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N ll d te ti ie t ta y ec A o n st o m n ab ti is if g te s p fi io at ad u ab st er c en y se n o o in o ev in o rs d ti n le u to g g id o g struck by u t sc h ro , n se co th en im k al en ad in South centers. In a mental d to ail Co ee e ethods low another m ce. ce living in a polic ern Californ and storiesp raising California Governoes early in the term oper. Threm several attack, and in nsw round of L ag Californiah. ealth facility in Pen1982, Cooper esca u n e h in r a av w w o v eapons wer f the progre estie high expec hose suppo orn testimo ped from three attacker nsylvania b the Orange Beach Police Offi ia. e rt u ta ss er n se iv ti y, s d o e on the poli s who were efore movin n Jo Duri someone’s p County Register h cer Thomas tical Left White. Heshua Ryen said hein the solve “DNA testing shs.o g to could have been H gued that nCg his murder trial, e initially th et when th saw later testified uld immed th is p e o p F an o R ro eb. 19. Calif.

F p ic y se u er en . rt cu k h iately take THOUSAND OAKS, Ryen, their illed husban t dartemen case and fi tors succes er complica that they Chiang sa (AP) –e ca Three d in an sf n p 1 ti d n al 0 la u id n am -y an ll ly ce g y d ea d M th ed D ensure justincluding to uring the ca arr-o w e rosecuti cGuir neighbor C re- th employees of a sheriff’s office and district attorney’s front that DNA e sa y ic s ons’ claims, m e hristopherld daughter Jessica ifane Doug and Peggy belonging toiana Roper came foprw w p is h ev ai e en he g served,” have been animarrested al was bfor a wom- but testing idence can help la gn. “Not onoffice her former Hughes. Po d d with bloo t to ch ly is itin pCalifornia igginvestigation er than a hotofouthe in this case w enforcem vandalism boyfriend ar lice foundan 11-year-old inal. She turned AMatter roofven nimal C dy clothin a Black Lives sign. ouse cat. ec w w en o th the bloodie E h o n o d t g e u v tr estroyed it. solve crimes was a violen ld come at en though evidence ov o to l o an ffi ce an d rs Saturday imal hOffice The Ventura Sheriff’s late rushed the is no cost to th N som’s , County t er to the p ospit said trauma.

African Am , where has d ision in b olice, butcrthim- issubold, he is treadingew state.tarp that a elarge with the lettersal“BLM” it wbeen ” painted ericans, His carefully ec e that Calif as diagnolese th ey e C o o p o D er n o panics and r. rn a ca K p ia se repeatedly damaged while on display for three week on a w ri o v te atching. H sti Krause oters across nti ly pola other mino e expectsOaks. e is keepin zincity e politicalalfence rities liv- C in rithe Thousand g of bsh the 11-pou, a veterinarian, tells g his focuth sp ec ac ontinued tr k nd (5-k u in s m to o are placed a surveillance n fairness an The owner the wild afte camera nearby to) ca th ilogram on page A d juany t to r it regaion 2 cGuirone sticdamage, e th andMposted capture of the incidents social n e s stre vis e sees it agitaied the bobcat on ngth. media, the office saidatinifahstatement.

Fri n, he’ll is Detectives recognized one of the suspects assuaesheriff’s a ticket fodray. ja office employee, prompting an investigation, the statement said.

LaKesha Alston Forbes, ECU associate provost for equity and diversity, signs the memorandum of understanding between ECU and Howard University on Oct. 26, “I’m deeply disappointed that one of our employees while Howard Provost Anthony Wutoh, center, and ECU Provost Ron Mitchelson watch. (Photos by Rhett Butler/ecu.edu) involved himself in this type of illegal activity, especially when this is an infringement on someone’s First Amendment right to freedom of speech,” Sheriff Bill Ayub said in a statement.

“We hold our employees to the highest standards, and there will be consequences for this.”

Darrin Stone, a service technician at a pre-trial detention facility, is accused of slashing the sign on June 13 and June 19.

He was issued a misdemeanor vandalism citation and placed on paid administrative leave, the office said.

Craig Anderson, a 59-year-old investigative assistant at the Ventura County district attorney’s office, is being investigated for vandalism to the sign on May 31, the statement said. The district attorney’s office said the case has

By Earl Heath terms of racial justice and equality underscored by the tragic Sampson, Head Men’s Basketball Coach, University of Houston been referred to the Attorney General’s office for investigation Contributing Sports Writer and heartbreaking events in recent in recent weeks, and we have and Michelle Adams, Associate Professor of Sociology and Faculty and that Anderson has resigned.

In our ever-changing world of race and human rights the an obligation to our university and students to enact change,” Athletics Representative, Tulane University.

A third man, 58-year-old Jeffrey Moore, is being American Athletic Conference has formed the Racial Equality said American Athletic Conference commissioner Mike Aresco. investigated for graffiti to the sign on June 11, the office said.

Action Group which consist of student-athletes, coaches, and “Words are important but words are not enough. Action is Working phones for the men could not immediately administrators all from the institutions within the Conference. required.” be found. Email messages were sent to addresses linked to “We are at a pivotal moment in our nation’s history in The group is chaired by Dr. Derrick Gregg Vice President Stone and Moore. It was not immediately possible to reach and Director of Athletics at the university of Tulsa. The groups Anderson. goal is to translate words into conference wide actions to assist in eliminating racial in equality and in justice.

“This is a monumental time in American History for higher education, intercollegiate athletics and the entire world. I am honored to serve as Chair of this important action group that has engaged in meaningful impactful work,” said Gregg. “We will focus on meaningful initiatives that will focus on eliminating racism, hate and bias while fostering unity solidarity and equality.

We will continue to engage our student athletes, coaches and campus staff members tom identify ways to unite and make an everlasting difference now and in the future. We certainly SHARON, S.C. (AP) – Church officials in South welcome input from our conference membership and others as Carolina said a white man shouted racist slurs at black we move forward TOGETHER.” parishioners and pulled down his pants to show them his Another member of the group is LaKesha Alston-Forbes, butt while they were holding services outdoors due to the Associate Provost for Equity and Diversity at East Carolina coronavirus pandemic.

University. She is also the schools Title IX coordinator. Alston The man was “being loud and boisterous” in an attempt Forbes and the group will assist in developing messaging through to disrupt the service at St. John Missionary Baptist Church public service announcements, help in putting together hashtags in Sharon on Sunday before he yelled the slurs and mooned that will enable relative experiences, stories and uplifting the worshippers, according to an incident report filed with relationships to be shared through utilization of platforms. She the York County Sheriff’s Office. will also assist in group in sponsoring workshops that will seek to He also shouted “white power” as he spewed the slurs create dialogue with campus police and local police departments in at people, including children, Pastor John Brown told The communities of the American Athletic Conference communities.

Herald.

This move is a great move by the conference to come up “I spoke during the sermon to our people and told them with solutions that will not only uplift the college communities that we have been called that before, but God created us this but will have an international effect as many students come from In this Aug. 4, 2015 file photo, American Athletic color and that as black people we are just as important and University of Tulsa athletic director Dr. Derrick other countries. Just as Black Lives Matters had a global effect so Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco addresses part of God’s world as anyone,” Brown said.

