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Conflicting messages add to uncertainty In the U.S., people initially received conflicting messages from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and President Donald Trump. It was no surprise Katharina Wittgens, a psychologist with the behavioral strategy agency Innovation Bubble, suggests that that people were worried when one organization says the shoppers are creating too much anxiety in themselves, which is never good during either clear or uncertain matter is urgent, and another says it’s under control. With the virus present in all 50 states, and daily life has been circumstances. (Photo: iStockphoto / NNPA) altered from coast to coast, an unexpected “fear contagion” has taken hold.

Often in times of uncertainty, people can enter a

By Merdies Hayes cases of bottled water, which are now limited to two per “panic zone” that makes them irrational and—in rare Via Our Weekly News customer. cases—borderline neurotic. In other disaster conditions Panic buying has been rife around the globe in America not alone in frenzy like an earthquake, tornado or hurricane, people tend to wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Customers have been America isn’t alone in experiencing empty shelves. prepare because they know how many supplies they will stockpiling goods like hand sanitizer, bottled water, canned Mass demand for rice and noodles in Singapore prompted need. It’s hard to do that with a virus that scientists around goods, paper towels and toilet paper.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to assure the public the world are still learning about.

The trend has seen stores in some nations ration that there was enough to go around. In Auckland, New Peter Noel Murray, a New York-based member of products. The U.K. is limiting sales of hand hygiene Zealand, supermarket spending shot up 40 percent in the American Psychological Association and the Society products. Australians have seen restrictions on paper goods. about 72 hours. Shoppers in Malaysia wanting to pad their for Consumer Psychology, is uncertain that persons in Americans now have to wake before dawn to purchase “pandemic pantries” have driven an 800-percent increase Continued on page A2 Pedro Mendoza and daughter Angela are part of

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Panic Buying Adds Additional Stress in COVID-19 Pandemic

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You don’t need a year’s supply of toilet paper

Bedside Baptist has Taken on Whole New Meaning Due to the Coronavirus Crisis McKenzie Jackson California Black Media Usually it’s come as you are, but this past Sunday the message to parishioners of African-American churches across the Golden State was tune in online.

Worship houses from Southern California to beyond the Bay Area have been instructed not to hold in-house services for some time due to the novel coronavirus outbreak making its way around the globe.

“We may not be able to touch in the natural but we are connected in the spirit,” the Rev. Jacqueline Thompson, pastor of Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland, told her parishioners via video stream last Sunday. The 100-yearold congregation is one of the oldest Black churches in the Bay Area.

For Clint Thompson of Santa Monica the governor’s

shelter in place order meant abandoning his weekly jaunt to West Angeles Church of God in Christ in Los Angeles for Sunday service. The popular South Los Angeles church canceled its service and instead live-streamed Bishop Charles E. Blake’s message online. Thompson, a 37-yearold actor, said he watched the service for his weekly inspiration, but noted that he missed sitting in the pews.

“The service is good and its theatrical,” he said. “The music is good, the praise dancing. It feels like a live music festival.”

Thompson isn’t the lone California worshipper who will be catching the gospel online during this time.

Churchgoers across the state are tuning into worship services online via video streaming on their websites or social media pages in response to government officials across the state requesting that church services not convene

Top Row: Bishop Charles E. Blake West Angeles Church of God in Christ in Los Angeles, Rev. Jacqueline Thompson, pastor of Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland, Pastor “J” Edgar Boyd of First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Los AngelesBottom Row: Rev. Kenneth C. Curry, Jr., of Friendship Baptist Church in Yorba Linda, Pastor Amos Brown Third Baptist Church in San Francisco and Pastor Touré Roberts of The Potter’s House at One L.A.

anytime in the foreseeable future to slow the rapid spread of the coronavirus and COVID-19, the disease it causes.

Sermons, choir performances, praise and worship, and other church service mainstays go on as usual. But they happen in front of a handful of worshippers, camera crews and technicians responsible for posting the services online — instead of the dozens to hundreds of people who usually pack California Black church benches on Sunday mornings.

The Rev. Kenneth C. Curry, Jr., pastor of Friendship Baptist Church in Yorba Linda, said not preaching in front of hundreds of familiar faces is a strange feeling, but it is an essential one because of the health risks that come with the rapidly spreading respiratory illness. Curry said when Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a health emergency that put restrictions on public gatherings larger than 250 people, his church’s services were immediately cancelled. They began taping them for the internet.

“I’ve preached in small groups, but its hard when you are standing in a sanctuary that you know holds 700 people, and you might be preaching to ten, and you are trying to make it feel like Sunday morning, and you’re far from Sunday morning,” he said. “It’s different, but it’s a service that is needed, so I make it happen for my people to the best of my ability.”

Last Sunday, was men’s Sunday at Allen Temple Baptist in Oakland. The members of the men’s chorus performed on stage in a formation that allowed six feet of social distance among them. Each man had his own mic.

“We’re scared right now, lord. We don’t understand what you are doing and we don’t like it,” Thompson, the pastor at Allen Temple, prayed during her Oakland church’s live stream that was broadcast on Facebook and on the church’s website.

“But remind us that you are gracious. Even in the midst of this, thank you for slowing us down and connecting us with family and what is important in this world,” she added.

The spread of the coronavirus, officially declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, has sickened more than 329,000 people on six continents according to official tallies by governments and health organizations. It has caused the deaths of at least 14,522 people, as of Monday morning.

In the United States, there have been 428 deaths and 33,018 health cases attributed to the illness.

In California, so far, there have been 33 deaths related to COVID-19 and an estimated 1,849 people have tested positive.

The high infection rate of the untreatable virus has changed life across the globe, shuttering businesses, schools, offices, restaurants, sports and entertainment venues and any other places groups of people might gather.

Governments have urged people to stay indoors.

California’s Black churches say they are taking the pandemic seriously by vigorously cleaning their worship houses and closing their doors to the public for regular church activities.

Pastor “J” Edgar Boyd of First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Los Angeles said in an online statement his church is working on ways for the church body to stay connected through video chats and conference calls.

“Please know that we are praying for the safety, physical wellbeing and spiritual strength for you, your household, and for your entire family,” Boyd wrote.

Curry said no services have taken place at his church since March 15. The church has been streaming its 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. services, and Sunday was the first time they broadcast their Sunday school service, which had about 130 viewers. He said churchgoers watch online messages.

