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
injustice
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
Black Advocates Celebrate Women’s History Month
March is Women's History
Month, and several California organizations are celebrating trailblazing women making history in our state -- whether it’s recognizing the record-setting number of women who are state constitutional officers or lauding the unprecedented number of women serving in the Legislature ((50 out of 120).
Last week, the Black Women's Collective kicked off Women's History Month with an event organized to help build an Economic Action Plan for Black Women. It brought together experts in policymaking, labor, economic development, and entrepreneurship.
“Black women serve as breadwinners in 80% of Black households in California with over 70% headed by single mothers,” said Kellie Todd Griffin, President and CEO, California Black Women's Collective Empowerment Institute. Griffin was citing statistics from a report on the State of Black Women in California from 2018 and 2022.
“Typically, Black women have higher labor force participation rates than other women, meaning a higher share of Black women are either employed or unemployed
and looking for work,” Griffin continued. “However, the economic safety net is not secure as Black Women makes less than most of their counterparts making .55 cents to White males, which is one of the lowest in the nation equally the wage gap in Mississippi. California falls short of the national rate at .63 cents.”
Panelists at the event included Los Angeles City Councilmember Heather Hutt (CD10); Yvonne Wheeler, President, Los Angeles County Federation of Labor; Tunua Thrash-Ntuk, President and CEO, Center by Lendistry; and Denise Pines, Co-Founder and CEO, Tea Botanics and Women in the Room Productions.
Moderators were Griffin and Regina Wilson, Executive Director, California Black Media.
In Historic Los Angeles Ceremony, Malia M. Cohen Sworn in as Top State Accountant
It was a history-making moment as Malia M. Cohen was inaugurated the 33rd California State Controller at Los Angeles City Hall on Feb. 23. During the swearing-in, she was flanked by her husband Warren Pulley while Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass administered the oath.
As California’s chief fiscal officer and top accountant, the State Controller’s office
is an independent watchdog overseeing the disbursement of state and local funds, including one of the nation's largest public pension funds.
Cohen, a San Francisco native will be the first Black person, and second woman Controller, as the state continues to make an intentional effort to break gender and racial barriers. Two of the top four largest cities, Los Angeles, and San Francisco are led by Black women Mayors, Karen Bass and London Breed respectively, and the state also elected its first Black in Secretary of State, Shirley Weber, who previously served under an appointment by Gov. Newsom.
"Mayor Bass and Congresswoman Lee: I know that you know all too well, that no matter the campaign budget difference, no matter how much they outspend you, leadership can't be bought,” Cohen said in her inaugural speech.
California Black Freedom Fund Hosts Panel Discussions in Oakland
On Feb. 28 in Oakland, the California Black Freedom Fund (CBFF) hosted an event titled “Strengthening Democracy and Building Black Futures” followed by a reception for guests who attended.
The event included two panel discussions centered around the need for philanthropy to commit resources to building and sustaining a just, racially diverse, equitable and inclusive civil society.
“Civil society is the basis upon which you have a democracy, and civil society needs to be informed. It needs to be about achieving something. It needs to reflect the broader society,” said Angela Glover Blackwell, Founder in Residence, Policy Link, who presented during one of the panel discussions.
CBFF is a “five-year, $100 million initiative to ensure that Black power-building and movement-based organizations have the sustained investments and resources they need to eradicate systemic and institutional racism,” according to the organization’s website.
In April 2022, CBFF named Marc Philpart its Executive Director, a leader with broad experience in social advocacy working with grassroots and community organizations.
Panelists at the event included Blackwell; author Steve Phillips (Brown Is the New White); Lateefah Simon (president of the Meadow Fund); James Herard (Executive Director of Lift Up Contra Costa); Councilwoman Tamisha Torres-Walker (District 1 Antioch City Council); Kavon Ward (CEO/Founder of Where Is My Land); and James Woodson (Executive Director of California Black Power Network.
Californians Impacted by Winter Storms Get Extended Tax Deadline
Both the state and federal governments are offering some relief to Californians impacted by winter storms in January and February. In addition to allowing qualifying state residents to make deductions for disaster losses, last week Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the state tax deadline for those affected by the winter storms will be October 16, 2023.
“As communities across the state continue recovering from the damage caused by the winter
storms, California is working swiftly to help recovering Californians get back on their feet,” said Newsom.
The extension aligns with Biden administration adjustments to the IRS tax deadline for people affected by winter storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides in the following counties: Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Inyo, Kings, Lake, Los Angeles, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Mono, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Orange, Placer, Riverside, Sacramento, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, Ventura, Yolo, and Yuba.
For filing instructions and more details on eligibility, visit the California Franchise Tax Board.
Mayor Karen Bass Endorses “Friend for Decades” Rep. Barbara Lee
Last week, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass endorsed her former colleague and “friend for decades,” Rep. Barbara Lee (DCA-12), in her bid to replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein who is not seeking another term.
“I’ve seen her leadership firsthand. Her work in a divided government to secure billions of dollars in COVID relief for underserved communities is just one example of the type of principled and tenacious leadership she will bring,” Bass tweeted.
Both alums of the California Assembly, Bass and Lee served together for nearly 11 years as two of three Black women members of California’s delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives. The other Black woman is Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA-43).
Emerge California Announce Black Woman as New Board
Chair Emerge California, an Oakland-based organization that recruits and trains women in the Democratic Party to run for political office, announced it has appointed Rhodesia Ransom to chair its Board of Directors.
“I’m excited to step into this role to lead our Board of Directors as we welcome Emerge California’s Class of 2023 – the most diverse class in organization’s history,” said Ransom, who joins four other board members, including Julie Waters, Board Treasurer, and Jacqueline Piccini, Board Secretary.
Founded in 2002, Emerge California has trained over 800 women political candidates. The organization prides itself on a win rate of nearly 70 % and, last year, there were 125 alumnae of its training program on the November ballot, including Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, State Controller Malia Cohen, San Francisco Mayor London Breed and seven state legislators.
SoCalGas Customers Can Apply for Hardship Assistance Responding to spiraling inflation and a winter hike in gas prices, SoGalGas is offering hardship assistance to its customers that have been hit hardest.
“SoCalGas is stepping up to help customers in need with charitable donations of $10 million in shareholder funding to help customers with bill assistance and to bolster community resources for those who may be struggling financially,” the company said in a press release last week.
The assistance will be distributed through three channels: $5 million through the Gas Assistance Fund administered by United Way for “Income Qualified Customers”; $4 million through the company’s Fueling our Communities program, a community feeding program organized by local food banks and nonprofits; and $1 million to restaurant owners through its Restaurant Cares Resilience Fund.
Community /Education News
Dear Editor,
There is a powerful engine that drives American society today. Long ago it was God, family, and country; today it is salary, self, and secession.
Today money drives not only business and banks, but politics, government, media, education, sports, and even religion. God himself has been bankrupted by commercialization.
Children see their happiness shredded by their parents’ passion for accumulation of money.
Our nation long ago replaced its spare linen flag with a molten idol, well out of reach of a hundred million grabbing hands, but firmly in the grasp of the 1% class.
thoroughly debauched by our love of money and the pursuit of all its attendant evils.
Once willing to work for money, we now insist that our money work for us. Once willing to ask what we can do for our country, we now only ask what our country can do for us.
Once willing to lend money at little or no interest to demonstrate our disdain for treading down the poor, today we charge triple digit interest rates and bask in the glory of exploitation.
The Empowering Students
Through Song – U.S. Dream Academy and Takoma Academy
Partner to Host Special Concert in San Bernardino, CA
The event will take place Saturday, March 11, 2023 at 4:00 p.m. at the San Bernardino Seven Day Adventist Church, 1696 North G Street, San Bernardino CA, 92405
Event Background:
International award-winning choir, Takoma Academy joins national nonprofit the U.S. Dream Academy for a special Camerata concert on Saturday, March 11 in San Bernardino, CA.
Takoma Academy is a Maryland-based college preparatory, co-educational secondary day school operated by a Seventh-day Adventist Church. The U.S. Dream Academy is helping our nation's children reach for their dreams. The nonprofit provides a transformative mentoring experience for youth to build character, skills, and dreams in a safe out of school time environment. With this musical collaboration, the U.S. Dream Academy’s DreamKids, who will accompany the choir, will exercise its mission in helping the youth build character, build skillsets, and actualize their full potential. The San Bernardino Community Church is a partner of the U.S. Dream Academy where the Dream Academy San Bernardino is co-located. The community church is led by Pastor Jerrold Thompson. Founder and CEO of U.S Dream Academy, Wintley Phipps created the organization to engage the youth in productive programs to prepare them
for the future, helping over 11,000 DreamKids across ten cities nationwide. Thirty-four technically- trained students, under the leadership of Mrs. Lulu Mwangi Mupfumbu, the Director of Music at Takoma Academy, learn how to increase their performance and understanding of music history literacy and technical skills, as well as acquire background experience in multicultural music, general musicianship, and music for worship and ministry. Their mission is to inspire and invest in the lives of children of incarcerated parents and families in communities harmed by systemic inequities. This year the U.S. Dream Academy is celebrating its 25th Anniversary.