Gragg was recently selected as Chairman of the will the efforts of these brilliant minds. the media during an NCAA football media day in York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson told the newspaper Other Group members include: Donna DeMarco, COO, Newport, R.I. with Big 12 expansion talks looming.

American’s Racial Equality Racial group. (Stephenthat he learned about the alleged incident on Tuesday and American Athletic Conference (ex officio member), Kelvin (AP Photo/Stew Milne)(AP) PingryTulsaWorld) called church officials, urging them to file an official report, which they did the next day. He said the church leaders told him that no one had confronted the person.

“The people there at the church that day handled the incident extremely well,” he said.

Authorities have not yet identified a suspect, Tolson added.

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obcat Rec Sheriff’sBWorker ove A f t er Being H Arrested for i P o l i c e Vandalism of Car ‘Black Lives Matter’ Signs

American Athletic Conference Forms Racial Equality Action Group

White Man Yelled Slurs, Mooned Black Parishioners

2 Arrested after ‘Black Lives Matter’ Painted in Street

San Diego County Administration Building (Photo by Chida Rebecca editor and chief, Black & Magazine)

California State Capitol Goes Black, Red and Green to Mark Juneteenth Aldon Thomas Stiles California Black Media As California goes, so does the nation.

You’ve probably heard that cliché many times before. It certainly rings true for Juneteenth.

The state of California started recognizing Juneteenth or Black “Freedom Day,” marking the emancipation of enslaved African Americans, back in 2003 as an official state observance. That was 17 years before Juneteenth became a household word across the United States this year.

On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger led troops into Galveston, Texas, to announce the end of the Civil War and to let enslaved people in that town know that nearly 250 years of slavery was finally

over. They were now recognized as free people. Thousands of African Americans in that former Confederate Gulf Coast town had not yet heard that more than two years before on January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation. That document officially granted them their freedom.

“Four hundred years, African Americans have fought through struggle and oppression only to rise to the occasion and be the creators, inventors and leaders of society,” said the Rev. Shane Harris, a San Diego based civil rights leader, reflecting on the history behind the holiday.

In the wake of the brutal murder of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who Minnesota police killed last month — and amid the global protests his death has sparked — there were

more Juneteenth celebrations across California than ever before in history. The commemorations took on especial significance as Californians up and down the state paid homage to the suffering and triumphs of African American history in the United States.

“Juneteenth is Freedom Day and a cause for celebration,” said Assembly member Shirley N. Weber (D-San Diego, chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus.

On Friday night in Sacramento, Weber, other members of the California legislature, and people from all walks of life, watched from the lawn of the California Capitol as the building’s famous dome lighted up in Red, Green and Black. African Americans use those colors to symbolize the pain and the richness of the African American experience and the African heritage of

Continued on page A2

FLORISSANT, Mo. (AP) – Two women are facing charges after protesters began to paint “Black Lives Matter” in the street near a suburban St. Louis police department that has has been the site of protests since a white detective’s SUV struck a Black suspect earlier this month.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the arrests came Sunday night after multiple warnings during a protest in Florissant, Missouri.

The department in the north St. Louis County town has been the site of several protests since the Black suspect was injured June 2. The detective, Joshua Smith, was fired and was charged last week with assault and armed criminal action.

Smith’s attorney said the man was struck accidentally.

Video was captured from two home security systems.

On Sunday, 50 to 70 protesters gathered outside police headquarters and some sought to paint “Black Lives Matter” similar to what was painted near the White House in Washington.

The slogan was first painted on Friday, but it was painted over the next day at the direction of the city’s street department, police spokesman Steve Michael said, Protesters repainted “Black Lives Matter” in 12-foot-high(3.7-meterhigh) letters on Saturday, but it was again painted over.

Protesters who gathered Sunday night were warned that anyone painting in the street would risk getting pepper sprayed or arrested. Police moved in when the painting started.

Michael said the words were were causing confusion for drivers and attracting onlookers to the busy stretch of road.

“It’s not the message we are painting over, it’s the fact they are painting over the highway,” he said.

Protesters and police had a brief but violent encounter late Friday and early Saturday. Police used pepper spray to disperse a crowd after demonstrators threw objects that damaged the police building. Michael said up to four officers were struck by thrown objects.

Three people were arrested Friday, one each for assault, property damage and peace disturbance.

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THE VALLEY’S NEWS OBSERVER

Thursday, June 25, 2020

World & Nation

State Capitol (Photo by Antonio Harvey)

State Capitol Vanessa Williams is Making a Difference Goes Black, with Thousands of Black Mayors Red & Green to Mark Juneteenth Today, the International Conference of Black Mayors represents the well over 39,000 African American, African, Afro-Caribbean, Latino and European mayors and local elected officials located throughout the African Diaspora.

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent Vanessa R. Williams has earned the description of the “glue that holds 650 African American mayors together.”

In a lengthy conversation with Black Press USA, it was easy to see why.

“I came into this organization as a new executive director, and I saw where we were really missing an opportunity,” Williams noted.

“The organization had a long history. It started as the Southern Conference of Black Mayors, and then it became the National Conference of Black Mayors,” she recalled.

Today, with its outreach stretching globally, the group has adopted the name, International Association of Mayors of African Descent and Heritage.

The International Association of Mayors of African Descent is visionary mayors and leaders united for the purpose and vision of establishing the platform in which education, empowerment, and economic development through trust, trade, training, and tourism.

“The next step for me was an international step because as we began to grow the organization domestically, we started seeing the similarities of conditions of the quality of life or the lack thereof both with Africans living on the continent of Africa,” Williams stated.

“So, the first step we took in 2006 was to Haiti and then a delegation to Columbia in 2007. In 2008 we took our first trip to Africa to Uganda. We took a delegation of mayors to figure out how to reconnect and open the door so that everyone can walk through it.”

Responding to the clarion call to erase the cultural divide that existed through distance, language barriers, and lack of resources, the organization believed that Black mayors could serve as a conduit to connect resources, talents and skills necessary to develop sustainable communities.

They also believed in creating a greater quality of life for the constituencies in which they serve.

Today, the International Conference of Black Mayors represents the well over 39,000 African American, African, Afro-Caribbean, Latino and European mayors and local elected officials located throughout the African Diaspora.

“What we’ve done over the last 10 to 15 years is really

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quietly organize mayors of African descent throughout the globe,” Williams said.

“And it’s been a pleasure doing that and being able to come back and now present those associations through the African Union.

“We just recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the African Union to provide technical assistance and training to the mayors in the continent of Africa, and that was a major undertaking.”

Williams added that her message to those of African descent is that “we are at a point and time in history that our ancestors predicted we would get to and what’s happening, what you see right now, is we’ve been a sleeping giant, and the giant is awakening.”

“There is an awakening that’s happening across this nation right now, and it’s awakening people like Maulana Karenga, who spoke up when he created Kwanza and the principles of Kwanza,” Williams proclaimed.

“That self-determination to not be afraid of looking at what we do well and acknowledging our contribution to this country and this world because the world has benefited from this contribution.

