President Biden Signs Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, Issues Executive Order for Implementation Page A2
Family Members and Authorities Desperately Search for two Alabama Men Missing in California Page A7
News Observer The Valley’s
Volume 37 Number 1
Serving the San Fernando Valley for Over 36 Years
Observer Group Newspapers of Southern California
Cal Reparations Task Force Looks at Long History of
Racism in American Agriculture Antonio Ray Harvey California Black Media Last month, Lawrence Lucas, founder of the United States Department of Agriculture Coalition of Minority Employees (USDA-CME), testified before the California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans. Lucas said racism is the prime reason there are just a little over 400 Black farmers in California. “The income of Black Farmers has been drastically reduced and the amount of wealth that has been taken from Black farmers is tremendous,” Lucas said. “What you would call reparations, we call justice. It is why you must do what you have to do in California to right the wrongs suffered by Black people.” Lucas is not the only one concerned about mounting evidence that documents a long history of race-based discrimination in American agriculture. The United States Department of Agriculture recently created the Equity Commission (EC) to study racial discrimination and government policies that have disempowered Black farmers, depleted their wealth and nearly wiped out their presence for over 100 years. EC will advise the Secretary of Agriculture by identifying USDA programs, policies, systems, structures, and practices that created barriers to inclusion or perpetuated racial, economic, health and social disparities.
USDA-CME was founded in 1994 to address discrimination within the USDA, which Lucas referred to as the “Last Plantation” during his testimony. The coalition also focuses its work on the historical loss of Black land and how government policies deprived African Americans of generational wealth. The EC is expected to issue a preliminary report and provide “actionable recommendations” within the next 12 months, and a final report to be finished within two years. “The Equity Commission is taking important steps to dismantle barriers historically underserved communities have faced in accessing USDA programs and services,” said U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in a Sept. 24 statement. Lucas said despite the USDA’s efforts to address decades-old discrimination practices, he does not see it “getting any better” for Black farmers. Non-Black farm producers are fighting back in the courts, Lucas said. (Shutterstock Photo) “You have White farmers, who own most of the land and get all the benefits from the land; they are the ones throughout the United States. now bringing court cases around the country. They are The coalition has worked alongside U.S. Senators saying that it’s discriminatory to have debt-relief for Black Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) to farmers,” Lucas said. create the Justice for Black Farmers Act, which will provide The CME’s biggest accomplishment is its involvement even more aid to socially disadvantaged farmers. in securing debt relief for Black farmers as part of the Of the approximately 70,000 farms in California, American Rescue Plan (ARP). The ARP package included a more than 90% are White-owned or White-managed multi-billion-dollar fund for socially disadvantaged farmers Continued on page A2
COVID 19: Gov. Newsom Signs Executive Order Supporting Healthcare Facilities Aldon Thomas Stiles California Black Media Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order allowing out-of-state healthcare workers to supplement staffing at healthcare facilities across California. The order is an extension of a state COVID-19 provision that also allows “certain medical personnel and emergency medical technicians to continue supporting the state’s COVID-19 response, including administering vaccines,” according to the governor’s office. Although 88% of Californians 18 and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, cases are on the rise as California loses its top position among states with the lowest case rates. Newsom has raised concerns about cases increasing during the winter months. “COVID cases are beginning to rise -- winter months mean people indoors & more possibilities for spread. The unvaccinated are now almost 7 [times] more likely to get COVID, 10 times more likely to be hospitalized--and 18 [times] more likely to die. Keep your immunity up. Get your booster,” Newsom tweeted. The executive order allows health care facilities to use alternative spaces like parking lots to administer vaccinations. California health officials are encouraging any adult who wants a COVID-19 booster shot to get one as eligibility has been extended to all adults. During a press conference Wednesday, the governor warned Californians not to become complacent. “It was around this time last year that folks started to put their masks down a little bit and started to feel like we can spend a little time together outside of our households,” Newsom said. “We’re looking forward to all that, I’m looking forward to all of that, seeing friends and family. I just want to remind people to do it with some common sense and the kind of protections we’re here today to promote.”
