SB American News Week Ending 2/22

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)

What we know about the Michigan State University gunman

By Casey Tolan, Curt Devine and Scott Bronstein, CNN

CNN-Authorities identified the gunman in the deadly mass shooting at Michigan State University as 43-year-old

Anthony Dwayne McRae. Here’s what we know about him:

MSU shooter pleaded guilty to firearm charge in 2019, court records show

The gunman in the Michigan State University shooting previously pleaded guilty to a firearm charge.

McRae was arrested in 2019 and charged for carrying a concealed weapon without a permit, a felony. He later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for possession of a loaded firearm and spent a year and a half on probation.

Around 2 a.m. on June 7, 2019, according to court records, a Lansing Police Department officer saw McRae sitting on the back steps of an abandoned building smoking a cigarette.

The officer, who was patrolling the area after burglaries in the vicinity, asked McRae if he had any weapons, and McRae said that he did.

The officer patted McRae down and confirmed that he had a loaded semi-automatic pistol in his pants pocket, as well as another magazine for the gun in his breast pocket.

McRae admitted that he did not have a concealed pistol license, and the officer arrested him. McRae told the officer he carried the gun for his safety and was trying to obtain a permit. The officer confirmed the gun was registered to McRae, according to court records.

A lawyer for McRae initially argued that the officer lacked probable cause to search him. But in November 2019, McRae pleaded guilty to possession of a loaded firearm as part of a plea agreement. McRae agreed to forfeit the gun involved in

the case and was banned from owning weapons during his probation.

McRae was originally sentenced to a year of probation, but that was later extended to a year and a half. McRae was discharged from probation in May 2021, the court records show.

McRae’s sister says he was socially isolated

Melinda McRae, the gunman’s sister, told CNN she was “shocked” by the news and said she had “no idea” what motivated her brother to carry out the shooting.

McRae had long been socially isolated and clashed with his parents, though she said they had a loving home growing up. He had recently been living isolated in a room at their father’s home, she said.

She said McRae would often lash out at their mother, and then when she died in 2020, he would express deep sorrow and say, “I’m sorry mom, I’m sorry …”

“My mom said that Anthony is going to be the death of her,” she said, referring to his social hostility. “He’s always been like the oddball of the family. But he’s been taken care of. My parents took care of us.”

Melinda McRae said her brother was also prone to transience, would sporadically leave town and struggled to hold down jobs. “He would leave the state. He would keep leaving my mom and dad …”

At times he would go “to different cities and just live in a shelter,” she said.

Melinda McRae said she last saw her brother at their mother’s funeral in 2020.

“I’m just so sorry about the innocent people that got killed,” she said.

McRae became ‘evil angry’ following his mother’s death two years ago, his father says.

McRae was “a mama’s boy” who was “totally lost” and became bitter, isolated and “evil angry” after his mother died from a stroke, according to his father, Michael McRae, who spoke to CNN by phone in an interview Tuesday morning.

“Ever since my wife died, my son began to change,” Michael McRae said. “He was getting more and more bitter. Angry and bitter. So angry. Evil angry … He began to really let himself go. His teeth were falling out. He stopped cutting his hair. He looked like a wolf man.”

Anthony McRae lived with

Memphis Police Murder Case Puts Spotlight on California Legislation

Charlene Muhammad | California Black Media

his father in a small house in Lansing, Michigan. His father said his son had trouble holding down a job and wasn’t employed, but had worked for about seven years previously at a warehouse loading refrigerators into trucks.

Michael McRae said about 30 police officers came to his house and went through his son’s bedroom following the shooting, which left three dead and five others wounded. “Tore it all up,” he said. “Picked up the mattress.”

Michael McRae said his son grew reclusive when his mother, Linda, died. “He didn’t care about anything no more. And he wouldn’t talk to me or anyone,” he said, explaining that the son would stay in his bedroom for hours on end playing video games. “He only came out to go to the kitchen or go to the bathroom, then he’d go right back in,” the senior McRae said.

McRae said his son’s moods would turn quickly. “I don’t know what happened to make him turn like this,” he said. McRae said when his son would get angry he wouldn’t speak to his father. “He’d treat me like I was invisible. I’d ask – ‘why are you treating me this way? What did I do?’”

“I told him, ‘you need help,’” Michael McRae said, suggesting he go to see a doctor, but his son refused.

“He got mad if I tried to get him help,” he said. “I was trying to help him. He’d close the door. He stayed in his room a lot.”

Michael McRae said he didn’t talk to anyone officially. “I didn’t want to start trouble – he’d get mad at me.”

Michael McRae said his son “had demons inside him,” explaining that “sometimes evil can jump in you. You have to

continued on page 6

Black history has taught us that Big Tobacco is not an ally

By: Phillip Gardiner, Co-Chair, African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council

Black Americans die of smokingrelated illness every year.

This Black History Month, I have a simple message for nonprofit organizations in the United States: If you have accepted money from the tobacco industry, send it back. For hundreds of years, from enslaved people working on tobacco plantations to today’s menthol smokers, Black people have died for the tobacco industry’s profit. Today, the makers of Marlboro, Camel and Newport are using cash donations to polish their images and influence policy while approximately 45,000

It struck a chord when the Kennedy Center was criticized in The Post for accepting donations from cigarette giants Altria and Philip Morris International. I and many others cannot reconcile any organization saying that it works to support Black communities while simultaneously taking substantial donations from an industry that predatorily targets the same people.

Subsequently, I was horrified to learn the National Museum of African American History and Culture takes donations from Marlboro-maker Altria.

As co-chair of the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council, I wrote to the museum’s leadership to reject tobacco money. Vital Strategies, a global public health organization

that helped with this essay, had approached the Kennedy Center with a similar message before Rebecca Perl’s piece ran in The Post and received no response. I did hear from the museum, nearly two months after contacting it. Officials said they appreciated my concern, but it doesn’t appear the museum has any intention to change its existing practices. I don’t think that’s good enough.

Standing tall on our capital’s National Mall alongside the Washington Monument, the museum says its purpose is to “tell the American story through the lens of African American history and culture.” Tobacco’s shameful chapter in that story is forever connected to the slave trade and tobacco plantations, where forced labor formed part of the foundations of the United States — and what is now a

global tobacco industry.

Vestiges of that exploitation continue to this day, principally through the predatory marketing of menthol cigarettes and flavored little cigars in the Black community. There are more advertisements, more promotions in Black communities, where menthol cigarettes are cheaper.

Menthol is an anesthetic that masks the harsh taste of tobacco and allows for deeper inhalation of greater amounts of nicotine and tar. Studies show that menthol cigarettes are more addictive and, unsurprisingly, users find it harder to quit than non-menthol cigarette users. These products fuel a cycle of addiction to harmful products that hurt the pocketbooks in Black communities and fuels

There was no “protect and serve.” Just an out of control and outside-the-bounds-of-theirauthority attack on an unarmed Black man, said Sen. Seven Bradford (D-Gardena).

Bradford was referring to the beating death of Black motorist Tyre Nichols in Memphis.

The Memphis Police Department has terminated the five officers involved in Nichol’s death: Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith. Each one was indicted on a second-degree murder charge and faces up to 60 years in prison if convicted.

Since the incident, Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis has deactivated the city's SCORPION (Street Crimes Operations to Restore Peace in our Neighborhoods) unit. The 50-person unit of crime suppression officers was launched in 2021 to patrol hot spot crime areas.

“The beating and murder of Tyre Nichols by five Memphis Police Officers is brutal and heart-breaking,” said Bradford. “This is yet another example of the need to hold police officers accountable regardless of the color of their skin.”

In 2021, Bradford authored Senate Bill (SB) 2. The law creates a process to make sure police officers who break the law can never wear a badge again in California. “This legislation will save lives,” he said.

Bradford is currently working on SB 50, which would prohibit police in California from making traffic stops for low-level violations. This will reduce the potential for more harm to innocent citizens, said the

lawmaker.

“We tend to pass a lot of legislation that doesn’t really have a lot of binding power,” said Cephus “Uncle Bobby” Johnson. His nephew, Oscar Grant, III was shot in the back while subdued on a Bay Area Rapid Transit District station platform on New Year Day in 2009.

The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act does not adequately address some of the most critical issues that we’re dealing with, said Johnson, referring to the bill named for the 46-year-old Minneapolis Black man who was murdered by White cop Derek Chauvin on May 25, 2020. The officer was convicted of 2nd and 3rd degree murder and manslaughter.

The bill would end police restraint techniques, including chokeholds and carotid holds at the federal level, as well as improve police training.

More money for training has been part of the problem, according to Johnson, who supported Assembly Bill (AB) 392, the California Act to Save Lives, which mandates that police officers should only use deadly force when necessary.

It was introduced by California Secretary of State Shirley Weber when she was a San Diego Assemblymember. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed that bill in 2019.

“What happened to Tyre impacted so many in California. It re-traumatized many of the families,” said Johnson. “Many families’ wounds have been reopened. Many families’ hopes that there has been some progress have been totally erased,” continued Johnson.

Senator Steve Bradford (D-Gardena)

Police screenshot from body camera footage of Tyre Nichols lying on the ground after being brutally beaten by police officers.

Michigan Dept. of Corrections

Anthony Dwayne McRae

The 14th Annual Closing the Gap Scholarship Tournament Event Held at the Green Valley Ranch Resort & Casino in Henderson, Nevada

Community/ Education News

Valley Ranch Resort & Casino. The event was titled Closing the Gap Scholarship Tournament combined with Mr. Shacks 80th birthday. Sponsors include Charles Barkley $1000,000, Toyota-Alva Mason $30,000, MBZ of Buckhead $30,000, NAMAD-Damon Lester

$10,000, Bill & Jin Jin Shack

$5,000, Waverer Inc. (David Rosen) $5,000, New Faze Realty (Allen Warren) $5000, Luxvoni (Dakoda Buford) $5000, Morgan Stanley (Ralph Jackson) $5000, Beverly & Leon Davis $2500, Al Reid 2500, Elzye Epps $2,500, Jim Colon $2,500.

year, this year’s event was held at the Green

What to do if your child runs away or is missing?...continued

All proceeds directly benefit the Closing the Gap Scholarship Fund established to provide scholarships to hundreds of young men and women who are struggling to complete their college education.

