s gathered co-sponsors for a bill that will require all agencies in the government to produce their spending reports and detail what they have spent and will spend with black-owned newspapers and media companies.

“I introduced it the last session, but it’s a new session and [Democrats] are in the majority so there’s a difference,” Norton said, adding that she remains amazed at how black newspapers – particularly in a major city like Washington – have been able to thrive.

“You just wouldn’t know what’s really going on if you didn’t have the Black Press of America,” Norton said.

“That’s why I asked for a Government Accountability Office report to detail what federal agencies spend with the Black Press. My legislation will make the government lead by example in advertising with the Black Press and make them more conscious of their obligations.

“That’s why I push it the way I am pushing it now,” she said.

For Norton, it all syncs with a motto she adopted from the Declaration of Independence.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal,” Norton said, quoting that famous document.

“What I love is the saying, ‘self-evident.’ Take a moment and think about that saying. I do,” she said.

Newsrooms

Continued from page A1

BORN TO BE GREAT To be ready for the jobs of the future, students need learning experiences that meet them where they are, engage them deeply, let them progress at a pace that meets their individual needs, and helps them master the skills for today and tomorrow. To learn more about ESSA and how you can get involved, visit www.nnpa.org/essa.

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© 2018 National Newspaper Publishers Association. All rights reserved

research by WMC and aggregated research from academia, industry and professional groups, labor unions, media watchdogs, newsrooms and other sources.

It includes several original WMC studies, including “Divided 2019: The Media Gender Gap,” an assessment of where women stand as media writers, reporters, correspondents and anchors in the major news media platforms, including the prime-time broadcast news programs, print publications, wire services and online news sites.

The report noted that across all media platforms, men receive 63 percent of bylines and credits; women receive only 37 percent.

“Women have been fighting for greater parity and equality in the news media for decades,” said one of WMC’s co-chairs Maya Harris.

“This report shows that more work needs to be done to level the playing field. Women and our male allies will not rest until we see wholesale change,” Harris said.

Further, “when we watch the evening news, we’re not seeing an America that truly reflects all voices,” said Pat Mitchell, also a WMC co-chair.

“Too often, the voices we hear and the images we see are men’s. Men largely are reporting and telling the story even though women represent more than half the U.S. population,” Mitchell said.

The report is inclusive and also features WMC’s “The Status of Women of Color in the U.S. News Media 2019,” which offers a rare look at where women journalists of color are – and aren’t – in legacy print, radio, TV, and digital news.

That report revealed that women of color represent just 7.95 percent of U.S. print newsroom staff, 12.6 percent of local TV news staff, and 6.2 percent of local radio staff.

“Missing women of color in the newsrooms of this country is an injustice in itself, and an injustice to every

American reader and viewer who is deprived of great stories and a full range of facts,” said WMC co-founder Gloria Steinem.

“Inclusiveness in the newsroom means inclusiveness in the news. Racism and sexism put blinders on everyone,” Steinem said.

In an expanded section on tech, social media, gaming and engineering, “Status 2019” also spotlighted the growing threat online to women in media and the perils of failing to protect free and safe speech.

“As part of their day-to-day work, women journalists often face a torrent of harassment, denigration, and threats … and the point of this hostility is to silence women, most frequently women of color,” said Soraya Chemaly, director of WMC’s Speech Project.

“The onus continues to fall on women’s shoulders as individuals. Media companies have to develop institutional responses to these threats if they are serious about building inclusive organizations,” Chemaly said.

Some of the findings in the report include: • The American Society of News Editors’ latest tally found that women comprised 41.7 percent and people of color 22.6 percent of the overall workforce in those responding newsrooms.

• Sports desks at 75 of the nation’s newspapers and online news sites earned a “B+” for racial diversity, a “D+” for gender and racial diversity, combined, and a sixth consecutive “F” for lack of gender equity.

• Editors of the nation’s 135 most widely distributed newspapers are overwhelmingly male and White.

• 69 percent of news wire bylines are snagged by men, 31 percent by women; 63 percent of TV prime-time news broadcasts feature male anchors and correspondents; 37 percent feature women; 60 percent of online news is written by men, 40 percent by women; 59 percent of print news is written by men, 41 percent by women. (Women’s Media Center)

Vacating Handy House Continued from page A1

letter with the notice that the DMC was taking over the operation.

“That’s what the plan was all along,” said Brown. “All of this construction and new projects downtown don’t include us. Black businesses get 22 percent set-aside for contracts when we are 76 percent of the population. …

They are taking everything we’ve got. Look at what they’re doing to Tom Lee Park.”

Oswalt said Beale Street Management is not cutting Turner out all together.

“We look forward to collaborating with Heritage

Tours and other tour companies on how we can move forward together.”

Heritage Tours moved out of the W.C. Handy Home & Museum property on February 10.

“We’ve tried to keep Handy’s legacy alive,” Turner said. “We have the W.C. Handy Heritage Awards every year at Handy’s birthday. …We’ve tried to keep that name in the forefront.”

The date Heritage was given to move out fell during African-American History Month.

Said Turner: “Can you believe it?”

(TSD Associate Publisher/Executive Editor Karanja A. Ajanaku contributed to this report.)

Thursday, March 7, 2019

LOS ANGELES NEWS OBSERVER A3

Features

A Shameful Legacy of Cops Killing Black Men & Getting Off Continued from page A1

Salena Manni gives a tearful statement in response to the DA’s announcement of not charging police officers in the shooting of the father of her children Stephon Clark. (Photo by Russell Stiger/CBM)

“The D.A. announced that the officers who shot my unarmed fiancé won’t face any charges, continuing the shameful legacy of officers killing Black men without consequences, and breaking my family’s hearts again, ” said Manni, reading a written statement at the news conference held at Harmony Church in Sacramento.

Manni laid out her case to the public, saying her family’s world has been” turned upside down.”

