SB American News Week Ending 3/27

to discern the truth, it is incumbent on Black journalism to communicate real stories about real people and do so truthfully irrespective of favor or profit lately.”

Clyburn said using Black publications to reach Black voters is imperative because many crucial historic decisions have been decided by an incredibly small margin.

was released March 16, 1827 by Samuel Eli Cornish and John Brown Russwurm in New York City. Titled “Freedom’s Journal,” the men made clear why they created the publication in the very first issue, writing:

“We wish to plead our own cause. Too long have others spoken for us. Too long has the publick been deceived by misrepresentations in things which concern us dearly….”

This Women’s History Month, Regional Philanthropist Leader Talks Career, Finances and Motivation

Women’s History Month is a time to come together to celebrate and recognize the achievements and contributions of women throughout the years. For this Women’s History Month, we sat down with Alicia Wilson, Head of Regional Philanthropy for North America at JPMorgan Chase to learn about her career journey, what motivates the work she does and how you can take charge of your career and finances.

Sponsored by JPMorgan Chase

What has been key to your success throughout your career?

they’ve been wanting and working towards. So start now!

How has your local community shaped you?

a population often targeted with misinformation.

“We believe that getting out the Black vote is of grave concern and failure to do so will be leaving us in the hands of systemic inequalities that threaten what we believe to be our inalienable rights in the pursuit of life, liberty and justice for all,” said Bobby Henry, NNPA chairman and publisher of the Westside Gazette in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

Congressman James E. Clyburn, the U.S. Representative for South Carolina’s District 6, spoke via video message about the importance of Black newspapers. He touched on the luncheon’s theme: “Getting out the Black Vote in America.”

“In 2024 the role of the Black press will be more important than ever in convincing Black voters of the power of one vote,” said Clyburn. “In a digital age where disinformation spreads rapidly on social media, where many politicians lie with impunity and where technological advancements– like artificial intelligence– make it difficult

“Reconstruction came to an end by one vote: 185 to 184. Jim Crow became the law of the land by one vote: eight to seven,” said Clyburn. “We must ask the Black community: ‘Are you going to be that one vote that brings in what everybody has been traditionally calling ‘the second Reconstruction?’”

“If we want to galvanize the Black community this election year, we must make them aware of the possible consequences and that means communicating authentic stories about what has happened, what is happening and what is likely to happen,” he continued.

Clyburn said members of the press must ask themselves if they would like to make a “headline or headway?”

“If we want to keep our democracy, we must make headway on informing the American people,” he said.

Throughout the event, speakers honed in on the fact that since its inception, the Black Press has long kept the Black community informed and abreast of issues that impact their daily lives and inequalities that need to be addressed.

Still today, 197 years later, members of the Black Press are “pleading their own cause.”

NNPA President and CEO, Dr. Benjamin Chavis, spoke to the publishers, editors, writers and sponsors gathered, imploring them to push forward the Black Press mission of keeping the Black community informed and pushing for progress and true equality.

“When John Russwurm and Samuel Cornish stated on the front page of the first edition of Freedom’s Journal that ‘we must plead our own cause’ this was more than just an editorial comment. It was a call to action,” said Chavis. “That was a bold statement of intentionality. That was a statement that understood the importance of not– in life–striving to get along just to get along with oppression, slavery and the other denial of the humanity of African people that was used to justify the transatlantic slave trade,” said Chavis.

After speaking about the legacies of great, Black publishers who dared to start Black publications during an era in a country prone to lynchings, Chavis spoke directly to the new generation of Black Press.

“We all stand on the shoulders of brothers and sisters who stood up who spoke out –never bowing down to the evil of the world,” he said. “There’s no question about what our posture should be in 2024 and thus, today, we ask ourselves in 2024: What is our cause?”

“Is it to appease the greatgreat grandchildren of those who committed Global genocide and exploitation of African people for 500 years– what is our cause today? As we face another existential threat to our very presence and existence in America and throughout the African world– what is our cause?” quipped Chavis. “Our cause is to publish and speak truth to power. Our cause is to wake our people up and to keep our families and communities awakened to the truth and to our collective responsibilities and obligations to continue to fight for freedom, justice, equality and equity.”

Chavis said that in 2024, “the Black Press serves today the majority of 50 million African Americans who live, reside and strive every day to make ends meet.” What started as a small publication in 1827 has now inspired roughly 250 Black papers into existence.

“The Black Press today continues the legacy, cause and purpose as first published by Russwurm and Cornish, 197 years ago,” said Chavis. “The Black Press is resilient and more determined than ever before to speak out, stand up and push forward to achieve excellence and progress. The Black Press today represents the best of America and its future.”

God. Trusting him to direct my career has been central to my success. This has allowed me to focus on not just doing the best job I can do, but to help make a significant impact to those I’ve been able to touch in my more than two decades in the workplace. Growing up in Baltimore I’ve always wanted my career to impact my community, so I’m conscious of how I can use my platform, position and the opportunities around me to help make a difference.

Looking back, what is one thing you wish you knew when you were first starting out in your career?

I wish I knew that your career journey is about taking advantage of every single opportunity, and that no experience in your journey –good or bad – is a waste. Today, I try to take everything with a grain of salt and lean into any opportunity that is presented to me to learn and grow, even if it may seem scary. With a bit of dedication and hard work anything can be possible.

What are some tips for women to take charge of their career and finances?

My three tips are:

Start wherever you are and take charge of your finances and career. Do not think it’s about lost time, or what you could’ve done when you were in your 20s. You’re the only person that can drive your growth and success. Get advice from people that are doing well financially and career-wise. While we might want to go to our “comfort circle” to get advice, it’s actually about going to the “circle of discomfort” – the people that are going to be critical advisors and help you move your career and finances forward.

Be willing to take risks in your career. The people who are willing to take risks ultimately have the sort of career that

Everything about who I am, how I lead, and what I do is inspired from the rich upbringing that I had in Baltimore. I still live in the same neighborhood I grew up in, and that’s by choice. Baltimore is a city of grit, passion, brilliance and authenticity, and this is what I try to bring to everything I do. Every single investment that I get to be part of and help craft, I’m reminded of what communities are in need of on a day-to-day basis. When I talk about philanthropy and impacting communities, I talk from a sense of felt-need versus observed-need because I’ve witnessed the challenges and it gives me a lot of joy to be a part of the solution.

What woman organization has inspired you and your career?

My community has been a lifelong collective network, including Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., a historically African American sorority, founded by college-educated women dedicated to public service with an emphasis on programs that assist the African American community. This organization has been a positive, motivating force in my life. I’ve been blessed to meet so many women that I can call on daily to get encouragement, council, advice and uplifted, and that I know are of service and scholarship who care deeply about the community.

How can people get involved to celebrate and support women at work?

I regularly participate in the JPMorgan Chase’s internal employee Business Resource Groups, Women on the Move, Black Organization for Leadership Development and Black Executive forum which enable employees to share ideas, grow professionally and connect with colleagues who have similar interests. These employee initiatives are very powerful tools to helping people not feel alone but supported at work and beyond. If your company has a similar program I encourage you to get involved. For more inspiration, whether it’s to help advance your own career or support women in your field, explore JPMorgan Chase’s Women on the Move initiative by visiting jpmorganchase.com/ impact/people/women-on-themove.

NNPA President and CEO, Dr. Benjamin Chavis, speaks on the power of the Black Press and the 2024 agenda for Black publications, 197 years after the first Black newspaper was printed on March 16, 1827. Credit: AFRO Photo / Edoghogho Joy Ugiagbe

Thursday, March 21, 2024

Calif. Officials Back Proposal That Would Require Financial Literacy Course for High Schoolers

Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media

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Next Gen Personal Finance is a nonprofit organization that provides curriculum and teacher training at no cost to nearly 100,000 educators nationwide, including 6,000 in California.

“According to an August 2023 poll from Binder Research, this initiative allows California to join 25 other states who have already made this commitment and are guaranteeing personnel finance education to high school students,” said Next Gen

Personal Finance’s co-founder Tim Ranzetta. “There’s a finance education movement happening in this country with 17 of those 25 states committing just in the past three years. It’s time that California Students receive the same opportunity to learn these essential skills.”