What to do if your child runs away or is missing?

Saved In America Advisory Board Member and Parent Advocate Paul Foley, explains what every parent needs to know if a child is missing, runs away or has been trafficked.

Community News

(February 13, 2023) – On Feb 17, 2018, we received a call from the Foster Home that our daughter was living in Bakersfield CA, stating that Emmeline had climbed out of a window at 5AM that morning.

It was 25 degrees and she left without a T shirt, backpack, clothes, or the medicine that she needed. This was not the first time Emme had run away. In

continued in next 2 columns

fact, it was the eighth time. She was upset that they would not let her call me that evening and the way she was being treated. Our experience with her running away told us that we would have to try to find her on our own. When in the foster system, these children run away, and there is very little to no effort put in to finding them. Of course, a police report was filed so that she would be put into the system to “Be On The Look Out” OR BOLO. We pushed law enforcement for their help and quickly recognized that without us proving her life was in immediate danger, they would not help by getting warrants to search her intranet history, Facebook, Instagram, or any other social media platform that children normally use to communicate with friends, family, or other people she was talking to online that we didn’t know, (which included things like the dark web).

We did all the things we could think of that would help locate our daughter. We printed flyers and drove endless hours through the streets of the cities that we thought she might have gone to. By chance I had a friend who lived in San Diego County who saw my daily posts and the desperation we were feeling about our missing daughter. She contacted me and told me I should get a hold of Saved In America. That day I contacted Joseph Travers of Saved In America. Joseph listened to our story and immediately said he would do everything possible to help us find our child. That same day Joseph put me in contact with one of the investigators who would be our lifeline to help us find our child. Little did I know at the time that not only would Saved In America be the key to finding Emme, but they would

Black History Month: The Black Caucus’ Itinerary

This week, the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) is celebrating Black History Month in Sacramento with its Annual Legislative Business Brunch, an event organized to honor Black-owned businesses across the state. The brunch is the first in a series of commemorative events -- including a cultural showcase, film screening and awards show -- the CLBC is putting on to mark the monthlong national observation of Black accomplishment.

“It is with great honor to serve as the Chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus and to collaborate with my 11 colleagues to carry out the vision set forth more than five decades ago to stand for equality, justice and opportunity for all Black Californians,” said Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City), who serves as chair of the CLBC.

“For us, Black History is every day. Annually, during the month of February, we are privileged to educate, celebrate, and honor our past struggles and accomplishments, and our future aspirations. Please join us in doing this good work together,” Wilson added.

Black History Month began as Negro History Week in 1926 with the vision of historian Carter G. Woodson.

In the 1920s and 1930s, Black newspapers played a critical role in promoting the establishment of the celebration, particularly among Black Americans at a time when racist Jim Crow laws existed on the books and discrimination was customary across the United States, particularly in the South.

Black History Month has been recognized by every American president since 1976 when

President Gerald Ford first celebrated it. Today, Americans of all races participate in Black History Month celebrations, which educate people from all backgrounds about the history of Black Americans and their contributions to the United States.

President Joe Biden, in his 2023 Black History Month proclamation, encouraged, all “public officials, educators, librarians, and all the people of the United States” to mark the occasion of Black History month with relevant programs.

“Black Americans’ struggles for freedom, equal treatment, and the right to vote; for equal opportunities in education, housing, and the workplace; for economic opportunity, equal justice, and political representation; and so much more have reformed our democracy far beyond its founding,” Biden said.

“Black Americans have made a way not only for themselves but also have helped build a highway for millions of women, immigrants, other historically marginalized communities, and all Americans to more fully experience the benefits of our society.”

The CLBC was founded in 1967 to represent the legislative concerns of Black Californians. The organization has been fundamental in providing political influence for the support of racial and gender equality and promoting justice for poor and disenfranchised communities across California. Here is the CLBC schedule of events celebrating Black History Month:

February 13, 10am

also walk us through the darkest days that a parent could ever have to face.

Saved In America went to work right away. They gave us guidance on a day-to-day basis of what we should be doing and sometimes on the things that would be of more harm to our search than help. This was not an easy case by any means. Emme had been in the system as a runaway many times before and this time when she left, she took no phone and completely went dark on the intranet for weeks. Saved In America used all the tools that law enforcement either didn’t have or refused to use to help us find Emme. Along with Saved In America, we searched day and night for weeks to find Emme. On week three, I received a call from Joseph saying he would like to get national attention on our search. The NBC Nightly news was doing a story on their operation and asked if we would take our story nationally. We agreed and our story was featured on the NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt within weeks.

We were fortunate enough to locate Emme on March 28, 2018, which also happened to be my birthday- what a present. Saved In America was not only the key to getting Emme home and into treatment, but the only thing that kept my family going. Every day we knew that we were making a difference in our search, and that gave us some hope during that very trying period in our life.

This was the first chapter in my relationship with Saved In America. Our daughter ran away two more times, and we were able to bring her home twice within five days. I truly believe that Saved In America saved

continued on page 8

Black history has taught us that Big Tobacco is not an ally...continued from page 1 death, health problems and medical costs.

In 1953, 5 percent of African Americans smoked menthol cigarettes. Today, 85 percent of Black adults and 94 percent of Black youths who smoke use menthol products. Between 1980 and 2018, menthol cigarettes were responsible for 1.5 million new smokers, 157,000 smokingrelated premature deaths and 1.5 million life-years lost among African Americans, representing a staggering 41 percent of premature deaths and half of the total in life-years lost in America. In other words — menthol takes a much greater toll on African Americans. Black Americans die disproportionately of heart attacks, lung cancer, strokes and other tobacco-related diseases. Menthol cigarettes are a leading vector for death and disease in Black communities, worsening health and economic inequities.

Responsibility lies with the tobacco companies. It’s time they stopped producing menthol cigarettes and treating the health of Black communities as expendable. Congress should also act to pass the proposed ban on menthol tobacco products without further delay. The Food and Drug Administration estimates that a national menthol ban could save up to 6,000 Black lives each year. Prioritizing profit over Black lives, the industry is lobbying against the legislation.

Tobacco donations to institutions such as the National Museum of African American History and Culture are part of the playbook, giving cigarette companies a sheen of respectability that allows them to access the halls of power and helping them maintain the profitable status quo. Altria, a donor to the museum, owns Philip Morris USA, the largest

tobacco company in the United States, with nearly half of the cigarette retail market, including 26 percent of the menthol market. In accepting Altria’s money rather than holding its donor and the industry to account, the National Museum of African American History and Culture is complicit in the industry’s ongoing exploitation of Black people.

Maybe cultural institutions will not break from tobacco companies unless they are forced to do so. Some countries ban tobacco sponsorships so cigarette makers can’t promote themselves under the guise of corporate social responsibility.

Lacking such legislation in the United States, we are reliant on the integrity of the institutions involved or the type of public outrage that led to Sackler donations being rejected when the family’s company, Purdue Pharma, was exposed as a key driver of the opioid epidemic. I’m disappointed but not surprised that we haven’t heard the same volume of voices demanding that the National Museum of African American History and Culture reject cigarette company donations, since many African American organizations take the money. The preservation and honoring of African American history shouldn’t be an economic and cultural opportunity for corporations whose activities perpetuate inequity and harm for Black Americans.

So, if the National Museum of African American History and Culture or any other cultural or charitable institution would like to demonstrate their support for Black Americans this Black History Month, return the money received from the tobacco industry.

SBCUSD Board Of Education Unanimously Appoints Mauricio Arellano As New Superintendent

Community /Education News

Honoring Black-owned businesses in partnership with the CA Black Chamber of Commerce

@ Citizen Hotel, 926 J St, Sacramento

February 15, 1pm – 5pm

Birthing Justice Screening & Conversation

In partnership with Blue Shield & Filmmaker Denise Pines @ 1600 Capitol Avenue, Sacramento // ADVANCE TICKETS

February 17

2023 African American Leaders for Tomorrow (AALT) Application Opens: https://bit. ly/CLBC2023AALT

February 27

12:30pm:

Unsung Heroes Awards Recognition & Author Bryant Terry

@ State Capitol Assembly and Senate Floors

2pm-4pm:

Black Food: Stories, Art & Recipes from Across the African Diaspora Book Signing with Author / Educator / Chef Bryant Terry

@ Ella Dining Room and Bar (1131 K St., Sacramento)

This California Black Media feature was supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library.

Mauricio Arellano will take over as Superintendent of the San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) on April 17, 2023, following a unanimous vote of the Board of Education in their meeting Tuesday. Arellano is the current Superintendent of the Redlands Unified School District. SBCUSD’s current rotation of Administrators in Charge will continue until Arellano arrives.

While a local resident, Arellano was chosen from dozens of qualified candidates who applied in a nationwide search led by McPherson and Jacobson on behalf of the Board of Education. District staff, parents, students and community members helped shape the search parameters as the Board sought to ensure an inclusive process that identified an ideal leader to carry SBCUSD forward.

“Your Board of Education sought to hire the best leader for SBCUSD, and we found him,” said Board President Dr. Scott Wyatt. “Mauricio Arellano embodies the essence of everything our community asked us to find in a Superintendent. Based on what he’s done, we believe SBCUSD can expect him to be inclusive, innovative and, most of all, effective. We are united and unwavering in our enthusiasm for what his leadership will mean for our students.”

His appointment as Superintendent will be a homecoming for Arellano, who grew up in San Bernardino attending SBCUSD schools as a child, graduating from San Bernardino High School and starting his career in education as a bilingual elementary school teacher in the District 32 years ago. He is the son of immigrant parents from Mexico who also

worked in SBCUSD schools.

“It is an honor and a privilege to be appointed Superintendent of the San Bernardino City Unified School District. I want to truly thank the members of the Board of Education who have put their trust and faith in me to lead this incredible organization.

