Thanks to the Biden-Harris administration’s latest allocation of $2.2 billion from the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program, eight grants — totaling more than $119 million -- were awarded by the US Department of Transportation (DOT) to local governments, transit agencies and a tribal nation to help improve transportation in California. Grants were awarded to the Port of Los Angeles-Long Beach ($20 million), Sacramento Area Council of Governments ($5 million), Yuba-Sutter Transit Authority ($15 million), Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation ($1.6 million), City of Fontana ($15 million), City of Inglewood ($15 million), California HighSpeed Rail Authority ($25 million), and San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency ($23 million).
“This is a historic day for the City of Fontana. The “Building A Better-Connected Inland Empire” project will transform Fontana’s transportation corridors and create safe pathways for students and bicyclists. We are thankful to Congresswoman Torres and Congressman Aguilar for their work to secure RAISE Grant funding for Fontana,” said Warren. With common goals like transportation safety, efficiency, accessibility, affordability, and sustainability, Inglewood’s ITC and Fontana’s “Building A BetterConnected Inland Empire” fit the criteria of what U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was looking for when deciding which projects across the country should receive PRAISE awarded money.
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The cities of Inglewood and Fontana are beneficiaries of the RAISE program’s goal, “to help urban and rural communities move forward on projects that modernize roads, bridges, transit, rail, ports, and intermodal transportation and make our transportation systems safer, more accessible, more affordable, and more sustainable.” With different transportation needs and obstacles, the cities are slated to use the award money for different reasons. In the case of Inglewood, the $15 million will be pushed into the “Inglewood Transit Connector Project” (ITC).
suppress. —Fredrick Douglass (1849) THE SAN AMERICANBERNARDINONEWSPAPER A Community Newspaper Serving San Bernardino, Riverside & Los Angeles Counties Volume 53 No. 19 August 25, 2022 Thursday Edition Mailing: P.O. Box 837, Victorville, CA 92393 Office: (909) 889-7677 Email: Mary @Sb-American.com Website: www.SB-American.com “A Man In Debt is So Far A Slave” R.W. Emerson Scan QR Code to visit our Website continued on page 3
Supporters of the project say not only will it serve as a cleaner transportation option compared to personal vehicles, the ITC promises to provide jobs to local workers from the area. The ITC project includes a commitment to a Community Workforce Agreement to hire 35% local residents, 10% disadvantaged workers, and 20% apprentice workers.
The coalition that Bonta joined includes attorney generals from Colorado Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Idaho, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, the District of Columbia and the territories of Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In the letter to the FDA, the attorneys general coalition highlighted the need to remove these products from the marketplace to protect public health and address the systemic and disproportionate impact of these products on vulnerable minority communities.
Inglewood Mayor James Butts applauded RAISE’s transportation award for the ITC and explained the rationale for the project.
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In July, California Attorney General Rob Bonta joined a bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general in urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to adopt final rules for banning the manufacture and sale of menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars from the U.S. marketplace.
be imposed upon them and these
Cal Attorney General Wants FDA Standards for Menthol Cigarettes
and you
Austin Gage | California Black Media City of Fontana Mayor Acquanetta Warren City of Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts
The RAISE award for the “Building A Better-Connected Inland Empire Project” was announced by Representatives Norma J. Torres (CA-35), Pete Aguilar (CA-31) and Fontana Mayor Acquanetta Warren. “With this RAISE grant provided by the Department of Transportation, we will make our streets and bike lanes safer, better connect our residents to transportation services, and strengthen our local and regional infrastructure for generations to come – all while integrating equity and accessibility. Without a doubt, this $15 million grant will be transformative to Fontana and the Inland Empire and support every single resident living in the region,” Rep. Torres said. Rep. Aguilar said, “I’m proud to partner with Rep. Torres to secure federal funding that meets the City of Fontana’s needs and will continue to raise the quality of life for our region.”
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“We are proud to support so many outstanding infrastructure projects in communities large and small, modernizing America’s transportation systems to make them safer, more affordable, more accessible, and more sustainable,” Buttigieg said.
“Every day, hundreds of Californians will smoke their first cigarette and start down a dangerous path with devastating health consequences,” Bonta said in written statement. “There is no time to waste. I urge the FDA to quickly finalize proposed regulations banning menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, which predominantly harm young persons and people of color. Any further delay will only cost additional lives.”
fully complete, will consist of an approximately 1.6-mile fullyelevated, automated transit system with three stations to complete a critical gap in the region’s transit system, on segments along Market Street, Manchester Boulevard, and Prairie Avenue. As Inglewood continues to experience increased traffic due to places of interest such as SoFi Stadium, transit systems such as the ITC have been a key piece of the puzzle for the city’s health and growth.
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Warren was just as excited for PRAISE’s awarded money and the positive impact it will have on the city in general.
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“The ITC Project will reduce traffic, improve air quality, and it will enhance the quality of life for residents and visitors across the region,” said Butts.
While Inglewood’s RAISE award money will focus on the ITC transit system, Fontana’s award will feed into the “Building A Better-Connected Inland Empire Project”. As described by the DOT, this program will make major complete streets improvements by constructing additional lane capacity, an integrated traffic system, medians with protected left turns, a roundabout, bus turnouts, streetlights, signage, and raised medians, more than 7.5 miles of bike lanes, including more than 2.5 miles of separated bike lanes, a half-mile of multiuse trail, crosswalks, a bridge, and countdown signal heads. Sharing many of the same goals as Inglewood’s ITC, Fontana’s project goals include improved efforts for safety, sustainable environmental factors, economic competitiveness and opportunity, and innovation.
DOT experts say the project will help Fontana citizens have easier access to approximately 7,500 job opportunities.
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On June 13, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti signed into law an ordinance restricting the sale of menthol cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products. The ordinance is set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2023 Last year, a version of the ordinance that exempted menthol cigarettes was opposed by Black council members Mark RidleyThomas, Marqueece Harris Dawson and Curren Price. They argued that studies have found Black Americans are the racial/ethnic group most likely to use menthol cigarettes and are 25 times more likely than White Americans to do so.
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The ITC, when
Black Mayors of Inglewood and Fontana Applaud Millions in Funds Awarded as Part of RAISE Grant Program
"Menthol is included in this ban, as it should be,'' Harris-Dawson said before the June vote on the ban was taken. "It is a flavor just like every other flavor and it would have been extremely disappointing if we had said we're going to protect people and children from uptake of tobacco, except for the flavor that we know Black people first, and Latinos second, use the most.'' As of June 16, 2022, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids reported that 127 localities in California have passed restrictions on the sale of flavored tobacco products. And at least 108 communities restrict the sale of menthol cigarettes, in addition to other flavored tobacco products.