“So, unless we acknowledge it, then the world will never see it for what it’s worth. We were more than just servants, we were people who brought our talent, our skill, our ability, our ingenuity, our creativity, and we put it to use. We brought life to it, and so that’s the spirit of our people.”

Williams demanded that the conference of Black mayors has big plans ahead, some of which she won’t be able to announce until a bit later. However, it hasn’t tempered her optimism.

“The last conference we did in Columbia, we had 3,500 mayors that came to our World Summit of Mayors Meeting in Columbia,” she recalled.

“At that conference, there were all these people of African descent. Some brown, some dark, some light. It was so beautiful and what was so amazing about it is that we came together. All of us, at the end of the day, wanted the same thing which was a quality of life for our children, education, clean water, clean air, good jobs, safe communities, and the ability to work and to learn and to participate in this capitalistic society.”

Williams maintains a desire to help young people.

“I just think that, as a village, we should come around our young people and embrace their differences in a way that allows them to be creative and not in ways that cause them to step away,” Williams said.

“Because if they are not strong enough, we’ll break people instead of building people. I don’t want our young people broken because they may think a little differently. I want them embraced because they do think a little differently.”

Continued from page A1

Vanessa R. Williams (Courtesy Photo)

Supreme Court Protects California Dreamers Quinci LeGardye California Black Media On June 18, the United States Supreme Court ruled against the Trump administration’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The renewable federal provision allows people who were brought illegally to the U.S. as children to defer deportation and receive legal permission to work, study and live in the United States.

“Congratulations to DACAmented immigrants for this historic win,” said Nana Gyamfi, Executive Director of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI), a national advocacy organization that pushes for fair immigration policies. According to BAJI’s website, the group stands up for the rights of African, Caribbean and other minority immigrants across the United States; and stands with African Americans in the fight for racial justice.

“This moment would not have happened were it not for the Black uprisings that have centered Black lives in this country,” Gyamfi continued. “This decision is a welcomed reprieve for DACA recipients and a call to action in support of Black Liberation. There are no permanent protections for any immigrants until African American human rights and dignity are protected.”

The court decided by a 5-4 vote that the Trump administration had not provided “a reasoned explanation for its action,” according to the majority opinion written by Chief Justice John G. Roberts.

California has played an integral part in the fight to keep the DACA program. Regents of the University of California were

the defendants in the Supreme Court case, and the California Department of Justice led a coalition of 21 attorneys general in defense of the program.

“The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the University of California and the California Attorney General’s challenge against the Trump Administration’s capricious action is a victory for hundreds of thousands of young people who are making vital contributions to their families, schools, employers, and the nation,” said University of California President Janet Napolitano.

“Today, America told the Dreamers that this is their home,” said CA Attorney General Xavier Becerra in a June 18 statement.

“The highest court in our land saw through the Trump administration’s illegal, baseless excuses. The Court agreed: if you work hard and play by the rules, you deserve a chance to get ahead.”

According the National Immigration Forum, about 653,000 “Dreamers,” undocumented immigrants who came into the U.S. as children, are currently protected under DACA, with over 200,000 recipients residing in California. The average DACA recipient arrived in the U.S. at age seven and has lived in the country for more than 20 years.

The Supreme Court decision comes at a time when Dreamers are facing heightened hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Center for American Progress, 202,500 DACA recipients are on the frontlines of the nationwide COVID-19 response. Most of these recipients are essential workers in healthcare, education, and food-related industries.

Black people in the United States. “What is encouraging is the renewed interest in Juneteenth by young people. I think it is this moment where they recognize their power to make change.

The message of Juneteenth is especially salient in the context of the current protests over ongoing and persistent brutality and inequity in the lives of Black Americans,” said Weber.

American ideals promise equality, but have yet to fulfill that promise. By lighting the State Capitol in red, black and green, the California Legislative Black Caucus demonstrates its commitment to making that promise a reality in California,” she said.

Across the country, more and more, businesses — including Nike, Target and Spotify —have started to consider Juneteenth a paid holiday.

And as social and recreational venues began to open across the United States, Californians last weekend organized events for an all-American holiday celebration throughout the state.

There were marches for justices in San Francisco, Oakland, Fremont, Pittsburg, Palo Alto and Santa Clara that ended up with political rallies. Some events featured live performances, food and other entertainment.

In Sacramento, the California Black Agriculture Working Group held an event at Cesar Chavez Plaza called “2020 Sacramento Juneteenth, Dia De Los Negroes.”

According to their Eventbrite page, the goal of the event was to educate Californians about “the unique legacy of ‘Slavery in California’ our journey towards freedom and ongoing systemic impacts from ‘America’s Peculiar Institution’ here in the Great State of California.”

Beginning last Friday, Californians have been joining other Americans around the country for a Juneteenth Online Festival, which will run through June 28, 2020. The U.S. Census Bureau is participating in the national virtual festival to raise awareness about this year’s census count.

“This online festival is something for the history books,” said Betty Williams, president of the Sacramento NAACP branch and U.S. Census Bureau Sacramento area partnership specialist.

“I think the first ever Juneteenth Online Festival will create a huge amount of curiosity, which will equate to a large interest from the Black community, resulting in a successful event,” she said before the event kicked off last week.

From June 13th, the San Jose/Silicon Valley-based African American Community Service Agency has been hosting their 39th annual Juneteenth In The Park Festival entirely online for the first time in its history.

The festival featured African American art, a Black hair session and a live virtual musical performance by Neo-Soul singer Anthony Hamilton. He headlined the online event.

In San Bernardino, The Dino Can and the M.U.D.A.Foundation, local grassroots communitybased organizations, teamed up to organize a “communitycentric” event on June 19 called “Feed The Dino.” It featured free food, music and entertainment and was held at Perris Hill Park in San Bernardino.

Lexi, one of the founding members of the activist and art collective Kawaii Killas, expressed the importance of her organization’s involvement in the San Bernardino event.

“Feed The Dino is an event me and Kawaii [Killas] are very excited to be a part of because in a city that is in the top three most dangerous in America, we are bringing light and joy to our city,” Lexi said. “We are serving the people that have paid their dues and maybe even fell victim to our streets. Feed the Dino is retribution to our people. The things everyone deserves: community, food and life.”

Lisa, another founding member of Kawaii Killas, highlighted the need for a celebration in these turbulent times.

“To me, Juneteenth means resting your soul just for a second,” Lisa said. “Just a day. Freedom, sweet but short lived in realization.”

While Freedom Day is a celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation, many California organizations are reminding policy makers that there is still a civil rights movement for Black lives that has not seen its end.

For those still wary about gathering in public on the 19th, the South LA/South Bay African American Infant and Maternal Mortality Community hosted a virtual Freedom Day celebration that that featured Dr. Sayida Peprah, a Los Angeles-based psychologist as the keynote speaker.

Like the state Capitol, San Francisco and San Diego counties lighted their administration buildings, too. Swaths of red, green and gold light shone against the white exteriors of those local government centers.

“Tonight we accomplished lighting the San Diego County Administration Building in honor of Juneteenth,” says Harris. “We are part of creating a new narrative.”

