SB American News Week Ending 4/5

Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what people will submit to and you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them and these will continue till they have resisted either with words or blows or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance those of whom they suppress. —Fredrick

Nashville school shooting: Seven fatally shot at Covenant School, including 28-year-old female suspect

she entered the building.

Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk, said investigation remains ongoing. "While I cannot comment on the ongoing nature of the investigation, I'm really impressed with the work that's being done by law enforcement," Funk said.

"This is the ultimate crime when school children and caregivers are the victims of senseless gun violence," Funk said.

The shooting has gotten the attention of the White House.

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AKA Pink

and Green Heartbeats

Raised over $10K for Heart Walk

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation will assist Metro Police's probe into the shooting and as an independent investigator into the police involvement in the shooting of the 28-year-old woman, according to director David Rausch.

Covenant School parents reuniting with kids

Parents lined up in the sanctuary of Woodmont Baptist Church to give first and last names of their children to police.

Community /Education News

Three adults and three children are confirmed dead following a mass shooting Monday morning at The Covenant School, a private Christian school in Nashville. The female suspect was killed in an altercation with police.

Don Aaron, a spokesperson for the Metro Nashville Police Department, said a white female suspect, 28, of Nashville, was believed to have entered a side entrance with two assault rifles and a handgun.

"I was literally moved to tears to see this as the kids were being ushered out of the building," MNPD chief John Drake said.

"It could have been far worse," he continued. "My heart and prayers go out to the families of the six people who were tragically injured."

Aaron said seven total people, including the shooter, are confirmed dead. The tragic incident marked America's 129th mass shooting of 2023, according to Gun Violence Archive, a

nonprofit which tracks gun violence data.

At the scene of one of the deadliest school shootings in Tennessee history, scores of parents and onlookers gathered in a parking lot, awaiting updates, as helicopters circled the area, surrounded by a residential and busy businesses district.

Nashville shooting suspect killed by police in 'swift response'

"The police department response was swift," Aaron said.

"Officers entered the first story of the school and begin clearing it. They heard shots coming from the second level; they immediately went to the gunfire."

The suspect was fatally shot by two of five-member police team around 10:27 a.m. in a second floor lobby.

Drake said the 28-year-old was once a student at the school.

Kids were evacuated into a wooded area and fire hall as shots rang out. All doors were locked, Drake said. But it is unclear how

"Send my concern and hearts out to so many parents out there. I've been to so many of those sites," President Joe Biden said.

The school shooting, which occurred around 10:13 a.m., is believed to be the fifth in the Nashville area since 2011, and first since 2018.

'This is shattering':Nashville, TN officials respond to elementary school shooting Kendra Loney, a spokesperson with Metro Fire, said rescue crews responded and provided life saving efforts to those involved. One police officer sustained a hand injury as result of cut glass.

Loney said mental health professionals will be available for students and families.

More than 100 faculty and staff were transported by bus to a reunification site.

The incident was reported on social media at about 10:30 a.m. at The Covenant School, located at 33 Burton Hills Blvd.

Vice Mayor Jim Shulman was in the sanctuary passing out bottled water to parents and other family members awaiting reunification.

Parents wait for their children, Monday March 27, 2023 after a school shooting at Covenant School in Green Hills, Nashville Officials said children will be counted outside as they arrive and moved into the sanctuary individually to reunite with parents.

“I know this is probably the worst day of everyone's lives,” a Metro police officer said to a crowd. “I can’t tell you how sympathetic we are.”

'How is this still happening?' school shooting sparks outcry

Ashbey Beasley was on vacation in Nashville, about a block away from the school, when she heard shots.

Beasley, who was at the 4th of July parade in Highland Park, IL, when a gunman opened fire, ran over to the scene off Hillsboro

Facing The Future With Confidence

the homepage of jw.org for local addresses and meeting times.

“The challenges we face may seem overwhelming, but the Bible holds out a powerful hope for the future that can help us right now,” said Robert Hendriks, U.S. spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses. “This global program is designed to give all those who attend tangible reasons to face the future with confidence.”

In April, millions worldwide will attend a special Bible-based program titled “You Can Face the Future With Confidence!” and gather to commemorate the Memorial of Jesus’ death.

In the face of widespread economic strain, national conflicts and social unrest, surveys indicate that confidence in the future is at an all-time low in many countries, including the United States.

According to the 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer, 24 of the 28 countries surveyed are seeing

“all-time lows in the number of people who think their families will be better off in five years.”

Against this backdrop of pessimism, a special global program featuring the theme, “You Can Face the Future With Confidence!” will be held on the weekend of April

1-2, 2023. The free 30-minute presentation will be hosted locally at Kingdom Halls of Jehovah’s Witnesses throughout San Bernardino County, with a videoconferencing option available. Please check the “Attend a Meeting” section on

The special talk is the first of two free programs that will be held in all 118,000 congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses during the first week of April. The public is also invited to join nearly 20 million other global attenders for the annual observance of the Memorial of Jesus Christ’s death, to be held on the evening of Tuesday, April 4, 2023.

Admission to both programs is free, and no registration is required. Details on when and where these events will be held locally are available on jw.org, the official website of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

AKA Pink and Green Heartbeats team of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Eta Nu Omega Chapter of San Bernardino-Riverside raised over $10K for the American Heart Association – Inland Empire Heart and Stroke Walk held on Saturday, March 25, 2023, at Rancho Jurupa Regional Park. “We Walk to Save Lives!” According to research, heart disease continues

to be the number one killer and stroke continue to rank fifth in the nation.

Coach, Dr. Tamara Frazier for AKA Pink, and Green Heartbeats team inspired all to work together in raising funds in support of goal in creating a world free from heart disease and stroke. For more information, visit: https:// www2.heart.org/site/TR/?team_ id=764250&pg=team&fr_ id=7923

L/R: Vanessa Hunter, June Earley, Tamara Frazier (Coach), Linda Gaines-Brooks, Twillea Evans-Carthen, Brigette Tillman

Chris Gadd, Rachel Wegner, Kirsten Fiscus, Craig Shoup,Nashville Tennessean

L/R: Twillea Evans-Carthen, Linda GainesBrooks, Brigitte Tillman, Coach Tamara Frazier, Vanessa Hunter, Lousie Gilmore

L/R: Nellie Moore, Tashia Hillard, Sitoya Raquel, Linda GainesBrooks, Kamola Gray, Brigette Tillman, Tamara Frazier (Coach), Twillea Evans-Carthen, Vanessa Hunter, Vanessa David, June Earley, Susan Henderson, Teri Rhetta, and Henderson Girls

Equity Report Reveals Statistics on Black Women Compared to Other Races

McKenzie Jackson | California Black Media

State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Visits Flood Zones, Provides Support and Donations to Pajaro Students and Families

Community /Education News

Remembering Kenneth Brown, Educator, Engineer, CSU Prof., and El Camino College Trustee Pres....continued

Public Policy and Advocacy Committee.

Brown also served on the Da Vinci Schools Board of Trustees from 2019-20 in the Wiseburn Unified School District, El Segundo and on the Da Vinci Schools Fund Board.

A true renaissance man, Brown’s accomplishments extended beyond his professional life. He was an accomplished athlete, twice named AllAmerican in Track & Field at Morehouse College and he played in the NCAA Div. II Basketball

Black women in the Golden State trail behind their counterparts from other ethnic groups in median wealth and a lower percentage of them have obtained higher education degrees. Black mothers and their babies have mortality rates that surpass women from other racial and ethnic backgrounds.

California Black Women’s Collective Empowerment Institute (CBWCEI) President and CEO Kellie Todd Griffin said the state of Black women in California is troubling.

“There is so much work to

do,” she explained. “There is a gap with Black women. Without immediate interventions from a policy and practice transformation standpoint, we’re not going to be able to change the trajectory.”

Griffin’s remarks came a day after the Center for the Advancement of Women at Mount Saint Mary’s University released its 12th annual “The Report on the Status of Women and Girls in California” on March 22.

continued in last 2 columns

Nashville school shooting: Seven fatally shot at Covenant School, including 28-yearold female suspect...continued from page 1

Pike to find it crawling with police.

"Aren’t you tired of this," she said taking over the microphones after a news conference with Metro Nashville Police. "How is this still happening?"

Beasley continued at the microphones, passionately decrying gun laws.

More:Nashville musicians react to Covenant School shooting, call for action

"How are our children still dying and why are we failing them," she asked. “These shootings, and these mass shootings, will continue to happen until our lawmakers step up and pass safer gun

legislation."

What we know about Covenant School and Covenant Presbyterian Church

The Covenant School was founded in 2001 as a ministry of Covenant Presbyterian Church and has students in prekindergarten through sixth grade. Enrollment fluctuates between 195 and 210 with 33 teaching faculty members.

The Covenant School typically feeds area private schools that include Battle Ground Academy, Brentwood Academy, Christ Presbyterian Academy, Ensworth, Davidson Academy and others.

WATSONVILLE—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond visited Monterey and Santa Cruz counties on Friday, March 24 to join first responders, school district administrators, and local leaders at Pajaro Middle School. Thurmond distributed gift cards, clothing, and muchneeded school supplies to affected students and families after a levee break flooded the community on March 10.

“We know that many families, students, and educators living in those areas were forced to leave their homes. We are coordinating with local, state, and federal governments to get the help we need for these families and to get students back in the classroom as soon as possible,” said Thurmond. “My staff and I are working hard to provide both immediate assistance and long-term recovery assistance to these communities. We know our students and teachers are resilient, and I am sure they will bounce back once again. But let’s make sure we provide them with the financial, academic, mental, and social–emotional support they need.”

During the visit in Watsonville, Thurmond assessed damage from the recent winter storms at both Pajaro and Lakeview middle schools and met with close to 500 students from Pajaro who have been relocated due to flooding. While Pajaro Middle School remains closed due to lingering flood damage, more than 90 percent of its students have

returned to class at Lakeview Middle School. Thurmond also called the insurance adjuster who is handling the claims in order to get assistance to the Pajaro Valley Unified School District as soon as possible.