The FDA action to remove menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars is long overdue and supported by ample scientific evidence and their “popularity in the Black community is not an accident,” the letter stated. They cited research that found menthol cigarettes disproportionately harm the health of vulnerable populations, particularly African Americans. Overwhelming scientific evidence — including the FDA’s own findings and statements — leave no doubt that menthol cigarettes have far-reaching adverse impacts on public health, resulting in more smoking and more death and disease from tobacco use. A recent study, published in Tobacco Control, found that menthol cigarettes “were responsible for 10.1 million extra smokers, 3 million life years lost and 378,000 premature deaths” between 1980 and 2018. Menthol flavoring, which disguises the harsh taste of cigarettes, remains a primary reason why young people initiate and become addicted to smoking — with more than half of all adult smokers aged 18-34 introduced to smoking through menthol cigarettes. Menthol cigarette use is also disproportionately high among LGBTQ+ smokers, smokers with mental health problems, and disadvantagedsocioeconomicallypopulations.InAugust2020,Gov.Gavin
Power concedes nothing It never did and it never will. Find just what people will submit to have found out the exact amount of wrong which will will continue they have resisted either with with both. The of prescribed those of whom they
AntonioFinalizedRayHarvey | California Black Media
A Passing Grade? In New Orleans, the Public Schools admittedly have made progress in improving test scores, graduation rates, college attendance and other statistical data inside schools have shown marked improvement since Hurricane Katrina. But unfortunately, these measures have not impacted better outcomes for far too many young people who are either victims or perpetrators where gun violence, or breaking in cars, breaking out of juvenile jails and overall crime is on the rise. This wave has many people feeling unsafe in New Orleans.
Pageant Mommy
The Concerned Citizens for the Development of North Fontana invite you to the Mommy and Me fashion show and tea. You can show your support to our young ladies who are doing something positive and their mothers are leading by example!
Fundraiser Back to School: A Lesson for Success Edwin Buggage Editor-in-Chief | Data News Weekly
still continues to have a divide, where in high poverty schools students are being taught by less experienced teachers, suspensions and expulsions of Black students are at a high rate, and school pushout is contributing to the negative life outcomes for many of our young people that include the school to prison pipeline.
Back to School: A Lesson for Success...continued
insecurity remains a significant challenge for our community and many of our students,” Ontiveros said. “We hope by partnering with Pure Land, our families and our students will have a new opportunity to receive healthy food once a month right in their neighborhood.” SBCUSD currently partners with Pure Land Foundation, Tzu Chi Foundation and Loma Linda University CAPPS for regular food distributions at Pacific High School, Del Vallejo Leadership & STEAM Academy, and other locations. The Arroyo Valley High site adds both a new location and additional days to the District’s efforts to ensure our families have access to healthy food.
Miss
New Monthly Food
Pure Land Foundation to hand out free groceries Saturday at Arroyo Valley High
Access to Success? Furthermore, it is time to reevaluate schools and how success is measured, for quantitative data alone on standardized test does not alone measure the success of a community. It is essential to begin to consider more holistic solutions to the problems that plague our young people and our community across our city and state. Where Louisiana leads the world in incarceration per capita, with Black people being overrepresented.
Page 2 Thursday, August 25, 2022 COMMUNITY/EDUCATION/ADVERTISINGcontinuedinnext2columns Community/ Education News continued on page 4 Community/Education News
Starting Saturday, August 20, San Bernardino’s westside community now has a free, monthly food distribution opportunity that runs from 9 a.m. to noon at Arroyo Valley High School. Saturday’s event is the first of three taking place through Monday at locations across the San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) boundaries as part of partnerships with non-profit organizations. For months, Chief Communications Officer Ginger Ontiveros worked hand in hand with representatives from the Pure Land Foundation to bring this much-needed distribution to a segment of the school district community not currently served by other food distributions.
This afternoon tea is a fundraiser to sponsor the 54th Miss Black Awareness Scharship Pageant to be held December the 17th. Save the date and plan to enjoy a lazy Saturday, August 27th afternoon.
Starting 11:45 to 2:00 pm experience "Summer Fun" fashion wear, modeled by the contestants and their mothers, along with professional models. Black Awareness Scholarship and Me Fashion Show & Tea
Bridging the Divide: Where are we in Public Education? In the years following Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans Public Schools have seen a system drastically changed and become ground zero for the school choice debate and experiments in K-12 education. After nearly two decades questions arise such as does it work better for children, particularly, those who are most at risk? As we are beginning the new school year, we are examining the New Orleans Public Schools almost 20 years after Hurricane Katrina and its impact on student outcomes and overall impact on the city. Separate and Unequal According to its andafterseparateBrownandininbetweengivencity’sthisNew180studentseducatingofthatnolapublicschools.comwebsite,itstates“Weareacommunitypublicschoolsdevotedtoandpreparingallourtothriveinlife.Foryears,publiceducationinOrleanshasbeenapartofvibrantandmulticulturalcomplicatedhistory.”Thiscomplicatedhistoryistrue,thehistoricalinequalitiesBlackpeopleandWhitesopportunitiesthathaveexistedasystemthatwasseparateunequal.Inacitythatafterv.BoardofEducationmadebutequalunlawful,butnearly70yearsNewOrleanscitiesacrossAmericathere
Ken Martinez, SBCUSD Community Engagement Office, prepares signs for Saturday's food distribution at“FoodAVHS.
A Bold New Vision: Leadership Matters Today the city continues on a historic trek in leadership by appointing Dr. Avis Williams to serve as the first woman to permanently be appointed to this crucial and vital role. She comes with the goals of helping to create an environment where excellence and equity are paramount in the Distribution Coming To Westside Community
In their letter, the coalition argues that the FDA’s proposed menthol ban is a critical step for advancing health equity and protecting public health and will not significantly increase illicit trade or preempt state or local restrictions. “Removing menthol cigarettes from the U.S. market and prohibiting characterizing flavors in cigars is likely to reduce youth smoking initiation, improve smoking cessation outcomes in adult smokers, advance health equity, and benefit public health. Every year of inaction on these fronts costs thousands of lives and adversely affects the health of the public,” the attorneys general of 23 states and territories stated in a signed letter dated Jan. 22, 2021. On the November 8 General Election ballot is Proposition 31 a referendum challenging SB 793 and aims to lift the current ban preventing stores from selling flavored e-cigarettes, mentholflavored e-cigarettes and flavored tobacco products. AYES vote keeps the current ban on flavored tobacco products. A NO vote lifts the ban.
Ochoa said the missing RIPA data could have a “significant” effect on people’s lives in terms of litigation, policy change, and potential intervention programs, and implementation of Assembly Bill (AB) 2542, the California Racial Justice Act (CRJA). CRJA prohibits the state from seeking or obtaining a criminal conviction, or from imposing a sentence, based upon race, ethnicity, or national origin.
SACRAMENTO – California State Treasurer Fiona Ma announced results of a $1.1 billion General Revenue Bond sale to benefit various projects overseen by the Regents of the University of California. The $702.3 million 2022 Series BK tax-exempt bonds and the $65.2 million 2022 Series BL taxable bonds will finance or refinance certain projects of the University. The $318.0 million 2023 Series BM tax-exempt bonds will refinance, on a forward delivery basis, previously issued bonds of the University. The 2023 Series BM bonds are expected to settle on February 22, 2023, and once settled, are expected to save $40.6 million in debt service costs over 16 years, or $32.6 million on a present value basis. The bonds are rated Aa2 by Moody’s Investors Service, AA by S&P Global Ratings, and AA by Fitch Ratings and have an all-in true interest cost of 3.65 percent.