“But we must move from just illuminating buildings on the outside to going inside of them to address the inequities facing African Americans,” he said.

Thursday, June 25, 2020

THE VALLEY’S NEWS OBSERVER A3

Entertainment

Comedian DL Hughley COVID-19 Positive

after Fainting Onstage

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) _ Comedian D.L. Hughley announced he tested positive for COVID-19 after collapsing onstage during a performance in Nashville, Tennessee.

The stand-up comedian, 57, lost consciousness while performing at the Zanies comedy nightclub on Friday night and was hospitalized, news outlets reported. On Saturday, Hughley posted a video on Twitter in which he said he was treated for exhaustion and dehydration afterward.

“I also tested positive for COVID-19, which blew me away,” he says in the video. “I was what they call asymptomatic. I didn’t have any symptoms, the classic symptoms.”

Hughley plans to quarantine in his Nashville hotel room for 14 days. The remaining two nights of his four-night engagement at Zanies were canceled, according to the club’s online calendar.

“Our friend D.L. Hughley had a medical emergency while performing on Friday and was hospitalized overnight. According to his publicist, he was suffering from exhaustion after working & traveling this week,” the club posted on Facebook. “Love ya, D.L. and we’ll look forward to seeing this King of Comedy back in Nashville soon!”

Hughley said he still hasn’t exhibited any of the typical symptoms associated with the coronavirus, including shortness of breath and fever.

“So, in addition to all the other stuff you have to look out for,” Hughley advises in the video, if you “pass out in the middle of a show, onstage, you probably need to get tested.”

In addition to stand-up comedy, Hughley is also an actor, author and radio and television host. He starred in Spike Lee’s 2000 concert film, “The Original Kings of Comedy,” alongside Steve Harvey, Bernie Mac and Cedric the Entertainer.

Hughley also produced and starred in “The Hughleys,” which aired on ABC and UPN from 1998 to 2002 and hosted a CNN talk show. He currently hosts the radio show “The D.L. Hughley Show,” which is syndicated in dozens of markets.

“Thank you for your prayers and your well wishes _ and a few more of them wouldn’t hurt,” Hughley says in the video.

Writer, actor and producer D.L. Hughley poses with his award at the 72nd Annual George Foster Peabody Awards at the Waldorf-Astoria on Monday, May 20, 2013 in New York. (Photo by: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Bill Cosby Granted Appeal in Pennsylvania Sex Assault

By MARYCLAIRE DALE Associated Press PHILADELPHIA (AP) _ In a stunning decision that could test the legal framework of (hash)MeToo cases, comedian Bill Cosby has won the right to fight his 2018 sexual assault conviction in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

The 82-year-old Cosby has been imprisoned in suburban Philadelphia for nearly two years after a jury convicted him of drugging and sexually assaulting a woman at his home in 2004.

He's serving a three- to 10-year sentence.

The Supreme Court has agreed to review two aspects of the case, including the judge's decision to let prosecutors call five other accusers to testify about long-ago encounters with the once-powerful actor and comedian. Cosby's lawyers have long challenged that testimony as remote and unreliable. The

court will also consider, as it weighs the scope of the testimony allowed, whether the jury should have heard evidence that Cosby had given quaaludes to women in the past.

Secondly, the court will examine Cosby's argument that he had an agreement with a former prosecutor that he would never be charged in the case. Cosby has said he relied on that agreement before agreeing to testify in the trial accuser's civil lawsuit.

Those issues have been at the heart of the case since Cosby was charged in December 2015, days before the 12-year state of limitations expired. Prosecutors in Montgomery County had reopened the case that year after The Associated Press fought to unseal portions of Cosby's decade-old deposition testimony in accuser Andrea Constand's sex assault and defamation lawsuit against Cosby, which he had settled in 2006.

Dozens of other accusers had come forward since then to

accuse Cosby, long beloved as “America's Dad'' because of his hit 1980s sitcom, of similar misconduct. Montgomery County Judge Stephen O'Neill allowed just one of them to testify at Cosby's first trial in 2017, which ended with an acquittal.

But a year later, after the (hash)MeToo movement exploded in the wake of reporting on Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, the judge allowed five other accusers to testify at the retrial. The jury convicted Cosby on all three felony sex-assault counts.

Lawyer Brian W. Perry argued in the appeal that letting other accusers testify “flips constitutional jurisprudence on its head, and the `presumption of guilt,' rather than the presumption of innocence, becomes the premise.''

Spokesman Andrew Wyatt said Cosby was “extremely thankful'' the court would hear the case. He said the decision comes as demonstrators across the nation protest the death of Black people at the hands of police and expose the “corruption that lies within the criminal justice system.''

“As we have all stated, the false conviction of Bill Cosby is so much bigger than him _ it's about the destruction of ALL Black people and people of color in America,'' Wyatt said in a statement.

Cosby's lawyers also challenged his classification as a sexually violent predator subject to lifetime supervision. The actor, who insists he had a consensual encounter with accuser Constand, has said he would never express remorse to the parole board.

The Associated Press typically does not name people who say they have been victims of sexual assault without their permission, which Constand has granted.

Showtime’s “Black Monday” Returns from Quarantine

By Lynn Elber AP Television Writer Amid America's wrenching self-examination of racial attitudes and inequities, BET is touting its annual BET Awards as a much-needed celebration of black excellence in music, film, TV, sports and philanthropy. Actor-comedian Amanda Seales hosts the virtual ceremony airing 8 p.m. EDT Sunday, with performers set to include Alicia Keys, DaBaby, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Lil Wayne and Usher. Drake, Megan Thee Stallion and Roddy Ricch are the leading nominees in the music categories, with LeBron James, Serena Williams and Simon Biles among those up for top athlete honors.

Showtime's “Black Monday” is back to finish up season two after the cornavirus forced a pause in post-production. The comedy, which pivots around the October 1987 worldwide stock market crash that gives the series its name, returns 8 p.m. EDT

Sunday with four new weekly episodes starring Don Cheadle, Andrew Rannells and Regina Hall. Viewers who want to refresh their memory of the season's first six episodes, or just savor anew Cheadle's powerhouse performance, can head to Showtime's streaming service.

The late writer Michelle McNamara's investigation of a serial killer-rapist is explored in HBO's “I'll Be Gone in the Dark,'' a six-part docuseries debuting 10 p.m. EDT Sunday.

McNamara, the wife of comedian Patton Oswalt, had immersed herself in the crimes of the so-called Golden State Killer in the 1970s and '80s in California. Her posthumously published book is the basis of the series that includes interviews with detectives, family members of victims and those who survived their attacker.

In 2018, a former police officer was arrested in the case _ two months after McNamara's book

Showtime’s “Black Monday” returns 8 p.m. EDT Sunday with four new weekly episodes starring Don Cheadle, Andrew Rannells and Regina Hall.

A4

THE VALLEY’S NEWS OBSERVER

Local

Thursday, June 25, 2020

Maxine Waters Keynotes State Black Graduation

LOS ANGELES – Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-43) served as the virtual keynote speaker for more than 2,500 African American graduates from 24 colleges across the state of California on Friday, June 19. The virtual graduation was organized by students and one of the founders of Brunch 2 Bomb, Adrienne Reed, as a salute to Black graduates in the Class of 2020 who were not able to have traditional graduation ceremonies due to the coronavirus pandemic.