Following the school visits, Thurmond toured the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, where emergency shelters have been set up for families. The Californians Dedicated to Education Foundation donated Target gift cards for 1,000 families; Follett’s School Solutions provided 1,000 books; and staff from Capstone Publishing joined Thurmond on the visit and provided backpacks and activity bags. A GoFundMe page has been set up by a group of retired Pajaro Middle School educators; all funds collected will go toward providing clothing for affected students. Thurmond told families throughout the visit that he and the California Department of Education will continue to provide support.

President Joe Biden issued a Presidential Emergency Declaration on March 10 authorizing federal assistance to support state and local storm response efforts. Since then, 605 schools in 15 counties have been closed at some point and have been reported in the School Emergency Reporting System.

Governor Gavin Newsom has proclaimed a state of emergency in 43 counties, and more storms are expected to sweep through the state this month, so more counties could be added.

Remembering Kenneth Brown, Educator, Engineer, CSU Prof., and El Camino College Trustee Pres.

Joe W. Bowers Jr. | California Black Media

Modern Day Technology Leader Award in 2019.

Brown's passion for teaching led him to serve as an adjunct professor of Physics at Cal State University Dominguez Hills. For more than 20 years he taught undergraduate physics, physical science, and math courses. Because of his exceptional ability to connect with his students, his dedication to teaching, and his caring nature, he had a reputation for being a devoted and welladmired instructor.

Final Four. He qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials and Pan AM Games in the high jump.

Brown, 54, lived in Inglewood with his wife of 25 years, Dr. Karla Harness Brown, a teacher, counselor, and child welfare and attendance advisor for 30 years

at the Inglewood Unified School District. He is survived by two sons, Kenneth II, a Morehouse graduate who is now attending UCLA and Kaleb, a freshman at Howard University. He is also survived by his mother, Dr. Martha Brown, a retired professor of music and his mother-in-law, Gloria Armstrong, a retired Inglewood city employee. His father Keith Brown (deceased) was a Probation Officer. From the outpouring of condolence messages and personalized tributes Brown’s family is receiving from the Inglewood community and beyond, it is certain that he will be deeply missed by his family, colleagues, and the countless students whose lives he touched through his work in education

Equity Report Reveals Statistics on Black Women Compared to Other Races...continued

The 40-page report, with the tagline “Advancing Equity: Leading With Meaning and Purpose,” is the Los Angeles university’s assessment of the state of women in California based on a number of social and economic indicators.

It is “what women need in order to attain agency for themselves, add meaning to their lives, and contribute fully to their families, communities, and businesses,” wrote Mount Saint Mary’s University President Ann McElaney-Johnson in the document’s opening pages.

The report highlights issues affecting women and girls in California post-COVID-19 pandemic. The trends documented pertain to women’s education, economic security, health, household labor, and wage and wealth divisions.

There is a connection, Griffin stated, between Black women’s trailing in education and wealth figures.

“We’re the smallest population amongst the groups that were assessed, however we shouldn’t be 4% of the bachelor’s degree holders,” she noted. “It’s disheartening. How do you get into corporate leadership if a majority of good paying jobs require a degree? We can’t get in the door to be able to accelerate up.”

Black women are more than four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes then White women, and Black babies are more than twice as likely to die within one year than White babies.

The El Camino Community College District, California State University Dominguez Hills, and the aerospace industry have lost a great leader and advocate with the passing of Kenneth Brown on March 23, 2023.

Brown was a pioneer in his fields, and his work as an educator, scientist, engineer, and trustee impacted countless lives.

Born and raised in Carson, CA, Brown attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, where he earned his B.S. in Computer Science and B.S. in Physics. He later went on to earn his M.S. in Applied Physics from Clark Atlanta University.

“As a Morehouse alum, Ken upheld the tradition of striving to make a positive difference in the world, especially for the Black community. He had a keen analytical mind and he eagerly engaged in discussions in a variety of subjects, including politics and social issues that challenged you to think

critically,” said Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Rupert Byrdsong, a friend and college classmate.

Brown’s career in aerospace spanned over three decades.

He worked for over 20 years at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, where, as a System Engineering Analyst for the Mars Science Laboratory, he worked on some of the most groundbreaking missions in the history of space exploration.

He was last employed as Operations Manager for Northrop Grumman Missions Systems Engineering & Sciences (E&S) Maritime Land Sensors and Systems/Field Engineering, at Space Park, Redondo Beach. where he was the lead for a major new enhancement to the program, driving technical integration to meet performance and functional requirements.

In recognition of his contributions, Brown received the Black Engineer of the Year

For the California Department of Education, Brown served as a Content Review Panel expert and helped author “Next Generation Science Standards,” which is being used in K-12 classrooms in over 40 states.

In addition to his work in aerospace and as an education practitioner, Brown was President of the Governing Board of Trustees at El Camino Community College in Torrance. He had been a Board member since 2010.

“He never stopped advocating for students’ needs to ensure they found success in higher education, their chosen career fields, and in their personal lives. He inspired us to become extraordinary,” Brenda Thames, Ph.D., El Camino College Superintendent/President reflected on her connection with Brown. “He led as an unapologetic advocate for equity and the expansion of educational opportunities for all students. The legacy of his work will impact millions of students for

decades to come.”

Vice President of the Board of Trustees Trisha Murakawa told The Union, El Camino College’s student paper, that she and Brown “‘were making good trouble, to truly help’ with education and equity at the statewide level and at El Camino.”

“Brown was a champion for students in everything he did …. and his legacy and commitment will empower generations of leaders to come,” Daisy Gonzales, the interim chancellor of California’s community college system, said in a statement.

Brown was elected to the California Community College Trustees Board in 2016, and in 2020 was elected to serve as President of the CCCT Board. He served as President of CCCT's Board Financial Aid Implementation Committee as well as the Institutional Effectiveness Partnership Initiative Change Leadership Committee.

“I don’t think he had “no” in his vocabulary,” said Pam Haynes, President Emerita, California Community College Trustees Board and Los Rios Community College District Trustee. “He was unwavering in his steadfast advocacy for students of color, especially Black and Brown students within our community college system.”

On a national level, Brown served on the Association of Community College Trustees

The paper’s authors and staff at Mount Saint Mary’s Center for the Advancement of Women are advocates who push for changes in legislation to help women and girls in the state.

Robin L. Owens, Interim Director, Center for the Advancement of Women and Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Mount Saint Mary’s University, said all of study’s findings need to be addressed.

“My personal opinion, wealth impacts everything, so that is the one that struck me the most,” she emphasized. “The differences in the wealth gap between men and women, but also between African American women and other races. That was striking.”

The wealth gap among women is vast, according to the study. For every $100 owned by a White woman, Latinas own $10, and Black women own $9. Twentyfour percent of households led by single Black women and 25% of Latina households are more likely to live in poverty than single White (14%) and single Asian (15%) women households.

In corporate leadership, 5% of the women in management positions and CEO chairs are African American. In comparison, 46% of women in management positions are White and 86% of women CEOs are White.

Black women hold 4% of the bachelor’s degrees obtained by California women, while White women have 47%. Among women holding graduate and professional degrees, 52% are White women, whereas African American women make up only 5%.

The maternal death rates African American women and their babies have are still comparable to numbers from decades ago despite funds and efforts put into improving that rate for all women, Griffin said.

“That is not an improvement,” she deemed.

CBWCEI is focused on using the numbers from the report and other statistics they have gathered to shine a light on the challenges Black women in the state have and to uplift their voices.

The group advocated for and received state funds to create the California Black Women’s Think Tank at Cal State Dominguez Hills, which focuses solely on Black women and girls through research and leadership development. The nonprofit organization is also conducting other African American womengeared initiatives.

“We are focused on Black women, Black girls, Black joy, Black advancement,” Griffin stated. “We understand if we invest in Black women, then we invest in Black communities. We are investing in Black California.”

Owens hopes readers of the report take actions like the CBWCEI.

“I hope people read the report and really give some thoughtful consideration to how they can add to the advancement of women in general and African American women in particular,” she said. “Even if it is in a small way. Sometimes we tend to think we have to fix the whole problem. If we could just find out in our own corner of the world, how we could make a small increase in helping African American women and women in general that would make a difference.”

Kenneth Brown ( courtesy photo)

Women’s History Month: Meet the Black Women Legislators Shaping California Policy

Mark Hedin | California Black Media

Since Yvonne Braithwaite Burke became the first Black woman elected to serve in the California State Assembly in 1966, 20 other African women have represented their constituents in both houses of the California State Legislature with distinction. Many of them have gone on to make their marks in various political arenas at the state, local and national levels.

Take U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA-12), who represented Oakland and adjacent communities in the State Assembly and Senate for eight years before winning the first of 13 terms she has now served in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Or Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass, also a California Assembly alumna, who became Speaker of the body in 2008. and served six terms in the U.S. Congress. Or U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA-29) represented South LA in the Assembly is serving her 17th term in the U.S. Congress.

Other Black alumnae of the California Assembly and Senate are: California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber (20122021, Assembly); Theresa P. Hughes (1975-1992, Assembly, and 1992-2000, Senate); Gwen Moore (1978-1994, Assembly);

former U.S. Congressmember Diane E. Watson (1978-1998, Assembly); Marguerite ArchieHudson (1990-1996, Assembly);

former U.S. Congressmember Juanita Millender-McDonald (1992-1996, Assembly);

former U.S. Congressmember Laura Richardson (2006-2007, Assembly); Wilmer Amina Carter (2006-2012, Assembly); California State Commissioner on Aging Cheryl Brown (20122016, Assembly); Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell (2010-2013, Assembly, and 2013-2020, Senate), Autumn Burke (2014-2022, Assembly), and U.S. Congressmember Syndey Kamlager ( 2018-2021 Assembly, 2021-2022, Senate).