The 2022 Series BK bonds mature in 2032 and 2052, and were initially reoffered to investors at a yield of 2.42 percent and 3.58 percent, respectively. The 2022 Series BL bonds mature in 2052 and were initially reoffered to investors at a yield of 4.504 percent. The 2023 Series BM bonds mature on dates ranging from 2024 to 2039, and were initially reoffered to investors at yields ranging from 2.38 percent to 3.53 percent. The joint senior managers for the sale were Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. The co-senior manager was Loop Capital Markets. Additionally, there were 19 firms participating as co-managers. The University of California was chartered in 1868 and currently operates ten statewide campuses, five medical centers, and the Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory. During the year ended June 30, 2021, the University provided instruction to approximately 290,000 fulltime equivalent undergraduate and graduate students. The University has a reputation as a leading research institution, with affiliated researchers having been awarded 71 Nobel Prizes. The calendar of all upcoming state bond sales is available at
When considering the current state of the cryptocurrency market, Dr. Tonya Evans couldn’t help but recall the reception banks gave the then-fledgling assets in 2014. “When I think back to 2013 or 2014, the second kind of big crypto was coming on the scene, and banks were really pushing back at the time on discussions surrounding regulating cryptocurrency,” said Evans, a law professor and founder and CEO of Advantage Evans. “Big banks feared [cryptocurrency] would become more legitimate. Back then, banks didn’t have a customer service problem, but now they do, and they realized that they were going to start losing customers if they didn’t shift,” Evans insisted. She noted that banks, especially Deutsche Bank and Bank of America, have begun to give added attention to the cryptocurrency market. “With Bitcoin and Ethereum leading the way, the cryptocurrency market is booming and growing,” Evans stated. She called cryptocurrency a “fast-paced, fast-moving, emerging asset class.” According to Terri Bradford, who researched Black crypto ownership for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, cryptocurrency has gained popularity among African American consumers due to historical context and forwardlooking views of young customers.
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RIPAB learned about the LASD missing information about 6 months after it released its fifth annual report that found Blacks or African Americans were searched 2.4 times more than Whites in 2020. Information from agencies reporting data showed law enforcement officers used force against Blacks 2.6 times more than White people.
A 2021 Pew Research Center survey found that 18 percent of Black adults had invested in, traded, or used a cryptocurrency compared to 13 percent of white adults.
LASD is the largest sheriff's department in the world with nearly 10,000 deputies serving almost 10 million people. San Francisco has a population of 888,305 with 2,140 sworn officers and San Diego has 1,415 residents and 1,887 sworn officers.
Data Mean Police Profiling of African Is
News
“Unlike white consumers, Black consumers are, in fact, more likely to own cryptocurrencies
Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media
Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 793, a bipartisan effort that eliminated flavored e-cigarettes, including the candy flavors and minty menthol cigarettes, which he said, “lure our kids” into addiction. SB 793, authored by former Sen. Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo), also prohibits the sales of flavored e-liquids used for vaping. Last year, Newsom called on the FDA to ban menthol cigarettes, stating that it “will be an important step in the right direction.”
“If you look at arrests by my agency you would see far fewer RIPA entries for arrests than arrests that actually occur. Court-ordered remands, warrants that appear for people that are already in custody, and in-custody incidents that result in arrest are all incidents that would not trigger RIPA reporting,” Ayub told the Board.
But a year later, LASD “conceded” that the department was not “in compliance with RIPA requirements” due to the system being outdated. The CAD system was implemented in the 1980s and is running on hardware and software that are no longer supported by the manufacturer.
Cal Attorney General Wants FDA Standards for
AB 953, the Racial and Identity Profiling Act of 2015, requires California law enforcement agencies to report data to the Department of Justice (DOJ) on all vehicle and pedestrian stops, and citizen complaints alleging racial and identity profiling.
Ayub warned that there should be “a word of caution” when considering the data.
At its last meeting, the California Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board (RIPAB) discussed the discrepancies in the racial profiling data reported by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD). RIPAB co-chair Melanie P. Ochoa told her board colleagues that there is “sufficient evidence” that data concerning police stops are not being reported by LASD as required by Assembly Bill (AB) 953. Ochoa said that “over 50,000 self-initiated stops” were “not captured as Racial and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA) data.” Deputies “failed to report over 18,000 consent searches,” and “over 25,000” or 37% of backseat detentions were not filed. “It’s a big deal,” said Ochoa, a staff attorney for Criminal Justice and Police Practices at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Southern California. “The overall trends may be accurate but it’s really scary how much certain communities are impacted by this.”
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
“This difference between Black and white consumers’ cryptocurrency ownership contrasts sharply with other traditional assets,” Bradford asserted. According to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System’s 2019 Survey of Consumer Finances, 61 percent of white households owned equity investments compared with 34 percent of Black households – nearly a two-to-one margin.
Sale of $1.1 Billion in Revenue Bonds for University of California
Young Black Americans Dominate the Cryptocurrency thanMarket...continuedassetssuchasstocks and mutual funds,” Bradford wrote. “Leveraging the same technology is blockchain,” Bradford explained. “Crypto is digital currency offered on Blockchain while NFTs and others are different ways to leverage that currency.” She continued: “Younger ones are leveraging crypto as we see in research that 50 percent of Black consumers of crypto are millennials and younger, and when you think about the fact that this constituent is digital-native where they spend a lot of time, then we see why it’s having a great influence on the adoption of cryptocurrency. Click here to hear more from Dr. Evans and Bradford on Black America and watch?v=JRxTFrJm6v8https://www.youtube.com/cryptocurrency:
Law/Business/Financial
“For decades, Big Tobacco has targeted and profited from Black communities with marketing for minty menthol cigarettes and as a result, smoking-related illnesses are the number one cause of death among Black Americans.”
Being Underreported
Page 3 Thursday, August 25, 2022 LAW/BUSINESS/FINANCIAL NEWS continued in next 2 columns
“To date, the state has provided the public with an in-depth look into nearly 9 million police stops. This information is critical and these annual reports continue to provide a blueprint for strengthening policing that is grounded in the data and the facts,” Bonta said. RIPAB is a diverse group of 19 members representing the public, law enforcement, and educators. Their charge is to eliminate racial and identity profiling, and improve diversity and racial and identity sensitivity in law enforcement.
AB 953 was authored by Assemblywoman Dr. Shirley Weber (D-San Diego), currently the Secretary of State. On July 1, 2018, the eight largest law enforcement agencies, began collecting stop data and reporting the information to DOJ. According to Attorney General Rob Bonta California is now one of the leaders in the country in collecting and analyzing police traffic stops.
Young Black Americans Dominate the Cryptocurrency Market
“I urge the federal government to follow California’s leadership to protect public health and advance racial equity by moving to ban menthol-flavored cigarettes,” Newsom stated in April 2021.
RIPAB’s latest report analyzes millions of vehicles and pedestrian stops conducted Between Jan. 1, 2020, to Dec. 31, 2020, by 18 law enforcement agencies. All state and local law enforcement agencies will be required to report stop data to the California DOJ by April 1, 2023. About 40 million people live in California, according data from the state’s Department of Finance. 2.25 million African Americans live in the state (about 6.5%). Reporting agencies made over 2.9 million stops during the stop data collection period, with the California Highway Patrol conducting the most stops of any single agency (57.7%). Law enforcement officers searched 18,777 more people perceived as Black than those perceived as White The law enforcement agencies reporting 2020 RIPA data were the Police Departments serving Bakersfield, Davis, Fresno, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Unified School District, Oakland, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose; the Sheriff’s Departments of Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside County, Sacramento County, San Bernardino County, San Diego County; and the California Highway Patrol.