I am sincerely inspired to return to the District where I attended kindergarten to high school and started the first thirteen years of my career serving as a teacher, Principal, and Director of Human Resources. Having the opportunity to return and give back to the District that gave me and my parents so much is a blessing,” said Arellano. Arellano was a first generation college student when he pursued his undergraduate degrees in sociology and Spanish at the University of California, Riverside. He later earned a master’s degree in educational administration from California State University, San Bernardino.

Arellano has led the Redlands Unified School District for the past five years, during which time RUSD has been recognized with four California School Board Association Golden Bell Awards recognizing outstanding educational programs, four California Distinguished School Awards, the Golden Achievement Award from the National School Public Relations Association for the RUSD 2025 Excellence for All Students multi-year vision, and most recently the City of Redlands Beautification Award for the beautification projects completed at all schools and

the District Office facility. Prior to serving in his current role, Arellano served for 14 years as the assistant superintendent of human resources in the Palm Springs Unified School District. Arellano has been personally recognized many times for his leadership, most recently being named as U.C. Davis C-STEM Superintendent of the Year in 2020. While in Palm Springs Unified, he was awarded the Riverside County Administrator of the Year in 2016, was the recipient of the 2015 Riverside County Office of Education Models of Excellence Award for his work with the Skillful Leader Program, and received the ACSA’s Ray Curry Award for excellence in school personnel in 2012 and ACSA’s Region XIX (Riverside County) Personnel/ Human Resources Administrator of the Year in 2008.

“I look forward to working alongside my colleagues across the District to build on the successful programs and innovative initiatives they have created that serve our students well and to work as a team to further develop creative and effective programs that meet the individual brilliance of each one of our students,” Arellano said. “It certainly takes a village to prepare our youth to be successful, therefore working in collaboration with our union leader partners, service-oriented community groups, elected officials, parents and all other educational partners who are committed to the success of our students will be a priority. San Bernardino City Unified School District has great leaders, great teachers, great support staff, great kids and great families. I am excited to be a part of that greatness.”

George T. French, Jr., Ph.D. President of Clark Atlanta University, and Clifton L. Harris, Publisher of the San Bernardino American News attend the Annual William E. Shack Jr. Clark University Fundraiser in Henderson, NV.

In its 14th

Jaivon Grant | California Black Media

San Francisco Committee Recommends Massive Reparations Payout for Black Residents

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia

of Black lives, Black bodies, and Black communities should be met with centuries of restoration.”

A tale of two cities emerges when one examines San Francisco, as one observer put it.

This committee’s actions are consistent with those of other jurisdictions, where similar bodies have advocated for reparations for African Americans.

‘Centuries of devastation and destruction of Black lives, Black bodies, and Black communities should be met with centuries of restoration’

Each Black inhabitant of San Francisco, including those arrested during the racist war on drugs, should receive a one-time, lump-sum payment of $5 million from the African American Reparations Advisory Committee.

Assuming the city council approves the proposal, it would be the largest payment of reparations in American history.

In a study released this week, members of the San Francisco African American Reparations Advisory Committee noted, “We have ultimately established that the repercussions of numerous programmatic and policy actions by San Francisco’s administration have been generational and overlapping.”

Committee members asserted that most prominent period that illustrates how the city and county of San Francisco as an institution contributed to the depletion of Black wealth and the forced relocation of its Black inhabitants was the period of urban renewal.

Further, the committee concluded that “public and private entities facilitated and coddled the conditions that created near-exclusive Black communities within the city, limited political participation and representation, disinvested

from academic and cultural institutions, and intentionally displaced Black communities from San Francisco through targeted, sometimes violent actions”

(San Francisco’s African American population grew rapidly between 1940 and 1963).

To address what the San Francisco Chronicle calls “a national racial reckoning,” the Board of Supervisors established the AARAC committee in December 2020.

According to the Chronicle, what happens next “will demonstrate whether San Francisco lawmakers are serious about tackling the city’s checkered past or are merely pretending to be.”

The committee’s investigation determined that segregation, structural oppression, and racial prejudice developed from the institution of slavery had a tremendous impact on the development of the city, even though California was never formally a slave state.

Throughout the 20th century, the Chronicle reported, “San Francisco was a Ku Klux Klan stronghold, prohibited Black people from residing in particular districts, kept them out of city employment, and bulldozed the Fillmore,” a historically Black neighborhood and commercial center.

AARAC chair Eric McDonnell told the newspaper, “Centuries of devastation and destruction

Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee Introduces Anti-White Supremacy Bill, then Schools Republican Boebert on Hate

The text of the bill reads as follows: “A person commits a white supremacy inspired hate crime when white supremacist ideology has motivated the planning, development, preparation, or perpetration of actions that constituted a crime or were undertaken in furtherance of activity that, if effectuated, would have constituted a crime.”

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA

Newswire Senior National Correspondent

Residents must have selfidentified as Black or African American on public documents for a minimum of ten years and be at least 18 years old when the committee’s plan is approved to receive the compensation.

Additionally, individuals may be required to show that they were born in San Francisco between 1940 and 1996, have been residents of the city for at least 13 years, and are either a former inmate themselves or a direct descendant of a former inmate who served time during the war on drugs.

The Chronicle said that “to put that in context,” the state reparations task panel believes Black Californians may be awarded $569 billion for housing discrimination alone between 1933 and 1977.

Evanston, Illinois, voted to pay $400,000 to select African Americans as part of the city’s vow to spend $10 million over a decade on reparations payments shortly after the San Francisco committee was founded.

The government of St. Paul, Minnesota, has apologized for its role in institutional and structural racism and formed a committee to investigate reparations.

A report detailing the committee’s proposed financial compensation for African Americans was subsequently made public.

A reparations task committee was established by the state of California last year, and its report from that year detailed the incalculable harm that slavery

The SANS Institute Reopens HBCU Cyber Academy Application Window to Address Growing Need for Cybersecurity Professionals

By BlackPressUSA

had caused to African Americans.

After George Floyd was murdered, the District of Columbia City Council announced it would create a task team to investigate compensation. Legislators in both Maryland and Virginia have expressed an interest in researching reparations.

Meanwhile, there has been no movement on a federal level on a bill by Texas Democrat Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee to establish a committee to investigate reparations.

The San Francisco committee recommended that low-income African Americans get an annual payment equivalent to the region median for at least 250 years, on top of the $5 million payout.

As an added measure, the city would establish a public bank framework and provide citizens with extensive financial education to ensure that those without bank accounts have access to equal opportunities, including increased access to credit, loans, financing, and other means of managing their money.

The committee also seeks to pay for a broad debt cancellation plan that wipes out all types of debt including student loans, personal loans, credit card debt, and payday loans.

“Given the history of financial institutions preying on underbanked communities — and especially given the vulnerability of subsets of this population such as seniors and youth — this body recommends putting legal parameters and structures in place to ensure access to funds and to mitigate speculative harm done by others,” the committee concluded.

The post San Francisco Committee Recommends Massive Reparations Payout for Black Residents first appeared on Post News Group. This article originally appeared in Post News Group.

Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee Introduces Anti-White Supremacy Bill, then Schools Republican Boebert on Hate...continued

white supremacist-inspired hate crimes and other related actions, and Justice Department officials would have the authority to prosecute those responsible for them.

Jackson Lee has requested that the DOJ report its findings annually to the relevant

in some jurisdictions, “H.R. 61 simply deals with adding white supremacy to a list of reasons,” the Texas Democrat explained. She elaborated: “So, when the article states that ‘only white people can be charged with’ this crime, that’s flagrantly false.

Bethesda, MD – The SANS Institute is proud to announce the reopening of the HBCU Cyber Academy application window from February 1, 2023 to March 1, 2023. The HBCU Cyber Academy is a unique opportunity for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to gain hands-on cybersecurity training and real-world experience, free of charge.

The HBCU Cyber Academy was established with the goal of addressing the growing need for cybersecurity professionals and increasing diversity in the field. According to recent studies, the demand for cybersecurity professionals is expected to increase dramatically in the coming years, making it a highly lucrative and fulfilling career path for those with the necessary skills and knowledge.

Through the HBCU Cyber Academy, students will receive in-depth training from top SANS instructors and access to cuttingedge cybersecurity technologies. The program is designed to be flexible, allowing students to complete the training around their academic schedules and giving them the opportunity to gain practical experience in a real-world setting.

“The HBCU Cyber Academy is more than just a scholarship program,” said Max Shuftan, Director of Mission Programs and Partnerships. “It’s an investment in the future of the cybersecurity industry and in the students who participate in the program. By providing free, in-depth training and real-

world experience, we’re helping to prepare the next generation of cybersecurity professionals and ensure a diverse and wellrounded workforce.”

The application window for the HBCU Cyber Academy is open to all juniors, seniors, and graduate students enrolled at HBCUs who have a strong interest in cybersecurity and any alumnus who would like to shift careers into cybersecurity. SANS Institute is dedicated to supporting the next generation of cybersecurity professionals and helping them to achieve their full potential.

“Misconceptions about cybersecurity abound due to popular culture, which often suggests that only those with a computer science background are suited for the field,” says Delisha Hodo, Chair of the SANS Institute HBCU. “The reality is that the growing demand for cybersecurity professionals requires individuals from diverse backgrounds, and even just having an interest in the field matters. Diversifying the industry now will improve its future and dispel these false ideas.”

“The HBCU Cyber Academy is a truly remarkable program,” said Shuftan. “We’ve seen firsthand the impact it can have on the students who participate, and we’re excited to see the positive impact they will have on the industry as a whole.”

For more information on the HBCU Cyber Academy and to apply, please visit https://www. sans.org/scholarship-academies/ hbcu-cyber-academies/

D.C. Business Encounters Discrimination in Quest to Help Ukraine

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Davis said her group had installed “living containers and living facilities” that provided families with things like furniture and bunk beds, as well as generators. “We installed electrical systems and other mandatory features,” she stated. As the war’s anniversary approaches, though, it appears that American impulses have also kicked in.

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) of activity that, if effectuated, would have constituted a crime.”

That’s enough of racism and bigotry, says Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee.