“My boys Aiden and Cairo have to grow up without their father and I have to continue on as a single parent.”

Now living in Los Angeles, Manni and her children arrived in Sacramento to the painful reality that the cops who killed Clark would not face charges. Meanwhile, the DA’s office had all but officially declared her deceased fiancé guilty with a stream of what she sees as irrelevant details.

Betty Williams, President of the Sacramento Branch of the NAACP, said Manni had previously expressed her thoughts to her after the long-awaited decision.

“She’s been going through this horrific grieving process that continues to go with everything that the D.A. put out there today,” Williams said.

Clark’s name joins an all-too-familiar list of Black men and boys, killed unarmed by police officers across the country. And after their deaths, their struggles or shortcomings become public, the centerpiece of investigations designed more to incriminate the victims than bring the officers’ who shot them to justice.

Rev. Shane Harris, president of the People’s Alliance for Justice traveled with Manni to Sacramento on the day of the announcement. He shared his perspective.

“What we saw was a kind of way to try to criminalize victims who cannot defend themselves,” Harris said.

Officers shot Clark while responding to 911 calls about a person breaking car windows in the Meadowview neighborhood where his grandmother lived. According to video of the incident, Clark was holding a cellphone when he was shot. Officers initially thought it was a gun.

The DA went as far as mentioning Clark’s toxicology report – claiming blood samples tested positive for Xanax, codeine, hydrocodone, marijuana, cocaine metabolite and alcohol. The district attorney, who was re-elected to the position last summer, also alluded to Clark viewing websites about suicide.

Schubert added Manni to her equation, too,

mentioning that she had called authorities about a domestic issue she and Clark may have had on March 16, two days before he died. She even shared information from private text messages exchanged between the couple.

Schubert described the young couple’s disputes, which she claims was the “central theme between the two.”

“I’m not going to entertain that,” Clark’s mother Se’Quette Clark told California Black Media outside of Harmony Church. “What was going on with them was between them. It’s nobody’s business. It had nothing to do with what happened to my son. This is about the officers who killed my son. This is about them.”

Concluding her presentation, Schubert said, “when we look at all of these facts and circumstances, we look at all of it. Everything.”

Clark’s family disagrees with the D.A.’s decision.

“There was clear evidence of police misconduct,” Clark’s older brother Stevante Clark said the day after the DA’s announcement. “No evidence presented yesterday could justify the way my brother was killed. There is no way I should be proving why my brother was innocent when the police officers should be proving theirs.”

In January, the lawyers for the Clark family filed a $20 million wrongful-death lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California.

On Saturday, Sacramento mayor Darrell Steinberg also apologized for the DA’s decision.

“How do I as your Mayor give voice to the pain that is so real and so raw in our community?” he said. “How do I as a relatively privileged white man let my suffering community members know they do not suffer alone — that their elected leaders are genuinely committed to change? How do I step into your shoes?”

On Monday, Harris and a group of African-American ministers from around the state organized a rally in support of Manni, her sons and the Clark family. Earlier in the day, they delivered a letter to California Attorney General Xavier Becerra expressing their disappointment with Schubert’s announcement.

“We are here to fight for what is morally right,” Harris told a gathering of Clark’s supporters at the state Capitol.

“We are tired of seeing the Department of Justice and the State of California, and the Legislature in California not take moral leadership. Prosecute the two officers who killed Stephon Clark.”

Not Always in the Headlines, but Never on the Sidelines

The Congressional Black Caucus

Julianne Malveaux is an author and economist. Her latest book “Are We Better Off? Race, Obama and Public Policy” is available via www.amazon.com for booking, wholesale inquiries or for more info visit www.juliannemalveaux.com

By Julianne Malveaux NNPA Newswire Contributor What does the Congressional Black Caucus do? It takes Majority Whip James Clyburn to make it understandable.

“It’s not only what we make happen, but what we stop from happening,” Clyburn told a standing room only crowd at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Black History Month Celebration on February 26. His words are instructive for folks who get their news from sound bites and tweets. The legislative process is rarely fully televised, and those who put brakes on nonsense proposals never make the headlines. The February 26 event made it clear, in celebration, that the Congressional Black Caucus is often effective on the front lines and the sidelines.

The 116th Congress includes fifty-five members of the Congressional Black Caucus, an incredibly diverse group of African Americans who approach Black liberation (although some might not use the term) differently.

Among the fifty-five, there are five who now chair House committees, including Congressional representatives Maxine Waters (D-CA), who chairs the Financial Services Committee, Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) who chairs the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, Robert “Bobby” Scott (D-VA) who chairs the Education and Labor Committee, Bennie Thompson (D-MS) who chairs the Homeland Security Committee, and Elijah Cummings (D-MD) who chairs the Government Oversight Committee. Cummings was the only one of the five who was not present, understandably so when one reflected on his leadership in the hearing that examined Michael Cohen, the jail-bound attorney who formerly represented the Nation’s Prevaricator-in-Chief.

Each of them talked about the challenges they face in their roles, especially the fact that progressive legislation that leaves the House of Representatives is often unlikely to pass the Republican-dominated United States Senate and the obstreperous Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (my words, not theirs). But each also talked about issues they will address in their leadership. Congresswoman Waters can subpoena tax returns and bank records. She spoke of the many ways banking boards lack diversity and plans to establish a diversity and inclusion subcommittee as part of the Financial Services Committee. Bennie Thompson

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and Eddie Bernice Johnson talked about directing money to HBCUs and about the ways that some universities are able to get the majority of federal dollars. Congressman Bobby Scott intrigued me when he talked about the way the media is interested in drama, not substance. On a day when he dealt with both the minimum wage and higher education legislation, most of the questions he got from the media were about Blackface and other scandals in Virginia.