State Treasurer Fiona Ma Announces
Collecting Discrepancies
Americans
The Los Angeles County Office of the Inspector General (OIG) confirmed data was missing in its June 10 Underreporting of Civilian Stop Data to the California Attorney General report. OIG reported that LASD’s Sheriff’s Automated Contact Reporting System (SACR) which supplies data to RIPA and its Computer Aided Dispatch System (CAD) which tracks patrol-related contacts run independently and do not communicate information. The SACR system underreported observation-based stops by at least 50,731 entries and underreported reasonablesuspicion stops by 8,625 entries. Reasonable suspicion stops are made by deputies when they suspect a person is engaging in criminal activity.
“Surveys show that Black consumers are more likely than white consumers to own cryptocurrencies,” said Bradford, who penned the research article “The Cryptic Nature of Black Consumer Cryptocurrency Ownership.” Bradford noted a 2021 Pew Research Center survey which found that 18 percent of Black adults had invested in, traded, or used a cryptocurrency compared to 13 percent of white adults.
“There should be an acknowledgment of missing data and the direction this missing data is probably (going). It’s just not randomly missing. It’s just missing in a way to suggest that there are more certain things happening than being reported,” Ochoa said. Bill Ayub, Ventura County Sheriff and the California State Sheriff’s Association representative on the Board said there could be many reasons why the absent information was not entered as RIPA data. The report shows that in December 2020 LASD was aware of issues with SACR system data and assured OIG that “steps would be taken” to prevent misreporting of stop data to the DOJ.
Menthol Cigarettes Finalized...continued from page 1
Board member Lawanda Hawkins, founder of Justice for Murdered Children (JMC) said, “I am concerned that the data received from the biggest (law enforcement) agency in the state is inaccurate. It makes you question all of it. If they are not giving us all the stops…. there’s a problem. And what is the repercussion if they don’t do it?”
Back to School: A Lesson for Success...continued from page 2
The highly successful Expo returns with more intensive mastermind sessions and an 8-Figure Spa Millionaire Panel in Atlanta, Georgia. (August 21, 2022- Atlanta, GA) Candace Holyfield, affectionately known as The Six Figure Spa Chick, will host the fourth annual Black Spa Expo September 1618, 2022, at the illustrious Twelve Hotel in Atlantic Station. Candace has curated this year’s expo for attendees to experience informative sessions and mastermind classes in business funnel management, industry-specific marketing, and participation in an exclusive $1,000 business pitching contest. Last year’s expo boasted over 3000 exclusive attendees and has helped members generate millions of dollars in revenue for their individual spa businesses. This year Candace is attempting to land her Spa Expo in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest and only Black Spa Expo in the World. The Black Spa Expo is one of several ways Candace continues her dedication to the expansion and visibility of black spa entrepreneurs. This year’s expo is exclusive to Spa Tribe members, which Holyfield-Parker sponsored over $300K in ticket sales for her VIP Tribe members . Candace has invited her industry peers to teach the masses the art of marketing, including hour-long sessions with Marketing by Monrae as well as an informative session with King of Marketing, Dontell Antonio. The following classes will be apart of this year’s expo $100K Plus in Retail SalesHow to Set Up a Without Being Tech SavvyCandace is best known for her Award-Winning spa and her business instructional classes designed to empower millennial business owners. She has written over 30 e-books (for spa professionals) and has been invited to speak on mainstages internationally. A trailblazer in her own right, Holyfield has assisted over 500 spa owners not only launch their salon but create a six-figure income while doing so. Her work in the industry has not gone unnoticed. She has graced the stages and pages of some of the most coveted beauty magazines and expos. She has been the voice for African American spa owners b/c so many have been ignored or muted. This prompted the development of The Queen Spa Expo and The Black Spa Magazine. Candace has been featured in: Entrepreneur, Black Enterprise, Sheen Magazine, Rolling Out Magazine, Yahoo Finance!, Hello Beautiful, For more information on the Black Spa Expo visit: informationblackspaexpo.com/.https://www.Formoreormediainquiriesfor Candace Holyfield, please contact PRTeam@epimediagroup.com.
By Dwight Brown NNPA News Wire Film Critic mom. Pressure. Lots of pressure. Stunt coordinator J.J. Perry (John Wick: Chapter 2, X-men Origins: Wolverine) marks his directing debut with this misadventure, and his incessant stunt tricks don’t cure what ails. Certainly, he starts the footage with a kinetic fight scene, and he knows his stuff. Vampires do backflips, contort their bodies and die miserable second deaths as they’re decapitated, but nothing seems fresh or innovative. Likely because his filmmaking lacks artistry and style. E.g., even the film’s chase scenes, which look stolen from a Dukes of Hazzard episode, are dull as hell. Screenwriters Tyler Tice and Shay Hatten’s (John Wick: Chapter 3 Parabellum) tepid writing provides a very skimpy blueprint. Weak premise, feeble story line and not enough drama, laughs or scares to wake the dead. Even when the most venomous vampire, Audrey (Karla Souza), bullies Bud’s wife and child, her threats aren’t all that scary. Bodies pile up, money is made and none of it is memorable. The sets (production designer Grey Berry; set decorators David A Cook and Lynne Mitchell) and costumes (Kelli Jones) don’t look lived in. The overly bright cinematography (Tony Oliver) makes everything glisten like it’s never been sat on, walked through or worn before. The pacing is decent (editor Paul Harb) and the musical score too (Tyler Bates). The irony is that the theme song for this venture has been made into the music video, “BUD (Mowing Down Vamps),” which is far more lively, animated, rhythmic and edgy then the entire film. Dave Franco starts the vid with the line, “Mowing down vamps with my best friend Bud…” Then Jamie Foxx & the BSB Boys hit a contagious rebellious rap beat that hooks you in. The 3.5-minute video is dope. Cinematographer/ director Taylor Chien directed it and should have directed or co-directed this movie. He’s got the stylish swagger the film lacks, and Perry’s forte is stunts. Leave it to the invincible Snoop Dogg to save the day. The other cast members may seem blasé, but he makes Big John tough, street smart and charismatic. If his badass hunter character had been the film’s central focus it would have been better. Imagine a horror film where Snoop led the charge. He’d know how to “cut necks and cash the checks.” A Snoop movie almost writes itself. Streaming audiences, from the comfort of their sofas, won’t complain. Viewers in a theater would not be so kind. Why? Because the bite in this vampire movie is only skin deep. Netflix trailer: atFilmwatch?v=9T8uGdCpVmkhttps://www.youtube.com/(Mowingwatch?v=GN_IwBptKi4www.youtube.com/https://MusicVideo“BUDDownVamps)”:VisitNNPANewsWireCriticDwightBrownDwightBrownInk.com.
