Why Rihanna’s Expanding Clara Lionel Foundation is Seen as a Model for Celebrity Philanthropy
Target Continues to Pay the Price for Breaking Promise to Black America
By Stacy M. Brown BlackPressUSA.com
National CorrespondentTarget is losing more than its commitment to equity, it’s losing customers. For the eighth consecutive week, shoppers have turned away from the retail giant following its decision to dismantle its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) program in January. New data from Placer.ai shows store visits during the week of March 17 fell by 5.7% compared to the same time last year. That follows a 7.1% decline the week before, bringing the average drop over the past two months to 6.2%. The fallout has been swift and steady. Target’s quiet retreat from DEI—after years of vocal support for racial and social justice and a multi-billion-dollar pledge— triggered an immediate backlash. Faith leaders, civil rights organizations, and everyday consumers responded with public pressure and calls to action.Leading the charge is the Rev. Jamal Bryant, whose “Target Fast” boycott encouraged shoppers to avoid the chain throughout Lent. The effort surpassed its original goal of 100,000 participants, with more than 150,000 people now participating. The boycott is scheduled to end on Easter Sunday. The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), representing the Black Press of America, launched a National Public Education and Selective Buying Campaign to help guide African Americans in wielding their $2 trillion in annual spending power. The NAACP issued a national consumer advisory, warning that Target’s rollback is part of a broader, intentional retreat from DEI by major corporations. “We encourage you to spend your money where you’re respected, support Black-owned businesses, and demand businesses prioritize people over profit,” NAACP officials said. “Above all, we must continue to advocate for policies that ensure people of color, women, veterans, those with a disability, and all protected groups have equal access to opportunities across the country.”Following George Floyd’s murder in 2020, Target Corp. was among a list of companies making specific diversity pledges. Target vowed to spend $2 billion with Black-owned businesses by 2025, increase its Black workforce by 20%, and establish a Racial Equity Action and Change (REACH) committee to advance racial equity within the company and beyond. It has reneged on those
promises, making Target a focal point of protests. While Target remains silent on its declining traffic, the contrast with its competitors is glaring. Costco, which maintained its DEI commitments despite political attacks, saw a 5.2% year-over-year increase in foot traffic during the same week—its 13th straight week of growth.Walmart and McDonald’s—both of which had seen multi-week declines like Target—also saw their numbers shift slightly for the week of March 17. Walmart posted a modest 0.3% increase in foot traffic, while McDonald’s reported a 2% increase. But unlike Target, neither had matched its aggressive stance on racial justice—or its equally visible retreat. Over the last
eight weeks, Walmart’s average weekly foot traffic has been down 1.6%, and McDonald’s has seen a 3.6% average drop. Target’s 6.2% average decline puts it at the center of growing consumer frustration—and organized resistance. “It’s been eight weeks, and the numbers don’t lie,” Deja Monet wrote for NewsBreak. “Target faces foot traffic decline for the eighth week after cutting off DEI programs, and the backlash shows no signs of slowing. With a massive boycott underway, declining sales, and silence from the brand’s top brass, Target is walking a tightrope between corporate appeasement and consumer fallout.”
How Trump’s Dismantling of the Department of Education Could Impact California
By Edward Henderson California Black Media
The Trump Administration is dismantling the Department of Education (DOE). That action fulfills a campaign promise that has been a goal of right-wing conservatives since the department’s inception.
In fact, on March 20 -- the day President Donald Trump signed the executive order to begin that process -- he said, referring to the current Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, “hopefully she will be our last.”
Despite extensive layoffs implemented by Trump at the department, without an act of Congress, completing its dismantling will be an uphill fight, some Washington insiders believe.
So far, roughly 1,300 employees have been fired from the department last month, leaving only 2,183 employees. This is down from more than 4,000 at the beginning of the year.
Trump allies in Congress have also vowed to introduce legislation to begin the legislative process of dismantling the department.
In California, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond has been outspoken, expressing his disapproval of Trump’s and other GOP leaders’ attacks on the DOE.
“We will not stand idly by while the Trump Administration continues to sow chaos, uncertainty, and interruptions of normal communication surrounding federal education programs,” said Thurmond in a statement. “We will combat these attempts to undermine educational equity and opportunity and stay focused on our most important goal: improving educational results for our students.”
The Department, founded in 1979, is responsible for supporting K-12 education nationwide, particularly aiding
disadvantaged students and students with disabilities. Among the Department’s many critical roles are distributing funds for schools across the United States. California received $2.4 billion in funds supporting strategies to close the achievement gap and $1.5 billion in special education funding for the fiscal year of 2024-25.
“Outside of this order, recent actions by the administration have caused real harm to students, families, and educators, including the elimination of contracts with agencies who provide supports for schools and students and the sudden and irresponsible shuttering of the Office for Civil Rights in the most populous state,” Thurmond continued. “While the federal administration is clearly willing to disrupt pathways to the American Dream, California remains focused on the promise of educational opportunities for all students.”
The administration has also canceled $148 million in teacher training grants for California that were meant to address an acute teacher shortage -- and promote a diverse teaching workforce. It’s not clear if the cancellations were a result of across-the-board cutbacks, an ideological issue, or both.
That action is being challenged in court, and a judge has ordered the funds to be restored for now.
Cecily Myart-Cruz, President of United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), has called Trump’s executive order an attack on schools, students and working-class families.
“This reckless, anti-democratic move reveals a disturbing truth: those in power will sacrifice our children’s education and our nation’s prospects,” she said.
Last month’s slashing of DOE staff by half has affected the agency’s ability to carry out routine but important tasks, such as grant and loan program management for students. McMahon has promised congressionally appropriated money,
including financial aid, won’t be affected by the Trump administration’s plans.
However, many of the employees of the Federal Student Aid Office within the Department of Education have been laid off due to the staff cuts. This has raised concerns that the workload will create longer wait times and other issues as responsibilities are redistributed.
“Make no mistake: this isn’t about academic freedom. This ploy serves as a distraction while billionaires and technocrats steal from our communities, stripping public schools of vital resources and handing them over to crooks who put profits over children,” said Myart-Cruz.
California has joined 19 other states and Washington, D.C. in a lawsuit against the federal government for what the plaintiffs are calling the “illegal firing” of the DOE employees.
“This en masse firing exceeds any statutory authority granted by Congress,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta in a video statement.
“The reduction in force is so severe and so extreme that it incapacitates the department from performing statutory functions,” Bonta continued.
The Governor and Democratic lawmakers have also vowed to continue fighting back.
“This overreach needs to be rejected immediately by a coequal branch of government. Or was Congress eliminated by this executive order, too?” Gov. Gavin Newsom stated, responding to the President’s order.
Bonta asked how America expects to lead the world in education when students are underperforming in basic subjects.
“President Trump can shout America first all he wants, but his anti-education agenda only ensures we come in dead last,” the Attorney General said.
MLK’s Voice Rings Loud as Trump Tries to Erase Black History
By Stacy M. Brown BlackPressUSA.com Senior National Correspondent
Fifty-seven years ago, an assassin’s bullet struck Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on a Memphis balcony, and in that single, devastating moment, the world lost a moral giant, and Black America lost one of its most powerful and courageous champions. April 4, 1968, didn’t just mark the end of a life, it ripped open the hearts of millions who had found hope in King’s dream, his faith, and his unrelenting pursuit of justice, equality, and peace. That loss remains fresh in the memory of those who understand that King’s legacy is not just historical, it is urgent, present, and needed now more than ever.Today, as the MAGA movement pushes a whitewashed version of American history, and as the Trump administration and its far-right allies at the Heritage Foundation threaten to release socalled “unflattering” information about King, many see the attempt for what it is: a desperate, racist agenda that seeks to destroy truth and suppress the voices of those who dared
to imagine a better America. No matter how loudly the architects of Project 2025 plot their dismantling of civil rights, diversity, equity, and inclusion—no matter how brazenly they peddle disinformation and try to erase the accomplishments of Black Americans and other people of color—King’s words still thunder across generations. His sermons and speeches remain sacred texts for the
American conscience, impossible to silence, inconvenient to white supremacy, and unyielding in their moral clarity. In 1956, from the pulpit, King warned in “Paul’s Letter to American Christians”:“Oh America, how often have you taken necessities from the masses to give luxuries to the classes… You can use your powerful economic resources to wipe poverty from the face of the earth. God never intended for one group of people to live in superfluous inordinate wealth, while others live in abject deadening poverty.” For many, that sermon rings louder today as the current administration slashes programs for the poor while enriching the ultra-wealthy. It rings in the ears of every voter, activist, and dreamer who sees Project 2025 as an assault on progress and humanity.In his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963, King didn’t mince words:“We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality… until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty
on page A2
By DAVID BAUDER AP
X Thursday, Robinson said that he was “retiring from my longtime journalistic home but not from journalism” and would keep followers informed of his next move. Robinson appears regularly as a commentator on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” He began his journalism career at the San Francisco Chronicle in the 1970s, and worked a series of jobs at the Post. He covered city hall in Washington, was a correspondent in London and South America, and was city editor, foreign editor and assistant managing editor.
In a statement, the Washington Post offered congratulations to the “beloved” Robinson upon his retirement.
“Eugene’s strong perspective and impeccable integrity have regularly shaped our public discourse, cementing his legacy as a leading voice in American journalism,” the Post said.
First Black Republican Woman Elected to Congress
LAKE CITY (AP) —
Houston, Texas, USA – March 13, 2022: A Target store in Houston, Texas, USA on March 13, 2022.
