‘They invited Trump to disrespect a Black woman and did nothing to protect or back her
NNPA NEWSWIRE — The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) also condemned the invitation, with NNPA National Chair Bobby Henry and President & CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis denouncing the decision as harmful and contrary to NABJ’s values of inclusion and solidarity. “They invited him to disrespect a Black woman and did nothing to protect or back her up,” journalist and author David Dennis Jr. tweeted. “The single most disgraceful thing I’ve ever seen at NABJ.”
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
Donald Trump’s controversial appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) annual convention in Chicago may have been even more of a disaster than most had anticipated. The nasty vitriol the twice-impeached former president immediately brought should only heighten calls for the hierarchy of NABJ to resign.
The disgraceful event began with tension as well-respected ABC News journalist Rachel Scott asked Trump about his past racist comments and why Black voters should trust him. “First of all, I don’t think I’ve ever been asked a question in such a horrible manner,” Trump responded. His statement was met with audible gasps from the audience, setting a combative tone for the 34-minute discussion that followed a nearly hour-long delay.
During the discussion, Trump, among his many rant-filled and off the rails diatribes, questioned Vice President Kamala Harris’s racial identity, asking, “Is she Indian or is she Black?” He falsely claimed that Harris, who has long identified as Black and attended a historically Black university, previously identified as Indian before “all of a sudden” becoming Black. White House Press Secretary Karine JeanPierre condemned Trump’s comments as “repulsive” and “insulting,” asserting that “no one has any right to tell someone who they are.”
The 34 times convicted
felon and former president also reiterated his openness to pardoning January 6 rioters, stating, “If they’re innocent, I would pardon them.” When Scott drew attention to their convictions, Trump dissembled by asserting falsely that proPalestinian protesters had attacked the Capitol last week, confusing it with the recent protests at Washington, D.C.’s Union Station. Throughout the panel discussion, which included Scott, FOX News personality and Trump apologist Harris Faulkner, and Kadia Goba from Semafor, Trump continued to clash with the audience and the panelists. He labeled Scott “nasty” for her
questions, prompting shouts of “false” and boos from the crowd.
Trump also addressed his running mate, J.D. Vance, downplaying the significance of a running mate following Vance’s controversial remarks about childless women. Toward the event’s conclusion, Trump declared his intentions to “close the border” and lower energy prices and interest rates if reelected. “I want people to come into our country, but they have to be vetted, and they have to be checked,” he told the crowd. He also doubled-down on his insult to African Americans by stating that illegal immigrants were taking “Black jobs,” to which
the audience again hissed and booed.
The aftermath of the event has led to significant fallout within the NABJ. Karen Attiah, a Washington Post columnist and co-chair of the convention, resigned in protest over the decision to invite Trump. In her resignation announcement on X (formerly Twitter), Attiah expressed disappointment over not being consulted about the decision.
Prominent members of the journalism community also voiced their disapproval. Jim Trotter, a sportswriter for The Athletic and NABJ’s 2023 Journalist of the Year, called the
candidacy
than
He has used nicknames like “Laffin Kamala, Lying Kamala, and Phony Kamala” and he has concentrated on her race -- her father is Black Jamaican, and her mother is East Asian Indian. At the NABJ convention, Trump clashed with a panel of Black women journalists, accusing Harris of “switching her race” to gain political advantage. “She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she turned Black, and now she wants to be known as Black?", Trump claimed.
This approach, intended to sow doubt about Harris's authenticity, instead highlighted Trump's persistent use of racially charged rhetoric. His failure
decision “difficult to put into words.” CBS Sports analyst Ashley Nicole Moss, journalistturned-publicist Dave Jordan, and media strategist April Reign joined the chorus of criticism.
Ameshia Cross, a Democratic strategist and political pundit, and former NABJ journalist of the year Ernest Owens highlighted the irony of inviting Trump, given his history of attacking Black journalists and efforts to undermine diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
“Shame on you NABJ,” Owens tweeted. “A disgrace. Defund and divest.”
The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA)
also condemned the invitation, with NNPA National Chair Bobby Henry and President & CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis denouncing the decision as harmful and contrary to NABJ’s values of inclusion and solidarity. “They invited him to disrespect a Black woman and did nothing to protect or back her up,” journalist and author David Dennis Jr. tweeted. “The single most disgraceful thing I’ve ever seen at NABJ.”
Harris communication’s director Michael Tyler also denounced Trump’s hostile engagement with NABJ.
“The hostility Donald Trump showed on stage today is the same hostility he has shown throughout his life, throughout his term in office, and throughout his campaign for president as he seeks to regain power and inflict his harmful Project 2025 agenda on the American people,” Tyler stated.
“Trump lobbed personal attacks and insults at Black journalists the same way he did throughout his presidency – while he failed Black families and left the entire country digging out of the ditch, he left us in. Donald Trump has already proven he cannot unite America, so he attempts to divide us. “Today’s tirade is simply a taste of the chaos and division that has been a hallmark of Trump’s MAGA rallies this entire campaign.”
to adequately address issues relevant to the Black community, such as the rising cost of living, small business support, maternal mortality, voting rights, and police reform, further alienated the NABJ audience.
Trump's inability to adapt is also evident in his decision to cancel the Sept. 10 ABC Presidential debate, insisting on a new format with Fox News. This reflects his difficulty in keeping up with Harris’s campaign momentum. He characterized Harris’s rise as a “coup” within the Democratic Party, as he struggles to address her ascent effectively.
Harris, who attended Howard University, a historically Black university (HBCU), and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA), a Black sorority, has
been measured in responding to Trump's divisiveness. At a Sigma Gamma Rho sorority event in Houston, she stated, “The American people deserve better. The American people deserve a leader who tells the truth. A leader who does not respond with hostility and anger when confronted with the facts.” Harris, as a multiracial American, has the ability to “code-switch”—a skill many people of color use to navigate various cultural environments and connect with diverse audiences. This skill allows her to authentically engage with different communities, whether she is rigorously questioning Supreme Court nominees, addressing issues at historically
Five SBCUSD Schools Named To Educational Results Partnership Honor Roll
school year.
SAN BERNARDINO,
CA—The Educational Results Partnership (ERP) named four San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) campuses to its 2023 Honor Roll for being high-performing schools that improve student academic outcomes. The awardwinning schools are Hillside, Kimbark and North Verdemont Elementary Schools; Richardson PREP HI Middle School and Rodriguez PREP Academy Middle School.
All but Kimbark Elementary also made the Honor Roll in 2018 and 2019. Kimbark was last honored in 2016. In fact, Richardson has been named to the Honor Roll 11 times and Hillside 8 times. All five schools earned the Star Award in 2023 and in previous years, which recognizes Honor Roll schools that are high performing and closing the achievement gap despite being high-need schools. This is the first year ERP has published the Honor Roll since 2019.
“I already know that our
schools SHINE, that they are preparing SBCUSD scholars for success in school with high expectations that make them college and career ready,” said Superintendent Mauricio Arellano. “But it is certainly nice when outside organizations recognize our schools’ efforts.” ERP is a non-profit organization that uses public school achievement data to help improve student outcomes and career readiness. ERP Honor Roll schools have demonstrated consistently high levels of student academic achievement, improvement in achievement levels over time and a reduction in achievement gaps among student populations. In California, the ERP Honor Roll is supported by numerous businesses and organizations, including the California Black Chamber of Commerce and the Campaign for Business & Education Excellence. To access the ERP Honor Roll, visit https://www.edresults.org/ honor-roll.
Fontana Unified School District Pays Out $14 Million Settlement in Child Sexual Abuse Lawsuit
The Fontana Unified School District reached a $14 million settlement on behalf of four victims of former teacher Garry
Lee
Fontana Unified School District Pays Out $14 Million Settlement in Child Sexual Abuse Lawsuit ...continued
within months of being hired by the district in 1996, Georgi, Sr. was already sexually abusing minor female students at Southridge Middle School. Georgi, Sr. is alleged to have abused more than five minors during his time as a teacher and employee of Southridge Middle School and Fontana High School.
The four victims in this case were students at Southridge Middle School at the time of their abuse, which is alleged to have occurred between 1988 and 1999.
It is alleged that school administrators and officials received numerous complaints of Georgi, Sr’s., sexually inappropriate behavior with his female students, including, but not limited to, driving them offcampus in his personal vehicle during lunchtime and kissing
a female student by her ear. It is also alleged that Principal Linzey chose to move Georgi, Sr. within the school district upon an investigation and report of sexual misconduct, in a concerted effort to hide his sexual crimes against minors, a practice known as “passing the trash.”
In 2021, police arrested Gorgei, Sr. for multiple counts of child molestation of victims under 14 years old. He was charged with 25 felony counts of lewd or lascivious acts with child which include the plaintiffs in these lawsuits. The charges relate to abuse taking place as far back as 1988. He is currently serving a 20-year sentence in San Quentin State Prison.
