Black California

-- we can take the pandemic for example -- all of a sudden, they need our organizations,” said Marc Philpart, Executive Director of the Black Freedom Fund.

“They want us to outreach to our community, they want us to engage, they want to use us, they want to exploit us,” he continued. “And what we are saying is no more. We are demanding every legislator, the governor and all constitutional officers to get behind our agenda.”

Assemblymember Corey Jackson (D-Riverside) joined the coalition at a news conference outside the State Capitol. Jackson, who was elected to office in November 2022, has a series of pending legislation that

California Panel Takes Big Step Toward $800 Billion Reparation Payments to Black Residents, and Formal Apology

California’s reparations task panel approved recommendations to compensate and apologize to Black communities for centuries of discrimination. At a meeting in Oakland, the nine-member committee, which first met nearly two years ago, approved a lengthy list of reparations recommendations for state lawmakers to examine.

By Stacy M. Brown

SACRAMENTO,CA-A coalition of movement-based organizations from various parts of California converged on the grounds of the State Capitol in Sacramento to send a message: Black Californians need financial resources to overcome setbacks caused by centuries of system and institutional racism.

The coalition, which included members of the California Black Freedom Fund, the Black Equity Collective, California Black Power Network, and LIVEFREE California called for $100 million over five years to strengthen the relationship between the public sector and philanthropy groups serving Black communities across the state.

The group delivered their message May 10, two days before Gov. Gavin Newsom presented the May Revision of his 202324 budget, and five days after the California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans finalized its final report, which will be submitted to the Legislature on June 29.

During the rally, Kaci Patterson, who represents the Black Equity Collective (BEC), said grassroots organizations “are our communities’ first responders.”

“When we can go from disposable one day to essential workers the next, we know that this state knows how much they need us,” Patterson said. “And we are here today to say fund us like you know you need us. This budget ask is a down payment toward the state investing in who it says it wants to be.”

The BEC is a network of funders and nonprofit leaders committed to investing in the long-term sustainability of Black-led organizations in Southern California. The members of the coalition arrived in Sacramento from Fresno, San Bernardino, Oakland, Los Angeles, Bakersfield, Stockton, Pomona, Riverside, Pasadena, San Jose, San Francisco, San Diego, Fontana, Long Beach and other cities.

“There is a history of systemic racism that our community and our state refuses to reckon with. Yet, when there is a crisis addresses inequality affecting Black communities. He supports the coalition’s efforts to secure funding.

“We are in a critical moment right now in our history as Black people here in California where we have an opportunity to reignite and strengthen our organizations and our communities so that we can create better agencies, better power to deal with our own historic inequities,” Jackson said. “We’ve been waiting too long for our government to help. It’s time for us to go about the business as our ancestors did and create for ours

In 2020, Secretary of State Shirley Weber, a former Democratic assemblymember, authored legislation creating the task force to address the state’s historical culpability for African American harms, not as a substitute for federal reparations. The task team initially limited reparations to descendants of 19th-century enslaved or free Black individuals. As reparations for African Americans have had uneven success elsewhere, the group’s work has received national attention

California’s reparations task panel approved recommendations to compensate and apologize to Black communities for centuries of discrimination.

At a meeting in Oakland, the nine-member committee, which first met nearly two years ago, approved a lengthy list of reparations recommendations for state lawmakers to examine.

At the meeting, U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), called on states and the federal government to implement reparations legislation.

Lee said reparations are morally justified and could solve historical racial imbalances and inequality.

The panel’s first vote accepted a detailed assessment of Black Californian discrimination in voting, housing, education, disproportionate policing and incarceration, and others.

Other suggestions included creating a new organization to serve descendants of enslaved people and calculating what the state owes them.

“An apology and an admission of wrongdoing alone is not going to be satisfactory,” said Chris Lodgson, an organizer with the Coalition for a Just and Equitable California, a reparations advocacy group.

The task force’s draft recommendation requires parliamentarians to “censure the gravest barbarities” on behalf of the state in their apologies.

The task force noted that California’s first elected governor, Peter Hardeman Burnett, was a white supremacist who supported legislation excluding Black people from the state.