BREAKING: RFK Jr. Oversees
Mass and Sudden Firings at FDA
By Stacy M. Brown BlackPressUSA.com Senior National Correspondent
Thousands of federal health employees faced sudden job losses Tuesday as mass firings and forced resignations swept through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration under a new directive from the Trump administration. According to Endpoints News, some FDA staffers arriving at the agency’s White Oak campus in Maryland discovered their employment had ended when their security badges failed to activate. Guards then escorted them to gather their belongings. Witnesses, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described a chaotic atmosphere as longtime employees were abruptly cut loose. Those escorted out included individuals who had accepted buyouts and retirement packages, leaving them all the more perplexed and concerned about whether the Trump administration will keep its word on the separation agreements. “This is confusing,” said one individual who previously accepted a retirement package and was told their last day would be later in April. “Do I need a lawyer?” the individual wondered. Among the affected was Dr. Peter Stein, director of the Office of New Drugs at the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Stein said he was presented with a reassignment to a newly created position in “patient affairs” — or the option to leave. He rejected the offer, calling it “ridiculous,” and was placed on administrative leave.
The sweeping changes will affect roughly 3,500 FDA employees — nearly one-fifth of the agency’s workforce. The Biden-era leadership structure is being dismantled under the direction of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has installed new personnel and removed several high-ranking officials, including those working on cancer therapies and biologics. Dr. Peter Marks, the FDA’s top vaccine official and longtime director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, also resigned. He cited what he described as a dangerous erosion of public trust in science under Kennedy’s leadership. “If Peter Marks does not want to get behind restoring science to its golden standard and promoting radical transparency, then he has no place at FDA under the strong leadership of Secretary Kennedy,” an HHS spokesperson said. Marks, who led the FDA’s biologics division since 2016, played a central role in the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He oversaw emergency use authorizations for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines and was instrumental in Operation Warp Speed — the Trump administration’s public-private partnership to develop and distribute vaccines. In his resignation letter to acting FDA Commissioner Sara Brenner, Marks condemned what he called the promotion of misinformation from the agency’s top levels. “Undermining confidence in vaccines is irresponsible, detrimental to public health, and a clear danger to our nation’s health, safety, and security,” he wrote.
Marks said he had initially hoped to collaborate with Kennedy on efforts to improve vaccine transparency but became disillusioned. “It has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the secretary,” Marks wrote. “Rather, he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies.” Kennedy, a prominent vaccine skeptic, has questioned the safety of widely used immunizations and filed a 2021 petition to revoke FDA authorization of COVID-19 vaccines, calling them the “deadliest vaccine ever made.” He has also made misleading claims about the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine, telling Fox News host Sean Hannity that it “does cause deaths every year.” According to the Infectious Diseases Society of America, no deaths have been linked to the MMR vaccine in healthy individuals. The vaccine is not recommended for immunocompromised individuals. Marks’ resignation also pointed to the current measles outbreak in the U.S., which is especially severe in Texas, as a direct consequence of the growing distrust in science. “The ongoing multistate measles outbreak that is particularly severe in Texas reminds us of what happens when confidence in wellestablished science underlying public health and well-being is undermined,” Marks wrote. “Measles, which killed more than 100,000 unvaccinated children last year in Africa and Asia owing to pneumonitis and encephalitis caused by the virus, had been eliminated from our shores.”
Why Is Elon Musk Trying to Buy a Wisconsin Supreme Court Seat?
By Stacy M. Brown
Elon
the billionaire owner of X (formerly
is reportedly pouring money into a campaign to unseat Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Janet
According to a New Yorker investigation, the move appears to be part of a broader effort by conservative interests to tilt the ideological balance of key state courts ahead of the 2024 election. Wisconsin’s Supreme Court currently holds a 4-3 liberal majority. That balance could be jeopardized if Musk-backed operatives succeed in their push. Last year, Protasiewicz won her seat in a nationally watched race that saw record spending and turnout. Her win flipped the court’s ideological control after 15 years of conservative dominance.
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Musk and others appear to be focused on redistricting. Soon after taking the bench, Protasiewicz and her liberal colleagues struck down the state’s heavily gerrymandered legislative maps. In response, Republican lawmakers began threatening to impeach her despite her decisive win by 11 percentage points. The New Yorker revealed that Musk is backing a coalition of far-right influencers and activists who aim to sway future Wisconsin elections by influencing the state’s high court. One such figure is Christopher Rufo, a conservative activist known for his crusade against diversity and inclusion programs. Rufo is reportedly working with others to develop a long-term plan to shape judicial outcomes in key battleground states. Though rarely stated outright, race may also be a motivating factor in these efforts. Several of the groups and individuals involved have targeted racial justice programs, equity initiatives, and policies that benefit Black communities. The push to dismantle DEI, undermine affirmative action, and redraw voting districts has consistently resulted in reduced political power for communities of color.
Wisconsin’s Supreme Court plays an outsized role in determining voting laws, redistricting, and potentially election outcomes. With a deadlocked state government, the court often serves as the final arbiter on matters like ballot access and election certification—raising concerns about outside influence. Rufo’s connection to Musk traces back to their shared presence on X, where they have frequently interacted. Musk has elevated Rufo’s posts and promoted his messaging, even while denying direct coordination.
However, internal communications obtained by The New Yorker show a clearer pattern of collaboration, including a Musk-funded initiative to provide financial backing for Wisconsin-based conservative judicial campaigns. In a state where razor-thin margins decide presidential races,
The latest effort to shift the court’s composition highlights how billionaires and political operatives are focusing on once-relatively obscure judicial races. These races are now considered critical battlegrounds in national
Trump Slaps Highest Tariff Yet on Small African Nation
By Stacy M. Brown BlackPressUSA.com Senior National Correspondent
President Donald Trump has announced sweeping new tariffs on dozens of nations, including a recordsetting 50% reciprocal tariff on the tiny southern African mountain kingdom of Lesotho — the highest levy imposed on any sovereign country by the United States. Trump’s move targets at least 60 countries with duties starting at 10%, with Lesotho and other African nations bearing some of the heaviest hits. The White House said the tariffs are aimed at addressing what it described as long-standing trade imbalances that hurt American manufacturers. In the case of Lesotho, the administration cited a 99% tariff on U.S. goods and a $264 million trade surplus in the kingdom’s favor as justification for the steep penalty. Lesotho, which exports diamonds and apparel to the U.S., imported only $8 million in American goods in 2022, according to the Tralac Trade Law Centre in South Africa.
The U.S. government’s action also appears to signal the impending death of the African Growth and Opportunity
Act (AGOA), a landmark trade deal from the Clinton administration that allowed duty-free access to the U.S. market for many African exports. The pact will expire in September, but trade experts say the tariffs effectively end AGOA months ahead of schedule. “The reciprocal trade announcement policy will pull the AGOA rug from under our feet,” said Adrian Saville, an economist and professor at South Africa’s Gordon Institute of Business Science.
“That will be gone. It will replace AGOA; you don’t have to wait for September.” Other African nations are also reeling. Madagascar faces a 47% tariff, Mauritius 40%, Botswana 37%, and South Africa — the continent’s largest exporter to the U.S. — 30%. For several of these countries, the tariffs could not come at a worse time as they struggle with severe poverty, natural disasters, or public health crises.
Lesotho, for example, has one of the world’s highest HIV/ AIDS infection rates and relies on South Africa for 85% of its imports.
“African countries are being penalized for having trade surpluses, some of them achieved by pursuing export-
driven development policies, as advised by the U.S.,” Bloomberg Africa economist Yvonne Mhango wrote. “Lesotho exports apparel to the U.S., a product that until recently enjoyed duty-free access and helped create jobs for the youth that migrates in large numbers to neighboring South Africa. One of Trump’s arguments for these tariffs is to bring back manufacturing jobs to the U.S. Slapping high tariffs on Africa is not going to help this narrative.” Lesotho now joins Saint Pierre and Miquelon — a French archipelago off the coast of Canada — as the only other territory to face a 50% reciprocal tariff from the Trump administration. While acknowledging the setback, the South African presidency said the tariffs make it even more important to reach a new agreement with the U.S.
tariffs affirm the urgency to negotiate a new bilateral and mutually beneficial trade agreement with the U.S., as an essential step to secure long-term trade certainty,” the South African government said in a statement.
MLK’s Voice Rings Loud as Trump Tries to Erase Black History
Continued from page A1
stream.” Police brutality still plagues Black communities. Voter suppression remains alive and well. Black children continue to be stripped of their selfhood. And some who sit in power seem all too eager to strip the word justice from every federal agency’s mission. King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” reminds the comfortable that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.“It is even more unfortunate that the city’s white power structure left the Negro community with no alternative,” King wrote. The MAGA movement’s calls to suppress protests, deny systemic racism, and erase uncomfortable truths from school curricula reflect that same white power structure—this time on a national scale. In 1964, during his “Nobel Peace Prize lecture,” King cautioned that technological advancement without moral advancement was dangerous. “There is a sort of poverty of the spirit which stands in glaring contrast to our scientific and technological abundance… We have not learned the simple art of living together as brothers,” he asserted. That spiritual poverty is evident in a political climate that prioritizes military aggression over human needs, censorship over dialogue, and authoritarianism over democracy.By 1966, in his “Proud to be Maladjusted” speech, King declared:“I never intend to adjust myself to racial segregation and discrimination… to economic conditions that will take necessities from the many to give luxuries to the few.” Many say if he were alive today, King would no doubt still be maladjusted. He would speak out against economic cruelty masked as policy and against those who demonize the poor while protecting billionaires. In “The Other America,” delivered in 1967, King said, “A riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it that America has failed to hear?” He might ask the same question now, as protests are criminalized and the root causes—poverty, inequality, state violence—are deliberately ignored.In his “Three Evils of Society” sermon, King condemned militarism, racism, and economic exploitation. “Unemployment rages at a major depression level in the Black ghettos, but the bi-partisan response is an anti-riot bill rather than a serious poverty program,” he declared. That quote could be lifted straight into today’s headlines as military budgets swell and social safety nets shrink. Then came his “Beyond Vietnam” speech—his most
controversial, but perhaps his most prophetic.“If America’s soul becomes totally poisoned, part of the autopsy must read ‘Vietnam,’” King insisted. He warned then that militarism abroad infects democracy at home. The Trump administration’s embrace of global authoritarian regimes, its anti-immigrant agenda, and its disdain for diplomacy shows King’s warning was not heeded. And finally, just one day before his death, in “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” King declared, “All we say to America is to be true to what you said on paper… Somewhere, I read that the greatness of America is the right to protest for rights.”Those words are a rallying cry in today’s political darkness. A reminder that freedom of speech, assembly, and the fight for justice are not fringe ideas. They are fundamental to what America claims to be. So, while Trump, with the guidance of Project 2025, attempts to rewrite reality, King’s words have already been written in the hearts of generations. And as long as injustice exists, his voice will echo—not just in Black America but throughout the world. “We are going on. We need all of you.”