Manly, Stewart & Finaldi represented the four victims in this case.
Fontana Unified School District pagó un acuerdo de conciliación de $14 millones por una demanda de abuso sexual infantil
Community/ Education News
Fontana Unified School
District llegó a un acuerdo de conciliación por $14 millones en nombre de cuatro víctimas del exprofesor Garry Lee Gorgei, Sr., que elevaron las quejas ante el distrito.
Las demandas alegaban que, algunos meses después de que el distrito lo contratara en 1996, Gorgei, Sr. ya estaba abusando sexualmente de estudiantes femeninas menores de edad en Southridge Middle School. Se alega que Gorgei, Sr. abusó de más de cinco menores de edad durante su trabajo como profesor y empleado en Southridge Middle School y Fontana High School.
Las cuatro víctimas de este caso eran estudiantes de Southridge Middle School cuando fueron abusadas. Se alega que dichos abusos ocurrieron entre 1988 y 1999.
Se alega que los funcionarios y administradores escolares recibieron numerosas quejas sobre el comportamiento sexualmente inapropiado de Gorgei, Sr., hacia sus estudiantes femeninas, lo que incluye, sin
limitarse a ello, llevarlas fuera del predio en su vehículo personal a la hora del almuerzo y besar a una estudiante femenina en la oreja. También se alega que la Directora Linzey eligió trasladar a Gorgei, Sr. dentro del distrito escolar luego de una investigación y un reporte de conducta sexual inapropiada como parte de un esfuerzo coordinado de esconder sus delitos sexuales contra menores de edad, una práctica conocida como “pasarse la basura”.
En 2021, la policía arrestó a Gorgei, Sr. por múltiples cargos de abuso sexual infantil de víctimas de menos de 14 años de edad. Se le imputaron 25 delitos de actos lascivos u obscenos con menores de edad que incluyen a los demandantes en estas causas. Los cargos se relacionan con abusos que ocurrieron desde 1988. Actualmente, está cumpliendo una sentencia de 20 años en la prisión estatal San Quentin. Manly, Stewart y Finaldi representaron a las cuatro víctimas en esta causa.
Escalating Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric, California Farmworkers Fear the Future
By Selen Ozturk
As the ’24 elections get into full swing, anti-immigrant rhetoric is growing increasingly ugly, with real world consequences for migrant communities.
Farmworkers in Tulelake, in rural Northern CA, say anti-immigrant political rhetoric is sewing fear and anger within the community. (Credit: Manuel Ortiz)
As this year’s polarized election cycle continues, antiimmigrant rhetoric grows ever uglier, with life-altering consequences for farmworkers in California. Between half and one-third of all farmworkers in the U.S. live in California alone. That’s between 500,000 and 800,000 farmworkers. These immigrants working to put food on the nation’s table face a paradox of great demand for cheap labor on the one hand, and politically fueled hate speech rejecting immigrants on the other.
“Ninety nine percent of the communities we’ve reached out to are farmworkers and all have expressed anxiety and fear. All feel their future is deeply impacted by this,” said Gustavo Gasca Gomez, immigration outreach specialist and Stop the Hate coordinator at the Fresnobased Education and Leadership Foundation.
“They’re most concerned about public charge, about being deported if they access benefits like health care that they or their children — who are often U.S. citizens — qualify for,” he
explained at a Friday, August 2 Ethnic Media Services briefing about the impact of hate speech on migrant farmworkers.
Nationwide, 70% of farmworkers are foreignborn with 78% identifying as Hispanic. In California, 75% of farmworkers are undocumented, with 96% identifying as Hispanic.
“I’m undocumented with a sliver of privilege … I’m still in a precarious position, but millions of people would love to be in my shoes,” Gomez continued.
“I can work, and I have social security. But I can’t vote or leave
RivCo Works Nonprofit Receives Endowment to Help Riverside County At-Risk Youth
Back Row: Mark Takano-U.S. Congress, District 39; Michael Vargas, Mayor, City of Perris; Edward Delgado, Chairman of the March JPA & Councilmember, City of Moreno Valley; Jamil Dada, Vice Chair, Riverside County Workforce Development Board; Ulises Cabrera, Mayor, City of Moreno Valley; Stewart Knox, Secretary of the California Labor & Workforce Development Agency; Stephanie Adams, Deputy Director, Riverside County Workforce Development; Richard Roth, CA Senate, District 31; Heidi Marshall, Director, Riverside County Housing and Workforce Solutions; Rob McMillan, Inland Empire Bureau Chief, ABC7 Eyewitness News.
Riverside, CA – The Jamil Dada Character Excellence Youth Awards will be honoring Riverside County youth for many years to come thanks to the creation of an endowment from the event’s namesake Jamil Dada. Jamil currently serves as Vice Chair of the Riverside County Workforce Development Board. Also, a long-time member of the Governor’s California Workforce Development Board and the National Association of Workforce Boards in Washington, D.C.. Jamil formally announced the creation of the endowment last month at the annual youth awards hosted at the March Field Air Museum.
“Every year, we hear incredible stories of youth throughout Riverside County who are overcoming the odds and achieving success at our Youth Opportunity Centers, despite their life situations. It’s great to see lives changed for the better and to know that these workforce programs are making a tangible impact. I truly believe we are making a substantial difference in many lives, and I want to ensure that we can continue this good work in honoring our youth well into the future.” Jamil Dada, Vice Chair, Riverside County Workforce Development Board
the country and return without express permission. And before I was a DACA recipient in 2012 I was a farmworker right out of high school … The work is difficult. It’s hot, dirty and tedious. It makes your mind numb in many ways. But it’s a job that the entire country depends on.”
Gustavo Gasca Gomez, Coordinator-Stop the Hate Project and Immigration Outreach Specialist with Education and Leadership Foundation, discusses the ways in which undocumented immigrants sustain the U.S. economy, noting in particular the importance of agricultural workers.
“I speak to clients who say, ‘How can it not faze me when there are hundreds if not thousands of people holding up ‘Mass Deportation Now’ signs on national news?’” he said. “I am still human, and I am still committed to this country. We didn’t come here to cause harm.”
“Power in politics needs to invent a physically and morally repugnant enemy who wants to take what’s yours because the feeling of emergency creates unity and the need of a savior,” said Manuel Ortiz Escámez, sociologist, audiovisual journalist
scholarship, a trophy award, and legislative certificates. The 2024 awardees included:
Aeon Agundez, Lake Elsinore Alondra Flores-Perez, Lake Elsinore Virginia Finlayson, Lake Elsinore Alexzander Romero, Perris Fabian Gomez-Robles, Perris Arely Guadalupe Jimenez Mendoza, Jurupa Valley Genesis Thania Gomez Amaya, Jurupa Valley Penelope Garcia, Jurupa Valley Roberto Villarino, Hemet Neo Middleby, Hemet
In spite of difficult and sometimes tragic situations, these young people have been identified as leaders in their communities, determined to earn a high school diploma, and/or in pursuit of a postsecondary education. After being nominated, a panel of evaluators determined that awardees exemplified two or more of the Six Pillars of Character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.
The 2024 award event featured keynote speaker Stewart Knox, Secretary of the California Labor & Workforce Development Agency. The event was hosted by Master of Ceremony, Rob McMillan, ABC7 Eyewitness News Inland Empire bureau chief.
The Jamil Dada Character Excellence Youth Awards Program is named after local, state and federal youth advocate, Jamil Dada. Mr. Dada currently serves as the Riverside County Workforce Development Board Vice Chair, is a longtime member of the California Workforce Development Board, and past Chair of the National Association of Workforce Boards. The annual event and youth scholarships are funded through generous contributions from local businesses, community partners, non-profit agencies, and net proceeds from event tickets sales. According to Mr. Dada, “This is an amazing and important program that supports youth, particularly those who are disconnected, helping them achieve their educational goals and dreams.”
For the past ten years, the annual youth awards event has celebrated several outstanding youths from the County’s Youth Opportunity Centers who have shown exemplary character while overcoming some of life’s most significant challenges. The 2024 youth awardees were presented with a $2,500 educational
For more information or to donate to the Jamil Dada Character Excellence Youth Awards program, please contact Riverside County Works, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit affiliate of the Riverside County Workforce Development Board, by email at RiversideCountyWorks@ rivco.org.
A Rodriguez PREP Academy Middle School classroom on the first day of school for the 2023–2024
(Photo by Corina Borsuk and provided courtesy of SBCUSD)
Gorgei, Sr., who brought the complaints against the district. The lawsuits alleged that
Community News
COUNTY/GOVERNMENT/NEWS
The Climate Crisis Is Devastating Black Communities.
By Kim Smith
As the world grapples with the ever-intensifying impacts of the climate crisis, a stark and troubling reality has emerged: Black communities are bearing a disproportionate burden of environmental degradation. This inequity is not merely a matter of statistics or abstract concepts; it translates into real, tangible hardships that exacerbate existing social and economic disparities.