Ranzetta attended the news conference, held in front of the Secretary of State building. to announce the submission of the signatures with Cohen, and Berkeley High School personal finance educator Crystal Rigley.

The (CPFEI) addresses educational disparities while ensuring every California student can acquire critical life skills. Ranzetta said 546,651 valid signatures were needed to qualify an initiative for the November 2024 ballot.

In March 2023, Thurmond stated that Only 27% of California high school students attend institutions that provide personal finance classes.

In August 2022, Thurmond announced that he secured $1.4 million in private funding for teachers in California high schools to receive professional development training, courtesy of Next Gen Personal Finance, to teach financial literacy.

“It is crucial as it addresses the pressing need for financial literacy among our youth, empowering them with essential skills to navigate the complexities of personal finances,” Thurmond said in a March 12 statement issued by CPFEI.” It fosters economic empowerment, bridges

equity gaps, and, I believe, it will secure brighter economic futures for all.”

Rigley said making the high school course a requirement in California exposes students to the necessities of using a budget, building a good credit score, investing in the stock market, and helping them understand the advantages of using an individual retirement account (IRA).

Rigley teaches the basics of personal finance literacy at Berkeley High School, where the student population hovers around 3,200 pupils. During the current 2023-2024 school year, 12% of Berkeley High students were African American, White 20,9%, 15.1% Hispanic, and 7.8% Asian.

“All our young people deserve to enter adulthood with the money skills and confidence they need to thrive as adults,” Rigley said. “Although California leads the nation in many areas, we are severely failing our children with it comes to financial education.”

Making the course a requirement for graduation has faced challenges. While many experts favor including it in core curricula across the state, others see view it as yet another course that could be an obstacle to students completing their requisites for graduation. This could impact the Black graduation rate. According to the California Department of Education, only 76.8% of Black students in the state graduated

Generational Wealth Now in Reach for First-Time California Homebuyers

By Selen Ozturk

Homeownership, often the first step for generational wealth, is ever-more unaffordable for California families — especially those of color.

their parents must not currently own a home — or, if they died, must not have owned one at their passing. Those who were in the foster care system at any time also qualify.

is changing that for first-generation homebuyers with its Dream For All Shared Appreciation Loan Program.

Dream For All

The program, now in its second round thanks to $250 million from the state legislature, helped 2,000 homebuyers in its first round in April 2023. Dream For All is aimed to help another 2,000 now through a mortgagelowering loan of up to $150,000 or 20% of a house purchase price, whichever is less.

“With this program, we’re trying to jumpstart the generational wealth that owning a home can get you,” said CalHFA Information Officer Eric Johnson. “If it’s a 20% loan, for example, you do have to pay that 20% when you sell or refinance the home, plus 20% of what you’ve gained in the sale, so we can use that money to fund the next generation of new homebuyers.

To be considered a firstgeneration homebuyer, applicants must not have owned their first home in the last seven years, and

To qualify for the loan, at least one person on it must be a California resident and at least one person must be a firstgeneration homebuyer, but these need not be the same person.

Income limits also apply per county, though they are as high as $287,000 for buyers in Santa Clara County and $280,000 for San Francisco and Marin.

“It does feel a little bit strange that a low-to-moderate-income homebuyer can make that much, but that’s where California is these days,” said Johnson.

Unlike the “first come, first served” first round of loans in 2023, this application period will be a lottery randomly drawn from applications filed between April 3 and April 29, so that funds are distributed more fairly. Although no announcement date for drawn names is set after they’re audited, it will likely be the first or second week of May.

To enter the lottery, firsttime homebuyers will need a credit approval letter from one of CalHFA’s approved lenders. Those who win the loan have 90 days to find and buy a home.

There are so many Californians who have a good income, who have good jobs and credit, but haven’t been able to save up for a downpayment, not having the advantage of intergenerational wealth,” said Johnson.

Generational and racial wealth gaps

A disproportionate amount of these homebuyers are from communities of color, said Maeve Elise Brown, Executive Director and Founder of Housing and Economic Rights Advocates (HERA).

In 2023, the homeownership rate for Black U.S. households was at 45.9% — 28.6 percentage points below the white rate of 74.4%. For Latino households, the gap was a similar 25.8% below the white rate.

A 2022 poll with similar results found that 38% of white adults said they’d received at least $10,000 in gifts or loans from a relative for large expenses like a down payment, while only 14% of Black, 16% of Latino and 19% of Native American adults had.

“Though homeownership has been a generational economic driver, property values are outpacing our ability to pay them” — the average California home price is over $765,000 as of March 2024 — “and the

Calif. Officials Back Proposal That Would Require Financial Literacy Course for High Schoolers...continued

from high school in 2019-2020 and 72.5% in 2020-2021.

McCarty introduced Assembly Bill (AB) 984 last year. The legislation intended to mandate a financial literacy course for all high school students in California by the 2025-26 school year. He pulled it from consideration by the Assembly in May of 2023 without issuing an explanation.

CPFEI first announced that it would gather the signatures for a ballot measure in September, Ranzetta said.

According to (CPFEI), research shows that personal finance education results in fewer defaults and higher credit scores among young adults; lower usage of high-cost borrowing (e.g., payday loans); more students applying for scholarships and federal financial aid instead of taking out private student loans; and more people, in general, saving for retirement.

Currently, Alabama, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, Utah, and Virginia all require students to enroll in at least one personal finance course to graduate.

State Treasurer Fiona Ma, and Los Angeles Community College Board Trustee Nichelle Henderson also support the initiative.

Cohen said she has traveled across California to talk with parents about the importance of financial literacy. It’s an issue that “everyone agrees” with, she stated.

“This is a matter that is critical to the health and vitality of the entire state of California,” Cohen said. “What we are proposing here is an initiative that will continue to uplift and educate people but also reinforce critical thinking skills and good financial habits.”

Award-Winning Middle School Math Teacher And Her Husband Create Innovative Hip-Hop Math Curriculum

debt people of color carry, especially student debt, creates a downpayment and safe loan credit barrier,” said Brown.

Black bachelor’s degree holders, for instance, have an average of $52,000 in student debt, and four years after graduation they hold nearly twice as much debt as their white peers. 46% of Black student borrowers are likely to put off buying a home due to this debt.

As this wealth gap expands, the racial homeownership gap is stagnating, said Ria Cotton, a broker and owner of Cotton Realty.

As of 2022, 72% of white Americans, 63% of Asian Americans, 51% of Hispanic Americans and 44% of Black Americans owned a home.

While the overall American homeownership rate rose from 64.7% a decade prior to 65.5% in 2022, the Black-white homeownership gap rose from 26% to 29%, according to the National Association of Realtors.

“The Dream For All loan lets people historically disadvantaged from buying a home leverage that generational wealth, but we can’t stop there,” explained Cotton. “We have to start with helping communities build credit, minimize debt-to-income and save for a downpayment, and talk about what happens after you buy — from foreclosure prevention, to developing more property, to using your credit for equity, like buying a car for lower interest rates.”

“Our message with this loan program is: ‘There’s hope. It’s still possible to buy a house in California,’” added Johnson.

“We have a wealth gap in this country that’s driving unequal homeownership, and this loan shows us how much your generational legacy matters in powering through it,” said Cotton.

Nationwide -- Award-winning middle school teacher Keziah Finney and her husband, James, are the creators of Lyrical Math, an innovative curriculum that connects hip-hop culture with math. It is a research-based and data-proven math intervention program that builds confidence and mastery for students.

Based in Wilmington, Delaware, Mrs. Finney is a Certified Mathematics and Science Teacher with 20+ years of teaching experience. In addition to being an educator, she is also a hip-hop artist who uses her original music in the classroom.

How she came up with the idea

Mrs. Finney noticed early on in her teaching career how quickly students memorized and recited hip-hop songs throughout the school day. While her students walked in the hallways, socialized in the school cafeteria, or completed classwork, she would find many of them rapping popular hip-hop songs or even creating their own lyrics.