The draft report states that California, a “free” state since 1850, did not pass any laws guaranteeing freedom for all.

Instead, the state Supreme Court enforced the federal Fugitive Slave Act for over a decade until freedom arrived in U.S. states.

“By participating in these horrors, California further perpetuated the harms African Americans faced, imbuing racial prejudice throughout society through segregation, public and private discrimination, and unequal state and federal funding,” the study authors wrote.

The task team adopted a public apology, admitting the state’s past wrongs and committing not to repeat them.

It would be presented to the descendants of enslaved people.

California apologized for interning Japanese Americans and mistreating Native Americans.

The panel adopted the draft report’s “cash or its equivalent” restitution for qualified residents.

Oakland’s Mills College of Northeastern University hosted over 100 citizens and activists. All lamented the country’s “broken promise” to give emancipated slaves 40 acres and a mule.

Many claimed it was time for governments to fix the harms that prevented African Americans from living without fear of being wrongly punished, maintaining property, and earning wealth.

Former Black Panther Party chairwoman Elaine Brown encouraged protests.

The task force meeting was viewed as a pivotal moment in the push for local, state, and federal agencies to apologize for African American discrimination.

“There’s no way in the world that many of these recommendations are going to get through because of the inflationary impact,” said University of San Diego School of Law professor and reparations specialist Roy L. Brooks.

Economists predict the state may owe Black residents $800 billion, or 2.5 times its yearly budget.

The newest task force draft

New Children’s Book, ‘I Love My Daddy,’ Further Dispels Myths about Black Fathers

The stereotype of the absent Black dad remains quite ubiquitous in popular culture. It often takes the form of a dysfunctional family unit, but in recent years, studies have proven that the stereotype is nothing more than a myth. That legend is further vaporized in the new children’s book, “I Love My Daddy,” by Maryland social worker and military veteran Juanita Banks Whittington.

By Stacy M. Brown

grandmother and child, or the mother and the child.

“So, I went to friends and family members, and they said they liked the idea, and I went forward and found an illustrator that I liked.”

She noted that it was a must that the illustrator could relate.

“And he was everything I was looking for, especially in the illustration to portray all the things that go on in my household,” Whittington said.

The 27-page book, complete with fascinating illustrations by Ananta Mohanta, celebrates what Whittington calls “the unique and special bond between a father and his little girl.” It follows a father and his baby girl, who play together in parks, and the doting dad reads bedtime stories each night to his beloved daughter. For Whittington, the book opens her home to readers.

For centuries, there’s been a false assumption that Black fathers are absent, apathetic, and uninvolved in their children’s lives.

The stereotype of the absent Black dad remains quite ubiquitous in popular culture.

It often takes the form of a dysfunctional family unit, but in recent years, studies have proven that the stereotype is nothing more than a myth.

That legend is further vaporized in the new children’s book, “I Love My Daddy,” by Maryland social worker and military veteran Juanita Banks Whittington.

The 27-page book, complete with fascinating illustrations by Ananta Mohanta, celebrates what Whittington calls “the unique and special bond between a father and his little girl.”

It follows a father and his baby girl, who play together in parks, and the doting dad reads bedtime stories each night to his beloved daughter.

For Whittington, the book opens her home to readers.

It reveals the camaraderie between her and her husband, Ian, and his routine of doting on their daughter, Zuri.

“My husband reads to my daughter every night,” Whittington told the National Newspaper Publisher’s Association’s Let It Be Known.

She said her husband helped inspire her to write a children’s book about the relationship between a Black father and his child.

“He kept telling me he wasn’t seeing Black fathers in children’s books,” Whittington said.

“There was always the

New Children’s Book, ‘I Love My Daddy,’ Further Dispels Myths about Black Fathers...continued

could relate to. So many people have said they wanted to write a children’s book after seeing and talking with me, so I wanted to portray something positive.”

She continued: “Many times, in our community, there’s this negativity about Black fathers, so I wanted to make sure that, regardless of their race, people could pick this book up and say, ‘It’s awesome. I could relate to this, and I want this for my child.’”

“I Love My Daddy” retails on Amazon.com for $14.99. Click here for more information and to purchase the book.