Historically, Black communities have been subjected to systemic neglect and discrimination, and climate change is amplifying these injustices. From heatwaves to hurricanes, the effects of climate change are not felt equally across all demographics. Research shows that Black neighborhoods often experience higher temperatures than their wealthier, predominantly white counterparts due to a phenomenon known as the urban heat island effect. This occurs when cities’ infrastructures—often designed without considering the needs of marginalized populations—trap heat, leading to dangerously high temperatures.
This discrepancy is more than an inconvenience; it has serious health implications. Extreme heat can exacerbate conditions such as asthma, which disproportionately affects Black children, and contribute to higher mortality rates.
Moreover, climate change amplifies the risk of extreme weather events, such as hurricanes and floods. Communities that are already marginalized face the brunt of these disasters, not only due to their location in
Public Transit Is a Solution.
more vulnerable areas but also because of limited resources to prepare for or recover from such events. The devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 underscored this grim reality, with Black communities in New Orleans suffering disproportionately due to inadequate evacuation plans, delayed relief efforts, and systemic inequalities in housing and infrastructure.
The reality is the climate crisis is not coming, it is here now. And it is deadly and devastating. Particularly for Black communities across this country. And it is a crisis that demands swift and decisive action, and bolstering public transit represents a necessary step forward.
The dirty secret is that the transportation sector is the largest source of U.S. climate pollution
Over 20 communities become first to earn new Clean California designation
County/Government News
SACRAMENTO — Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the launch of the Clean California Community Designation Program, a statewide effort encouraging local engagement to make communities cleaner, safer, and more sustainable.
The innovative program – in partnership with Caltrans, Keep America Beautiful, and Keep California Beautiful – is the latest feature of Clean California, Governor Newsom’s sweeping $1.2 billion, multiyear initiative led by Caltrans to clean up, reclaim, transform, and beautify public spaces.
The Newsom Administration joined the City of Fresno today to launch the program and designate Fresno as one of 22 California communities first to take the pledge.
“For the past three years, Clean California has transformed littered areas around our state into cleaner, greener, and safer spaces. Now, more than twenty communities are stepping up and committing to do the same – becoming our state’s first Clean California Communities. We all deserve to be proud of the neighborhoods we live in, and with this program, we’re making that a reality for more Californians than ever.”
Governor Gavin Newsom
Governor Newsom marked
three years of Clean California earlier this week. The Clean California program has created 18,000 jobs and hauled away more than 2.6 million cubic yards of litter – enough to cover nine lanes of Interstate 5 with an inch of trash from San Diego to the Canadian border.
The Clean California Community Designation Program highlights localities committed to a number of long-term, zero-litter policies designed to engage residents in supporting community beautification and environmental enhancement. Each municipality must complete 10 of 15 specific criteria to earn the designation. So far, 22 communities have taken this first step.
“Today, we celebrated the first communities pledging to earn the Clean California Community designation and encourage others from across the state to join,” said Caltrans Deputy Director Mike Keever during the cleanup in Fresno. “The designation spotlights communities that are zero-litter leaders with a vision for a better tomorrow. These leaders understand the long-term benefits to clean communities, and we applaud them for their efforts.”
Clean California Designation Program criteria include a commitment from top local officials, a litter abatement plan, regular local cleanups and litter collection drives, establishing measurements tracking litter removal, and engaging local stakeholders and businesses.
In return, designated communities receive “Clean California Community” signage, educational resources, free cleanup kits, cross-promotional Clean California materials, and priority access to Keep
— and 80% of transportation emissions come from the cars and trucks on our roads. It’s one of the only major sectors where emissions are still rising.
It is because of this, that investing in public transit is one of the most sensible and impactful things we can do to address the climate crisis on the scale that is needed.
First and foremost, public transit offers a direct solution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Unlike personal vehicles, which contribute significantly to carbon dioxide and other pollutants, public transit systems can transport large numbers of people efficiently and with reduced environmental impact per capita. A robust public transit network decreases the overall reliance on fossil fuels, thus curbing emissions that drive climate change.
In addition, investing in public transit promotes sustainable development. By prioritizing accessible, reliable transit options, cities can mitigate urban sprawl and reduce the need for expansive road networks and parking infrastructure.
Despite this, for far too long, policymakers in Washington have prioritized highways and cars over public transit.
Luckily there is new legislation in Congress to fix this. Bills have been introduced in both the House and the Senate to increase transit budgets through operations funding. These bills, the “Stronger Communities through Better Transit Act” in the House and the “Moving Transit Forward Act” in the Senate, would provide more money to states and local municipalities to increase transit options. Congress should pass them without delay.
The climate crisis necessitates bold and proactive measures.
Investing in public transit is not merely an option but a moral imperative and a practical solution to combat climate change while fostering equitable and sustainable urban development. By prioritizing public transit, policymakers can chart a course towards a more resilient, inclusive, and environmentally sustainable future for all.
The climate crisis is devastating Black communities and public transit offers a real and viable solution. We just need Washington to act, and soon. Because time is running out.
Kim Smith is a city council member in Rochester, New York.
Over 20 communities become first to earn new Clean California designation...continued
America Beautiful national grant opportunities.
The program’s goal is to enlist 100 communities by June 2025. For more information or an application for the Clean
California Designation Program, visit cleanca.com/designation. For other ways to help clean up your own community or to list a cleanup event, visit the volunteer page at cleanca.com/volunteer.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Dear Editor,
As a lifelong Californian, I’m proud of the significant strides our state has taken in setting nation-leading goals that help clean our air and combat climate change. However, as we continue to see reports indicating that we are nowhere close to achieving these goals, the time has come for us to ask whether our policymakers are doing enough. After all, if we truly want to reach these goals, we must explore all possible avenues.
One of these emerging pathways is through carbon capture and storage (CCS).
CCS has been used in the Gulf Coast region for over 50 years to mitigate carbon emissions, helping to lower the region’s footprint while maintaining its growing energy and manufacturing sectors. These efforts have been remarkably successful, with studies showing that retrofitting a manufacturing
facility or oil or natural gas refinery with CCS technology can help to reduce its CO2 emissions by up to 90%.
Not only would CCS help California clean its air and bring us far closer to reaching our emission reduction goals, but its status as an emerging industry would bring thousands of jobs to our state. Here in San Bernardino, new CCS projects will mean new opportunities, investment, and growth.
With an important election on the horizon, I urge California’s lawmakers to recognize CCS's bright future and embrace it as part of a technology-neutral approach to reaching our climate goals.
Best,
Adan Hernandez
Opinion: Trump Struggles to Counter Harris's Campaign Momentum, Resorting to a Game Plan Stuck in the Past...continued from page 1
Black colleges and universities, or hosting Diwali celebrations.
Code-switching is not about deceit but about adapting communication styles to resonate with different groups, a testament to her versatility and relatability.
attacks to her advantage by staying focused on her message of unity and progress.
Harris' campaign mentioning the “weirdness” and outdated nature of Trump's worldview may prove effective. She is presenting herself as the candidate of the future. This framing helps her cast Trump and his allies as out-of-touch with modern American values as she and her surrogates point out the rollback of rights spelled out in the ultra-conservative Project 2025 agenda, which includes proposals to restrict voting rights, undermine reproductive freedoms, weaken environmental protections and rewrite parts of the Constitution, such as the 14th Amendment which grants citizenship rights.
With Escalating Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric, California Farmworkers Fear the Future... continued from page 2 and co-founder of Redwood City-based press Peninsula 360.
“That’s why migrants have always been the ideal enemy of some U.S. political campaigns … and the data shows that it works,” he continued, adding that in the mid-19th century, for instance, manufacturing industries encouraged Irish immigrants to work in the U.S. while the nativist Know-Nothing Party characterized them as jobstealers. The country saw similar pushes for Chinese immigrants to work on railroads and in gold mines until the Chinese Exclusion Act passed by Congress in 1882. Far more recently, Brookings data analysis shows that support for Donald Trump in his successful 2016 presidential campaign was primarily driven by anti-migrant and racist rhetoric, alongside sexist sentiment.
However, racist anti-immigrant sentiment is now evolving from what it has been for decades, since the civil rights advances of the 1950s and 1960s, said Escámez. “We had this phrase, ‘No human being is illegal.’ But we’re entering an era now where we’re breaking what we’ve built, this idea that it’s not okay to be directly racist … With a second Trump term, migrants will be the first to suffer, but they won’t be the only enemy. They’ll target anyone who questions this.”
“During community discussions I had in Tulelake, a remote town in Siskiyou County, everyone agreed that migrants are experiencing anxiety and fear due to the elections,” he continued. “Some were not
getting Medi-Cal because they were afraid of public charge.”
Manuel Ortiz Escámez, Sociologist, Audio-Visual Journalist, and Co-Founder Peninsula 360, Redwood City, CA, says many of the undocumented immigrants he has interviewed hesitate to speak about their experiences and report being afraid to be out in public.