“I don’t care what a church does, even if it is in a minimized form, I think every church has to have some type of online presence,” Curry said. “They will figure out Continued on page A3

a fixture in South LA. (Photo Credit: Earl Heath)

sticking together now more than ever.

The Mendoza family Pedro (father) and Angela (daughter) run the King Blvd Cleaners located on 1764 M.L. King (at St Andrews). There’s also Mrs. Mendoza taking orders and working the machines. The cleaners has been in operation for more than 50 years and it is great for the neighborhood.

They have fast efficient service whether it is for the work suit, the evening gown, or even just your slacks. They also do alterations in a very timely manner mostly within 24 to 48 hours.

“They get the job done,” said Alicia a long time patron. “My parents came here and now I’m coming here. They do a really good job and its good for our community.”

COVID-19 has slowed business a bit but never fear they do have a super promotion going now. If you pre pay for your dry cleaning, they will deliver it to your home or business free of charge.

“It’s something we thought would work well,” said Angela also known as “Rosie”. A lot of people are staying home because of what’s happening and we thought that would help.”

Visit them on MLK and you won’t be disappointed.

Civil Rights Activist and Emmett Till Relative Dies at 50

By SOPHIA TAREEN Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) – Airickca Gordon-Taylor, a relative of Emmett Till who spent her life educating others about the black teenage lynching victim’s legacy through her foundation, died at age 50, according to family members.

Gordon-Taylor, of suburban Chicago, died early Saturday, hours after a hospital stay. She had kidney problems for decades, including two transplants, according to her mother, Ollie Gordon, who was Till’s cousin.

“She was a great advocate. She was a fighter for equal justice,’’ Gordon said. “She was very serious about her commitment to keep the legacy of Emmett Till going.’’

Gordon-Taylor, of Olympia Fields, also called herself Till’s cousin, but considered herself a surrogate daughter to his mother, whom she lived with for a time.

In 2009, Gordon-Taylor named her foundation after Till’s mother, calling it the Mamie Till Mobley Memorial Foundation. Its mission is to honor her and her only son.

Emmett Till was killed in 1955 while visiting relatives in Mississippi, his body found weighted down in the Tallahatchie River. His mother insisted on an open-casket funeral in Chicago, where they lived, so the public could see the mutilated corpse. An all-white jury acquitted two white men in the killing.

Till’s death helped energize the civil rights movement.

Gordon-Taylor’s work included youth empowerment, such as teaching young people oratory skills, and civil rights issues. Most recently, she advocated in Washington, D.C., for an anti-lynching bill named after Till.

“Airickca dedicated her life’s work to lifting up the legacy of her cousin, Emmett Till, and she stood in solidarity with other families who had lost loved ones to racial violence in our country,” said Kristen Clarke, head of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, which works with the foundation. “She fought for truth and justice, and worked tirelessly to promote racial healing.’’

Family members said they hope to plan a public memorial event in the future.

A2

LOS ANGELES NEWS OBSERVER

Thursday, March 26, 2020

World & Nation

Supreme Court Sides with Comcast in Discrimination Dispute Against Byron Allen

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent In a decision issued online Monday, March 23, over entrepreneur and media mogul Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios Networks in a discrimination lawsuit against Comcast, the Supreme Court’s justices have unanimously decided to send the case back to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. The lower court will now determine whether or not is should reconsider Allen’s claims in his $20 billion suit.

In an Op-Ed for BlackPressUSA.com, Maurita Coley, President and CEO of the Multicultural Media, Telecom, and Internet Council (MMTC) explains, “The lawsuit arose out of Comcast’s decision several years ago not to carry several Allen-owned television channels, such as Pets.TV and Recipe.TV. Comcast has argued its rejection of Allen’s channels was purely a business decision, reflecting what it viewed as the channels’ limited audience appeal. Allen then promptly filed a $20 billion lawsuit against Comcast, alleging that the company’s refusal to contract with Allen’s company was racially motivated, in violation of Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866.

“District Court Judge Terry Hatter – a well-respected African American judge with an apparently strong record on civil rights – dismissed the case three times, finding that Allen had not established a plausible argument that Comcast would have contracted with his company ‘but for’ Allen’s race.

“Allen appealed to the 9th Circuit, which remanded Judge Hatter’s dismissal with a new guideline to the lower court that a plaintiff can state a viable claim under Section 1981 if discriminatory intent plays any role in a defendant’s decision not to contract, regardless of whether race discrimination was a “but for” cause of that decision.

Comcast petitioned the Supreme Court to review the 9th

The Supreme Court’s justices have unanimously decided to send the case back to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. (Photo: iStockphoto / NNPA)

Circuit’s decision, and the Supreme Court agreed.”

The Supreme Court filing, Comcast Corp vs.

NAAAOM, was the result of an appeal by Comcast of the 9th Circuit’s decision.

Comcast argued that the Section 1981 ban can only be interpreted as requiring “but for” causation. It argued that everyone must have “the same right” as white citizens “to make and enforce contracts.”

Comcast assured the justices that reasons that have nothing to do with race, such as a lack of bandwidth, and its decision to focus on news and sports content, were the basis of their decision not to carry ESN’s channels. Moreover, Comcast noted it had, for many years, carried numerous other African American-owned networks.

ESN countered that Comcast’s position would prohibit a plaintiff who alleges that race was a motivating factor for the refusal to contract from conducting fact-finding discovery on the claim, no matter how strong the evidence of racism, unless the plaintiff could meet the stringent requirement of plausibly alleging that race was the ‘but-for’ cause of the refusal to contract.

That, ESN reasonably insists, is an extremely high and difficult hurdle because “the defendant typically is the only party with access to evidence of the defendant’s motives.”

On Monday, Comcast released the following statement, “We are pleased the Supreme Court unanimously restored certainty on the standard to bring and prove civil rights claims. The well-established framework that has protected civil rights for decades continues. The nation’s civil rights laws have not changed with this ruling; they remain the same as before the case was filed.

“We now hope that on remand, the 9th Circuit will agree that the District Court properly applied the law in dismissing Mr. Allen’s case three separate times for failing to state any claim.

“We are proud of our record on diversity and will not rest on this record. We will continue to look for ways to add even more innovative and diverse programming that appeals to our diverse viewership and continue our diversity and inclusion efforts across the company.”