In 2023, five of the California’s Black Legislative Caucus’ (CBLC) 12 members are women. They are:

Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D –Ladera Heights) The only Black woman in the California State Senate, Lola Smallwood-Cuevas represents state Senate District 28, a small, densely populated section of Los Angeles County that includes Culver City and parts of mid-city Los Angeles

and unincorporated Los Angeles County.

She began her career as a journalist in Oakland, Chicago and Long Beach, where she became active as a newspaper union organizer before joining the labor movement on a broader scale, starting with the SEIU.

She worked in the successful Justice for Janitors campaign of the 1990s, and during 15 years working at UCLA, she founded the Center for Advancement of Racial Equity at Work and cofounded the Los Angeles Black Worker Center, which became a model for similar organizations across the country, recognized by President Barack Obama.

In her first months as a state senator, Smallwood-Cuevas has introduced a package of worker and civil rights measures. Among them is SB 627, legislation that would help workers laid off by a chain business to find work at other locations nearby. Another, SB 497, would offer workers whistleblower protection in cases of alleged wage theft or unequal pay.

Lori Wilson (D – Suisun City)

When she was elected mayor of Suisun City in 2018, Lori Wilson became the first-ever Black woman to serve as mayor anywhere in Solano County. She’d been vice-mayor for six years.

Now, she’s chair of the CBLC after her election in April last year to represent the 11th Assembly district, which straddles Solano and Contra Costa counties.

She earned a degree from CSU Sacramento in Business Administration and in a 20-year career in finance and accounting worked with homebuilders, fair housing agencies and as Solano County’s auditor. In Suisun City, she brought these skills to bear in helping house fire refugees and addressing COVID challenges.

She serves on the

Appropriations, Banking and Finance, and the Accountability and Administrative Review standing committees.

Akilah Weber (D – San Diego)

From the 79th Assembly district is Akilah Weber, representing parts of San Diego, her hometown, and El Cajon, Lemon Grove, Spring Valley/La Presa and La Mesa.

After becoming first Black person ever elected to the La Mesa city council in 2018, Weber left in early 2021 to run for the Assembly seat in a special election to replace her mother, Dr. Shirley Weber, who’d been named secretary of state. She won, and her mother swore her in. Akilah Weber was re-elected in 2022.

Weber is a doctor who founded San Diego’s Rady Children’s Hospital Pediatric & Adolescent Gynecology Division, heads the adolescent gynecology program at UC San Diego Health, and is an assistant clinical professor at UCSD.

Looking back at her time on the La Mesa City Council, she told the San Diego Union Tribune her “most important vote” had been to form the city’s Community Police Oversight Board. She also supported creating its homelessness task force and implementing its Climate Action Plan.

In the state Assembly, she serves on six standing committees: Health, Higher Education Appropriations, Communications and Conveyance, and Water, Parks and Wildlife, Legislative Ethics Committee (co-chair) and Social Determinants of Health select committee (chair).

Tina McKinnor (D –Inglewood) Tina McKinnor’s 61st Assembly district spans communities in western Los Angeles County including

California lifts target for 15% water conservation as yet another storm approaches...continued said California must not relax its ethos of water conservation.

Inglewood, Gardena, Hawthorne, Marina del Rey, Venice, Westchester, Westmont, West Athens and parts of Los Angeles. She was elected to the state Assembly in July last year in a special election after the sudden resignation of Autumn Burke, herself a former CBLC vice-chair and the daughter of California Assembly alum and three-term U.S. Congresswoman Yvonne Brathwaite Burke. Burke cited COVID impacts on her family at the time for her resignation.

McKinnor, who had worked in the Assembly for years as Burke’s chief of staff, is now chair of the Assembly’s Public Employment and Retirement Committee, chair of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games Select Committee, and a member of the Business and Professions and the Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials committees.

Before serving in the Assembly, McKinnor worked for the nonprofit LAVoice developing affordable housing in coordination with faith-based organizations.

McKinnor has also been active in advancing reproductive rights, health care and police reforms.

Mia Bonta (D – Oakland) Mia Bonta ran for and won the 18th Assembly district seat in Alameda County in a 2021 special election called atter her husband, Rob Bonta, who’d held the seat since 2012, was named California Attorney General.

Bonta describes herself as a “proud Black Latina, raised by activists who protested outside the halls of power so that people like her could one day have a seat at the table inside.”

She earned her law degree at Yale, after studying there as an undergraduate. She earned her Ed.M from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Prior to being elected to the state Assembly, Bonta work revolved around improving educational outcomes for lowincome students as CEO of Oakland Promise, a district-wide Oakland college and career prep program, and board president of the Alameda Unified School District.

She serves on six Assembly committees: Joint Legislative Budget, Public Safety, Human Services, Communications and Conveyance, Business and Professions and the Budget Committee, including two of its subcommittees No. 5 -- Public Safety -- and No. 6 -- Budget Process, Oversight and Program Evaluation.

California lifts target for 15% water conservation as yet another storm approaches

BY ALASTAIR BLAND

down sidewalks and watering ornamental grass on commercial property, remain banned, according to state officials.

The state, however, is ending its requirement that local water agencies implement Level 2 drought contingency plans, which are locally written water use regulations— such as limits on watering lawns — that are invoked during water shortages.

In spite of wet weather, the state’s largest water supply — its groundwater basins — remain depleted.

“Even though reservoirs are recovering, groundwater aquifers remain depleted. The Colorado River — a major water source for Southern California — is also facing a massive deficit,” Cooley said. “The reality is we don’t have water to waste in California. We need to continue investing in water efficiency to prepare for a hotter, drier future and more intense droughts.”

Mike McNutt, spokesperson for the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District in Los Angeles County, said the retraction of the conservation target “sends the wrong message” to the public.

“Why put out messaging that says something different, that says, ‘You can conserve if you want to, but you don’t need to’?” said McNutt, whose district serving 75,000 people is totally reliant on water from the state aqueduct.

“The next drought is certainly just around the corner,” he added.

Californians did cut their average water use by 600,000 acre-feet in almost two years. That’s almost two-thirds the volume of Folsom Reservoir and enough water to serve 1.2 million households in a year.

Crowfoot stressed that the drought is not over, noting that drought status “is not a completely binary situation.” In some parts of the state, drought conditions have dramatically eased, but not in others. Crowfoot said the Klamath River basin and

the region of Southern California that relies on Colorado River water continue to face “acute water shortages.”

Thousands of households lack drinking water due to depleted groundwater basins , which have been overdrafted for decades and experts agree they will not rebound in a single rainy winter.

Joaquin Esquivel, chair of the State Water Resources Control Board, said the hope is that cities “are not just rebounding” to old ways of water use.

“Conservation remains a priority,” Crowfoot added.

Michael Anderson, a climatologist with the California Department of Water Resources, said snowpack is at 278% of

Sprinklers water a lawn in Los Angeles on June 5, 2022. Photo by Pablo Unzueta,

CalMatters

With the Sierra Nevada smothered in snow, large swaths of the Central Valley underwater and many Californians weary of water, state officials announced today that they are lifting some drought-related provisions on water use.

“Our water supply conditions have improved markedly,” said Secretary of Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot.

The state is rescinding its request for voluntary 15% water

conservation statewide, which was issued in July 2021, and instead, Crowfoot said, shifting to an approach of making conservation a “way of life.”

“We need to maintain our vigilance,” he said. “It’s not about going back to normal anymore. It’s really adjusting to a new normal.”

Some of the state’s emergency provisions were ended and some were left in place. Wasteful uses of water, such as hosing

In total, 81 drought-related provisions were enacted since April 2021. Just 33 remain in place, said Gov. Gavin Newsom at a press briefing today.

State officials also announced today a large increase in the amounts of water that local suppliers will get from the State Water Project, increasing from 35% announced last month to 75% of requested supplies. The water is provided to 750,000 acres of farmland and 27 million people, mostly in Southern California.

The announcements come as some of the state’s reservoirs

near capacity, with some of the state’s largest expected to fill by late spring. And the snowpack of the Sierra Nevada, nearing record levels in the southern portion of the range, continues to grow.

When Newsom issued his voluntary conservation target almost two years ago, many water experts said Newsom should have made it mandatory, as former Gov. Jerry Brown did during the previous drought. They also criticized him for failing to reduce use by farmers, who consume 80% of the state’s delivered water supply.

State officials say even though the 15% target was voluntary, it worked. However, the data does not back that up: Californians used 6% less water from July 2021 through December 2022 compared to 2020 — falling far short of Newsom’s 15% goal.

Heather Cooley, director of research at the Pacific Institute, an Oakland water supply thinktank,

normal, with another storm system expected to hit the North Coast and move inland and south from there, starting Monday. The system, he said, will deliver a relatively cold storm originating in the Gulf of Alaska, unlike some recent blasts of tropical moisture. This means it will drop more snow in the mountains.

“Not massive accumulations, but could be locally heavy,” he said.

Newsom Outlines Vision for California, Pledging to Permanently Eradicate Homelessness

The governor has also laid out ambitious plans to manufacture insulin, control substance abuse, and shut down private prisons.

By Sunita Sohrabji

California Governor Gavin Newsom laid out his vision for California at a March 22 press briefing with ethnic media, and pledged to permanently eradicate homelessness.

Fresh off his four day “state of the state” tour, his alternative to the traditional annual address to

the state Legislature, Newsom announced the release of $1 billion in Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Round 4 funding, which will be doled out to cities and counties attempting to reduce their unhoused populations. The $1

Incorporating Feedback from Inland Empire Small Business Owners, Majority Leader Reyes Announces Bill to Increase Access to State Resources

Reyes’s survey respondents shared their need for a way to find grants, technical assistance, tax incentives and other financial opportunities.

