Vol. 49 No. 6
May 31, 2018 - June 6, 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 control a man's thinking you do not have to worry about his action. When you determine what a man shall think you do not have to concern yourself about what he will do. If you make a man feel that he is inferior, you do not have to compel him to accept an inferior status, for he will seek it himself. If you make a man think that he is justly an outcast, you do not have to order him to the back door. He will go without being told; and if there is no back door, his very nature will demand one.” Carter G. Woodson, The Mis-Education of the Negro
Black Women Make History Nationwide With Runs For Political Office By Lauren Poteat (NNPA Newswire Contributor)
stacles and setbacks, but each voice is powerful. We need more voices in politics from people who come from different experiences.” Breed continued: “I hope that young people, no matter where they come from, what they look like, or how much money they make, are inspired to rise up and make sure their voices are heard, because each and every one of us counts.” Focused on affordable housing, education, homelessness, transportation, public safety and a low unemployment rate—which is currently below three percent in San Francisco—Breed hopes to transform San Francisco into a the city that is inclusive and equitable for everyone. “I want to create a San Francisco where no one is forced or allowed to sleep on the street,” Breed said. “Where we help prevent people from falling into homelessness in the first place, by preserving affordable housing and helping tenants stay in their homes; where we expand our navigation center shelter system and build modular homes to house people, as quickly as possible, and where we make the tough investments in mental health and substance abuse treatment to get people the support they need.” Breed added that she would
SB League of Women Voters Honors Dr. Reginald Woods Community News
challenge leaders in the technology, financial and healthcare industries, and even the University of California at San Francisco, to do a better job of hiring and promoting women, members of the LGBTQ community and people of color. “We need to build bridges for our students with employers, unions, and industries early on, help them secure internships, apprenticeships and mentorships, and ensure they have access to the classes they need to excel in their chosen field,” Breed said. On June 5, California will hold elections in their “top-two primary election system,” for all candidates and party affiliations, where the two people with the highest votes, will then advance to the general election. In addition to California, in the state of Alabama, a record number of Black women are running for Democratic offices in the deep-red state, following Republican Roy Moore’s defeat. In globalcitizen.org, it was reported that over 35 women of color were running for various political offices in Alabama, including Suzanne Coleman, who, if she wins, will become one of the first Black females to serve District 5 in Alabama’s House of Representatives. “Races such as these are never
an easy task to complete, but I hope the precedent that Black women have set this year will be used as a framework by the youth for their own futures,” Coleman said. “With my platform I plan to focus on education equality, academic reform and public safety…children should know their history and laws should be made to fit everyone, not just a few.” Michigan State Rep. Erika Geiss, who is running to represent District 6 in the state senate, is focused on a number of issues including economics, education and criminal justice. Geiss believes that races such as these will prove to be a vital tool in placing more women of color in higher areas of office. “This phenomenon of women of color running for political offices all across the country is showing little girls, women and young men that this is a space that is possible,” Geiss said. “Community work is good, but we also need to get out there and represent on a legislative level, as well. One of the things that people need to know about Michigan is that this state is way more diverse than what has been [historically] represented legislatively.” Celebrating the great achievement of Black women in America, with even bigger possibilities to come, Kamau Marshall, the director of African American media and the deputy national press secretary of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said that Black women in general, are recognizing their power and will play major roles in all elections, including the 2020 presidential race. “A lot is happening in the world of women,” Marshall said. “Black women, all over, are capitalizing on their strengths, including London Breed, who will make an excellent mayor.” Marshall continued: “This kind of power will inspire and wake others up, especially Black millennials, who will play a large role in the 2020 presidential elections.” This article was originally published at BlackPressUSA.com.