During her speech, Congresswoman Waters gave a shoutout to graduates from the 43rd District cities of South Los Angeles, Inglewood, Gardena, Hawthorne, Lawndale, Lomita, and Torrance, as well as the graduates of Loyola Marymount University and her alma mater, Cal State University, Los Angeles. Congresswoman Waters emphasized the virtual

graduation theme of “We Deserve,” and encouraged the Class of 2020 to take that message to heart in their future endeavors.

“No matter what challenges or opposition you may face in life, you must be absolutely committed to the proposition that you are deserving of respect,” said Congresswoman Maxine Waters. “You deserve to live and love freely without fear of persecution or condemnation. You deserve to thrive in your careers and express yourself creatively without the threat of bigotry and discrimination. You deserve to be able to live in a society that does not view you as a threat merely because of the color of your skin, the way you dress, or the community you live in. Black men and women, you deserve the best that this world has to offer.”

Congresswoman Waters also emphasized the significance of the virtual graduation taking place on Juneteenth, and paid

tribute to her dear friend and former Texas representative, the late Al Edwards, who fought to make Texas the first state to make Juneteenth a paid, statewide holiday in 1980. She closed her speech by encouraging the graduates to take the world by storm and to speak truth to power.

“No matter what obstacles come your way – keep going.

Take the world by storm. Be unafraid to speak truth to power and demand the decent quality of life that you deserve. Don’t allow coronavirus or any other obstacle to distract you from your mission to make this democracy more equitable, more inclusive, and more just. Put on your mask and your gloves, and when the time comes, launch your career. We are in the battle of our lifetime, and each of you represents our future,” said Congresswoman Waters.

Rep. Waters at Los Angeles Southwest College’s 2017 Commencement. (Courtesy Photo)

Three Blacks Step Into Top CA Leadership Roles Tanu Henry California Black Media On Monday, the full California state Senate confirmed the appointments of two African Americans who have already stepped into top jobs at departments critical to the smooth operation of the state.

Yolanda Richardson and Adetokunbo “Toks” Omishakin, are officially assuming their roles as state government executives in Sacramento at at time when the state is implementing deep cuts to its fiscal year 2020-21 budget in response to the global COVID-19 crisis.

Despite the challenges, they both had already begun to execute the functions of their offices, pending this week’s final Senate approval.

African American legislators and activists say the presence of Richardson and Omishakin in toplevel state positions dovetails with the calls Americans across the country are making for more diversity in both the private and public sector — but there’s more work to do.

In January 2019, when Gov. Newsom became governor of California he promised Yolanda Richardson more inclusion of African Americans and other ethnic minorities.

(Courtesy Photo) “I am deeply committed to building an administration that

reflects California’s diversity, and it’s a goal I hope to advance at every level of state government,” he said.

A little over 100 miles southwest of Sacramento in Santa Clara County, another African American, Rick Callender, assumed the top post of the region’s water utility last month.

Meet Richardson, Omishakin and Callender: Yolanda Richardson, Secretary, Rick Callender California Government Operations (Courtesy Photo) Agency Yolanda Richardson, 49, is California’s Secretary of Government Operations Agency. She was appointed by Gov. Newsom on January 22.

In her role, Richardson, a graduate of California State University Sacramento, oversees 10 state departments. Secretary Richardson oversees ten state departments vital to the smooth administration of state business, including procurement, information technology, tax administration, human resources, among others.

Immediately before joining Gov. Newsom’s administration, Richardson was president of Teloiv, a Sacramento-based consulting firm. Before that, she worked in leadership roles at both the California Health Exchange and at the San Francisco Health Care Plan.

Richardson, a Democrat, lives in Rosedale and earns a salary

of $217,292.

Adetokunbo “Toks” Omishakin, Director, California Dept. of Transportation (CalTrans) Adetokunbo “Toks” Omishakin is the Director of the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans). Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed him in October 2019.

Omishakin, 44, is the 33rd director of the agency.

As director of CalTrans, he manages a $15 billion budget and nearly 21,000 employees and oversees 50,000 lane miles of highways. He is responsible for maintaining 13,000 bridges and providing permits for more than 400 public-use airports. CalTrans also funds three of Amtrak’s busiest intercity rail services and provide transit support to more than 200 local and regional transit agencies.

Before accepting the CalTrans director role, Omishakin was the deputy commissioner of environment and planning at the Tennessee Deparment of Transportation.

Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, Omishakin and his wife have two children. He is completing a Ph.D. in engineering management at Adetokunbo “Toks” the University of Tennessee, Omishakin Knoxville. He has a master’s degree (Courtesy Photo) in urban and regional planning from Jackson State University; and a bachelor of arts in engineering technology from Mississippi Valley

State University.

Omishakin, registered without a party preference, earns a salary of $200,000.

Rick Callender, CEO, Santa Clara Valley Water District Rick Callender, 49, an attorney and longtime water executive, was elected CEO of the Santa Clara Water District (SCWD) by the organization’s board of directors last month.

The organization serves as the water wholesaler for Santa Clara County and is responsible for providing water to — and flood protection in — the Santa Clara Valley.

In the role, Callender will oversee an annual budget of more than $600 million. During his tenure, SCWD is also expected to take on several major capital projects, including a major reservoir expansion and a dam renovation.

For more than two decades, Callender has worked in executive roles at Water Valley. He has also actively participated in local politics, organizing and advocacy, including serving as second Vice President of the California-Hawaii Conference of the NAACP. Callender was born in Las Vegas and grew up in San Jose, where he graduated from Santa Teresa High School. He earned his bachelor of science degree in industrial engineering and technology from California State University, Chico, and his law degree from Northwestern California School of Law. A Democrat, Callender earns a salary of $326, 352 a year.

Inglewood’s Choice to Quickly Close Elementary School Harms Children Opinion: Margaret Richards-Bowers Special to California Black Media Partners Closing a neighborhood school without collaborating with parents, school staff, and the neighborhood only invites strong pushback from the groups not included in the decision.

This is the path the Inglewood Unified School District (IUSD) took when it decided to close Warren Lane TK-7

Margaret Richards-Bowers is a former president of the Inglewood Unified School District Board of Education. (Courtesy Photo)

PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE OF PROPOSED ACTION CASE NUMBER: 18STPB10794 The personal representative (executor or administrator) of the estate of the decreased is: FREDDIE MAE JACKSON The Personal representative has authority to administer the estate without court supervision under the Independent Administration of Estates Act (Pro. Code, §10440 et seq.) with limited authority under the act (there is no authority, without court supervision, to (1) sell or exchange real property or (2) grant an option to purchase real property or (3) borrow money with the loan secured by an encumbrance upon real property.