(SACRAMENTO) —

On February 27, Assembly

Majority Leader Reyes issued a survey to small businesses across the Inland Empire and beyond, asking for feedback on their needs. Thanks to their feedback, Reyes is announcing new legislation, AB 258, which would create a state-administered small business portal. The portal would create a place for small business owners to search for opportunities such as technical assistance, grants, tax credits and incentives, and information on regulation compliance. It would also include a simple way for state agencies to find and

partner with state-certified small businesses, with an emphasis on ones owned by veterans, women, and minorities.

“Thank you to the small business owners who provided their insight into the assistance that would best support their work,” said Reyes. “The long term success of California relies on small businesses. I am proud to introduce this bill because I know it reflects the needs of Inland Empire small businesses and will also benefit the entire state.”

The legislation is likely to receive its first vote in April.

California Governor Gavin Newsom. (photo courtesy of the governor's office)

Reparations Task Force to Host Second Sacramento Meeting This Week

Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media

panel of five experts have been long awaited and would influence the final recommendations the task force makes in its proposal to the state by July 1.

According to the task force’s “preliminary draft report” the policies of the federal government and California have created obstacles that have prevented African Americans from achieving the same objectives as White Americans, while also perpetuating symbols of slavery that have aided in the accumulation of wealth by White Americans.

Wisconsin Race Reminds Us How Important Every Election Is...continued

his family wants more than reparations.

“The descendants of slaves want (government) contracts for 25 years in perpetuity,” Burgess told the task force. “We don’t just want the reparations.”

Dawn Basciano, who testified in October 2021 about how Black families lost land in Coloma was in attendance but did not make public comment.

Basciano, a regulatory manager at the California Department of Public Health, is the great granddaughter of Pearly Monroe, the grandson of Nancy and Peter Gooch.

This election will pick the swing vote on the state’s Supreme Court, which is dominated by a far-right majority that’s ruled against everything from broad use of ballot drop boxes to make voting more convenient to the right of citizens’ groups to challenge environmental permits (the dissenting justices said that decision “slam shut the courthouse doors” to Wisconsinites).

thin margins. Wisconsin has 72 counties. If 140 more people in each one chooses to vote for the same candidate in the supreme court race, that’s one percentage point in the typical voter turnout in April. If more 500 people in each county go vote for that person, that’s nearly four points. And even with that boost in turnout, a majority of voters would still have stayed home.

The California's Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation

Proposals for African Americans will discuss how the wealth gap has affected Black Californians at its next two-day meeting in Sacramento on Friday, March 29, and Saturday, March 30, at the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) headquarters’ Byron Sher Auditorium.

The sessions will begin at 9 a.m. on both days.

At the previous meeting held in Sacramento March 4 and 5, several Black California families – legal heirs to land grabbed illegally or extralegally by the state through eminent domain – shared stories or how their families were forcefully removed from property they owned without compensation.

Michael Johnson and his sister Marian Johnson told the task force how his grandparents and great grandparents were removed from Russell City by

eminent domain. Russell City was an unincorporated majority Black community in Northern California that local authorities bulldozed in the 1960s.

“Let’s call it what it is, ‘stealing land from Black people,’” said Michael Johnson, a member of the Russell City Reparative Justice Project. “Russell City holds the answers to questions that California reparations committee has on how to quantify the harm caused by the unjust property taken by eminent domain.”

This upcoming meeting in Sacramento, which is the 14th for the task force, will feature analysis by a team of economic experts who will propose a framework for calculating restitution owed to Californians who are the descendants of Black people enslaved in the United States and make recommendations for how the state can offer that restitution.

The recommendations by a

Newsom Outlines Vision for California, Pledging to Permanently Eradicate Homelessness...

continued from page 3

billion in grants is part of a multi-year $15.3 billion effort by the state to address the crisis of homelessness.

Funds will go to entities that are “ambitious” in their goals, with improved metrics and coordination. “We rejected many plans that were unambitious,” said Newsom, adding: “no plan, no money.”

Bonuses of up to 16% will be attached for cities and counties who meet their target metrics. An additional $750 million has been allocated to clean up homeless encampments.

Tiny Homes Newsom also announced a “small homes” initiative, tiny units which would house 2 to 6 people. 1200 small homes will be placed this year in Los Angeles, San Diego County, San Jose and Sacramento. People living in homeless encampments will be first priority for housing in the tiny homes, as the first step to transitioning into permanent housing.

Newsom said he hopes to launch the initiative in other cities next year. The homes are offered free, and ready to move in to.

Through these initiatives, the state is expected to reduce its homeless population by 15% by 2025. The Public Policy Institute of California notes that the state has the largest number of unhoused people in the country: more than 131,000 people are unsheltered, according to the 2022 annual Point In Time survey, in which volunteers go out on to streets to count the number of homeless residents.

Project HomeKey

Los Angeles is home to 38% of the state’s homeless residents. San Jose, one of the wealthiest regions in California, is home to 5.8% of the state’s unhoused people, while Oakland is home to 5.7%. San Francisco has 4.5% of the state’s unhoused individuals,

Elmer Fonza of Las Vegas and his elder brother Medford Fonza, who lives in the Los Angeles area, said their great, great, great grandfather Nelson Bell was brought to California as an enslaved person around 1850 to mine gold. He was later freed.

Bell purchased land in Coloma, 48 miles east of Sacramento, but the family lost it all after he died in the 1870s. The Fonzas believe their family property was taken by wrongful state actions.

The Fonzas are not the only family tied to Nelson Bell. Sacramento residents and twin brothers, Jonathan and Matthew Burgess, are descendants of Bell. The brothers, who met the Fonzas at the meeting for the first time, have been doing research to determine how Bell’s land was taken through eminent domain.

Jonathan Burgess said his “family got deeds and receipts that go back from 1870” that proves Bell owned land in what is now considered Gold Country. The town of Coloma is mostly a state park run by the state’s parks and recreation department.

Matthew Burgess said

The Gooches were enslaved and brought to California to mine for gold in Coloma in 1849. When California became a state in 1850, they were freed and acquired nearly 400 acres in Coloma. They paid for the freedom of their son Andrew Monroe in Missouri, who joined them in Coloma in the 1870s.

Basciano said most of the Gooch-Monroe land was forcefully taken by the state after a long court battle in the 1940s. Members of the Monroe family say their case is welldocumented and their land has been a major part of the state’s park and recreation historical activities, mainly because of the fruit orchards the Black family owned.

“Unfortunately, most of it was taken by eminent domain,” Basciano told Emend the Mass Media Group later in March. “Essentially, (Coloma) was owned primarily by two prominent Black families (Gooch-Monroe and Burgess). What is there, today, is not in the

Newsom Outlines Vision for California, Pledging to Permanently Eradicate Homelessness...continued

residents.

according to PPIC data.

Amid the pandemic, Newsom had launched Project HomeKey, an ambitious project to buy up hotels, motels, and other properties to be repurposed as housing for homeless people, with support services to address substance abuse, mental illness, and economic distress. In response to a question from Ethnic Media Services, the governor said: “I couldn’t be more proud of the program, especially with our rural partners who have developed some really innovative solutions with Project HomeKey funding.”

Newsom noted that Project HomeKey bought 6,000 units at a cost of $3.75 billion. Critics of the program noted it cost an average of $55,000 to house an individual, and did not address the underlying issues leading to chronic homelessness.

‘Crisis of Housing’

In response to a question from California Black Media, Newsom said he was tightening up the permitting process for Accessory Dwelling Units to increase the supply of affordable housing, with $100 million having been allocated to homeowners to apply for grants to build ADUs on their property.

“In California, we are using every tool in our toolbox –including the largest-ever deployment of small homes in the state – to move people off the streets and into housing. The crisis of homelessness will never be solved without first solving the crisis of housing – the two issues are inextricably linked,” said Newsom.

Insulin Manufacturing

The governor also announced that the state would be producing its own insulin to be distributed at $30 per vial, greatly reducing the cost of a drug that is needed daily by 3 million of the state’s

Diabetes disproportionately affects people of color, along with low-income individuals, said Dr. Mark Ghaly, Secretary of California Health and Human Services. “We know the cost of insulin is forcing families to make hard choices,” he said at the March 22 briefing.

The state has partnered with Utah-based Civica to manufacture insulin. Newsom said he hopes to begin manufacturing insulin in California by 2025.

Opioid Crisis

The governor is also shoring up his response to the state’s mental health and opioid crises. He announced a 2024 ballot initiative, which would provide $1 billion annually to increase the supply of beds for mentally ill people, especially veterans.

Earlier in the week, Newsom released his administration’s

“Master Plan for Tackling the Fentanyl and Opioid Crisis,” which would step up efforts to seize fentanyl, support overdose prevention efforts, hold the opioid pharmaceutical industry accountable, crack down on drug trafficking, and raise awareness about the dangers of opioids.

Newsom also discussed the state’s shutdown of four private prisons. “It is absolutely perverse that we have profit motives for incarcerating our citizens,” he stated. The state’s prison population has dropped dramatically, from a high of almost 200,000 prisoners during the Schwarzenegger era, to about 93,000 currently.

San Quentin is also being repurposed as a rehabilitation facility to allow prisoners to more successfully integrate into society once released, thereby reducing the state’s rate of recidivism.

Wisconsin Race Reminds Us How Important Every Election Is

By Ben Jealous

and wind energy, emissions and fossil fuel extraction would drop precipitously.

It’s the paradox of the aggregate. One of us doing something has a minimal impact, a lot of us doing the same thing moves the needle – for the good or the bad.

The Wisconsin race may even decide the next Presidential election. Those justices may well be called on in 2024 to rule on election challenges in a state whose 10 electoral votes have decided presidential elections. It happened that way in 2020, and the conservative in this year’s race advised the national and state Republican parties and those who sought to submit fake paperwork for Donald Trump electors after he lost the 2020 race. A few more people stepping up to vote could decide this race. Statewide contests in the Dairy State often turn on razor

So Wisconsin voters can do a lot to save the country and protect the planet if they cast their ballots. Judging by past races, most Wisconsinites plan to skip this election. The rest of us can do something by texting anyone we know in Wisconsin to let them know how important this election may be. Their State Supreme Court may end up deciding the next President.