The Valley’s
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Photo: Wikimedia Commons / The United States Department of Health and Human Services
Elon Musk speaking at the 2025 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. (Wikimedia Commons/ Photo by Gage Skidmore)s
BlackPressUSA.com Senior National Correspondent
Musk,
Twitter),
Protasiewicz.
the makeup of the court could have major implications for the 2024 election. Wisconsin was one of the decisive states in both the 2016 and 2020 presidential contests.
power struggles over voting rights, gerrymandering, and democracy itself. As Protasiewicz told The New Yorker, “The voters elected me. They knew exactly who I was. And they made their choice.”
Why Rihanna’s Expanding Clara Lionel Foundation is Seen
as a Model for
By JAMES POLLARD
Associated Press
YORK (AP) — Rihanna is accustomed to defying convention. The nine-time Grammy winner has turned her wideranging string of hits, including “Umbrella” and “Work,” into a business empire worth an estimated $1.4 billion, placing her high on last year's Forbes list of the richest “self- made” American women. The Barbados native stunned entertainment’s biggest stage with a pregnancy reveal during her solo 2023 Super Bowl halftime show. And her successful Fenty Beauty cosmetics brand revolutionized the makeup industry with its inclusive shades. But it is not the megastar-turned-mogul's longawaited follow-up to 2016's “Anti” album set to make waves this year. It's her philanthropy.
Named after Rihanna's grandparents and funded partially through her brands, the Clara Lionel Foundation is coming off a “refresh” that is poised to direct more funds toward climate solutions and women's entrepreneurship in the under-invested regions of East Africa, the Caribbean and the U.S. South. After 13 years of relative anonymity, the nonprofit is ready for more visibility.
“Our founder is a woman from a small island nation who’s got global reach. She’s an entrepreneur. She’s a mom. She’s a creative,” said Executive Director Jessie SchuttAine. “So, we want an organization that reflects that spirit and that energy. She’s bold and she’s ambitious. She’s innovative. She always does things different. She’s a game changer.” Experts say it's rare to see such intentionality among famous philanthropists. Clara Lionel Foundation has also garnered praise for its embrace of “trust-based” giving, which empowers recipients with unrestricted funding.
NDN Collective founder Nick Tilsen said CLF lets his Indigenous power-building nonprofit “do the work on our terms” — and that other funders should take notes.
“They’re not a foundation that’s all up in your business, either,” Tilsen said. “They support. They see the work. They allow us to do what we need to do.”
Clara Lionel Foundation's personal roots Rihanna started the foundation with a $516,000 contribution after her grandmother died of cancer complications in 2012. That year, the musician established an oncology center at Barbados’ main hospital to expand cancer screening and treatment. And the young foundation focused on healthcare and Barbados for much of last decade.
By 2019, though, CLF had begun prioritizing emergency preparedness. Grantmaking jumped to more than $33 million in 2020 as the nonprofit provided muchneeded pandemic relief and backed racial justice efforts. Post-pandemic spending slowdowns coincided with its internal transition, according to tax filings.
A revamped team and refined priorities now match its broader ambitions. A new director for women's entrepreneurship, based in South Carolina, will build out that pillar's programs. Black Feminist Fund co-founder Amina Doherty now oversees programs and impact. Rounding out its five new pillars are climate solutions, arts and culture, health access and equity, and future generations.
The youth focus was commended by Ashley Lashley, a 25-year-old whose foundation has worked with CLF to address environmental challenges in her native Barbados. She often hears leaders say that ‘youth are the future,' she said, but those statements rarely translate into actual support.
“Rihanna’s foundation is a prime example of how women in power can help contribute to work that is being done at the community level,” Lashley said.
Rihanna told The Associated Press she hopes CLF will continue to be a force for “global inclusion in philanthropy.”
She reflected on the foundation's 13-year transformation in a statement: “Today we have global reach, but that notion of love for community and for our roots runs deep in the DNA of the foundation." Finding partners — big and small
The latest example of that evolution is a partnership with The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Barbados' “invaluable history” as “an essential chapter in the broader story of the African diaspora" is threatened by climate
Celebrity Philanthropy
change, according to a Mellon press release. Together, the two foundations announced, they will fund “artist-led initiatives” to protect that culture “while inspiring new narratives and opportunities internationally.”
Schutt-Aine views the partnership with Mellon — the largest philanthropic supporter of the arts in the U.S. — as a milestone for CLF. Justin Garrett Moore, the director of the Mellon's Humanities in Place program, said the nonprofit's name arose when his team asked contacts to recommend partners.
“We think there is an incredible platform that Clara Lionel Foundation has, with their founder, to bring this type of work into a legibility and visibility for the organizations that will be supported,” Moore said. “Also, just generally in the society, to help amplify the power of the arts.”
Among those grantees is a developmental performance arts program that also provides free social services to students in the nation's capital of Bridgetown. Operation Triple Threat founder Janelle Headley said Clara Lionel Foundation helped the nonprofit afford a warehouse outfitted with acoustics panels, sound equipment and a dance floor.
The relationship began with a microgrant for scholarships. Operation Triple Threat now receives general
operating support — a “revolutionary” investment, Headley said, because charitable donations are usually earmarked for specific causes. That flexibility proved especially helpful during the pandemic when rapidly changing circumstances created new needs like iPads for remote learning.
“It's uncommon, to be honest, to have someone give a sizable donation unrestricted and say, ‘We trust you, your vision,’” Headley said. “That is very forward-thinking of them.”
A unique model for celebrity philanthropy
The approach is unique, according to Mary Beth Collins, the executive director of the Center for Community and Nonprofit Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She finds that celebrities typically engage in philanthropy only when necessary.
But Collins said CLF appears to think long-term about its partners and deliberately in its bottom-up funding. The strategies align with her own recommendations to engage expert professionals, address root causes, select focus areas important to founders and lift up leaders living those issues.
“We want to see funds and resources from the more endowed people in the world going to those leaders on the ground that really know the place and the experience and the issues best,” Collins said.
CLF used that model late last year when it provided additional funding to a clean energy nonprofit partner
impacted by Hurricane Helene. Melanie Allen, co-director of The Hive Fund for Climate and Gender Justice, said they suddenly received around $60,000 to quickly distribute among vetted partners in devastated communities. The contribution came amid an increasingly hostile environment for nonprofits like hers supporting women of color, which has prompted some philanthropists to reduce giving. Allen said she is excited about CLF’s “deep commitment to the South going forward.”
As others reduce resources, CLF wants to bring more philanthropic partners to the table. They're planning a summer convening for grantees to expand networks. The message, CLF's Doherty said, is “We will stick with you.”
“Some people might say times look bleak," Doherty said. "But this is a moment of possibility.” The importance of remaining grounded in communities you serve is a lesson Schutt-Aine learned throughout a 25-year global health career.
Most recently the Chief of Equity, Gender and Cultural Diversity at the Pan American Health Organization, Schutt-Aine has treated the world’s deadliest infections of tuberculosis, malaria and HIV/AIDS.
“If you’re going to work on malaria," she said, “you need to have lived with the mosquito.”
By JOCELYN NOVECK AP National Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — What’s in a suit?
According to curators busy prepping the newest Met Gala exhibit, a whole lot more than tailoring: history, culture, identity, power and, most of all, self-expression.
“Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” this year’s spring show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, will be launched as usual by the star-packed Met Gala a few nights earlier, on May 5. It’s the first Met show to focus exclusively on Black designers, and the first in more than 20 years to have a menswear theme.
As always, the exhibit inspires the gala dress code, and this year’s — “Tailored For You” — makes clear that guests are invited to be as creative as possible within the framework of classic tailoring.
In other words, expect a lot of great suits.
“Everything from Savile Row to a track suit,” quipped guest curator Monica L. Miller, a Barnard College professor of Africana studies, considering the versatility of a suit. She sat recently in a conference room at the Met with photos and notes plastered on the walls. She was in the middle of writing descriptive labels for the more than 200 items in the show — an exhaustive (and exhausting) task.
The suit, Miller said, “represents so many things.” And tailoring, she added, is a very intimate process.
“It’s not just about getting a suit that fits you physically,” Miller said, “but, what do you want to express that night?
It was Miller’s 2009 book, “Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity,” that inspired the show and led Andrew Bolton, curator of all the blockbuster Costume Institute shows, to bring her in as guest curator. The show uses dandyism as a lens through which to explore the formation of Black style over the years. “Dandyism was about pushing boundaries,” Miller said. Behind her, a section of wall was devoted to each of the 12 themes that divide the exhibit: Ownership, presence, distinction, disguise, freedom, champion, respectability, jook, heritage, beauty, cool and cosmopolitanism.
