Vol. 51 No. 3
May 7, 2020 -May 13, 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)
Coalition of Civil Rights Leaders Support CBC in Protecting Black Health By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia
A primary focus of the CBC remains to target insurance companies that have disproportionately neglected the needs of African Americans while also providing below standard care WASHINGTON, D.C., May 3, 2020 – National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) President and CEO, Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., National Action Network (NAN) Founder Rev. Al Sharpton, Dr. Julianne Malveaux, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), National Coalition of 100 Black Women, and the Black Women’s Health Imperative, are up in arms because they say too many Washington politicians are protecting insurance company profits over health care for African Americans. Collectively, they argue that too often, insurance companies refuse to cover emergency services, and either patients are forced to pay bills they cannot afford, or hospitals are shuttering. Congress claims to be tackling this challenge, but until the Congressional Black Caucus got involved, Congress focused only on protecting insurer profits, not people, according to the coalition. Chavis, Sharpton, and others are throwing their support behind the CBC. They’re asking that others also support the CBC. Led by Chair Karen Bass (DCalif.), the 55-member CBC has worked almost non-stop in
fighting for health equity in the African American community. The CBC works to protect and expand voting rights, comprehensive criminal justice reform, building a more inclusive economy, and ensuring access to quality and affordable healthcare. A primary focus of the CBC remains to target insurance companies that have disproportionately neglected the needs of African Americans while also providing below standard care. “This outrageous situation benefits one group and one group alone: powerful insurance executives, who have managed to get off the financial hook for such bills, even as insurers shrink insurance coverage networks to wring more and more profits out of the system,” Chavis has stated. He and the other leaders have continued to express strong opposition to any legislation that would give insurers more control over health care prices. In their continued push for health equality, the group is working to ensure that insurance companies expand their networks and cover more emergency services. This will maintain access to care
in hard-hit Black communities. “The status quo means hospitals in our communities close first,” the group noted in a statement. “We cannot let this happen. Together, we can ensure that the old way of doing business – putting insurance company
profits over people – STOPS.” They continued: “Join us and support the CBC. Help us work to make sure Congress passes a bill that keeps us healthy and alive by allowing insurance networks to grow and cover lifesaving services.”
Charles Hardy Thomas, Well Known Business Man and Community Leader, Passes Community News
Charles Hardy Thomas Charles Hardy Thomas was born August 10, 1935 in Humble, a small town in Texas, where he was raised with his sibling. In 1943, Charles’ parents moved to California and settled in Marin City and later moved to Sacramento where they resided in Oak Park. Charles attended grade school and graduated from McClatchy High School. Charles pursued higher education at American River Junior College, Sacramento, CA; Shorter College, Little Rock Arkansas; University of Oregon and the University of Alabama where he received a certificate and a degree
in Small Business Management, Business Law, Engineering and Honorary Doctorate of Human Services. Charles was very kind and generous to those around him. He was passionate about his travels around the world, but he specifically enjoyed Paradise Island, Nassau, Bahamas. He relished playing dominoes, cards and entertaining guests at his home. Charles also loved attending concerts and sporting events such as football and basketball. Charles lived his life to the fullest and had compassion for others that never ceased. Over the years, he worked with a wide variety of community leaders, urban cities, interfaith and community based and civil rights organizations. Charles believed that more needed to be done for the black youth in our communities. He provided scholarships and supported the advancement of academic achievement through the African American churches. He believed that the success of children was based on our ability to
teach, train, develop and educate them and to understand how to manage a business in a competitive environment. Charles loved politics and played an active role in various campaigns. Prior to venturing into the real estate business, Charles worked at McClellan A.F.B. In 1964, Charles relocated to Southern California where he continued his real estate development, construction and property management. He was awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing & Development for building the largest housing development in the greater Los Angeles area. Charles’ real estate endeavors included shopping centers, community centers, pharmacies and senior citizen housing complexes, and syndicated housing. Charles planned, developed, and completed the Delaware Historical Project in Berkeley, CA and he built the Martin Luther King Plaza shopping center in Oakland, California. Mr. Thomas’ business ventures were broad in scope. He was the
first minority to own a Burger King franchise and owned several Famous Amos Cookie franchises. He had ownership of various corporations and took an active role as Chairman of the Board of Directors and President. Over the years, Charles worshipped as a member of Joseph Basilica in Alameda, California. He enjoyed being in the house of the lord. Charles passed away on April 20, 2020. He was proceeded in death by his parents, Queen Esther and Louis Thomas; Brothers, Samuel and Louis Thomas, Jr, and great granddaughter, Paige Thomas. Charles leaves behind his loving wife of 22 years, Teresa Tse Thomas, and 3 sons: Michael ( Beverly) Thomas, Steven( Terrietta) Thomas, Andre Thomas, and one daughter, Monisha Thomas; 6 grandchildren: Charisse Thomas, Shawana Thomas, Mashawn Thomas, Stephen Thomas and Stephon Thomas, and Andriana Thomas, 7 great grandchildren and a host of family and friends.