NNPA attempted to contact Byron Allen’s attorneys for a statement. However, at the time of this writing, neither Allen nor his attorneys have provided any comments.

Business Acumen and Assuredness

Enable Corporate America to Overcome Insurmountable Odds

Bernie Fowler (Courtesy Photo)

By Kimberly Hayes Taylor NNPA Newswire Contributor As an automotive C-suite level executive, Bennie Fowler became a business leader to count on when corporations in crisis were hemorrhaging money and losing loyal customers because of questionable quality.

During the 2008 economic crisis, Fowler helped lead Ford Motor Company’s turnaround to profitability when the company was losing billions of dollars per year and facing bankruptcy. As chief operating officer, he had proven his abilities while navigating a successful upswing at the $10 billion British Jaguar & Land Rover operation when it faced stalled production, poor product quality, and was projected to lose $250 million.

Fowler believes his business acumen and the assuredness he needed to beat insurmountable odds was sparked by his humble beginnings of selling baskets of eggs doorto-door and working as a janitor while growing up in Augusta, Georgia. It was this early introduction to the work world that motivated him to perform at a high level in education followed by the lessons learned in a variety of career assignments.

Now, a supply chain improvement specialist who helps

Fortune 500 companies boost product quality, productivity and financial performance, Fowler has a clear focus on what it takes to be successful in the C-suite and says it requires more than a winning attitude and determination.

Professionals who see themselves among the C-suite ranks must possess a deep set of business skills and discipline. Fowler’s custom C-suite curriculum is a focused and disciplined program that provides direction and wisdom for professionals who aspire to reach the top tier of companies.

His programs are designed to help professionals understand the fundamentals to become a CEO (chief executive officer), usually the top position at a company or corporation—the person who signs off on most important decisions— and other C-suite roles such as CFO (chief financial officer) who guides business strategy, risk management, and financial analysis and opportunities; CIO (chief information officer) who governs information technology infrastructure and manages the company’s information technology; and COO (chief operating officer) is a senior executive tasked with overseeing the day-to-day administrative and operational functions of a business and typically reports directly to the CEO.

During the decades he spent in leadership roles at General Motors, Chrysler, and Ford, Fowler established a reputation for developing and executing processes to improve quality and help the companies turnaround their performance.

Fowler says that no matter how great his successes, he never achieved a single goal by himself. Each effort required teamwork.

“That’s why understanding leadership and teambuilding is critically important at the top,” he says.

One of the keys to building a high performing team is to quickly get an understanding of team members’ personal goals and create a specific plan to achieve them. Team members also need to understand the company’s goals to ensure their focus is in alignment.

The best leaders realize that they need people, and that people will be willing to go the extra mile for them when they display a genuine interest in helping them achieve their professional and family goals.

“One of the best qualities a leader can have is credibility,” he says. “Credibility comes from sharing experiences and abilities with the team to make them better. It is also the way you share what you’ve learned.”

Fowler is known for being a sensei, the Japanese title for a teacher or master, and he possesses the ability to make complex subjects seem simple.

Much like the head coach of a professional football team who repeatedly analyzes an opposing team’s defense, noting strengths and weaknesses, Fowler has meticulously studied the skills and capabilities required to become a C-suite leader.

He says every CEO must be able to review external and internal environments and understand the performance gap for all key stakeholders, especially shareholders.

Then, the CEO must be able to work with teams to craft a compelling vision, comprehensive strategy, and plan, and set up a reliable process to ensure execution. A CEO also must have a strategy to develop talent to ensure success.

The talent development strategy is also a critical success factor for winning, he says. So is building an executive team that owns technical excellence, working together with transparency and ethics.

Finally, professionals who want to effectively position themselves for the C-Suite position must gain knowledge, experience, and confidence by experiencing successes amid adverse circumstances such as turning around profit losses, correcting major production problems, and improving product quality.

Fowler successfully faced those challenges.

The CEO position was more volatile than ever in 2019, when a record number of chief executives left their

Panic Buying Adds Additional Stress in COVID-19 Pandemic Continued from page A1

authority have the power to calm the panic-buying trend.

“On the emotional side, the answer is self-affirmation,” he said. “In our minds, we know one day we are going to be dead, and the mind deals with it through [seeking] control.” He said there is an “over-estimation” of fear and people’s minds need to respond to those kinds of feelings.

A need for ‘self-affirmation’ “The need for self-affirmation is triggered and that drives us to do unreasonable things like buying a year’s worth of toilet paper,” Murray explained. “It overwhelms the knowledge that we don’t need to be doing that.”

There is a difference in disaster panic and general panic. Toilet paper has become the symbol of the latter.

For instance, weather forecasters are able to predict with much greater certainty that a hurricane is barreling toward a certain region. They can provide more information about a cluster of tornadoes about to come your way (though warning times are uncertain at best). With an earthquake, of course, there is little way of predicting that. In these cases, you know it is going to happen and you usually know ahead of time that the emergency will last a couple of days. You’re able to prepare yourself by being somewhat rational with what you buy.

In public health issues we have no idea about the duration and or intensity. Therefore, the messages we receive daily may encourage some to go into panic mode and purchase far more than needed because it’s often the only way to maintain a sense of control.

But why purchase huge amounts of toilet paper? Dr. Dimitrios Tsivrikos, an expert in consumer and behavioral science at the University College London, has for the past few months witnessed this phenomenon and offered an unexpected assessment:

“Because toilet paper has a longer shelf-life than many food items,” he said. “And it’s prominently featured in aisles and is big in size. We’re psychologically drawn to purchasing it in times of crisis. It’s in big colorful packages; the bigger they are, the more important we think they are.”

Take precautions, but don’t panic While the threat is very real and all precautions should be taken to stay healthy, some shoppers may overestimate the risks of dying from coronavirus. Katharina Wittgens, a psychologist with the behavioral strategy agency Innovation Bubble, suggests that shoppers are creating too much anxiety in themselves, which is never good during either clear or uncertain circumstances.

“Far more people die in car accidents or household accidents per year, but we don’t panic in the morning before we go to work about these things,” Wittgens said. “It’s hard to convince our brains of facts, hence why statistics often don’t work.” Wittgens said the surge in panic buying will probably decline after a month when people have had time to think more rationally.

“When we stand in front of empty shelves, people fear that stocks will run out, so they buy far more than they need,” she said. “This becomes dangerous as some goods such as soap, medicines and sanitizers become unavailable for those in immediate need.” And because it is more obvious when the paper goods aisle is empty—compared to smaller items—this can also lead to craze over the item intensifying.