Ben Jealous is executive director of the Sierra Club. He is a professor of practice at the University of Pennsylvania and author of “Never Forget Our People Were Always Free,” published in January.

Conservative Groups Don’t Speak for All Moms

By Svante Myrick

rights – not just my own. Mom also worked multiple jobs to support our family through some very hard times. She represents my ideal of what a mother should be, without a doubt. And maybe she would represent yours too, or my neighbor’s. I certainly think so – but the truth is I can’t say for sure, and I can’t insist on it.

Svante Myrick, President, People

For the American Way

As Women’s History Month comes to a close, I’ve been thinking about moms and honoring motherhood. I’ve written before about how my mom instilled values in me, including respect for everyone’s

Unfortunately, that is exactly what some on the Right are trying to do by claiming to speak for all mothers and even all parents. This effort to steal the moral authority of motherhood only for themselves is wrong, and it has to be stopped.

The far-right group Moms for Liberty is a marquee example with an especially insidious

Reparations Task Force to Host Second Sacramento Meeting This Week...continued

hands of any of those families.”

Eminent domain’s historical application by the government and its impact on racial wealth disparity have been passionately discussed at the reparations task force gatherings. In the 1950s, for example, the city of Santa Monica utilized an unlawful approach to confiscate land, causing thousands of families to be evicted from their homes. The move was to pave the way for the Interstate 10 freeway and the city’s Civic Auditorium. Most of the Black families that were living in the Belmar Triangle, a community in downtown Santa Monica, migrated to the beach town from the deep south. They occupied the area for nearly 50 years.

Extensive research of the historical Belmar district has been conducted by Dr. Alison Rose Jefferson, the author of “Living the California Dream: African American Leisure Sites She believes that many of the families who were displaced are eligible for compensation.

“Yes, I do think there should be some reparations for those who were forcefully removed,” Dr. Jefferson said in October 2022. For more information about the Task Force meeting, please visit the California Department of Justice (DOJ) website or contact the DOJ by email at ReparationsTaskforce@doj. ca.gov or phone at (213) 5190504.

Ben Jealous

Whether it’s protecting the planet or preserving our democracy, it can seem at times that our individual actions fall short against the biggest challenges. Let me tell you why that isn’t true.

We tend to overlook that issues like these arise in the first place because of the sum of a lot of individual actions. If one by one, half of us switched to powering our homes and cars with solar

Voting is no different. I’ve spent a good part of my career fighting to ensure people can vote and encouraging them to get out and do it.

Next week, on April 4, Wisconsin will hold a spring election, mainly for local races. It’s the kind of election that historically voters across the country skip. Voter turnout in the Wisconsin primaries last month was 21 percent, and that was a four-point improvement. Badger State voters should see this election differently. continued in next 2 columns

Dr. Rev. Amos Brown, center, a member of the San Francisco reparations board, pastor of Third Baptist Church, and the president of the San Francisco NAACP, said the city's efforts should focus on investments and opportunities in the form of reparations. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey. March 3, 2023.

LIFESTYLE/RELIGION/ENTERTAINMENT/CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING

New CPSC Report Shows Upward Trend in Carbon Monoxide (CO) Fatalities

for 2019. The report shows that since 2009, portable generators alone have been associated with an estimated 765 non-fire CO poisoning deaths, accounting for 40 percent of all CO deaths related to consumer products under CPSC's jurisdiction.

“Then the Lord Said to Samuel…”

By: Lou K. Coleman

CPSC Underscores Need for Consumer Vigilance

WASHINGTON, March

28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ --

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) today released a new report that shows an upward trend in non-fire carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning deaths. The report, Non-Fire Carbon Monoxide Deaths Associated with the Use of Consumer Products

2019 Annual Estimates, covers deaths from 2009 to 2019 Most CO deaths occur in the colder months of the year, with more than half of the deaths occurring during the four cold months of November, December, January and February.

For 2019, there were an estimated 250 consumer productrelated CO deaths in the United States - greater than any other year in the report. EngineDriven Tools (EDTs), including generators, were associated with the largest percentage of non-fire CO poisoning deaths

Heating systems were associated with the second largest percentage of non-fire CO poisoning deaths for 2019. An estimated 69 deaths (28%) were associated with products in this category.

CO is called the invisible killer because it is colorless and odorless and can kill in minutes. CO poisoning can happen so quickly that exposed persons may become unconscious before recognizing the symptoms of nausea, dizziness or weakness.

CPSC urges consumers to take safety precautions to prevent CO poisoning.

Portable Generators

Use portable generators OUTSIDE ONLY, and place them at least 20 feet from the home with exhaust pointed away from any nearby building.

NEVER operate a portable generator inside a home, garage, basement, crawlspace or shed.

Opening doors or windows will not provide enough ventilation to prevent the buildup of lethal levels of CO.

Check that portable generators

have been maintained properly, and read and follow the labels, instructions and warnings on the generator and in the owner's manual. Look for portable generators that have a CO shutoff safety feature, which is designed to shut the generator off automatically when high levels of CO are present around the generator. These models may be advertised as certified to the latest safety standards for portable generators–PGMA G300-2018 and UL 2201–which are estimated to reduce deaths from CO poisoning by 87% and 100%, respectively. UL 2201 certified models have reduced CO emissions in addition to the CO shut-off feature.

Heating Products Have a professional inspect all fuel-burning heating products, including furnaces, boilers, fireplaces, wood stoves, water heaters, chimneys, flues and vents each year. These and other heating products can cause CO poisoning if they are improperly installed, poorly maintained, have defective or blocked venting systems or are misused. Clear snow away from the outside vents for fuel-burning appliances such as furnaces so that dangerous carbon monoxide does not build up in the house.

CO Alarms

Working CO alarms save lives!

Install CO alarms on every level of the home and outside sleeping areas. Alarms that are not battery operated should have battery backup in case of a power outage. Interconnected alarms are best because, when one sounds, they all sound. Test the alarms every month to make sure they are working. Replace batteries at least once every year, or install CO alarms with sealed, 10-year batteries.

CPSC resources:

Poster – Carbon Monoxide (CO) the Invisible Killer

Poster – Carbon Monoxide (CO) the Invisible Killer (Spanish)

Infographic - Portable Generator Carbon Monoxide Emissions vs Car Carbon Monoxide Emissions

CPSC PSA: One portable generator produces the same amount of carbon monoxide as hundreds of cars illustrates how gasoline-powered portable generators can create a risk of CO poisoning that can kill in minutes. The PSA is also available in Spanish. Read more safety tips in our Carbon Monoxide Safety Center. Individual Commissioners may have statements related to this topic. Please visit www. cpsc.gov/commissioners to search for statements related to this or other topics.

How the Pandemic Has Affected Attendance at U.S. Religious Services

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 28, 2023) – Pew Research Center has conducted five surveys since the summer of 2020 in which we asked U.S. adults whether they attended religious services in person in the prior month and, separately, whether they took part virtually (by streaming online or watching on TV). Our analysis of these surveys finds that there are some indications that in-person engagement in religious services has declined slightly since 2019, before the COVID-19 outbreak. The share of all U.S. adults who say they typically attend religious services at least once a month is down modestly but measurably (by 3 percentage points, from 33% to 30%) over that span, and one-in-five Americans say they now attend in person less often than they did before the pandemic.

At the same time, the share of U.S. adults who take part in religious services in some way (in person, virtually or both) in a given month has remained remarkably steady since the early days of the pandemic – even though how they participate has shifted dramatically.

In July 2020 – when many churches, synagogues, mosques and other houses of worship were limiting attendance or closed to physical worshippers – 41% of adults said they had joined in religious services in one of these ways (either in person or virtually) in the past month. Most of them (27% of all U.S. adults) said they had participated only virtually. An additional 9% said they had attended in person and watched virtually. Just 4% said they had gone to church or other religious services only in person in the month prior to the July 2020 survey.

Since then, the total share of U.S. adults participating in religious services has barely budged, hovering around fourin-ten. But as the pandemic has run its course and many religious congregations have reopened their doors to worshippers, the percentage of Americans participating virtually in worship services has been dropping. Meanwhile, in-person attendance quickly rebounded and then appears to have plateaued. In the most recent survey asking these questions, in November 2022, 12% say they participated only

virtually in the past month (down from 27% in the first year of the pandemic), while 16% say they attended only in person (up from 4% in 2020). An additional 12% say they did both.

Key takeaways from the new report To assess the impact of the pandemic on worship attendance rates, the report looks at Pew Research Center’s survey data in four different ways:

• Five surveys conducted since the start of the pandemic (beginning with a survey in July 2020) show that a remarkably steady share of Americans –about 40% – say they have participated in religious services in the prior month one way or the other (either in person or virtually, i.e., by streaming online or watching on TV).

Asked directly whether they now attend religious services more or less often than they did before the pandemic, more Americans indicate that their attendance habits have declined than risen. But it’s a complicated picture: As of November 2022, 20% say they are attending in person less often (while 7% say they are going in person more often). On the other hand, 15% say they are participating in services virtually more often (while 5% say they are watching services online or on TV less often).

• The share of U.S. adults who say they generally attend religious services once a month or more has dropped slightly, from 33% in 2019 to 30% in 2022.

• A longitudinal analysis of the survey data – tracking the same individuals’ answers on four annual surveys from 2019 to 2022 – finds that the vast majority (87%) report no change in their rates of worship attendance over that period. But among those who do indicate a change, more report attending services less often (8%) than report attending more often (4%).

Overall, 28% of U.S. adults now say they attended religious services in person in the last month, virtually unchanged from the last time we asked this question in March 2022 (27%) and only slightly higher than in September 2021 (26%). Those surveys indicated a significant

rise of in-person attendance from March 2021 (17%) and July 2020 (13%). By contrast, the share of Americans who say they watched religious services online or on TV in the last month dropped in the new survey, from 30% in March 2022 to 24% in November.