The Democratic representative from Texas has introduced House Resolution 61, which would amend Title 18 of the United States Code to broaden the definition of hate crimes, with the goal of preventing and prosecuting hate crimes motivated by white supremacy and conspiracy to commit such crimes.

The text of the bill reads as follows: “A person commits a white supremacy inspired hate crime when white supremacist ideology has motivated the planning, development, preparation, or perpetration of actions that constituted a crime or were undertaken in furtherance

With respect to any information or evidence obtained by the Department of Justice of any unlawful action specified in Jackson-Lee’s bill, the DOJ shall have the authority to conduct operations and activities pursuant to such crimes.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) would also be authorized to conduct investigations, intervene, and take any other measures it deems necessary and appropriate to prevent, mitigate, or stop any potentially violent action.

The Department of Justice’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program would keep track of

Congressional committees.

Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Republican from Colorado, claimed the legislation “makes a mockery of the First Amendment.”

While Boebert, a rightwing leader, misrepresented the legislation after reading a misleading news article, Jackson Lee schooled her on Twitter.

“First of all, it took me about 32 seconds of reading the article you cited to understand that none of you know what you are talking about,” Jackson Lee scolded.

To be convicted of a hate crime

“Your argument assumes that only white people can hold white supremacist views and that only certain groups of people can perpetrate violence motivated by white supremacy.

“I would hope now that your argument would not shift to ‘why is white supremacy being added to this law?’ That would be egregious.

“Yes, white supremacy should be added to this law. Why? Because as Director Wray testified, it’s a major domestic terrorist threat.”

The Ukraine government provided CDAG 60 acres of land, but without funding or even a token commitment from the American government, it will be difficult for the company to meet current demand.The Ukraine government provided CDAG 60 acres of land, but without funding or even a token commitment from the American government, it will be difficult for the company to meet current demand.

Carolyn Davis, like many others, had an immediate reaction to the destruction in Ukraine caused by the Russian invasion.

“Those folks need help,” said Davis, the CEO of the District of Columbia-based CDAG International.

To help, her construction company visited areas of the wartorn country where civilians and

military personnel alike needed assistance.

Davis said her group had installed “living containers and living facilities” that provided families with things like furniture and bunk beds, as well as generators.

“We installed electrical systems and other mandatory

Growing demand for cybersecurity professionals requires individuals from diverse backgrounds. (Photo: iStockphoto / NNPA)

Reparations Task Force: Freedmen's Bureau Essential for Compensating Slave Descendants

Antonio

Ray Harvey | California Black Media

Elmer Fonza speaks during public comments at the California Reparations Task Force Meeting in Los Angeles on Sept. 23, 2022. Fonza and his brother Medford, seated on the left, want to know if a proposed Freedmen's Bureau could help them file a claim in regard to property once owned in Gold County by their formerly enslaved great, great, great grandfather. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.

The members of the California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparations Proposals for African Americans are preparing the pretext for recommending a modern-day Freedmen’s Bureau that will be critical for compensating descendants of enslaved Blacks for the injustices of slavery and Jim Crow discrimination they suffered.

Task force chairperson

Kamilah V. Moore explained during the group’s two-day meeting at San Diego State University (SDSU) that the proposed California American Freedmen Affairs Agency (CAFAA) would identify past harms and prevent future occurrences.

Moore said that the agency would be “a main office or headquarters,” with “specialized offices and branches” dedicated to addressing specific atrocities that have “snowballed over generations.”

“The purpose of this new agency would be to identify how past state-sanctioned atrocities have perpetuated and created new iterations of these badges and incidences of chattel slavery,” Moore said.

“And how (the agency can) eradicate and prevent future badges and incidences from forming and prospering against the American freedman or descendant community,” she added.

Lawmakers Push Bill to Grant Prisoners Right to Vote

Maxim Elramsisy | California Black Media

people who have suffered being a victim of a very violent offense,”

Assemblymember Tom Lackey (R-Palmdale) told CBM.

The CAFAA would facilitate claims for restitution and would set up a branch to process claims with the state and assist claimants in proving eligibility through a “genealogy” department.

In addition, the CAFAA would implement the recommendations made by a reparations tribunal to settle claims for past harms and set up an office of immediate relief to expedite claims.

Task force member and civil rights lawyer Lisa Holder said the proposed agency bears a resemblance to the federal agency set up on March 3, 1865, two months before the official end of the Civil War.

The Freedmen’s Bureau, as it was named under a series of post bellum legislation, was originally designed to settle the formerly enslaved on land confiscated or abandoned during the war.

The Freedmen’s Bureau, officially known as the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands, assisted formerly enslaved people in acquiring relief, housing, employment, education, medical aid, and equality under the U.S. Constitution.

Holder said that the “original Freedmen’s Bureau” was “interrupted and disrupted” when it could have been a “powerful” institution 100 years later if it “had been allowed to survive and thrive,” she said. According to the Freedmen’s Bureau National Archives at www.archives.gov,

Assembly Majority Leader Reyes Sworn-in for Fourth Term at Community-Based Ceremony in Fontana

the bureau ceased operations in 1872 due to the lack of funding and “deeply held racist attitudes.”

Holder added that the CAFAA should be the “guiding light” behind reparations efforts in the state of California.

“One of the things I like about this notion of a Freedmen’s Bureau is that it’s in keeping with this concept that reparations and damages for human rights abuses have to create systems that end the harm that causes the harm,” Holder said. “It is also supposed to create institutions that make the community whole in a sense that they get you up to a place where you were before the harm happened.”

Elmer Fonza of Las Vegas and his elder brother Medford Fonza, who lives in the Los Angeles area, have attended task force meetings and activities around the state. Their great, great, great grandfather Nelson Bell was brought to California as an enslaved person around 1850 to mine for gold. He was later freed.

Bell purchased land in Coloma, 48 miles east of Sacramento, but the family lost it all after he died in the 1870s, the brothers told the task force at the September meeting in Los Angeles. Elmer Fonza believes that the property was confiscated through unscrupulous means.

The Fonza family, who visited and toured Gold Country last summer for the first time in their

Memphis Police Murder Case Puts Spotlight on California

Legislation...continued from page 1

In Los Angeles, the Rampart police division scandal exposed gang unit officers planting evidence, framing suspects, and stealing drugs and money.

(FONTANA)— Assembly

Majority Leader Eloise Gómez Reyes marked the start of the 2023-24 legislative cycle at her Community Swearingin Ceremony on Saturday, February 11 at the Steelworkers’ Auditorium in Fontana.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta administered the oath of office and former State Senator Connie Leyva, now with KVCR, acted as the Master of Ceremonies. The 2023-24 session will be Majority Leader Reyes’ fourth term representing portions of the Inland Empire in the State Assembly, but this will be her first term representing the new 50th Assembly District. All legislative lines were redrawn last year using the most recent U.S. Census data.

“Thank you to my district for trusting me to serve you for another term,” said Majority Leader Reyes. “I will continue to align my work with the Inland Empire’s values. You are my neighbors and I look forward to hearing more from you and taking your words to Sacramento to fight for the resources our

region deserves.”

Other event speakers included California Legislative Latino Caucus Chair Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes (Corona), San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran, Loma Linda City Councilmember Bhavin Jindal, Chaffey College Superintendent Dr. Henry Shannon, Colton Joint Unified School District Board Member Bertha Flores, and UFCW Local 1167 Operating Director and Inland Empire Labor Council President Yesenia Gonzales. In prior terms, Majority Leader Reyes has championed legislation to increase equity and inclusion in vulnerable communities throughout the state. She will continue to do so during the 2023-24 legislative session.

Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes is the Majority Leader of the California State Assembly, representing Assembly District 50, which includes the cities of Colton, Fontana, Loma Linda, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands and San Bernardino, as well as unincorporated Bloomington.

Photo Screenshot: Assemblyman Isaac Bryan announces ACA 4 the Bill will restore the voting rights of people who are incarcerated across the state along side advocates and supporters. Feb 8, 2023.

Last week, Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles) the chair of the Assembly’s Committee on Elections introduced Assembly Constitutional Amendment 4 (ACA-4). The legislation proposes amending the California Constitution to allow felons serving time in state and federal prisons to vote.

Proposition 17, approved in 2020 by California voters, enabled persons convicted of felonies on parole to vote.

If the bill passes the Assembly and Senate, and the governor approves it, voters in California could vote to join Vermont, Maine, and Washington D.C. in allowing incarcerated individuals to vote.

“After the 13th Amendment liberated the slaves, we started to see different types of voter disenfranchisement occurring,”

Bryan explained in an interview with California Black Media (CBM).

“We saw Black code, we saw Jim Crow, poll taxes, literacy tests, felony disenfranchisement, becoming more commonplace in statewide constitution and so it's through that legacy that we've been trying to roll back all of these years and make sure that our democracy is inclusive of everybody,” Bryan commented on the systemic discrimination and disenfranchisement African Americans have endured over centuries.

Lawmakers opposing the legislation say allowing incarcerated felons to vote is a slap in the face to victims of the crimes they committed.

“I believe that it discounts the impact that this will have on

“Part of rehabilitation is going through a process of recognizing the seriousness of what has been done, and I think when we allow someone to exercise the most sacred privilege that we have in this country, that people have died so that we can exercise that privilege, that is an affront against those who have suffered ill, and a lot of times eternal pain,” Lackey said.

Responding to Lackey’s objection, Bryan said, “That's like saying allowing incarcerated persons to breathe is an affront to their victims, allowing incarcerated persons to drink water, allowing incarcerated persons to hold conversations with one another.”

“There is no reason that that should be coupled with disenfranchisement and the expelling of individuals as citizens of this country.”

“There's a difference between suspending a privilege and dehumanizing someone,” Lackey said. “Certainly no one expects someone to go through inappropriate suffering. That is not part of justice. That's not part of our judicial process.”

David Liamsi Cruz, an advocate from Initiate Justice, was released in September after serving 13 years in prison.

