THE SAN BERNARDINO
AMERICAN
“A Man In Debt is So Far A Slave” -R.W. Emerson
Scan QR Code to visit our Website
NEWSPAPER A Community Newspaper Serving San Bernardino, Riverside & Los Angeles Counties
February 1, 2024 Thursday Edition
Volume 54 No. 42
Mailing: P.O. Box 837, Victorville, CA 92393 Office: (909) 889-7677 Email: Mary @Sb-American.com Clifton@Sb-American.com
Website: www.SB-American.com
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 with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance those of whom they suppress. —Fredrick Douglass (1849)
Democrats allocate $35 million for outreach, but overlook Black press in bid for diverse voter support By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
Photo courtesy of NNPA Newswire In what the Democratic Party is calling a bid to secure control of the U.S. House in the upcoming November elections, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has announced a $35 million investment in a comprehensive outreach initiative targeting Latino, Black, Asian American, Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian voters. “Power the People” aims to persuade, organize, welcome, educate and reach voters from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Despite the significant allocation, a notable omission from the Democratic strategy is the exclusion of the Black Press of America, a move that continues
to raise eyebrows given the pressing need to engage AfricanAmerican voters effectively. The Democratic Party, including the DCCC, the Democratic National Committee, and the Biden-Harris re-election campaign, has thus far ignored criticism for overlooking the influential Black Press. While the DCCC revealed that 2024 spending surpassed the $30 million expended on these voter groups in the 2022 midterm elections, concerns persist over excluding the Black Press from this financial commitment. Critics argue that the omission is particularly striking during what is widely acknowledged as modern history’s most crucial and transformative election.
D u r i n g B i d e n ’s 2 0 2 0 campaign, he turned to the Black Press when it appeared that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and even New York billionaire Michael Bloomberg’s campaigns were gaining steam. In fact, before arriving in South Carolina, Sanders who had just romped in Nevada, held 45 delegates while Indiana Democrat Pete Buttigieg was second with 26, and Biden had claimed just 15. In Charleston, Biden met with a conglomerate of publishers from the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the trade association of America’s 250 Black-owned newspapers and media companies. A broadcast interview led
by NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. was followed by a national news article about the sit-down that all went viral. And, after the endorsement of South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn, Biden solidified the vital Black vote and dusted his competition all the way to the White House. Missayr Boker, DCCC deputy executive director for Campaigns, defended the “Power the People” initiative, stating that it honors the commitment to a multiethnic coalition crucial for a robust democracy. The initiative focuses on persuading and mobilizing Latino, Black, Asian American, Pacific islander and native Hawaiian voters to counteract what the DCCC perceives as efforts by extremist Republicans to suppress the votes of people of color. The DCCC said its approach includes conducting in-depth research, creating multilingual media content, organizing with local leaders, and countering disinformation targeting specific communities. However, the absence of collaboration with the Black Press of America remains a point of contention. José Muñoz, a DCCC spokesperson, emphasized the party’s commitment to “smart, targeted outreach,” which he claims recognizes the nuances not only between different ethnic groups but also within various regions and districts. This article was originally published by NNPA Newswire.