Throughout the pandemic, White evangelical Protestants consistently have been the most likely of the country’s major religious groups to attend services in person. The portion of White evangelicals who report that they physically went to church in the past month has not dropped below 30% at any point since July 2020. In the most recent survey, fully half of White evangelicals (52%) say they attended in person. Black Protestants have experienced a substantial bounce in physical attendance, from a low of 14% in July 2020 to 41% in the recent survey. But Black Americans also have suffered a disproportionately high share of COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths relative to White Americans, and Black Protestants remain the U.S. religious group most likely to be viewing services virtually. In the most recent survey, about half of Black Protestants (54%) say they participated in services online or on TV in the last month, compared with 46% of White evangelical Protestants and smaller shares of Catholics (20%), White non-evangelical Protestants (19%) and Jews (16%). (This report cannot analyze the attendance patterns of Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and other smaller non-Christian religious groups due to sample size limitations.)

When it comes to party affiliation, Republicans and Republican-leaning independents have been much more likely than Democrats and Democraticleaning independents to attend religious services in person – as well as somewhat more likely to participate virtually – throughout the pandemic.

Older Americans tend to be more religious than young adults, and despite being at greater risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19, Americans ages 65 and older have generally been somewhat more inclined than young adults (ages 18 to 29)

Lou K. Coleman

“I am about to do a shocking thing... I am going to carry out all my threats ... I have warned continually that judgment is coming [1 Samuel 3:11-14] but they have squandered the opportunities, I have given them to repent. How long will the simple ones love their simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge? [Proverbs 1:22]. Hear this, you foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear.” [Jeremiah 5:21] the time of trouble, which is to increase until the end, is very near at hand. You have no time to lose. The world is stirred with the spirit of war. The prophecies of the eleventh of Daniel have almost reached their final fulfillment. The time of trouble—trouble such as was not since there was a nation [Daniel 12:1]—is right upon you, and you are like the sleeping virgins. Awake from your slumber because soon great trouble will arise among the nations— [fire, flood, earthquake, war, and bloodshed]. Heed the warning before it’s too late!

Christ's second coming and of the destruction to fall upon the world. Run, run to Jesus NOW, for those who heed the warning will be saved. God’s judgment on the earth is a fact. Don’t ignore the warning. The flood is the past example of God’s judgment. Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed when God rained fire and brimstone on them. God ordered Israel to destroy the Canaanites because of their sin. Israel itself was judged by the Babylonian captivity. Jerusalem was destroyed in A.D. 70 because of rejecting the Messiah. There are many more examples in the Bible. But no other judgment in history was as widespread and severe as that of the flood. As such, the flood stands as the past example, bar none, of the fact of God’s judgment on the whole earth, and just as He judged the whole earth with the flood, so He will judge the whole earth in the end times, and none will escape. Don’t wait until it’s too late! Heed the warning NOW for God’s grace is seen in not closing the door until the last possible moment. Understand God’s future judgment will be historical, universal, and will come suddenly. He who testifies to these things say, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” [Revelation 22:20]. So don’t wait until it is too late. You must take the means of escape God has provided NOW.

to go to religious services in person. Older Americans also report participating in religious services virtually at higher rates than the youngest adults.

The most recent survey, about half of adults 65 and older say they attended services in the past month, including a third who went either only in person (18%) or both in person and virtually (15%). That compares with roughly three-in-ten adults under 30 who say they participated in religious services in any way, including about one-fifth who went either only in person (12%) or both in person and virtually (9%).

Throughout most of the pandemic, about six-in-ten Americans have not taken part in religious services in any way. In the new survey, this includes roughly seven-in-ten adults under 30 (72%) and about nine-in-ten religiously unaffiliated adults (those who describe their religious identity as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular”).

These are among the key findings of a new analysis of Americans’ religious attendance, based on a Pew Research Center survey conducted Nov. 16-27, 2022, on the nationally representative American Trends Panel, as well as several older surveys. For the November 2022 survey, a total of 11,377 panelists responded out of 12,402 who were sampled, for a response rate of 92%. The margin of sampling error for the full sample of 11,377 respondents is plus or minus 1.5 percentage points.

To read the report, click here: pewresearch.org/ religion/2023/03/28/howthe-pandemic-has-affectedattendance-at-u-s-religiousservices

Methodology: pewresearch. org/religion/2023/03/28/ pandemic-religious-attendancemethodology Survey topline: pewresearch. org/religion/wp-content/uploads/ sites/7/2023/03/PF_2023.03.28_ pandemic-religion-attendance_ TOPLINE.pdf

For more information about the study or to arrange an interview with the lead researchers, please contact Anna Schiller at aschiller@pewresearch.org or +1-202-419-4514.

Remember the word came to Noah, “Come thou and all thy house into the ark”; The message came to Lot, “Get up," he said. "Get out of this place, for the LORD is about to destroy the city!" [Genesis 7:1; 19:14]. So now we are given warning of

The people watched Noah working for 120 years. They watched the animals streaming in from all parts of the globe. They watched Noah and his family board the ark. The door was still open for any to come aboard. Nobody did. They watched as the Lord shut the door [Genesis 7:16]. The rain started. It was too late.

WITNESS FOR JUSTICE #1144

Closing the Global Gender Digital Divide

Rebekah Choate

The 67th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) was held in New York City between March 6 and 17, 2023. The agreed conclusions adopted by Member States constitute the first comprehensive global blueprint for the rights of women and girls when it comes to technology, innovation, and education in the digital age. This includes access to technology, education in STEAM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math), and safety and the protection of human rights in digital spaces.

Around the world, there are very few places that are looking at technology and innovation with a gender lens or even attempting to regulate or guide new technology in order to prevent gender, racial, or wealth gaps in access to or education in using these tools. These agreed conclusions will help to guide governments, private companies, and civil society in the creation of new initiatives and tools related to innovation and technology.

The global digital gender divide is pronounced, particularly when it comes to participation and leadership of women and girls and access to and use of technologies, connectivity, digital literacy, and education. We see this through increased violence against women in public life, both in the form of online harassment and physical violence. We see its negative effects on the mental health of young people, particularly girls, who face societal pressure to present their perfect image on social media sites like Instagram.

We saw the digital divide in education starkly during

the COVID-19 pandemic. Those with access to laptops or tablets and a high-speed internet connection were able to keep up with their schooling. However, those without access to the internet had to sit in cars in McDonalds or library parking lots for the free Wi-Fi. And if that wasn’t possible, they just dropped out of school. In some places, girls who dropped out of school because of shutdowns were married off so their families didn’t have to worry about not having enough money to take care of them. We have yet to see the data on the full impact of these pandemic restrictions on children and youth, but we do know there will be a disproportionate impact on girls.

The most amazing part of attending CSW either in person or online is the ability to listen to the stories of women from around the world. We are all facing similar challenges and issues, just with different contexts. For example, access to the internet in rural areas of the United States is just as difficult as access in rural areas in other countries. However, the stories of resilience are so inspiring and give me hope that we can create a just world for all.

The UCC fielded a small virtual delegation of women to CSW 67 this year. Keep an eye out for the opportunity to participate in CSW 68 next year. CSW is usually held the first two full weeks of March.

Rebekah Choate is the Minister for Global Advocacy and Education, Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ.

12 Mucus-Triggering Foods You Should Avoid This Season

Blackdoctor.org

Black Non-Profit’s Art And Jazz Gala Celebrates 12 Years Of Service To Breast Cancer Survivors And Families

Tip #2: Consume Cucumbers

Cucumbers are rich in potassium, vitamin C, and water. They aid in cleansing the body and reducing inflammation. A great way to add cucumber to your everyday diet is to drink cucumber and lime water throughout the day. Not only does this reduce mucus and inflammation, but it keeps you hydrated and improves the skin.

Tip #3: Find Alternatives

Have you ever eaten and realized you are clearing your throat quite a bit? Embarrassing and annoying, right? This uncomfortable feeling is due to phlegm build-up from mucusforming foods.

While mucus can serve as a protectant against dust, bacteria, and pathogens; too much mucus can potentially harm the body causing respiratory problems, diabetes, and other diseases.

You may not be aware, but some of the most common foods we eat cause mucus. Here are 12 mucus-forming foods:

-Red meat

-Cheese -Yogurt -Ice cream

-Refined sugar

-Bread

-Pasta

-Soy products

-Butter

-Eggs

-Coffee

-Alcohol

In addition, you want to avoid fried foods and other processed and refined foods. If you are not willing to avoid the mucus-forming foods, consider decreasing your consumption

and replacing them with more mucus reducing foods like:

-Green leafy vegetables

-Lime

-Grapefruit -Ginger

-Turmeric

-Pineapple -Cucumber

Eating more alkaline-forming and anti-inflammatory foods is a great way to decrease mucus and inflammation in the body. By doing so you are helping to prevent the body from colds, and chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease.

Tips To Start Reducing

Unwanted Mucus In The Body

Tip #1: Drink Lime Water

Every Morning

Drinking lime water every morning helps to alkalize your body. It also helps to fight infections, reduces inflammation, improves digestion, helps with weight loss, rejuvenates the skin, and removes mucus. This is by far the quickest and easiest routine to add to your everyday routine.

5 Foods That Cause Inflammation

Blackdoctor.org News

Find alternatives to some of the mucus-forming foods that you may love. If you enjoy yogurt, try a dairy-free yogurt. Same with milk, try any of the dairy-free or soy-free milks that are nut-based or non-nut-based (cashew milk and oat milk are great options).

Tip #4: Ginger & Turmeric

Both ginger and turmeric fight inflammation. Drink in tea form or juice the root for instant relief from mucus.

Tip #5: Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3 fatty acids are

also known to reduce phlegm and inflammation. Moderate consumption of salmon, nuts, and chia seeds are all great omega-3 foods.