“Many kids were bullied at school who said, ‘Once Donald Trump is here, your family will be deported’ … but some who were bullied now support Trump,” he added. “I asked why, and they said it was to belong in a society that is turning more racist for young people. They have to be quiet now or show support for the bullies.”
“The consequence is that people are very afraid to talk at all. I hold interviews with people who later call and say, ‘Please do not publish anything, because I’m afraid of what could happen,’” Escámez said. “We’re breaking the social fabric in these communities. Until now, many of these farmworkers had built good relationships, including with the white population … Now, they tell me they’re more isolated. That they just go to church, to work, to the store, then stay home, because they don’t know what could happen.”
“What worries us most is that this rhetoric in power, on TV, that undocumented people are criminals and not welcome here, is reinforcing these actions of
Trump's inability to grasp this concept underscores his disconnect from the experiences of people of color and multiracial Americans. Instead of recognizing code-switching as a valuable skill, Trump has tried to frame it as deceitful. This tactic plays into a broader narrative Trump has pushed that questions the authenticity of people who do not fit into a narrow, often racially homogenous, mold. By framing Harris's multifaceted identity and her ability to adapt her communication as something suspect, Trump reveals his limited understanding of the complex and dynamic nature of American identity. In contrast to Trump, Harris’ campaign is focused on issues resonating with a broad spectrum of voters, such as voting rights, women's reproductive freedoms, and economic inequalities. Her message of inclusivity and progress stands in stark contrast to Trump's attempts to rekindle fears of a changing America. She has even begun defending her border record, releasing a video framing her as pro-border security.
Trump’s reliance on racially charged rhetoric reinforces his image as a candidate stuck in the past. Harris can use Trump's
As we approach the November election, we can expect the contrast to become starker between Trump's provocative rhetoric that yearns for a return to an ambiguous bygone era of American greatness and Harris' upbeat message that imagines a unified, forward-looking, stronger America where our diversity is an asset.
In an increasingly multi-racial and multi-cultural America where there are tendencies to focus on the concerns that divide us, it is incumbent on both candidates to build their candidacies on a commitment to inspire voters to collectively pursue the best possibilities for our country and for all Americans. We are all in this together.
With Escalating Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric, California Farmworkers Fear the Future... continued
hate,” said Arcenio Lopez, executive director of Venturabased Mixtec Indigenous Community Organizing Project.
“We saw, when Trump was running the country, the increase in racism-motivated crime.”
Hate crimes under Trump spiked nearly 20% under the Trump administration — from 6,121 reported incidents in 2016 to 7,314 reported in 2019, according to annual FBI hate crime statistics reports. Of these hate crimes in 2019, 57.6% were motivated by race.
Arcenio Lopez, Executive Director, Mixtec Indigenous Community Organizing Project, Ventura, CA, discusses the centuries-long history of oppression faced by indigenous communities and notes that they are the original people of the American continents and therefore are not immigrants.
Hate-motivated murders in particular totalled 51 in 2019 — the highest count in nearly three decades.
“We talk about the politics, but the indigenous Mexican migrant communities we work with experience this hate daily,” explained Lopez. “We’re called ‘Oaxaquitas’ (‘little Oaxacan’) and ‘indito’ (‘little Indian’). We’re told what we speak is a dialect, not a language. We hear ‘You’re brown,’ ‘You’re short,’ ‘You’re ugly’ … When this language takes the mic, it gives the green light for these actions.” Around 84% of California farmworkers are Mexico-born, while 9% identify as indigenous.
“When we talk about this, we should also mention why people leave their lands to come here. Many don’t want to,” he added. “If you go to Oaxaca, you’ll see so many companies from the U.S., Canada and Europe extracting natural resources. How does that impact indigenous communities who can’t compete, who don’t have trees or clean water? What are the decisions that this government is making with those? Who is in power?”
Tips to Help Kids Prepare Emotionally and Mentally for the Coming School Year
By Archana Dubey, MD, Chief Medical Officer, UnitedHealthcare of California
It’s that time of year when families are busy checking off those back-to-school lists, including making sure your student has the right pencils, notebooks, and backpack. But even more important than school supplies may be making sure your child is feeling emotionally and mentally ready to start the school year.
Here are four steps to help reduce stress and help support a healthy start of the school year for students.
Create or Re-establish Routines: What time does the family sit down for dinner? When is homework time? What is the limit for screen time? When is “lights out” at night? What time do alarm clocks ring? The answers are important. Sticking to schedules can create consistency at home that may help your child feel more confident, secure, and stable.
Schedule a Well-Child Visit:
It’s always a good idea to make sure children 3 years and of age and older see their provider once a year for an annual routine wellchild visit, even if they don’t feel sick. Pediatricians can
assess your child’s physical & emotional health before school starts, setting them up for success for the rest of the year. It’s also a great time to complete their school’s physical forms, check their growth and development to help find and prevent any problems, and give them any needed immunizations. Ask your child’s doctor about what’s driving their physical development, such as diet, exercise, and sleeping habits.
Discuss Mental Health:
Bringing up mental health can show your child that it’s okay to start those conversations and that they always have a support network they can rely on. If they do talk about being scared or nervous, validate their feelings. Help them feel secure and let them know it’s possible to feel better. These can be sensitive topics for your child, so empathy, openness, and patience can go a long way in helping them feel heard and optimistic that they’ll be OK. Focus on your child’s overall disposition — not just what they’re saying — and watch for warning signs of issues, such as persistent sadness, sudden mood changes, or sleep problems.
Help Develop Independence at Home: For younger kids entering preschool or kindergarten, encourage your child to dress themselves, use the bathroom without assistance, wash their hands, and put on their shoes. Your child should know how to wipe their face after lunch and blow their nose without assistance. They should also be comfortable asking an adult for help when needed.
LA Times Editorial:
"Can California save local news? The future of community, democracy is at stake"
State/Lifestyle News
Last week, the Los Angeles Times published a strong editorial in support of AB 886, Assemblymember Buffy Wicks' California Journalism Preservation Act (CJPA).
The bill, currently sitting in Senate Appropriations after passing the Senate Judiciary Committee with a 9-2 vote, would require Big Tech companies like Google and Meta to negotiate with publishers and broadcasters for payment for the use of their content. Publishers and broadcasters spend billions of dollars each year to report the news, while Google and Meta reap the profits without compensating the companies responsible for it.
Under the requirements set forth in the bill, publishers would be required to invest at least 70% of any new dollars received under these agreements back into the newsroom. This influx of new money would give newsrooms the ability to hire more journalists and cover more underserved areas of our state.
The LA Times' editorial board writes:
The coming election is a stark reminder of what California communities lose when local news outlets shrink or shutter. Sure, there will be an abundance of news about the presidential race and which party will control the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate.
LA Times Editorial:
"Can California save local news? The future of community, democracy is at stake"...continued would require that large social media companies and internet search engines, such as Google, share advertising revenue with the journalists and news organizations that produce much of the content on their platforms.
The bill by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) was inspired by similar laws passed in Australia and Canada to address shrinking news operations. It’s supported by the California News Publishers Assn. and the News/ Media Alliance, of which The Times is a member, because it addresses a basic unfairness.
Google, Meta and other platforms profit by filling their search engines and social media feeds with facts and snippets of news stories without paying for the content. Not only are they stiffing news outlets, whose reporters, editors and photographers produce those
stories, they are siphoning away advertising and collecting revenue on the pilfered pieces. That’s a major reason why so many newspapers, magazines and other news operations have been forced to lay off staff or shut down in the last few years.
Over the coming weeks, there’s hope that lawmakers, tech leaders and news publishers can come to some kind of compromise that guarantees ongoing funding for local news operations. It’s not easy to take on some of the most powerful corporations in the world, but legislators and Gov. Gavin Newsom have an opportunity to craft a policy that could help save local news and become a model for democracies across the globe.
Commentary: Tracking Discrimination in Healthcare: A California Imperative
Rhonda Smith | Special to California Black Media
Having spent more than 25 years advocating for equitable healthcare, I've listened to countless stories from individuals whose lives have been forever
changed by the historic inequities that exist within our healthcare system.
I've heard mothers share their heartbreak over traumatic birth experiences and outcomes, and families recount the devastating complications from surgeries. These stories, though deeply personal, often feel like whispers lost in the wind because our current data doesn't capture the full picture. We know that racism impacts the type of care and quality of care, but without
continued in next 2 columns
Commentary: Tracking Discrimination in Healthcare: A California Imperative...continued demographic data, we can't fully understand or address these issues. It's crucial that we find a way to connect these personal stories to the larger narrative of healthcare equity, ensuring that every patient's experience is acknowledged, and that there’s transparency and accountability, so that every community's needs are addressed. For communities of color, racism in the healthcare system can have a devastating impact, affecting not only the quality of care that patients receive but also their overall well-being. Research shows that these communities experience higher rates of patient adverse events -- incidents that cause permanent harm, necessitate life-saving interventions, or potentially lead to death at greater frequencies than White patients. Disturbingly, these trends disproportionately impact Black women and other communities of color.