New Orleans Public Schools. This change of leadership is a major step forward, in a city that finds itself in a crisis relating to its most vulnerable young people. While this is a laudable goal, we as a community must ask ourselves, how do we achieve equity and excellence in education for all? The answer to this question extends way beyond the school building and whatever curriculum standards are put in place.
parties
Candace “The Six Figure Spa Chick” Holyfield Presents Fourth Annual Black Spa Expo
virtually: ●
@sovereigntybeauty ●
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@funnelswihsandra ● Lead Generation for Spas - @zenjessica ● How to Get $20K Plus in Grants - @stormibanks_ ● Email Marketing Done Right - @strategicsystemssociety ● $10K Plus Months with Your Digital Coursebreakthroughtoentrepreneur@ ● How to Pitch Your Business - @financialrevolution ● Manifest Your Vision - @thequeenofvsteam ● 800 Credit Club - @ iamalexiscohenunlimitedAdditionally,the2022Black Spa Expo will host its first ever 8-Figure Spa Millionaire Panel, slated to elevate your spa business status from millionaire to multimillionaire. Each speaker is personally selected by Candace based on their extraordinary work in the spa industry. This year’s panelists include: ● @iamsheillamichelle ● @everyonesfavoritenurse ● @taethefairywaxmuva ● @jchiclifestyle ● @thediorlucas ● @bellabodystudio ● @supremebodystudio ● @zenbella_ ● @_skinivey
Page 4 Thursday, August 25, 2022 LOCAL NEWS/ ENTERTAINMENT/ADVERTISINGEntertainment/LocalNews
Working Toward Holistic Solutions Indeed, education is one of the keys to success for our young people and their future, but more importantly, the education of the entire community is essential if New Orleans is to thrive as a city. Further, more routes to success must become available for our young people. For without economic opportunities, many will turn to illegal activities. Additionally, parents must become more involved in their children’s education, making sure they understand the importance of education. In the faith community, more of our leaders must again assist in becoming the examples of the moral North Star that guides our community to better behavior. All Lives Matter Moreover, it is important to note, that what will make education and our community better is the collective investment of all the citizens to see themselves as stakeholders in the future of our city. For us to make a priority all our people especially our young, regardless of race, income, and zip code. We are all in this together, and we will make New Orleans a Greater City for all. He works hard for the money. Hunting, killing and extracting teeth from vampires for a living, in the hot San Fernando Valley, is no joke. Bud (Jamie Foxx) acts like he’s just an innocuous pool cleaner in SoCal. But on the downlow, he’s hunting bloodsuckers for cash. He just got kicked out of the international vampire hunters union for breaking rules and to make real dough, he’s got to be a member. His buddy Big John (Snoop Dogg), a legendary hunter, pressures the union boss to give him another chance. Bud is allowed to go on more hunting missions, but only if the dorky union rep (Dave Franco) accompanies him. He has to take the deal—he’s desperate. His ex-wife (Meagan Good) says they need $10K for their daughter’s (Zion Broadnax) school tuition and braces. If he doesn’t cough up the coin by Monday, she and the kid will move to Florida and live with her
D a y S h i f t
Jamie Foxx in Day Shift. Jamie Foxx and Snoop Dogg costar in Day Shift
Fresno State students congregate near a fountain at the center of campus in Fresno, on Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022. Photo by Larry Valenzuela for CalMatters Fresno State students congregate near a fountain at the center of campus in Fresno, on Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022. Photo by Larry Valenzuela for CalMatters At some Cal State campuses, there is simply not a critical mass of Black students to create a sense of community. That tiny population is one reason CSU Channel Islands has the widest
September marks the 15th year Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization with a nationwide network of 200 food banks, including FARSB, and 60,000 partner food pantries and meal programs, has organized the annual call to action. This year’s campaign presents the impossible choices that millions of people in America are often forced to make between food and other basic needs.
In
BYdoneMIKHAIL ZINSHTEYN, MICHAELLA HUCK AND JULIE WATTS
Christopher Carter, 22, a fifth-year communications student at Cal State Northridge, stands for a portrait at CSUN in Northridge on August 19, 2022. “I want the world to know that as a young Black man, you can achieve big things in life,” Carter said. “Through all the trials and tribulations, don’t quit.”
Photo by Pablo Unzueta for CalMatters “A lot of people would tell you to get to college,” said Cal State Northridge senior Christopher Carter, “but the hardest part is staying in college.”
Sandy Sorensen Two important August anniversaries— one somber message. On August 6, we marked the 57th anniversary of the signing into law of the Voting Rights Act. For me it was not so much a time for celebration as a call to action. In 2022, we have fewer voter protections than we did in 1965, after the 2013 Supreme Court decision gutting the VRA enabled a wave of state measures to restrict voting and election engagement. Candidates who continue to spread the long disproven myth about stolen elections are now running for and winning races for key local, state, and federal offices that will impact the administration of the 2022 midterm elections and beyond. August 12 marked the 5th anniversary of the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville. Its outpouring of racist violence resulted in lives lost and lives forever impacted by the trauma of that day. The Charlottesville anniversary comes in the wake of this year’s January 6 congressional hearings and the fallout from the Justice Department’s search for classified documents with potential national security implications held at Mar-a-Lago. The Justice Department and FBI search prompted acts of violence and further threats of violence against government representatives. If the democratic process were a medical patient, it would be in the critical care unit. As hard as it may be, now is the time to resist the very human and understandable impulse to disengage from a deeply flawed and broken process. As William Pitt Rivers states in his essay “The Ballot or the Bullet,” “A system broken by nonparticipation requires a different remedy.” Voting and engagement in the electoral process is one tool among many to engage the civic process. It is the starting line, not the finish line of advocacy. No single thing In Our Hands we do brings about change, but that’s not a reason not to do it. We need to show up, in whatever way we can, in all the ways that we can. Because if we don’t show up, other interests will fill the void. There is an ancient story told of an old woman whose wisdom and knowledge amazed the children of her village. (I have heard several versions of the story, but I do not know the original source.) A boy in the village was determined to test her and prove she wasn’t all-knowing. He caught a small songbird in a net and, holding the bird in one hand, gathered his friends and went to the old woman’s house. He had devised a plan to fool the old woman. He would hold his hands behind his back and ask her if the bird in his hand was dead or alive. If she answered that it was dead, he would release the bird and let it fly away. If she answered alive, he would crush it in his hand. As he held his hands behind his back, he asked, “Old woman, this bird in my hand, is it dead or alive?” “It is in your hands,” she said. Yes, it often seems like it is out of our hands, as though forces much larger than our individual and collective actions are at work. I know. But I also believe that choosing faith-filled, nonviolent engagement in the public narrative and the civic process, in whatever way we can, is essential for change. I think of this quote from poet and activist Audre Lorde: “The enormity of our task, to turn the world around. . . . I must be content with how really little I can do, and still do it, with an open heart.” It is for each of us who believe in a just and compassionate world for all God’s people to search our hearts and find what that little thing may be. And then do it with an open heart. Sandy Sorensen is the Director of our Washington, D.C. office for the United Church of Christ.
While the system has seen graduation rates improve for all student groups under the graduation initiative, backed by more than $400 million in ongoing state support, the achievement gap between Black students and nonunderrepresented students has remained unchanged for more than a decade, a 20-point difference. A key consequence of that formula is that it makes the struggles of Black students — a historically marginalized group who make up only 4% of the Cal State student body — invisible in the accountability data. Under the system’s official formula, equity gaps could almost completely close even if the grad rates of Black students continue to dramatically trail that of their peers. Students and experts identified a lack of tenured Black faculty role models and inconsistent support for campus Black resource centers that offer a sense of community and belonging as barriers to success. In some cases, financial woes and other life responsibilities can make the path to graduation harder, they said. Also in short supply: mental health and other professionals who understand the unique psychological struggles of Black students, who often are attending universities far from home and in communities that have few Black people. Six campuses had no Black employees in therapist roles last year, according to the faculty union that also represents mental health counselors. And though the share of Black professors is similar to the share of Black students, some scholars say that’s not enough. Feeling out of place
· DONATE - Make a donation to FARSB, and if your employer offers it, take advantage of your employer match program. Visit www.FeedingIE. org/donate to get started.