There have been plenty of examples of price gouging in response to the coronavirus pandemic. There have been reports of a 20-pack of face masks costing more than $100 on e-commerce sites like eBay and Esty. These prices have caused companies to put measures in place to stop

speculators from taking advantage of a spike in demand.

This month, for example, Amazon announced it removed more than a million basic-needs products for misleading claims and price gouging.

Face masks won’t stop infection The U.S. government has recommended people stop buying face masks, not only because surgical masks aren’t sufficient protection from coronavirus, but because there may not be enough for healthcare professionals who need them to do their jobs.

Americans have witnessed this type of irrational behavior before. In 1962 during the Cuban missile crisis, when nuclear war seemed imminent, American families filled their basements with enough canned food and bottled water to survive an atomic blast. Then there was Y2K at the turn of the millennium. There were widespread fears of a catastrophic glitch when computers’ internal clock reset to “00” for the year 2000. It was believed that the glitch could crash global markets or send missiles flying across the globe. People just didn’t hoard nonperishables and bottled water, but lots of money: In 1999, the U.S. Treasury was ordered to print an extra $50 billion in the expectation that people would withdraw and stockpile cash.

A better plan than panic buying would be to be prepared year-round for a possible emergency or crisis. It’s also worth keeping everyone else’s needs in mind as these types of events unfold. Stock up on what you and your family need and no more. Avoid the urge to hoard enough supplies to fill a doomsday bunker.

“Anxiety needs to be acknowledged and managed,” Wittgens said. “We do not want complacency, but high levels of anxiety are not useful to prepare [or] prevent catching it.”

posts, according to a report from career tracking firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas.

Nearly 1,500 CEOs left their posts between January and November 2019, a 12% increase from the same time period in 2018. That’s also significantly more than the 1,100 executives who left their posts in 2008, the height of the Great Recession.

It means an unprecedented opportunity for professionals who want to reach the executive levels of leadership in companies and corporations.

Fowler says, given the opportunity, he would take on another corporate turnaround mission. With his consulting firm, Bennie Fowler LLC, he helps companies improve supply chain management.

As a turnaround leader, Fowler was able to come in, pick up pieces and make things right when his companies were failing to perform. As a change agent, he was trusted to solve problems when there was no obvious solution. As a stabilizer, he understood what to preserve during troubled times and what to eliminate.

He says people who want into C-suite ranks should have the ability to quickly assess the current business situation and demonstrate that they can get results in highstakes environments. African Americans need to be overly prepared with unmatched qualifications.

Fowler concluded, “I always thought if there was a job that had to be done, and there were 10 people [competing for the job], why shouldn’t it be me? God has blessed me with the talents that I have, I try to use them for the benefit of myself, my family and everybody around me.”

Kimberly Hayes Taylor is a freelance journalist in Detroit.

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Thursday, March 26, 2020

LOS ANGELES NEWS OBSERVER A3

Features

#QuarantineAndChill: Things to Do During the Covid-19 Crisis

By Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D. exhibits on their Facebook page. with their kids, now is the perfect time to practice media NNPA Newswire Culture and Entertainment Editor Cosmickids.com offers yoga, programming and lesson literacy by sitting down and playing video games with your Covid-19, Coronavirus or “Rona” as some are calling plans to teach yoga and mindfulness to children. Although, kids so you can see what they’re doing and talk about it in it has changed the way society typically functions. Some the Smithsonian National Museum of African American a critically engaged, and fun way. You may just understand cities have imposed mandatory quarantines while others are History and Culture is closed due to coronavirus, they why you should think thrice before allowing your kids to encouraging self-control and self-quarantining. Many are have an app that features highlighted objects from their play Grand Theft Auto or World of Warcraft. complying with official requests for social distancing and collection, multimedia and augmented reality and stories You can also show them some of your favorite video eliminating contact with those outside of the household. exploring their 12 inaugural exhibitions. games which parents may discover they like just as much.

Folks are trying to manage how to teach their children If arts and crafts are your thing, Michaels has lots of Finally, for those who are having anxiety over teaching their at home and fulfill employment obligations while not do-it-yourself projects for children that are easily made younger children academic lessons, check out ABCMouse. losing their minds during this new normal marked by with materials around the house. If you’re jonesing for the com which is offering a free 30-day trial. It’s where learning disappointments like canceled proms and graduations, touch and feel of cotton, then you can order online and and fun meet online. rogue relatives refusing to follow the rules and constant news coverage of those who are sick and have passed away.

Despite these challenges there is a silver lining. Just when you were lamenting over failing to follow through on giving up social media for Lent, lots of people are coming together on social media to offer wonderful activities for those at home. Check out a few below: Free Celebrity Performances on Instagram: Celebrities are offering outstanding free programming.

John Legend was joined by model and partner Chrissy Teigen for a CONVID-19 benefit concert from his living room that played on Instagram. If you didn’t catch John Legend, musical acts as diverse as Luke Bryan, JoJo, Miley Cyrus, D-Nice and Common are offering online concerts via Instagram. All you need is an Instagram account to watch and you’re good to go.

If those folks don’t do it for you, then check out NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts series, intimate video performances, recorded live at the desk of “All Songs Considered,” host Bob Boilen. Rising rap star Chika’s performance just dropped and shows her skills and playful side. Other popular performances include The Roots featuring trombonist Jeff Bradshaw and Bilal, Rev. Sekou and The Seal Breakers, Lizzo, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah and Omara Portuondo.

Speaking of Instagram, can you say Debbie Allen? The iconic dancer, choreographer and director offered up a free dance class this past Wednesday to lift the spirits of those feeling isolated during the crisis. Thousands checked in and Keep thoughts of isolation at bay by reconnecting with friends and loved ones and making use of what’s available in real time and online. #QuarantineAndChill and enjoy the time you have with those you love. had a blast based on the comments.

Not to worry, if you missed it, she’s offering the (Photo: iStockphoto / NNPA) dance class every Wednesday at 1 p.m. PST during the COVID-19 crisis. How much would it normally cost to take a dance class from Debbie Allen? Who knows but now pick-up curbside at participating Michaels stores.