“One problem that I constantly came across was that people serving their sentence alongside me felt that they didn't have the means to improve their environment that controlled their lives or to contribute to their families' wellness outside. Despite what many people assume, people in prison care about the same political issues that we outside do,” Cruz said.

“Those who were willing to become civically engaged with me were diligent in their work, they even brought me bill ideas that could have solved issues that were longstanding in their communities. I was honored to

In Oakland, a group of cops dubbed the “Riders” stood trial for beating, planting evidence on, and stealing drugs and money from alleged suspects. But a deadlocked jury acquitted them of eight charges and a judge declared a mistrial after they could not agree on 27 other charges. The officers went free.

“Initially, it looks like they’re doing great things but behind the scenes, people in communities will tell you they are terrorized by them,” said Johnson.

Marc Philpart, executive director of the California Black Freedom Fund, organized 26 foundation CEOs and leaders to issue a call to action to push back against systemic barriers. Established two and a half years ago following the murders of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and countless others, the California Black Freedom Fund is a fiveyear, $100 million initiative created to mobilize the resources necessary to build Black power and eradicate systemic and institutional racism.

The coalition leaders posted on cablackfreedomfund.org a letter reminding the public of the protests that gave voice to collective outrage, frustration, and grief that permeated Black communities and communities across the country in 2020.

“America recognized that the problem lies not within Black communities, but within structures that institutionalize and perpetuate racial violence and inequity,” they wrote.

Nationally, police killed at least 1,176 people in 2022 - about 100 a month - making last year the deadliest year on record for police violence since killings began being tracked, according to Mapping Police Violence.

“While the nation is grieving, some are making statements telling Black people how to express their outrage. That’s not the focus of our letter. Our letter is a call to action for everyone

concerned with the brutalization of Black people and Black communities,” the leaders wrote.

During a Jan. 29 protest for Mr. Nichols and 31-year-old Keenan Anderson, Dr. Melina Abdullah, co-founder of Black Lives Matter L.A. and Black Lives Matter Grassroots, said outrage over the police-involved murders of Black men is justified.

“We should shed tears. We should feel it. We should refuse to become numb. Our hearts should break,” shouted Abdullah.

“We should allow ourselves to sob in the dark of the night. And we should demand justice, not just for what’s happening in Memphis, but what’s happening right here in L.A.,” said Abdullah to demonstrators blocking the intersection of Lincoln and Venice boulevards. The location is where Anderson, a cousin of Black Lives Matter Movement co-founder Patrisse Cullors, flagged down a Los Angeles Police Department motorcycle officer for help following a traffic collision.

Anderson died in police custody hours later, after being tasered six times on the back of his heart, according to family attorneys. LAPD body cameras detailed what happened during the minor traffic stop, when a man, afraid, called the police for help, said family attorney Carl Douglas. In every way, Anderson was respectful of authority: “Sir! Help me, sir,” the unarmed and compliant man repeatedly pled, Douglas said.

“That officer then calls for backup, and Keenan sees several officers then rushing toward him. His reaction then was a reaction that several Black men would react in a similar situation, one of fear. And that fear drove him to run into the middle of the street,” stated Douglas.

Back in Memphis, Mr. Nichols’ brother Michael Cutrer urged people to stand together and fight for their rights. “We definitely speak loud and proud, and we are there marching and protesting and all that’s great, but it has to be about something,” he said.

Lawmakers Push Bill to Grant Prisoners Right to Vote... continued witness their passion for change, for an opportunity to grow, and to contribute to something way bigger than themselves. Even though I am home [from] prison now, I have not forgotten the 10,000 voices of people who are still inside and have so much to contribute. I want their voices to be heard.”

Supporters of the plan say that reducing recidivism - or the reincarceration of persons less than 3 years after they are released from prison – is one of the primary benefits of this plan.

“We already know a lot of the facts, and the facts are that the more someone is engaged in their democracy, they are 50% less likely to reoffend,” said Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San Jose) who is a co-sponsor of the bill.

“So, if we already know this, then the policy not allowing those who are incarcerated to vote has nothing to do with public safety.”

Kalra said when he was a public defender it was “plain as day” to see who was given second chances.

“Those who were given probation versus prison, and it was so connected to race and class and the same communities who have been fighting to be free

since the inception, and before the inception of this nation,” he said.

Another concern is the ability for those who are incarcerated to hold public officials accountable. “Those who are incarcerated and their families are some of the most educated people in our state, far more educated than the average voter,” said Kalra. “And they will hold us accountable, and maybe that's what people are afraid of. They don't want that accountability from those who are suffering the most from decisions that are made traditionally in [the Capital].”

The legislation is backed by a coalition of lawmakers, including California Legislative Black Caucus members –Assemblymembers Lori Wilson (D – Suisun City), Reggie JonesSawyer (D-Los Angeles), Tina McKinnor (D – Inglewood), Mia Bonta (D-Oakland), Dr. Akilah Weber (D – San Diego) and Senators Steven Bradford (D- Inglewood) and Lola Smallwood Cuevas (D–Ladera Heights).

“There was a time where women couldn't vote,” JonesSawyer said at the press conference held last week to

The San Bernardino AMERICAN News is committed to serving its readers by presenting news unbiased and objective, trusting in the mature judgment of the readers and, in so doing, strive to achieve a united community. News releases appearing in the San Bernardino AMERICAN News do not necessarily express the policy nor the opinion of the publishers. The

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Announces Expansion Of Business Portfolio With Rebranding Of Combs Enterprises To ‘Combs Global’

-- The Mogul Is Approaching 30 Years Of Dominance Across Music, Entertainment, Media, Fashion, And Spirits ---Combs Global Introduces A New Visual Identity, Website, Social Channels And Global Brand Communications --

“If God Is For Us, Who Can Be Against Us?”

By: Lou K. Coleman-Yeboah Lou K. Coleman-Yeboah

Talking ‘bout Celebrating Black History! Come on Celebrate Jesus Celebrate!

Because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The same Jesus who heard the songs of the slaves and the chants of the civil rights marchers will hear the prayers of those who now cry out for justice throughout our country.

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 14

2023 /PRNewswire/ -- After three decades of entrepreneurial success across his renowned brands and a historic last year including a landmark acquisition of becoming the largest minorityowned, vertically integrated multi-state operator in the Cannabis industry, Sean "Diddy" Combs announces the rebranding of his parent company from Combs Enterprises to Combs Global.

This announcement marks the global expansion of his distinguished portfolio of businesses that have represented dominance across music, entertainment, fashion, spirits, and media/television. At its founding in 2013, Combs Global started with Bad Boy Entertainment, Combs Spirits (Cîroc Vodka, DeLeón Tequila), AQUAhydrate, REVOLT MEDIA, Sean John, Capital Preparatory Charter Schools, and The Sean Combs Foundation. Since then, it has expanded to include new business units and ventures such as Empower Global formally Shop Circulate, Our Fair Share, Love Records, and into Cannabis. Combs Global is entering a new chapter with a distinct vision and shows no signs of slowing down.

"Combs Global represents the next chapter in my journey as a business leader and a bigger vision to build the largest portfolio of leading Blackowned brands in the world," said Sean "Diddy" Combs. "I've enlisted world-class teams of top executives, specialists and strategic partners to bring this new dream to life and put us in the best position to keep making history while leading another 30 years of dominance across industries."

This past year, Combs' acquisition of The Nile List, his $2M investment in creator

platform REC Philly, and the historic $185M acquisition of key markets and assets from leading Cannabis company CRESCO Labs added to the Combs Global portfolio. Combs also expanded his prestigious Capital Preparatory charter schools to now include campuses in the Bronx, New York and Hartford, Connecticut. Making an anticipated return to Music, Combs announced the launch of Love Records, an all-R&B record label, adding a new music imprint to his portfolio that builds on the legendary legacy of Bad Boy Entertainment. With the launch of Combs Global, there has been a complete rebranding of the website, social channels, and brand communications, ushering in an exciting new era for the company. The announcement of the new visual identity coincides with plans to take the company and its business units international. 2023 will mark a year of incredible milestones for Combs Global. With the 30th anniversary of Bad Boy Entertainment, 15th anniversary of Combs' partnership with Diageo, the 10th anniversary of REVOLT, Combs will continue setting the standard as one of the most successful and innovative entrepreneurs of all-time.

The new logo was unveiled in the highly successful Uber One Super Bowl commercial starring Combs where he dreams up a hit song for Uber One, a reminder of Combs unrivaled success as a hitmaker. Combs is the consummate marketer using the moment to not only introduce the new company name and logo but also integrate his spirits brands, Cîroc Vodka and DeLeón Tequila, into the spot. The commercial was teased at Grammys Pro Bowl, and NCAA men's basketball and the full commercial debuted last week

States Consider Bills To Subsidize Local Newspaper Subscriptions

by Ray Schultz

sources and relating to news and current events. It would also have to employ at least one local news journalist who resides in the community.

States apparently are getting tired of waiting for national legislation that would support local journalism.

The Massachusetts legislature, to name one, is mulling a bill that would provide a tax credit to reimburse the cost of local newspaper subscriptions.

Sponsored by Rep. Jeffrey Turco, a Democrat from the 19thDistrict, the bill would provide consumers with a $250 tax credit for subscriptions to one or more local community newspapers.

To benefit from this, a local print or digital publication would have to primarily serve the local community and consist of content derived from primary

Come on, “Celebrate Jesus Celebrate,” because as we remember the days of old and consider the years of many generations, we are reminded that what God has done in previous generations to deliver His people from darkness and bring them into the light, he will do the same for us. [Deuteronomy 32]. All we need to do is take the Word of God as our ancestors did and put it to song again, because we as a people, can still have hope; the same hope the slaves found effective and fruitful; because we serve a God that drowned Pharaoh’s army. We serve a God who gives light in the midst of darkness. We serve a God who leads us in the path of righteousness for His Name sake. We serve a God who is able to keep us from falling and to present us faultless before His glory with exceeding great joy.

I want you to know that God has given us the “light” of Israel and the light of Christ to guide us out of the current

Counting the Social Cost of Carbon...continued

Local newspapers are "really a critical source of news for the people of the communities in getting a message out there, both pro and con," Turco said, according to 10Boston.