Eager to have her students engaged in the classroom as well as increase their level of comprehension, Mrs. Finney started creating hip-hop lyrics that explained the math content

she was hired to teach. When she shared the lesson lyrically, her students lit up! Their excitement for learning increased, and so did their level of comprehension.

Her husband, James, comments, “Through the use of our highly engaging videos, music, scripted teacher guidebook, and one-of-a-kind student workbook, Lyrical Math provides the necessary resources for anyone, certified teacher or not, to teach math effectively.”

Other schools and teachers are also using Lyrical Math

Mrs. Finney’s Lyrical Math program is already being used by other educators in her state. For example, the program has been recently approved for use at Charter School of New Castle (CSNC) by its Elementary School Principal and the Elementary Executive Director.

Ms. Brittani Christian, a 3rdgrade teacher at that school, is already trailblazing her way to bringing excitement into the classroom by using Lyrical Math in her classroom. After just one professional development session, she is off to an amazing start! Watch the video on YouTube here https://youtu.be/ ODIDqXcTu6s

Shown right to left are State Controller Malia Cohen, Next Gen Personal Finance’s co-founder Tim Ranzetta., and Berkeley High School personal finance educator Crystal Rigley in front of the Secretary of State building in Sacramento on March 12, 2024. Ranzetta submitted over 880,000 signatures for an initiative to be placed on the November General Election. The measure, if approved by voters, would require high school students to take a personal finance course before graduation. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey

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voters, the graduation requirement for a standard high school diploma could start as early as 20230.

Nareb Prepares Members For Major Changes To Home Sales Agent Commissions After Lawsuit Settlement

President Dr. Courtney Johnson Rose Appoints Special Task Force to Study Lawsuit Aftermath

Dr. Courtney Johnson Rose

WASHINGTON, DC—

Representing the interests of more than 100,000 Black real estate professionals, the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) announced today that it is preparing member agents and brokers for a new environment created by a lawsuit settlement that will significantly alter the compensation of agents on home sales in the United States.

NAREB, whose members are called Realtists, is a trade association that mainly represents African American real estate professionals and advocates for Black homeownership.

Last week, the National Association of Realtors (N.A.R.) settled a Missouri lawsuit challenging the decades-old system requiring the agents of home sellers to split the commission on sales with the agents of home buyers. Most commissions range between five and six percent of home sale prices. Under the settlement,

home sellers and their agents can no longer outline compensation for agents representing buyers within their MLS listings. They can, however, negotiate outside of the official listing.

NAREB President Dr. Courtney Johnson Rose acknowledged that many NAREB members may be affected by the commission changes because the majority are usually buyer’s agents.

“NAREB recognizes that this settlement, if approved by the judge, will bring dramatic changes to our industry,” Dr. Rose said. “Our members often represent Black families and individuals who struggle to raise money for the down payments needed to purchase homes due to decades of discrimination and a lack of generation wealth.

Paying the commission for their agent will be an added burden.

NAREB will help our members navigate these changes and continue to create avenues for them to thrive and help Black

Supreme Court seems favorable to Biden administration over efforts to combat social media posts

BY MARK SHERMAN

Updated 1:09 PM PDT, March 18, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court seemed likely Monday to side with the Biden administration in a dispute with Republican-led states over how far the federal government can go to combat controversial social media posts on topics including COVID-19 and election security in a case that could set standards for free speech in the digital age.

The justices seemed broadly skeptical during nearly two hours of arguments that a lawyer for Louisiana, Missouri and other parties presented accusing officials in the Democratic administration of leaning on the social media platforms to unconstitutionally squelch conservative points of view.

Lower courts have sided with the states, but the Supreme Court blocked those rulings while it considers the issue.

Several justices said they were concerned that common interactions between government officials and the platforms could be affected by a ruling for the states.

In one example, Justice Amy Coney Barrett expressed surprise when Louisiana Solicitor General J. Benjamin Aguiñaga questioned whether the FBI could call Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) to encourage them to take down posts that maliciously released someone’s personal information without permission, the practice known as doxxing.

“Do you know how often the FBI makes those calls?” Barrett asked, suggesting they happen frequently.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh also signaled that a ruling for the states

consumers achieve the dream of home ownership.”

NAREB is taking several steps, including:

Appointing a special task force that will study the projected impact of the settlement on its members, as well as the Black community. The task force will recommend how the organization can best assist its members and prevent the settlement from limiting the growth of Black homeownership. The task force will include J. Rene Walker, Texas Broker of Record for Compass Real Estate; Donnell Spivey, Exit Spivey Professional Realty Co.; Furtesha Woods, Broker, Owner - Woods Realty; Irving Cham, District Vice President, Coldwell Banker (Anywhere); Muriel WilliamsThompson, Broker/Owner, Town and Country Realty; and Julia Lashley Israel, Head of Inclusion and Belonging – Keller Williams Realty International.

Developing a Realtist Toolkit for NAREB members that will include the most relevant information and access to resources that can assist them.

Scaling up the NAREB Black Developer Academy, which was launched this year. The academy will provide technical assistance, training, and education to members who want to become real estate developers.

This can provide additional revenue avenues while helping increase the housing inventory in communities of color.

Leveraging the 100-city NAREB Building Black Wealth Tour and the NAREB National Building Black Wealth Day on April 13 to strengthen the connection between our members and the communities that they serve. While we educate Black consumers on purchasing homes and building wealth, our members will also explain the services and value they can bring to our communities.

“With NAREB at their side, our agents and brokers will flourish and impact communities like we have for the past 77 years. Our organization was founded at the peak of housing discrimination; our members have always had to be resilient as we fought for and continue to fight for democracy in housing,” Dr. Rose said, noting the training and educational courses the organization provides at various conferences throughout the year.

“NAREB is prepared to lead in this changing environment and ensure that our members, Realtists, are strong and remain valuable assets in communities,” she said. “NAREB is committed to the advancement of Black real estate professionals, increasing Black home ownership and our enduring pursuit for Democracy in Housing.”

Submission Deadline is MONDAYS by 5pm & 12 noon TUESDAYS when holiday falls on Monday

Email Press Releases to: mary@sb-american.com

Submit legals to website: sb-american.com

Cervantes Bill to Extend Application Deadline for State Financial Aid Programs

Approved by State Assembly

Government News

(SACRAMENTO) –

Today, Assembly Bill 1887

would mean that “traditional, everyday communications would suddenly be deemed problematic.”

The case Monday was among several the court is considering that affect social media companies in the context of free speech. Last week, the court laid out standards for when public officials can block their social media followers. Less than a month ago, the court heard arguments over Republicanpassed laws in Florida and Texas that prohibit large social media companies from taking down posts because of the views they express.

The cases over state laws and the one that was argued Monday are variations on the same theme, complaints that the platforms are censoring conservative viewpoints.

The states argue that White House communications staffers, the surgeon general, the FBI and the U.S. cybersecurity agency are among those who coerced changes in online content on social media platforms.

Aguiñaga put the situation in stark terms, telling the justices that “the record reveals unrelenting pressure by the government to coerce social media platforms to suppress the speech of millions of Americans.”

He said that calls merely encouraging the platforms to act also could violate speech rights, responding to a hypothetical situation conjured by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, about an online challenge that “involved

by Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside), Chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus, was approved by the State Assembly by a floor vote of 73-0. AB 1887 would extend the application deadline for state financial aid programs, including Cal Grant and the Middle Class Scholarship, from April 2 to May 2. The bill is a response to the ongoing implementation issues with the federal Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which has left many California students unable to apply for financial aid and wreaked havoc on the enrollment timeline for colleges and universities.

“I want to thank my colleagues in the Assembly—especially Speaker Robert Rivas—for working with me to send Assembly Bill 1887 to the Senate so we can extend this deadline and give California students have more time to apply for financial aid,” said Assemblymember Cervantes. “Making our students’ dreams of achieving higher education more affordable and accessible is among the Legislature’s highest duties, and I believe we have honored that duty by passing this bill today.”

In late 2020, Congress passed the FAFSA Simplification Act, which was intended to streamline the FAFSA and make it more accessible for working families. This included reducing the number of questions asked of student applicants from more than 100 questions to less than 40.