On or after: July 18, 2020, the personal representative will take the following action without court supervision: NOTICE OF SALE of Real Property at Private Sale Case No. 18STPB10794 In the Superior Court of the State of California, for the County of LOS ANGELES In the Matter of the Estate of Fred Douglas Dorton, Sr., deceased. Notice is hereby given that the undersigned will sell at Private Sale, to the highest and best bidder, subject to confirmation of said Superior Court, on or after 7/18/2020 at the office of 168 H Street, Bakersfield CA 93304, all the right, title and interest of said deceased at time of death and all right, title and interest the estate has acquired in addition to that of said deceased, in and to all the certain Real property in the City of Los Angeles, County of LOS ANGELES, State of California, particularly described as follows: Lot 14 of Tract No. 583 as Per Map Recorded in Book 16, Page 12 of Maps, in the City of Los Angeles, in the office of the County Recorder of said county. APN: 5101-026-021 Commonly known as 155 W. 58th St., Los Angeles CA 90037

Elementary School. The school serves predominantly AfricanAmerican students in the Morningside Park community in the city of Inglewood.

On Monday June 8, IUSD notified teachers of the closure via a Zoom call. The next day, parents received a letter informing them that Warren Lane was going to be closed. By Friday, June 12, the resolution to close the school was approved at a school board meeting.

For the Warren Lane teachers and staff, closing the school for most of them means reassignment to other Inglewood schools. For the students, it means leaving a familiar, safe environment and friends, teachers, and staff. For parents, they are scrambling to find a suitable school for their children to attend.

The timing could not be worse. Because of the pandemic, there is no way to visit area schools to see what they have to offer. For the middle class residents living next to Warren Lane, formerly called Daniel Freeman Elementary, after forty years of being neighbors to the school, they are worried about what IUSD will do with the property.

The day before the school board planned to officially approve closing Warren Lane, county administrator Erika Torres scheduled a Zoom meeting for one hour with the parents.

Allotting just an hour in a virtual meeting is not enough time to gain consensus on such an impactful decision.

School board President D’Artagnan Scorza assumed the task of explaining why Warren Lane was being closed. IUSD is in receivership and experiencing financial challenges. According to Scorza, the school had to be closed because of declining enrollment, which led to its facility not being fully utilized.

The virtual meeting quickly deteriorated when Scorza opened it to questions. He controlled who asked the questions, and when he heard remarks he did not like, he cut the person off or told them they were out of line. Naturally people were upset their

Legal Notices

PUBLIC NOTICE

Terms of sale are cash in lawful money of the United States on confirmation of sale, or part cash and balance upon such terms and conditions as are acceptable to the personal representative. Ten percent of amount bid to be deposited with bid.

Bids or offers to be in writing and will be received at the aforesaid office at any time after the first publication hereof and before date of sale.

Dated 6/11/2020 S/ Freddie Mae Jackson Personal Representative of the Estate.

Attorney at Law: William Edwards Real property transaction: No inventory yet.

Date: 6/11/2020 Personal Representative or Attorney: William Edwards 237587 William Edwards Law 168 H Street Bakersfield, Ca. 93304 Attorney for: Freddie Mae Jackson LOS ANGELES BAY NEWS OBSERVER (E) PUB: June 18, 25, July 2, 2020

NOTICE OF PROPOSED ACTION CASE NUMBER: 18STPB10794 The personal representative (executor or administrator) of the estate of the decreased is: FREDDIE MAE JACKSON The Personal representative has authority to administer the estate without court supervision under the Independent Administration of Estates Act (Pro. Code, §10440 et seq.) with limited authority under the act (there is no authority, without court supervision, to (1) sell or exchange real property or (2) grant an option to purchase real property or (3) borrow money with the loan secured by an encumbrance upon real property.

On or after: July 18, 2020, the personal representative will take the following action without court supervision: NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

of Real Property at Private Sale Case No. 18STPB 10794 In the Superior Court of the State of California, for the County of LOS ANGELES ln the Matter of the Estate of Fred Douglas Dorton, Sr., deceased. Notice is hereby given that the undersigned will sell at Private Sale, to the highest and best bidder, subject to confirmation of said Superior Court, on or after 7/18/2020 at the office of 168 H Street, Bakersfield CA 93304, all the right, title and interest of said deceased at time of death and all right, title and interest the estate has acquired in addition to that of said deceased, in and to all the certain Real property, situation in the City of Carson, County of LOS ANGELES, State of California, particularly described as follows: A Condominium Comprised of: A. An undivided 1/600 interest in and to Lot 601 of Tract No. 28042 in the City of Carson, County of Los Angeles, State of California, as per map recorded in Book 716 Pages 17 to 25 inclusive of Maps, in the office of the county recorder of said county.

Except therefrom all oil, gas, minerals and other hydrocarbon substances lying below a depth of 100 Feet from the surface of said property but with no right of surface entry as provided in deed recorded in Book 1798 Page 569 of official records.

In the exercise of said reserved exclusive easements, mineral rights and reservation, grantor may pool said lands with other lands. The right of grantor shall include, but shall in no way be limited to, all Subterranean rights necessary incidental or convenient to the full exercise of the rights reserved by grantor below 100 Feet of the surface of said land and shall include the right to drill and maintain well holes through the said land below 100 Feet from the surface thereof for the Purpose ofremoving oil,

gas and other hydrocarbon substances from other lands whether such other lands be adjacent contiguous or distant from said lands. APN: 7315-024-038 Commonly known as 34 Paradise Valley North, Unit 114, Carson CA 90745 Terms of sale are cash in lawful money of the United States on confirmation of sale, or part cash and balance upon such terms and conditions as are acceptable to the personal representative. Ten percent of amount bid to be deposited with bid.

Bids or offers to be in writing and will be received at the aforesaid office at any time after the first publication hereof and before date of sale.

Dated 6/11/2020 S/ Freddie Mae Jackson Personal Representative of the Estate.

Attorney at Law: William Edwards Real property transaction: No inventory yet.

Date: 6/11/2020 Personal Representative or Attorney: William Edwards 237587 William Edwards Law 168 H Street Bakersfield, Ca. 93304 Attorney for: Freddie Mae Jackson LOS ANGELES BAY NEWS OBSERVER (E) PUB: June 18, 25, July 2, 2020

AFFIDAVIT AND NOTICE OF DEFAULT BY TACIT PROCURATION AND ARTICLE 9 By: Dean, April, Lenai Affiant: NOD-041820-ALD Los Angeles County,Carson, Ca Respondents: SPS, JP Morgan Chase, US Bank, et al. THAT the governing law of this private contract is the agreement of the parties supported by the Law Merchant and applicable maxims of law.

LOS ANGELES NEWS OBSERVER PUB: June 18, 25, July 2, 9, 2020

school was being closed and wanted to be heard.

Dionne Faulk, school board Vice President and Trustee Area 1 representative where Warren Lane is located, listened quietly while Scorza excoriated her constituents. Not only did she fail to defend her constituents, she broke their trust by letting the school district blindside them by closing their school without any warning.

After the Zoom meeting which attracted up to 200 viewers, some parents and neighbors felt disrespected. Some were angry.

Most had not been convinced that the school should be closed.

And rather than quietly accept what they were told was a “done deal,” some who had logged on to the meeting got together and started to organize a campaign to change IUSD’s decision to close Warren Lane.