Meanwhile, Oregon is considering House bill 2605, a proposed law that would also provide tax credits for subscriptions to local publications.

Like the Massachusetts bill, the Oregon bill would benefit publications that provide “news and current events coverage that is original content derived from primary sources,” and serve a local community. In addition, the publisher must employ at least one journalist who resides in the area.

darkness we face. So let us take the Word of God and put it to song again. God gave the slaves a song when essentially, that’s all they had when faced with the brutal realities of slavery, and the seemingly, insurmountable, impossibility of freedom and deliverance; they sang, a sermon in a song. They sang about the mysteries and majesty of Christ in the midst of a miserable, demeaning, and maniacal situation. They sang: “Oh Mary Don’t You Weep.” They later added another line, “Tell Martha not to moan.” Why? “Because Pharaoh’s army got drowned in the Red Sea. They sang the songs of Zion [Israel] in a foreign land. They sang the “Samson” story in “Witness for my Lord.” They sang the drama and the deliverance in “Daniel in the Lion’s Den,” “Hebrew Children in the Fiery Furnace,” and “David and Goliath.” They sang, “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel.” They sang the victory when they sang: “Walk in Jerusalem Just Like John.” They sang “Joshua Fought the Battle At Jericho.” They sang “We are Climbing Jacob’s Ladder.” They sang “Twelve Gates to the City.” They sang about the “New Jerusalem.” They sang a sermon in a song. And just as God gave Moses a song when He delivered His people from Pharaoh’s army [Exodus 15:1], and just like He gave Miriam and the women a dance [Exodus 15:20], He has given us a song to sing – “We’ve Come this far by Faith, Leaning on the Lord. Trusting in His Holy Word. He’s never failed us yet. [We’ve Come This Far By Faith -by Albert A. Goodson]. Come on Celebrate Jesus Celebrate - Black History Month 2023!

WITNESS FOR JUSTICE #1138

Counting the Social Cost of Carbon

Derek Duncan

“If you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you do well. But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.” James 2:8–9

One of the latest policies floated by the US Environmental Protection Agency has been making waves around the rest of the world. In November 2022, the EPA published a proposal designed to curb greenhouse gas emissions more aggressively by increasing the calculation for what it calls the Social Cost of Carbon. This move was praised by environmental advocates in the United States and around the globe. But the proposal, the Supplementary Material for the Regulatory Impact Analysis, contains a devilishly troubling detail—a calculation that appears to value lives in some countries more than others.

What is the value of a human life? It’s a delicate question, but actuaries and insurers quantify what life is worth all the time. We weigh their calculations, consciously or not, whenever we decide how much we’re willing to pay for our insurance. Policymakers often build their case on assumptions about the value of common goods and public services when deciding how much to budget for a program or how much to fine a company that infringes on the public interest.

Policymakers concerned about climate change have looked for ways to reduce carbon emissions. The typical carrots and sticks that a government might employ with polluters often rely on calculations aimed to reduce either the amount of fossil fuels like oil, gas, and coal extracted; the amount of these fuels used

pay for mortality risk reductions also increases. This parallels the fact that as their income increases, individuals are willing to pay more for most goods and services,” as page 134 of the proposal reads. Consequently, the cost of emissions and benefits of cutting them is greater for higher income people.

Some have pointed out that while the EPA cost calculation values lives in rich countries more than those in poor countries, it doesn’t similarly value US states with a higher per-capita GDP greater than those with a lower per-capita GDP. It seems that all US states, and lives, are equally precious, regardless of income. This inconsistency is a problem methodologically, but also reveals that if a fair social cost of carbon calculation can be made assuming that all US lives are equal, then a fair cost could be made that counts all global lives equally as well.

Tragically, some the poorest countries are those most at risk from climate change, and the social costs that poorer nations bear are largely due to the carbon use of richer nations. Low-lying Pacific Islands like Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands are facing an existential threat from rising sea level. The values of these lives— off all lives—are measured by more than just the capacity to produce income.

Communities around the world at risk of climate-induced disasters consider numerous factors other than economic output in considering the value of life. One of our partners, the

Pacific Theological College in Fiji, is in the process of widening its curriculum to embrace a more “whole of life” understanding of Pasifika identity among its students, one that incorporates Pacific “communities’ life-affirming philosophies, values, and spiritualities” in its educational program. This perspective recognizes individual value is connected to one’s community and environment more than one’s personal net worth. An individual may hold specialized cultural knowledge that carries the legacy of community memory or traditional practices. The social fabric and structure of Pacific communities are very much tied to their community’s land—and waters. When Pacific ecosystems are put at risk, the integrity of Pacific cultures and everyone who inhabits that identity is at risk.

The indigenous Pacific resources that the Pacific Theological College is embracing demonstrate that the Social Cost of Carbon is more than a country’s collective net worth. This is something we should learn from and take into account when considering the true cost of our carbon activity on lives around the world. The EPA has invited public comment to its proposal until February 13.

Derek Duncan is the Global Relations Minister for East Asia and the Pacific for Global of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ.

What we know about the Michigan State University gunman...continued from page 1

for energy production, industry, or consumers; or the pollution emitted from extracting and burning these carbon sources.

In its proposal, the EPA seeks to determine the real cost of carbon use—meaning more than just how much a company or consumer pays per kilowatthour of electricity, gallon of gas, or price per unit of anything. The Social Cost of Carbon also includes the value of damage done as a result of emissions.

Previous government estimates said that, after all the technical calculations, the total Social Cost of Carbon is fiftyone dollars per ton of carbon dioxide emitted. However, previous assessments of climate impact had counted costs and benefits just in the context of the United States—and on the lives of people in the United States. The new report recognizes that since our land, sea, and air don’t stop at the border, US carbon use also impacts climate and people around the world. It says the Social Cost of Carbon should be increased to 190 dollars, which means the carrots and sticks the United States government uses should be three times larger.

While its more accurate evaluation of global cost is encouraging, what is troubling is that in its calculations, the EPA uses a model based on “Willingness to Pay” that recognizes higher income people (and higher per capita income countries) are willing to pay more to reduce their risks of climate harm, much like we may be willing to buy more insurance if we had more money. “EPA’s benefit transfer also recognizes that as per capita income increases, willingness to

pray.” The father said he went to church every Sunday, but that his son did not attend regularly.

Michael McRae called his son “a bad apple,” explaining that he “was a good kid before my wife died.” But after she died, he said, he “was lost. Totally lost.”

Michael McRae said his son

had had a gun several years ago, but police had taken it away. He said he believed his son had obtained another gun, but kept it in his room, and denied to his father that he had it. This is a developing story and will be updated.

Reparations Task Force: Freedmen's Bureau Essential for Compensating Slave Descendants...continued from page 4

lives, wants to know how they can benefit from an agency such as CAFAA.

“Now, as we gather more evidence, we want to file a claim through reparations to see if we lost anything or could gain anything,” Fonza said. “We want to know if such an agency (CAFAA) could help us facilitate the process. Right now, we don’t know how that would be done.”

How the CAFAA can be used to determine reparations eligibility for Black Californians has been a topic of public discussion by Black grassroot organizations started before the task force was formed in May 2021. Now it can be addressed. Thanks to new laws that can help reparations eligibility, supporters say.

For the first time in California and American history, a specific category of data collection will be required for African Americans who are descendants of persons enslaved in the United States and living in California, starting with the state’s 2.5 million employees.

California is the first state to require its agencies to present a separate demographic category for descendants of enslaved people when collecting state employee data. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2022-2023 budget

trailer bill -- Senate Bill (SB)189 -- includes language directing state agencies to disaggregate or use separate data collection categories for different Black or African American subgroups. The State Controller’s Office administered by Malia Cohen and the Department of Human Resources can start collecting this information as soon as Jan. 1, 2024.

The Task Force affirmed lineage-based eligibility for California Reparations in March 2022. The 5-4 majority decision by the task force determined that descendants of enslaved people or free Black people in the United States as of the 19th century are the only group of people eligible for any future cash payments.

“There was great care and intentionality around the creation of this proposal, our proposal in the Interim Report that we released almost a year ago,” Moore said of CAAFA. “It just flushed out more to make all the proposed agencies fully reflect the totality of what we discussed in our 500-page report.”

The reparations task force’s next meeting is in on March 3 and March 4. Times and location have yet to be announced.

12 Things On Your Skin That Might Be Diabetes

hands, feet, legs, or forearms that are similar to the ones that happen after a bad burn. You may notice a large blister or a group of small ones.

Diabetes can affect several of the body’s organs, including its largest – the skin. While there are certain skin conditions that anyone can develop, it’s been shown that people with diabetes are more likely to have these issues. These 12 skin problems could be a sign that you need to see your doctor.

1. Hard, Colored Patches

This is a condition known as necrobiosis lipoidica and it usually starts as small, raised bumps that look like pimples.

Over time, however, these bumps turn into hard, swollen patches that can be red, yellow, or brown. The surrounding skin might also be shiny while the patches are itchy and painful. It’s best to see a dermatologist for treatment as this condition can lead to complications.

2. Dark, Velvety Skin

Known as acanthosis nigricans, this condition mostly affects the back of the neck, armpit, and groin.

The dark patch of skin usually indicates that you’re prediabetic and have too much insulin in your blood. The only way forward is to get tested and manage your diabetes.

3. Hard, Thick Skin

In this condition, the skin on your fingers and toes gets hard and thick making them hard to move.

Over time, digital sclerosis can spread to the arms, neck, shoulders, knees, ankles, and elbows. The problem generally develops in people who are having trouble managing their diabetes so it’s a sure sign that you need to get tested.

4. Sudden Blisters

With bullosis diabetricorum, you develop blisters on your

Feinstein: Will Not Run for Reelection in 2024, Focus on This Congress

Reps. Pappas & Calvert Introduce HEARTS Act to Prioritize Non-Animal Testing Methods in NIH Research...continued

The blisters are typical for diabetics and it’s important to avoid getting an infection. If you see them, make sure to see a doctor for testing as well as controlled treatment of the blisters.