However, the implementation of FAFSA reforms has not

Supreme Court seems favorable to Biden administration over efforts to combat social media posts...continued

teens jumping out of windows at increasing elevations.”

Jackson, joined by Chief Justice John Roberts, pressed the Louisiana lawyer about whether platforms could be encouraged to remove such posts.

“I was with you right until that last comment, Your Honor,” Aguiñaga said. “I think they absolutely can call and say this is a problem, it’s going rampant on your platforms, but the moment that the government tries to use its ability as the government and its stature as the government to pressure them to take it down, that is when you’re interfering with the third party’s speech rights.”

Justice Samuel Alito appeared most open to the states’ arguments, at one point referring to the government’s “constant pestering of Facebook and some of the other platforms.” Alito, along with Justices Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas, would have allowed the restrictions on government contacts with the platforms to go into effect.

Justice Department lawyer Brian Fletcher argued that none of the actions the states complain about come close to problematic coercion and that the federal government would lose its ability to communicate with the social media companies about antisemitic and anti-Muslim posts, as well as on issues of national security, public health and election integrity.

The platforms are large sophisticated actors with no reluctance to stand up to the government, “saying no repeatedly when they disagree with what the government is asking them to do,” Fletcher said.

Justice Elena Kagan and Kavanaugh, two justices who served in the White House earlier in their careers, seemed to agree, likening the exchanges between officials and the platforms to relationships between the government and more traditional media.

Kavanaugh described “experienced government press people throughout the federal government who regularly call up the media and -- and berate them.”

been easy. Delays in necessary technological upgrades and reduced staffing levels helped contribute to the new FAFSA being made available several months late in 2023. This has led to a significant reduction in the number of students who have completed the FAFSA, as nationwide, FAFSA submissions are down nearly 33 percent compared to the previous academic year. Another lingering problem is that students with undocumented parents have experienced an error message because their parents lack a Social Security number. This has rendered these students unable to complete the FAFSA.

Assembly Bill 1887 will extend the application deadline for state financial aid programs from April 2 to May 2. This will provide students with more time to complete the FAFSA so they can access the financial resources to begin their college educations in earnest. The bill will also allow the federal government to have more time to solve the ongoing implementation issues with the new FAFSA, including the barrier that is blocking students with undocumented parents from completing their applications. It will also provide our colleges and universities with more time to make admissions decisions, provide financial aid award offers, and finalize their enrollment decisions.

Assembly Bill 1887 will next be sent to the State Senate for consideration by a Senate policy committee. Because the bill has an urgency clause, it would take effect immediately if signed into law by the Governor.

Later, Kagan said, “I mean, this happens literally thousands of times a day in the federal government.”

Alito, gesturing at the courtroom’s press section, mused that whenever reporters “write something we don’t like,” the court’s chief spokeswoman “can call them up and curse them out and say...why don’t we be partners? We’re on the same team. Why don’t you show us what you’re going to write beforehand? We’ll edit it for you, make sure it’s accurate.”

Free speech advocates said the court should use the case to draw an appropriate line between the government’s acceptable use of the bully pulpit and coercive threats to free speech.

“We’re encouraged that the Court was sensitive both to the First Amendment rights of platforms and their users, and to the public interest in having a government empowered to participate in public discourse. To that end, we hope that the Court resolves these cases by making clear that the First Amendment prohibits coercion but permits the government to attempt to shape public opinion through the use of persuasion.”

Alex Abdo, litigation director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, said in a statement.

A panel of three judges on the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled earlier that the Biden administration had probably brought unconstitutional pressure on the media platforms. The appellate panel said officials cannot attempt to “coerce or significantly encourage” changes in online content. The panel had previously narrowed a more sweeping order from a federal judge, who wanted to include even more government officials and prohibit mere encouragement of content changes.

A divided Supreme Court put the 5th Circuit ruling on hold in October, when it agreed to take up the case.

A decision in Murthy v. Missouri, 23-411, is expected by early summer.

Water is Life. The Line 5 Oil Pipeline Threatens So Much of It

By Ben Jealous

Ben Jealous

first federal campaign to address healthcare worker burnout, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) today released an evidenceinformed and actionable guide for the nation’s hospital leaders to improve healthcare worker

wellbeing – Impact Wellbeing™

Guide: Taking Action to Improve Healthcare Worker Wellbeing. This Guide is the newest addition to the Impact Wellbeing™ Campaign, launched in October 2023, and provides a step-bystep process for hospitals to start making organizationallevel changes that will impact and improve the mental health of their employees.

“The role of healthcare workers in taking care of all of us is absolutely vital to our society, to our economy, and to our culture. But our healthcare workforce needs to feel supported, too,” said John Howard, MD, Director of NIOSH. “The Guide includes six action steps to implement and accelerate professional wellbeing, which enables leaders to make systems-level changes and builds trust between leaders and healthcare workers.”

As highlighted in a recent CDC Vital Signs, health workers face a mental health crisis. The realities of our healthcare system are driving many health workers to burn out. They are at an increased risk for mental health challenges and choosing to leave the health workforce early. Leveraging CDC/NIOSH’s expertise and leadership in Total Worker Health®, NIOSH and the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation developed the new, free, evidence-informed Guide to help executive-level hospital leaders make powerful workplace improvements quickly, while taking into account the realities that many hospital systems face when it comes to finding additional time, cost, and staff to implement this work.

“We know hospital leaders have a lot of competing demands and it can be overwhelming to know where to start when working to improve professional wellbeing,” said Stefanie Simmons, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation and a board-certified emergency medicine physician and healthcare executive. “The Guide provides hospital leaders across the country the tools for

Why the measles outbreak keeps me up at night

By Helen W. Boucher

Since the beginning of this year, measles cases have been reported in eleven states spanning both coasts and heartland. The situation warrants enough concern that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a warning to doctors about renewed measles risk.

Unfortunately, vaccine skepticism is threatening to undo one of the great public health achievements of the modern era: the effective victory over this highly contagious and sometimes fatal viral infection, which is particularly dangerous for children and infants.

Many children who catch measles develop pneumonia. Other complications include brain inflammation and, in rarer cases, subacute sclerosing panencephalitis -- a deadly neurological disorder.

Measles is highly contagious -- so much so that if one person has it, up to nine out of 10 people around them will also become infected if not adequately protected. Further, measles is transmitted in the air and can remain in a room where a contagious person has been for up to two hours.

Parents nationwide need to take this threat seriously. The best way to protect your children from measles, and all preventable infectious diseases, is to follow the CDC's recommended immunization schedule.

It has been nearly a quartercentury since the United States eliminated measles -- meaning there has been no continuous transmission of the disease for 12 months or more.

The reason for measles' dangerous comeback is clear: a decline in vaccination rates in recent years. According to one investigation, at least 8,500 schools across the country have vaccination rates below 95%, the level the CDC deems necessary for effective prevention of

putting together a more cohesive wellbeing strategy, allowing them to take stock of where they are now, highlighting some of the missing pieces, and taking action to get to where they want to be.”

The Guide outlines six key steps for hospital leaders to take, which were pilot-tested and refined with a working group comprised of six U.S. hospitals: Conduct a review of your hospital’s operations to determine how they support professional wellbeing.

Build a dedicated team to support professional wellbeing at your hospital.

Remove barriers to seeking care, such as intrusive mental health questions on credentialing applications.

Develop a suite of communication tools that help you share updates with your workforce about your hospital’s journey to improve professional wellbeing.

Integrate professional wellbeing measures into an ongoing quality improvement project.

Create a 12-month plan to continue to move your hospital’s professional wellbeing work forward.

CDC/NIOSH will host a webinar series, beginning in late April 2024, for hospital leaders to learn how to use each section of the Guide. The goal is for participating hospitals to start implementing the Guide immediately after the webinar series.

CommonSpirit Health, one of the largest nonprofit health systems in the U.S., supported NIOSH in pilot-testing the Impact Wellbeing Guide in six

Small business people are among those getting $100 million back due to FTC action challenging Benefytt Technologies’ sham health plans

measles spread.