Tip #6: Refined, Trans, And Saturated

Try replacing trans and saturated fats with healthier fats such as vegetable and seed-based oils. Instead of refined grains like rice, try whole grains like brown rice and whole oats.

This isn’t an overnight change, but gradually transitioning and being more mindful of what you are consuming can help prevent mucus and other chronic diseases in the future.

Which of the above tips are you going to incorporate into your daily routine?

Elissa Mirsky, known to most as Elle, is a published author and former editor-in-chief of Bold Magazine. She believes food shouldn’t be boring and every meal should be fashionably edible. Follow her on Instagram @mylifebeingelle where she is documenting her journey to eat well, live life, and love self.

5 Foods That Cause Inflammation...continued

try incorporating more omega-3 superfoods like salmon, tuna, beans and nuts.

As with most things, moderation is key. You don’t have to give up your favorite foods completely, or all at once.

Tickets are available now for April 30 event benefitting local breast cancer patients, survivors, and their families

World/Health News

It may not sound like it, but in a healthy body inflammation is actually a good thing that protects and heals.

However, if chronic inflammation persists in the body it can damage healthy tissue and lead to other serious conditions like obesity, hypertension, cancer and even heart disease.

Not all foods are created equal and studies show that certain foods can make an already bad situation worse.

Stop aggravating your body and start lowering your risk of inflammation by cutting back on these five foods.

1. Vegetable oils

Oils like soy, sunflower, corn, cottonseed and mixed vegetable are rich in omega-6 fatty acids and consuming too many increases your risk of inflammation.

Oils used in cooking are classified based on the leading type of fatty acid each contains: Polyunsaturated, monounsaturated and saturated fats.

Try extra virgin olive oil, which is full of omega-3 fatty acids that are good for you. This is a polyunsaturated fat that has a wealth of health benefits.

2. Processed cheeses

A diet high in processed cheeses has high sodium and

high saturated fat. That is likely to increase the risk of high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes.

A high intake of saturated fat can increase the risk of diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular problems. Skip processed cheeses, like American cheese, and go with all-natural, hard cheeses. These typically have more flavor and less sodium, a win-win.

3. Pre-seasoned foods and seasonings

Most commercial brand seasonings are high in sodium and it’s been said that a high sodium-to-potassium ratio in your diet can create a negative inflammatory response.

Fresh is best, so season your foods with fresh or dried herbs like sage, basil and thyme.

4. Sugar-added cereals

Foods high in sugar are inflammation’s playground! Instead of having a sugary cereal for breakfast, go for one that’s low-sugar, and high-fiber.

An even better option is steelcut oatmeal.

5. Fatty meats

If you have a diet high in saturated animal fats like burgers, bacon, hot dogs and ribs,

As they say, when you know better, you do better. In this case, you’ll FEEL better, too. Visit the BlackDoctor.org Food center for more articles and tips.

New virtual entrepreneurial curriculum launches to support innovators addressing health equity

The American Heart Association introduces an opportunity for social and tech entrepreneurs to apply for grants and gain knowledge and access to tools for success.

World/Health News

Dallas — New training tools from the American Heart Association will help health equity innovators address issues like structural racism and other social factors that impact health in urban and rural communities.

A recent study found that Black and LatinX founders represented just 2.6% of total funding raised by venture capital in 2020.¹ In its commitment to ensuring equitable health for all, the Association supports innovators and other social enterprises, startups, non-profits, and digital and health tech companies that are addressing health equity challenges in their local communities with mentoring, funding opportunities and – now – ongoing training.

The American Heart Association, the leading global voluntary health organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke for all, has launched the EmPOWERED Innovation Academy, providing participants with tools, community and training concepts from design thinking methodologies and prototyping to customer design and brand storytelling, to help them expand and enhance their solutions.

Completing the Innovation Academy will help prepare participants for regional and national EmPOWERED to Serve Business Accelerators™ that provide business training, grants, and support for small businesses and non-profits, social and digital health tech entrepreneurs and innovators making a difference in community health. Through the Business Accelerators, the American Heart Association has awarded grants totaling

Nationwide -- I Will Survive, Inc., a non-profit 501(c)(3) based in Atlanta, Georgia and founded by combat veteran Anisa Palmer, celebrates its 12th year in operation providing philanthropic assistance to breast cancer patients and their families.

To celebrate this milestone and raise additional funds for local families in need, I Will Survive (IWS) will partner with Manifest Destiny (MD) to host a Mental Health focused Art & Jazz Gala Sunday, April 30th at The Gathering Spot, 384 Northyards Blvd NW in Atlanta. Corporate sponsorships and tickets are available.

The co-founders of MD were inspired to partner with IWS for this event in many ways, including being personally impacted by breast cancer and the mental health challenges that can go along with it.

“My godmother, who was an image of health, before being diagnosed with breast cancer, has had a tumultuous 2 years. She is on her last round of chemo,

but to be honest, she is always the most positive person in the room and lights up any room with her smile. Even on the bad days, she maintains her joy and faith,” said Chanell Angeli, cofounder of Manifest Destiny.

Co-founder Mario Reyes has stated, “Once you are the change you want to see, you will see everything around you change.” Since its inception, Manifest Destiny has been able to host 20 community wellness programs, impact 10 schools and extend art programs to over 500 children.

The event will feature a Live Art Auction with six notable artists including awardwinning multidisciplinary artist, Chanell Angeli. Live music with Saxophone genius Richard Shaw, Jr., known for playing more than one saxophone at a time, is the featured entertainment along with other artists. For more information, to purchase tickets, or to become a sponsor, please visit the Art & Jazz Gala Eventbrite Page.

New virtual entrepreneurial curriculum launches to support innovators addressing health equity...continued

skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the competitive healthcare industry. By offering a range of resources and support, we can help create a more equitable and accessible health

more than $1.1 million. The American Heart Association’s 2023 EmPOWERED to Serve Business Accelerator™ nationwide application period will open in May. The Innovation Academy meets people where they are, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, or differently abled status to help develop and grow innovative ideas and small businesses focused on health justice and social and systemic determinants of health. Participants in the Academy will be introduced to:

• Refining, testing and proving their health impact-focused solution.

• Understanding how to unlock and analyze qualitative data.

• Using design thinking methodologies to test and improve their business’s focus.

• Learning to be an influencer in their market.

• Training and grant opportunities including the EmPOWERED to Serve Business Accelerator and the Social Impact Fund. The American Heart Association is seeking to engage social/health justice focused entrepreneurs, businesses and non-profits as well as digital/ health focused innovators and entrepreneurs. The American Heart Association’s EmPOWERED Innovation Academy aims to help grow and scale the impact of these entrepreneurs meeting the needs of their communities in addressing social and health justice. Providing training is crucial to developing the

continued in next 2 columns

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To subscribe visit our website: sb-american.com

James L. Brulte Senior Center Calls on Biden Administration to Protect Senior

and Retiree Health Care

<Rancho Cucamonga, CA> — The Seniors V.I.P. Club, which operates within the James L. Brulte Senior Center, today asked the Biden Administration to revisit proposed cuts to Medicare Advantage, a crucial health care program that covers more than 30 million American seniors and people with disabilities, including over 3 million in California. As the one of the largest Senior Centers in the Inland Empire, The James L. Brulte Senior Center supports initiatives that provide quality and affordable health care to our seniors and counts the Seniors VIP Clubs as one of its most active programs.

David Tucker, President of the Seniors V.I.P. Club, said, “California seniors rely on the coverage of their Medicare Advantage plans, which allows them to access quality and affordable health care. Medicare Advantage plans provide top tier benefits, like preventative services, care coor-dination, and telehealth—all while capping out-of-pocket costs and keeping more money in enrol-lees’ pockets.”

Medicare Advantage is a public private partnership that provides eligible seniors and people with

disabilities an alternative to original Medicare. Medicare Advantage plans offer the same benefits as original Medicare, but often also provide additional benefits, like hearing, vision, dental, and prescription drug coverage. Polling shows that Medicare Advantage enrollees are overwhelming-ly satisfied with their coverage. Additional polling also shows that 95% of senior voters believe Medicare Advantage should be fully funded by the government.

Mr. Tucker added, “The seniors that we work with every day rely on Medicare Advantage for their health care. Any government cuts to the program would only serve to make access more difficult for seniors. I hope President Biden and officials in his administration will do the right thing and say no to cuts to Medicare Advantage.”

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released its 2024 Medicare Advantage Advance Notice proposal, which proposes Medicare Advantage plan payments for the 2024 calendar year. Currently, CMS has proposed billions of dollars in cuts to Medicare Ad-vantage.

The Southern California Black Chamber of Commerce recognizes 6 Amazing Women Entrepreneurs

advocate based in San Bernardino. Jae released “The Karma Effect” in 2022 and stars in a YouTube series with her son titled “L.O.A.T - Life of a teenager”. Jae will be releasing a feature film titled “Not a Victim” worldwide on all streaming platforms, watch the trailer here. Jae also released a book in 2021 titled “Goal Morning: Arise and Grind”. Follow Jae Chanel on Instagram for future projects she will be releasing.

New Film About Racial Integration of Little League will Benefit HBCUs

This Field Looks Green To Me is a sports epic about how kids helped change racial inequalities in the Jim Crow south in the 1950s.

San Bernardino, CA March

27th - The Southern California Black Chamber of Commerce recognized women entrepreneurs in celebration of Woman’s History Month and the 6 nominees were:

Alydda Hill

Andreaus

Poole

Armstrong

•

Brenda Jaye

Jae Chanel

Ronecia Miller

Teaauna White

Alydda Hill- Alydda is recognized for her contributions to the community through entertainment and music. Also known as Amoré The Songstress,

Alydda has been singing and performing throughout the Inland Empire since she was a teenager and her partnerships with numerous churches and non profit organizations has helped many Inland Empire organizations reach their goals. Visit Alydda’s website to learn more about her music and upcoming events at www. Amorethesongstress.com

Andreaus Poole- Andreaus is the co-founder of “The Dino Can” non profit based in San Bernardino. The Dino Can is a non profit that’s focused on uplifting the community through events for youth and supporting the homeless community through food drives and collaborations

with other organizations to feed those in need and also cleaning up the local community. Follow The Dino Can on Instagram and stay up to date with upcoming events.