Binge-A-Thons you can dance with Allen for free and in the comfort of Now is a wonderful time to breakout the boardgames COVID-19 has created the perfect opportunity to your home. Allen is also offering a kids class Saturday on like Sorry, Monopoly, Life, Clue, Jenga, Escape Room in binge on television series and film genres that you love.

Instagram at 11 a.m. PST so set your reminder! a Box and Black Card Revoked, which not only entertain Blaxploitation films are often available On Demand for free Things for the Kids kids of all ages but also offer fun for adults. Not to fret via your cable provider. Choose your favorite director like If the Debbie Allen kids dance class is not for you, adults, there’s also Spades Plus (virtual), virtual Chess Spike Lee, Gina Prince Bythewood, Ryan Coogler, John then check out some of the following things your kids games, Words with Friends and several online Tonk and Singleton or Ava Duvernay and watch their films until might enjoy. Many zoos and museums are putting exhibits Bid Whist sites, so you can get back to making blind bids your heart is content. You might also like TV shows from online during the COVID-19 crisis. The Cincinnati Zoo and running Bostons on folks in no time at all. the 1970s and 1980s, many of which are also available On & Botanical Gardens is livestreaming several animals and For parents who have slacked off on watching media Demand.

If you want to Netflix and chill, check out outstanding programming you may not have had an opportunity to watch yet like Raising Dion, Dear White People (season 3), Dolemite Is My Name, Jezebel and Queen Sono. Netflix’s highly anticipated series Self-Made: Inspired by the Life of Madame C.J. Walker comes out Friday, March 20, 2020.

“Inspired” by the life of Madame C.J. Walker, the first selfmade woman millionaire, the series stars Academy awardwinner Octavia Butler, Blair Underwood, Tiffany Haddish, Carmen Ejogo, Garrett Morris and Kevin Carroll.

If you’re tired of “Netflix and chilling,” then check out Lena Waithe’s new series Twenties, season 2 of Boomerang or Tyler Perry’s show Sistas on BET. For the black foodies out there, watch Kardea Brown make Gullah inspired recipes on Delicious Miss Brown (Food Network) or Caribbean Pot (Black Life TV) featuring the food of Chef Phil La Rosa.

After eating that delicious food, get up and get moving to the plethora of free workout videos available on YouTube. Follow your favorite YouTube fitness stars Jenelle Salazar (@getbodiedbyJ), Lita Lewis (@followthelita) for workout routines for various fitness levels. You may now have time to finally try Zumba or subscribe to a fitness site like Daily Burn which is offering a 60-day free trial.

Once you collapse on the couch after working out, there are also many web series to watch. Giants follows the lives of three young people chasing their dreams and struggling with various issues of romance, identity and mental health as they come into adulthood. Giants is now an award-winning television series on Cleo TV. Pillow Talk makes you think and feel and The Punanny Diaries, which is an oldie but a goodie, makes you chuckle and thank God you are no longer in your twenties.

TV One’s Unsung series always satisfies dropping tea about entertainers you grew up with in the 1990s. Don’t forget to watch HBO’s Watchmen, which will not be coming back for Season 2 as of now, so watch it while you can, or forever hold your peace.

As the kids would say, COVID-19 is gonna COVID-19, so we may as well make the best of our time #AloneTogether. Outside of holidays, when do folks really have this much potential time to spend together?

Keep thoughts of isolation at bay by reconnecting with friends and loved ones and making use of what’s available in real time and online. #QuarantineAndChill and enjoy the time you have with those you love.

This article was written by Nsenga K Burton, Ph.D., founder & editor-in-chief of The Burton Wire. An expert in intersectionality and media industries, Dr. Burton is also a professor of film and television at Emory University and co-editor of the book, Black Women’s Mental Health: Balancing Strength and Vulnerability. Follow her on Twitter @Ntellectual or @TheBurtonWire.

Collaboration to Develope Much Needed Vaccine The agreement covers co-development and co-commercialization aimed at accelerating the development of BioNTech’s potential first-in-class COVID-19 mRNA vaccine program, BNT162, which is expected to enter clinical testing by the end of next month.

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent Pfizer has announced the signing of a letter of intent with BioNTech SE for the co-development and distribution of a coronavirus vaccine aimed at preventing COVID-19 infection.

The companies have a head-start on working together, since the partnership builds on a 2018 agreement to jointly develop an mRNA-based influenza vaccine, according to a March 17, 2020 report in Forbes Magazine.

The agreement covers co-development and cocommercialization aimed at accelerating the development of BioNTech’s potential first-in-class COVID-19 mRNA vaccine program, BNT162, which is expected to enter clinical testing by the end of next month.

The New York-headquartered Pfizer counts as one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies. BioNTech SE is based in Germany and works to individualize cancer treatments and other medicines by pioneering patientspecific immunotherapies.

“Many companies, including Pfizer, are working to develop antiviral therapies to help infected patients fight

this emerging virus as well as new vaccines to prevent infection and halt further spread of this disease,” Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla stated in a news release.

“We are committed to working as one team across the industry to harness our scientific expertise, technical skills, and manufacturing capabilities to combat this evolving crisis,” added Bourla.

Pfizer and BioNTech SE have immediately begun work on a new vaccine despite not having finalized the financial, development, and manufacturing aspects of their arrangement.

The companies have executed a Material Transfer and Collaboration agreement.

“We believe that by pairing Pfizer’s development, regulatory and commercial capabilities with BioNTech’s mRNA vaccine technology and expertise as one of the industry leaders, we are reinforcing our commitment to do everything we can to combat this escalating pandemic, as quickly as possible,” Mikael Dolsten, Pfizer’s Chief Scientific Officer and President, Worldwide Research, Development & Medical, added in a release.

“Many companies, including Pfizer, are working to develop antiviral therapies to help infected patients fight this emerging virus as well as new vaccines to prevent infection and halt further spread of this disease,” Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla stated in a news release. (Photo: iStockphoto / NNPA)

Black Caucus Submits Priorities for $2 Trillion in Stimulus Funding Cheryl Brown California Black Media On a call Monday, Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) leaders announced they submitted an economic proposal to House and Senate Democrats.

From money for head start and non-profits to

moratoriums on car debts, student loans, rents and mortgages, the 11-page document listed the CBC’s priorities for nearly $2 Trillion in federal funding. It also includes financial support for small businesses and independent contractors.

The government plans to pump the money into

the economy to prevent it from crashing under the weight of fallout from the global Coronavirus pandemic.

