Vol. 50 No. 42
February 6, 2020 -February 12, 2020
Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what people will submit to and you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them and these will continue till they have resisted either with words or blows or words or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they suppress. —Fredrick Douglass (1849)
San Bernardino Black Culture Foundation Senior King & Queen 2020 Community News
Vicki Lee and Jesse James Nichols Vicki Lee is a native of San Bernardino, California. She is a member of New Hope Missionary Baptist where she serves as the Director of the Drama Ministry and Children’s Church Instructor. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree and Master’s Degree from the University of Redlands. She worked at Covenant House California as Evening Manager with disenfranchised and homeless youth and adults for ten years. She is currently the Homeless Liaison for the San Bernardino City Unified School District. She has been a business owner, community activist, church leader and has appeared in numerous drama productions. She is Past Worthy Matron of Lily of the Valley Chapter #12, Order of the Eastern Star, Grand Oratress of the Golden State Grand Chapter PHRA, Past President of the Ruby V. Forsha Auxiliary Phyllis Chapter. Vicki is a member of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artist and the Screen Actors Guild of Hollywood, California. As a community activist, Vicki is the Coordinator of the “Our Children Sing Program” which
was founded by the late Alice F. Paige. She has served on numerous boards in San Bernardino including but not limited to CASA of San Bernardino County, San Bernardino Community Hospital, Home of Neighborly Services, The San Library Foundation in which she was the Vice-president of Community Relations, and a volunteer Charter Commission member for the city of San Bernardino. She has been a part of the Northwest Project Area Committee, the NAACP, and a charter member of the Women’s Leadership Council for Arrowhead United Way. Her awards are plentiful, including the Black Rose. Jesse James Nichols is a native of San Bernardino CA. He graduated from Eisenhower High School. He played varsity football at Eisenhower. Jesse is a self-taught artist. Jesse attended San Bernardino Valley College and played football for 2 years. He then enlisted in the US Army in 1978 (Mechanic and Airborne). His tour included travels to Germany, Korea, Panama and England. This gave him
experience working with people from different cultures. They were reacquainted and married 25 years later. He and Vicki donate their time, skills and passion, to community seniors, homeless families and struggling adults. His volunteer experience includes but is not limited to feeding the homeless, event planning, security and safety. Jesse has explored many careers; however, his passion and love for security and safety led him to own his private security company, Nichols Private Security. Jesse is also a community activist and is seen often volunteering at the Home and Neighborly Services, coordinating Weekly Food Distributions, assisting the foster and homeless program for the San Bernardino City Unified School District, Volunteer Coordinator Thanksgiving food distribution, and serves meals at the Brandon Iron on Thanksgiving Day. Jesse is a member of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church where he serves faithfully in the drama ministries and also provides security for the church.
CSUN to Celebrate Black History Month 2020 with Myriad Events Black History News Studies Chair Theresa White. “Steps centered in black joy, creativity, political astuteness, love, healing and restorative justice.” The theme of this year’s celebration is “Voices & Visions: Black Future 2020.” This year’s events include:
A group of CSUN students celebrate at a Black House event. Photo by David J. Hawkins. Every year during Black History Month, California State University, Northridge hosts a wide array of events to honor the legacy and future of the black community. February’s events will be hosted by several departments and campus bodies. “As we celebrate the successes
and honor the struggles of people of black descent during Black History Month this February, we offer ways in which we visualize and give voice to our collective, healthy black futures — where we learn, thrive and have agency about our next steps,” said Department of Africana
Selma: John Kouns Photo Exhibit – Tom and Ethel Bradley Center (curated by Keith Rice and Karin Stanford). Saturday, Feb. 1, 5:30 to 7 p.m. at The Soraya Art Gallery. “Selma'” Screening with live score by jazz composer Jason Moran and New West Symphony. Saturday, Feb. 1, 8 to 10 p.m. at The Soraya. CSUN Library: Founding of Ethnic Studies Interactive Media (continued on page 6)
Publisher’s Corner Email: sbamericannews@gmail.com
Clifton Harris Editor in Chief Publisher of The San Bernardino AMERICAN News
BLACK BOYS WANT TO CRY…WHEN WILL WE LET THEM? Local/National News He was the oldest brother of my first love. This gangly energetic boy who always had a smile on his face. Never took life too seriously, always looked out for me and made sure I felt includedno matter the game being played. He was known as “Crow” in our neighborhood and come to think of it, it was a most fitting nickname- for he definitely looked like one. As the years passed, our lives shifted until I lost contact with my love and his family; so you can’t even begin to picture the horror of finding out that on April 13, 2014, Crow shot and killed his wife as their children slept and then drove to a secluded parking lot and turned the gun on himself. Even now I can’t process how someone so loving and so sweet could do something so vicious. How could the boy who shared sunflower seeds and hot chicken fresh out the grease, and protected me as if I was one of his siblings, carry out such monstrous acts? In all the media coverage that followed I knew better than to think there would be anything that revealed his past, because
that’s just not how our society works. There can only be onevictim, and so no one cared about the tears of his loved oneswe were forced to cry silently. The story of my beloved friend’s older brother, as gutting as it is, is not uncommon. Too many times and for far too long we have trained our young men in the same guerrilla tactics used to strip them of their innocence and vulnerability halfway around the world. As a result, they’re breaking before our very eyes. Unresponsive, incapable of experiencing love, broken yet breathing, and it is heartbreaking to see. Even as the rest of society is seeing a decline in teen suicide rates, in African American teens
it is on the rise and while this subsect is being lowered amongst teenage girls… it is rising for Black boys specifically according to Amy Green, director of research for The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization. So, what is to be done for them? Even still, what is to be done when this pipeline to sadness funnels itself into adulthood? Are we just supposed to idly sit by as an aspect of our demographic drowns in emotional quicksand? All around mental health facilities are shrinking and those that are available are not aren’t necessarily tailored to youth depression. I don’t have any (continued on page 2)