Every school year, the Takoma Academy choir performs up to thirty concerts and competitions either nationally or internationally. Thus far, the choir’s active involvement has earned them one gold medal and two silver medals in their first appearance at the 10th World Choir Games in Tshwane, South Africa, two Gold Diplomas at the American International Choral Festival in February of 2019 and several other awards and achievements to commemorate their talent in performance arts.
As both organizations are aimed to inspire the youth and make the world a better place, this will collaboration through music showcases their ministry, and will spread the messaging of love and unity.
For further information regarding the organizations: visit www.usdreamacademy.org or check out Takoma Academy YouTube channel.
Submission Deadline is MONDAYS by 5pm
Email Press Releases to: mary@sb-american
Submit legals to website: sb-american.com
At San Bernardino Santa Fe Depot
The partnership between Greyhound Lines, Inc. and San Bernardino Transportation Authority (SBCTA) brings local and intercity bus transportation together
Community/Education News
DALLAS (March 1, 2023) –Greyhound, the largest provider of intercity bus transportation in North America, today announced its new stop at San Bernardino Santa Fe Depot. The new stop, which began service on February 15, 2023, is located at 1170 West 3rd Street San Bernardino, California, 92410.
The Greyhound transit center relocated 1.3 miles away from its previous location on North G Street. The new location is more convenient for passengers with the option to now connect with Amtrak, Metrolink, and local bus system.
“Greyhound has operated in San Bernardino for decades and is proud to now operate from the San Bernardino Santa Fe Depot,” said Juan Castro, Manager
There is not a single beloved tradition that has not been
Kimball Shinkoskey 1306 S. 1100 W. Woods Cross, Utah 84087 kshinkos@gmail.com 801-637-6352
A new study finds masks do little to prevent the spread of viruses like the flu and Covid, and that hand washing and vaccines offer more protection.
San Bernardino, Ca.-
Western Region, Greyhound.
“The new location provides seamless connectivity to local transit options which adds convenience for our travelers in San Bernardino and Riverside.”
The new center operates every day from 7:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. with 20 schedules offered a day.
Customers interested in boarding from the transit center will be able to purchase bus tickets on location. Las Vegas, San Diego, Calexico, Phoenix, and California are among the most popular destinations for this transit center.
For fare and schedule information, or to purchase tickets, call 1-800-231-2222, visit Greyhound.com or use Greyhound’s mobile app.
An international network of health researchers reviewed 78 randomized controlled studies and concluded that wearing masks has little or no effect on spreading the flu, COVID, or other respiratory diseases.
The Cochrane collaborative published their findings in a January 2023 report which found frequent hand washing did more than masks to prevent viral infections.
At a March 3 EMS news briefing, three medical experts shared their views about the efficacy of wearing masks in light of the study. Except for vulnerable patients where masks offer an added layer of protection, their consensus was to forget about wearing masks and get vaccinated.
They also stressed the importance of not losing trust in public health officials for changing their advice over time as they work to keep up with the latest scientific research.
Masks are ‘not magic’
Dr. William Schaffner, a professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, led off the session by describing the challenges of conducting mask studies in the first place, whether in a health environment or in the community. “You can’t monitor people about their maskwearing behavior all the time. That’s certainly something you can’t do, and of course (masks) have to be worn correctly,” he said.
While many researchers have looked at multiple physical measures to prevent people from catching a virus, the Cochrane reviewers evaluated studies that compared just three interventions: surgical masks, N95/P2 respirators, and hand hygiene.
Based on the results they were uncertain whether masks help to slow the spread of viruses but decided hand hygiene “may help to slow the spread of respiratory viruses,” Schaffner said.
Yet he also pointed out that in most cases, mask wearing was accompanied by social distancing, and… “in certain communities, we were in a lockdown. we stayed home. So,
we did all those things more or less simultaneously. And it’s hard – impossible really – to determine what proportion of the reduction we saw on Covid was due to the mask itself.
As for his own advice, Schaffner emphasized that “masks are not magic.” But he said that people in high-risk groups may start wearing them again next flu season. “They will offer another layer of protection to protect me, a highly vulnerable person, from acquiring an infection from others.”
No more mask mandates
“I don’t think we can impose mask mandates on the public anymore,” said Dr. Monica Ghandi, Professor of Medicine and Associate Division Chief of the Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine at UCSF in San Francisco.
Gandhi noted a Danish mask study where no mandate was in effect at the time, and two others in Bangladesh and Guinea-Bissau where entire villagers wore masks. The study found “there was very little effectiveness” in wearing masks.
During the Delta surge, Orange County, California did not impose a mask mandate but nearby LA County did. “And there was no difference in transmission or death rates. Very importantly, the vaccination rates made all the difference,” Gandhi said.
The most important thing people could do during the pandemic is to get vaccinated, Gandhi advised. “I think we have to keep it a choice for the masking.”
Gandhi’s recently published book, Endemic, is about the politicization of public health policy. She said that closing schools during COVID was a politically driven decision and “not good for children in the Blue States, because the Red States kept their schools open.”
Dr. Mina Hakim, a pediatric specialist at South Central Family Health Center in Los Angeles, offered a similar view about masks from “down in the trenches.”
Supervisor Joe Baca, Jr. allocated for the approval of a funding contract with Provisional Educational Services Inc., to the PAL Ballfield at Blake Park to begin improvements on the park. The project has now been approved and plans to begin the rehabilitation project have begun. PAL Center Chief Executive Officer Dwaine Radden Sr. said, “restoring these fields has been a long time coming. But we are grateful that Joe Baca Jr. embraced the vision to refurbish this community baseball field. He allocated 2.1 million dollars to make this project happen for the PAL students, local baseball youth programs, and the
community. Our children need safe fields to play on, or they will be playing in the streets.”
“Allocating these funds for an underserved and disadvantaged community such as Muscoy was just a small step in the right direction. Blake Park Ballfield project approval has allowed our County to keep pushing to provide recreational, health, social services, and better quality of life to our county residents. Creating safe fields, especially for our youth is pivotal in keeping them safe and keeping them from playing on the streets. We are so excited to see this project soon come to life and see our residents enjoy it together.” -Supervisor Joe Baca, Jr.
Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media
This past weekend, the California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparations
Proposals for African Americans received insight on how the state government might implement recommendations the panel submits in its final proposal due before July 1.
Chas Alamo, the principal fiscal and policy analyst at the California Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO), appeared remotely in front of the panel as an expert witness during the twoday meeting held March 3 in Sacramento.
oversee compensation the state authorizes to Black California residents who are descendants of enslaved people in the United States.
The LAO is a non-partisan office overseen by the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC), a 16-member bipartisan team. It is the “eyes and ears” of the State Legislature ensuring that the executive branch is implementing legislative policy in a cost-efficient and effective manner. Its biggest responsibility is analyzing the Governor’s annual budget.
Alamo explained to the task force how the recommendations they make will likely become state policy.
“The creation of a new agency would be initiated through the governor's executive branch and reorganization process, but continued on page 7
Alamo offered “several paths that could be possible for ultimate recommendations” by the task force to “flow through the Legislature and become state law” and how they can “apply” to the creation of the proposed California American Freedman Affairs Agency (CAFAA). The agency, if approved, would
Councilmember Michael Cacciotti Appointed as New Vice Chair, Three New Board Members Appointed
DIAMOND BAR – 3/03/23
Vanessa Delgado, former California State Senator and South Pasadena Councilmember
Board Chair. “I am proud of our accomplishments during my three years with the Board and look forward to continuing our fight for clean air.”
Congressman James E. Clyburn
Following the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd in 2020 at the hands of law enforcement—two in a long line of avoidable tragedies—
Democrats reaffirmed our commitment to ensuring that law enforcement truly protect the communities they serve. House Democrats passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to prevent police misconduct by improving law enforcement practices and enhancing accountability. Regrettably, the bill stalled in the Senate due to Republican opposition. Since taking office in 2021, President Joe Biden has restricted the transfer of military equipment to police departments and directed federal law enforcement agencies to end the use of chokeholds and no-knock warrants.