The early sections will begin with the 18th century and focus more on
with a dapper plaid wool coat, the ensemble finished off with a light pink tie.
“See how the coat and suit play off each other,” noted Miller. Next to it was a very different kind of suit — a denim jacket and trousers embellished throughout with beads — by a far less widely known designer: Jacques Agbobly, whose Brooklyn-based label aims to promote Black, queer and immigrant narratives as well as his own Togolese heritage. The show makes a point, Miller said, of highlighting designers who are well known and others who are not, including some from the past who are anonymous. It will veer across not only history but also class, showing garments worn by people in all economic categories.
Because there are not many existing garments worn or created by Black Americans before the latter part of the 19th century, Miller said, the early part of the show fills out the story with objects like paintings, prints, some decorative arts, film and photography.
Among the novelty items: The “respectability” section includes civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois’ receipts for laundry and tailoring. “He’d go to Paris and London, he would visit tailors and have suits made there,” she said. And the “jook” section includes a film clip of the tap-dancing Nicholas Brothers — who in 1943's “Stormy Weather” produced one of the most astounding dance numbers ever to appear on film.
“We wanted to show people moving in the clothes,” Miller explained. “A fashion exhibit is frustrating because you don't see people in the clothes.” Miller wondered aloud whether there might be a stretch material in the pair’s tuxedos (they perform multiple
This Bill Aims To Help Firefighters With Cancer.
By Mark Kreidler
As firefighters battled the catastrophic blazes in Los Angeles County in January, California’s U.S. senators, Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, signed onto legislation with a simple aim: Provide federal assistance to first responders diagnosed with service-related cancer.
The Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act is considered crucial by its supporters, with climate change fueling an increase in wildfire frequency and firefighting deemed carcinogenic by the World Health Organization. Firefighters have a 14% higher chance of dying from cancer than the general population, according to a 2024 study, and the disease was responsible for 66% of career firefighter line-of-duty deaths from 2002 to 2019.
The Los Angeles wildfires brought the fear generated by these statistics into bold relief. As homes, businesses, and cars — and the products within them — were incinerated, gases, chemicals, asbestos, and other toxic pollutants were released into the air, often settling into soil and dust. First responders working at close range, often without adequate respiratory protection, were at higher risk of developing adverse health conditions.
Just days after the fires were contained, researchers tested a group of 20 firefighters who had come from Northern California to help battle the flames and found dangerously elevated levels of lead and mercury in their blood.
“Firefighters and first responders put their lives on the line without a second thought to protect California communities from the devastating Southern California fires,” Padilla said in a statement. “When they sacrifice their lives or face severe disabilities due to service-related cancers, we have a shared duty to help get their families back on their feet.”
But while the Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act has bipartisan support, it still faces a rough road politically, and those who’ve spent years dealing with similar governmentrun programs warn of major implementation issues should the measure become law.
The Senate Judiciary Committee passed a similar bill in 2024, but the measure didn’t advance to a vote on the floor. And with legislators pondering potentially massive federal budget cuts, its fate in Congress this year is far from clear. What is clear is that, for legislation tying benefits to service-related health conditions, the devil is in the details.
“Getting the piece of legislation passed is not as hard as guarding it,” said John Feal, who was injured at the 9/11 ground zero site while working as a demolition supervisor. He has since become a fierce advocate for first responders and military veterans.
“You will watch the legislation mature, as more and more people who need the assistance come forward,” Feal said. At that point, he added, the program’s capacity to grow — and to successfully process the applications of those who’ve come forward for help — may become a challenge.
That, Feal said, is what happened with the various government programs created after the 9/11 attacks to provide monetary compensation and health care to injured first responders, including some later diagnosed with cancer.
Both the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund and the World Trade Center Health Program encountered substantial funding issues and were beset by logistical failures.
The structure of the Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act, sponsored by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), might allow it to sidestep some funding pitfalls. Rather than create a new benefit program, the bill would grant firefighters who have non-9/11 cancer-related conditions access to the longstanding Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program, which provides monetary death, disability, and education benefits to line-of-duty responders and surviving family members. Death benefits in such programs are considered mandatory spending and are funded regardless of congressional budget decisions. Funding for disability and education benefits, however, depends on annual appropriations. Even with full funding, the legislation could face
Getting It Passed Is Just the Beginning.
implementation problems similar to those plaguing the 9/11 programs, including complex eligibility criteria, difficulty documenting that illnesses are service-related, and — more recently — long waits to enroll amid seesawing federal attempts at cutbacks.
Attorney Michael Barasch represented the late New York police detective James Zadroga, who developed pulmonary fibrosis from toxic exposure at the World Trade Center site and for whom the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act is named. Barasch, who still represents 9/11 victims and lobbies Congress for program improvements and funding, said the Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act should streamline the process for first responders to document that their cancers are related to fighting wildfires.
“In my experience representing more than 40,000 members of the 9/11 community, any similar program should have a clear set of standards to determine eligibility,” Barasch told KFF Health News. “Needless complexity creates a serious risk that responders who should have been eligible might not have access to benefits.”
Feal added that lawmakers should be ready to bolster
funding to adequately staff the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program if it adds to the conditions currently covered, noting that the 9/11 programs have swelled as more and more first responders have presented servicerelated conditions.
“There were 75,000 people in the program in 2015. There’s now close to 140,000,” Feal said. “There’s a backlog on enrollment into the WTC program because they’re understaffed, and there’s also a backlog on getting your illnesses certified so you can get compensated.”
As the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program is currently implemented, firefighters and other first responders are eligible for support for physical injuries they incur in the line of duty or for deaths from dutyrelated heart attacks, strokes, mental health conditions, and 9/11-related illnesses. The bill would add provisions for those who die or become permanently disabled from other service-related cancers.
A study has already been launched to track the shortand long-term health impacts of the Los Angeles wildfires. “This was an environmental and health disaster that will unfold over decades,” Kari Nadeau, a professor at Harvard’s
T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said in announcing the study.
Firefighters who battled the massive 2018 Camp Fire in Northern California, meanwhile, have been found to carry higher levels of carcinogens and other toxic substances in their blood than the general population, according to a study commissioned by the San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation. The Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act was first introduced in 2023 and reintroduced on Jan. 23 of this year, with Klobuchar referencing the California wildfires in her press release. The Congressional Budget Office estimated last year that the bill would cost about $250 million annually from 2024 to 2034; it has not weighed in since the measure was reintroduced.
“Cancer’s grip on the fire service is undeniable,” said Edward Kelly, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters. “When a firefighter dies from occupational cancer, we owe it to them to ensure their families get the line-of-duty death benefits they are owed.”
New California Platform Aims to “Build Trust”
Between Citizens and State Government
By McKenzie Jackson California
Black
Media
California state government has launched a new public-facing platform that it hopes will facilitate communication and “build trust” between citizens and decision makers, providing a direct channel for people to discuss and influence policy.
The project, Engaged California – described as a “comprehensive hub” -- is the result of collaboration between the California Office of Data and Innovation (ODI), the Government Operations Agency and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Announcing the effort last month, Gov. Newsom said the goal of the platform is “to hold Government accountable, to make sure your ideas are actionable and that we are responding in real time.”
The Newsom administration originally planned for Engaged California to be a collaboration with the California Health and Human Services Agency focused on the impact of social media on the mental health of California’s young people. However, when the wildfires broke out in Los Angeles County in January, everything changed. The varied and pressing needs of families affected by the disaster that killed nearly 30 people, destroyed over 16,000 structures and displaced thousands of residents, became a more urgent priority. Amy Tong, Government Operations Secretary Amy, said the wildfire survivors are still looking for answers and the platform will let the state collaborate with them in real time to solve problems.
“We have to think differently to bring us closer to
those we serve, especially those whose voices we may be missing through traditional channels,” she stated.
Thanks to Engaged California. State residents impacted by the devastating wildfires that ravaged areas of Los Angeles for 24 days in January can now interact and lend ideas on the types of policies and actions the state government is taking in response to the firestorms.
“What this is designed to do is ensure the choices made for these communities are not made in a silo, they are not made in a backroom, they are not made without the input of the community themselves,” said ODI Director Jeffery Marino.
“It is a critical tool in enabling the community to see the recovery they want to see. We are hopeful it has an impact. We believe it will,” Marino added. Conversations about how best to recover from
the Eaton fire in the unincorporated community of Altadena and the Palisades blaze in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles and eastern part of Malibu have already begun on Engaged California. Since late February, 6,000 people have subscribed to Engaged California. On March 17, website enrollees were invited to help shape government services and create policy solutions by rating 10 topics on the state’s response to the wildfires on a five-point scale and sharing ideas in the topics’ comment sections. The recovery topics include “Emergency planning & community safety,” “Financial & legal assistance,” “Wildfire prevention prioritization & accountability,” “Housing & rebuilding,” “Infrastructure & utilities restoration,” “Debris removal & environmental recovery,” “Emergency communications,” “Climate & community resilience,” “Economic recovery & small business support,” and “Emotional & mental health support.”
There were nearly 800 comments by March 26.
Under “Emotional & mental health support,” a user posted, “Two friends of mine lost EVERYTHING, and I have thought of them every single day since the fire. People need to process this, and they need all the help they can get.” Two other platform participants liked the comment.
Another of the topic’s comments read, “Our senior community, especially in Altadena, needs support navigating this disaster!” A user responded to the comment with, “I agree, there should be more support for our most vulnerable in our communities! Seniors, veterans, disabled, people with less than who were displaced/affected from any disaster including fires.”
The “Debris removal & environmental recovery” topic
had 75 comments. One participant typed, “Toxins removal is very important for long-term community health. We need to understand what sort of toxic were produced by the fire and not be in such a rush to rebuild that we create long-term problems in the process.”