5. Frequent Skin Infections

Anybody can develop a skin infection but people with diabetes are more prone to them. These infections are characterized by hot, swollen areas that are painful or an itchy rash with a discharge. You should see a doctor to treat the issue quickly and let them know if you’ve been having infections frequently.

6. Unexplained Open Wounds Or Sores

One issue with diabetes is that it causes poor blood circulation and nerve damage. As a consequence, even the smallest cuts can have trouble healing – especially if they occur on your feet.

These open wounds are known as diabetic ulcers and can easily become infected. It’s recommended to check your feet daily for any cuts and get treatment immediately if you have them.

7. Shin Spots

In diabetic dermothapy, you’ll notice a dark spot or line on your shin, which can also cause a slight depression. In rare cases, the spot may appear on your arms or thighs. The spots can also be permanent or disappear after a year or two. Unless your diabetes is being managed, the spots will continue to appear.

8. Appearance Of Small, Redyellow Bumps

When dealing with eruptive xanthomatosis, you’ll see the sudden appearance of bumps

continued on page 8

Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today released the following statement announcing she will not run for reelection in 2024 but will continue to serve out her current term in office:

“I am announcing today I will not run for reelection in 2024 but intend to accomplish as much for California as I can through the end of next year when my term ends.

“I campaigned in 2018 on several priorities for California and the nation: preventing and combating wildfires, mitigating the effects of record-setting drought, responding to the homelessness crisis, and ensuring all Americans have access to affordable, high-quality health care. Congress has enacted legislation on all of these topics over the past several years, but more needs to be done – and I will continue these efforts.

“I also remain focused on passing commonsense legislation to fight the epidemic of gun violence, preserving our pristine lands and promoting economic growth – especially to position

California for what I believe will be the century of the Pacific. And I will use my seniority on the Appropriations Committee to ensure California gets its fair share of funding.

“I’m confident we can achieve these goals because we’ve done it before. From the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban to the 2014 CIA torture report, from preserving Lake Tahoe and the Mojave Desert to passing the first significant global warming legislation, from protecting student athletes from abuse to protecting consumers from harmful chemicals, and more recently improving our efforts to combat wildfire and drought, we have improved the lives of millions.

“Even with a divided Congress, we can still pass bills that will improve lives. Each of us was sent here to solve problems. That’s what I’ve done for the last 30 years, and that’s what I plan to do for the next two years. My thanks to the people of California for allowing me to serve them.”

as the bill advances though Congress.”

Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, Founder, the Jane Goodall Institute & UN Messenger of Peace said, “There is a growing awareness that animal-based research and methodologies cannot reliably answer the vexing scientific questions that arise in seeking to understand human diseases and their treatments and cures. For the challenges that confront us, we need to focus on humane and human-relevant science. But the current framework provides little incentive and support for researchers to use and develop non-animal methods. The HEARTS Act will modernize the National Institutes of Health to ensure that humane and humanrelevant methods are at the heart of its science investment.”

Dr. Paul Locke, Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health* said, “I would like to thank Representatives Pappas and Calvert for their leadership in seeking to accelerate scientific methods that can treat and cure

diseases. The HEARTS Act calls attention to the need to develop human centered biological techniques and would create a focal point at NIH for these important discoveries.”

*The views expressed in this press release are Dr. Locke’s personal opinion, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Johns Hopkins University or Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

For further information and to request interviews, please contact Steve Gibbs on +44 (0) 7850 510955 or email steve.gibbs@ crueltyfreeinternational.org. Monica Engebretson is available for interview.

Cruelty Free International is one of the world’s longest standing and most respected animal protection organizations. The organization is widely regarded as an authority on animal testing issues and is frequently called upon by governments, media, corporations and official bodies for its advice or expert opinion. www.crueltyfreeinternational. org

Lawmakers Push Bill to Grant Prisoners Right

The Oregon bill specifies that a taxpayer “may not claim the credit allowed under this section if the taxpayer has federal adjusted gross income in excess of $150,000 on a joint return or $75,000 on any other type of return.”

This legislation would also mandate state grants to Agora Journalism Center and the Fund for Oregon Rural Journalism.

These bills have been introduced as local newsrooms close around the country.

Meanwhile,, an apparently stalled federal bill, the Journalism Sustainability Act, would

Reps. Pappas & Calvert Introduce HEARTS Act to Prioritize Non-Animal Testing Methods in NIH Research

Washington, D.C. (February 14, 2023) – On a day devoted to matters of the heart, Congressmembers Chris Pappas (NH-1) and Ken Calvert (CA-42) announce the re-introduction of the HEARTS Act (Humane and Existing Alternatives in Research and Testing Sciences Act) of 2023 legislation that encourages the use and development of humane, and effective alternatives to animals in experiments funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Millions of animals are forced into research experiments annually. Non-animal research and testing methods spare significant numbers of animals from pain, distress, and death, are increasingly more cost-effective than animal tests, and produce reliable data that is more relevant to human health.

However, without meaningful encouragement for implementing modern non-animal methods, dogs, cats, primates, and small mammals, among others, continue to be exploited unnecessarily in painful and duplicative experiments. The HEARTS Act directs the NIH to provide incentives to researchers to use non-animal methods whenever feasible and applicable, and establishes a dedicated center within the NIH devoted to advancing new alternative methods and developing a plan for reducing the use of animals in federal funded research.

Congressman Pappas said, “I’m glad to partner with Congressman Calvert on the HEARTS Act, bipartisan legislation that would encourage the development and use of humane, non-animal testing methods in federally funded experiments. Over the years, NIH’s groundbreaking research has greatly improved the lives of Americans and people around the world. To remain a global leader in science, research, and development, we must create frameworks to advance modern methods.”

Congressman Calvert said, “With a growing number of scientifically sound, non-animal testing alternatives, taxpayerfunded research should prioritize alternative methods whenever possible. The HEARTS Act would take another meaningful step in protecting animals from unnecessary use in federallyfunded research. This bill is a win for animals and taxpayers alike.”

The HEARTS Act will prioritize the use of alternatives by amending the Public Health Services Act to:

(1) establish incentives for investigators to use available non-animal methods whenever feasible and applicable.

(2) create guidelines for biomedical and behavioral research to ensure that animal testing alternatives are utilized whenever available and appropriate in proposals.

States Consider Bills To Subsidize Local Newspaper Subscriptions...continued from

(3) ensure that proposal reviewers have access to a reference librarian with expertise in evaluating the adequacy of the search methods for alternatives described in the protocol.

(4) require that proposals be reviewed by at least one person with expertise in non-animal research methods.

(5) establish a center within the NIH to train and support scientists in the development and use of human-centered methods, and develop a plan for reducing the number of animals used in federally-funded research.

Monica Engebretson, Head of Public Affairs North America for Cruelty Free International said, “Currently, the NIH spends at least $12 billion a year on animal testing, but research shows that the return on investment is often low, and the results irrelevant because of their inability to accurately predict human reactions. Prioritizing the use of non-animal methods in taxpayerfunded research could improve the cost efficacy of our federal research investment and foster innovation in science which would in turn lead to better therapies for human conditions and save animal lives. Cruelty Free International is grateful for the leadership of Representatives Pappas and Calvert in sponsoring the HEARTS Act and we look forward to working with them

page 6

provide a $250 subscription credit covering 80% of costs in the first year and a $500 credit in each of the following four years.

Also, the House version would subsidize a local journalist's compensation, with a redit of $25,000 in the first year, covering 50% of a $50,000 salary, and a 30% credit in each of the next four years.

And, advertisers would qualify for a $5,000 local newspaper and local media advertising credit, covering an estimated 80% of ad costs in the first year.

The bill was introduced in 2021.

to Vote...continued from page 4 announce the bill. “There was a time when African Americans couldn't vote, and just recently we tried to get slavery out of the California state constitution and it failed, because of Democrats.”

“An American citizen's right to vote is the most powerful right in our nation,” McKinnor said.

“Let's be clear, an incarcerated American citizen is an American citizen, and no law should ever restrict an American citizen's right to vote. Too many Americans have died, too many Americans have sacrificed, too many Americans have been denied the right to vote for too long.”

Lackey and others who oppose the legislation, however, insist that denying a felon to vote is appropriate punishment.

“There has to be a period of reflection and a period of suspension of certain what I would call privileges or rights in order for the judicial process to be effective,” Lackey said to CBM.

Bryan said the protection of citizens’ rights is paramount.

“There are some basic human rights, and then there are some basic American rights that have to be preserved, even in the systems of accountability,” he emphasized.

D.C. Business Encounters Discrimination in Quest to Help Ukraine...

continued from page 3

features,” she stated. As the war’s anniversary approaches, though, it appears that American impulses have also kicked in.

U.S. politicians, government organizations, The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and others have neglected CDAG’s work, even though U.S. military aid and spending has reached over $50 billion, and firms are pitching services to gain contracts to help reconstruct that Eastern European nation.

Davis has repeatedly requested that USAID allow the company to compete for contracts to provide relief in Ukraine, but USAID has routinely declined.

USAID counts as an independent agency of the government that’s responsible for providing civilian foreign aid and helping development.

Legislators also have ignored CDAG’s attempts to contact them.

Davis stated, “They do not recognize me. I’m just some Black woman who wants to lend a hand. And that’s exactly what they perceive. I can’t imagine why they wouldn’t want to support a Black-owned business, but they clearly don’t.”

The American envoy to Ukraine also snubbed CDAG’s request for a meeting, despite the Ukraine Ministry of Defense having given Davis’s firm a glowing recommendation.

The Defense Ministry expressed gratitude to the United States government in a letter dated December 30, 2022, for its support during Ukraine’s conflict with Russia.

The letter addressed to Nathaniel Adler, the principal director of the U.S. Office of the Under Secretary for Policy at the Department of Defense, noted that Ukraine still requires urgent supplies, equipment, and logistical support.

Meeting such requirements would be impossible without access to necessary resources and a reliable support system, the defense minister wrote.

“Due to the intense fighting in several areas, it’s very difficult to get these materials to our troops on the front line and other locations, and there are very few companies that can accomplish this task,” the letter continued.