Research has shown that the decline is linked directly to growing public skepticism about the safety of vaccines. Yet the measles vaccine is one of the safest and most thoroughly studied public health measures in the world -- and has been for decades.

The benefits of widespread vaccination are undeniable. In 2019 alone, the routine childhood vaccine schedule, which includes two doses of the measles vaccine, prevented an estimated 24 million cases of illness in the United States. Assuming a roughly even distribution across the population, that's equivalent to preventing an illness in one in 13 people. Make no mistake: measles is dangerous. We risk underestimating the threat it poses precisely because widespread vaccination has been extremely effective in providing herd immunity. We haven't seen measles at its worst in the United States for over a half-century. Before the vaccine was introduced in 1963, measles was infecting 4 million Americans annually and killing about 450. Even now, the disease leads to well over 100,000 deaths per year worldwide, almost exclusively in regions with low vaccination rates.

Vaccines are a critical tool for fighting off both primary and secondary infections. Measles is a fate no child deserves -- and, thanks to modern medicine, it's one no child needs to face. We have the tools to ensure that the elimination of measles is permanent. All we have to do is use them.

Helen W. Boucher MD FACP FIDSA Hon FRCPI is Dean and Professor of Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine and Chief Academic Officer at Tufts Medicine. This piece originally ran in Salon.

hospitals from July through December 2023: CHI St. Vincent Infirmary, CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs, CHI Saint Joseph Hospital, CHI Health-Creighton University Medical CenterBergan Mercy, CHI Health Mercy Council Bluffs, and CHI Health Lakeside.

“As we navigate the challenges of healthcare, prioritizing the wellbeing of our healthcare workforce is always a priority,” said Paul Raines, System SVP Behavioral Health at CommonSpirit Health. “Through the pilot program, this Guide has acted as a catalyst, allowing these six hospitals to effectively and efficiently accelerate the existing tools and resources we have developed as a healthcare system. The Guide is an important component as we seek to ensure that hospital leaders have the right tools to provide a supportive environment for the healthcare workers who take such good care of our communities.”

Explore the Impact Wellbeing Guide and other resources at www.cdc.gov/impactwellbeing. Impact Wellbeing is made possible by the COVID-19 American Rescue Plan of 2021. It builds on momentum from the passage of the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act. Established under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, NIOSH is the federal research institute focused on the study of worker safety and health, and empowering employers and workers to create safe and healthy workplaces. For more information about NIOSH, visit www.cdc.gov/niosh/.

State Treasurer Fiona Ma Announces Partnership with Energy Commission to Grow ZEV Charging Infrastructure

Program will incentivize lenders to finance zero-emission vehicle charging and fueling infrastructure, builds on ZEV purchase program

State/Health /Lifestyle News

SACRAMENTO – State

Treasurer Fiona Ma today announced the approval of an interagency agreement between the California Pollution Control Financing Authority (CPCFA) and the California Energy Commission (CEC) to implement the Zero-Emission Heavy-Duty Infrastructure (ZEHDI) Loan Pilot Project to incentivize lenders to finance the installation and maintenance of electric charging and hydrogen fueling stations for zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles. Treasurer Ma is chair of CPCFA.

The interagency agreement between CPCFA and CEC aligns with an existing partnership between CPCFA and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to implement the ZeroEmission Heavy-Duty Vehicle (ZEHDV) Air Quality Loan Program for small fleets which are transitioning to zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles.

“This interagency agreement moves the ZEHDI program closer to aiding California’s climate and air quality goals,” stated Treasurer Ma. “Together with ZEHDV, they will simplify the process for fleet managers to remove polluting vehicles from the road and replace them with cleaner, renewable options. Additionally, it will expand access to charging infrastructure. I’m excited to collaborate with the CEC and initiate the program later this spring.”

Both programs will be run under CPCFA’s California Capital Access Loan Program (CalCAP), which incentivizes lenders to provide financing opportunities for borrowers by establishing loan loss reserve accounts for enrolled loans. CEC

By Lesley Fair

3/19/24-Finding healthcare coverage can be a challenge for many Americans, including gig workers, the self-employed, and people at small businesses. So when consumers were looking for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, plans sold by an outfit called Benefytt Technologies seemed like a reasonable option – except that according to the FTC, what Benefytt sold hundreds of thousands of consumers wasn’t comprehensive health insurance, wasn’t ACA-qualified, and often left them unprotected in a medical crisis. But there’s finally some good news for Benefytt customers. Due to the settlement of an FTC law enforcement action, they’ll be receiving close to $100 million in refunds.

In addition to the financial remedy, the FTC settlement prohibits the company from making misrepresentations about its products or charging illegal junk fees. A separate order bans Benefytt’s CEO from selling or marketing any healthcarerelated product. The company’s former Vice President of Sales is subject to the same ban, but also is banned from telemarketing. How long will those bans last? Forever.

If you’re one of 463,629 consumers who will receive checks soon, cash them within 90 days. If you have questions, contact refund administrator Epiq Systems at 888-574-3126 or check out the FTC’s FAQs about refund programs for more information.

By the way, the FTC never – we’ll say it again: NEVER –requires people to pay money or provide account information to get a refund. If someone claims to be from the FTC and asks for money or your account details, it’s a scam.

When it comes to the fight against deceptive and unfair practices, the FTC’s mission is to protect all consumers – and that includes small businesses owners, gig workers, freelancers, and other targeted by marketers that don’t tell the truth. Further proof of that commitment: justannounced settlements totaling $59 million with Womply and Biz2Credit for making misleading claims to small business owners about PPP loans and the recent amendment to the FTC’s Telemarketing Sales Rule to cover misrepresentations made in telemarketing calls to businesses.

Free household hazardous-waste collection Saturday and Sunday for Corona area

The Riverside County Department of Waste Resources has scheduled a free household hazardous-waste collection event for Saturday and Sunday (3/23 & 3/24) at the Corona City Hall Parking Lot. The collection is open to all Riverside County residents.

televisions, computers, VCRs and telephones. Limit the amount of waste transported to no more than 15 gallons, or 125 pounds maximum per vehicle. Individual containers should be no larger than five gallons nor weigh more than 50 pounds.

and CARB will each contribute $5 million toward the programs.

The new ZEHDI project and ZEHDV program will operate similarly to a recently sunset program, the CalCAP CARB Heavy-Duty Vehicle Air Quality Loan Program, which helped get 44,350 cleaner diesel trucks on the road from 2009 to 2023, and was enabled by $270.85 million in contributions from CARB.

CPCFA, CEC, and CARB will host a webinar this spring to announce details of the programs, including timelines for implementation.

CPCFA provides financing options that incentivize capital investment in clean climate projects and small businesses. The tax-exempt bond program helps businesses construct solid waste, recycling, water, and wastewater projects, while small businesses can obtain loans for start-up, expansion, and working capital through the CalCAP for Small Business and CalCAP Collateral Support programs.

CPCFA also helps transform contaminated sites into vibrant housing and infill developments through the California Recycle Underutilized Sites Program (CALReUSE), and the California Investment & Innovation Program (Cal IIP) provides grants to community development financial institutions (CDFIs).

For more information about CPCFA, please visit www. treasurer.ca.gov/cpcfa.

Previous news: February 2022 – State Treasurer Fiona Ma, CARB Announce Milestone in Financing Program that Helps Purchase Low-Emission Trucks, Heavy-Duty Vehicles. www.treasurer.ca.gov/news/ releases/2022/4.pdf

The department provides an opportunity for Riverside County residents to keep hazardous waste out of the county landfills and ensure it is properly managed. The event will accept residentially generated household hazardous waste from Riverside County residents only. Waste from businesses or non-profits will not be accepted. Typical waste includes used motor oil, paint, antifreeze, household and automotive batteries, pesticides, cleaning products, sharps (needles/syringes or lancets) in a sharps container, unused medication (except controlled substances), fluorescent lamps, and electronic waste such as

The collection will not accept explosives, radioactive material, ammunition, asbestos, compressed-gas cylinders over 40 pounds, or infectious or medical waste other than sharps.