There is an additional comment section, titled “Anything else?” There, a commenter advocated for renters.
“I, along with so many others, have not received our security deposits back despite the 21-day law. It then becomes our responsibility to start, and pay for, a Small Claims case, and good luck collecting it. We are busy trying to find a place to live, filling out paperwork and dealing with insurance/FEMA, and trying to apply for grants that never seem to materialize. We need help.”
People who register to participate on the website receive an email with a temporary password. Once on the online tool, users see a civility pledge and the website’s moderation policy. On the next tab, participants are posed two questions: “What is your perspective on LA’s recovery?” and “What must be addressed first to ensure a successful recovery?”
Marino is encouraging all Californians to register on the platform.
ODI will analyze the top priorities and discover what the top trends are among the feedback. They will present the information to local governments, California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office, and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services to see which policies are communities’ top priorities.
“What we need to do next is design the deliberation,” Marino explained. “In the deliberation, we will design things to respond to.”
Supporters Say Reparations Bill “Not Stalled” as Republican Sponsor Leaves Legislature for Fed Job
By
(R-Corona) United States Attorney for the Central District of California. The lawmaker, an outspoken critic of Gov. Newsom, accepted the appointment. Essayli, who in February introduced Assembly Bill (AB) 1315, a reparations bill in the State Legislature, took the oath of office for his new job on April 2. “I am honored that President Trump and Attorney General Bondi have placed their trust in me to serve as United States Attorney for the Central District of California,” Essayli said in a statement. Now, reparations advocates, who had been working along with Essayli, say they are looking for a sponsor for the bill in the Legislature.
Kamilah Moore, a Los Angeles-based attorney, who served as chair of the state’s reparations task force, says the effort has not stalled.
“When I joined the Assembly, parental rights, illegal immigration, and voter IDs were peripheral issues. We’ve made them centerpieces of our Party. This past election, we added true fighters, and I am confident they will continue the important work needed in the Legislature to make Republicans start winning in California,” Essayli said.
In February, Essayli introduced AB 1315, also known as the California American Freedmen Affair’s Agency (CAFAA) bill. If approved, this legislation would create a state agency responsible for verifying the identities of descendants of slavery using genealogy.
The agency would also contain the Office of Freedmen Legal Affairs and a registry of American Freedmen residents to support future direct services and resources, as recommended by the task force when the nine-member body completed its two-year study in June 2023. Essayli, a former Riverside County prosecutor and the first Muslim American elected to the California Legislature, said he
“This is a full job position for him. The U.S. Central District of California is the largest federal judiciary district in the country,” said Moore. “But I do appreciate his efforts and being helpful along the way, getting us certain names and contacts of legislators (who could carry the bill). I also appreciate that he kept the conversations (of reparations) going. He definitely played his part, and I cannot be mad at him at all.” Essayli, who is Lebanese American and proponent of stricter immigration laws and enforcement, says he won major victories during his two-year-plus tenure as a lawmaker.
introduced the bill with the full support of members of the Coalition for a Just and Equitable California (CJEC), the state’s leading reparations advocacy group.
Essayli says he supports the creation of the agency even though he does not advocate for cash payments, stating on X last year, “I’m very much opposed to CA taxpayers paying reparations.”
Essayli has also said that he does not believe that California was involved in slavery, but he is totally behind programs that would acknowledge and address atrocities that descendants of Slavery suffered in the United States.
“For too long, the Democrat Party has lied to Black voters and delivered nothing decade after decade,” Essayli told CBM on Feb. 22. Months later, reparations advocates declared they would work with any lawmakers who would adhere to their cause and made it clear that the “movement to recognize and support American Freedmen residents is a non-partisan effort” that ranks “policy over political affiliation,” CJEC shared in a February statement.
CJEC is a statewide organization made up of various associations, community groups, and individuals united by a commitment to fight for reparations. Moore says she is working with CJEC, seeking clarity on the status of the bill and identifying another lawmaker –Republican or Democrat – to sponsor the legislation.
AB 1315 was first read in the Assembly chamber on Feb. 24. Civil rights attorney and reparations advocate Chryce Cryer told Dominique di Prima on her KBLA Talk 1580 radio show that Essayli’s departure could be a blessing in disguise. Cryer said Essayli’s position in the federal government “bodes well for the reparations movement.” “It’s probably what he was aspiring to become,” Cryer said of Essayli on the Los Angeles-based radio show. “I would say for reparations in general, especially in California, it shines the spotlight on what we’re trying to do. Reparations is a non-partisan issue.” Cryer continued, “The bureau, the agency, that’s also non-partisan. But now, as it stands, we have a friend and not a foe in the Trump Administration.”
Bill Essayli
Firefighters work to contain the Hughes Fire in Castaic in January. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
America Keeps Punishing Haitians for Wanting Freedom
human
By Nana Gyamfi
Special to California Black Media Partners
The U.S. has a long and troubling history of targeting Haitian immigrants with unfair and harsh policies. This treatment is rooted in anti-Blackness and a fear of Black liberation. Haiti, as the first free Black republic, has been perceived as a threat to a region built on enslaving and oppressing Black people. And America’s immigration policies reflect this fear -- punishing Haitians for simply seeking freedom and safety. During the 1980s and 1990s, the U.S. locked up more than 30,000 Haitian asylum seekers at Guantanamo Bay. More recently, policies like Title 42 forced them out at the U.S.-Mexico border. Haitians have consistently been singled out and criminalized while other people fleeing similar conditions have been treated with more compassion and given a real chance to build better lives.
Now, the U.S. is taking another swipe at Haitians by dismantling Temporary Protected Status (TPS) -- one of the last few protections they have left. On Feb. 20, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) cut off Haiti’s TPS, setting it to expire on Aug. 3, 2025. And it’s not just bureaucratic nonsense -- this is a calculated move to criminalize and deport nearly 500,000 Haitian migrants. By August, they could be at risk of detention, deportation, and being torn away from their families.
This is nothing new. The U.S. has been attacking Black asylum seekers for decades, and Haitians have been a primary target. When large numbers of Haitians sought asylum in the 1970s and 1980s, it triggered a racist backlash that led to harsh policies that are still used today. Those years set the stage for harmful legislation like the
Blockbuster
1994 Crime Bill and the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA), which institutionalized the detention and deportation systems we see today.
Recently, Trump announced plans to fill Guantanamo Bay to capacity, aiming to detain at least 30,000 migrants there. Guantanamo is infamous for torturing and imprisoning people without due process. And it’s been used to detain Black migrants -- especially Haitians -- before. They’ve faced horrific abuse there, from solitary confinement to sexual violence during so-called “examinations” and being denied access to lawyers and family members.
It’s clear the U.S. has never been serious about honoring its asylum laws when it comes to Black migrants. And it’s not just a Trump problem. The Biden administration doubled down on Trump-era Title 42 policies, which led to mass deportations and a humanitarian crisis at Del Rio, Texas.
The latest attack on Haiti’s TPS is just another chapter in America’s long-standing attempt to criminalize and deport Black migrants. While other refugees, like Ukrainians, are given compassion and support, Haitians are told they’re not welcome.
This inequity must end. Black migrants deserve the same safety, stability and the rights as other migrants to live without the constant threat of deportation. The Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI) is here to keep fighting for policies that allow immigrant families to build real, dignified lives -- free from fear and state-sanctioned violence.
Compassion or Coercion. What is The Role of Government in a Free Society?
By Craig J. DeLuz
Special to California Black Media Partners
In the ongoing debate about the role of government in addressing societal issues, a crucial misconception often surfaces on one side: that the desire to help others equates to a mandate for state intervention. Advocates for increased government action frequently overlook the vital distinction between voluntary assistance and coercive mandates. The belief that government can – or that it should -- serve as the ultimate arbiter of compassion neglects the fundamental principle that true generosity arises from individual choice, not compulsion.
Those advocating for increased government intervention often misunderstand the nature of help.
They seem to believe that the mere desire to assist equates to a moral imperative for the state to act -- often through coercive means. This reliance on government as the ultimate solution tends to obscure an essential principle: the freedom of individuals to choose how, or whether, to help.
Consider the uproar over the Trump Administration’s decision to shutter USAID. We must recognize that the advocates for its continuation -- despite clear instances of squandered taxpayer dollars are often motivated by a sincere, albeit misguided, impulse to alleviate the suffering of others. This situation starkly highlights a key principle of a civil society: that support for one another ought to stem from a voluntary commitment born of mutual obligation. Charity and assistance should arise from an individual’s choice rather than compulsion, because when government steps in, demanding compliance through taxation and regulation -- as it does for funding agencies like USAID -- it inevitably replaces genuine altruism with coercion.
Encounters with advocates of coercive measures in
the name of social justice reveal an important truth: those who endorse such measures often overlook the implications of their rhetoric. If one is convinced that genuine change must originate from government action, they must grapple with the uncomfortable fact that these actions require a readiness to impose force on others. Consequently, the supposed benevolence of these proposed solutions becomes problematic when it endangers the very liberties one claims to uphold. The essence of this dialogue invites us to rethink our approach. Discussions should not arise from a place of animosity or suspicion; rather, they should acknowledge the good intentions that may underlie differing views, regardless of how naive they may appear. While people may be convinced of the altruism of their motives, it is crucial to expose the coercive mechanisms that such beliefs often entail. This leads us to the crux of the matter: liberty without responsibility fosters chaos. The idea that individuals should have the freedom to make their own choices is inseparable from the principle that they must also bear the consequences of those choices. Allowing compassion to devolve into coercion threatens the very fabric of a free society.