A recent Kaiser Family Foundation survey found that a third of Americans see racism as a major problem in health care, compared to over half (52%) of Black people surveyed. Disparities in maternal health outcomes and overall distrust of the medical system are historic and well-documented. According to the California Health Care Foundation’s “Listening to Black Californians” research report, nearly one-third of Black Californians say they have been treated poorly by healthcare providers just because of their race or ethnicity. Additionally, a significant number of Black Californians overall (38%) and of Black women in particular (47%) say there has been a time when a provider did not treat their pain adequately.
Commentary: A guide to achieving
But what about local school board candidates? Or city council and community college district races? Local elections matter because the decisions these bodies make directly affect residents’ lives, whether in fees, taxes, services or spending priorities.
Yet too many places in California have become news deserts, with little to no independent reporting on what’s going on in local politics, business and arts and entertainment. That makes it harder for residents to find reliable information about how their elected leaders are spending tax dollars, making land-use decisions and planning the future of their community — and harder for them to make informed choices when they vote in local elections.
This is not just a crisis for news organizations, it’s a threat to the health of communities and democratic institutions. It should be no surprise that researchers have found that fewer candidates run for local office and voter participation declines when news outlets close or reduce the number of reporters covering community affairs.
Now lawmakers in Sacramento are trying to help save local news. Among the most promising proposals is the California Journalism Preservation Act, or Assembly Bill 886, which
While we know this to be true, right now, no demographic information is collected for patients who experience things like negative birth outcomes, surgery complications, patient safety events, or other adverse experiences in hospital settings. The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) tracks these events, but doesn’t collect information like the age, race or gender of these patients. As a result, the state doesn’t know who is suffering the most from these avoidable mistakes, and therefore how to prevent them from happening in the future. This is why we are working in partnership with the California Pan Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN), Black Women for Wellness Action Project, and the office of Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Oakland) to advance Assembly Bill (AB) 3161, legislation that will seek to collect demographic data on patient complaints and safety incidents. It is our hope that a bill that collects this important demographic data can be a step toward in capturing evidencebased data on racial bias trends in California’s healthcare system and the impact they have on the safety, health, and well-being of patients.
AB 3161 would require the collection of self-reported patient demographics when receiving complaints regarding hospitals and long-term care facilities. It will assist in compiling, reviewing, analyzing, and publishing trends of patient safety events. This bill would also require the publication of adverse event trends based on demographic data in a manner continued on page 6
successful outcomes in custody cases
Prepare Like a pro without an attorney
By Nancy Grimm Special to the AFRO
Preparing for a custody proceeding can be overwhelming and scary. Here are several steps to make the process easier.
Once you have filed or been served with a complaint for custody, it is important to begin preparing for your case as soon as possible. There are basic steps that you can take to prepare. One critical component is discovery – the process of getting information from the other party (your spouse) before trial. Discovery is a legal tool each party can use to strengthen their case. Through discovery you may request information and documents from your spouse to use as evidence at trial. Discovery can be acquired by requesting certain documents or by asking questions of the other party, either in writing (interrogatories) or in person
(deposition). Below are some excellent links to assist you in preparing your case through the discovery process.
• Discovery in the Circuit Court (mdcourts.gov)
• Preparing Your Case (peoples-law.org)
• Court Proceedings: What to Know Before You Go (mvlslaw. org)
If you are seeking child custody, you should consider the following in preparation for your custody court proceedings: Prepare a Parenting Plan
This plan is required by the court and will help both parents
determine how the children will spend their time with each parent following a divorce or separation. This plan is usually provided to the parents at the first court hearing. By reviewing the Maryland Parenting Plan Tool ahead of time, you can familiarize yourself with the various child custody schedules and consider what would be in the best interest of the children. See Parenting Plans (mdcourts.gov).
If there are contested issues, you may want to review the Joint Statement of The Parties Concerning Decision Making Authority and Parenting Time, which is also a requirement for filing. See CC-DR-110 (mdcourts.gov), which will assist the court in determining child access.
Establishing Child Support
The parent who has physical custody of the children will receive child support from the other parent. If you and your spouse do not agree on child support, you will need to provide the court with the following information about monthly income and expenses:
Total income before taxes
Child support paid for other children
Alimony paid to former spouses
Alimony received from former spouses
Health insurance premium for your children
Work-related child-care expenses
Extraordinary health expenses
School and transportation expenses
It is important that you consider income from all sources,
including wages, tips, selfemployment and government benefits (e.g., Social Security, unemployment, disability). You will need proof of each source of income, such as recent pay stubs, W-2s, 1099s or Social Security benefit reports. You should not include public assistance benefits such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or Aid to Families with Dependent Children.
“Extraordinary medical expenses” include any uninsured expenses over $250 per year, including things like orthodontia, medical care for chronic health conditions and mental health counseling. “School expenses” include only K-12 education that is required to meet the children’s particular educational needs. “Transportation expenses” include the anticipated cost of transporting the children between the homes of each parent. See CC-DR-030 (mdcourts.gov).
To speak to an attorney about your situation or for help with completing forms, call the Maryland Family Law Hotline at 1-800-845-8550 or visit the Family Law Self Help Center located in the Maryland Circuit Court where you will open your case or file your response. For additional information and court forms pertaining to child support, custody and visitation, and for instructions on how to complete the forms, visit Family Law Court Forms (mdcourts. gov), The People’s Law Library of Maryland (peoples-law.org) and the Maryland Custody & Divorce Client Workbook (peoples-law.org).
Nancy Grimm, Esq., is a family law attorney with Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service.
Archana Dubey, MD
(Photo courtesy Unsplash / Humphrey Muleba)
Bill Would Make Feminine Products Readily Available to Incarcerated
Persons
Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media
incarcerated people receive menstrual products immediately without request. Asm. Mia Bonta (D-Alameda) is the co-author of the measure, AB 1810.
Assemblymembers Mia Bonta (D-Alameda) and Issac Bryan (D-Ladera Heights) introduced a bill in January that requires lock-up facilities to provide menstrual products to incarcerated persons without requiring a request.
The bill will be reviewed by the Senate Appropriations Committee after the Legislative recommences in August.
Assembly Bill (AB 1810), “Incarcerated Persons: Menstrual Products,” passed with a 5-0 vote in the Senate Public Safety Committee in June after advancing from the Assembly on May 21 with a 71-0 floor vote.
Bryan told California Black Media (CBM) that he was “comfortable” with the bill’s progress.
“AB 1810 will bring our state closer to the menstrual health equity that other states are seeing that require that menstrual care products are free and readily available for all incarcerated people,” Bryan said. “It will also bring our state into parity with several other states such as Louisiana, Tennessee, and Florida – all of which do not require their incarcerated people to request these basic necessities from their correctional officers.”
Bryan and Bonta are members of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC).
Fellow CLBC members, Assemblymembers Akilah Weber (D-La Mesa), Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood), and Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles) signed on as the bill’s co-authors Assemblymembers Eloise Reyes (D-Colton) and Rick Zbur (D-West Hollywood) have also joined as co-authors.
Under existing law, individuals incarcerated in state prison or confined in a local detention facility, or a state or local juvenile facility, and “who menstruates or experiences uterine or vaginal bleeding” entitled to request and receive personal hygiene products for their menstrual cycle and reproductive system, according to the bill language.
The materials include but are not limited to, sanitary pads and tampons.
By imposing additional duties on local detention facilities, this bill would impose a statemandated local program.
“There are currently incarcerated women and formerly incarcerated women who brought this bill before us,” Bryan said. “Anyone, any person who menstruates deserves that care. It’s not a luxury, it’s not a privilege. It’s a right.”
The California Constitution mandates that the state compensate local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. AB 1810 would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill “contains costs required by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions,” the bill language states.
Tatiana Lewis, a member of All of Us or None (AOUON), testified in support of AB 1810 in front of the Senate Public Safety Committee on June 11. Lewis says she spent time in a juvenile facility and said that some correctional officers delay providing menstrual materials as a punishment or intimidation.
Lewis said she has heard from countless former and current
incarcerated women about how they had to create makeshift tampons or how their prisonissued uniforms would be covered with blood. AOUON is a statewide, grassroots civil and human rights organization that fights for the rights of formerlyand currently incarcerated people and their families.
“That power is in their hands,” Lewis said of requesting menstrual products from correctional officers. “This bill needs to pass. It’s essential for incarcerated individuals who need these products as soon as possible instead of going through someone who intimidates them. We’re already humiliated by strip searches and searches of your (cell). It would also give us some type of liberty should this bill pass.”
According to a Feb. 16, 2023, report, “The 202324 Budget: The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation,” by the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO), the state is currently operating 32 state prisons and one leased prison.