“Many people may not give a daily meal much thought. For people facing hunger, a daily meal is not as simple,” said Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America.
“The CSUs just really have not done a proper job of providing the educational supports that Black students need,” said Lesa Johnson, a Black sociology professor who has chronicled reported instances of anti-Blackness at Chico State. Universities also send a message to Black students and faculty with the kind of programming and research they choose to support — or not, Johnson said. “Many Black people come into academia wanting to ‘be the change we want to see in the world,’ and so we direct our studies and our research and our service toward that change,” Johnson said. “When the university does not support research and services that involve that change, then the university is basically saying they will not support us, they only want our Black skin color, they only want to show us in the pictures, but they want us quiet.”
Carter speaks from experience: He arrived at Cal State as a business major, and discovered he was one of only a few Black students in his classes. Math had never been his strong suit, and he failed his introductory statistics class twice. Quarantining during the pandemic added more stress. He sought help from academic advisors, but felt they couldn’t understand his background and experiences. Whenever he tried to see one of Northridge’s three Black mental health counselors, he said, they didn’t have available appointments. “I feel like I’m alone on campus,” Carter said. “You know, I don’t see those counselors who look like me, to where I’m like, okay, I’m comfortable here, you know?” Carter found his niche when he joined Alpha Phi Alpha, a Black fraternity, and is now on track to graduate in May. But he and other Black students and scholars told CalMatters the country’s largest public university needs to do more to support them at a time when the system’s six-year Black graduation rate is just 50%, compared with 63% overall.
“What Will It Take Before You Heed the Word of God!”
Our Hands...continued
As CalMatters previously reported, the university’s Graduation 2025 campaign compares the graduation rates of two groups. One is “underrepresented minorities” — a group comprising Black, Latino and Native American students. The other group includes everyone else, such as Asian and white students, which Cal State calls “non-underrepresented minority” students. But that formula obscures even wider gaps between Black students specifically and their “non-underrepresented” peers.
“While the initial COVID-19 pandemic brought many challenges, like families not having food due to the loss of jobs, the unfortunate reality is that people are now working and are still unable to provide food for their families because of the huge spike in the cost of living,” said Carolyn Solar, CEO at FARSB. “Families are being forced to make impossible choices, and need all the help they can get,” Solar said. Hunger Action Month is a time for everyone across the country to collectively act against hunger. You can choose to donate or advocate. You can choose to volunteer or raise awareness. You can choose to help end hunger. Learn more about how you can join the fight to end hunger by visiting www.FeedingIE.org www.hungeractionmonth.org.or
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Page 6 Thursday, August 25, 2022 LIFESTYLE/RELIGION/NATIONAL Lifestyle/National News WITNESS FOR JUSTICE #1113
– Aug. 23, 2022 – For Hunger Action Month® this September, Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino (FARSB) will join Feeding America and other member food banks to inspire people to join the fight to end hunger and raise awareness of people experiencing food insecurity across the United States. Food banks around the country are working to make a real and lasting impact on hunger in their communities, and they are asking for the public’s support.
During September, people across the Inland Empire can get involved by learning, committing, and speaking up about ways to end hunger.
Johnson is working on a paper detailing other microaggressions Black students report experiencing at Chico State, such as a white professor who made a hurtful joke that a Black student not shoot a weapon when they raised their hand in class. But she’ll be finishing that paper from afar. Despite an offer of a raise and tenure, Johnson left Chico State to start a tenured position in Illinois this fall. “It was definitely the anti-Blackness,” she said. “I had had enough.”
Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino Joins Feeding America’s Hunger Action Month to Ensure Food Isn’t an Impossible Choice for 400,000 People at Risk of Facing Hunger in the InlandRIVERSIDE,EmpireCALIF.
Why Cal State struggles to graduate Black students — and what could be
Why Cal State struggles to graduate Black students — and what could be done...continued
By: Lou YeboahLouYeboah
“Instead, it becomes a different type of choice - an impossible decision between food or other crucial needs, such as electricity, childcare, or medicine. Nobody should be forced to make a choice to go hungry. With the public’s support, we can come together to help increase food access for all people, so they no longer have to make such tough decisions.”
· ADVOCATE - Write to your local Congress member and tell them that food shouldn’t be an impossible choice. Find out how at demonstratingorangeThroughoutOrangewww.FeedingIE.org/advocacy.·WEARORANGE–isthecolorofhungerrelief.September,weartospreadawarenesswhileyourcommitmentto the fight against hunger in America.
Listen, God sent warning through Ezekiel conveying that He was finished with disobedience and hard hearts, and He was ready to judge and punish His people for their rebellious spirit and actions. For Thus saith the Lord, “Behold, I Myself am going to bring a sword on you, and I will destroy your high places; And I will send My anger against you; I will judge you according to your ways and bring all your abominations upon you. My eye will have no pity on you, nor will I spare you; then you will know that I am the Lord!” [Ezekiel 7: 4-9]. Listen, God gave Ezekiel three specific prophecies regarding how the people will be punished—one-third will die by plagues or famine; one-third will fall by the sword; one-third will be scatted to every wind. But the people could not believe God would punish or hurt them, so they ignored the prophecies which instructed them to repent and turn to their own. [Ezekiel chapters 4-7]. Don’t you do it! Don’t you be like disobedient Israel. God’s patience was all used up and the penalty for their disobedience was coming no matter what. [Ezekiel 23:35]. Instead of trusting God, they refused to enter the Promised Land. As a result, they missed settling in their own homeland and instead wandered in the desert for 40 years until that generation died. You see all throughout the Bible, God has tried to get us to do right, but naw, we want to do what we want to do. Well, I got news for you; continue to do you boo, boo, and see what happens. Soon and very soon you will regret your rebelliousness toward the Lord. God desire is for us to “learn and turn.” Don’t be a hard head like the rebellious Israel who died after wandering in the desert for 40 years. “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. [Matthew 7:13]. So, if your hand cause you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched-where 'Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.' And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched-where 'Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.' And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire--where 'Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched. [Mark 9:43-48]. I tell you every day God is doing everything possible to keep us from going into that awful, inconceivable place. God wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth [1 Timothy 2:4]. So repent before it’s too late! As the Apostle Peter says, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise . . . but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” [2 Peter 3:9]. So, I ask you what will it take before you heed the word of God? Keeping in mind that there could come a time when God says, “Enough is Enough!”. Shudder at the thought. Do not take God’s forbearance for granted, for if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall you escape if you neglect so great a salvation, which at first spoken by the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him. [Hebrews 2:1-3]. You ought to know that God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked but would rather that we should turn unto Him and live. [Romans 2:4]. Turn and be saved, for Jesus says of those who refuse to be saved, “These shall go away into everlasting punishment [Matthew 25:46] and be lost forever. A Voice from Hell. [Luke 16:19-31]. “In Hell, he lifted up his eyes being in torment” It is an awful cry, “Cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame.”
continued in next 2 columns continued on page 7 continued in last 2 columns
VOLUNTEERVolunteer at FARSB and ask your friends, family, and colleagues to join you in your efforts.