The search for the salacious has been the theme of the 45 administration. One does not have to search far to find payments to prostitutes, pandering to potentates, and other chicanery. The real trickery, however, is happening when our regulatory structure is being decimated, when payday lending rules are hanged by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to make predatory lending easier and more exploitative; when education regulations are being changed to make access for Black and other students of color even harder than it is now; when labor regulations are being changed to exploit unions. The federal minimum wage, at $7.25, has not increased in a decade. As such, the Raise The Wage Act should be making headlines. Instead, all cameras, all eyes are on the scandals that dominate this administration.

In celebrating the Congressional Black Caucus, I’m not touting their perfection, because the collective caucus is flawed as any other organization. My biggest bone to pick with Caucus members is all of them won’t sign or align themselves with HR 40, the reparations legislation that Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) introduced thirty years ago. Many say the reparations conversation is impractical. From my perspective, if you are interested in economic justice, you must be interested in restorative and reparatory justice for the descendants of the enslaved people who built this country. That means developing public policy to close the wealth gap. That means developing public policy to increase access to education.

That means educating a nation with leaders and teachers who seem to think it is okay to run around in Blackface, hand children cotton bolls or more alarmingly, have children (in South Carolina) actually pick cotton and sing slave songs. That means examining the ways that racist (yes, racist) legislation has exacerbated, not closed the wealth gap.

Our Congressional Black Caucus and, indeed, the Democratic Party that all of them belong to, is flawed, but there are accomplishments, as well. The challenge for us is to lift up the accomplishments amidst a culture that values scandal instead of achievement.

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NAME STATEMENT FILE NO: 2019041335 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: WE LOVE PHO 2 at 4501 E Carson St #110 Long Beach, Ca. 90808 Mailing Address: Same County: LA COUNTY REGISTERED OWNERS(S): HAI LONG LY, 4501 E Carson St #110 Long Beach, Ca. 90808 The business is conducted by: Individual SIGNED: HAI LONG LY, Owner The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: 02/2019 This statement filed with the County Clerk of Kern County on: Feb 19, 2019 DEAN C. LOGAN, Registar-Recorder/County Clerk County Clerk By: Carina Chen, Deputy NOTICE: IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUBDIVISION (a) OF SECTION 17920, A FICTITIOUS NAME STATEMENT GENERALLY EXPIRES ST THE END IOF FIVE YEARS FROM THE DATE OF WHICH IT WAS FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK EXCEPT, AS PROVIDED IN SUBDIVISION (b) OF SECTION 17920, WHERE IT EXPIRES 40 DAYS AFTER ANY CHANGE IN THE FACTS SET FORTH IN THE STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 17913 OTHER THAN A CHANGE IN THE RESIDENCE ADDRESS OF A REGISTERED OWNER. A NEW FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE FILED BEFORE THE EXPIRATION. EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2014, THE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY THE AFFIDAVIT OF IDENTITY FORM. This statement expires on Feb 19, 2024 LOS ANGELES BAY NEWS OBSERVER (E) PUB: Feb 28, Mar 7, 14, 21, 2019

NOTICE TO RESPONSENT: AVISO AL DEMANDADO WILBER MOISES ALBIZURES You have been sued. Read the information below and on the next page.

Lo han demandado. Lea la informacion a continuacion y en la pagina siguiente.

PETITIONER’S NAME IS: NOMBRE DEL DEMANDANTE: LLANCI YAMILET ALBIZURES You have 30 CALENDAR DAYS after this Summons and Petition are served on you to file a Response (form FL-120) at the court and have a copy served on the petitioner. A letter or phone call will not protect you.

If you do not file your Response on time, the court may make orders affecting your marriage or domestic partnership, your property and custody of your children. You may be ordered to pay support and attorney fees and costs.

For legal advice, contact a lawyer immediately. Get help finding a lawyer at the California Courts Online SelfHelp Center (www.courts.ca.gov/ selfhelp), at the California Legal Services website (www.lawhelpca.org), or by contacting your local county bar association.

Tiene 30 dias de calendario despues de haber recibido la entrega legal de esta Citacion y Peticion para presentar una Respuesta (formulario FL120) ante la corte y efectuar laentrega legal de na copia al demandante.

Una carta o llamada telefonica o una audiencia de la corte no basta para protegerio.

Si no presenta su Respuesta a tiempo, la corte puede dar ordenes que afecten su martrimonio o pareja de hecho, sus bienes y la custodia de sus hijos. La corte tambien le puede ordenar que pague manutencion, y honorarios y costos legales.

Para asesoramiento legal, pongase en contacto de inmediato con un abogado. Puede obtener informacion para encontraer un abogado en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California (www.sucorte.ca.gov), en el sitio web de los Servicios Legales de California (www.lawhelpca.org) o poniendose en contacto con el colegio de abogados de su condado.

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AVISO-LAS ORDENES DE RESTRICCION SE ENCUENTRAN EN LA PAGINA 2: Las ordenes de restriccion estan en vigencia en cuanto a ambos conyuges o miembros de la pareja de hecho hasta que se despida la peticion, se emita un fallo a la corte de otras ordenes. Cualquier agencia del orden publico que haya recibido o visto una copia de estas ordenes puede hacerlas acatar en cualquier lugar de California FEE WAIVER: If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the clerk for a fee waiver form. The court may order you to pay back all or part of the fees and costs that the court waived for you or the other party.

EXENCION DE CUOTAS: Si no puede pagar la cuota de presentacion, pida al secretario un formulario de exencion de cuotas. La corte puede ordenar que usted pague, ya sea en parte o por completo, las cuotas y costos de la corte previamente exentos a peticion de usted o de la otra parte.