A group called F.R.E.E – Fighters for the Right to Receive Equitable Education formed by teachers as well as Warren Lane parents, grandparents and neighbors is circulating a petition on Change.org – “Keep Warren Lane Elementary School Open.” So far, they’ve collected over 1700 signatures.

As a past President of the Inglewood Unified School District Board of Education, I want to apologize to parents and neighbors of Warren Lane for how the decision to close the school was handled. The school board knows better than to endorse this kind of decision without adequate community input and providing advance notice. Because IUSD is under state receivership, its actions are being observed and graded by the Fiscal Crisis Assistance & Management Team (FCMAT). In order to exit receivership, IUSD needs to earn high marks from FCMAT in community relations.

Scorza failed in his presentation to say how much money IUSD would save by closing Warren Lane. That’s probably because the amount of budget savings doesn’t make a strong argument for such a drastic decision. In addition, projected

savings depend on how many Warren Lane students go to other Inglewood schools. If too many students leave the school system because their parents are upset by how the school closing was handled, IUSD ends up losing, not saving, money because state funding follows the student.

Also, there is potential for IUSD to lose even more money because a campaign to recall board member Dionne Faulk for failing to look out for her Trustee Area I constituents is being discussed. If it is pursued, IUSD will have to pay the recall election costs.

I want the Warren Lane community to know that I stand with them asking that the school be kept open. The California Department of Education has a process for closing schools that relies on community engagement. It’s time for IUSD to adopt it and try to regain the trust of the school district community.

I’ve heard that Torres, while new to the area, cares about the Inglewood community. Now that she’s seen firsthand the passion the community has for keeping Warren Lane open, she not only has incentive to find a solution to keep the school open, but can expect help from the community to implement whatever plan she develops.

There is a path for Warren Lane to continue to educate Inglewood students. Warren Lane is located in a very stable neighborhood so parents will be comfortable sending their children there. If the Measure GG funds previously allocated to modernize the school are used to upgrade the facilities, and if Warren Lane were converted to a dependent charter school with specialized programs, it would be able to attract students from the neighborhood as well as from outside of the school district.

It’s not too late for IUSD to join with the Morningside Park community and find a way to keep Warren Lane open.

Thursday, June 25, 2020

THE VALLEY’S NEWS OBSERVER A5

Sports

Bubba Wallace Rolls on Despite Incident

By Earl Heath Contributing Sports Writer Bubba Wallace and NASCAR drivers continued to put on a show of unity after weeks of turmoil and protest in the country.

Before the race at Talladega Speedway all 39 drivers and crew member pushed Wallace’s 43 car to the front of the field as a show of support.

Wallace is Nascar’s only black full-time driver. As this was happening the FBI was investigating who left a noose in his garage stall a few days earlier.

The gesture brought the 26-year-old to tears. He then went over and slapped five with some fans in a joyous moment. He then was in the top 5 most of the race but due to lack of fuel he finished 14th.

“I am proud to stand where I’m as the sport is changing,” said Wallace. “The deal that happened (Saturday), I wanted to

show who ever it was, you not going to take away my smile, I’m going to keep on going.”

His good friend Ryan Blaney edged out Rick Stackhouse Jr. for his fourth win and first since Talladega in October.

Wallace ranks 21st in points during this cup series.

It’s been an emotional few weeks for Wallace who recently requested a ban of the Confederate Flag. Several drivers have stood by him.

During the pre-race 82 year old Richard Petty stood by Wallace for the National Anthem. The Hall of famer who is known as “The King” Wallace drives his 43 car. Petty commented on the noose issue stating: “That’s a sick person.”

It was only the second race back since the COVID-19 caused things to be shut down. Workers painted #IStandWithBubbaWallace on the infield grass before the race.

Dr. Karida Brown Joins The Lakers as Director of Racial Equity & Action EL SEGUNDO (June 18th, 2020) – Dr. Karida Brown has joined the Los Angeles Lakers as Director of Racial Equity & Action, it was announced today. Dr. Brown will create a curriculum to help the Lakers staff enrich their knowledge on

Driver Bubba Wallace takes a selfie with himself and other drivers that pushed his car to the front in the pits of the Talladega Superspeedway prior to the start of the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at the Talladega, Alabama Superspeedway in Talladega, Ala. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Dr. Karida Brown (Courtesy Photo)

today’s most urgent topics, as well as helping to identify ways the team can be more active and efficient in creating change.

Dr. Brown is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in both the Department of African American Studies and the Department of Sociology at UCLA. She earned her Ph.D. in Sociology from Brown University in 2016, and an M.P.A. in Government Administration from the University of Pennsylvania in 2011. She currently serves on the boards of The Obama Presidency Oral History Project and the Du Boisian Scholar Network.

“We are very happy to have Dr. Brown join the team,” said Lakers COO & President of Business Operations Tim Harris. “She will play a key role in implementing educational programming on race and racism for our employees and helping us focus on racial equity in our day-to-day functions, as well as empowering the organization to identify ways to be more active participants in affecting real change.”

An oral historian, Dr. Brown is a Fulbright Scholar, and her work has been supported by national foundations such as the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Hellman Fellows Fund.

She is recognized for her work writing back into history the lives, stories and experiences of black people around the world. She is the author of two books, Gone Home: Race and Roots through Appalachia (UNC Press, 2018) and The Sociology of W.E.B. Du Bois: Racialized Modernity and the Global Color Line (coauthored with José Itzigsohn, NYU Press, 2020). Dr. Brown is working on her third book, Separate and Unequal, which focuses on the history of racially segregated education systems and its enduring legacies on racial inequality in present day education.

Bakersfield Native and Stanford Graduate Erica McCall Discusses

Making a Difference in Her Community

“I stand strongly with being a black athlete. I am proud of who I am and overcoming the expectations of society to fail. I made its as I am a successful black athlete.” - Erica McCall (Courtesy Photo)

By Cameron Buford Bakersfield News Observer via whatsgoodinsports.com It’s been said many times, “a family that plays together stays together.” The McCall family is an example of the unity and joy any family can enjoy through the game of basketball and all that it has to offer. This article highlights the impact basketball has had on Erica McCall and her father Greg McCall: life lessons, skill development, father and daughter bonding, and travel and exposure to countries around the globe.

Growing up as a coach’s daughter Erica was consistently around the game, and having an older sister that excelled in the game naturally inspired her to play. Once she decided this is what she wanted to do with her life, her father began to coach her and encourage her to be all she has become, both on and off the court.

In my telephone interview with Erica, it was easy to tell from her voice inflection and excitement how proud she was when talking about the positive reinforcement she received from her father, Greg, who supported her every step of the way as she developed into the player, person, and leader she has become.

Because I am a firm believer the world of sports can have such a powerful impact on society, I was curious to hear from Erica, what life lessons she learned from the game of basketball.

Erica was quick to point out her faith in GOD has grown because she understands she couldn’t have accomplished all she has without “his support, strength, and guidance”. She then added, “leadership and teamwork” are also lessons she learned from years of playing basketball and credits these traits for aiding her ability to “communicate with many people from various backgrounds” in addition to making her a more “relatable” person.