Now a renewed call for action has emerged as the country mourns the violent death of Tyre Nichols, yet another unarmed Black citizen murdered by police. It has become undeniable that the culture of policing must improve. To reform this violent culture, we must enact public safety reforms that address the lack of accountability and transparency in policing while increasing the standards for those who wear the badge.
Our communities deserve meaningful change in how they are policed, and increased accountability will further that goal. It is unconscionable that a police officer can be fired from their local department for misconduct only to find employment in another department without consequence. Lawyers, doctors, public school teachers, and nearly all other professionals face accountability. Police officers have a sacred responsibility to protect the public—they should certainly not be immune from it.
Increased accountability goes hand in hand with increased transparency. Police department data, information, and policies should be made available to the communities they serve. There are more than 18,000 local police departments in the United States. However, there is no national
requirement for collecting and sharing use-of-force data. Nor is there a nationwide database or registry that tracks problematic officers, preventing those who have been fired from moving on to another jurisdiction without accountability. The lack of transparency erodes public trust and allows dangerous actors to patrol our streets.
Increasing the professional standards for those who serve involves setting national practices and instituting mandatory trainings to ensure officers have the communication and de-escalation skills they need to better connect with their communities and prevent the deadly escalation of force.
Training officers in these areas would improve police conduct and help officers better serve their communities.
In his January 7, 2023, State of the Union Address, President Biden urged us to “rise to this moment. We can’t turn away. Let’s do what we know in our hearts we need to do. Let’s come together to finish the job on police reform.” It is time for us to enact the reforms necessary to save lives. I call on our colleagues across the aisle to join in this critical effort.
To those who have lost loved ones to police violence, know this: just because you’re not in the headlines doesn’t mean you’re absent from our hearts and minds. South Carolina remembers Walter Scott, who was shot in the back and killed by a North Charleston police officer the morning of April 4, 2015. His brother, Anthony Scott, was my guest for this year’s State of the Union Address. Together, we heard President Biden’s call for action, and I can assure you that I will do all within my power to answer that call.
2nd Chronicles 15:7 urges, “be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.” The road to achieving police reform may be long, but we must not tire. Instead, we must press on in honor of those we have lost and to prevent more Black men and women from falling victim to the same fate.
San Pedro, CA-- Following a shooting that injured five on Saturday night at Royal Palms Beach in San Pedro, Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn and Los Angeles City Councilmember Tim McOsker are announcing restricted beach hours.
Royal Palms Beach continues to be closed today at the direction of Supervisor Hahn and will reopen tomorrow. Until further notice, Royal Palms Beach will close at 4:30 pm Friday through Sunday. The beach will continue to close at dusk Monday through Thursday. These operating hours will include the beach parking lot.
“We need to balance preserving access to this beach with the demands of public safety,” said Supervisor Hahn. “This shooting was an escalation of a series of problems we have had at Royal Palms. Closing the beach early on weekends is going to help us
Michael A. Cacciotti held their first meeting as the newly elected Chair and Vice Chair of the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s (South Coast AQMD) Governing Board. San Bernardino County Supervisor Curt Hagman, Lynwood Councilmember José Luis Solache and Riverside Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson were also appointed as the newest Governing Board members.
Senator (Ret.) Delgado is the first Latina to Chair the Board in the agency’s 47-year history. Delgado was appointed to South Coast AQMD’s Governing Board in May 2019 as the Senate Rules Committee’s representative. She has served as Vice Chair of the Governing Board since May 2021.
“I want to thank my fellow Board members for nominating me to lead our team in our critical mission of cleaning the air,” said Vanessa Delgado, South Coast AQMD’s Governing
Councilmember Cacciotti joined the Governing Board in 2008 as the appointee for the Cities of the Eastern Region for Los Angeles County. He serves on the South Pasadena City Council and was a Deputy Attorney General with the State of California Department of Justice for nearly 20 years.
“I am honored to be a part of the important work that we do to improve lives for our local residents through South Coast AQMD,” said Michael A. Cacciotti, South Coast AQMD’s Governing Board Vice Chair. “I am motivated to know I have your trust and confidence as we continue to work towards our goal to reduce air pollution over the course of the coming years.”
Supervisor Hagman was appointed as San Bernardino County’s representative to South Coast AQMD at the Board of Supervisors meeting on January
California – Kisha Collier, Funded w/Lady K, Victorville was recently selected to serve on the National Small Business Association (NSBA) Leadership Council. NSBA is the nation’s oldest small-business advocacy organization and operates on a staunchly nonpartisan basis. Collier, a recognized leader in the small-business community, joins the NSBA Leadership Council alongside other small-business advocates from across the country as they work to promote the interests of small business to policymakers in Washington, D.C.
regulatory restraint, health care costs, and how access to capital will impact small business. The NSBA Leadership Council is focused on providing valuable networking between smallbusiness advocates from across the country, while ensuring that small businesses have a seat at the table as Congress and regulators take up key smallbusiness proposals.
prevent another tragedy while we work with law enforcement on a long-term strategy.”
“The tragedy of this weekend highlights why it’s so important to keep our beaches and our parks safe,” said Councilmember McOsker. “Our community remains shaken by the shooting that occurred last Saturday and I hope the suspects are quickly apprehended and brought to justice. Royal Palms has previously been a place of dangerous behavior so it’s critical we make adjustments now for the safety of our neighbors and beach goers.”
Today, Supervisor Hahn and Councilman McOsker met with officials from the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors to develop a public safety enhancement plan for Royal Palms.
Reparations: California Legislative Analyst’s Office Proposes "Paths" For Payments...continued from page 2 other options exist,” Alamo said. “Regardless of the path, to initiate a new agency or enact any other recommendation that makes changes to state law, fundamentally both houses from the state Legislature would have to approve the action and the governor will have to sign it.
During discussions at the Sacramento meeting, the task force began the process of clearly defining CAFAA’s role, focusing on adding clarity to the agency’s mission as overseer for other entities offering reparations in the form of assistance to Californians who qualify.
After a two-hour spirited debate at the meeting – the 13th convening of the task force so far -- all nine-members agreed that CAFAA that would have specified powers and its structure would include an administrative body that guides implementation.
“The proposed entity would be an agency, independent agency, that would provide services where they don’t presently exist (and) provide oversight to existing (state) agencies,” task force chair Kamilah V. Moore said.
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, the task force members said. A commitment to assisting with the implementation and operation of policies and programs being considered for recommendation would also be in the purview of the agency.
The concept of CAFAA is based on the defunct federal Freedman’s Bureau. On March 3, 1865, Congress passed “An Act to establish a Bureau for the Relief of Freedmen and Refugees.” The bureau's main objective was to provide food, shelter, clothing, medical services, and land to newly freed African Americans.
Ward Connerly, the African American political activist who led the ballot initiative that outlawed Affirmative Action in California in 1996, Proposition (Prop) 209, told FOX News one day after the task force’s Sacramento meeting that offering reparations was a “bad” and a “goofy idea.”
Connerly, former President of the California Civil Rights Initiative Campaign, has made objections to reparations for about a year now as California
gets closer than any government in United States history to making amends for historical injustices committed against Black Americans.
“California is a progressive state but we’re not insane,” Connerly told FOX News on March 5. “So, I think that people of this state would rise up and say ‘no.’”
The two-day meeting in Sacramento was held at the Byron Sher Auditorium at the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) in downtown Sacramento. Both days attracted crowds, mainly comprised of interested individuals and groups from Southern California and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg attended the second day of the meeting. Steinberg is one of 11 mayors who pledged to pay reparations for slavery to Black residents in their cities.
Similar to efforts in Los Angeles, Oakland, San Francisco, and Richmond, Sacramento is focused on developing a municipal reparations initiative through the city’s ongoing Sacramento Centered on Racial Equity (SCORE) initiative.
“I wholeheartedly support reparations and think everyone should,” Steinberg told the task force panel on March 4. “If government should stand for anything, it should stand for investing in communities and people who have been the victims of discrimination and disenfranchisement for far too long.”
The task force also recommended “appropriate ways” to educate the public about the task force’s findings and future reparations actions by the state.
The charge calls for building a collective base of knowledge to inform racially diverse communities in California about reparations, appealing to different ways of learning, expanding task force discussions into mainstream conversations, and inspiring reflection and action among all residents of California.
Task force members Dr. Cheryl Grills and Don Tamaki presented the proposal.
The next two-day task force will return to Sacramento at the end of March. For more information on the next meeting, visit the California Department of Justice’s website. https://oag. ca.gov/ab3121
“As a small-business owner, I see daily the importance of being involved and active when it comes to laws and regulation,” stated Collier. “Joining NSBA’s Leadership Council will enable me to take our collective small-business message to the people that need to hear it most: Congress.”