“CDAG International has worked with our military and has proven that they can assist the Ukrainian government to acquire critical services and facilitate many of our requirements.

CDAG has proven beneficial to our troops and had contributed to saving lives.”

The letter is only one of many testimonials to CDAG’s capabilities, according to Dwight Brown, senior managing partner for CDAG and a retired U.S. Army Sgt. Major.

“We’ve created enough housing to accommodate 3,000 people and we’ve done it in approximately eight months,” Brown said.

CDAG has focused its efforts on the western side of Ukraine, where the war’s destruction has forced many people to relocate, he said.

“There are people who left Ukraine and are trying to make their way back,” Brown noted. “We see a lot of squatters and

in villages there are people with tents on the side of the road. We want people to get back inside warm structures before it gets too far into the winter there.”

The Ukraine government provided CDAG 60 acres of land, but without funding or even a token commitment from the American government, it will be difficult for the company to meet current demand.

CDAG managing partner Warwin Davis added that the firm has supplied heating, generators, and external stoves to aid Ukrainian forces.

Davis, who has managed multinational supply chains for almost three decades, insisted, “We made history over there.”

“Historically speaking, it was Carol Davis who made history,” Davis demanded.

“It’s incredible that we haven’t been able to acquire a quarter from USAID despite what we’ve shown that we can accomplish.”

CDAG hopes to meet with White House officials.

“The elephant in the room is we are a woman-owned and minority small business, and the U.S. government and USAID are giving all the dollars to the regular companies,” Brown asserted.

“We’re going not continue to ride the Office of the Secretary of Defense, USAID, and congressional offices. People with weaker constitutions than us would have thrown in the towel. That’s not us. When they tell us ‘No,’ it just means next opportunity. We’re coming to the table and not asking for special set asides, just an opportunity.”

55th San Bernardino County Black History Month Parade and Expo "SOUNDS OF MUSIC" is a Fantastic Voyage!

What to do if your child runs away or is missing?...

continued from page 2

our daughter’s life and gave us a second chance.

12 Things On Your Skin That Might Be Diabetes... continued

Saturday February 25th. The parade starts at 10:00 on Citrus and Summit Avenue and proceeds to the Home Depot parking lot on Sierra Lakes parkway where the Expo begins.

This year's Grand Marshal, founder of the R&B group "Lakeside" Captain Mark Woods Jr. and his lovely wife Soul Train dancer Sharon Hill Woods. Soul Train was an American music variety television show

and the first to prominently feature African American musical acts and dancers. It was Broadcast nationally from 1971 to 2006, and one of the longestrunning syndicated programs in American television history. The R&B group "Lakeside" performed there hit song "Fantastic Voyage" by lead singer Captain Mark a Woods Jr. Woods.

I now serve as a Parent Advocate for the Saved In America Advisory Board. I remember the feeling of being alone during the time our daughter was missing and hope to give back what was so freely given to me. We have been working on ways to help support parents of missing children and have created “a missing child parent checklist” that can help serve as a guide and best practices for parents. I truly believe that bringing Emme home was a group effort, and that parents are lost and don’t know how they can work with the Saved In America Investigators to help bring their child home. I also know the importance of having families going through this trying time to have someone to talk to day to day when they are feeling hopeless and lost. That is my role as the Parent Advocate, to work with guardians and parents on what to do and serve as a sounding board with tips and next steps. I hope this checklist will serve parents and guardians as a guideline of what to do in case a child is missing, runs away, or has been trafficked. If you or someone you know is a victim of sex trafficking, please call the Human Trafficking Hotline at:

(888) 373-3788 or text befree (233733). You can also call the Saved In America TIP Hotline at: (760) 348-8808 or email info@ savedinamerica.org.

About Saved In AmericaFounded in 2009 by Joseph A. Travers, Saved In America (SIA) is headquartered in San Diego, California with national alliances and reach. At no charge to families, SIA volunteers (former Police Officers, Navy SEALs and Military Special Operators turned Licensed & Insured Private Investigators) assist parents and law enforcement in locating missing, runaway, and exploited children – the groups most vulnerable to sexual trafficking. For victims of sexual exploitation, SIA assists in procuring legal representation, safe housing, and rehabilitative therapy. SIA also aids high risk juvenile shelters to protect children from further exploitation by pimps and predators. Since December 2014, SIA has assisted parents and law enforcement in the recovery of more than 270 children. For more information, please visit https://www. savedinamerica.org/or join the community on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram . #ChildSavedNotSold

7. Appearance Of Red, Raised Bumps

Doctors are still establishing the link between diabetes and granuloma annulare. However, the red or flesh-colored raised bumps have been found on large areas of skin in several diabetics. It’s best to get tested if you have it so your condition can be controlled.

8. Very Dry And Itchy Skin

High blood sugar and poor circulation can make the skin dry and itchy. This will be harder to manage than generally itchy skin so talk to your doctor if you’ve been having this issue.

9. Yellowish, Scaly Patches

This condition is called xanthelasma and you’ll notice

yellowish scaly patches around your eyelids. It’s caused by high fat levels in the blood when diabetes is poorly controlled. The only solution is to manage your illness.

10. Numerous Skin Tags

While anyone can develop skin tags, having a lot of them has been associated with diabetes. These tags usually appear on the eyelids, neck, armpit, and groin so let your doctor know if you have more than a few so you can get tested. If you’re noticing changes in your skin, talk to your doctor about getting tested for diabetes. You might be more prone to skin conditions but that doesn’t mean you can’t prevent them from happening or worsening.

12 Things On Your Skin That Might Be Diabetes... continued from page 7 that look like pimples. However, these bumps soon develop a yellowish color while being tender and itchy.

You’ll usually find the bumps on the back of the knees, thighs, or buttocks but they can develop anywhere. Generally,

EARN MONEY

this condition is a sign that your diabetes is not being managed properly and will only resolve once that’s taken care of.

continued in next 2 columns

State/Local News

(TriceEdneyWire.com)Readers of Ben Jealous’s newest book - ‘Never Forget Our People Were Always Free - A Parable of American Healing’ - will grapple with its title’s meaning through the cumulative and very personal American experience of being, at some point, the outsider. And though now no longer uncommon to hear race referred to as an artificial social construct, we remain bound by simplistically crude dichotomies – White and Black as but one example. Jealous dissects and exposes aspects of our country’s variegated genetic history that continue to result in disastrous assumptions about the nature and identities of perpetrators of heinous deeds.

In chapter “Serial (Killer) Mistakes”, for example, Jealous recounts one of his Washington, D.C. experiences that occurred while working for Amnesty International years before he assumed the presidency of the NAACP. Near the U.S. Capitol, “Twelve officers pulled their guns out. Eight Latino day laborers got out of a van that appeared to have only two bucket seats. They looked totally innocent and completely bewildered.”

The officers were on the lookout for a white van thought to be the vehicle of choice for the presumably White snipers whose D.C.-area shooting spree resulted in three critically wounded and ten dead in the fall of 2002. But, contrary to popular assumptions, Jealous notes, “My godbrother Dave Chappelle had a different take…The DC snipers, Ben! I figured it out! .... They’re Black!”

The snipers’ car was blue and the Chief of Police in D.C.’s nearby Montgomery County, Maryland, “said that they had stopped these guys almost ten times before they were arrested…. And they never searched the car.”

Jealous posits that “Dave started from the observed behavior and worked his way

toward race. In the streets, the police were starting at race and working their way toward behavior…. Then, when it was over, it turned out that Dave was the only person with a microphone in all of DC who had had it right.”

Throughout the book, Jealous shares vignettes of his interactions with Chappelle and other wellknown personalities. Yet his work avoids name-dropping for namedropping’s sake. His tableau of characters and interactions range from conversations with international figures including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, leaders of labor unions, and aspirants to elected office, to saltof-the-earth folks from America and abroad. Jealous’s educational and work experiences and his common-sense instinct to ask the heart-of-the-matter questions were honed, in part, during his time as a reporter for The Jackson Advocate in Jackson, Mississippi. Jealous’s book shines the light of day on history, using truthtelling as a reasonable starting point for resolving the enduring conundrum of America’s emotional complexes about ethnic identity.

Jealous has a broad yet penetrating grasp of American history, partly because of heritage learned as the son of a father of European descent, and his mother who traces lineage, somewhat surprisingly, to the East side of Africa, according to the genetic research team of Harvard Professor Henry Louis

“Skip” Gates. To legally marry, Jealous’s parents had to leave their home state of Maryland.

The book is a paean to the triumph of love over ignorance, yet there are passages where the language used would be frowned upon in polite and mixed company; certainly unwelcomed in any house of worship. Raw truth-telling is an inherently uncomfortable venture, barely tolerated and more rarely welcomed.

Jealous certainly is aware of his choice of words -- however apt in conveying the tenure or tone of a moment. But language, though his tool, is not the object of this literary quest. He is tilting at the windmill of the insanity of race in its long iteration in America -- the sordidness of policies that continue to drive mass incarceration, economic despair, thus numbing of the aspirations of generations of American youth regardless of their DNA.

Jealous concludes his odyssey book before his unsuccessful run for the governor’s seat in Maryland. But as he stated at a press conference following his victory in the Democratic primary, “It wasn’t just Black folks who went through segregation, it was White folks who went through it too. It demeaned the humanity of all of us.”

Those words make a fitting epilogue for this book. For our American children who ponder their future in a country that still treats truth as a carpetbagger, the parable of American healing needs embracing.

Khalil Abdullah is a freelance writer for the Trice Edney News Wire; a contributing editor for Ethnic Media Services; a former managing editor of the Washington Afro-American Newspaper; and a former executive director of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators.

‘Never Forget Our People Were Always Free - A Parable of American Healing’

Raw Truth-telling In New Book by Ben Jealous Tilts at the Insanity of Race in America

A Review by Khalil Abdullah

Grand Marshal, founder of the R&B group "Lakeside" Captain Mark Woods and his lovely wife and Soul Train dancer Sharon Hill Woods.