As a standout basketball player at Ridgeview High School in Bakersfield, CA. and the Stanford Cardinal, Erica’s hoop game has taken her all over the world; she’s played in Merida, Mexico in the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), Americas U16 Championship for Women, she also played in FIBA Under-17 World Championship for Women in Amsterdam. She also represented Team USA U16 in FIBA Americas that was played as FIBA 3x3 U-18 World Championships which was played in Alcobendas, Spain, this was after playing Gwangju, South Korea for 2015 Summer Universiade competition where her teams won gold in each of the aforementioned tournaments.

Erica, a 6-foot-3 center, was the Stanford Cardinal leading scorer and rebounder as they reached the 2017 NCAA Women’s Final Four in her senior season, before being knocked out by South Carolina. Later that year she was drafted with the #17 pick

by the Indiana Fever in the WNBA draft where she’s played the past few seasons.

With the combination of our country’s current unrest due to the George Floyd murder and the COVID 19 pandemic that has spread throughout this country, I wanted to know Erica’s thoughts on if she would welcome the opportunity to play out the WNBA season in Orlando or not. She responded by saying, “If everything was set up in a safe environment for the players, I would go in a heartbeat! People don’t like to recognize it as much, but the WNBA has been on the frontlines of Social Justice. We were one of the few leagues to have players take a knee during the anthem [in protest], we had people [players], wearing the ‘I can’t breathe’ shirts.” She continued to say, “They [the WNBA] just announced that, there’s going to be a strong platform for social justice!”

As Erica proudly spoke about being a Black woman in our country, I asked her to speak directly about the changes she would like to see in the U.S., here is what she shared with me, “It comes [starts] with police reform… It’s a shame that we have to be afraid for our lives every single day, walking down the street driving our cars, doing whatever… just being black! It’s a shame we have to be afraid of that, because of the police. I would love to see change in that! I would love to see [the] change in the way our white counterparts interact with us, the way they work with us, the way they live with us… seeing us as equal.” She continued, “I would like to see more equality and more diversity in the workplace.”

I agree with so much of what Erica had to say on this issue! I also think it’s sad that she’s received the same message as my father in the fifties, which he later shared with me in the seventies: “We as black people, have to work twice as hard to get to the same point as them [white people]!” Unfortunately, this is a message most Black people, all across these United States, has received at some point in their life!

The country’s response to the recent murder of George Floyd and subsequent protest appear to be very different from our response to the senseless killings of Trevon Martin, Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, Ahmad Aubrey, Michael Brown Jr., and so many others. I was eager to hear Erica’s thoughts on the difference in the response; she mentioned: “Yes, this is a lot different from what I’ve seen in the past, from the Trevon Martin protest to now… You see a lot of evolution in who is doing the protest...

I went to a Bakersfield protest and the majority of the people protesting were Hispanic and White. It was very interesting to see that there were so many other different races out there fighting for us. I think it’s great because other people, especially white, people are using their privilege!”

Although I believe conversations about racism, among various nationalities, will aid America to impact change, I am also curious if other black people feel obligated to have this type

Erica McCall shoots over her sister DeWanna Bonner, who also plays in the WNBA for the Phoenix Mercury. (Courtesy Photo)

of conversation with white people who do not have the same experiences and outlook on things in America that we do. I asked Erica to share her thoughts on this as well: “I feel it’s a two-way street… I feel like as a Black person, I’m willing to share my experiences and share what I believe are the answers they need to hear, but I also need them to do their research, because knowledge is power. Ignorance is not bliss, at this moment; absolutely not.”

Erica remained gracious with her time while answering my questions on this sensitive subject, she then reflected on a conversation she had recently, “I was having a conversation with my Stanford friends, talking about implicit bias… Things my white friends did not know, they just experience it… They are never going to know if they go out to research for it, so it’s up to black people to tell them this isn’t good; we don’t like when people touch our hair; we don’t like when people tell us, ‘oh my gosh, you talk so well, you are so articulate.’ These are some of the things they don’t know and I think it’s our job to educate them.”

Once the serious part of our interview was complete, I hit Erica with a host of fun random questions that you can hear by using your “Observer Interactive” App. My last question for Erica was, “What’s the best advice you’ve received?” She wasted no time telling me about the advice she received from her father years ago, “My dad told me… to always keep these things top of mind, God, Family, School, Basketball; keep those in order.” The fifth piece of advice was… “also listen to me [Greg McCall]. If you keep these things in order…, if you keep these as a foundation of your life, you will be successful!”

I was able to connect with one of Erica’s Team USA teammates who was delighted to share her thoughts about playing alongside Erica, she shared, “Erica and I meet up when we played together on the USA team that won gold in South Korea. She’s somebody that I have tons of respect for. Erica’s game definitely will always speak for itself because obviously, she’s an amazing player, but she’s intellectual as well. She has strong beliefs and views of the world we are living in. She’s an African American woman like myself that wants to see a change in the world we are living in. I have more respect for her for being a spokesperson and doing interviews like this one. She’s a role model that younger girls can look up to. Oh yeah, did I mention she’s a pretty good dancer too! She’s a woman of many talents for sure.” These are the words of Big 12’s 2015 Women’s Basketball Player of the Year, Nina Davis, and new Assistant Coach at Middle Tennessee State University.

Erica didn’t want to end the interview without telling our listeners to “GO OUT THERE AND VOTE!” Additionally, she will be starting a voter drive in Bakersfield soon; you can find out more about this through her social media platforms @ birdtheword_24 on IG, @EricaMcCall24 on Twitter, and Erica McCall on Facebook. Though we did cover a lot of topics, Erica’s candor was inviting and I sure hope it was eye-opening for you guys to learn about her and the world as she sees it. I look forward to seeing her progress on the social justice front as well as in her WNBA career.

After interviewing Erica, I spoke to her father Cal State Bakersfield’s Head Coach Greg McCall. After seven seasons as the Roadrunners Head Coach, McCall has led them to two straight seasons of 10-4 in conference play and has made its third postseason in five years. I asked him about how he relates to his student-athletes and he proudly restated the same message he gave to his children which Erica recited earlier. “I won’t tell them anything I haven’t told my [own] kids.” When asked about the best lesson he’s learned from basketball he told me it simply “play hard!” He elaborated by saying, “there are great coaches and teachers out there, but if you don’t play hard, what you’ve learned doesn’t matter.” His passion for the game and teaching is evident in his success he’s had with his family and the trajectory the CSUB Women’s Basketball team is on.

Kindly share your thoughts on Erica’s words and the change that she talks about seeing in the future or you whatever you may think about the development of Greg’s CSB Roadrunners by reaching out to me on Twitter @whatsgoodnsport or forward your thoughts to info@whatsgoodinsports.com. Lastly be sure to subscribe to our weekly “Voice of the Fans Podcast” which is available for you on most podcasting platforms; Apple, Google Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, and iHeart Radio. As always, Thank You for making our voice, your choice!

Erica McCall while playing for the WNBA’s Indiana Fever. (Courtesy Photo)

Erica McCall shoots over defender while playing for KSC Szekszard. (Courtesy Photo)

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Thursday, June 25, 2020