As a Philanthropreneur, who has been an entrepreneur since the age of 19, it is important to Collier that her work builds a legacy that impacts the broader community. As the CEO/Founder of Funded w/Lady K, it is her mission to support nonprofits and small businesses to increase their impact to achieve social change that is both scalable and sustainable through service, support, and advocacy.
Collier joined the NSBA Leadership Council as part of her efforts to tackle the many critical issues facing small business, including tax reform,
“I am proud to have Kisha Collier as part of our Leadership Council,” stated NSBA President and CEO Todd McCracken. “She came to us highly recommended, and I look forward to our coordinated efforts for years to come.”
Please click here to learn more about Funded w/Lady K.: https:// fundedwithladyk.com/
For more on the NSBA Leadership Council, please visit www.nsba.biz
Funded w/Lady K, “Bridging the Gap Between Wealth and Equity Through Entrepreneurship” is your one-stop concierge service to starting, managing, funding, and scaling your missiondriven organization. We provide sustainable solutions to running a high impact BIPOC & WomenOwned nonprofits and small businesses so the visionaries, founders, and entrepreneurs can go out there and solve some of the world’s most pressing problems.
Senator (Ret.) Vanessa Delgado is First Latina to Chair South Coast AQMD Governing Board in 47Year History...continued
24th. As Supervisor, he represents San Bernardino County’s Fourth District, which includes the cities of Chino, Chino Hills, Montclair, Ontario and the southern portion of Upland. He succeeds Janice Rutherford, who has termed out of office.
Councilmember José Luis Solache was appointed to the Board on February 27th.
Councilmember Solache was elected to the Lynwood City Council in 2013. Prior to serving on the City Council, Solache was elected to the Lynwood Board of Education in November 2003, making him the youngest Latino board member of Lynwood Unified School District. He succeeds Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson.
Mayor Lock Dawson was appointed to the Board on February 28th. Dawson was
elected Riverside’s 18th mayor in 2020 and is the first UC Riverside graduate and second woman to be elected to Riverside’s only citywide office in its 150-year history. She has an extensive record of service to Riverside, the Inland Southern California region and the state. She succeeds former City of Riverside County representative Ben J. Benoit. South Coast AQMD's Governing Board adopts policies and regulations that promote clean air within its four-county area and typically meets at South Coast AQMD's Diamond Bar headquarters on the first Friday of each month.
For more information, and
to view the Governing Board’s annual meeting schedule, visit: http://www.aqmd.gov/nav/about/ governing-board
As a homeowner, you may be searching for ways to lower your monthly utilities. Water conservation has always been one way to do it. But today, saving water is becoming more of a necessity than a cost-saving measure. It’s now critical to ensure we all have enough.
Recent droughts and water cleanliness issues are making accessing adequate amounts of clean water more difficult, and unfortunately, the problem is growing. Climate change combined with current usage volumes will strain resources further each year.
Water conservation has grown from a seasonal necessity to a year-round commitment.
Doing the work efficiently and in a cost-effective manner requires everyone’s individual participation. The good news is that there are easy ways to reduce water usage at home while lowering water and heating bills simultaneously. This article explains how to save water at home. We cover everything from home products to lifestyle changes that minimize water waste. We also dive into why this work is so important right now.
Water Conservation: It’s More Important Than You May
Know
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. population has doubled since 1970. At the same time, the usage of water has tripled. Additionally, 40 states expect water shortages by 2024, and scientists warn that many areas of the U.S. could see water supplies reduced by as much as one-third in as little as 50 years. It’s clear that water usage needs to change now and over the long term.
The issue of water scarcity also extends beyond U.S. borders. Water shortages are increasing worldwide due to hotter temperatures, less snowmelt, overuse of aquifers, and less waterfall. Water limits threaten crop production and farm profitability while affecting businesses and lives closer to home with higher water bills and increased water bans. It even leads to something that you may not think about: increased health risks.
According to Scientific American:
Damns, piping, and water treatment facilities are reaching their life spans, affecting water availability and purity.
Drought areas create higher concentrations of chemicals in stored water.
Sudden increases in water
from massive storms caused by climate change add more sediment to water than treatment facilities can handle, resulting in additional notices to boil and ration water.
Climate change has brought more fires that deposit ash and debris into reservoirs, reducing the amount of usable water.
Climate change is also affecting the country’s dry and wet areas. According to National
Geographic:
Dryer areas of the country have less water.
Wetter areas of the country experience water surges so large that they’re difficult to capture.
Snowmelt occurs earlier in the year, filling rivers quicker in the spring and providing less water further into the year.
Additionally, increased temperatures and population numbers will only exacerbate the problem further. Simply put, there is a decreasing supply and rising demand for water, and it won’t end soon.
The Water Crisis in the United States
Water shortages are increasing globally but seeing them closer to home puts the issue in perspective. Here are just a few examples of issues in the U.S.
The Colorado River, which feeds water to seven states, has shrunk 20% over the last two decades and will shrink an additional 9% per each degree of warming.
California is in its driest period on record.
Arizona is under permanent drought conditions.
South Florida aquifers are being overused, leading to saltier water.
Cities across the country are experiencing issues of tainted water, including:
Houston, Texas
Jackson, Mississippi
Honolulu, Hawaii
Las Vegas, New Mexico
Baltimore, Maryland
dishwasher simultaneously, and make sure they have full loads
Minimize garbage disposal usage by composting
Place a rubber brick in the toilet to limit the amount of water being flushed
Don’t clean your driveway or patio with water
Use water strategically for your landscaping. How? Check out our article devoted to intelligent lawn care.
More Involved Changes That
Boost Your Conservation Further
Increase mulch in lawns
Fighting these issues costs money — and a lot of it. At the same time, expanding on traditional solutions like reservoirs and mining aquifers have environmental and fiscal costs.
Desalination works, but doing the work comes at twice the cost of handling freshwater. Moving water from wet to dry areas is expensive and sometimes too complex.
At the same time, providing clean water in highly affected areas, such as Jackson, Mississippi, is expensive, logistically challenging, and time-consuming.
U.S. dams were built to last 50 years, but their median age today is 60 years, and many conditions of the dams are still unrated.
There are 850 water main failures daily nationwide, each requiring repair that comes at a cost.
13 Lifestyle Changes You Can
Make at Home to Save Water
Adopting ways to conserve water is key for reducing water loss and minimizing the spending needed for improved water storage and conveyance, and the proof is in the data. Here you can see how much water is used in your state and how water conservation by all your state’s residents drastically reduces usage.
How do you do it in your backyard? It’s easier and cheaper than you may think. In fact, many solutions cost no money at all. Here are some of the best strategies for saving water in the home:
Changes You Can Do Today
Use cold water for laundry
Take showers instead of baths
Check and fix leaky faucets and pipes monthly/quarterly
Stop using your toilet as a garbage can
Purposefully boil water to decrease waste (limit excess water) Run your clothes and
noted Native American voters are “uniquely situated to benefit from this executive order.”
Although “Native Americans do not regularly interact with state agencies, such as the DMV, where many Americans are provided with the most meaningful registration opportunity,” she said, the situation is different when it comes to federal agencies “in a government-to-government capacity and in fulfillment of their treaty rights.”
Build a rain garden, a concave section of ground at your roofline. The depression collects water to create a natural, hassle-free planting area.
Xeriscape your lawn. Xeriscaping is a landscaping technique involving plants that require very little water.
Change your diet. Believe it or not, the food you eat is one-half of your water footprint. Not all foods require the same amount of water. Click here to learn more about it.
Home Updates That Reduce
Water Usage
In addition to the rainwater barrels listed above, here are products that prevent water waste at home.
Small Updates
Brita/water holder
Aerated faucet
Cold water laundry pods
Medium Updates
Tap sink nozzles
Soil moisture meter
Smart/intelligent faucets
Large Updates
Upgrade your windows
Low-flow toilets
Energy-efficient washing machines
High-efficiency toilets
Smart home water monitors
See What Your Current Water
Consumption Looks Like
You can gain more clarity on exactly how much water you use daily. You may find you use more water than you think. This Water Footprint Calculator helps you drill down on every home activity to help you estimate just how much water you use and where you can taper down.
Following this and the other strategies above will significantly reduce water usage to keep your bills down and provide more water for everyone. You will do a world of good.
order,” she said, is the General Services Administration’s vote. gov website.
Despite the GSA being specifically singled out in the executive order to modernize and improve the site, which many other agencies use in their voter registration efforts, “unfortunately, it’s just not all that user-friendly, or fully accessible to voters with disabilities and limited English proficiency.”
The Department of the Interior was one of just three agencies of the 10 covered in the report deemed “on the right track” for providing high-quality voter registration services at two universities it operates.