The event is subject to cancellation during inclement weather or for other hazardous conditions as determined by the county. The event is scheduled to run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Corona City Hall Parking Lot, located at 400 South Vincentia Avenue. For more information, contact the Riverside County Department of Waste Resources at (951) 486-3200 or (800) 3042226, or http://www.rcwaste.org/ hhw.

Putting Jobs First: California High-Speed Rail Crosses 13,000 Construction Jobs Milestone...continued from page 3

Agreement, which has helped create thousands of good-paying union jobs – including more than 10,000 in the past five years –with most of the jobs going directly to individuals from disadvantaged communities.

Jesse Lopez, Carpenter Journeyman

"Before working high-speed rail, I worked other jobs maybe 80 miles away from home. This job keeps me close to home. It has helped me save money, buy my first house, and support my family.”

- Jesse Lopez Carpenter Journeyman

Brian Reed Grading Foreman

"This is a steady job that’s close to home. I’m ready to see some structures finished up. I’m ready to see [trains] going.” - Brian Reed Grading Foreman

This announcement comes on the heels of the creation of the California Jobs First Council, focused on aligning economic resources to create more jobs, faster for Californians in every community, including the Central

San Joaquin Valley.

"High-speed rail construction has continued to flourish, creating good paying construction jobs for men and women across the Valley. As the number of construction sites continues to grow, so does the need of a growing workforce to bring the nation’s first highspeed rail system to California. When construction grows, these workers and their families thrive, and we couldn’t build this system without them."

Chuck Riojas Fresno, Madera, Kings and Tulare Counties Building and Construction Trades Council

The Authority has begun work to extend the 119 miles currently under construction to 171 miles of future electrified high-speed rail from Merced to Bakersfield. There are currently more than 25 active construction sites in the Central Valley, with the Authority having fully environmentally cleared 422 miles of the highspeed rail program from the Bay Area to Los Angeles County. For the latest on high-speed rail construction, visit www.buildhsr. com.

Study reveals soaring successes and lingering struggles for women, especially women of color, in music

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

(NNPA NEWSWIRE) – With the observance of Women’s History Month in full swing, the music world has finally begun to recognize female artists’ vast contributions.

The latest report from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative reflected on the strides forward and the persistent obstacles women professionals in the music industry face.

The USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative and associate professor of communication Stacy L. Smith conducted the study, which included 1,200 songs from the Billboard Hot 100 Year-End Charts and provided a detailed analysis spanning 12 years. Its scope encompassed the roles of artists, songwriters and producers while delving into Grammy Award nominations across six major categories.

The study’s findings painted a nuanced picture of progress and disparities within the industry. Notably, there has been a marked increase in the representation of women artists, reaching a 12-year high of 35 percent. Researchers said this surge, particularly evident in the rise of individual female artists claiming over 40 percent of spots on the Billboard Hot 100 Year-End Chart in 2023, signaled a positive shift.

However, despite the gains, the study authors noted that it’s crucial to recognize that women still occupy less than a quarter of artist roles overall, underscoring the need for sustained efforts toward greater inclusivity.

Behind the scenes, there have also been advancements. The study revealed a significant rise in the percentage of female songwriters, climbing from 14.1 percent to 19.5 percent in 2023. The increase is largely attributed to the contributions

of women of color. Similarly, while the number of women producers reached a modest high, significant challenges remain in achieving equitable representation in these roles.

The study’s key findings center on the crucial role that women of color have played in advancing change within the sector. Accounting for a staggering 65 percent of female artists on the charts in 2023 and making significant gains in songwriting roles, women of color have been instrumental in shaping the industry’s trajectory. Jay-Z’s Grammy speech, in which he questioned why his wife, Beyonce hadn’t won Album of the Year honors despite being arguably the most successful female music star in history, underscored the lack of recognition for women, particularly in prestigious award nominations.

The study authors wrote that efforts such as “She Is The Music,” “Spotify Equal” and “Girls Make Beats” have been crucial in fostering inclusivity and providing platforms for women, including women of color, to showcase their talent.

However, they said there remains a need for collective action to dismantle systemic barriers and biases that hinder women’s progress, particularly those from marginalized communities.

“As the industry continues to evolve, it must strive to amplify women’s voices, focusing on women of color and ensuring that diversity and representation remain at the forefront of its agenda,” the authors concluded. “Only then can the industry truly reflect the richness and diversity of talent within its ranks and pave the way for a more inclusive future.”

Commentary: HomeWork: A lesson perfected at home... continued

of parents on their children’s behavior in the home, school, community and beyond.

The COVID-19 pandemic suggested a need to revisit the importance of parent influences on children’s learning, with attention being given to character education, behavior and values. Children and youth are appearing more prominently as victims and perpetrators of crime and violence. Currently, the response to the chronic question “Where are the parents?” The answer should be “Here! — present, willing and able.”

“HomeWork” has been developed to revive, inspire and encourage renewed awareness of the significance of parent involvement. HomeWork consists of ten defined lessons focused on life-skills and values: Learning, responsibility, encouragement, persistence, honesty, creativity and talent, cleanliness and respect for self and others, self-motivation and heritage and legacy.

Priority attention is given to “Lesson One: Learning” as a critical area for a good beginning, and to “Lesson Ten: Heritage and Legacy,” with emphasis on recognized family values, remembered and shared over time. This is a valuable opportunity. An enriching process of bringing parents and children together in learning situations can cultivate strong relationships between them.

In his foreword to “HomeWork, 2023 Edition,” researcher at Johns Hopkins University School of Education, Dr. Robert Balfanz states “More than 50 years ago, James Coleman showed that home contributions to students’ learning and achievement were as significant, if not in some circumstances, more significant than what students did at school.

More than 100 years ago, John Dewey and others argued that the best teaching and learning environment was one which integrated home and school learning in Community Schools.

For millennia societies in Africa and elsewhere have organized education as a communal responsibility, where it takes a village to raise a child. Yet in recent decades, the role of parents as their children’s first educator, beyond the pre-school years, has been downplayed.”

This deficiency and concerns about its effect— particularly on children and youth— is prompting researchers and

educators to identify responses and solutions. It is warranted relative to potential suicides, disruptive behavior, bullying and situations in this population. Cultivating an enriched role for parenting adults as their children’s first teachers can contribute to ongoing nurturing relationships and learning. “HomeWork” is a practical resource for educators, teachers and other professionals who support parent’s success in this important role.

When reflecting on personal learning experiences many can recall how and when they were taught some basic, practical information. We know where these experiences occurred— they happened in the home. They were part of family expectations. We were taught how to do numerous things, from the ordinary to the unusual. We might remember being present when a parent or relative prepared a special meal, dish or desert “made in the home” and enjoyed for their qualities and flavors.

Under the guidance of parents, grandparents and other parenting adults, distinctive characteristics learned at home followed us in our behaviors, attitudes, and actions, outside of home and reflected what we had been taught. In some instances, these teachings were as recognizable as the special dishes.

The Ghanaian proverb, “The ruin of a nation begins in the homes of its people,” gives authentic credit to the long-term impact of valuable experiences, activities and events cultivated in the home. A simple, honest analogy of the teaching that parents provide for children, whether compared to a special meal or the development of a child, can have a lasting significance. When people choose to reflect on and share elements of their lives and those that favorably influenced their accomplishments and successes or the ordinary things that they remember fondly or with pride, they think about home. We are homemade! Whether embellished or critiqued, reflections on our homes and what we learned there – or failed to learn there – should give us pause to encourage others, particularly parents or parenting adults, to give sincere attention to their children as they grow in the home. The foundation they create can be a lifelong recipe for success that is homemade.

By Maxine J. Wood, Ed.D

“HomeWork:

welcomed attention to their roles as their children ‘s first teachers in the home. Depending on one’s age, ethnicity, experiences and other factors, a number of folks can readily acknowledge having grown up under conditions that reflected their parents, family and other adult’s values. Our advisors, mentors, role models influenced our behaviors, activities and learning, and so it is among today’s children, as they grow.

During almost five decades in public education, pre-K thru 12th grade as a classroom teacher, administrator and an advocate of lifelong learning, I have always given deference to the guidance that parents can have on their children’s learning.