Two members of California’s delegations to the U.S. Congress – Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA-37), Chair of the CBC, and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-13) are leading the charge.

“We have been fighting from day one to make sure that our priorities are included in any federal stimulus package,” said Lee. Lee said the priorities listed in the report are based on input from members and other stakeholders.

“While the pains are deep across the national economy, they are deeper in Black communities already struggling with decades of federal divestment and a widening racial wealth gap. We must offer bold solutions that will directly assist people and revitalize the entire economy,” a CBC statement read.

Some of the CBC’s priorities have already been incorporated in the first two bailout bills passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Trump.

The House and Senate are expected to iron out differences regarding the third bill shortly.

Bass said the third bill has failed to pass twice because because Democrats contend that there is no safety net for American families included in it, and there are too many giveaways to major businesses with very little oversight or accountability. She said Speaker Pelosi and Democrats are working hard on the stimulus package.”

The CBC included several initiatives for small businesses in its proposal that include: $50 Billion in new grants for small businesses, including minority and women owned businesses; $10 Billion to reauthorize state’s small business credit initiatives; and $3 Billion for minority businesses.

Other highlights are $3 Billion in emergency funding for HBCUs; making outstanding payments to Black farmers from a federal discrimination lawsuit; $1 Billion for Head Start; $4 Billion for child care for people impacted by the COVID-19 crisis; $4 Billion for non-profits; and $82 Billion for rural broadband connections; among other items.

Bedside Baptist Has Taken on a Whole New Meaning Due to the Coronavirus Crisis Continued from page A1

U.S.Rep Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) Congressional Black Caucus, chair, U.S Rep. Barbra Lee (D-Oakland)

how to watch it. Even if they have to bring their grandkids over to get them online. They will figure out how to access it.”

The pastor hinted at a question some churches will have: How to deal with deaths in church families? One of Curry’s congregants recently died, and another expected to pass soon.

“We have to find a way to figure out how to celebrate that individual’s life,” he said.

Pastor Touré Roberts of The Potter’s House at One L.A. said in his Sunday morning sermon, that it seems like the world has been flipped on its head during the coronavirus emergency, but he saw a silver lining “There are sometimes it feels like the world wasn’t

turned upside down, but it was turned right-side up,” he said. “People are spending more time with their families.

People are texting one another and checking on one another.

In the midst of all this craziness, it seems we are getting our priorities straight, and I have just come to suspect that God is somewhere in it.”

At Third Baptist Church in San Francisco, a 168year old African-American congregation, pastor Amos Brown prayed a solemn prayer for those affected by the Coronavirus crisis.

“We pray for those on hospital bed waiting for healing, waiting for medical supplies desperately needed in this time of a pandemic worldwide,” he said.

A4

Netflix’s

LOS ANGELES NEWS OBSERVER

Entertainment

Thursday, March 26, 2020

Self Made Madam C.J. Walker tackled the politics of black hair. More than a century later, the battle still rages on.

Octavia Spencer as Madam C.J. Walker in the Netflix limited series “Self Made.” (David Lee/Netflix)

By Helena Andrews-Dyer “Hair can be freedom or bondage. The choice is yours,” Sarah Breedlove shouts to a growing crowd of black women as she shows off her homemade “hair grower” — palm-sized tins of hope — in the Netflix limited series “Self Made.”

In the scene, Sarah isn’t yet Madam C.J. Walker: the first female African American millionaire who employed nearly 10,000 workers, owned bustling factories run by women and built a mansion next to John D. Rockefeller’s.

But even without the fancy name, Sarah has vision and quickly emerges as the loudest voice in what we now know as the Great Conversation about black hair. Should it be straight? Natural? Judged? Touched? Left alone?

A century later, society is still trying to answer those questions. And “Self Made,” an earnest zip through Walker’s extraordinary life told in four episodes released Friday, is part of a cultural groundswell about African American women’s hair that has been growing — like the Madam’s first miracle product — for some time.

“This conversation about hair has been going on five years, 10 years, 20,” said Jamyla Bennu, co-founder of Oyin Handmade, an organic product line for highly textured hair. “We’ve been having this conversation.” What makes this moment feel different, she said, is that the world — made smaller through the Internet — might finally be catching on.

In February, the animated short “Hair Love,” about a little black girl and her father learning how to care for her textured curls, won an Oscar. The CROWN Act, a bill banning natural hair discrimination, became law in California in January. That same month, Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), one-fourth of “the squad” who regularly show-

cased natural hairstyles on the national stage, revealed she has alopecia, an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss.

“You are not your hair. And that’s true,” Pressley explained in an emotional video. “But I still want it.”

Rep. Ayanna Pressley’s honest conversation about alopecia and hair loss praised as ‘liberating’ “Lots of stories are being made about hair now, but it’s not really about hair. Not to me, at least,” actress Octavia Spencer, who portrays Walker in the Netflix series, told the Boston Globe in an interview.

That’s the thing: It’s all about hair. But it’s never actually about hair.

Madam Walker’s great-great-granddaughter, A’Lelia Bundles, on whose book the show is based, agreed: “This is about power,” she said.

“The story has been on the desk of Hollywood executives for many, many years,” said Bundles, author of “On Her Own Ground: The Life And Times of Madam C.J. Walker.” Her relative’s great American tale — born four years after the Emancipation Proclamation, then journeying from washerwoman to head of her own cosmetics empire — has been on its way to a screen since the late ’80s. That’s when Alex Haley, author of the seminal saga “Roots,” first floated the idea. That fell through. Then in 2001, Columbia TriStar (now Sony Pictures Television) optioned Bundles’s book. Then that deal fell through. Next came HBO. And well …

What has changed recently seems to be Hollywood’s attitude toward movies centered on black characters. “The Butler,” “12 Years a Slave” and other films proved that they could be sold domestically and overseas. “At that point,” Bundles said, “I started to get a lot of calls.”

But there’s something bigger going on, too. Bundles

thinks “we are in a moment” — a moment in which the discourse around black hair has shifted (again) in such a way that perhaps this might be the last time we talk about it.

“This does feel different to me,” Bundles said. “When I was a senior in high school in 1969 going from a perm to an Afro, I thought we had won this battle. But that pendulum swung back with societal pressure. Now there are laws preventing people from sanctioning us and policing us.”