Southern California Education Leaders to Address Inequities and Remove Barriers for BIPOC Students, Parents, and Staff

The first ‘Learn.Lead.Liberate’ conference will be held on July 27th strategies. Hammond started her career in the classroom, where she began to understand how important literacy was to equity, and how neuroscience and culture should inform our instructional practice.

WHAT: The 21st Century California School Leadership Academy (21CSLA) and the Los Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP) will host a one-day conference for Southern California education leaders in Imperial, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties to discuss ways to create educational environments that work to undo inequity and injustice. The conference will be free, and those interested in attending can register here.

A military veteran and social worker, Whittington is the founder of Nehi Cares, a consulting, foundation, and wellness business that focuses on the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion and helps individuals understand the foundations of wellness by practicing healthy habits daily to attain better physical, social, emotional, and mental health outcomes.

Whittington holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Baltimore and a master’s in social work from the University of Maryland, Baltimore.

Her friends and loved ones said Whittington has always displayed a passion for helping, which comes across in “I Love My Daddy.”

“I wanted to make sure that I did [the book] right,” Whittington explained.

“I wanted to make sure that it was something that other families

These leaders will also learn how to remove barriers to foster communities that support and honor BIPOC students, parents, and staff, through evidencebased educational practices that treat the differences and student’s experiences outside of school as assets, so they can be valued, regardless of socio-economic or ethnic background.

Zaretta Hammond, author of Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain, will be the keynote speaker. She is a curriculum developer, consultant, and coach who has spent the past 15 years translating the latest research and teacher experiences on equity, literacy, and culturally responsive teaching into practical tools and

“Our aim is to provide a forum where these leaders can gather to network and share information about what is working in their communities,” said Michele Broadnax, President, and CEO, Los Angeles Education Partnership. “We want to emphasize that these leaders don’t need to do this alone, as 21CSLA and LAEP are here to support them. We see and appreciate the dedication these educators have to this important work.”

WHEN: Thursday, July 27th, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

WHERE: The Mission Inn, 3649 Mission Inn Avenue, Riverside, CA, 92501 MEDIA CONTACT: Berry Brady, berry_brady@yahoo. com, 703-609-6643 LAEP is the Regional Academy providing 21CSLA programming in Imperial, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties.

San Bernardino City Unified School District 2023 High School Graduation Information

Arroyo Valley High School

Graduation: Thursday, June 1, 6 p.m., San Manuel Stadium, 280 South E Street, San Bernardino

Graduates: 580*

Valedictorian: Ari Ixcoy

Salutatorian: Consuelo Huidor

Cajon High School

Regalia and Scholarship Ceremony: Wednesday, May 24, 6 p.m., Cajon High School gymnasium

Graduation: Friday, June 2, 10 a.m., Glen Helen Amphitheater, 2575 Glen Helen Pkwy, San Bernardino, CA 92407

Graduates: 615* (includes 77 International Baccalaureate diploma candidates)

Valedictorians: Yusef Anteur, Ramsey Doueiri, Samantha Penaloza Cabrera, and Riley Snyder

Salutatorians: Mackenzie Cervantes, Tyler Dearing, Gina Murphy, Isabelle Romo, Adam Schulte, and Vanessa Zaragoza

Indian Springs High School

Senior Academic Awards: Thursday, May 18, 6 p.m., Indian Springs Performing Arts Center

Graduation: Thursday, June 1, 6 p.m., Indian Springs Athletic Complex

Graduates: 350*

Valedictorian: Dulce Acevedo

Salutatorians: Gabriel Garcia Molina, Amy Castaneda, and Adam Figueroa Arias

Inland Career Education Center (formerly San Bernardino

Adult School)

Graduation: Monday, May 22, 11 a.m., California Theatre of Performing Arts, 562 West 4th Street, San Bernardino

Graduates: 125* (includes high school diploma and GED certificate graduates)

Middle College High School

Senior Crossing: Thursday, May 18, 6 p.m., San Bernardino Valley College Auditorium, 701 S. Mt. Vernon Avenue, San Bernardino

Graduation: Thursday, May 25, 6 p.m., San Bernardino Valley College Greek Theater, 701 S. Mt. Vernon Avenue, San Bernardino

