Vol. 48 No. 39
January 18, 2018 - January 24, 2018
This publication is a Certified DBE/ SBE / MBE in the State of California CUCP #43264 Metro File #7074 & State of Texas File #802505971 “If you can convince the lowest white man he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empy his pockets for you -President Lyndon B. Johnson
OPINION: MLK Jr.’s 2018 Legacy: Say ‘No’ to Evil, But ‘Yes’ to Unity and Freedom
Editor in Chief’s Corner Email: sbamericannews@gmail.com Clifton Harris Publisher of The San Bernardino AMERICAN News
California Democratic Party Admonishes San Bernardino County Chair SB County News
By Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. (President and CEO, NNPA)
Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., says that we owe it to the memory and living legacy of Dr. King to strengthen and refortify all our national civil rights organizations. As the world community observes and celebrates the 89th birthday of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., it is important for Black America to assess how far we have come 50 years since the tragic brutal assassination of Dr. King in Memphis, Tennessee of April 4, 1968. As a young worker for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), under the vi-
United States and more than a billion people of African descent in Africa, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, South America, Europe, Asia and in other places throughout the African diaspora. We are all called to remain vigilant and vocal in our unified demands for freedom, economic empowerment and equality. Let no vulgar utterance of
As we reflect and renew our commitments to the dream and activism of Dr. King, we dare not become complacent or satisfied with the status quo of economic inequality and racial disparity in the U.S. and throughout the world. We dare not become comfortable with the growing unnatural climate disasters caused by environmental injustices and global warming. We dare not fall asleep amidst the welcomed resurgence of youth and student activism who know so well the contradictions of the evils of police brutality, mass incarceration, healthcare inadequacies, unemployment and too-low wages, and failing educational systems in a nation that has an abundant concentration of wealth at the very top levels of society. This year also marks the 191st
Martin Luther King Jr. sionary leadership of Martin Luther King Jr. from 1963-1968 in North Carolina, I still have many vivid memories. I remember Dr. King’s admonition to “Stay focused on building an inclusive beloved community, and to not let evil in high places divert us from the pathway that will ensure freedom, justice and equality for all.” Today, as we acknowledge and pay tribute to Dr. King’s freedomfighting legacy, there are 47 million African Americans in the
“shithole,” racist rhetoric or arrogant actions by evil in powerful high places divert our attention and focus from what we should be doing to continue our long struggle for liberation from centuries of abject oppression, slavery, poverty and racism. Dr. King, in his final years, had to consistently remind us that our struggle was local, national and international. One of King’s most famous quotes was, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
year of the Black Press in America since this first publication of “Freedom’s Journal” in New York City on March 16, 1827. Every hour, day, week, month and year the Black Press continues to publish and distribute the truth and advocate for freedom and justice in the U.S., Africa, the Caribbean and throughout the world. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote editorials and op-eds for the Black Press at a time when the so-called mainstream media would cast negative
coverage about the progress of the Civil Rights Movement. This year, 2018, should be the payback year with the largest Black voter turnout in American history. All of those repressive elected politicians that have supported voter suppression need to be removed from office by the overwhelming power of massive voter mobilization and turnout in every state legislative and congressional voting district across the nation. Our time has come again. Let’s unify and win more victories at the voting booths. Let’s strengthen Black-owned businesses, and our families and communities. Subscribe to and support the Black Press. We owe it to the memory and living legacy of Dr. King to strengthen and refortify all our national civil rights organizations. We should all be networking together with stronger operational unity. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has elected the new leadership of Derrick Johnson, and we all should be card-carrying members of the NAACP. The African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa has elected the new leadership of Cyril Ramaphosa, and we all should be supportive of the ANC to ensure that Nelson Mandela’s and Oliver Tambo’s legacies are carried forward to new heights in South Africa. In fact, throughout the African diaspora, we should be unifying and working together with a renewed energy, determination and vitality. Sisters and brothers standing together with mutual respect and commitment is the order of today. Keep your heads up. Put your fists back up in the air. It is movement-building time again. Long live the spirit and memory of Martin Luther King, Jr.! Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. is the President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) and can be reached at dr.bchavis@nnpa.org. You can follow Dr. Chavis on Twitter @drbenchavis.