Ultimately, this discourse offers an invitation for greater introspection, not just for those who advocate stateled solutions but also for champions of individual liberty. Continuous assessment of whether our methods align with our ideals is essential. True compassion does not impose; it empowers. As we engage in these critical conversations, let us strive for a shared goal: fostering true freedom -freedom that honors individual rights while cultivating a civil society grounded in responsibility.
By Noam N. Levey
the U.S.
“We don’t think that the way we finance health care is sustainable,” Undue Medical Debt chief executive Allison Sesso said in an interview with KFF Health News. “Medical debt has unreasonable expectations,” she said. “The people who owe the debts can’t pay.” In the past year alone, Americans borrowed an estimated $74 billion to pay for health care, a nationwide West Health-Gallup survey found. And even those who benefit from Undue’s debt relief may have other medical debt that won’t be relieved.
This large purchase also highlights the challenges that debt collectors, hospitals, and other health care providers
face as patients rack up big bills that aren’t covered by their health insurance.
Pendrick’s chief executive, Chris Eastman, declined several requests to be interviewed about the debt sale, which has not been previously reported. But Eastman acknowledged in a 2024 podcast episode that collecting medical debts has grown more challenging as regulators have restricted how collectors can pursue patients.
Pendrick has now shuttered, which Sesso said provided strong motivation for this deal. “This was a really great opportunity to get a debt buyer out of the market,” she said.
Undue Medical Debt pioneered its debt relief strategy a decade ago, leveraging charitable donations to buy medical debt from debt trading companies at steeply discounted prices and then freeing patients from the obligation to pay.
The nonprofit now buys debts directly from hospitals, as well. And it is working with about two dozen state and local governments to leverage public money to relieve medical debt in communities from Los Angeles County to Cleveland to the state of Connecticut.
The approach has been controversial. And Undue Medical Debt’s record-setting purchase — financed by a mix of philanthropy and taxpayer dollars — is likely to stoke more debate over the value of paying collectors for medical debts.
“The approach is just treating the symptoms and not the disease,” said Elisabeth Benjamin, a vice president at
the Community Service Society of New York, a nonprofit that has led efforts to restrict aggressive hospital collections. Benjamin and other advocates say systemic changes such as ensuring hospitals offer sufficient financial aid to patients and reining in high medical prices would be more valuable in preventing people from sinking into debt.
But many government officials see retiring people’s unpaid medical bills as part of a larger strategy to make it easier for patients to avoid debt in the first place.
“Turning off the tap is what’s really important in the long run,” said Naman Shah, a physician who directs medical affairs at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. The county is working to improve local hospital financial aid programs for patients. But Shah said debt relief is key, as well.
“It’s easy to criticize band-aids when you’re not the one who’s cut,” he said. “As a physician, I take care of people who have cuts, and I know the importance of stitching them back up.”
Undue Medical Debt’s latest deal, which it is spending $36 million to close, will help patients nationwide, according to the nonprofit. But about half the estimated 20 million people whose debts Pendrick owned live in just two states: Texas or Florida.
Neither has expanded Medicaid coverage through the 2010 Affordable Care Act, a key tool that researchers have found bolsters patients’ financial security by protecting them from big medical bills and debt.
The patients eligible for debt relief have incomes at or below four times the federal poverty level, about $63,000 for a single person, or debts that exceed 5% of their incomes. About half the debts are also more than seven years old. These have been donated to Undue Medical Debt by Pendrick, the
Nana Gyamfi is a prominent civil and
rights attorney and the Executive Director of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI).
Craig DeLuz
California Capitol News You Might Have Missed Political Playback
By Bo Tefu California Black Media
California Kicks Off Earthquake Preparedness Month with Life-Saving Digital Tools, Events
As part of Earthquake Preparedness Month this April, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) is encouraging residents to take proactive safety measures, including downloading early warning tools and participating in readiness activities.
California is one of the most earthquake-prone regions in the U.S., with more than 70% of its population living
Nezhura emphasized that awareness alone is not enough.
“Preparedness can make the difference between devastation and safety,” she said.
Sacramento: Hilary Swank Joins
Sen.
Akilah
Weber Pierson to Support Maternal Health Bill
Last week, actress and entrepreneur Hilary Swank visited the State Capitol in Sacramento to advocate for Senate Bill (SB) 646, a proposed California law that would mandate prenatal vitamin manufacturers to test for -- and
within 30 miles of an active fault. In response, Cal OES is highlighting the importance of planning ahead to minimize the risk of injury, loss of life, and property damage.
“Being prepared is our best defense against the unpredictable nature of earthquakes,” said Lori Nezhura, Cal OES Deputy Director of Planning, Preparedness and Prevention. “From creating emergency kits to practicing safety drills, small actions can have life-saving results.”
This month, Cal OES is offering a variety of outreach efforts and resources, including:
• Earthquake Simulator Experience (April 5, 2025): Visitors to the Sacramento History Museum can learn about California’s seismic history and experience simulated quakes to understand the intensity of ground shaking.
• Earthquake Readiness Guide: A downloadable guide provides essential tips on how to prepare before, during, and after an earthquake.
• Statewide Social Media Campaign: In collaboration with content creators, Cal OES is sharing practical earthquake safety advice tailored to diverse communities, including families, individuals with disabilities, and residents of urban areas.
• Public Service Announcements (PSAs): Animated safety videos are being distributed to local newsrooms to ensure consistent, accurate messaging during emergencies.
Californians are also encouraged to download the MyShake app, launched in 2019, which delivers early warnings for earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or greater. The app is now available for both mobile devices and Chromebooks.
The public can access these tools and more through the Earthquake Warning California website, which offers safety checklists, community preparedness information, and instructions on how to secure household items against shaking.
to publicly disclose -- heavy metal levels in their products.
Swank, testifying before the Senate Health Committee on April 2, emphasized the importance of transparency for maternal and fetal health.
“As a mother and entrepreneur, I’m dedicated to protecting both my family and yours,” she said. “Prenatal vitamins are vital for maternal and fetal health, but recent studies reveal that too many contain harmful heavy metals that can damage developing babies.”
The bill, authored by State Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson (D-San Diego) in February, is co-sponsored by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and Unleaded Kids. If passed, California would become the first state to implement such regulations.
Weber Pierson posted on the social media app BlueSky,
“A huge thank you to Academy Award-winning actress Hilary Ann Swank and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists - ACOG for testifying in support of my bill, SB 646!
Weber Pierson is also the Chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC).
Provisions in SB 646 respond to an environmental research study that revealed 15% of tested prenatal vitamins exceed California’s Proposition 65 lead safety threshold. Other toxic elements found include cadmium, arsenic, and mercury.
If the law passes, SB 646 would require companies to test representative samples and publish results online by 2027. Labels would include a QR code linking to the test data. Swank, who is Chief Innovation Ifficer at the brand HealthyBaby, said transparency empowers consumers and pushes industry standards higher.
“Producing products for babies requires a constant dedication to improving our standards,” she said.
Currently, no federal law requires prenatal supplement testing for heavy metals. EWG’s Melanie Benesh said the bill fills a critical gap in consumer protection.
“Pregnant people deserve to know what’s in the vitamins they rely on,” she said.
Weber Pierson said the bill protects both fetal and maternal health.
“Everyone deserves to trust the products they rely on during pregnancy. We must put health and safety first,” she posted.
Pasadena PD Hit With Shocking Racist and Sexual Misconduct Allegations
Two Pasadena Police Department (PPD) lieutenants have filed legal claims accusing Police Chief Eugene Harris of sexual harassment and making inappropriate comments, intensifying scrutiny of the department’s leadership.
Lts. Keith Gomez and Monica Cuellar, who are married, announced their claims Wednesday during a press conference held outside police headquarters. Their allegations follow previous misconduct claims filed by other department members and could lead to lawsuits, as legal claims often precede court filings.
Cuellar’s claim alleges that Harris made sexually explicit remarks, including comments about her sex life and intimate relationship with her husband. The filing also contends that Harris shared inappropriate personal experiences, including telling Cuellar and a deputy chief that he had been sodomized.
In the claim issued by lawyers representing Gomez and Cuellar, there have been racist incidents at the PPD as well.
“Compounding the harassment, PPD is filled with racial slurs, derogatory comments and even a stuffed animal called “Rhesus the Racist Monkey” the claim states.
Harris, who is Black, also allegedly used the term “house nigger” in a meeting.
Harris responded in a statement reassuring the public that law enforcement will conduct a thorough investigation.
“I understand these allegations will be reviewed and fully welcome that process. I remain committed to transparency, accountability and service, and I trust the truth will come to light,” he said.
The City of Pasadena also issued a statement acknowledging the claims and affirming that proper procedures will be followed.
“The city takes all allegations of misconduct seriously,” the statement read. “The allegations will be addressed through the appropriate legal process, not through the media.”
The claims mark the latest in a series of complaints against Harris, who assumed his position as Pasadena’s top law enforcement officer in 2022. City officials have not announced whether an independent investigation will be launched.
“College Degree or Not”: California Launches Plan to Increase Jobs, Pay
Gov. Gavin Newsom has unveiled the Master Plan for Career Education, a statewide initiative to connect Californians with high-paying careers, whether they hold a college degree or not. The plan prioritizes practical learning, job readiness, and closer collaboration between education and workforce systems.
Unveiled at Modesto Junior College on April 2, the plan outlines a comprehensive strategy to prepare Californians for a rapidly changing job market shaped by automation and artificial intelligence. It focuses on expanding access, reducing barriers to career advancement, and aligning education with real-world workforce needs.
Backed by proposals in Newsom’s January budget, the plan includes two key tools: Career Passports and Credit for Prior Learning (CPL). Career Passports are digital records combining academic achievements with work experience, military service, and training, helping employers recognize skills beyond traditional degrees. The CPL expansion will allow veterans and working adults to earn college credit for real-world experience, benefiting an estimated 250,000 people, including 30,000 veterans.