Laws such as the aforementioned CROWN (Creating a Respectful Open Workplace for Natural hair) Act. First introduced by California state Sen. Holly Mitchell (D), who has been wearing her own hair in locs for decades, it bans discrimination against natural hairstyles associated with race.

Its passage was personal. For years, Mitchell had been answering letters from little girls who were bullied about their natural hair. She regularly sent them her official California State House photo in response, in which she is “in a suit looking all senatorial with my locs,” she said. She remembered those little girls and that image while drafting the very legislation that would protect them.

“This is deeper than hair,” Mitchell said. “This is an issue of culture, choice, perception and how we redefine the concept of what’s acceptable and what’s attractive.”

Tiffany Gill, author of the book “Beauty Shop Politics,” echoed Bundle and Mitchell. “It’s hair as a means of mobility, hair as a means of black women claiming modern identity. That’s something that is often missed in conversations,” she said.

Black hair is personal, persistent and political. It always has been. Walker encouraged all of her sales agents to be politically active — so much so it was practically a job

requirement. At the close of one of her company conventions in the early 20th century, she gathered her employees together to write a telegram to President Woodrow Wilson urging him to sign anti-lynching legislation. She donated.

She marched. She lobbied. Whether black women’s hair was bone-straight enough to simulate white hair wasn’t Madam Walker’s real concern, but whether black women had access to income, education and independence was.

There’s a throughline then between Walker’s first hair products — meant to provide for black women just one or two generations out of slavery — and the cultural hair acceptance now being codified into law. However, pushback still remains. Yes, “Hair Love” won an Oscar, but remember teenager DeAndre Arnold, who was invited to attend the ceremony alongside the producers after he made headlines because his high school demanded he cut off his locs to walk at commencement.

How ‘Hair Love’ went from a beloved Kickstarter project to an Oscar-winning animated short Though it’s been nearly 101 years since Walker died, here we are, still grappling with the stuff that grows out of our heads. In 2020, is the power dynamic finally, irrevocably shifting?

“This is a moment, not the first moment, where there is a push to be unapologetic about blackness,” Gill said.

“Things we use to only talk about in the beauty shops are now being talked about in the broader public.”

For black women in particular, beauty shops — like the ones pioneered by Walker — have always been spaces where they feel safe, centered and, most importantly, seen.

Walker was one of the first to hold up that mirror, and now it’s up to the culture writ large to finally take a good long look.

Rihanna Donates $5 Million to Relief Efforts

RIHANNA OPENS HER WALLET Rihanna`s Clara Lionel Foundation is giving $5 million to the response efforts against the coronavirus.

The money will support “on-the-ground partners working on the frontlines of disaster response especially those focused on protecting and serving marginalized communities _ helping the most vulnerable in the United States, the Caribbean and in Africa prepare for what is to come,'' the foundation said in a statement.

The funding will be channeled through Direct Relief,

Partners In Health, Feeding America, the International Rescue Committee, the World Health Organization's COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund and others.

“Never has it been more important or urgent to protect and prepare marginalized and underserved communities -those who will be hit hardest by this pandemic,'' CLF's executive director Justine Lucas said in the statement.

The money will go to food banks, testing, healthcare worker training, virus prevention and distribution of critical respiratory supplies.

Thursday, March 26, 2020

Sports

LOS ANGELES NEWS OBSERVER A5

Newly Formed CAPSS LLC to Purchase the Forum In Inglewood

(Courtesy Photo)

The Forum will continue to operate as a music venue, while plans for the construction of the Clippers’ privatelyfinanced, fan-focused NBA arena, team headquarters and transformative community project move forward CAPSS LLC has reached an agreement with The Madison Square Garden Company (NYSE: MSG) to purchase The Forum in Inglewood, which will continue to operate as one of the premier live-music venues in the United States. The formation of CAPSS LLC and the acquisition of the Forum were driven by L.A. Clippers Chairman Steve Ballmer and L.A. Clippers Vice Chairman Dennis Wong.

By reaching an agreement with MSG, CAPSS LLC

will acquire the Inglewood venue, simultaneously resolving litigation surrounding plans for the new NBA arena. As part of the agreement, all of MSG’s current Forum employees will be extended employment offers by the new owner.

This transaction, which remains subject to HartScott-Rodino and other customary closing conditions, is expected to close during the second calendar quarter of 2020. CAPSS LLC is purchasing The Forum for $400 million in cash.

The new Clippers arena project would be a privately financed, state-of-the-art, 18,000-seat basketball arena, team headquarters complex and community center located on West Century Boulevard between South

Prairie Avenue and South Yukon Avenue. The project is currently undergoing an environmental review by the City of Inglewood. Public hearings to approve the project are expected to be held later this summer.

“This is an unprecedented time, but we believe in our collective future,” said Ballmer. “We are committed to our investment in the City of Inglewood, which will be good for the community, the Clippers, and our fans.”

Having The Forum and the new Clippers arena under the same ownership will allow for coordinated programming between the two venues, improving traffic congestion around basketball games and concerts.

“We know traffic is something that many Inglewood

residents worry about. While we have gone to great lengths to provide an unprecedented traffic-management plan for the new basketball arena, this acquisition provides a much greater ability to coordinate and avoid scheduling events at the same time at both venues,” said Chris Meany, a principal of Wilson Meany, the developer overseeing the new basketball arena project.

The L.A. Clippers’ new arena will create an estimated 7,500 high-paying construction jobs and 1,500 permanent jobs once the complex is open. In addition to the economic and civic benefits, the Clippers have proposed a $100 million package of community benefits.

NFL Kicks Off Their New Season with Surprising Free Agency Signings

By Cameron Buford whatsgoodinsports.com Amid this Coronavirus Pandemic, which has infested our country in recent weeks, the NFL is the only professional league that has yet to shut down operations. Though they did have at least one coach diagnosed with the Coronavirus because it’s their offseason, they have decided to keep doing as normal, with some minor adjustments. With this week being the start of their season, the Free Agency portion of their season got many sports starved fans something to talk about and look forward to.

Teams in the National Football League have only a few ways to get better each season. Outside of natural player development, trades, or the NFL Draft when they can draft former college players and then Free Agency where they are able to acquire veterans that have played with other teams around the league. Not only did this past week kick off the season, but it was also the beginning of the NFL Free Agency period.