Brenda Jaye ArmstrongBrenda teaches Momprenuers to achieve work-life harmony in 60 days with her online course. Brenda also is the founder of Mpire Dance Studios in San Bernardino, CA. Brenda hosts events and dance lessons at her studio and her studio is also accessible as a rental space. Follow Brenda on Instagram and check out her online course.

Jae Chanel- Jae is a film director, producer and youth

Ronecia Miller- Ronecia is the founder of a youth organization titled “Sista’s Making a Difference”. SMD hosts all types of events throughout the community for different occasions and holidays all year around. SMD also has a Dance and Step program all geared towards children. SMD overall serves as a resource for the community and in particular children. For more information and to stay up to date with future events follow “Sista’s Making a Difference” on Instagram.

Teaauna White- Teaauna is a trucking entrepreneur and author. Teaauna teaches the trucking business to people aspiring to get into the business and recently released a book titled “Guide to Truckin Playbook”. Teaauna also teaches a dispatching course to learn how to make money off of other peoples trucks. Click here for the dispatching course. Follow Teaauna on Instagram and check out her book and courses she offers.

Their Cultures are Different, Their Values are Not

By Pilar Marrero

Their differences are many: He is from Taiwan, the son of Chinese refugees who fled Mao Zedong’s Communist China. She is from Puerto Rico, living in Los Angeles, where she made a career as a television journalist and, later, a psychologist.

Nancy and Michael met in 2014, when his company took over a day-care program for adults with disabilities that she directed in Santa Clarita. She left the company shortly thereafter, but they had started dating after he offered to take her to a doctor’s appointment.

“I thought that was weird,” she said, but agreed.

Nine years later, they are still together. “Our cultures are very different,” Nancy says. “But we are partners—he is the one for me.”

Michael is more reserved, less outgoing, less talkative. Nancy is outgoing, loves music and dancing and tends to kiss and hug people “even if I don’t know them,” she says, something Michael is not accustomed to.

For Michael, Nancy was just “easy to like.” She had empathy.

For Nancy, Michael was the opposite of the “macho” culture that she fled when she left Puerto Rico. “He has respect for women.”

Nancy and Michael have been together since 2014. Their

relationship was strengthened after Nancy was diagnosed with cancer in 2018.

“The male chauvinist culture—I couldn’t take it,” Nancy says. Michael adds: “I don’t even know what that is.”

But Nancy really saw what Michael was made of when she was diagnosed with cancer back in June of 2018.

“That’s when I truly saw him, like I had never seen another human being before in terms of his support for me, his undying support,” she says. “He was there for every single chemotherapy session, he slept with me in the hospital room by my bed. I got extremely ill, and he would clean me. I spent almost a year in bed, screaming from the severe pain every day. He offered unwavering support through hell, making everything easier.”

Michael waves this off.

“It wasn’t so bad for me,” he says. “I enjoyed the hospital food and everything.”

Five years later, Nancy is close to being declared in remission and their relationship is as strong as ever. They share a passion for travel, and he has accompanied her to Puerto Rico. But, watching Latino television and visiting the island, Michael saw things that puzzled him greatly. “The sexualization of young girls, the obvious exploitation of

women—and men—that made me uncomfortable for sure,” he says. “Chinese tend to be much more reserved.”

Michael also did not understand what he describes as the cavalier attitude of many Latino men, and the examples he saw of Latina women marrying more than once, with children from different husbands.

“He doesn’t understand that’s completely normal,” Nancy says. “I would explain it to him, my sister had a husband, he left her, so she was alone with a baby and then she had a second husband. He was like, no, that’s not possible.”

Michael sees the whole thing as unreal. “Like a Spanish novela,” he chuckles. “It’s so strange to me that society acquiesces to this kind of male behavior.”

For Nancy, Michael’s culture is completely fascinating. “They appreciate art from a completely different perspective. His mom is an artist, she can do calligraphy in Chinese, she knows Chinse opera. For me it’s like salsa and merengue,” she laughs.

At first, Nancy’s family was skeptical about Michael. “Un chino… they would say, what is he about, what does he eat?”

However, Nancy says she learns something new from Michael every day. “They speak Mandarin Chinese, a very rich

MIDDLESBORO, Ky. and PADUCAH, Ky., March 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- This Field

Looks Green To Me is a feature length fictionalized telling of a true Appalachian story about three kids who led their coal mining town to confront racial inequality. It's a movie which benefits kids and promotes mentorship on a national scale; it's a testament to the power of kids to reframe reality through love, loyalty, and teamwork on a Little League ballfield, and in life.

This Field Looks Green To Me is a sports epic about how kids helped change racial inequalities in the Jim Crow south in the 1950s.

This Field Looks Green To Me is a sports epic film seeking investors.

One of the central outcomes of the movie will be to engage community mentors in building positive relationships with disadvantaged kids over the course of time. These mentors will shepherd promising kids into the best schools, enabling them to use their talents to cross lines of race and class to succeed at school and in life.

Ron Schmidt, Executive

Producer of the film, announced today that profits of the movie, now in pre-production, will be given to Black mentoring fraternities and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). These entities will in turn, create and seed tuition grants and share related resources with educational organizations that cut across barriers of race, class, and socioeconomic status to recognize talent and spark emotional intelligence in today's youth.

Adanma Onyedike Barton, tenured professor of theatre of Berea College (Berea, KY), and daughter of Nigerian immigrants, will direct the movie and lend her vision of how kids negotiate the effects of America's history in a small town.

Schmidt discovered the story and realized that it possessed the potential to serve as a vehicle to help amplify the importance of youth mentoring. "The goal of this project is to elevate the next generation of visionary leaders to lead with intelligence, ethics, and heart," he said.

The film is proceeding rapidly toward filming and production, but the team is still looking for individual and organizational partners who share its love of baseball, and more importantly, the message of the story. Potential partners and anyone interested in the project can learn more at www.thisfieldlooksgreentome. com.

Production will be shot in Middlesboro and Paducah, Kentucky in 2024.

Media Contact: Ron Schmidt 216-255-1892 ronschmidt81@gmail.com

Conservative Groups Don’t Speak for All Moms

...continued from page 4

name. The group is behind book banning efforts in numerous states. Its main targets are books and materials that address race, racism, and gender and gender identity issues. It supports a bill that is coming to the floor of the U.S. House as I write this, called the Parents’ Bill of Rights.

language, and everything is based on stories. It’s poetic, so he is always making analogies with these stories about things that happen to me. It enriches my life.”

Nancy and Michael have also seen the ugliness of anti-Asian hate that has endured in some corners of the United States for centuries.

“We were having dinner in Turlock, a small town in Stanislaus County,” Nancy says. “We went out of the restaurant and these two Anglo guys come at us and say, ‘What is this f—— Chinese doing here?’ We just left as fast as we could.”

Having overcome the worst of her illness, Michael and Nancy recently opened a business together. It’s an adult health care center, much like the one they met in.

Both think they will be together for the rest of their lives. Nancy is 58, and Michael is 52.

“We are together like one person,” Nancy says. “But we respect our differences.”

This article is part of the Love Across Colorlines series, a collaboration of 20+ ethnic media outlets looking at interracial marriage in California at a time of rising hate. Visit Love Across Colorlines to see more in the series.

This House bill would more accurately be called a bill of rights for some parents. Moms – and dads, like myself – who oppose the bill see it for what it is: a vehicle that opens the door to more book censorship and book bans, not to mention bullying and discrimination. Instead of creating a school environment where children are challenged and thrive and all parents are treated as partners, this bill prevents students from learning and teachers from teaching.

In fact, supporters of the bill rejected amendments to fund Statewide Family Engagement Centers and to designate a parent coordinator at every school.

Fortunately, the bill has little chance of passage in the Senate. But it mirrors “parental rights bills” that are passing in state after state. Moms for Liberty is often behind these efforts. Of course, it’s not hard to see that what this “pro-liberty” group is actually doing is infringing on your liberty – specifically, what political scientists call your negative liberty. That’s your right to pursue your interests free from interference from others.

But interference with your choices is what Moms for Liberty is all about. What they and other groups like them are claiming is their prerogative to decide what is right not just for their kids, but for your kids. The rights of moms, and all parents, with a different view do not enter into the equation.

That’s why it’s so important to speak up if we are parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, guardians or others responsible for raising and nurturing young people. Far-right groups like Moms for Liberty are wellfunded, well-connected and well-organized. They have a head start. There is an urgent need to push back against the wave of censorship and repression that they have set in motion. I feel especially strongly about this as a Black parent, because so much of the censorship is aimed at Black history and studies. The list of states that have either banned the AP African American Studies course or put it on the back burner for “review” is up to six, and growing.

For those who want to be part of the fight for inclusive education and against censorship, the American Library Association’s Unite Against Book Bans campaign website is a good place to start. It includes up-todate information and a toolkit. Attending school board meetings and speaking out are also really important.

As I said, I can think of no better role model, moral guide and inspiration than my mom. But I will always respect your right to feel the same way about yours. Groups like Moms for Liberty just won’t.

Svante Myrick is President of People For the American Way. Previously, he served as executive director of People For and led campaigns focused on transforming public safety, racial equity, voting rights, and empowering young elected officials. Myrick garnered national attention as the youngest-ever mayor in New York State history.

L to R: Brenda Jaye Armstrong, Alydda Hill, Ronecia Miller, Teaauna White, Jae Chanel, Andreaus Poole. (Photo by Clifton Harris)

Nancy and Michael come from very different cultures, but they found in each other the empathy, commitment and shared purpose in life they were looking for in a partner.

Nancy and Michael have been together since 2014. Their relationship was strengthened after Nancy was diagnosed with cancer in 2018.