Experiences as a mother and grandmother, and my continued role as mentor and advisor, gives further personal significance to encouraging the positive impact

Submission Deadline: Mondays By 5 pm

WITNESS

Palestine: The Double Imperative, and A Call for God’s Justice

Peter Makari

“Ceasefire now!” has been a consistent cry for months among people responding to the unrelenting Israeli assault on the Palestinian people of Gaza. At the time of writing, more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed, more than 70,000 injured, and three-quarters of the 2.3 million people in Gaza have been displaced. Virtually the whole population of the Gaza Strip is suffering crisis levels of food insecurity or outright starvation, according to the United Nations. The urgent call for a ceasefire has been issued in the streets of cities around the world, inside and outside of halls

of governments, and on social media. The United States has consistently opposed ceasefire resolutions at the United Nations, vetoing three such calls in the Security Council (Oct. 18, Dec. 8, and Feb. 20) while supplying military aid and materiel, thus enabling the continuation of Israel’s military campaign.

A ceasefire is an immediate and urgent imperative to end the assault and offer some relief to Palestinians in Gaza who are starving, injured, and displaced from their homes and

Palestine: The Double Imperative, and A Call for God’s Justice...continued communities, with no place to go. Neither schools, nor hospitals, nor mosques, nor churches have been safe places in which to find refuge. A ceasefire is the minimum requirement that must be accompanied by the opening of border crossings to allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, and by guarantees of unimpeded delivery of that aid to those who desperately need it. Medical professionals must have access to the strip and supplies must be allowed in to address the massive and catastrophic health crisis caused by war injuries, lack of potable water and malnutrition, and the spread of disease due to the devastating sanitation conditions in Gaza. The people of Gaza must be provided with the regular health services that they have been deprived of, including safe births and neo-natal care. A ceasefire agreement should include the release of hostages, as well as of Palestinian prisoners held in detention without charge. And it should end Gaza’s isolation of more than sixteen years by Israel’s blockade.

But a ceasefire is not the only imperative. In addition to rebuilding Gaza, the second imperative is to address the core issues of justice in Israel/ Palestine, including land access and borders, refugee rights, continued settlement growth, and the status of Jerusalem. A durable peace cannot be achieved without resolving these issues and ensuring that the physical and structural violence of Israeli apartheid does not become even more entrenched. These issues are as urgent now as they have been for decades. They cannot be postponed to an undetermined future date. Guarantees of the

human and political rights of Palestinians and Israelis— Muslims, Christians, and Jews—are a necessary condition for a just and lasting peace. Perpetual Israeli control of the Palestinian people in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem denies Palestinians their rights, as does ignoring the rights of millions of stateless Palestinian refugees. There is no military solution to these core issues. Belligerency only delays addressing them, and without resolving them, there is an ever-present risk of more violence.

Last October, just two weeks after the escalation in violence, Palestinian Christians wrote a letter titled, “A Call for Repentance.” In it, they stated, “Palestinian Christians are fully committed to the way of Jesus in creative nonviolent resistance (Kairos Palestine, §4.2.3), which uses ‘the logic of love and draw[s] on all energies to make peace’ (§4.2.5). Crucially, we reject all theologies and interpretations that legitimize the wars of the powerful. We strongly urge western Christians to come alongside us in this. We also remind ourselves and fellow Christians that God is the God of the downtrodden and the oppressed, and that Jesus rebuked the powerful and lifted up the marginalized. This is at the heart of God’s conception of justice.”

Neither imperative can be ignored, and neither can be separated from the other: an immediate end to the violence and a resolution of the core issues. They are both essential for justice and for life.

“I Tell You, This Ain’t No Time to Be Wishy Washy!”

By Lou K. Coleman

You best make up your mind and make it up fast. For this is what the Lord God says: 'Disaster! Unprecedented disaster-- is coming! [Ezekiel 7:5-7]. We are on a catastrophic path, one that will be so extreme that the world have never experienced anything like it before. [Matthew 24:21]. Think about that, unprecedented disaster. A day of wrath— a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness— [Zephaniah 1:15]. For the Lord has an indictment against the nations; he is entering into judgment with all flesh, and the wicked he will put to the sword. [Jeremiah 25: 31]. I Tell You, This Ain’t No Time to Be Wishy Washy.

Listen, it is one thing to be confused and need some guidance or direction. It’s another thing to know what needs to be done and go back and forth between options. The Bible clearly tells us that someday the world as we now know it will come to an end. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare” [2 Peter 3:10]. So, I ask you, how long will you falter between two opinions? Make your calling and election sure. [ 2 Peter 1:10]. For, This Ain’t No Time to Be Wishy Washy. Because the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you and surround you and hem you in on every side and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone

upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation. [Luke 19:43-44]

Come near, you nations, to hear; And heed, you people! For the indignation of the LORD is against all nations, and His fury against all their armies; He has utterly destroyed them, He has given them over to the slaughter.” Their slain shall be thrown out; Their stench shall rise from their corpses, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood. For it is the day of the LORD's vengeance, the year of recompense for the cause of Zion.

Destruction of the Nations – [Isaiah Chapter 34:1-4 8-10; Revelation 14:10-11 Revelation 16:14; Revelation19:3]

When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale; the sky vanished like a scroll that is rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the generals and the rich and the strong, and every one, slave and free, hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand before it?" [Revelation 6:12-17].

Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. This Ain’t No Time to Be Wishy Washy!

Lou K. Coleman

A new report from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative reflected on the strides forward and the persistent obstacles women’s professionals in the music industry face. (Courtesy photo)

Maxine J. Wood, Ed.D., weighs in on the importance of academic lessons learned outside of the classroom.

(Courtesy photo)

California vs. Hate Resource Line is Entering Second Year of Service

By McKenzie Jackson/California Black Media

The California vs. Hate Resource Line, established to assist victims of hate crimes and hate incidents in the Golden State, received 823 calls from 79% of California’s 58 counties during its first nine months of operation. The telephone line’s first anniversary is in May.

Since its launch, callers have dialed the hotline at 833-9-NOHATE to report instances of prejudice motivated by a range of factors. Additionally, they have received help connecting with groups that provide support to individuals and communities targeted by hate.

“There is support, when you report,” said James Williams Jr., a community-based organization manager with the California Civil Rights Department (CRD).

Recently, a Zoom meeting organized by Ethnic Media Services highlighted CRD’s non-emergency hate reporting system and efforts to combat discrimination in the state. State officials and community partners participated in the discussion.

Williams said the initial year has been successful.

“In year two, we plan to increase outreach and engagement, and we’re looking to data experts to assist us with data collection reporting efforts to provide transparency and public-facing reports,” he announced.

California vs. Hate Resource

Line Senior Manager Chantel Bermudez said between the hotline’s launch in May 2023 and the end of last month, 42% of the calls received reported discrimination motivated by race, ethnicity, or country of origin. Callers also reported hate actions aggravated by religion, sexual orientation, and gender identity, she added.

Bermudez said the three main goals of the resource line are to identify options and next steps for callers, connect them with culturally competent resources, and improve hate crime and hate incident reporting and data to enhance prevention and response.

Notably, officials did not disclose any numbers related to the racial or ethnic background of the callers during the meeting but said more statistics will be available closer to the telephone line’s anniversary date.

Santa Barbara NAACP President Connie AlexanderBoaitey expressed concern about whether Black Californians were aware of the hotline. She said that Blacks are the victims of more hate crimes and hate incidents than any other ethnic or minority group in the state. AlexanderBoaitey stated that documented hate behaviors against Blacks increased 27% from 2021 to 2022, which includes a 29% increase in discriminatory crimes and incidents against members of

the Black LGBTQ community.

Alexander-Boaitey said despite Black students only making up 6% of California’s public-school population, they experience the highest rate of prejudiced bullying and harassment.

“That picture looks like the N-word being constantly said and even physical violence,” she explained. “If you talk to NAACP leaders around the state, we will tell you that this is the highest thing reported to our NAACP units — the school violence specifically targeted at Black students. The hurtful part — where we are really struggling — is what happens between communities. Unfortunately, this hate and violence, the majority of it is happening from Latinx students toward Black students. We aren’t talking about it, but it’s happening every day.”