The name and address of the Court is: (El nombre y direccion de la corte son) LOS ANGELES SUPERIOR COURT 111 N. Hill Ave, Los Angeles, Ca 90012 name, address, and telephone number of petitioner’s attorney, or petitioner without an attorney, is (El nombre, direccion y numero de telefono del abogado del demandante, o del demandante si no tiene abogado, son): LLANCI YAMILET ALBIZURES, 3979 S Budlong Ave, Los Angeles, Ca. 90037 Date (Fecha): Aug 13, 2018 (SEAL) SHERRI R. CARTER By: (Actuario), L Mosby-Keys LOS ANGELES BAY NEWS OBSERVER (E) Pub: Mar 7, 14, 21, 28, 2019

Entertainment

A4

LOS ANGELES NEWS OBSERVER

Thursday, March 7, 2019

Nathaniel Taylor, Who Played Rollo on ‘Sanford and Son’ Dies

By MARTHA IRVINE AP National Writer Nathaniel Taylor, the actor best known as Rollo Lawson, the street-smart best friend of the son on the 1970s sitcom “Sanford and Son,” has died.

Taylor died Wednesday at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles after a heart attack, his son Kaedi Taylor told The Associated Press Saturday. The elder Taylor was 80.

Taylor's character, Rollo, was the sidekick to Lamont Sanford, played by actor Demond Wilson, and often drew the skepticism of TV patriarch Fred Sanford, who thought Rollo was a bad influence on Lamont because he'd spent time in jail. The fast-talking but good-hearted Rollo dressed in colorful suits and hats and called Fred – played by actor and comedian Redd Foxx – “Pops.”

Taylor went on to act in other shows and movies, later opening a performing arts studio for young actors. But his son said Taylor never tired of people recognizing him as Rollo.

“It was a time and an era _ just to be on TV as a black man, it was an honor,” said Kaedi Taylor, who works in the television and film industry behind the scenes. “It was an honor for people to remember him.”

Nathaniel Taylor also played roles on shows such as “The Redd Foxx Show,” “Police Story” and “What's Happening” and Blaxpoitation films such as “Dynamite” and “Trouble Man.” He reprised his role as Rollo in the 1980s spinoff “Sanford.”

Hip-hop music promoter Alonzo “Lonzo” Williams, one of Taylor's longtime friends, said the actor was a mentor to many. “He was always there with a wise word and a kind word and a joke to put a little icing on it,” Williams said.

Taylor is survived by his wife, Loretta, four daughters and three sons.

Actors Demond Wilson and Nathaniel Taylor (right) in "Sanford and Son.' (Screengrab from YouTube)

NBA Legend Abdul-Jabbar Talks Auction to Help Kids in STEM Kareem Abdul Jabbar. (Courtesy KareemAbdulJabbar.com)

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Correspondent When Kareem Abdul-Jabbar left the NBA in 1989 at age 42, no NBA player had ever scored more points, blocked more shots, won more Most Valuable Player Awards, played in more All-Star Games or logged more seasons.

NBA.com reported that Jabbar’s list of personal and team accomplishments is perhaps the most awesome in league history: Rookie of the Year, member of six NBA championship teams, six-time NBA MVP, two-time NBA

Madea’ a Strong 2nd Tyler Perry’s final installment of the Madea franchise. Driven by a largely female audience, “A Madea Family Funeral” had a better-than-expected debut.

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) – “How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” topped the North American box office for a second week, but close on its tail was Tyler Perry’s final installment of the “Madea” franchise. Driven by a largely female audience, “A Madea Family Funeral” had a better-than-expected debut.

The third installment in the “How To Train Your Dragon” series grossed an estimated $30 million this weekend according to Universal Pictures on Sunday, bringing its domestic total just shy of $100 million.

Worldwide, the DreamWorks Animation film has made over $375 million. In China alone it opened in first place with $33.4 million.

“A Madea Family Funeral” took second place at the domestic box office with an estimated $27 million, a third best for the 15-year-old franchise. The “Madea” films have never been all that popular with critics _ this one splattered out with a 24 percent on Rotten Tomatoes _ but audiences have never seemed to care. This time around the audience, which was 67 percent female and 78 percent over the age of 25, gave the film a solid A- CinemaScore.

“That character just resonates,” said Comscore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian. “These films are absolutely critic proof. The audience has spoken and they love Madea and they’re saying goodbye.”

Further down the charts, the Neil Jordan stalkerthriller “Greta,” starring Isabelle Huppert and Chloe Grace

Moretz, opened in eighth place to a mediocre $4.6 million.

“Greta was just another newcomer released in 2019 that had a rough go in a slow marketplace,” Dergarabedian said. “This might have benefited from a platform release given the subject matter and the cast.”

The acclaimed documentary “Apollo 11” also opened on 120 IMAX screens to $1.65 million.

Many people, however, used this weekend to catch-up with the big winners at the Oscars, which took place last Sunday.

Best-picture winner “Green Book” got the biggest post-Oscars bump, adding $4.71 million over the weekend from theaters. To date, “Green Book” has earned $75.2 million in North America and $188 million worldwide.

The Universal-distributed film from Participant Media more than doubled its theater count to 2,641 theaters and broke into the top 5 in its 16th weekend, not to mention the fact that it’s also available to rent on the small screen too.

For comparison, last year’s best picture winner “The Shape of Water” added $2.3 million on the weekend following the Academy Awards, although that was playing in about 1,000 fewer theaters.

“Green Book” wasn’t the only award-winner adding profits this weekend. Best Animated Feature winner “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” banked an additional $2.1 million, the encore version of “A Star Is Born” with 12 additional minutes of footage added $1.9 million, “Bohemian Rhapsody” earned $975,000 and “The

Favourite” took in $825,000.

“People wonder why studios spend millions on Oscar campaigns: They’re getting a nice boost and adding money even while they’re available on the small screen,” Dergarabedian said.

But overall the box office continues to struggle industry-wide. Both the year and the weekend are down 26 percent, in part due to the fact that there hasn’t been any film comparable to “Black Panther,” which accounted for the stellar early-year numbers in 2018.

Marvel is coming back to save the day yet again, however: “Captain Marvel” opens nationwide next weekend.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore.

Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Tuesday.

1.”How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World,” $30 million.

2.Tyler Perry’s “A Madea Family Funeral,” $27 million.

3.”Alita: Battle Angel,” $7 million.

4.”The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part,” $6.6 million.

5.”Green Book,” $4.7 million.

6.”Fighting With My Family,” $4.7 million.

7.”Isn’t It Romantic,” $4.6 million.

8.”Greta,” $4.6 million.

9.”What Men Want,” $2.7 million.

10.”Happy Death Day 2U,” $2.5 million.

All the mementos that served to recognize the Jabbar’s many accomplishments – the championship rings, MVP and All-Star trophies and other rare items from the legend – are available to the public in an auction that ends on Saturday, March 2.

And, it’s all to benefit Jabbar’s Skyhook Foundation, whose mission he said is to give kids a shot that can’t be blocked.

Finals MVP, 19-time All-Star, two-time scoring champion, and a member of the NBA 35th and 50th Anniversary AllTime Teams.

He also owned eight playoff records and seven All-Star records. No player achieved as much individual and team success as did Abdul-Jabbar.

On Saturday, March 2, Jabbar auctioned off his championship rings, MVP and All-Star trophies and other rare items to benefit Jabbar’s Skyhook Foundation, whose mission per Jabbar, is to “give kids a shot that can’t be blocked.”

“We do this by sending children from economically challenged schools to five days in the Angeles National Forest to experience the wonders of nature and learn the basics about science, technology and engineering, Jabbar told NNPA Newswire in an exclusive interview.

He said the children participate in an “immersive hands-on experience that takes kids out of school for five days and four nights.”

They go from auditory learning to utilizing all of their senses in the great outdoors.

“Our hope is not just to get them out of the city to commune with the outdoors, but to stimulate an interest in the sciences that might lead them to fulfilling careers,” Jabbar said.

He said he decided to sell the items because his foundation has struggled for a number of years and can use the funds.

“I need to keep it working and I have these wonderful mementos of my career and they take up space, need to be insured and you have to take care of them,” Jabbar said.

“I’d rather use these to make sure the foundation gets the funding,” he said.

At auction, Jabbar’s 1971-72 NBA MVP Trophy sold for more than $76,000 while his 1987 NBA Championship went fetched more than $260,000.

When final accounting is performed, the auction should easily net more than $1 million for the foundation.

The funds will keep the foundation afloat, allowing underprivileged children a chance at an education in the STEM field.

“So many young people think they have to be extremely talented like a LeBron James, Stevie Wonder, or Beyoncé.

They don’t have realistic ideas on what their potential is and giving them this opportunity is showing them where the best jobs will be in the 21st century,” Jabbar said.

“It gives them a leg up and hopefully [helps them] make connections,” he said.

Foundation officials have discovered recent research that shows that 97 percent of girls and 92 percent of boys give up on science because of peer pressure and what’s hot in popular culture, Jabbar said.

His mission is the change that.

“When it comes to choosing between storing a championship ring or providing kids with an opportunity to change their lives, the choice is pretty simple – sell it.

Besides I was there, I lived it,” Jabbar said.

“Instead of gazing at the sparkle of jewels or gold plating and celebrating something I did a long time ago, I’d rather look into the delighted face of a child. Everybody has an ego and I’m no different,” he said, laughing.

“But, I can’t take this stuff with me so it’s better that I share it in a way that enables me to do something really neat and the benefits I think far outweigh anything else.”

Thursday, March 7, 2019

LOS ANGELES NEWS OBSERVER A5

Sports

“The American Dream” Lara and WBA Champion Brian Castaño Fight to a Draw

Landry wakes the Knicks with 6 three pointers in the 1st quarter. (courtesy photo)

Clippers Rout Knicks

By Cameron Buford whatsgoodinsports.com As the NBA has moved past the mid-point in their season, and most teams are now preparing themselves for playoffs push. Los Angeles Clippers fan have been pleasantly surprised by the Clippers this season and their playoff potential this season. This past Sunday, the Clippers welcomed in the New York Knocks for a matinee game at Staples Center.

Dating back to the 2013-14 Season the Clippers are 9-1 versus the New York Knick. On another historical, not the Clippers have the fourth best record in the NBA since the start if the 2011-12 season, with a winning percentage of .627. As the Clippers continue their playoffs push, this game turned out to be a coming out party for their new shooting guard Landry Shamet.

Acquired earlier in the season from the Philadelphia 76ers, 6-5 Guard Landry Shamet came into the game leading all rookies in 3-point shooting percentage with 40.8%. Shamet also is 1 of 15 players, in NBA History, to make 100 three-point shots in their first 55 games. If the Knicks weren’t familiar with Shamet before the game, they

are now, as he quickly introduced himself in the game with 6 three-pointers in the first quarter of Sunday’s game.

Shamet’s 18 points in the quarter led all player in the game and sparked the Clippers 38- 20 to end the first quarter. The Knicks didn’t do much to slow the Clipper down in the second quarter, as they gave up 44 points to the Clippers in the second quarter. Allowing four players to score in double figures in the half. Thought the Knicks came back to win the third quarter the flood gates were already open, and the Clippers were already rolling.

The Clippers finished the game with 2 players scoring over 20 points and 4 more players over 15 points in Sunday game against the Knicks. After trading Tobias Harris to the 76ers, the Clippers appear to be in great position to make the NBA playoffs this season. To do so the will continue to beat the teams they are supposed to beat if they can beat those teams; they will make the playoffs. Please share your thoughts on the Clippers Playoffs potential with us by commenting in the comment section of this article on www.whatsgoodinsports.com or reaching out to us on twitter @whatsgoodinsports. Your feedback is very much welcomed and appreciated!