Graduates: 48* (includes 22 students who will also earn an A.A. degree from San Bernardino Valley College, 40 students who will also earn a Golden State

Seal Merit Diploma, and 22 students who will earn a Seal of Biliteracy)

Valedictorians: Bianca Galvan, Brianna Perez, Tyler Phan, Sheik Sahadat, and Jacob Vargas Lopez

Salutatorians: Venus

Fernandez, Nicole Martinez, Kara Piña, and Daniel Suarez

Pacific High School Senior Award and Scholarship

Assembly: Thursday, May 18, 5 p.m., Pacific High School Gym

Graduation: Thursday, June 1, 6 p.m., San Bernardino Valley College, 701 S. Mt. Vernon Avenue, San Bernardino

Graduates: 196* (15 students will receive a Certificate of Completion; 34 students will receive the Dual Enrollment sash for completing at least four college courses)

Valedictorian: Lizbeth

Rodriguez Flores

Salutatorian: Kyliegh Jhae Enriquez

San Andreas High School

Scholarship Ceremony: Friday, May 19, 10 a.m., San Andreas High School

Graduation: Thursday, June 1, 6 p.m., California Theatre of Performing Arts, 562 West 4th Street, San Bernardino

Graduates: 297* (includes Destination Diploma graduates)

San Bernardino High School

Scholarship Ceremony: Thursday, May 25, 5 p.m., San Bernardino High School

Graduation: Thursday, June 1, 2 p.m., San Bernardino Valley College, 701 S. Mt. Vernon Avenue, San Bernardino

Graduates: 320* (includes 41 Golden State Seal Merit Diploma recipients, 57 Seal of Biliteracy candidates, and 2 recipients of a Dual Enrollment sash)

Valedictorian: Kaida Akahoshi

Salutatorians: Karina Roldan-

Rosas and Destiny Ruiz San Gorgonio High School

Senior Celebration: Tuesday, May 30, 5 p.m., San Gorgonio High School gym

Graduation: Thursday, June 1, 6 p.m., Phil Haley Stadium, San Gorgonio High School

Graduates: 350*

Valedictorians: Ashely Aguirre, Hector Diaz, Odalys Jacinto, and Sandra Perez Silva

Salutatorian: Karjohlin Karma Sierra High School

Scholarship Ceremony: Thursday, May 18, 5 p.m., E. Neal Roberts Elementary School

Graduation: Monday, May 22, 6 p.m., San Manuel Stadium, 280 South E Street, San Bernardino

Graduates: 260* (includes 3 State Seal of Biliteracy recipients, 27 Sierra Super Nova Academy graduates, and 8 Patient Care Pathway Program completers)

Virtual Academy

Senior Breakfast: Friday, May 26, 11 a.m., location TBD

Graduation: Tuesday, May 30, 7 p.m., Indian Springs High School Performing Arts Center, 650 North Del Rosa Drive, San Bernardino

Graduates: 45*

Valedictorian: Monica MatulCarreon

Salutatorians: Trinity King, Melanie Marin, Hue Nguyen, and Sarae Scott

Approximately 3,186 San Bernardino City Unified School District students will receive their high school diplomas or GED certification this year. This does not include those graduating from vocational programs.

*Note: Graduate counts are approximate at this time. In some instances, exact counts are not available until just prior to graduation.

CNN Employees and Republicans Panned Trump’s Disastrous Town Hall

For some Republicans, Democrats, and journalists, CNN’s disastrous 70-minute town hall with Donald Trump proved what everyone thought it would be: a desperate network featuring a twice-impeached, criminally indicted wannabe despot. The Trump presidential campaign rally, poorly disguised as a town hall, even received criticism from CNN’s own journalists.

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

CNN Employees and Republicans Panned Trump’s Disastrous Town Hall...continued

the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Despite the violence and the vows of some insurrectionists to hang former Vice President, Mike Pence, Trump incredulously said during the town hall that Pence was never in danger.

With Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis poised to level charges against Trump for trying to influence the outcome of the 2020 election in the Peach State, Trump doubled down on his false contentions.