Cynthia Choi, co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate and a Civil Rights Department commissioner, said hate against various groups is rising in America, but also stated that most reported prejudiced actions are against Blacks.

“People are in distress,” she explained. “Often times there is conflict, incidents that occur that can be racialized, especially in an environment that has been hostile toward immigrants, people of color, people who are trans or gender nonconforming. Hate begets hate. The more work

together to address this, the better off we will be in California.” Choi said California has the most robust response to hate.

“Not only when it happens, but with a real focus and investment on critical intervention and preventative measures,” she said. “The California vs. Hate hotline is an incredible response. What it is really signaling is that we are creating systems of care. That we want to respond and be resource to individuals. Everyone is treated with care.”

The California vs. Hate Resource Line is not a law enforcement platform. It is staffed 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday by care coordinators, who are individuals trained in responding to trauma. If an individual calls outside of the phone lines’ working hours, they can leave a message, and someone will call them back within 24 hours or the next business day. Californians can file a report by phone in 200 languages or online at CAvsHate. org in 15 languages. All calls are confidential, and victims can remain anonymous. Immigration status is not a factor.

Care coordinators have helped 66% of callers connect with community action and social advocacy groups, general counsel, and consumer complaint assistance.

Operators with the 211 LA nonprofit, community assistance line are among the care coordinators. 211LA Program Director Yolie Anguiano said the hotline is a safe place.

“Our call specialists will guide you through the conversation, so you can explain what you experienced in a very empathetic manner,” she noted. Bermudez said the resource line is equipped to help.

“Individuals don’t have to know if it’s a hate crime or hate incident,” she explained. “They can call us, and we can help them through the process. A lot of times, they are not sure and are afraid to call, but we can help them with that.”

COMMENTARY: Is a Cultural Shift on the Horizon?

INGLEWOOD TODAY — As with all traditions in all cultures, it is up to the elders to pass down the rituals, food, language, and customs that identify a group. So, if your auntie, uncle, mom, and so on didn’t teach you how to play Spades, well, that’s a recipe lost. But outside of Spades, Uno and Dominoes, Cookouts, Collective Dancing, and asking who made the Mac’ n’ Cheese, what is bonding us in the present?

By Maya Mackey | Inglewood Today

Almost two weeks removed from Black History Month, I find myself pondering what Black Culture is, in modern times. There’s a running joke on X/Twitter that “we are losing recipes!” whenever young Black people (Gen Z) don’t know a Black classic, like a movie, song or “rule.”

And while we mean no harm in teasing our younger kinfolk (cause you know, we’re all cousins), it does beg the question: Why are we losing recipes? And what recipes do we even want to keep?

As with all traditions in all cultures, it is up to the elders to pass down the rituals, food, language, and customs that identify a group. So, if your auntie, uncle, mom, and so on didn’t teach you how to play

Photo: iStockphoto / NNPA

Spades, well, that’s a recipe lost. But outside of Spades, Uno and Dominoes, Cookouts, Collective Dancing, and asking who made the Mac’ n’ Cheese, what is bonding us in the present?

Every time I learn something about Black American history, the lesser-told stories about pioneers of The Civil Rights Movement, I get choked up. The resilience of our people is astounding. The bravery and courage our ancestors had to muster in the face of unadulterated hatred is unmatched. But one thing about us is that we never lose our joy. As racism against African Americans soared in the 50s and 60s, alongside it, a cultural movement of pride aimed to juxtapose it.

“Black is beautiful” was a slogan, a campaign, and

a mission in the 1960s and 1970s. Black people began to embrace, or rather, re-embrace their natural hair–sporting afros, braids, or other nonchemically treated styles. Some even learned Swahili to connect to Africa. James Brown upped the ante with his iconic song, “Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud.” The 70s brought us Soul Train, a cultural mosaic of music, fashion, and the hottest dance moves to TV screens across America.

The 80s launched B.E.T., the first solo Black-centered channel of relevance today. Martin Luther King Jr day was established as a national holiday and Michael Jackson became a solo sensation. Oprah became an overnight sensation! The 80s gave way to Black entertainers in particular, breaking color barriers and fighting to be “legitimized” by mainstream media.

When the 90s and 2000s came around, Blackness was at the height of popularity (at least on TV). The plethora of sitcoms featuring storylines of Black families and friends has never been as robust as it was during this era. From “Martin” to “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and “Living Single.” followed “Girlfriends,” “The Parkers” and “One on One,”

Jehovah’s Witnesses Launch Invitation Campaign

Southern California Residents Invited to Two Special Events in March

Southern California –March 24 — While the date Sunday, March 24, may pass imperceptibly for many, millions around the world will gather at sundown to commemorate the death of Jesus Christ.

Considered the most important day of the year for Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Memorial is observed annually on Nisan 14 of the Jewish calendar in adherence to Jesus’ statement found at Luke 22:19, “Keep doing this in remembrance of me.” Though there are over 8.6 million Jehovah’s Witnesses around the world, over 20 million people attended the event last year.

"It's not just Jehovah's Witnesses who attend the Memorial. Millions of people who are not Witnesses also attend with us every year," said Daniel Parseghian, local spokesperson for Jehovah’s Witnesses. "We hope that members of our community consider joining us for this event. Observing it is simple, but it is one of the most important things we can do to express our gratitude for the

sacrifice Jesus Christ made for all of us."

The one-hour event will feature a talk highlighting the significance of Jesus’ death and what it means for all of mankind.

In Southern California, a special campaign will be launched during March 2024 to invite local residents to attend the annual observance of the Lord’s Evening Meal as well as a special public talk that will be delivered the week before. Titled “The Resurrection— Victory Over Death!", the special talk will be delivered at local Kingdom Halls on the weekend of March 16 and 17, 2024. This 30-minute, Bible-based public discourse will focus on the scriptural hope of a resurrection of the dead in the near future.

“The Memorial and special talk remind us of what really matters in life,” says Joshua Briones from Southern California. “They emphasize that God and Jesus want everyone to be happy and have a meaningful life now and forever. It's easy for every day life to shift.

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COMMENTARY: Is a Cultural Shift on the Horizon?...continued

Blacks.”

Black people got to see themselves reflected on screen in diverse ways. Air Jordans became synonymous with Black Urban culture. Terms like “Ghetto Fabulous” were coined due to the styles of Mary J. Blige and Destiny’s Child. Then the cultural pendulum swung back and Black people were sorely missing from programming in the first half of the 2010s. Even today, the height of Black television has not been reached since its demise around 2005.

In a post-pandemic world, where our communities have once again fallen victim to recessions, and larger family get togethers aren’t as frequent, I wonder where the pendulum of Black American culture will swing next.

Cord Jefferson, the Oscarwinning screenwriter of 2023’s American Fiction, gave rousing speeches both when he accepted his Academy Award and when he was later interviewed offstage. He urged Hollywood to financially back more diverse, lower-budget films. It was a reasonable and much-needed ask. Yet, Black Twitter was divided today on whether Jefferson was perpetuating a culture war against “Hood Blacks” and “Suburban

The problem with that line of thinking and false accusation is that a.) There is a third subset of Black folk who are neither from the hood or the suburbs and b.) There are indeed Black people from the hood that have nonstereotypical interests such as anime, a love for EDM music and a passion for nature and hiking.

I was frankly annoyed that such an unproblematic request by Jefferson became obtusely misunderstood by so many people. Cast aside Cord Jefferson and the Oscars, there has still been much discourse about the normalizing of abnormal things in our community. And while

we know that a racist system is to blame for a lot of the Black American plight, free will is always on the menu.

If the 60s cultural movement was about uncovering our natural beauty, the 70s and 80s were relentlessly joyful, and the 90s and 2000s were about flexing our economic come up, what will the next big be to signify Black people moving forward? As it becomes more normal to have Black people in power and more of us are living in and creating multicultural families, what of Black American life will prevail? What do we keep? What do we innovate next? I hope it’s one of living well, no matter what hood you come from.