Frances Grice Passes at age 84 on December 31, 2017 By Clifton Harris/Editor in Chief
Frances Grice Our community has lost a great American and a wonderful citizen, mentor, and advocate for civil rights. She will be missed. On May 8, 1969 the first edition of the San Bernardino American News was published. Frances Grice appeared in that first issue. Over the years Frances appeared
in many issues of the San Bernardino American News. In the first issue Margaret Hill wrote a story about her being the guest speaker for the (NCNW) National Council of Negro Women on Sunday, May 18, 1969 at the Trader Island, located at 868 E. Highland Ave., in San Bernardino. The dinner
was to honor Mary McCloud Bethune. At the time Frances was the director of Operation Second Chance. The topic of her speech was “Today, Togetherness is Imperative.” For the past four years Frances was always in touch with me at least once every couple of weeks. She supported minority businesses, and was constantly looking for a way to help the youth within our community. She would talk about the history of San Bernardino and the part she played to help blacks fight the racist ways of some in the city. She was well versed in the government and the process to make certain things happen. My mother was one of those she recruited to join the league of mothers to protest the San Bernardino School District in order to get school bus transportation
for students on the west side of San Bernardino. She shared with me the story of how the (NAACP) Law suit that lead to a consent decree that is still in place against the San Bernardino Unified School District. The most recent active role she had was working as a consultant for San Bernardino Valley College where she was very active in trying to bring African American Contractors to the table to get work for their companies. She also worked for many years for Southern California Edison. Viewing will be held Thursday, January 18, 2018 from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm at Harrison-Ross Mortuary 738 E. Highland Ave., San Bernardino, CA. Services for Frances Grice will be held 10:00 am, Friday, January 19, 2018 at Loveland Church, 17977 Merrill Ave. Fontana, CA
Eric Bauman, Chair, California Democratic Party
Chris Robles, Chair, San Bernardino County Democratic Party
San Bernardino, California Christopher “Chris” Robles, the Chair of the San Bernardino County Democratic Party, was officially admonished January 9 in a letter signed by Eric Bauman, the Chair of the California Democratic Party (CDP) out of Sacramento, for working professionally for Republican candidates in a campaign to defeat Democratic candidates. Robles was admonished for having campaigned for a Republican candidate against party-endorsed Democrats in the Ontario City Council election of November, 2016. He also led a campaign to recall three popular Artesia City Councilmen, all Democrats, during the summer and fall of 2017 – a fact which has yet to be considered by the state party officers. Robles was also admonished for failing to submit the county party’s by-laws to the CDP for approval. If the CDP had previously approved the county by-laws, the county-endorsed candidates would have then been state-endorsed candidates. Robles could be expelled from the state party, not just admonished, for campaigning against state-endorsed candidates. Once expelled from the state party he would have also been expelled from the county party, leaving the office of chair vacant. A copy of the admonishment letter (#1) and the memorandum ordering the letter (#2) are attached below as PDF files. Democrats outnumber Republicans in the county 40 percent to 31 percent. Yet despite this ninepoint advantage, Republicans have won 17 races in districts dominated by Democratic registration during Robles’ time as Chair. Two of the five county supervisors are Democrats but one of them receives the majority of his financial support from Republicans and votes with them all the time. In the Fourth Supervisorial district, where Democrats outnumber Republicans 43 percent to 28 percent, former Republican Assemblymember Curt Hagman defeated popular incumbent
Democratic Congresswoman Gloria Negrete-McLeod to win the seat in 2014. Republicans hold three of the county’s four State Senator seats, five of the county’s eight Assembly seats, and a commanding majority on 17 of the county’s 24 city councils. Although three of the county’s five Congressional seats are held by Democrats, two of them are in Congressional districts with heavily Democratic areas outside the county. When Robles came to the county in September, 2012, he was elected party chair because he was so highly recommended by Bauman. But he was elected too quickly for his rate of success or his client list to be vetted, so his potential conflicts of interest were unknown at the time Robles is the owner and president of the Chino-based political consulting company Vantage Campaigns, formerly of Hacienda Heights, and the Montebellobased Pericles Group. The Vantage Campaigns website contains no identities or biographies of personnel, and calls to its listed phone number for comments from Robles have not been returned. There is no public record of Robles ever having managed a winning campaign. Several of the campaigns he has worked on have been investigated and fined by the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) because of his repeated violations. Complaints filed last year about his Artesia City Council recall campaign are now under investigation. Although many party members at first thought Robles’ professional experience would be an advantage, they have since been disappointed with his lack of political skills, lack of electoral success, personal demeanor, and failure to maintain transparency. The position of chair is a voluntary one but Robles has used it to enrich himself by promoting his own consulting business more than the county party and its candidates for office. Candidates who have been endorsed by the county party have reported (continued on page 7)
Our Values, Mission, & Vision Statement Our Values: Treat all people with care, respect, honor, and dignity. Tell it as it is with love, truth and integrity. Promote the interests of advertisers and sponsors along their strategic interest for the betterment of the community and beyond. Speak truth to power. Our Mission: To continuously improve communication between all people of the world. Our Vision: To be the best community newspaper in our region and the nation. Provider of: A voice for the poor, the underserved, those that are marginalized, Positive and edifying news about people, places and businesses. Keep San Bernardino, Riverside, and Los Angeles Counties informed about global trends while retaining the consciousness of local events and processes. Memberships and Associations: The San Bernardino American Newspaper is a member of the California Newspaper Publishers Association, National Newspaper Association and addociated with California Black Media.