He even offered a defense to pressuring the secretary of state to “find” him more votes.

“Yeah, I called questioning the election,” Trump stated. “I said, ‘You owe me votes because the election was rigged.’” overturn American democracy, an audience that mocked and ridiculed the woman who a jury of her peers, Donald Trump’s peers, found had been sexually assaulted.

“Those Americans, their last night turned that into a punchline, laughed and dismissed. Cops getting the shit kicked out of them.

“On January 6. Beaten up over and over again, calling a cop a thug who actually was trying to stop people from the House floor from being killed. I could go. I just could go on and on, basically saying he would turn over Ukraine to Vladimir Putin.”

Some Republicans also criticized the town hall.

In addition to reaffirming the Big Lie that the 2020 election was rigged, Trump declared that he would pardon many of the convicted rioters who bombarded the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

For some Republicans, Democrats, and journalists, CNN’s disastrous 70-minute town hall with Donald Trump proved what everyone thought it would be: a desperate network featuring a twice-impeached, criminally indicted wannabe despot.

The Trump presidential campaign rally, poorly disguised as a town hall, even received criticism from CNN’s own journalists.

“It was an interesting night,” longtime CNN anchor Jake Tapper observed.

“Trump’s first lie was told just seconds into the night with his false, familiar claim that the 2020 election was, quote, a rigged election.’”

Tapper wasn’t finished with his criticism.

“And the falsehoods kept coming, fast and furious, about the January 6 insurrection, about the threat to Vice President Pence, about Pence’s ability to overturn the election, about COVID, about the economy, and more,” he railed.

The cable network’s media reporter, Oliver Darcy, proved equally disturbed.

“It’s hard to see how America was served by the spectacle of lies that aired on CNN Wednesday evening,” Darcy wrote. For his part, Trump was as bombastic and dishonest as ever.

He claimed that his longpromised wall on the southern U.S. border was complete, although evidence and the naked eye proved him wrong long ago.

In addition to reaffirming the Big Lie that the 2020 election was rigged, Trump declared that he would pardon many of the convicted rioters who bombarded

Still, CNN released a statement praising the town hall’s host, Kaitlan Collins, for her “tough, fair, and revealing questions.”

“That is CNN’s role and responsibility: to get answers and hold the powerful to account,” the statement continued.

MSNBC host Joe Scarborough, once a close friend of Trump, called the program “a disgraceful performance.”

“I’m constantly telling people not to catastrophize over Trump that he’s actually going to lose because he keeps drilling down deeper and deeper into his base,” Scarborough railed.

“It was disgraceful on every level,” Scarborough added.

“It showed—I wouldn’t say it’s dangerous for democracy because we passed that a long time ago — but it showed the corrosive effects of Trumpism over eight years.”

He continued:

“The most shocking part was an audience who cheered on a president who tried to

Republican Matt Whitlock, who worked for the late Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), said in a tweet that “Trump’s performance tonight had plenty of fun fodder for his biggest fans,” but it was “toxic nuclear waste for the moderates and independents he (and Republicans everywhere) should be winning as Biden collapses.”

According to Mediaite.com, Republican political consultant Ryan Girdusky predicted that Trump would lose the 2024 election.

“Ten minutes into the CNN town hall, and it’s all January 6 and the stolen election,” Girdusky wrote on Twitter.

“This election is gonna be all about Trump and he’s gonna lose… again.”

“If Kaitlan Collins wanted to actually embarrass Trump in front of his voters she would talk about him never building the wall, shutting down the economy, and rising crime while he was president,” Girdusky said.

Governor Newsom Honors Fallen Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputy Brett Harris

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today issued the following statement regarding the death of Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputy Brett Harris: “Jennifer and I join Riverside County in mourning the tragic loss of Deputy Harris. Our deepest condolences are with his family, friends, and fellow law enforcement personnel at the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office. Deputy Harris and all those who give their lives in service to our state will forever be remembered.” report has a much lower figure.

Deputy Harris, 27, was involved in a crash within the city of San Jacinto while responding to a call for service on May 12, 2023. He was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries on May 13, 2023.

Deputy Harris served with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office for four years and was assigned to the Hemet Station. As a final act of service, Deputy Harris’ wish was to donate his organs so that others may live.