Sporting FC vs LAFC

By Cameron Buford whatsgoodinsports.com Coming up this Saturday, March 2 live on SHOWTIME from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™, and presented by Premier Boxing Champions, former Super Welterweight World Champion Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara will look to reclaim a piece of the 154-pound crown when he challenges WBA champion Brian Castaño.

In the main bout which aired live on Showtime from Brooklyn’s Barclay’s Center by Premier Boxing Champions, the 154-pound Erislandy Lara and WBA Super Welterweight Champion Brian Castaño fought to a highly contested draw on Saturday night. Although Castaño retains the WBA belt, this may very well have been the toughest test of his career. The judges scored the fight 115-113 (Castaño), 115-113 (Lara) and 114-114.

In his first fight in the United States Castaño (15-0-1, 11 KOs), had the advantage in power punches (181-103), while Lara (25-3-3, 14 KOs) had success landing his lefthanded jabs, by over 7%. This fight had to be difficult for the judges to score. Castaño applied more power in the later rounds while connecting connected on 44 punches; in turn, Lara only landed 24 punches in those same championship rounds.

“I know I won the fight. I feel I was robbed,” the disappointed Castaño said to SHOWTIME’s Jim Gray. “If he wants the rematch, I’ll give him the rematch. I waited for him this time so I can wait for him again if he wants the rematch. I would give him the rematch if he wants. I can also go ahead and fight any other champion that wants to fight me. I’m ready for whoever they put in front of me.

Hurd or anyone else.”

As you might have expected, Lara felt he did enough to win the belt: “I thought I won the fight by landing the more accurate and effective punches. Castaño came to fight but he never hurt me and I hurt him. All I can do is give the fans great fights and that’s what I’ll continue to do. I have a lot of fight left in me and I’m not going anywhere. If we have to fight him again, I’ll fight him. Hurd or Castaño.

Anybody, I’ll have the rematch with both.”

We saw two heavyweights slug it out in the co-feature, as Cuban Heavyweight slugger Luis Ortiz (31-1, 26 KOs) gained a unanimous decision victory over Christian Hammer (24-6, 14 KOs). Ortiz is now looking for another world title shot, since dropping a thrilling slugfest with WBC Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder over a year ago.

Ortiz used his superior technique and skills to cruise to the lopsided decision, as he averaged 45 jabs per round.

Both men fought through bloody noses at different points in the fight and both were stunned in a back-and-forth second round. Ortiz also made a conscious effort to attack Hammer’s body with 33.6% of his total connects (45 of

140) coming via body shots “The fight wasn’t what I was expecting,” said Ortiz.

“I fought a fight that I hadn’t for years, which is box and work,” said Ortiz. “So, I’m not disappointed I didn’t knock him out because I showed some of my boxing skills tonight.” “It was a hard fight and my corner really had to work with me. After I got the rhythm, I heated up a little bit. Every heavyweight out there should know that I still have it at 40-years-old.

Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder, I’m ready.”

“Ortiz is a very good and experienced fighter,” said the 31-year-old Hammer, who was making his American debut.

“He’s technical and smart but he’s not as intimidating as people say he is. I respect Ortiz but I don’t think he’s the best fighter I’ve ever faced.”

In Showtimes opener on Saturday night, Eduardo Ramirez (22-1-3, 9 KOs) caught Bryan De Gracia (24-2-1, 20 KOs) with his dangerous right uppercut in the ninth round. This uppercut stunned De Gracia and suddenly broke open a close fight. Ramirez the pounced the dazed De Gracia and unleashed a wave of punches which forced referee Benjy Esteves to call the fight in the 9th round.”

“I definitely knew it was close but my corner kept telling me to keep going and going, and that’s when I caught him,” said Ramirez, who was fighting with a heavy heart following the passing of his grandfather. “I didn’t just come here to fight. I came here to do something, and I did it.”

In SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING COUNTDOWN action that streamed live on the SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel and SHOWTIME Boxing Facebook page, Edwin Rodriguez (31-2, 20 KOs) won a 10-round cruiserweight fight via unanimous decision over Mitch Williams (16-7-3, 11 KOs) by scores of 96-94 twice and 98-92. Coverage on social media also saw Antonio Russell (13-0, 11 KOs), younger brother of WBC Featherweight Champion Gary Russell Jr., stop Jose Maria Cardenas (16-4, 13 KOs) 22 seconds into the sixth round of their bantamweight fight. In the opening bout of the digital presentation, Leduan Barthelemy (14-0-1, 7 KOs) remained unbeaten with a unanimous decision over Miguel Angel Aispuro (11-7-2, 7 KOs) by scores of 80-72 twice and 79-73 in their eight-round super featherweight attraction.

Once again PBC offered Boxing Fans another wonderful fight card for then to tune in and enjoy. Are you enjoying these fight cards PBC is promoting week in and week out? Please share your thoughts on the exciting fight cards Premier Boxing Championship have provided for us boxing fans, week in week out, by commenting in the comment section of this article on www.whatsgoodinsports. com or reaching out to us on twitter @whatsgoodinsports.

The Los Angeles Football Club opened up their new season at Band of California Stadium on Sunday March 3 against Sporting KC. (LAFC courtesy photo)

By Cameron Buford whatsgoodinsports.com The newest Los Angeles soccer has just begun their second season in the MLS. One would think that a new team would struggle to gain fans in a big, bustling city such as Los Angeles. However, the Los Angeles Football Club has entered the scene with a fanbase anxiously awaiting their arrival. Evidence that soccer is the biggest sport in the world was on full display in the wonderful new Banc of California Stadium Sunday Night.

Just South of Downtown Los Angeles, on the same compound of the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, sits the newly erected home of the Los Angels Football Club. The LAFC is coached by Tyler Miller on the sideline and Carlos Vela on the pitch. Having lost to Sporting KC twice in their inaugural season, revenge was on their mind.