(Shutterstock Photo)
Black Leaders: Redistricting Process is Rushed, Inconsistent, Incomplete Tanu Henry California Black Media African American leaders in California are keeping a close eye on the commission drafting congressional, state Senate, state Assembly and Board of Equalization voting maps. They are concerned about the outcome of the redistricting process. Last Wednesday, the California Citizens Redistricting Commission released the first draft maps of the redrawn lines for the state’s voting districts. By state law, the finalized versions of the new political districts have to be completed by Dec. 27. But advocates like James Woodson, the policy director of the California Black Census and Redistricting Hub (CBCRH), are asking the commission to press pause and reevaluate the maps they have come up with so far. The CBCRH, also called “the Black Hub” is a statewide coalition focused on “racial equity” and “fairness” in the redistricting process. “The Black Hub appreciates the commission’s hard work and its early release of the maps for public input. At the same time, the Black Hub is deeply concerned that the process for developing the maps has been rushed, inconsistent, and incomplete,” said Woodson. “It has resulted in maps that have ignored the interests of many Black communities and millions of residents in the state’s
most populated areas.” For example, draft maps released by the commission last month collapsed the only two congressional districts in Los Angeles County represented by Black U.S. Congressmembers, Maxine Waters (D-CA-43) and Karen Bass (D-CA-37), into one district. After advocates and activists complained about African Americans losing political power, the commission separated the single district it was proposing into two constituencies again. But because California lost one seat in the U.S. Congress due to an overall drop in the state’s population, according to the U.S. 2020 Census numbers, advocates worry that it will cause a ripple effect, which will change the racial and political composition of districts across the state. The “Black Hub” leaders and other advocates in the state are urging Black Californians to speak up and provide input to ensure their communities do not lose representation or resources. “It’s not just about us losing political power. It’s also about us losing assets,” said Kellie Todd Griffin, a resident of the Los Angeles County city of Carson, where the number of Black residents accounts for more than 25 % of the city’s total population. Los Angeles County, where California is expected to lose one congressional seat, is home to about 40 % of African Americans in the state.
Griffin, who is an organizer and entrepreneur, is known in California’s political circles for her outspoken advocacy on behalf of Black Californians. She says with the Olympics coming to Los Angeles in 2028, there will be a lot of development and an increase in revenue for government and businesses in Carson. Redrawn political districts, she fears, could hurt her city and others nearby economically. “When you look at the maps, you see that our congressional district in Carson has been attached more to Redondo Beach and Rancho Palos Verdes instead of being connected to cities like Long Beach and Compton and places like that,” Griffin said. “There is also an assumption that Blacks and other minorities in the area vote the same on issues. As we know, that is not always true. We have specific issues that affect us Blacks differently. So, we vote differently on them – from some criminal justice reforms to the Crown Act.” One of the realities driving the leaders’ concern is the possibility that the Black vote in five different regions of California will be diluted. “Rather than adhere to map priorities from BIPOC communities, we are concerned that, in an effort to prioritize all voices, some commissioners have mistakenly and unknowingly elevated voices from less diverse, affluent Continued on page A2
Take One!