The biggest fish in this season’s Free Agency period was 6 Time Super Bowl Winner Tom Brady. The quarterback’s unceremonious departure from the New England Patriots where he played for 20 seasons and played in 9 Championships games made him the longing of many teams in the NFL. The Los Angeles Chargers have a vacancy in their quarterback depth chart appeared to possible destination for Brady, as did the Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titians or Miami Dolphins.

Surprisingly, Tom Brady chose to take his talents to Central Florida to play with the Buccaneers’ talented receivers. Those Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans are ecstatic to get a QB of his caliber seeing as they haven’t made the playoffs since 2007. By contrast, Brady has had 6 Super Bowl appearances in that same time frame. It will be interesting to follow this union to see if Brady, at his advanced age, can propel the Buccaneers to NFC supremacy as he’s done so often when he played for the Patriots.

Likely the most inexplicable move of the NFL

offseason was the trade of Texans Leading Receiver, from the past 5 seasons, for an injury-prone running back. The Texans sent DeAndre Hopkins and a Round 2 Draft pick to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for David Johnson and a Round 2 and a Round 4 Draft pick. By all accounts, there was no equity in this trade and there were some undisclosed reasons for the Texans initiating this trade.

Either way, this will serve as another reason why the Texans will remain perineal losers being held back by their Head Coach who doubles as their General Manager.

Another reason that Texans trade was seen as so absurd is that the Minnesota Vikings broke up their solid Wide Receiver duo when they sent their 5th-year wideout Stephon Diggs and a 7th Round Draft to the Buffalo Bills for a 1st Round Draft Pick, a 5th and 6th Round pick this year and a 4th Round Pick next season. No one would ever rightfully compare Diggs to Hopkins, who’s been named All-Pro 4 times and been to the Pro Bowl 3 times. Diggs has yet to be named to either team, though the Vikings got much more in return in their trade.

The Chargers quarterback vacancy left open by the departure of Philip Rivers, who chose to team up with his former coaches in Indianapolis. By Brady choosing the Buccaneers, this left the Chargers to depend on the player development of Tyrod Taylor to fill that void. They will likely draft a quarterback in the upcoming NFL draft to be their long-term solution. Yet replacing Rivers as the face of that offense won’t be an easy task considering he’s line up as their quarterback while orchestrating 27 4th Quarter Comebacks and 32 Game Winning Drives in his 14 years under center for the San Diego and Los Angeles Chargers.

In preparation for the Free Agency period and the NFL Draft, teams are forced to make difficult decisions on some players for salary cap purposes. A couple of casualties of this process were two former Los Angeles running backs, Todd Gurley who cut by the Rams and Melvin Gordon who was not offered a contract by the Chargers. Oddly enough, both of these running backs were seen as the face

NFL Free Agency provide new opportunities for various players around the league.

of their respective franchises when their teams relocated to Los Angeles.

Todd Gurley will be returning to the town he played college football as he has signed with the Atlanta Falcons.

While Melvin Gordon has signed with the Chargers division rivals Denver Broncos. Though Gurley will be double-dipping as he will get paid from the Rams and Falcons this season, Gordon will be making a couple of million dollars less than he would’ve if he signed the contract the Chargers offered him during his holdout at the beginning of last season.

Every team has and will have the opportunity to

Dawn Staley Awarded Another Honor

Lady Bruins had Tough Stoppage

UCLA Head Coach Kelly Inouye-Perez “I am so disappointed,” said Inouye-Perez. (Photo by UCLA Athletics)

By Earl Heath Contributing Sports Writer Early in the spring the UCLA softball players were practicing at Easton Stadium under the watchful eye of Head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez. During batting practice team newcomer Delanie Wisz hit a ball so hard it went and knocked the A in Easton off the fixture and it just waggled back and forth. That was just a practice but it set the tone for the season as the Bruins would open up pre-season play in a couple of days.

Veteran Assistant coach Lisa Fernandez was in the circle working with Lexi Sosa during a combined batting practice simulated game. At one point the freshman began to wind-up then stopped, the umpire stepped from behind a home plate.

“Was that an illegal pitch,” shouted Inouye-Perez. “Yes that’s why I stepped out,” said the umpire.

“We can’t have that, those are the things we have to correct now.” said the Bruin coach. Correct them they did as the got off to a blazing start. They reeled off 25 wins in 26 games. They won in San Diego, Cathedral City, Clearwater Florida, and the won at home (12-1). During the run they had 13 shutouts won by the run rule 12 times.

Also included in that Sosa pitched the 18th perfect game in UCLA history. After the only loss to then #3 ranked Texas

they won another 10 straight. They did all this without two of its top players Rachael Garcia and Bubba Nickles who are playing with Team USA. They were ranked #2 in the Nation.

It was a few days before they were to begin league play when the “stoppage” happened. The PAC-12 canceled all conference conference and non-conference sporting activities until the end of the school year due to the COVID 19 virus.

“My heart dropped,” said Inouye-Perez. The Bruins had a meeting earlier in the week and the school had announced a fan ban in all sports. Then the NCAA dropped a “nuclear” when it announce the cancellation of all spring sports and Championships. That means the team had no shot at defending its National Title. “It’s dream breaking I saw a whole different Bruin team, they were deflated they were emotional,” she added.

The Bruins had worked hard in their practices, not only players but the Coaches Fernandez and Kirk Walker.

They were always giving instructions preparing them for how to handle different game situations, things they should be aware of.

When this season was “stopped” it was something no one could prepare for.

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Dawn Staley shows her hall of fame ring moments after receiving it at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. (Photo Credit: Earl Heath)

By Earl Heath Contributing Sports Writer Dawn Staley helped guide South Carolina to No. 1 and has earned coach of the year honors from the Associated Press.

The Hall of Fame coach led the Gamecocks to a 32-1 record including wins over 8 top 25 ranked teams.

The former Temple head coach has a winning percentage of .726 in the Southeastern Conference, second only to the late Tennessee coach Pat Summitt.

“It’s a great feeling. It’s cliche as I represent the best team in the country and our coaching staff and our support staff, our trainers and everybody. It’s great,” she the Philadelphia native. “It’s something that we haven’t been able to celebrate, but we will celebrate it together at a later time.”

She has also coached the Olympic two times under UCONN’s Geo Auriemma. She also has won Olympic gold medals in 1996, 2000 and 2004. Overall, she collected 10 gold medals and one bronze while competing with Team USA internationally.

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Thursday, March 26, 2020