At the other end of the spectrum, Indian Health Services was rated “falling behind” for showing “no signs of follow-through” on its initial commitment to offer registration to its clients: “2.5 million of the most underserved Native Americans yearly,” De Leon said.
De Leon commended the Department of Veteran Affairs’ pilot programs in Kentucky, Michigan and Pennsylvania and its nonpartisan information about registration and elections on its website. Treasury, by boosting voter registration access at IRS tax preparation clinics and training staff in the process, also got an “on the right track” designation.
Meeting eligible voters where they’re at
“One of the single most impactful actions that the Biden administration can take under this executive order,” said Laura Williamson, of Demos, is for the Department of Health and Human Services to improve the voter registration element of its website healthcare.gov. Millions of people use the website annually, she said.”
For these people to be able to vote, she said, “is integral to the agency’s mission. HHS itself has found that voting is a social determinant of health.”
Although HHS initially vowed to integrate voter registration into its site, Williamson said, “that was well over a year ago and it hasn’t happened. It must.”
Along similar lines and “critical to the entire executive
The Justice Department’s Marshal Service, which oversees people in federal pretrial custody, and Bureau of Prisons have both made “modest initial efforts” to ensure that eligible people in their custody have access to registration and voting, Williamson said, “but both agencies have more work to do to meet the mandate. Voting is a right, not a privilege.”
Terry Ao Minnis, of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, echoed De Leon’s comments about Indian Health Services, one of three agencies deemed “falling behind.”
So is the Department of Education, which, besides not following through on modest commitments made in response to Biden’s order, should add voter registration information to its FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) process, the report suggests.
In the 2020-2021 cycle, FAFSA had 18 million student applicants, including 84% of all black students, 74% of Latino students and 68% of Asian American ones – “many of whom are young people not registered to vote,” Minnis noted.
And the report estimates that another 60,000 voter registrations could be added annually through the Department of Homeland Security’s Citizenship and Immigration Service, which is unique among federal agencies, Minnis pointed out, in its routine interactions with people who by nature of becoming new citizens are both eligible to vote and unregistered.
“To close out,” said Adam Lioz, of the Legal Defense Fund, “we need to restore and strengthen the Voting Rights Act, and we expect the administration’s strong voice in that fight. We appreciate the progress agencies have made and we implore the administration to finish the job on a clear and urgent timeline.”
A coalition of more than 100 civil rights and advocacy organizations is accusing the Biden administration of falling short on its “visionary” commitment to step up voter registration and that the failure to shore up voting rights is disproportionately hurting nonwhite voters.
In an early March letter to President Biden and 10 federal agencies, the coalition cited Census data showing wide discrepancies in voter registration between white voters and voters
of color.
According to the data, 77% of eligible voters who are white are registered to vote. That compares to just 69% among African American eligible voters, and 64% for Asian Americans, 63% among Native Americans and 61% among Latinos. And in the last presidential election, 63 million people otherwise eligible to vote were not registered.
Executive Order 14019
weeks of taking
anniversary
of the 1965 historic “Bloody Sunday” march for voting rights through Selma, Alabama, Biden issued executive order 14019, “Promoting Access to Voting.”
The move was intended to expand voter registration opportunities in federal agency programs.
Two years later, at a March 2 press briefing, members of the coalition offered a new report, “Strengthening Democracy:
A Progress Report on Federal Agency Action to Promote Access to Voting,” assessing the work of 10 federal agencies in implementing Biden’s order.
Three are “on the right track,” the report found, but “most have either made minimal progress on their initial strong commitments or have left important opportunities on the table.”
Were they to “integrate a high-quality voter registration opportunity for the people they serve,” said Jesselyn McCurdy, of
the Leadership Conference, those agencies “could collectively generate an additional 3.5 million voter registration applications per year.”
She continued, “While state after state imposes more barriers to the ballot, a divided Congress gives us little hope for restoring and strengthening the voting rights we so desperately need… Not since the Jim Crow era have we seen such opposition to freely casting and accurately counting our ballots.”
McCurdy added that “with legislation stalled for the foreseeable future, we are looking to the Biden-Harris administration to do everything within their executive power to protect the right to vote.”
Registering Native American voters Jacqueline De Leon of the Native American Rights Fund
Thursday, March 9, 2023 LIFESTYLE/RELIGION/ENTERTAINMENT/CLASSIFIED
struggles and ambitions. It’s more than enough to keep viewers glued to multiple plights for 1h 56m (editors Jessica Baclesse and Tyler Nelson) . Everyone will feel invested in Adonis and his family. Triggered by the interloper's duplicitousness. Waiting for the reckoning and big fight.
For a first-time director, actor Michael B. Jordan lands a solid punch. As soon as the bell rings, it’s on.
Continuing a boxing movie franchise that started back in 1976, with the Oscar-winning film Rocky, and sustaining that winning spirit for 47+ years later is quite a responsibility.
Filmmaker Ryan Coogler (Creed and Creed II) was up to that task and passed it on to Jordan.
With characters established by Coogler and now further nurtured by screenwriters Keegan Coogler & Zach Baylin for Creed III, another well-written script respectively continues the legacy. Three-dimensional characters, weighty backstories, fated destinies, revenge, regret... It all pushes the narrative forward.
Former World Heavyweight Champion Adonis Creed (Jordan) has nothing to prove. His glory days, titles and legendary wins are history. Now he resides in a tony part of L.A., comfortably rich. His very understanding and emotionally stabilizing wife Bianca (Tessa Thompson, Passing) keeps him grounded.
Their young daughter Amara (Mila Davis Kent) adores him.
He owns the Delphi Academy where boxers train and the current WHC Felix Chavez (Jose Benavidez) is coached by his old friend Tony “Little Duke” Burton (Wood Harris, TV’s Empire). Minus his mom’s (Phylicia Rashad) failing health, life is good.
One day an old buddy and boxing mentor from his teenage years shows up. When Damian Dame Anderson (Jonathan Majors, Last Man in San Francisco), an ex-con, appears in a parking lot, the old boyz from the hood reunion seems uncomfortable. Dame: ‘I just got out.” Adonis: "What’s the plan? Dame: “I wanna be champ!” On the surface, the ex-boxer just wants a chance to compete. Underneath, something is burning like a man wronged looking for payback. With love and generosity, Adonis takes his old buddy into his life and heart. Mistake?
The screenplay takes its time building the characters and giving them deep emotions, from happiness and sadness, to fear and rage. That thoughtfully drawn blueprint pulls viewers into the Creeds and Dame's lives,
The Partnership Will Accelerate the Hair Care Brand’s Access to More Black Women and Rapidly Expand Its Community Investments; Mielle and P&G Each Commit $10 Million to Expand Impact of the Mielle Cares Charity
(Black PR Wire) CINCINNATI
– P&G Beauty and Mielle
Organics®, a popular textured hair care brand rooted in natural ingredients, announced recently that it will join P&G Beauty, pending regulatory approval, further expanding access to healthy hair products and services for Black women around the world.
Founded by wife-andhusband duo Monique and Melvin Rodriguez in 2014, Mielle Organics has become a leading brand for consumers with textured hair through innovative, technology-driven products, natural ingredients, and inspirational and educational content.
Mielle will continue to be led by co-founders Monique and Melvin Rodriguez, as CEO and COO, respectively, and will operate as an independent subsidiary of P&G Beauty.
“From the moment we stepped into P&G, we saw a diverse team of leaders who share our values and vision for innovation, education and community empowerment, including several Black leaders who play a key role in the hair care and beauty businesses,” said Monique Rodriguez, co-founder and CEO. “This partnership gives Mielle an opportunity to serve more textured hair consumers with the great products and formulas that our community loves.”
“Today is a remarkable moment for our brand and for
Largely, the movie doesn’t disappoint. Even when some dramatic scenes drag, like an elongated lunch in a diner scene with Dame and Adonis. Or when Adonis confesses his feelings, or lack of, to Bianca. These extended moments could have been a snooze. But the script is earnest, the actors are deep into their craft, Jordan’s direction is fluid and Kramer Morgenthau’s eye-catching cinematography makes the visuals strong.
Maybe the real measure of Jordan’s creative abilities is best displayed in the boxing scenes. He doesn’t disappoint. Fights with Chavez, Dame and Adonis are innovatively shot. Especially the final fight when it seems like the two boxers are in a world of their own. They are. The camera is invisible as it zooms around like a ghost. The attractive sets (production designer Jahmin Assa) disappear. The focus is on two pugilists working out their demons and trying to punch or mindf--k their way to victory.