Even though Krisztian Nemeth, of Sporting KC, scored in the 16th minute of the game, the supporters of LAFC in section 3252 were no less enthusiastic. They cheered and chanted lively nearly every moment of the

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game. Their excitement only increased when Diego Rossie scored in the 47 minute of the match. This match was remained very competitive throughout as the KAFC had 6 shots on target vs Sporting KC’s 5 shots on target.

As the LAFC fans cheered on their team loudly and proudly throughout the game and into extra minutes.

The nearly even time of possession in this game was a clear indicator of how close this game was before Adama Diomande managed to get loose for the go-ahead goal, seconds before the official stopped the game.

For only my second professional soccer game, this was a unique and exciting experience in a beautiful venue any sports fans would enjoy. Having made the playoffs last season, the LAFC is looking to improve on their run for an MLS Championship. Please let me know your thoughts on the LAFC and their potential for an MLS Championship, with us by commenting in the comment section of this article on www.whatsgoodinsports.com or reaching out to us on twitter @whatsgoodinsports. Your feedback is very much welcomed and appreciated!

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Lara and Castano fought to an exciting draw. (Al Bello/Getty Images photo credit)

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Thursday, March 7, 2019

Local Stop Marginalizing Blacks in Public Higher Education The same states where African Americans are underrepresented in selective public colleges are also underfunding the openaccess colleges that African Americans attend. According to Georgetown’s study, selective public colleges spend nearly three times more on instruction and academic support than open access colleges.

The largest Black underrepresentation in selective public colleges is in the Deep South. In Mississippi, for example, African Americans account for 44 percent of 18-24 year olds, but only 11 percent of students at the state’s selective public college (the University of Mississippi). (Photo: iStockphoto / NNPA)

By Spencer Overton The Joint Center for Economic Studies Students across the country are putting final touches on their applications for some of our country’s most prestigious public institutions. Higher education officials and policymakers alike need to ensure that these universities are not underserving Black students.

Unfortunately, there’s a lot of work to do. A new study from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce shows that African Americans aren’t attending selective colleges (e.g. the University of Michigan, University of South Carolina, University of Houston, and others) at the same rates as their White peers. Even states with a sizable population of average-college-aged Black people (18-24 years old) are falling short. In Delaware, for example, African Americans account for 26 percent of 18-24 year olds, but only 6 percent of students at the University of Delaware.

These public colleges should serve a representative cross-section of students, and be engines of mobility for all students. Unfortunately, they are not. White students make up 54 percent of 18-24 year olds, but account for 64 percent of freshman enrollment in selective public colleges.

Meanwhile, Black students account for 15 percent of 1824 year olds in the United States, but only 7 percent of students in public selective colleges.

Some argue that African American students are less qualified to attend selective enrollment schools, but that isn’t the case. Among students who score in the upper half of standardized test scores, 31 percent of White students enroll in a selective college, but only 19 percent of Black students get that chance. All of these students are highly likely to graduate—students in the upper half of high school test distribution scores have an 85 percent chance

of graduating from college. And evidence suggests that some schools may over-rely on these scores, a practice that may over-emphasize affluence and access to quality K-12 schooling. This can hide race and class inequality behind a façade of quantitative metrics.

The Georgetown study also acknowledges Black students may be choosing to attend colleges other than the highly selective public universities. In fact, Black students are going to college in greater numbers than ever.

Unfortunately, the open-access colleges they are attending are overcrowded and under-resourced. This is likely affecting their chances of obtaining a degree, as graduation rates are significantly lower for students at open access colleges than they are at selective schools.

America’s higher education system sees the problem, but it is getting worse, not better. Over the last decade, Black representation at selective public colleges fell. For every 100 average college-age African Americans, four fewer are attending public selective colleges than a decade ago. The largest Black underrepresentation in selective public colleges is in the Deep South. In Mississippi, for example, African Americans account for 44 percent of 1824 year olds, but only 11 percent of students at the state’s selective public college (the University of Mississippi).

The same states where African Americans are underrepresented in selective public colleges are also underfunding the open-access colleges that African Americans attend. According to Georgetown’s study, selective public colleges spend nearly three times more on instruction and academic support than open access colleges. At a time when we need to further invest in developing a skilled workforce for a changing labor market, it’s more important than ever to adequately support public open-access colleges and hold selective public colleges accountable to avoid underserving Black students.

We must bring an end to this separate and unequal education system. It is in our country’s best interest to engage with people from all communities to reach their educational potential. Increasing skills and expanding the number of people who have access to higher paying jobs will help grow the economic pie for all Americans.

Adequately supporting open-access colleges and holding selective public colleges accountable for educating people from all communities would take us a long way toward a public university system that truly serves the best interests of all members of the public.

Menthol Milestone The Anniversary No One is Celebrating By: Carol McGruder Letter to the Editor Coming of age in the 1970s, I can still vividly remember seeing Marvin Gaye at the Kool Jazz Festival at the Oakland Coliseum and thinking how wonderful it was that Kool cigarettes were supporting our artists.

I was a teenager and didn’t connect that Big Tobacco’s sponsorships, product giveaways, and money were simply part of their master plan to get and keep Black people hooked to menthol cigarettes. It was predatory targeting and customer recruitment all dressed up as support for the Black community. Their ability to link this deadly product to the natural “coolness” of Black people was a true marketing triumph.

Menthol has been the tobacco industry’s recruitment tool for far too long. It has been added to cigarettes for nearly a century, masking tobacco’s harsh flavor, making the smoke feel smoother and easier to inhale - but that ease comes with a price. The smoothness of menthol allows smokers to inhale more deeply, so harmful particles can settle lower in the lungs. Menthol cigarettes are also harder to stop - people who use menthol cigarettes have a lower rate of successfully quitting.

2019 marks 10 years since the passage of the Tobacco Control Act (ACT) - an historical piece of legislation that among other things, banned flavored cigarettes, all flavors except menthol. While the Act was intended to stop the tobacco industry from using the allure of sweet, enticing flavors to hook a new generation to cigarettes, it failed to do one important thing. Stop the sale of menthol-flavored cigarettes.