As of Jan. 18, 2023, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) was responsible for incarcerating a total of about 95,600 people -- 91,300 men, 3,900 women, and 400 nonbinary people. CDCR provided that transgender, nonbinary, or intersex are mandated to be housed in a men’s or women’s facility based on their preference.
Not everyone is on board with the specifics of AB 1810. Some family-oriented organizations and members of religious institutions across California say they have an issue with the word “person” in the bill. They
want it to be amended to refer to only biological females.
California Family Council’s (CFC) Outreach Director Sophia Lorey testified in front of the Assembly Public Safety Committee on Feb. 27. CFC’s vision and mission statement says the religious organization Advances “God’s Design for Life, Family, and Liberty through California’s Church, Capitol, and Culture.”
Lorey said AB 1810 replaces all mentions of “females and women” in the current statute.
The bill attempts to “to obscure obvious biological distinctions between males and females,” Lorey stated.
“I urge you all to vote no on AB 1810 unless this bill is amended to only provide birth control and menstrual products to actual women,” Lorey told the committee. “To vote yes or abstain on this bill further advances the erasure of women and ignores basic biology. Oh, and if men menstruate…I am intrigued. Where does the tampon go?”
The bill passed out of the Assembly Public Safety Committee with an 8-0 vote. Committee members Reyes, Zbur, Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City), Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento), Stephanie Nguyen (D-Elk Grove), Juan Alanis (R-Palmdale), and Tom Lackey (R-Modesto) all voted in favor of AB 1810.
“I appreciated the wording (in AB 1810),” said Wilson, the chairperson of CLBC. “It says ‘a person who menstruates or experiences uterine or vaginal bleeding’ will have access to what they need and be able to take care of that. That is a beautiful thing. It’s empowering to those who have that issue.”
Oakland Privacy Statement on Department of Justice v. Google: A Shift in the Wind
OAKLAND - The suit brought by the Department of Justice against Google, represents a shift in the wind of public opinion about the economic and social power of Big Tech. Not since a similar antitrust suit was brought against Microsoft in 2002 has there been such an intentional and direct attempt to limit the power of a tech company like Google.
Oakland Privacy supports the efforts to lessen Google’s stranglehold on internet search
options, which it maintains by "paying billions of dollars each year to distributors—including popular-device manufacturers such as Apple, LG, Motorola, and Samsung; major U.S. wireless carriers such as AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon; and browser developers such as Mozilla, Opera, and UCWeb— to secure default status for its general search engine and, in many cases, to specifically prohibit Google’s counterparties from dealing with Google’s competitors.”
Citation: Initial DOJ complaint, Case 1:20-cv03010 Document 1. Emphasis in original.
Oakland Privacy supports the Department of Justice’s victory in this case, and although such a massive antitrust case will likely not reach its terminus for a few years, winning at this level provides a significant advantage to the United States's ability to regulate Big Tech and represents a significant hindrance to Google's ability to monopolize your attention and traffic.
Oakland Privacy 2024 Privacy Rights fellow Saoirse Grace comments:
Google’s vastly superior market share is no accident, and neither is it benign. The ability of one corporation to control the world’s primary access point to information should cause
anyone to reconsider their relationship to Google. There are other search engines, and there are other browsers, each of which is developed by people who have privacy and security in mind, unlike Google, whose profit structure relies on putting ads above your search results.
In addition to liability in the antitrust case, Google has implemented Search Generative Experience (SGE, for short) into its search results page. This generative AI response will be the primary result for many searches, which will occupy what is arguably the most important real estate on the internet.
For more information contact: Tracy Rosenberg, Advocacy Director, Oakland Privacy Email: tracy@oaklandprivacy. org, Tel: 510-684-6853
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Submission Deadline 5 pm MONDAY
Please email to: mary@sb-american.com
Commentary: Tracking Discrimination in Healthcare: A California Imperative...continued from page 4
that is consistent with patient confidentiality. Critics, such as the CDPH, have raised concerns over the cost of updating their forms to accommodate demographic data collection. The department estimates the annual cost for updating, modifying or creating a new system for this demographic data collection could cost at least $1.6 million each year for the first two years.
While we appreciate the state’s estimate, the cost of doing nothing, when health and lives are at stake, is far greater.
About the Author
Rhonda Smith is the Executive Director of the California Black Health Network.
This article is supported by the California Black Health Journalism Project, a program created by California Black Media, that addresses the top health challenges African Americans in California face. It relies on the input of community and practitioners; an awareness of historical factors, social contexts and root causes; and a strong focus on solutions as determined by policymakers, advocates and patients.
Understanding and addressing health disparities is not just about statistics; it's about real people with real stories. By collecting demographic data, we take a significant step toward true transparency and accountability in our healthcare system. This will allow us to see the full picture and make informed decisions that can save lives and improve the quality of care for all Californians. Let's ensure that every patient’s experience is acknowledged, and every community's needs are addressed, inclusive of their race or ethnicity.
Asm. Isaac Bryan (D-Ladera Heights) has been receiving bipartisan support for legislation requiring that
CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.
Tatiana Lewis testifies on behalf of AB 1810 in front of the Senate Public Safety Committee on June 11, 2024, at the State Capitol in Sacramento (screenshot
Toni Braxton Reveals She ‘Was Told to Hide’ Her Disease: ‘I Felt Like a Hypochondriac’
Toni Braxton, the renowned singer behind hits like "UnBreak My Heart", has not only captured hearts with her music but also inspired many with her courageous battle against lupus. In 2008, Braxton was diagnosed with lupus, an autoimmune disease that can affect various parts of the body, including the skin, joints, and organs.
In a recent appearance on the SHE MD podcast, Braxton revealed a startling truth about her struggle with lupus – she was advised by her management team to keep her diagnosis a secret.
“I was told to hide that I had lupus. Like, ’Don’t tell anyone,’ " the singer shares.
Her management team instructed her to hide the fact that she had lupus, fearing that disclosing her condition would scare people away and make it difficult for her to get insured. Braxton's revelation sheds light on the challenges faced by celebrities dealing with chronic illnesses and the pressure to maintain a flawless public image.
“People get scared around sick celebrities. Nobody gets insured, and I couldn’t get insured," Braxton adds.
Rheumatologist Dr. Daniel Jeffrey Wallace, who diagnosed Braxton with lupus, also addressed the challenges of celebrities revealing their health challenges.
“I was president of the Lupus Foundation of America and our
problem was we had all these celebrities with lupus but none of them would come out," Dr. Wallace shared during the podcast.
“You would not get work,” Braxton adds. “I didn't get work at first. No one wanted to put me on the stage. ‘Well, suppose she collapses on stage? And insurance?
How are we going to do that?’ "
Braxton also opened up about the difficult journey to her diagnosis, sharing that she felt like a "hypochondriac," before her diagnosis as she struggled for 10 years with symptoms that seemed to mimic those of other ailments. Lupus, often called the "great imitator," can be challenging to diagnose because its symptoms, such as fever, fatigue, and joint pain, can be mistaken for other conditions.
Many people with lupus may also develop a facial rash “that resembles the wings of a butterfly unfolding across both cheeks,” according to the Mayo Clinic, however, it does not occur in all cases of lupus.
“It takes an average of three and a half years for somebody with non-organ threatening lupus to get diagnosed and an average of four different doctors," Dr. Wallace shares.
Braxton's road to diagnosis was long and arduous, involving visits to at least six doctors. It wasn't until she collapsed during a performance in Las Vegas that
Megan Thee Disaster Responder Is Helping Houston Get Generators
After Hurricane Beryl, Megan Thee Stallion’s nonprofit stepped up to provide generators for seniors in her hometown.
by Willy Blackmore
The power outages caused by Hurricane Beryl across Houston and surrounding parts of Texas’ Gulf Coast were by no means a new phenomenon. When a powerful derecho storm blew through a few months ago, around 1 million people were left without power for several days. But when Beryl made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane on July 8, it knocked out power for 2.6 million customers — and it took almost two weeks for power to be fully restored to everyone. That left vulnerable people, like low-income seniors, sweltering without air conditioning in a post-storm heatwave.
That is, until rapper Megan Thee Stallion came to the rescue.
The Houston-raised rapper, whose real name is Megan Pete, announced last week that her Pete and Thomas Foundation is working with the local nonprofit Bread of Life to distribute free power generators to seniors across Houston. The organizations sent 10 generators during the Beryl outages, and will continue the relief program throughout the rest of the 2024 hurricane season
“”It’s been painful to watch the elderly population in Houston
she finally received a definitive diagnosis.
“I was telling people I don't feel well,” the mother of two sons shares. “We always try to fake that we're feeling great or we don't want to worry anyone. As mothers and women we tend to do anyway.”
She also spoke candidly about having two successful pregnancies with sons Denim, 22, and Diezel, 21, but having to terminate the third due to health complications.
"I remember the doctor saying, 'Look at your levels there. You won't survive the pregnancy because of the lupus,'" Toni recalls.