With most of the Rocky and Creed movies, the protagonist is so beaten, far down on his luck and victimized by misfortune that a comeback seems impossible. You have to root for them. That’s the secret sauce. But here, Dame is the one who has that hunger. After spending almost two decades in prison, recovering from an incident as an adolescent that estranged him from Adonis and crashed
his boxing career, winning can be his only salvation. On the other hand, Adonis is a bit boujee. He isn’t broke. He isn’t desperate. Only one of them has the real eye of the tiger, and the flaw is that it isn’t the Rocky-type main character.
The musical playlist jumps right from the gitgo, with beats by Big Sean, Ari Lennox, Kehlani and J. Cole. While Joseph Shirley’s score rocks the house too. Sylvester Stallone’s presence is missed as the weathered champ turned trainer Rocky Balboa—a bridge to the past. But the cast finds their own way. Thompson exhibits a wonderful sensitivity as the family-focused, career-minded and loving quintessential modern Black woman. Benavidez, an actual boxing pro, brings a touch of realism to the Felix character, as does Selenis Leyva (Orange is the New Black), who plays his manager.
Every performance is professional, but Majors as the aggrieved Dame and Jordan as the guilt-ridden Adonis really bring the gravitas. They melt into their characters, are buff and as bromantic, envious and hateful as Cain and Abel. Working class Crenshaw in one corner. Moneyed West Los Anglian in the other. May the best man win. Admirers of this boxing saga, adults craving drama, genre fans looking for a fight and those who enjoy excellent acting will go the rounds with Creed III. Why? Because Jordan doesn’t pull any punches. He lands them.
In theaters March 3rd.
Trailer: https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=AHmCH7iB_IM
Visit NNPA News Wire Film Critic Dwight Brown at DwightBrownInk.com.
“Going through your daily life and your daily routines acting as you know that you have tomorrow promised to you. You act like there is time to waste and things can wait. You put off the things of Me and you only concern yourselves with the things of this world. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. “Walk Circumspectly, Not as Fools, but as Wise.” Because I tell you, things are going to change dramatically. Do not be one of those who I have to turn away when all is said and done. Time is of the essence. [Psalms 39:4-6; 90:12]. Do not delay! You must get yourself together if you are going to be able to survive what is coming. Turn from your procrastination! Do what I’ve told you to do, and do not waste any more time! You’ve been warned! I, the LORD, have spoken! The
time has come, and I won’t hold back. I will not change my mind, and I will have no pity on you. Therefore, “Walk Circumspectly Not as Fools, But as Wise!”
Listen, the Bible is actually very clear about what is coming. We are living in a very troubling time in this world. The world conditions have escalated from confusion to chaos. In Revelation God gives us three different accounts of the end time. These are given in the Seals, the Trumpets, and the Vials. Heed the warning as we near the Rapture and Great Tribulation prophesied in the Book of Revelation. For there is only one place to be safe and that is in Christ. So, consider today with some urgency your eternal life. With as much going on in our society and in the world today, tomorrow is not promised. “Walk Circumspectly Not as Fools, But as Wise!” And he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God. But when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and withdrew the disciples. [Acts 19:8-10]. It then became too late!
Last week, one year had passed since the Russian invasion of Ukraine took place. The war is now in its second year and there do not seem to be any promising diplomatic efforts underway to end the fighting. In the meantime, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and millions have been displaced. The impact has been felt throughout Europe, the Middle East, and beyond, particularly in places that depend on grain and fuel imports from Russia and Ukraine.
number and most potent tools of hard power.
the climb of Black entrepreneurs everywhere as we collectively continue to break barriers and accelerate the opportunities for growth,” added Ms. Rodriguez.
“I am thrilled that we will make an even greater impact in how we give back to the community.”
Both Mielle and P&G have each committed $10 million to Mielle Cares, a non-profit aimed at providing resources and support to advance education and economic opportunities in Black and Brown communities.
P&G’s investment in Mielle Cares further expands its work in advancing gender and racial equity through award-winning platforms like My Black is Beautiful and Widen the Screen.
“We founded Mielle Cares to give back to our community who has been so instrumental in the success of Mielle,” said Melvin Rodriguez, co-founder and chief operating officer for Mielle Organics. “Mielle remains committed to leading with purpose and impact and serving as a beacon in historically underserved communities.
Expanding our impact in Black and Brown communities will become an even greater focus in the years ahead.”
The news caps an impressive period of growth for Mielle.
Over the last three years, Ms. Rodriguez was able to secure funding from the New Voices Fund for Women of Color
continued on page 7
Alexandria, IN – MultiGrammy Award winning recording artist, Bill Gaither will present the Brighter The Light Tour to 20 cities during the Spring of 2023, as he brings his multi-award winning group, The Gaither Vocal Band to a dozen states during the February, March, April and May. One of those stops will take place Friday, March 17 at the Lake Avenue Church in Pasadena, CA.
For nearly half a century, Gaither, a multiple Grammy and Dove award winner, has been a musical trailblazer. His reputation as a performer, songwriter and mentor for newly-discovered artists is known world-wide. His beloved series of Homecoming CDs and DVDs continues to top the sales charts and attract an ever-increasing audience. Honors and accolades have flowed his way in bunches, including his most recent Grammy nomination for Best Roots Gospel Album of the Year for the Gaither Vocal Band Let’s Just Praise The Lord recording.
Taking the stage with Gaither and the Gaither Vocal Band, featuring Wes Hampton, Adam Crabb, Todd Suttles and Reggie Smith, will be popular female vocalist, Ladye Love Smith and talented male vocalist, Gene
McDonald, as well as Gaither’s musical entourage, comprised of Kevin Williams, Matthew Holt and Michael Rowsey.
The 2023 Spring Tour affords Gaither the opportunity continue to share the message he has been proclaiming for more than six decades. It’s that desire to spread the message of hope through music that keeps the 86-year old Indiana native thriving. “You know this world has never been very stable,” Gaither shares, “and according to God’s Word, it’s not going to be stable. We are called to be God’s people in the midst of an unstable culture. So the question is, how do we live out the power of love and grace? Do we really believe that love is the most powerful force on earth? Can we trust that the darker the night, the brighter the light? Our call is just simply to shine. The little song we learned in Sunday School was so, so true. This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. I believe that message can change the world. The darker the night, the brighter the light.”
Tickets for the 2023 Brighter The Light Tour stop in Pasadena at the Lake Avenue Church, located at 393 N Lake Avenue, are on sale now. To purchase tickets or obtain additional details visit www.gaither.com.
According to the State Department, the US has committed more than $32 billion in “security assistance” to Ukraine in the last 14 months, which includes a long list of weaponry such as tanks, antiaircraft and anti-armor systems, unmanned aerial systems, artillery, ammunition, mortars, rockets, missiles, and other matériel. This massive military aid has provided a huge boost to US defense contractors. The US already exports arms to almost 100 countries, making up roughly 37% of the global arms market, and nearly half of those exports are to the Middle East. This is in addition to military aid, much of which is required to be spent in the US on American products.
Refocusing on the US, the years between 2020 and 2022 saw the highest incidence of mass shootings in history, with 610, 690, and 647 in each year, respectively. So far in 2023, there have been 92, with more than 6,000 people killed already as a result of shootings. The country is experiencing more than one mass shooting per day already and is on pace for another year of high levels of death and injury. In the last ten years, the number of firearms produced in the US has averaged almost 10 million per year and gun ownership has remained mostly steady. Despite robust debate and advocacy, there appears to be no clear pathway to gun safety legislation on the horizon.
Domestically and globally, the US is a leader in gun and arms manufacturing and sales. For some, such rankings might be a source of pride—the US is a (the most?) powerful country, producing and selling the greatest
But what about those on the other end of the equation? While the US has several sets of laws in place to attempt to ensure that countries receiving US foreign military aid and arms sales must comply with human rights standards, it is not clear that such accountability is enforced. And in the US, mass shootings continue unabated. The victims of such US expression of power continue to mount, even as the US remains a purveyor of weaponry. Is killing and destruction what the US wants to be best at?
Joseph Nye has written about other forms of it, specifically “soft power.” Soft power is the power to attract, including by holding to a set of principles and values. Nye writes, “Firms, universities, foundations, churches, and protest movements develop soft power of their own. Sometimes their activities will reinforce official foreign-policy goals, and sometimes they will be at odds with them.”
Christians are called to speak truth to power, advocating for a justice that lifts up the value of each person, so that we each might enjoy an abundance of life that Christ promised.
On a recent visit to central and eastern Europe and church partners responding to the needs of people displaced by the Ukraine war, I had the privilege to dine with a church leader from western Ukraine. He told our small delegation, “I understand why there are more weapons sent, but do we ask how many people will be killed? We can make better decisions at a table like this than on the battlefield. If we can’t solve this [conflict] with love, bullets and tanks won’t solve it.” His plea was heartfelt and motivated by having seen the direct impact of war. From his lips to God’s ears, and to the ears of those who purport to resolve conflict by force.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Peter Makari is the Global Relations Minister for the Middle East and Europe for Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ.