“By aligning our education system with real workforce needs, we’re powering economic growth and creating stronger communities,” said Newsom.
The plan also calls for a new statewide collaborative to better align education, job training, and employer needs, while supporting stronger regional partnerships. Local efforts will focus on expanding paid internships, improving funding access, and helping students transition smoothly from classrooms to careers.
The Master Plan builds on the state’s 1960s higher education model and responds to modern workforce demands. It stems from Newsom’s 2023 Freedom to Succeed Executive Order and reflects California’s commitment to flexible, inclusive pathways for learners of all backgrounds.
State officials disclosed that the plan is key to helping Californians succeed in a rapidly changing economy, whether or not they pursue a college degree.
California Lawyer Confirmed to
Lead U.S. Civil Rights Division, Raising Concerns Over Impact on Marginalized Communities
The U.S. Senate has confirmed San Francisco attorney Harmeet Dhillon as the new U.S. Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, despite a sharp partisan divide. The 52-45 confirmation vote, held April 3, secured the post for Dhillon California’s U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, both Democrats, voted against Dillon’s nomination. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (D-AK) was the sole Republican senator to oppose the nomination.
“As a fellow Californian, I’ve seen your work closely. You’ve opposed key voting rights protections over the years, including the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. You fought against the use of the Voting Rights Act to challenge discriminatory laws. You’ve also spread disinformation about the 2020 election, and you’ve defended restrictive voting laws in multiple states,” Padilla told Dhillon during her confirmation hearing. Dhillon, a former vice chairwoman of the California Republican Party, rose to prominence in conservative circles for her legal work defending President Donald Trump’s claims about the 2020 election and her outspoken criticism of “woke” policies. Legal scholars predict she will bring a conservative interpretation of civil rights law to the Department of Justice.
Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of UC Berkeley Law School, expressed concerns over the confirmation.
“My impression of her is that she is very conservative and hardly a champion of civil rights as it is generally understood,” he said. He warned that Dhillon would likely use her position to advance Trump’s conservative agenda, particularly targeting issues such as transgender rights and affirmative action.
Dhillon’s legal career has included high-profile cases challenging progressive policies, such as California’s law protecting transgender students’ rights to keep their gender identity confidential from parents. Critics argue that her work has threatened civil liberties, particularly for marginalized communities. In contrast, supporters, including Trump, praised Dhillon for standing up for “civil liberties” and combating what they see as the overreach of liberal civil rights organizations.
Civil Rights Panel Confronts Trump and Defends Diversity and Inclusion
By Lauren Burke At a time when few Democrats are having events in public in defense of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, a forum took place on Capitol Hill focused on legacy civil rights policy and its importance. The April 1 forum featured representatives of five civil rights organizations including the Lawyers Committee on Civil Rights, the NAACP, and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. “I think the single dumbest phrase in military history is our diversity is our strength,” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated at a Department of Defense event on Feb. 7. Since then, the Administration has moved to remove Black historical figures, such as Jackie Robinson who served in WWII, from positions of prominence on social media platforms. Participants in the April 1 forum on Capitol Hill spoke pointedly on President Trump’s opposition to diversity as well as what their organization is doing in opposition. Many in the Democratic Party have been quiet on the issue of whether or not to defend “DEI.” “Some of the proponents of elimination of the Department of Education campaign on the slogan of states’ rights. We remember that campaign was used in the 1960s for those who wanted to maintain segregation,” Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) stated in his opening remarks. Attacks on diversity policy have become the cornerstone of Trump’s opening 100 days in office. Less than 48 hours into his second term in office on January 21, 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order titled, “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity” in an official effort to stop diversity.
“This is about distraction and it is about division. That is the point. They are trying to distract and divide us in order to attack the fundamental protections against discrimination for Black communities, Latino communities, Asian American communities, and women,” said Amelia Smirniotopoulos from the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. “This is a decades-long organized campaign that began as soon as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed. It was designed to take away the protections that were hard fought and won by the civil rights movement and to return us to a time when racial segregation and other forms of segregation were the norm in this country. I think having that generational perspective is key in figuring
out how to combat the attacks we are seeing today. At the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, we are made for this fight. We have been in existence for 85 years now. We helped litigate Brown versus Board of Education, and we are committed to defending the proper interpretation of the Equal Protection Clause in this country,” Smirniotopoulos added.
As the panel presented their arguments, U.S. Senator Cory Booker spoke at length against Trump’s policies on the Senate floor on his way to breaking a filibuster record held by segregationist U.S. Strom Thurmond to block the Civil Rights Act of 1957. Thurmond’s record stood for 68 years. What Booker focused on, cuts to Social Security, also came up at the civil rights forum. “What is really happening at
and
Florida’s Run to the National Title Lifts the Gators to No. 1 in the Final
AP Top 25 Men’s Poll
By Aaron Beard
Florida is No. 1 in the final Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll of the 2024-25 season after winning the national championship.
The Gators (36-4) received all 61 first-place votes Tuesday, the second year the AP has released its last poll after the completion of the NCAA Tournament. Todd Golden’s team beat Houston 65-63 on Monday night to clinch the program’s third national title and first since Billy Donovan’s repeat titles in 2006 and 2007.
The win also lifted Florida to the top spot in the poll for the first time since the last four polls of the 2013-14 season.
“Obviously we have an incredibly talented group, one of the most talented groups individually in America,” Golden said after the title-clinching win. “I do think what separates us and has separated us all season long is our team talent, how our guys have played together and for each other all year. Because of that, we can call each other national champions for the rest of our lives.” Houston (35-5) remained at No. 2 after its first titlegame appearance since 1984, capping a season that saw Kelvin Sampson’s Cougars reach the Final Four for the second time in five seasons and beat Duke (35-4) in the national semifinals with a shocking late comeback.
The Blue Devils — who were No. 1 in the last two polls before March Madness — were third in what amounted to a swap with the Gators as the only change to the top quartet. Auburn (32-6) stayed at No. 4 after falling to Florida in the Alamodome, rounding out only the second all-chalk Final Four of 1-seeds since seeding began in 1979.The top tier Tennessee was fifth and Alabama sixth, joining Florida and Auburn as the headliners for the Southeastern Conference in a year in which the league regularly had the most AP Top 25 teams on the way to earning a record 14 tournament bids. Michigan State was next at No. 7, followed by Texas Tech, which had Florida on the brink of defeat in the Elite Eight before Gators star Walter Clayton Jr. sparked a wild comeback. A Big Ten duo of Maryland and Michigan rounded out the top 10.
Climbing into set positionPurdue had the biggest jump, rising eight spots to No. 14 after a Sweet 16 loss to Houston on
a last-second basket on a perfectly executed inbounds play. No. 12 Kentucky and No. 15 Arizona were next, each rising six spots after their own runs to the tournament’s second week.In all, 12 teams moved up from the pre-tournament poll into their final position. One last slide Louisville had the biggest tumble, falling 11 spots to No. 21 after the Cardinals entered March Madness ranked 10th but received only an 8-seed and suffered a first-round loss to Creighton. Fellow Atlantic Coast Conference program Clemson was next with a 10-spot tumble to No. 22 after a first-round loss to 12th-seeded McNeese.No. 25 Memphis fell nine spots after being shorthanded in a loss to 12th-seeded Colorado State, while No. 11 St. John’s fell six spots after shooting 28% in its second-round loss to Arkansas.In all, eight teams fell from the pre-tournament poll.
Comings and goings
John Calipari’s Arkansas Razorbacks checked in at No. 20 after reaching the Sweet 16, joining No. 18 Ole Miss as the final poll’s two additions. Like Arkansas, the Rebels upended a higherseeded team (Iowa State) to reach the second weekend. Both were ranked previously this season.
Missouri (No. 23) and Oregon (No. 25) fell out from the pre-tournament poll.
Conference watch
The SEC led the way with eight ranked teams, a haul that included No. 19 Texas A&M. The Big 12 and Big Ten were next with five ranked teams each, followed by the ACC with three. The West Coast Conference had two and the American Athletic Conference and Big East each had one.
The final tally
Florida’s rise to No. 1 meant five different teams held the top spot of the AP Top 25 this season, starting with Kansas for the preseason and the first four weeks of the regular season. Tennessee followed for five weeks, then Auburn for eight and finally Duke for the last two pre-tournament polls. In all, 50 teams spent at least one week in the poll this season.
celebrates
team
tournament college
2016,
By Eric Olson
Kris Jenkins, who made the winning shot for Villanova in the 2016 college basketball championship game, is suing the NCAA and six conferences to recoup income he contends he would have earned if athletes at the time were not barred from making money from their name, image and likeness. Jenkins is among some 350 current and former athletes who
Florida forward Alex Condon celebrates after their win against the Houston in the national championship at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Monday, April 7, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Villanova forward Kris Jenkins (2)
with
mates after the NCAA Final Four
basketball championship game against North Carolina Monday, April 4,
in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, file)
Lawmakers, Advocates Demand Justice for Incarcerated Women
By Antonio Ray Harvey
California Black Media
Some members of the California Black Legislative Caucus (CLBC) joined Assemblymember Susan QuirkSilva (D-Fullerton) and the Women’s Legislative Caucus at a press conference on April 3 to demand justice and fairness for incarcerated woman in California.
CLBC members Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Alameda), Sade Elhawary (D-Los Angeles), Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Ladera Heights), and prison reform advocates outlined their plans for justice reforms related to the health and wellbeing of incarcerated women.
“Our justice system has long overlooked the unique needs of incarcerated women, and it’s time for a change,” Quirk-Silva said. “When we incarcerated women without addressing underlying causes, we are not just punishing them, we are punishing their children and destabilizing their families.”
