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Los Angeles
Volume 36 Number 5
Serving Los Angeles County for Over 36 Years
Observer Group Newspapers of Southern California
Proof and Transparency: Dr. Ebony Hilton Will Take Coronavirus Vaccine and Provide Updates By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent Phase one of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine distribution begins this week. For those who remain skeptical about vaccination, one high-profile medical doctor will give a day-by-day update of her experience. Dr. Ebony J. Hilton, the medical director at GoodStock Consulting, LLC, and associate professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Virginia, plans to take the vaccine publicly and regularly update her health on YouTube. “Learn from me, ask questions,” said Dr. Hilton, who is also a member of the National Newspaper Publishers Association Coronavirus Task Force. Dr. Hilton promises she’ll be transparent and answer any questions. “We are finally, as a nation, nearing the light at the end of the tunnel,” declared Dr. Hilton who, in just four short years, graduated Magnum Cum Laude from the College of Charleston in South Carolina with three degrees, two Bachelor of Science degrees in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and a Bachelor of Arts in Inorganic Chemistry. “I’m excited about this. Many say the light is very dim. They don’t know what to trust,” Dr. Hilton further stated. “There’s been so much misinformation from top to bottom. The pandemic is real. Over 280,000 Americans alone have lost their lives to COVID-19,” she remarked. Dr. Hilton said the vaccine is perhaps the only hope of America returning to some normalcy. She also recognizes the reluctance of African Americans and immigrants to volunteer for vaccination. “I know there’s a lot of doubt,” Dr. Hilton sympathized. “There are big classes of people who say, ‘can I really trust
this?’ We have the African American community saying, ‘hey, wait; the government has done things to us.’ “The Tuskegee Experiment ended ten years before I was born, and we still have heavy metal laced water in Flint, Michigan, we still have not fixed,” Dr. Hilton continued. She added that immigrants might not seek the vaccine out of fear of deportation. Others, Dr. Hilton said, mistakenly believe the coronavirus is just like the flu, and people get over it. “As a health care provider, we owe it to people to say, ‘How do this right?” Dr. Hilton asserted. “We need truth and transparency, and it will start with me.” Dr. Hilton concluded: “If I take this vaccine and I show you what happens day-to-day to me and my body. If I’m having headaches and fevers, I want you to see in real-time what happens to my body as I have this injected into my body.” Dr. Hilton is part of the Phase one vaccination because she’s a health care worker. Those in nursing homes are also part of the initial rollout. The second phase will consist of essential workers like teachers, grocery store employees, and others who worked in high-risk areas during the pandemic. “So, I’m in phase one, and if you are in phase two or three, you can learn from me what it does to my body,” Dr. Hilton advised. “I’m hoping, with that transparency, you’ll be able to make a better decision on what to do. So, join me, and I’ll be as open and honest as possible. We have one time to do this right, and I’m hoping it’s this time.” Follow Dr. Hilton’s journey.
Dr. Ebony Jade Hilton is part of the Phase one vaccination because she’s a health care worker.
PAC-12 Championship Game Changes
Abdul-Jabbar Reveals Past Prostate Cancer NEW YORK (AP) – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar revealed he had prostate cancer in a magazine article he wrote about health risks faced by Blacks. Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA’s career scoring leader, provided no other details about that illness in the piece he wrote for WebMD that first appeared Wednesday. A publicist for Abdul-Jabbar said this is the first time he has spoken about the prostate cancer. Abdul-Jabbar, now 73, was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia in 2008. In his article, titled “Black Lives Matter,’’ AbdulJabbar writes that Blacks are at higher risk for heart problems and cancer, and said he also had heart bypass surgery. He said he’s been able to get better care than many Blacks, in part because of his celebrity and also because two sons work in the health care profession.
Civil Rights Advocate Dies MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – The Rev. James L. Netters Sr., a civil rights advocate who was one of the first Black members of the Memphis City Council, has died. He was 93. Netters helped lead sit-ins, marches and other protests as he and the Rev. Billy Kyles worked to integrate Memphis’ public buses in 1964. Kyles died in 2016. Davina Hurt (Courtesy Photo)
counsel at the California Natural Resources Agency from 2011 to 2014. From 2007 to 2011, she was an attorney at the law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP. Randolph, a Democrat, also served as chair of the California Fair Political Practices Commission from 2003 to 2007. From 1996 to 1997, she a was staff attorney there as well. She holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University
Liane Randolph (Courtesy Photo)
of California Los Angeles School of Law. The CARB chairperson’s position requires Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $183,552. Randolph replaces Mary Nichols, CARB’s outgoing chair, who is reportedly President-elect Joe Biden’s top pick to be the next Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
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Distance Learning, COVID-19 Pose Challenges
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent In Southeast Los Angeles’s most under-resourced and predominately diverse neighborhoods of Compton, Lynwood, and Bellflower, David Anderson has served as an educator in the expanding learning and youth development space for more than 15 years. The General Manager of Think Together’s Southeast Los Angeles region, Anderson leads a team of role models helping students through enrichment curriculum in the area. Anderson has passionately advocated for the education equity needed in the public school system, noting that it’s a requirement to have successful college and post-education careers. This year, Anderson and his team have served more than 17,000 students in both a distance learning and in-person support capacity, with students of color comprising nearly 84
Thursday, December 17, 2020
USC originally scheduled to play the Washington Huskies but due to COVID-19 protocol the Ducks (32) are slated to play. The Huskies (3-1) were scheduled to play the Ducks (3-2) lasst weekend but didn’t happen as it’s offensive line was wiped out due to a COVID outbreak. The PAC-12 has announced the Trojans (5-0) will play the Ducks 5PM Friday at the Coliseum. The game will be televised on FOX Ch-11. COLLEGE FOOTBALL NOTES: Sarah Fuller became the first woman to score in a Power Five football game as she kicked a pair of extra points in Vanderbilt’s 42-17 loss to Tennessee.