“WalkMichael B. Jordan in Creed III The (Black PR Wire)
but it also increases the risk of complications from COVID-19.
According to a recent study of hospitalized patients in the US, obesity may also predispose patients to getting the virus and is the strongest predictor for COVID-19 complications.
Unfortunately, African Americans are also disproportionately affected by COVID-19. According to the CDC, 33% of those hospitalized with the virus were African Americans, compared to 13% of the US population.
Corticosteroids are great at apidly suppressing inflammation. However, they can be extremely potent drugs with side effects, so doctors will seek the lowest dose to achieve the desired benefit or use them in combination with less potent drugs.
Immunosuppressives
Immunosuppressive therapy restrains the overactive immune system by blocking the production of immune cells. However, the risk for side effects increases with the length of treatment.
B-lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS-specific inhibitors)
antagonist indicated for adults with moderate to severe systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The approval represents the first new treatment for generalized SLE in more than a decade and is the result of significant seminal research funded originally by the Lupus Research Alliance.
In addition to treatments for lupus itself, you may also take additional medications to treat lupus-related problems such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure or infection.
Why are new treatments needed?
Inequities in access to and quality of care result in poor overall health and many chronic diseases, such as obesity and diabetes.
This can affect individuals’ chances of getting COVID-19.
Obesity Care Week 2023
(OCW) kicked off on Monday, Feb. 27, with a focus on the disproportionate impact of obesity on communities of color.
Health officials responsible for OCW said racial and ethnic minorities have a higher rate of chronic diseases. African Americans have the highest rate of chronic diseases.
According to recent data, almost 50% of African Americans have obesity, and approximately 4 out of 5 Black women have overweight or obesity.
The causes of obesity are complex, and a person’s access to healthy food, safe places to exercise and play, stable and affordable housing, access to quality health care, and social attitudes about body weight all play a role in whether a person will have obesity.
However, communities of
For example, in the United States, only 8% of African Americans live in a census tract with a supermarket, while 31% of white Americans have one.
This means that minorities more often shop in small stores or bodegas or eat at fast food restaurants. These places usually have less fresh food and more processed food.
Cultural attitudes about body weight also play a role, with non-Hispanic white women more satisfied with their body size than non-Hispanic Black women, and Hispanic women more interested in losing weight and eating healthy.
Evidence shows that the African American population has less of an impact on existing weight loss interventions, with
Black men and women achieving smaller weight losses.
Founded in 2015, Obesity Care Week has a global vision for a society that values science and clinically based care and understands, respects, and accepts the complexities of obesity. color face unique challenges in each of these areas, health officials stated.
Health officials noted that this suggests that intensive behavioral programs result in lower levels of adherence in Black people than whites.
Founded in 2015, Obesity
Care Week has a global vision for a society that values science and clinically based care and understands, respects, and accepts the complexities of obesity.
Organizers have focused on changing the way society cares about obesity and have worked to empower individuals by providing affordable and comprehensive care and prevention programs, increasing awareness of weight bias, and working to eliminate obesity.
Researchers said obesity not only affects overall health,
The communities in which African Americans live may place them at greater risk for developing chronic illnesses. For example, they may not have access to healthy foods or safe places to play or exercise.
For people who try to eat healthy, living in a food desert means that they must go to a grocery store.
They often must do this by public transportation.
These disparities need to be addressed so that all communities have the resources and support they need to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
“Obesity Care Week 2023 highlights the need for comprehensive and inclusive approaches to obesity care that consider the unique challenges faced by communities of color,” organizers stated.
Travel ...continued
providing access to thousands of workouts, from high-intensity interval training to yoga, and meditation too. Get protection. Prior to traveling, take time to review your health insurance plan and confirm what it covers. Some health plans only offer network access to local health care professionals, and most insurance policies — including original Medicare — do not extend overseas or across the border. For additional protection
With spring break coming up soon, many California residents may be planning a getaway to visit with family and friends in other parts of the country or to explore an international destination.
While spring-time travel can be a chance to reconnect with loved ones or visit someplace new, it can also present challenges. Any number of factors can lead to packed airports, and bad weather can cause annoying delays and cancellations. What’s more, nearly one in 10 international passengers end up requiring medical attention while traveling abroad. It all highlights the importance of pre-travel preparation.
To help minimize potential stress and reduce the risk of health-related issues while away from home, here are five tips to think about:
Anticipate potential health issues. Consider a wellness checkup with a primary care doctor before departure to talk about travel plans, including the possible need for vaccinations. Packing a portable health kit may also prove helpful, so consider including items such as antiinflammatory pain relievers, first-aid supplies, earplugs, sunscreen and sunburn relief, motion-sickness remedies and insect repellents.
Refill medications. Before any trip, it is a good idea to refill
medications and pack extra doses in case of travel delays. Some pharmacies may have limited hours during peak holidays, which could make a refill more difficult. When traveling by airplane, always pack medication in carry-on luggage to help ensure access. For international travel, be sure to check prescription drug restrictions for each country to help avoid the risk of medications being confiscated upon arrival. Reduce jet lag. People taking to the air can face the possibility of jet lag. To help avoid this, get lots of rest before a trip, and drink plenty of water before, during and after flights to reduce the dehydrating effects of cabin air. Then, make a point to get plenty of sunlight during the day, which can help to reset the body’s internal clock and promote better rest at night. Proper sleep can help strengthen the immune system, better regulate appetite and aid in recovery from injury.
Stay active. Studies have shown that exercise is a great choice for helping to reduce stress and improve mood. Incorporating physical activity into sightseeing is one strategy for staying active, as many places offer walking or bike tours that can be relatively affordable, informative and fun. Using a fitness app may also help,
abroad, travel medical plans may cover the cost of medical care and offer additional services. These may include foreignlanguage translation, direction to appropriate facilities or help with evacuation to other facilities and coordinated care with local health providers. Whether traveling for work or leisure, considering these tips can help avoid health issues, promote well-being and protect against unexpected complications.
B-lymphocyte stimulator (BlyS) protein inhibitor, a type of biologic medication, can help lower the number of abnormal B cells that create antibodies. Benlysta® (belimumab), one of two medications now approved specifically for lupus treatment, is a BLyS-specific inhibitor. Belimumab was approved in 2011 as a treatment for general systemic lupus erythematosus and in 2020 as a treatment for lupus nephritis.
Voclosporin Lupkynis™ (voclosporin) is a calcineurin inhibitor used as an immunosuppressant medication. It was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of lupus nephritis in January 2012.
Type I interferon receptor antibody
In August 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved anifrolumabfnia (Saphnelo™), a first-inclass type I interferon receptor
Just two drugs specifically for lupus have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in more than 60 years, with over a decade in between. Because lupus affects each person differently and the symptoms vary widely, no one medication can work for everyone.
A variety of medications that target different mechanisms involved in causing the disease as well as options with fewer and less severe side effects are critically needed.
In order to get the proper treatment to effectively treat your lupus, it is important to work with members of your health care team. Ultimately, your treatment plan will depend on your age, symptoms, general health, and lifestyle. Keep in mind that it can take months – or even years – to find the right combination of medicines to control your symptoms. Your medication may also need to be adjusted as your symptoms and your needs change, so it is important to have regular exams and lab tests to track your lupus.
from page 6 and a subsequent nine-figure investment from Berkshire Partners at a time when less than one percent of Black women secured $1 million in funding.* “This moment was made possible by our hardworking team, the visionaries who came before us, and the trust and partnership with investors like New Voices and Berkshire Partners,” said Ms. Rodriguez. “Now we can pay it forward by continuing the cycle of investment and mentorship through Mielle Cares.”
“Monique, Melvin and their entire team have done an incredible job building Mielle Organics into a leading hair care brand beloved by millions of Black women, and we’re excited to help them continue their success,” said Lela Coffey, vice president of P&G’s multicultural hair care business.
“P&G Beauty’s role will be to support the Mielle Organics team with what they need to achieve their vision – including increased access in Black and Brown communities and investing in research and innovation – while enabling the core tenets of their success to continue as they are today.”
“P&G Beauty is a best-inclass organization, and we are excited that this partnership will bring additional resources so that Mielle can continue to serve our incredible customers with rapid innovation and greater reach in the community,” Ms. Rodriguez said. “Melvin and I will continue to lead Mielle with the focus on excellence, customer commitment and integrity that have been the core of our brand since day one nearly nine years ago.”