Political Playback: California Capitol News You Might Have Missed Tanu Henry and Joe W. Bowers Jr. | California Black Media Asm. Tina Mckinnor Elected Chair of L.A. Delegation to Legislature
Asm. Tina McKinnor (D-Los Angeles On Jan. 24, the members of the Los Angeles County Delegation (LACD) to the California Legislature elected A s s e m b l y m e m b e r Ti n a McKinnor (D-Inglewood) as the group’s chair. McKinnor, who is a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus, will lead the 39-member body, which is comprised of 15 State Senators and 24 State Assemblymembers representing
various areas of Los Angeles County. As LACD chair, McKinnor succeeds Assemblymember Luz Rivas (D-San Fernando Valley). “I am grateful for the trust legislators from the Los Angeles County Delegation have placed in me to serve as its next Chair,” said McKinnor in a statement. LACD Vice Chair, Sen. Maria Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles), said the body, which collectively represents about 10 million people in California’s populous county, is the largest, bi-partisan, and most diverse delegation in the California Legislature. “Heading into a challenging budget year, the Delegation, and I will be intensely focused on making sure communities throughout Los Angeles County receive the services they need and that we continue our historic investments to address homelessness and the housing
affordability crisis in Los Angeles County,” Durazo added. McKinnor thanked Rivas for her stewardship of the LACD during the last legislative session. “The Delegation and I are grateful to outgoing Chair, Assemblymember Luz Rivas, for her incredible leadership to the Legislature, the state, and especially the people of Los Angeles County,” said McKinnor. V.P. Kamala Harris: Americans With Criminal Records Will Soon Be Eligible for SBA Loans
Speaking in Las Vegas on Jan. 27, Vice President Kamala Harris announced a forthcoming federal
rule that will extend access to Small Business Administration (SBA) loans to Americans who have been convicted of felonies but have served their time. Small business owners typically apply for the SBA loans to start or sustain their businesses. Harris thanked U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV-04), the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, for the work he has done in Washington to support small businesses and to invest in people. “He and I spent some time this afternoon with business leaders and small business leaders here in Nevada. The work you have been doing to invest in community and to invest in the ambition and natural capacity of communities has been exceptional,” Harris said, speaking to a crowd of a few hundred people at the continued on page 3
Commemorating the Life and Service of the Hon. Margaret RichardsBowers Tanu Henry | California Black Media The Hon. Margaret RichardsBowers, 70, a retired registered nurse, community advocate, and former President of the Inglewood Unified School District (IUSD) Board of Education, passed away on Jan.16, 2024, following a prolonged illness. Born on April 15, 1953, in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, an island nation in
Hon. Margaret Richards-Bowers (courtesy photo) the eastern Caribbean, Margaret Mundus Richards was the eldest of seven children born to Vernon Richards and Enid Banfield Richards. Richards-Bowers graduated from the prestigious St. Vincent Girls’ High School, where she served as class prefect in her senior year, a role held in high regard and viewed as second only to a teacher in terms of authority and respect. She was the first runner-up in the Miss St. Vincent Teenager contest, and she had the honor of having tea with the late Queen Elizabeth II of England. In 1972, Richards-Bowers moved to Los Angeles. She worked part-time while studying for an Associate of Arts Degree in Nursing at East Los Angeles College. She later earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Service Management from the University of La Verne in Los Angeles County. Although she had interests in acting and singing, she chose a career in nursing for its stability. However, notably, she played a crucial role in the formation of the Pan African Film & Arts Festival, according to Ayuko Babu, the festival’s Executive Director. “ M a r g a r e t ’s unique perspective, stemming from her Caribbean roots in St. Vincent, and her Los Angeles experiences enriched the festival’s Pan African outlook. Her contributions were pivotal to the festival’s development and will always be cherished,” Babu said. After becoming a Registered Nurse, Richards-Bowers began her career as Nurse Manager at Pico Psychiatric Medical Clinic. She later joined Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital in Inglewood, where she served in various roles, including Staff Registered Nurse in the Oncology Unit and Charge
Nurse in the Coronary Care Unit. In 1990, she joined Kaiser Permanente, West Los Angeles, serving as a Staff Registered Nurse and Relief Charge Nurse in the Urgent Care Clinic. While at Kaiser, RichardsBowers served as the Chairperson of the Employee Congress Committee. She authored the committee’s mission statement and initiated “The Culture of Courtesy” program that promoted an environment of courtesy and respect. In 1998, Richards-Bowers left Kaiser to focus on raising her sons. Richards-Bowers was deeply involved in volunteer activities. She served as a member of the Los Angeles County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), the Sheriff’s Community Advisory Committee and as a volunteer deputy at the Ladera Heights Sheriff Community Service Center. She was a director and Vice-President of the Ladera Heights Civil Association in unincorporated LA County, and was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc., and the National Council of Negro Women. Richards-Bowers was a community health advocate and Board member of the Citizens Coalition for a Safe Community. She testified before the LA County Planning Commission on the Inglewood Oil Field Community Standards District. She also advocated for environmental considerations and community involvement in a school construction project before the IUSD School Board. Richards-Bowers, who became a U.S. Citizen in 1996, was deeply involved in political activism even before she could vote. She helped elect local and national candidates that shared her values, like Mervyn Dymally, a fellow Caribbean immigrant, continued on page 3