One of the key messages Braxton wants to convey to others living with lupus is that there is nothing to be ashamed of. By speaking out about her own experience, she hopes to be an advocate for those who may be struggling in silence.
“[It's] important that I pioneer and be an advocate, and tell other people about it and talk about my story, and hopefully you can help someone," Braxton says.
Despite the challenges she has faced, Braxton remains resilient. She is returning to television with her family on the upcoming WeTV show "The Braxtons", where she will continue to share her story and advocate for greater awareness of lupus.
She is also gearing up an upcoming Las Vegas residency, Love & Laughter, set to debut at the Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on April 27 with Cedric the Entertainer, whose mother died from lupus. "I'm so excited, so hyped about it," she told Entertainment Tonight. "When I told Cedric I had lupus, and that working an hour and a half to two hours a night would be difficult, he responded, 'We should do something together.'"
Recognizing the Symptoms of Lupus and When to See a Doctor Lupus is a complex and often unpredictable disease, with symptoms that can vary widely from person to person.
Recognizing the signs of lupus is crucial for early diagnosis and management of the condition. Here
are some common symptoms to watch out for:
Fatigue: Extreme tiredness that is not relieved by rest is a common symptom of lupus. This fatigue can significantly impact a person's quality of life.
Joint pain and swelling: Lupus can cause inflammation in the joints, leading to pain, stiffness, and swelling. This symptom is often mistaken for arthritis.
Skin rashes: Some people with lupus develop a characteristic butterfly-shaped rash across the cheeks and nose. Other skin rashes and lesions may also occur.
Fever: Unexplained fevers, which are often low-grade, can be a sign of active inflammation in the body, a common feature of lupus.
Photosensitivity: Many people with lupus are sensitive to sunlight and may develop skin rashes or other symptoms after sun exposure.
Mouth or nose sores: Ulcers or sores in the mouth or nose that are not caused by infection are common in lupus.
Hair loss: Hair may become thin or fall out, especially on the scalp and eyebrows, due to lupus-related inflammation.
Raynaud's phenomenon: This condition, characterized by fingers and toes turning white or blue in response to cold or stress, can occur in people with lupus.
If you experience any of these symptoms, especially in combination, it's important to see a doctor for evaluation. Lupus is often referred to as the "great imitator" because its symptoms can mimic those of other conditions.
A thorough medical evaluation, including blood tests and imaging studies, may be necessary to make an accurate diagnosis.
Early diagnosis and treatment are key to managing lupus and reducing the risk of complications.
If you suspect you may have lupus or are experiencing symptoms that concern you, don't hesitate to seek medical advice. Remember, there is no single test to diagnose lupus, so a comprehensive evaluation by a healthcare professional is essential.
Megan Thee Disaster Responder Is Helping Houston Get Generator...continued
2003, authorities have intensely focused on the power-generation side of the state’s electrical grid vulnerabilities. But there seems to be less attention being paid to the more workaday issues of maintaining power lines and
suffer without electricity during these devastating storms,” the rapper said in a statement. “We need to do our part to provide our elders with the best resources possible to withstand future emergencies.”
Rudy Rasmus, executive director of Bread of Life, said in a statement the goal is “to provide generators to our most vulnerable seniors ahead of storms or other events that knock out power so there is no interruption in service,” .
The nonprofits will have their work cut out for them: the storms are only going to keep coming, bigger and wetter than ever. And because the Texas power grid is not connected to regional electric networks, having backup power is quickly becoming a necessity for vulnerable residents.
They are right to highlight that older residents: out of the 14 Houstonians whose deaths were attributed to the hurricane, half died from heat-related issues during the power outage. One 110-year-old woman who lived outside of Houston in Humble, Texas, died on July 16, after more than a week without power.
Because Houston is about 22% Black, there is an increased risk for Black residents. They are more likely than whites to suffer hurricane damage to their homes as well as heat-related illnesses after a power outage.
Since 2021, when a winter storm in Texas caused the largest blackout in the U.S. since
poles, and trimming trees. Which means that when the next storm hits, it’s likely that there will be more wide-spread outages too.
But this time around, Megan Thee Stallion (or her nonprofit, rather) will be ready.
A Call to Protect Indigenous Peoples...continued
the country’s national power grid.
I thought I was going to Guatemala to learn about mining resistance struggles, and I did, but more than that I was really being reminded of the true underlying issue: the exploitation and oppression of Indigenous peoples. Throughout our journey through the towns of La Puya, Rabinal, El Estor, and Rio Negro, we heard from villagers and activists about intimidation tactics, disrespect, oppression, and killing of Indigenous people. We learned about their struggle to exist. Whether they were forced off their land so that foreign companies could mine the earth for minerals that would be exported to the Global North or they were subjected to arbitrary stops by the local police, their stories resonated with the stories of Indigenous people all over the world. The Global South is endowed with incredible resources. The past several hundred years have witnessed those in the Global North exploiting those resources and the peoples who have traditionally lived on those lands and waters. Over and over, the people who lived in harmony with the earth, defended it, tried to keep it whole, and worked to teach others how to live in harmony were subjected to abhorrent abuses of humanity. It could be rubber in Liberia or bananas in Columbia or nickel in Guatemala, the same story will be told with different names and dates. This truth shakes me to my very core and shows me only
one path forward. We must, in our everyday lives, and in our local, state, and federal halls of power, push for Indigenous rights and the protection of Indigenous ways of life. Often in the United States, we only think of those labeled American Indian as Indigenous, but there are Indigenous peoples all over the world doing this work to rebuild and reconnect with themselves, their culture, and the earth. Many Indigenous people in the United States are currently working to reconnect with their culture and learn about their tribes and nations practices, languages, and culture after centuries of the United States attempting wholesale cultural erasure of all Indigeneity. We need to support them in these efforts, and devote time, money, and robust supportive policy to those who are doing this hard emotional and intellectual labor. Especially as we face the consequences of our own actions globally with climate change, Indigenous practices of land usage, bioecology, farming, and so many other practices will only serve to benefit all of us. Genesis calls on us as humans to care for the earth, I cannot fathom why we as people of faith would not gladly learn from and follow the practices of those who have been caring for the earth successfully for millennia.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Helen Smith is the International Policy Advocate in the Office of Public Policy & Advocacy in Washington DC, for the United Church of Christ.
“Oh, How I Wish We Would All Be Ready!”
By Lou K. Coleman
I don’t know whether you know this or not, but EVERY TIME the Bible has predicted a future event, it happened EXACTLY as Scripture said it would. Please don’t wait until it’s too late to repent and give your life to Jesus for [Luke 21:26] says that people’s hearts would faint and fail when they see what’s happening “on the earth.” He said there will be distress, dismay, anguish and great fear, because of “those things which are coming on the earth.” And I tell you, there are antisemitic signs all around us, showing that the end is near. [Luke 21:20].
A Call to Protect Indigenous Peoples
Helen Smith
My delegation mates are in awe. Nestled in the mountains of Guatemala, pristine forest and a rushing, dammed river stretches out below us. Yet, surrounded by all this beauty, I feel the most unsettled I’ve been since touching down in Guatemala five days earlier. As we take in the beauty of the mountains and the river one thing is clear—the mountains we look upon have a clear line of demarcation. The water should never be this high. The delegation I’m travelling with is sponsored by Mayflower UCC in Minnesota. Members of Mayflower have been coming to Guatemala on these delegations for the past decade and have invited a team of incredible people from Minnesota, Texas and DC on this trip. We are
midway through our trip to meet Indigenous land and water defenders across Guatemala who were victims of a genocide in the 1980s, rebuilt their lives as best they could, and now spend their days fighting for truth, justice, and reparations. The community center of Rio Negro where I sit, in unsettled reverence, is just a few hundred feet from where one of the Mayan Achi massacres occurred in 1982, when the Guatemalan government murdered, displaced, and drowned Mayan Achi villages to develop a dam project in the Chixoy (pronounced chi-choy) River which now generates hydroelectric power, supplying
Oh, how I wish we would all be ready! Because while they are saying, ‘Peace and safety!’ as [1 Thessalonians 5:3] says, then destruction will come upon us suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and we will not escape.” Not only that, “Wars, earthquakes, and famines will escalate” until the end of the Antichrist’s 3.5-year reign, when he will enter a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem and proclaim himself to be God and demand worship [2 Thessalonians 2:4; Matthew 24:15].
Then after that, [another 3.5 years], Jesus predicted, “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. Untold loss of life and destruction of the earth will occur during the Great Tribulation. Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.” [Matthew 24:21-22]
Oh, how I wish we would all be ready!
John records the battle this way: “And I saw coming out of
the mouth of the dragon [Satan] and out of the mouth of the beast [the Antichrist] and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs; for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty…” [Revelation 16:13–16]. Oh, how I wish that we would all be ready because the above events are not speculations or possibilities – they are what will take place in the future for the Bible has never once been wrong.
As Peter asks, given the truth of these prophecies: “Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be…because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!” [2 Peter 3:11–12].