If you have lupus, you’re probably taken aback by the fact that it is incurable, but the good news is there is no shortage of treatment options, and with the right treatment you can live a healthy life. Today, doctors have more choices to help patients manage lupus effectively because the range and effectiveness of treatments have increased in recent decades.
What are your treatment options?
Because there is no cure for lupus; treatment focuses on managing symptoms, stopping flare-ups, lowering disease activity, preventing organ damage and improving quality of life.
Looking for the right treatment, but don’t know where to start?
The Lupus Research Alliance breaks down what each treatment is:
Nonsteroidal anti-
inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which decrease inflammation, are often used to treat people with joint or chest pain, fever and swelling. Some NSAIDs, like ibuprofen and naproxen, are available over the counter, while others require a doctor’s prescription. They can be used alone or in combination with other types of drugs, but before you do this, it is wise to consult with your doctor to ensure it is safe.
Antimalarials While antimalarial drugs prevent and treat malaria, they’re also useful for lupus. A common antimalarial for lupus, hydroxychloroquine, may be used alone or in combination with other drugs to treat fatigue, joint pain, skin rashes and lung inflammation. Clinical studies have found that regular use of antimalarials may prevent flares from recurring.
Corticosteroids
Corticosteroids are a family of drugs related to cortisol, a natural anti-inflammatory hormone.
“The results of the study were clear in that surgical masks, N95 masks, did not make a difference in the transmission of Covid or the flu,” Hakim said.
“The mask is a small piece of a much bigger shield that we have against COVID. I would use the bigger piece of the shield, which is a vaccine, and I would not recommend masks for the general population,” Hakim added. Like Schaffner and Gandhi, he recommended masks for vulnerable populations.
Kids and masks
He said the Cochrane review looked at a few studies that were specifically for children, and those results were even more definitive.
“Kids are the worst at keeping things on. You’d be lucky if you have a kid with their pants on at the end of the day let alone having a mask on that increases humidity, increases difficulty of breathing, and it’s just overall uncomfortable,” Hakim said.
They’re constantly touching things, wiping their nose, taking
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their mask off to eat and drink. They share pencils and pens that have been in other kids’ mouths. And teenagers are horrendous at being compliant, Hakim added.
Like Schaffner and Gandhi, Hakim recommended wearing masks for vulnerable people.
“If we could provide masks particularly to those high-risk people, I think that might … increase the trust because we’re not imposing the masks on them, but making them available, so that people feel more comfortable and reassured that it’s a good thing to do,” says Hakim.
All three speakers agreed that as studies like the Cochrane report reveal new findings about the efficacy of preventive care, these should not diminish public trust.
“One of the most difficult things for the general public to understand is that we will give you our best advice today but if we learn something tonight, we may have to change that advice tomorrow, and that this is an ongoing process,” Schaffner says.
In anticipation of the March
31, 2023, end to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency protections for Los Angeles County residents receiving MediCal benefits, the Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) is asking customers to update their contact information to help keep their coverage active.
Medi-Cal – California’s version of Medicaid – provides free or low-cost healthcare coverage for 3.7 million L.A. County residents with limited income and resources.
(Black PR Wire) Women have truly come a long way. There was a time when women couldn’t vote, own property, join the military, or even wear pants. But times are changing and women are breaking the glass ceiling each and every day.
We have seen Black women accomplish many firsts; from Madam C.J. Walker, first Black woman to be a self-made millionaire to Ella Fitzgerald, the first Black woman to win a Grammy, we were trailblazers paving the way for others to dream big, and many did just that. Sistas like The Honorable Kamala Harris, the first woman and the first Black vice president of the United States; and The Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman United States Supreme Court Justice, have not only achieved tremendous success, they have
forever shattered the glass ceiling in our nation.
Let’s continue to honor and uplift women everywhere and pay homage to those who have made it possible for us to be here today. As we recognize National
Women’s History Month, Black PR Wire will also feature and honor “Sistas Who Succeed!”
If you have a sista in your organization to recognize, be sure to send it to us at newsroom@ blackprwire.com.
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pandemic.
Medi-Cal health coverage will not stop on March 31. DPSS will, over the next 12 months, reassess every case to determine ongoing eligibility. Therefore, it is essential that Medi-Cal beneficiaries ensure that we have their most updated contact information, including names, addresses, telephone numbers, and email address.
Late last year, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, which established the end of the COVID 19 public health emergency as March 31, 2023. This action also ended the continuous health coverage protections in place during the
The Alameda County sheriff’s took them for burglar suspects
By Kalyn Womack
During this time, beneficiaries will receive a renewal form in the U.S. mail. The form should be completed and returned as soon as possible in the pre-paid return envelope provided.
The form can also be submitted online, in-person or by phone.
For more information, please visit the Department of Health Services Keep your Coverage Page or visit the DPSS Website.
A mother and her two daughters were unlawfully arrested outside a Starbucks in 2019 for being Black and minding their business. Now, the county sheriff’s office owes them $8.25 million in settlement money for violating their civil rights, per Fox 2 KTVU.
A few years ago, Alameda County sheriff’s deputies approached Aasylei Loggervale and her two teenage daughters while they sat parked outside a Starbucks. The report says the family had been driving from Nevada to take the eldest daughter to a statistics exam at Berkeley College. The deputies approached their vehicle, unprovoked, and told the women they were on patrol for car burglaries committed by Black men. Suddenly, the conversation turned into an interrogation as the deputies began badgering Ms. Loggervale with questions.
The encounter escalated from questioning the validity of her handicap tag to grabbing her out of her vehicle to put her in handcuffs.
The deputies also demanded to see the elder Loggervale’s identification, which she declined to provide. Under the 4th Amendment, citizens have the right to be free from
unreasonable searches, which includes being asked for ID if an officer can’t articulate that a person has committed a crime.
“Ms. Loggervale did not want to engage further with defendants because as a Black person, she feared the encounter could result in serious physical harm or death to her and/or her daughters,” the original civil suit stated.
Still, the deputies arrested the women, put them in the back of their patrol car and searched their trunk.
They were never told why they were being detained - for an hour at that - but were released without any charges. Instead, they left with the trauma of being treated like a criminal while having done nothing wrong. In their lawsuit, they accused the deputies of false arrest, invasion of privacy, negligence and violations of their 1st, 4th and 14th Amendments. The internal investigation into the deputies actions found they did nothing wrong. However, a grand jury found the deputies and the county liable for the accusations indicated in the lawsuit.
“I think what makes me upset is that the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office didn’t take the initiative to correct what to me seems like such an easy thing to have corrected early on. And instead, they wanted to sweep it under the rug,” said their family attorney, Craig Peters via Fox 2. It was swept so far under the rug the two deputies accused of implicit bias have been promoted to sergeants.
Viola Fletcher, a 108-yearold survivor of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, has become a Ghanaian citizen alongside her 101-year-old brother, Hughes Van Ellis.
The historic event took place on Tuesday, February 28, at Ghana’s embassy in Washington, where Fletcher and Ellis were formally sworn in as citizens of Ghana.
The ceremony was marked by lively music from African musicians and the energetic dancing of young children.
It marked the first time that anyone had been sworn in as a citizen at the Ghana Embassy.
“I’m so grateful to all. I thank you so much for this honor,” Fletcher, known as Mother Fletcher, said before signing her citizenship papers.
Her brother echoed Fletcher.
“I’m so thankful to Ghana, and all of you,” Ellis, known as Uncle Red, asserted.
Notable attendees at the ceremony included Oklahoma State Rep. Regina Goodwin, news personality Tiffany Cross, and Ambassador Erieka Bennett.
Ambassador Bennett emphasized that being African is not defined by birthplace, but by one’s connection to the continent.
“You don’t have to be born in Africa to be an African,” the Ambassador declared. “Africa is born in you.”
Cross, the former MSNBC anchor, spoke of feeling the spirit of Africa and her ancestors in the room, while Goodwin expressed pride for Fletcher and Ellis’s survival as proof that the African spirit cannot be broken.
“This is what it’s all about,” Cross related. “The spirit of Africa, it’s powerful and rich history.”
Fletcher and Ellis’s acquisition of Ghanaian citizenship is a significant milestone in their
long and remarkable lives. As survivors of one of the worst race massacres in American history, their journey to Ghana represents a symbolic homecoming and a powerful reminder of the resilience and perseverance of the African spirit.
The ceremony also highlighted the importance of recognizing the contributions of the African diaspora and their continued connection to the continent.
As Africa continues to strive for unity and progress, Bennett said events like this serve as an inspiration to all those seeking to embrace their heritage and contribute to a brighter future for the continent.
“Ghana is so welcoming, and it is for everyone,” Bennett stated, concluding that she wanted all throughout the diaspora to know they can visit or even live there.
“Welcome home,” she said.