SB League of Women Voters Honors Dr. Reginald Woods...continued of the Garcia Center. Remember to VOTE in the California Primary on Tuesday, June 5, 2018. Unbiased information on the statewide propositions available at: https://lwvc.org/vote/ elections/ballot-measures. Look
up your ballot at: https:// votersedge.org/en/ca. For more information about the League of Women Voters of San Bernardino visit www.lwvsanbernardino.or or email leagueofwomenvoters.sb@gmail.com
Living Homeless in California: On the Street, There’s More to Eating Than Food
L/R: Betsy Starbuck (President), Dr. Reginald Woods, Gloria Anderson (Past President) the honorees awarded the 2018 Citizens of Achievement Award. Other honorees included Mark Bulot, Carole Coley, Steve Copelan, Faith Easdale, Mary Jane Sanchez Fulton, Sherli Leonard, Lillian Roach, Katy Scoggin, Acquannetta Warren, Big Bear Discovery Center Advisory Committee, and Volunteers (continued in next 2 columns)
Clifton Harris Publisher of The San Bernardino AMERICAN News
US lost track of 1,500 immigrant children, but says it’s not ‘legally responsible’
Photo: Ed Yourdon
If you’ve ever lived on the street or in your car, or have suffered any other kind of itinerant existence, you will know there’s
The federal government has placed thousands of unaccompanied immigrant children in the homes of sponsors, but last year it couldn’t account for nearly 1,500 of them. Steven Wagner, a top official with the Department of Health and Human Services, disclosed the number to a Senate subcommittee last month while discussing the state of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) that oversees the care of unaccompanied immigrant children. Wagner is the acting assistant secretary for the Administration for Children and Families, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services. ORR is a program of the Administration for Children and Families. CNN reported earlier this month that, in his testimony, Wagner said during the last three months of 2017, the ORR lost track of nearly 1,500 immigrant children it had placed in the homes of sponsors. Wagner said the Department of Homeland Security referred more than 40,000 immigrant children to the ORR during the 2017 fiscal year. After a stay in an ORR shelter, the majority of children are sent to live with sponsors who have close ties to the children — typically a parent or close relative, Wagner said, though some end up living with “other-than-close relatives or non-relatives.” Between October and December 2017, Wagner told the subcommittee, the ORR reached out to 7,635 unaccompanied children to check on them. But the ORR “was unable to determine with certainty the whereabouts of 1,475 children,” Wagner testified. An additional 28 had run away. That’s more than 19% of the children that were placed by the ORR. But Wagner said HHS is not responsible for the children. “I understand that it has been HHS’s long-standing interpretation of the law that ORR is not legally responsible for children after they are released from ORR care,” Wagner said. The office is “taking a fresh look at that question,” he added. But if the ORR were to be legally
responsible for the well-being of unaccompanied immigrant children, it would need a significant increase in resources. In a statement, a spokesman for the Administration for Children and Families said it was reviewing the statements and recommendations made at last month’s hearing, but it would not comment on them prior to making an official response to Congress. “When an unaccompanied alien child is placed with a sponsor, he
or she ceases to be in the custody of the US government and all HHS-provided subsistence — food, shelter, clothing, healthcare and education — ends at that point and the child becomes the responsibility of his or her parent, guardian or sponsor,” the statement added. The ORR has a series of evaluations to determine if a sponsor is suitable to provide and care for a child. Those policies have also been enhanced since February 2016. Among the ORR’s practices, it evaluates potential sponsors’ relationship with the children and conducts background checks to ensure children are protected from human traffickers or smugglers, Wagner said. Wagner’s statement has attracted more attention amid reports that immigrant children are being separated from their parents at the US border. Wagner’s statement has received increased scrutiny a month after the Department of Homeland Security defended an agency policy that will result in more families being separated at the border. At a Senate hearing earlier this month, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said similar separations happen in the US “every day.” Nielsen said the policy will refer everyone caught crossing the border illegally for prosecution, even if they are claiming they deserve asylum or have small children. Any parents who are prosecuted as a result will be separated from their children in the process. “Our policy is if you break the law, we will prosecute you,” Nielsen said. “You ha
Our Values, Mission, & Vision Statement
By Judith Lewis Mernit
San Bernardino League of Women Voters held its annual Citizens of Achievement Awards program on Sunday, May 20, 2018 in Highland, Ca at the East Valley Water District Corporate Office. Dr. Reginald Woods, President of the Inland Empire Concerned African American Churches (IECAAC) and Sr. Pastor for Life Changing Ministries was among
Email: sbamericannews@gmail.com
By Dakin Andone, CNN
Some political analysts say that London Breed has a good chance of winning on June 5 to become San Francisco’s first Black female mayor. (Wikimedia Commons) This year, an unprecedented number of Black women have made history running for political offices across the country. According to blackwomeninpolitics.com, a comprehensive database that lists women of color running for political offices in 2018, currently, over 600 Black female candidates are running for offices nationwide. In an election that is less than two weeks away, London Breed, the current president of San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors, could become the city’s first Black female mayor. Raised by her grandmother in the poverty-stricken Plaza East Public Housing in the Western Addition of San Francisco, London Breed, who was endorsed by U.S. Senator Kamala Harris (DCalif.), said that this current platform serves as an excellent opportunity to show the youth that anything is possible. “Every time someone stands up for what they believe in and they are willing to work hard for something, it gives others permission to do the same,” Breed said. “I never thought I could become mayor. Seeing my name on the ballot the other day when I voted was something I never imagined…I am proof that no dream is too big. There will be ob-
Editor in Chief’s Corner
more to feeding yourself than not starving. There is, for instance, the question of whether the food (continued on page 2)
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.