Assemblymembers Liz Ortega (D-San Leandro) and Sen. Caroline Menjivar (D-Burbank) also participated in the event held at the State Capitol. During the conference, the lawmakers announced legislation they have introduced to back their demands.
Elhawary is the author of Assembly Bill (AB) 1231, which would give judges the discretion to connect individuals on trial to treatment and services instead of spending prison time.
“But policy alone isn’t enough,” Elhawary said. “I’m fighting in this year’s budget to expand investment in reentry housing education and rehabilitation program because a sentence shouldn’t have to be a life sentence to poverty and instability.”
California operates 32 prisons and one leased prison, including 29 men’s prisons, two women’s prisons, and one prison that houses both men and women in separate facilities, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO).
Quirk-Silva, Bonta, Smallwood-Cuevas, and advocates
speaking at the conference all agreed that to effectively reform California women’s prisons, the state must institute genderresponsive, trauma-informed, and strength-based approaches.
Advocates insist that the initiatives should address the specific needs and experiences of incarcerated women, including considering alternatives to incarceration, and ensuring access to education, vocational training, and mental health services.
Menjivar introduced Senate Bill (SB) 337 that expands the rights of incarcerated people, including requiring a third-party advocate for searches, a documentation of searches, and extending the window for women inmates to report sexual assaults.
Smallwood-Cuevas’ SB 75 would require the California Workforce Development Board to establish a Reentry Pilot Project in the counties of Alameda, Los Angeles, and San Diego to provide workforce training and transitional support to formerly incarcerated individuals committed to careers in the skilled trades.
Ortega, the author of AB 800, said it would deal with price gouging in prisons. Families that visit their loved ones pay an enormous amount of money to purchase food out of vending machines, she said.
“I’m learning about facilities that are charging up to $15 for a tiny frozen hamburger. That’s not okay,” Ortega said.
According to the California Public Policy Institute (PPIC), women make up about 50 % of the state’s population but 4% of the prison population. Black men and women account for 28% and 23%, respectively of prisoners.
On April 2, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) released an 81-page recidivism report showing that the recidivism rate for people released in the fiscal year 2019-20 declined by 2.8 % points over the previous year to 39.1%. The data reveals rehabilitative programming may be instrumental in reducing recidivism, the CDCR reported.
“With the limited resources that we’ve applied to rehabilitation reentry efforts, we’ve seen a decrease in recidivism markedly over the course of three years in the study just published,” Bonta said. “Imagine what we do if we applied more resources to the basic concept of suppling women rehabilitation rehab reentry.”
According to (CDCR), in 2022, there were 3,699 people incarcerated in women’s prisons in California, about 175 of whom have a sentence of life without the possibility of parole. Close to 929 people in women’s prisons are Black -- 25% of the state’s overall prison population in 2022.
California is one of the few states in the country where the number of people incarcerated in women’s prisons is significantly decreasing — from 12,668 people in 2010 to 3,699 people in 2022, a 70.8% reduction, according to Ending the Harm of Women in Prisons (EHWP). About 54.3% of the women’s prisons in California have at least one child.
Quirk-Silva is the author of AB 923. The bill would authorize a pregnant or postpartum defendant to request a stay of execution of their sentence by filing a written request to the court
Dymally International Jazz Festival Features P.J. Morton and Will Downing
By Ricky Richardson Contributing Writer
(Carson, CA) Ah, the joy of Spring! This highly anticipated season is welcomed news for the public. Spring is a much-needed break from harsh winter weather. The days are longer, and the weather is a bit cooler. This is an ideal time to get outdoors and enjoy the beautiful landscape that Mother Nature is starting to unveil.
you in the mood to groove!
The jazz festival will host two stages, the main stage and the second stage with a roster of talented, internationally known artists. Guests will enjoy a curated visual arts pavilion, a smorgasbord of food trucks as well as food vendors of the host venue. An array of specialty merchandise vendors will also be on site. The festival offers stadium seating.
The festival will be held at Dignity Health Sports
Stadium, 18400 Avalon Blvd., Carson. (formerly StubHub Center). The beauty of the venue is that there is ample
Grand Avenue Cultural District Recognized in Downtown Los Angeles
By Ricky Richardson
vote, the creation of the Grand Avenue Cultural District (GACD) which is designated to promote greater public participation in the arts, stimulate economic growth, increase tourism, create workforce development opportunities, support the revitalization of DTLA ad position the area as a global arts destination. This formalizes Downtown L.A. (DTLA) as a vital hub for arts and culture. The Music Center spearheaded the GACD in collaboration with more than 18 DTLA-based arts and cultural organizations and civic agencies.
The motion, championed by Los Angeles County Chair Pro Tem and Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, recognizes GACD as a vital cultural and economic asset to Los Angeles County, a key driver of DTLA’s economic vibrancy and a catalyst for more inclusive and accessible cultural experiences that allow Angelenos and visitors to engage with the transformative power of the arts. The motion was put forth in alignment with the County’s proclamation of April 2025 as “Arts Month” to celebrate the vital role the arts play in many communities.
“The arts are more than just a reflection of society; they are the heartbeat of a community. Engagement with the arts shapes our lives, sparks meaningful conversations, and connects people from all backgrounds. By formally recognizing the Grand Avenue Cultural District, we are creating a dedicated space where creativity can thrive, collaboration can grow and cultural expression can flourish,” said Los Angeles County Chair Pro Tem and Supervisor for the First District Hilda L. Solis. “This motion recognizes the potential for the arts to unite diverse communities, foster shared identity, and drive both cultural and economic vitality in Downtown Los Angeles. The creation of the Grand Avenue Cultural District is a key step toward making the arts more accessible, inclusive, and transformative for everyone.”
Working with several partners including Boston Consulting Group, which provided pro bono support to draft a roadmap for the GACD, The Music Center partnered initially with the Colburn School and MOCA to develop the framework for the initiative and held discussions with other art and cultural institutions along Grand Avenue over the past three years. That effort was informed by a foundational stakeholder study that identified shared commitment to collaboration with acknowledgment among the respondents that, by working together, these institutions can enhance their collective impact, broaden accessibility, and strengthen the cultural landscape in Los Angeles.
“With the largest collection of museums and performance venues in the nation, Los Angeles has emerged as one of the world’s premier destinations for arts and culture,” said Los Angeles Tourism President & CEO Adam Burke. “The establishment of the Grand Avenue Cultural District celebrates Downtown L.A. as
one of the region’s most dynamic neighborhoods for art lovers--including residents and visitors alike---and helps support the 543,000 Angelenos and more than 1,000 local businesses who rely on tourism for their livelihoods.”
According to a DTLA Arts & Culture report by the DTLA Alliance, of the 17+ million visitors to DTLA in 2023, upwards of 2.5 million visited the Grand Avenue cultural corridor, and 76 percent of the DTLA visitors attended cultural events, such as concerts, art exhibitions, museums, plays, and live performances, among other experiences. Today’s County vote paves the way to place DTLA firmly on the map as a global destination for arts and culture, which is particularly timely with the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, and the 2028 Olympics and Paralympic Games, all hosted by Los Angeles.
In exploring the GACD’s creation, The Music Center was inspired by the remarkable success of the Dallas Arts District, which has had a major impact on its local economy. This growth of the Dallas Arts District has tripled economic output in just five years and attracts over 4.2 million visitors (including 500,000 students engaging with the arts). The Dallas model, which recently was designated as the 31 arts districts in the nation by USA Today for the second consecutive year, is proof that the GACD can spark a similar resurgence in DTLA as a vibrant, safe, and walkable hub for arts and culture as well as showcase the diversity, breadth, and significance of the organizations within the District.
“Today is an exciting chapter for DTLA---the Grand Avenue Cultural District will build on a dynamic region where creativity, diversity, and collaboration thrive! By uniting multiple worldclass and community-connected cultural institutions and local
businesses, the District will become a cornerstone for L.A.’s growth and a source of civic pride,” said Rachel S. Moore, president and CEO of The Music Center. “We are deeply grateful to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for their support and this recognition for the District. This important step is a testament to the collective vision of our community. The original visionaries for a contemporary Grand Avenue, among them Dorothy Buffum Chandler, Eli and Edythe Broad, Richard D. Colburn, and William Andrews Clark, Jr., championed inclusion and accessibility to the arts in the heart of DTLA. We look forward to building on their vision with this District and working with our partners to foster a vibrant and welcoming cultural destination that will benefit Los Angeles for generations to come.” Ultimately, the GACD will develop an identity that offers the public a way to recognize the District’s offerings and provide an imprimatur of the quality of the experiences offered there; create a strategic plan to help improve the comfort and safety of visitors to the region, including wayfinding, informational tools and collaborations with partners such as the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board and Central City Association of Los Angeles; and work to enhance accessible and culturally relevant programming by exploring partnerships with fellow organizations located in DTLA but off Grand Avenue, such as the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center and La Plaza de Cultural y Artes, among others. Interested parties can learn more about plans for the District at info@grandaveculture.org
Sol Mercado speaks at the Women’s Incarceration News Conference, sharing that after serving 16 years in prison, a job at Oakland-based nonprofit Planting Justice was waiting for her. She now advocates for social justice, healing, and second chances. Photo courtesy of Asm. Sharon Quirk-Silva’s office.
Asm. Sade Elhawary (D-Los Angeles) speaks at the Women’s Incarceration news conference, highlighting the urgent need for justice reform. Pictured left to right: Sen. Lola SmallwoodCuevas (D-Los Angeles), Sol Mercado of Planting Justice, Asm. Elhawary, and Asm. Mia Bonta (D-Alameda). Screenshot.