While the state constitutional amendment ended the use of race as a factor in public college admissions in California, it also made it illegal to use state or federal funds exclusively for any single racial or ethnic group. In theory, the federal government could require the Cal State system to spend more money specifically on resources for Black students given the wide gaps in graduation rates, but such federal action rarely happens, said Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, a civil rights legal group that has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court.
The CalHOPE Schools Initiative works closely with the other components of CalHOPE, particularly CalHOPE Student Support, which partners with the Sacramento County Office of Education and UC Berkeley Greater Good Science Center. CalHOPE Student Support engages communities of practice (CoPs) to promote positive social emotional learning (SEL) in all 58 counties.
World /Health
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To understand the source of my disappointment, look no further than the location of the public hearings scheduled by the Surface Transportation Board. In Texas, Harris County Precinct One is home to more than a million residents living in Houston and nearby unincorporated communities. It’s one of the most heavily populated communities on the route of the proposed merger between Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern, and also a handful of “non-attainment” areas along the route. Non-attainment areas are those deemed by the federal government to exceed allowable thresholds for certain environmental pollutants. If approved, Precinct One residents would see about eight additional freight trains moving through their community every day. Those trains would bring in tow more than just freight. They’d also bring all the problems I articulated in my last piece: emissions, dirty air, delayed rail crossings, longer commutes, slower emergency response times, and more. Precinct One is no stranger to dirty commerce. And while most would agree that a certain amount of pollution is unavoidable in an economy like ours, the fact of the matter is that this corner of Harris County has already carried more than its share of the weight associated with growth and gains in the broader economy. Children living in neighborhoods along the merger’s route – which will follow existing Union Pacific rail lines – already suffer from a disproportionately high rate of asthma. And 24 percent of Black children in Harris County have asthma, according to a 2015 survey – more than double the rate for other demographic groups. Adding more trains to these already heavily trafficked routes – in a community that already hosts an elevated concentration of polluting industries and transit – will only exacerbate these serious health concerns. To put a finer point on it, communities in Precinct One and across Houston have a genuine stake in the outcome of the merger review process. Their concerns aren’t invented, they aren’t trivial, and if the merger proceeds as is, they can’t be avoided. Why, then, has the Surface Transportation Board declined to hold a public hearing within the community? Hearings like these are commonplace, and while they may seem old fashioned, they represent the most direct and impactful way for a citizen or another stakeholder to state their case on issues that matter to their specific community.
The CalHOPE Schools Initiative’s tools will be a valued addition to, and promoted in partnership with, CalHOPE Student Support.
Environmental Justice Concerns Loom Over Rail Merger
Unfortunately, it seems for the time being that my hopes for racial justice amid this railroad super-merger were misplaced.
To his credit, Precinct One County Commissioner Rodney Ellis has been vocal in his requests that the Surface Transportation Board host a hearing in his community. He’s also articulated requests intended to mitigate the impact of the merger if it is approved, from installing HEPA filters in schools to conducting multilingual outreach to communities with surface-level rail crossings so residents can anticipate and plan for longer commutes and other impacts. Despite months of outreach from Commissioner Ellis, and despite the clear environmental justice concerns at play, the rail companies haven’t reached out to Ellis. And perhaps even more concerningly, the only public hearing that the federal regulator, the STB, announced would be held in Texas was scheduled for Vidor, Texas – a town that was notoriously almost completely white until recently – instead of Houston. Vidor is in particular a town with a notorious and disturbing history of so many overt issues with racism that it has been dubbed by some as “the most racist town in America.” I believe in giving people the benefit of the doubt. I believe that most of us want to do the right thing. And I believe the people overseeing this process want the best for all involved. But I also believe an error has been committed, and that the people of Houston and other towns with significant racial minority populations deserve a chance to say their piece when it comes to the merger. A public hearing may not resolve all of my concerns with the merger. But the absence of a public hearing will certainly Environmental Justice Concerns Loom Over Rail Merger...continued make my concerns that much more pronounced. Especially when the location that is selected may not be friendly for people of color to testify at once the sun sets.
Why Cal State struggles to graduate Black students — and what could be done...continued from page 6 gap between Black students and their non-underrepresented peers, said campus provost Mitch Avila. CSU Channel Islands enrolls just 121 undergraduate and graduate Black students — second lowest in the system. The campus is also one of 11 at which graduation rates for Black students who started as freshmen have fallen in the past four years. The others: Chico State, Dominguez Hills, Fresno State, Humboldt, Pomona, San Bernardino, San Francisco State, San Luis Obispo, San Marcos and Sonoma State.
“We know it’s been a difficult few years, and our school communities need positive, evidenced-based, easily accessible mental health and wellness resources,” said Justine Fischer, Community Director for the CalHOPE Schools Initiative. CalHOPE will make available all resources including the films with single sign-on at calhopeschools. org. In addition, support materials for districts, classrooms, and home use are available, and there will be opportunities virtually and in-person to support educators, students, and families. These programs will focus on creating trusted spaces, building resilience, and recognizing the signs of mental stress and duress. A monthly forum with an expert in health or
Scholars of racism who spoke with CalMatters are frustrated that Proposition 209 requires a race-neutral answer to a racespecific problem. But they also say there are other ways around the amendment. A public college or university in California can target a racial or ethnic group for a program, as long as other groups aren’t excluded, Saenz said. If campus data show that Black students are not getting access to counseling, "you can fix that, that's a race-neutral fix," he said, even if that means hiring more culturally competent counselors.
But California voters — twice — said colleges can’t do that. In 1996, voters passed Proposition 209 and in 2020 they struck down a measure to overturn the proposition.
News continued on page 8
UCLA education professor Tyrone Howard, who is Black, holds some meetings with students at his campus’ new Black student resource center rather than at his office. Doing that or hosting workshops at the center “becomes a draw” to Black students in search of resources they may not find elsewhere on campus, he said. It’s a script he thinks more campuses should follow, including the Cal States. Once he comes back from sabbatical next fall, he’ll hold all his office hours at the center, he said. But Howard added that the centers have to be “Black in name” — which is permitted under Proposition 209, as long as it’s not exclusive to any student based on race or ethnicity. Doing this signals that “aiding, assisting Black students is the primary goal,” he said. These centers can also be a way to bring academic and mental health services directly to Black students, which can be a benefit to students who feel alienated by more traditional campus spaces. What Cal State is doing About two thirds of Cal State campuses have physical locations dedicated by name to Black students, such as a Black resource center. Those that do not are Bakersfield, Channel Islands, Chico State, Fresno State, Maritime Academy, Monterey Bay, Sonoma State and Stanislaus State. Every campus should have these centers, said Bob Rucker, the former director of San Jose State’s journalism school. “African Americans are coming to you because they value what they've read and learned about your program,” Rucker said. “Now meet them halfway. Do the extra homework — chairs, directors, and deans — and find a way.” Among the campuses with such centers, there is wide variation in their size and services. Some, such as those at Fullerton, Sacramento State and San Diego State, offer academic or mental health counseling at those Black campus centers. Cal State Dominguez Hills has one professor who hosts some office hours at the center. Whether simply having a Black resource center leads to lower equity gaps is unclear. For example, Northridge, the campus with the largest center, has among the deepest equity gaps between Black students and non-underrepresented groups — a difference of 22 percentage points in 2021.