He is survived by his wife, mother and father, twin sister, and brother. In honor of Deputy Harris, flags at the State Capitol and Capitol Annex Swing Space will be flown at half-staff.

California Panel Takes Big Step Toward $800 Billion Reparation Payments to Black Residents, and Formal Apology...continued from page 1 reportedly used them.

In 2020, Secretary of State Shirley Weber, a former Democratic assemblymember, authored legislation creating the task force to address the state’s historical culpability for African American harms, not as a substitute for federal reparations.

The task team initially limited reparations to descendants of 19th-century enslaved or free Black individuals.

As reparations for African Americans have had uneven success elsewhere, the group’s work has received national attention.

Black residents in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois, recently received housing vouchers as reparations, but few

A bill to acknowledge the inhumanity of slavery in New York and form a panel to investigate reparations proposals has cleared the Assembly but not the Senate.

A decades-old federal proposal to form a reparations panel for African Americans has stalled in Congress.

Oakland City Council member Kevin Jenkins called the California task group “a powerful example” of what can happen when people work together. Jenkins stated, “I am confident that through our collective efforts, we can significantly advance reparations in our great state of California and, ultimately, the country.”

Volunteers needed for recycling classes and events

Are you interested in helping the environment? Do you like to compost or recycle? Become an outreach volunteer with the Riverside County Department of Waste Resources and help the earth by helping others become better recyclers and composters.

Outreach volunteers assist with classes or events by interacting with the public, answering questions on outreach programs and distributing materials. The ideal volunteer enjoys meeting people, likes to learn new things and is passionate about the environment. The total volunteer commitment is attendance at the orientation and training meeting and ten hours of volunteer time donated each year while participating in the program. Opportunities to volunteer at classes and events exist across the entire county. Plus, the volunteers select the events, dates and times that work best for them. Bilingual volunteers are needed.

Outreach volunteers can also choose to attend extra training and volunteer more hours to become certified as a master composter. Once a volunteer reaches master composter status, the volunteer is allowed to teach classes on their own or work with schools and community gardens as a composting mentor. Outreach volunteers are integral to the success of recycling and composting programs and are recognized by the County annually for their dedication and hours worked.

Orientation and training is scheduled for Friday, May 19, from 8 A.M. to 12 P.M. at the Riverside County Department of Waste Resources, 14310 Frederick Street, in Moreno Valley.

For more information or to register, potential outreach volunteers can visit http://www. rcwaste.org/volunteer or call 951-486-3200.

Gov. Newsom Releases May Budget Revision; Addresses Reparations Cash Payments

Antonio Ray Harvey| California Black Media

Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom released the “May Revision” of his Fiscal Year (FY) 2023-24 budget proposal that he submitted in January.

Despite a $32 billion projected shortfall, the $306.5 billion spending plan protects key investments in priorities that matter most to Californians, Newsom said. Education, health care, housing and homelessness, public safety, and climate action are among key focus areas.

“In partnership with the Legislature, we have made deep investments in California and its future – transformative efforts that will benefit generations of Californians, and that this budget will continue to guide as we navigate near-term ups and downs in revenue,” Newsom said during a two-hour news conference held near the State Capitol on May 13.

“As we prepare for more risk and uncertainties ahead, it’s critical that we keep the state on a solid fiscal footing to protect Californians and our progress in remaking the future of our state,” he continued.

Newsom says he does not foresee a recession but recognizes increased risks to the budget since the first month of 2023.

The plan reflects $37.2 billion in total budgetary reserves, including $22.3 billion in the Budget Stabilization Account.

Highlights include:

· Billions to continue implementing expansion of health care access and reduce costs measures for programs such as CalAIM to transform MediCal, extending health care to lowincome Californians of all ages regardless of immigration status.

· Maintains billions of dollars for aid to local governments, encampment resolution grants, and more to address homelessness.

· Adopted a legally binding goal that local governments must plan to build approximately 2.5 million new homes by 2030, and 1 million of these units must be affordable housing.

· Advancing a $48 billion multi-year commitment to implement its world-leading agenda to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045, protect communities from harmful