Thursday, November 18, 2021
Utah Girl’s Suicide Spurs New Look Into Bullying
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – A Utah school district said Friday it will open an independent investigation into alleged bullying of a 10-year-old girl who died by suicide after her family says she was harassed by fellow students for being Black and autistic. The family of Isabella “Izzy’’ Tichenor accuses the district of not doing enough to protect their daughter after they reported the bullying to the school. The outside probe marks an escalation of action after the Davis School District said earlier this week it was doing its own investigation and that it had responded appropriately and “worked extensively with the family’’ over their complaints. The district, where Black students account for only about 1% of the approximately 73,000 students north of Salt Lake City, was recently reprimanded by the U.S. Department of Justice for failing to address widespread racial discrimination. “The death of Izzy is tragic and devastating,’’ the district said in a statement sent by spokeswoman Shauna Lund. “We will be bringing in an independent investigation to look further into this and review our handling of critical issues, such as bullying, to provide a safe and welcoming environment for all students.’’ Tyler Ayres, an attorney representing Izzy’s family and her mother Brittany Tichenor-Cox, said Izzy was bullied by a small group of other students at Foxboro Elementary School in North Salt Lake who called her the N-word, told her she was smelly and made fun of her for being autistic. Ayres said the family reported the bullying to teachers, as well as school and district administrators, but nothing was done to stop the harassment. Ayres didn’t immediately respond Friday for comment about the independent investigation. The death last weekend of “Izzy’’ Tichenor, which police are investigating as a suicide, has triggered widespread outrage including from Utah Jazz players Donovan Mitchell and Joe Ingles, who has an autistic son. The Jazz held a moment of silence before their game Thursday night hours after Mitchell and Ingles expressed dismay and anger over what happened. “It’s disgusting that it had to end like this for Izzy and her family,’’ said Ingles, who spoke with the girl’s mother and promised to help. “It’s mind boggling, it’s sad, it’s just flat-out disgusting,’’ Mitchell said.;,
Fox News Edit of Biden Removes Racial Context
NEW YORK (AP) – Fox News Channel edited video of President Joe Biden on Friday to remove context from remarks that some could judge as racially insensitive. In Veterans Day comments made Thursday, Biden told an anecdote that referenced baseball player Satchel Paige, who had pitched in the Negro Leagues before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball. On “Fox & Friends,’’ Rachel Campos Duffy said Biden was “facing backlash’’ for comments at Arlington National Cemetery. In his comments, Biden said he had “adopted the attitude of the great Negro, at the time pitcher in the Negro Leagues, went on to become a great pitcher in the pros in Major League baseball after Jackie Robinson, his name was Satchel Paige.’’ But when Duffy played the clip, it was edited so Biden was heard saying he had “adopted the attitude of the great Negro at the time, pitcher, name was Satchel Paige.’’ Duffy said Biden’s remarks were “landing him in hot water.’’ While “Negro’’ was once a common way to refer to Black people and still appears in organization names, the terms “Black’’ and “African American’’ are more widely used today. When editing video, journalists have an obligation to keep statements in the context they were delivered or explain to viewers why a change was made, said Al Tompkins, faculty member at Poynter Institute, a journalism think tank. In this case, the edit is not at all clear, he said. A Fox spokesperson noted that the full remark was used when the story was repeated two other times on “Fox & Friends,’’ and said the one-time edit was made because of time constraints.
Teens in KKK Garb Shocked Black Teen w/Stun Gun
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) – The attorney for a Black teenager from Texas says several other teens attacked his client with a stun gun on Halloween while wearing costumes resembling Ku Klux Klan robes. At a news conference Wednesday, Matt Manning of Corpus Christi said the attack involved high school students in Woodsboro, a small town 30 miles north of Corpus Christi. He said his client was not seriously injured, and he declined to identify all involved because they were juveniles. There were as many as six victims, all juveniles, Manning said. The five other victims were not shocked but may have been chased or otherwise terrorized, he said. “For you to dress up as a Klansman, you have a specific intent of terrorizing,’’ Manning said. “That’s not an accident. That’s not kids being kids. That’s not boys being boys. That’s not hazing or high school hijinks. High school hijinks are egging somebody’s house, not dressing up as a Klansman and Tasing them.’’ Refugio County sheriff’s deputies were called to Woodsboro by the report of a teen shocked with a “Taser or cattle-prod-like’’ device, Sheriff Raul “Pinky’’ Gonzales told The Victoria Advocate. There were no immediate arrests or criminal charges, Assistant District Attorney Tim Poynter said. Woodsboro police, Refugio County deputies and the Texas Rangers continue to investigate. Manning didn’t specify the race of the assailants, but Jeremy Lane Coleman, Corpus Christi NAACP chapter president, said he was calling the assault a hate crime until evidence showed otherwise. Woodsboro school district officials said they were cooperating with investigators.