Gov. Newsom Appoints Two Black Women to Air Board Antonio Ray Harvey California Black Media Months after Black employees called out widespread racism at the California Air Resources Board (CARB), Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed two African American women to the board of the California agency that shapes state policy against air pollution. Last week, the governor announced that he appointed Liane Randolph, 55, of Oakland, who was in charge of integrating the resource-planning processes at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), as the new chair of CARB. “Cleaner air is essential for California’s families and Liane Randolph is the kind of bold, innovative leader that will lead in our fight against climate change with equity and all California’s communities at heart,” Gov. Newsom said. “By committing to achieving carbon neutrality and a clean economy, my Administration is fighting for a healthier and more vibrant future for our families and our economy.” Randolph is the first Black person to serve as chair of CARB. Responding to the news of her appointment, Randolph said she is “beyond excited” about the work she will do at CARB. “Governor Newsom and the Legislature have set California on a bold path to address the air pollution that burdens our communities and the existential threat of climate change,” Randolph said. “Implementing these policies requires effective management and strategy that centers the people affected most by environmental damage. I am eager to step forward and continue California’s leadership in tackling these challenging issues.” Randolph has been a Commissioner at the CPUC since 2015. Before that, she was deputy secretary and general
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percent. Anderson told Black Press USA that students, parents, teachers, and administrators of color all face various levels of challenges during the coronavirus pandemic. “The biggest challenge with many of the students of color we serve is engagement. Students are faced with inefficient resources, little excitement to learn, and are born without being surrounded by role models and motivations which lead a child to dream, work hard and be successful,” Anderson noted. He said the students his team serves are primarily students of color, born without choices and not enlightened to dream. “Parents of the students of color are often challenged to provide for their children without the resources and support they need for themselves,” Anderson relayed. “These parents have a lack of resources, a lack of time for mental and physical health, and limited time for communication and social-emotional support of their children. That yields an unhealthy and fatigued environment that takes the energy and will to continue to work hard and make it with only hope alone. It is next to impossible for a parent to progress and be their child’s support and motivation while exhausted and without the belief that continuing to work even harder can improve the lives of themselves and their family.” Schools provide students with a haven for learning. At the same time, teachers and administrators work together to find innovative ways in-person and virtually to make learning fun and help students support students’ academic trajectory and provide enrichment opportunities that students of color are not exposed to and cannot afford, Anderson offered further. “Our students are not paying $3,000 to $15,000 to learn teamwork and confidence building through activities such as E-sports, coding, sailing, and photography. Nor are these students of color able to afford a sports trainer for the student to develop mastery in a sport to be competitive at a young age truly,” Anderson said. “Without school, these students are not often exposed to
financial literacy nor the growing unlimited STEM and tech careers that a child may choose to pursue if their parents or family worked in these industries,” he added. Anderson continued: “It is at school where students of color learn civic engagement, leadership, entrepreneurship, and how to create generational change. Through adversity, teachers and administrators of color especially have the mantle of leadership to build a system of support for current students to rise, have successful careers and lives, and those students as adults may lay a framework for the next generation of students to be born into a life with choices. “The next generation of students are to be born exposed to role models at home, enlightened to subjects and careers they may become passionate about, have goals, the will, and belief in themselves to work hard and make their dreams a reality.” The educator also noted that students of color and educators still face another barrier: balance. “Regardless of your work and school environment, everyone is facing challenges. If you are fortunate to have a job still, you may be working and teaching from home. If you are a parent, or caregiver, working from home is accompanied by the challenge of balancing home and work responsibilities,” Anderson stated. He concluded: “There are heroes in this work deemed essential. These essential persons have the responsibility of being extra cautious because whether or not they have dependents, their health supports others’ well-being. Beyond balancing home, work, and responsibilities are the balance and performing at high levels versus simply accomplishing tasks. “Folks currently have the will; however, they often do not have the time nor the energy to be the daily highest performer and greatest achiever had they not had to balance. “For sustainability, mental and physical health, it is vital to balance achieving at the highest level with ensuring impact and success and simply being our best in a given moment. Your best is enough.”
Portland Blockades Come Down After Family Deal Reached PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Barricades blocking a part of a neighborhood in Portland, Oregon, have been dismantled after a Black and Indigenous family struck a tentative deal with city officials to buy back the house they lost to foreclosure. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports activists said police had agreed not to force the family to leave the home while negotiations were ongoing – as long as the street was cleared by Monday night. People began clearing the barricades Sunday, and they were largely removed by day’s end. Fencing, lumber and other impediments had gone up Dec. 8 after officers arrested about a dozen people in a clash over the eviction of the Kinney family from the North Portland home. The street behind the blockade in the neighborhood of homes, coffee shops and restaurants was laced with booby traps aimed at keeping officers out – including homemade spike strips, piles of rocks and thick bands of plastic wrap stretched at neck-height across the roadway. The scene recalled more than four months of confrontations between police and protesters decrying racial injustice and police brutality that only abated weeks ago. Supporters of the Kinney family say the home was unjustly taken through predatory lending practices that target people of color. The property sold at auction for $260,000, the family said, while the private land next door is valued at more than $10 million. The 124-year-old home was one of the few remaining Black-owned residences in an area that has rapidly gentrified in the past 20 years. Police say between Sept. 1 and Nov. 30, there had been 81 calls to the property for fights, gunshots, burglary, vandalism and noise complaints, among other things.