Yes, the Tobacco Control Act was a huge victory for all of us who had worked for decades to combat the tobacco industry, but exempting menthol cigarettes from the initial legislation was a heartbreaking setback and anyone who loved Black smokers knew it.

Big Tobacco would like us to believe that this exemption was preserving smokers’ choice, particularly for communities of color, who have higher rates of using menthol cigarettes. For example, in California, 70 percent of African American adult cigarette smokers smoke menthols - the highest usage rate of any group. Big Tobacco is using choice as a smokescreen to hide the fact that menthols are one of their best tools to addict new customers, and they refused to let it, and Black people, go.

Let’s look at what’s really going on. Since the Tobacco Control Act was signed, although cigarette use has declined in the U.S. in recent years, sales of menthol cigarettes have steadily increased, especially among young people and new smokers, essentially having the opposite effect the Tobacco Control Act intended!

The milestone we should be celebrating are the more than the 320,000 deaths that would have been averted by 2050 had the menthol cigarette ban gone into effect in 2011. And though Black folks are only ten percent of the U.S. population, a third of those saved lives would have been African Americans. This huge disparity is a testament to the effectiveness of the decades of predatory tobacco industry targeting that we have endured. Menthol cigarettes are the main reason why African American communities experience the greatest burden of tobacco-related mortality of any racial or

ethnic group in the United States. Smoking-caused illnesses continue to kill more African Americans than AIDS, car crashes, murders, drug and alcohol abuse combined.

It’s important to note that menthol sales bans do not criminalize individual people who smoke menthol cigarettes or punish smokers targeted by the tobacco industry for decades to use these deadly products - they are merely aimed to prevent their sale. The truth behind the smoke is that the tobacco industry is working hard to prevent sales bans - It’s estimated that the industry’s contributions to the African American community is as high as $25 million per year. I hope that our people have

Can Newsom’s Tap Water Tax Plan Stay Afloat?

Carol McGruder, Co-Chair of the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council. (Courtesy photo)

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Make no mistake, this year we have an opportunity to take a major step forward in protecting our state’s health -- one that’s 10 years in the making. Banning the sale of menthol cigarettes is a strong message from our elected officials that our cities will no longer participate in the sale and distribution of these deadly products. Let’s not miss this chance to get rid of menthol cigarettes for good. To learn more about menthol visit www.tobaccofreeca.com.

William Paterson, EBMUD’s Vice President of the Board of Directors, says that water is a huge issue in his ward in Oakland. About 2,300 of his constituents get assistance to pay for water. (Antonio R. Harvey photo)

Wade Crowfoot, the states’ Secretary for Natural Resources, explained to members of the California Black Chamber of Commerce how the governor’s proposed water tax would work. (Antonio R. Harvey photo)

Antonio Ray Harvey California Black Media The shortage and contamination of water in California is hitting millions of people hard, particularly Blacks and Latinos.

More than 300 communities across the state and one out of every four schools in the Central Valley lack access to safe drinking water, according to the state Water Board.

The problem is so bad in some places, families end up spending about 10 percent of their income buying bottled water.

Responding to the crisis, Gov. Gavin Newsom is calling for a new water tax. If the proposal passes, the levy will generate $110 million in annual revenue. But some Californians – many working directly with the state’s water authorities - oppose the plan. They say there are better ways to raise the money needed than taxing tap water.

“We met with residents who cannot drink or bathe with the water in their homes — while paying more for it than those in Beverly Hills,” the governor tweeted in January.

The “safe and affordable drinking water fund” Gov. Newsom is proposing in his 2019-2020 state budget, is slated to assist low-income or disadvantaged communities.

One of the communities struggling with access to clean water is East Bay Municipal Utility District Ward 6 in Oakland. William “Bill” Patterson, the Vice President of the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) Board of Directors, knows the water problem well.

About 2,300 families in his ward receive “special assistance” to help pay their water bill, says Patterson who is African American. EBMUD also has to address the needs of homeless people who have limited access to clean water.

Many schools in Ward 6 have old pipes, too, which expose students to lead and contamination.

“They have to decide between medicine and paying their water bill,” said Patterson, talking about his district’s residents. “They need assistance.”

Patterson spoke last month at the California Black Chamber of Commerce (CBCC) annual Capital Policy Luncheon in Sacramento.

The CCBC say it organized the event to engage Black business leaders on the complexity of clean and affordable water. Participants discussed how the problem affects Black and low-income residents in California.

Wade Crowfoot, California Secretary for Natural Resources, and Cindy Tuck, Deputy Executive Director of the Association of California Water Agencies, were the keynote speakers. They both heard Paterson’s concerns.

One out of every 30 Californians, Crowfoot told the audience, “disproportionately low-income people and disproportionately people of color,” suffer from the ability to access clean water.

“This isn’t some sort of estimate that’s disputed. This is fact validated by the government,” Crowfoot said. “I am inspired by Gavin Newsom actually stepping in to take on this problem.”

Crowfoot runs an agency that has about 19,000 employees and an annual budget of $15 billion dollars. He is responsible for state resources that include water, parks, fish and wildlife, oil and gas production, and some parts of energy.

Crowfoot said the water tax “breaks up into two parts,” one part agriculture and the other residential and business.

On the agriculture side, imposing a fee on fertilizers, dairy, and livestock would generate about $30 million each year.

Newsom’s suggestion to add a “surcharge” on residential and business’ water bills would generate $80 million each year. It would not, however, apply to lowincome residents earning 200 percent under the poverty level.

“California is stepping up to ensure all residents have clean and safe water,’” Crowfoot said. “The notion is spreading the costs.”

The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) wants to solve the water problems, too. But not by imposing fees on taxpayers. ACWA suggests that there are alternative ways of generating the $110 million needed for the fund.