The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) Launches the CalHOPE Schools
Proposition 209 One way to boost graduation would be to specifically target Black students with extra tutoring, counseling and other approaches that research suggests improves graduation rates.
By Hazel Trice (TriceEdneyWire.com)Edney
Page 7 Thursday, August 25, 2022 WORLD/HEALTH/ADVERTISINGcontinuedinnext2columns
theServicesDepartmentSacramentoInitiative–TheCaliforniaofHealthCare(DHCS)todayannouncedlaunchoftheCalHOPESchools Initiative, linking together the films and resources of A Trusted Space: Redirecting Grief to Growth, Angst: Building Resilience, and Look at Me Now: Stories of Hope, in one location, calhopeschools. org. The CalHOPE Schools Initiative Partnership includes All It Takes, Impactful (formerly Indieflix Education), and Z Cares. The mission of the partnership is to provide no-cost resources to schools and educational agencies across California to promote mental health and wellness. Recognizing the impact of stress, trauma, anxiety, and other challenges on mental health, these no-cost resources offer opportunities for schools and school sites to support relationships, build resilience, and provide inspiration and support for students, educators, and families.
- A few months back, I wrote a column focused on my misgivings about the proposed merger of two huge railroads – Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern. As I wrote at the time, I feared that the merger would add to the environmental and health burdens already facing Black communities and other communities of color by introducing more rail traffic and more carbon emissions while also negatively impacting things like emergency response and commute times. I hoped that my piece – along with the continued concerns raised by stakeholders throughout the merger’s regulatory review process – might raise some eyebrows within the U.S. Surface Transportation Board, the federal body charged with evaluating the merger’s merits. Environmental justice is no joke, after all. And aren’t the days of simply forcing communities of color to bear the brunt of the pollution caused by industry, shipping, refining, and other such activities behind us by now?
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Background Under HBIIP, USDA provides grants to transportation fueling and distribution facilities. These grants lower the out-of-pocket costs for businesses to install and upgrade infrastructure and related equipment.The$100 million available now will support a variety of fueling operations, including filling stations, convenience stores and larger retail stores that also sell fuel. The funds will also support fleet facilities including rail and marine, and fuel distribution facilities, such as fuel terminal operations, midstream operations, distribution facilities as well as home heating oil distribution centers.Thegrants will cover up to 50% of total eligible project costs – but not more than $5 million – to help owners of transportation fueling and fuel distribution facilities convert to higher blends of ethanol and biodiesel. These higher-blend fuels must be greater than 10% for ethanol and greater than 5% forApplicationsbiodiesel. must be submitted by 4:30 p.m. ET Nov. 21, 2022. Visit the HBIIP webpage to learn more, sign up for webinars and apply.Additional information also is available on Grants.gov or page 51641 of the Aug. 23, 2022, FederalUSDARegister.isoffering priority points to projects that advance key priorities under the BidenHarris Administration to help communities recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, advance equity and combat climate change. These extra points will increase the likelihood of funding for projects that will advance these key priorities for people living in ruralUnderAmerica.the more,representativeandbytoruralandinvestmentspractices,climate-smartformarketsintoforfoodmoresystemisHarrispositiveAmericanswww.rd.usda.gov.areas.incare;schools,communitybusinessinfrastructureareas.millionsimproveopportunities,grantsDevelopmentAdministration,Biden-HarrisRuralprovidesloansandtohelpexpandeconomiccreatejobsandthequalityoflifeforofAmericansinruralThisassistancesupportsimprovements;development;housing;facilitiessuchaspublicsafetyandhealthandhigh-speedinternetaccessrural,tribalandhigh-povertyFormoreinformation,visitUSDAtouchesthelivesofalleachdayinsomanyways.IntheBiden-Administration,USDAtransformingAmerica’sfoodwithagreaterfocusonresilientlocalandregionalproduction,fairermarketsallproducers,ensuringaccesssafe,healthyandnutritiousfoodallcommunities,buildingnewandstreamsofincomefarmersandproducersusingfoodandforestrymakinghistoricininfrastructurecleanenergycapabilitiesinAmerica,andcommittingequityacrosstheDepartmentremovingsystemicbarriersbuildingaworkforcemoreofAmerica.Tolearnvisitwww.usda.gov.
Page 8 Thursday, August 25, 2022 STATE/COUNTY/POLITICAL NEWS/ADVERTISING
GrantsWASHINGTON, Aug. 23, 2022 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA is accepting applications for $100 million in grants to increase the sale and use of biofuels derived from U.S. agricultural products. USDA is making the funding available through the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP). This program seeks to market higher blends of ethanol and biodiesel by sharing the costs to build and retrofit biofuel-related infrastructure such as pumps, dispensers and storage tanks.“The andMaryland,inbyincreasethroughanvolatilehereAmericansruralisavailabilityhomegrownVilsackaffordablegivingourruralAdministrationBiden-HarrisrecognizesthatAmericaisthekeytoreducingrelianceonfossilfuelsandAmericanscleaner,moreoptionsatthepump,”said.“Biofuelsarefuels.Expandingtheofhigher-blendfuelsawinforAmericanfarmers,theeconomyandhardworkingwhopaythepriceathomewhenwedependonfuelsourcesoverseas.”ThisadditionalfundingfollowsAprilinvestmentof$5.6millionHBIIPthatisexpectedtotheavailabilityofbiofuels59.5milliongallonsperyearCalifornia,Delaware,Illinois,NewJersey,NewYorkSouthDakota.
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The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) Launches the CalHOPE Schools Initiative...continued from page 7 education will take place on the fourth Tuesday of each month. “These resources are vital tools for schools, and together they engage staff, students and families to support their own mental health and well-being, and that of their communities,” said Dr. Jim Kooler, Special Consultant for DHCS and CalHOPE. Registration and resources are available for free at successfullyemotionalthoseInitiativeThecalhopeschools.org.CalHOPESchoolspartnersinclude:AllItTakesequipsyouthandwhoservethemwithessentialintelligenceskillstonavigatetheirlives and support their communities. Impactful (formerly Indieflix Education) reimagines learning, normalizes mental health, and guides both individuals and communities to become more reflective and resilient. Z Care talks with real people about their stories of hope and inspiration, collaborates directly with experts to address questions related to anxiety, and hosts events to build awareness and support youth. CalHOPE builds community resiliency and helps people recover from public health emergencies and disasters through free outreach, crisis counseling, and mental health support.
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USDA Begins Accepting Applications for $100 Million in Biofuel Infrastructure
Clifton Harris /Editor in Chief Investigative sbamericannews@gmail.comReporterMaryMartin-Harris/Editor Legal /Display Advertising (909) 889-7677
In June, USDA also announced that it had provided $700 million in relief funding to more than 100 biofuel producers in 25 states who experienced market losses due to the pandemic. These investments reflect the goals of President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which addresses immediate economic needs and includes the largest ever federal investment in clean energy for the future. The law includes another $500 million aimed at increasing the sale and use of agricultural commodity-based fuels. This funding will allow USDA to provide additional grants for infrastructure improvements related to blending, storing, supplying and distributing biofuels.Gasprices continue to fall, at the fastest pace in over a decade. Biofuels are an important part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to lowering gas prices for the American people.