Publisher’s Corner Publisher of The San Bernardino AMERICAN News
Email: sbamericannews@gmail.com
Clifton Harris Editor in Chief
As Trump Approvals Sink During COVID19 Crisis Democrats Look to Take the U.S. Senate Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Contributor As the coronavirus devastates the economy, businesses lose millions, prompting over 25 million Americans to file for unemployment. The Republican Party, now controlling the White House and the U.S. Senate, is in danger of losing control of it all. The first shot across the Republican bow arrived from Virginia in 2017, when three Democrats were elected statewide. The next year in 2018, Democrats took control of the U.S. House of Representatives. In 2019, Democrats took a Governorship in Kentucky, a red state, and took control of the Virginia legislature for the first time in two decades — another sign that Trump’s polarizing time in office was hurting the GOP brand. The U.S. Senate was seen as out of play in terms of Democrats taking over. But now, with the coronavirus crisis turning the economy and the culture upside down, it’s even more in play than anyone previously predicted. Republican Susan Collins is way down in the polls in Maine. Democrat Jamie Harrison is raising more money than incumbent Republican Lindsey Graham in the red state of South Carolina. In North Carolina, Republican incumbent Thom Tillis is in a tossup race in a traditionally red state. In Colorado, Republican moderate Cory Gardner is in trouble against his Democratic opponent, former Governor John Hickenlooper. Suddenly, the U.S. Senate is within reach of team blue and Republicans are in danger of losing the Senate. Only Democrat Doug Jones in Alabama is in danger of losing his seat.
The U.S. Senate was seen as out of play in terms of Democrats taking over. But now, with the coronavirus crisis turning the economy and the culture upside down, it’s even more in play than anyone previously predicted. (Photo: iStockphoto / NNPA
The White House attempted to assist Gardner by helping Colorado with valuable PPE supplies for the COVID-19 crisis. The bottom line is that President Trump is likely to be a major target of blame for a pandemic that was known about around the world — including by his closest advisors — but ignored by a President who refuses to read his intelligence briefing or listen to advisors. The Senate is currently 53 Republicans and 45 Democrats. What’s at stake is who decides judgeships for decades to come and who controls budgets and tax policy for years. The story of how the coronavirus is likely to turn election results upside down just as it has turned lives upside down. There is no what that over 1 million Americans can be impacted by a global pandemic and that not be the case. Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent journalist for NNPA and the host of the podcast BURKEFILE. She is also a political strategist as Principal of Win Digital Media LLC. She may be contacted at LBurke007@gmail.com and on twitter at @LVBurke
CAIR-LA Welcomes Arrest of Man Accused of Hate Crime Against Asian-Americans LA County News
(LOS ANGELES, CA - 5/4/2020) – The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on AmericanIslamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today welcomed the arrest of a man accused of a raciallymotivated hate crime Sunday night. According to Pasadena Now, Maurice Cornelius Spears, 36, was arrested after on suspicion of battery and a hate crime after allegedly throwing two energy drink cans at a group of Asian American victims near the intersection of Colorado Boulevard and Los Robles Avenue at about 8:30 p.m. Neither container struck any of the victims, but the liquid was sprayed on them. Spears began yelling racial slurs at the group, prompting them to call the police. READ: Local Man Arrested for Hate Crime Against AsianAmericans https://www.pasadenanow.com/ main/local-man-arrested-for-hatecrime-against-asian-americans/ According to the Pasadena Police Department, this was possibly the first hate crime which has occurred during the pandemic, although there have been a number of other incidents without specific allegations rising
to the level that could lead to an arrest. In a statement, CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush said: “We are grateful no one was injured in this incident and appreciate the quick and professional response of the Riverside Police Department. It has been a long-standing tactic of bigots to blame ‘the other’ – in this case, casting a spotlight of hatred on Asian-Americans. “COVID-19 is a disease caused by a virus. It doesn’t have a race, religion, nationality or political ideology. “As hated of marginalized minorities has increased over the past four years, we have warned against the danger of how normalizing hate speech can lead to hate threats and hate attacks. We stand with our sisters and brothers of Asian heritage and condemn the bigotry and hatred that has stemmed from this pandemic.” Ayloush urged community members to report any bias incidents to police and to CAIRLA's Civil Rights Department at 714-776-1177 or by filing a report at: https://bit.ly/2L9Ezsw.