I tell you we are closer to the Rapture and the Tribulation than ever before. If you do not repent and get under the umbrella of the Almighty God, you will be sorry. Don’t ignore the opportunity to get right with God because He is your ONLY ESCAPE!
As Larry Norman said in his song, [I Wish We’d All Been Ready]. “Life was filled with guns and war and all of us got trampled on the floor. I wish we’d all been ready. The children died; the days grew cold. I wish we’d all been ready. There's no time to change your mind the son has come, and you've been left behind…How could you have been so blind?
A man and wife asleep in bed she hears a noise and turns her head, he's gone, I wish we'd all be ready. Two men walking up a hill one disappears and one's left standing still, I wish we'd all been ready. There's no time to change your mind, the Son has come, and you've been left behind. You've been left behind. You've been left behind. You've been left behind. You've been left behind!”
Lou K. Coleman
Toni Braxton on the SHE MD podcast. Photo: SHE MD PODCAST/ YOUTUBE
Who is Tim Walz? Things to Know About Kamala Harris’ Choice
for Vice President
BY STEVE KARNOWSKI and JOHN HANNA | Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS — Vice
President Kamala Harris has decided on Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate in her bid for the White House, according to people familiar with the choice. The 60-year-old Democrat and military veteran rose to the forefront with a series of plain-spoken television appearances in the days after President Joe Biden decided not to seek a second term. He has made his state a bastion of liberal policy and, this year, one of the few states to protect fans buying tickets online for Taylor Swift concerts and other live events.
Her choice of Walz was confirmed by three people familiar with the decision who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because it had not been made public.
Some things to know about Walz:
Walz Comes from Rural America
It would be hard to find a more vivid representative of the American heartland than Walz. Born in West Point, Nebraska, a community of about 3,500 people northwest of Omaha, Walz joined the Army National Guard and became a teacher in Nebraska.
He and his wife moved to Mankato in southern Minnesota in the 1990s. That’s where he taught social studies and coached football at Mankato West High School, including for the 1999 team that won the first of the school’s four state championships. He still points to his union membership there. Walz served 24 years in the
Army National Guard before retiring from a field artillery battalion in 2005 as a command sergeant major, one of the military’s highest enlisted ranks.
He Has a Proven Ability to Connect with Conservative Voters
In his first race for Congress, Walz upset a Republican incumbent. That was in 2006, when he won in a largely rural, southern Minnesota congressional district against sixterm Rep. Gil Gutknecht. Walz capitalized on voter anger with then-President George W. Bush and the Iraq war.
During six terms in the U.S. House, Walz championed veterans’ issues.
He’s also shown a down-toearth side, partly through social media video posts with his daughter, Hope. One last fall showed them trying a Minnesota State Fair ride, “The Slingshot,” after they bantered about fair food and her being a vegetarian.
He Could Help the Ticket in the Midwest
While Walz isn’t from one of the crucial “blue wall” states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, where both sides believe they need to win, he’s right next door. He also could ensure that Minnesota stays in the hands of Democrats.
That’s important because former President Donald Trump has portrayed Minnesota as being in play this year, even though the state hasn’t elected a Republican to statewide office
California receives more than half a billion dollars in federal funds to improve power grid
SACRAMENTO — California
has secured a $600 million federal grant to upgrade 100 miles of electric transmission lines with grid enhancing technologies to improve reliability and deliver clean, affordable electricity faster.
The Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnership (GRIP) grant was awarded to a consortium that includes the California Energy Commission, the California Public Utilities Commission, the California Independent System Operator, Pacific Gas & Electric Company, and Southern California Edison.
The agencies, grid operator and utilities will partner on the California Harnessing Advanced Reliable Grid Enhancing Technologies for Transmission (CHARGE 2T) program, which will expand transmission capacity and provide interconnection improvements to increase and accelerate equitable access to clean energy resources across the state.
“Once again, the Biden-Harris Administration is not just talking the talk, they’re walking the walk. This funding is critical to our efforts to build a power grid that ensures all Californians have access to cleaner, cheaper, more reliable electricity."
Governor Gavin Newsom
The project will:
Support more than 300 direct jobs.
Enhance more than 100 miles of transmission lines with advanced conductor technologies that will help connect more clean energy resources than the existing grid can accommodate at this time.
Deliver an estimated $200 million in energy savings from
improved grid efficiency.
Create economic and community benefits for disadvantaged communities.
Invest in workforce training programs for the next generation of energy and utility workers.
Develop a portal to improve transparency and efficiency in the interconnection process.
“As California grapples with increasingly extreme weather as a result of the climate crisis, bolstering our transmission network is essential for protecting public safety and ensuring a successful clean energy transition,” said U.S. Senator Alex Padilla. “To meet the challenges we face, we must modernize our grid, and there is no better way to achieve that than through reconductoring. Thanks to this historic investment in our state’s CHARGE 2T program through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we’re updating our transmission lines to efficiently, reliably, and affordably deliver clean electricity while creating new green jobs.”
Tribal collaborations
A Northern California electrical grid project, led by the Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe, Hoopa Valley Tribe, Karuk Tribe, and Yurok Tribe, also received $88 million in GRIP funding, which – with matching funds from various sources – will ultimately total about $200 million. The result of years of collaboration between California tribes, the state, and other publicprivate partnerships, this project will develop an innovative network of community
since 2006. A GOP presidential candidate hasn’t carried the state since President Richard Nixon’s landslide in 1972, but Trump has already campaigned there.
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When Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton decided not to seek a third term in 2018, Walz campaigned and won the office on a “One Minnesota” theme.
Walz also speaks comfortably about issues that matter to voters in the Rust Belt. He’s been a champion of Democratic causes, including union organizing, workers’ rights and a $15-anhour minimum wage.
He Has Experience With Divided Government
In his first term as governor, Walz faced a Legislature split between a Democratic-led House and a Republican-controlled Senate that resisted his proposals to use higher taxes to boost money for schools, health care and roads. But he and lawmakers brokered compromises that made the state’s divided government still seem productive.
Bipartisan cooperation became
Who is Tim Walz? Things to Know About Kamala Harris’ Choice for Vice President... continued
tougher during his second year as he used the governor’s emergency power during the COVID-19 pandemic to shutter businesses and close schools.
Republicans pushed back and forced out some agency heads.
Republicans also remain critical of Walz over what they see as his slow response to sometimes violent unrest that followed the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020.
Things got easier for Walz in his second term, after he defeated Republican Scott Jensen, a physician known nationally as a vaccine skeptic. Democrats gained control of both legislative chambers, clearing the way for a more liberal course in state government, aided by a huge budget surplus.
Walz and lawmakers eliminated nearly all of the state abortion restrictions enacted in the past by Republicans, protected gender-affirming care for transgender youth and legalized the recreational use of marijuana.
Rejecting Republican pleas that the state budget surplus be used to cut taxes, Democrats
funded free school meals for children, free tuition at public colleges for students in families earning under $80,000 a year, a paid family and medical leave program and health insurance coverage regardless of a person’s immigration status.
He Has an Ear for Sound-Bit Politics
Walz called Republican nominee Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance “just weird” in an MSNBC interview last month and the Democratic Governors Association — which Walz chairs — amplified the point n a post on X. Walz later reiterated the characterization on CNN, citing Trump’s repeated mentions of the fictional serial killer Hannibal Lecter from the film “Silence of the Lambs” in stump speeches. The word quickly morphed into a theme for Harris and other Democrats, and has a chance to be a watchword of the undoubtably weird 2024 election. Hanna reported from Topeka, Kansas.
microgrids to ultimately create a highly reliable, resilient, and decarbonized system.
The communities affected currently rely on the Hoopa 1101 circuit – one of the least reliable circuits in the PG&E service territory, seeing average outages twice the duration of most other circuits. The project’s innovative approach – developed in collaboration with a new grid services laboratory at Cal Poly Humboldt – addresses the difficulties posed by rugged, rural, and wildfire-prone environments, and will allow communities to move away from relying on fossil fuels.
California’s clean energy leadership
The world’s fifth largest economy is being powered by more clean energy than ever before, breaking records and accelerating our progress towards 100% clean electricity by 2045.
At 10,379 megawatts (MW), the state has increased battery capacity by 1,250% since the beginning of the Newsom Administration – up from 770 MW in 2019.
California’s power grid has set a series of clean energy records this year. For at least 100 days this year, clean energy has exceeded grid demand consumed at some point during the day.
Thanks to new clean energy resources and the surge in battery storage, California’s power grid withstood this July’s record two-week heat wave – and even exported power to other states.
Governor Newsom has taken unprecedented action to streamline clean energy infrastructure and invest billions of dollars to build more faster.
Find clean energy projects in your community at build.ca.gov.
Governor Tim Walz addresses the audience at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul after being sworn in as Minnesota's 41st governor. (Lorie Shaul, Wikipedia)
Vice President Kamala Harris named Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate in the 2024 election. (White House)
