THE SAN BERNARDINO
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AMERICAN
“A Man In Debt is So Far A Slave” -Emerson
NEWSPAPER A Community Newspaper Serving San Bernardino, Riverside & Los Angeles Counties
September 2, 2021 Thursday Edition
Volume 52 No. 20 Mailing: P.O. Box 837, Victorville, CA 92393
Office: (909) 889-7677
Email: Mary @Sb-American.com
Website: www.SB-American.com
Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what people will submit to and you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them and these will continue till they have resisted either with words or blows or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance those of whom they suppress. —Fredrick Douglass (1849)
After Rapper Launches Anti-Mask, AntiVaccine Rant, Black Doctors Speak Out NNPA NEWSWIRE — Even after over 635,000 have died in the U.S. as a result of the coronavirus, some celebrities have continued to loudly protest against the advice of doctors and other medical professionals. Over 4.5 million around the world have died as a result of the pandemic. By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Contributor In a culture that worships celebrities and amplif ies their words and actions, the coronavirus pandemic has presented an opportunity for some to apply and others to confuse. Even after over 635,000 have died in the U.S. as a result of the coronavirus, some celebrities have continued to loudly protest against the advice of doctors and other medical professionals. Over 4.5 million around the world have died as a result of the pandemic. This week, anti-mask and antivaxxer celebrity Eric Clapton wrote a song entitled “This Has Got to Stop” to express his dissatisfaction regarding gover nment mandates on masks. “I’m used to being free,” Clapton sings in his new track. A week before Clapton’s song dropped, rapper Busta Rhymes, whose real name is Trevor Smith, had something to say on COVID on August 24. “It’s called the God-given right of freedom, right? No human being is supposed to tell you that you can’t even breathe freely. F*** your mask… some of y’all might feel differently,
but f*** your mask,” he said. His comments went viral and so did the reaction against them. On Roland Martin Unfiltered, the daily digital broadcast hosted by Martin, three Black doctors were featured to comment on what the rapper said and anti-vaxxer efforts in general. “A throat doctor later discovered
that there were polyps in his throat, restricting 90% of his breathing and he had to have emergency surgery.” <—You’d think Busta Rhymes would be more concerned about a virus that attacks your respiratory system given his history. Dumb ass,” wrote Reecie Colbert from her popular Twitter account @BlackWomenViews.
“Confirmed: Busta Rhymes is better when he’s rapping too fast for us to really understand what he’s saying,” wrote Brandon Kyle Scott on twitter. Then came the medical professionals. “It angers me, and it vexes my soul when I hear entertainers and other people who have mass followings say ignorant things such
LA Leaders Draft Blueprint Showing What Equity Should Look Like for Black People
as Busta Rhymes. I was telling my students today about wearing a mask and getting vaccinated,” said Dr. Kristy McDowell on Roland Martin Unfiltered on August 24. “If you don’t get the vaccine you are gambling with your life,” she added. Dr. Joseph Graves, Jr. said, “It’s one thing to do stupid things that
put your own life at risk… It’s an entirely other thing when you take a public platform, and you use your celebrity to get up there to tell other people that it’s OK in the middle of the deadliest pandemic since 1918. Those people who die because they listened to a video.” Kellen Squire, a Virginia emergency room nurse, wrote on August 29, “It’s not any easier watching unvaccinated people die. I see people sardonically joke, play stupid games, etc. But they almost all understand the magnitude of their f***up… albeit way too late. The look in their eyes. There’s no peace — it’s just panic until the end.” Despite misinformation, political discord and political policy changes, 51 percent of the American population is vaccinated. Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent journalist for NNPA and the host of the podcast BURKEFILE. She is also a political strategist as Principal of Win Digital Media LLC. She may be contacted at LBurke007@gmail.com and on Twitter at @LVBurke
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Kassidy Henson | California Black Media
A few weeks ago, a coalition of Los Angeles leaders from different backgrounds released a report with a detailed blueprint for what racial equity should look like for African Americans. Although the document is focused on California’s largest city, it is packed with strategies and learnings on racial and economic justice, researchers say, that can be applied to other cities around their state and across the United States. Called the “No Going Back
LA report” and titled The Road to Racial Justice Runs Through Equity: Ending Anti-Black Racism in Los Angeles, the Committee for Greater LA’s (CGLA) Black Experience Action Team says the report is a direct call to action. It is a template, they say, from which the city’s legislators as well as business, philanthropy and community leaders can collaborate on an action plan focused on issues that can improve the lives of Black Angelenos.
“Intersectionality and the need for quality data across issues are two essential pieces of our analysis and vision in this report,” said Dr. Ange-Marie Hancock Alfaro, Dean’s Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Southern California. “The report proposes citywide policies that can have an impact on multiple issues facing our communities,” Alfaro continued. “We believe designing systems around the priorities of Black folks will create more equitable systems for all.” Topics covered in the report work to answer the key question: what does a Los Angeles free of anti-Black racism look like? Community leaders deliberated on this question over the span of eight months to determine how Black equity can create the anti-racist, progressive society that they envisioned.
The report determines that Black equity is based on the following principles: truth, strength, strategic disruption, and love. Alfaro explained that it is important to tell the truth, as difficult as this truth may be. In addition, she focused on the idea that all members of the community will need to come together to make the changes outlined in the report. By paying attention to what has worked in the past, what is working now, and what innovations lie ahead, the committee seeks to spotlight best practices for implementation of their roadmap over the next 25 years. Recently, the CGLA held a media briefing where key leaders discussed the intentions, findings, and goals of the report. Alfaro, who worked as the academic lead on the report, began by reviewing the report in detail. continued on page 4
MISSION STATEMENT Clifton Harris /Editor in Chief Investigative Reporter sbamericannews@gmail.com Mary Martin-Harris / Editor Legal /Display Advertising (909) 889-7677 Clifton B. Harris / Audio Engineering Editor Digital Online Banner Advertising (909) 889-7677 The San Bernardino American News was established May 6, 1969. A legally adjudicated newspaper of general circulation on September 30, 1971, case number 15313 by the Superior Court of San Bernardino County. The San Bernardino AMERICAN News subscription rate is $59.00 per year. The San Bernardino AMERICAN News is committed to serving its readers by presenting news unbiased and objective, trusting in the mature judgment of the readers and, in so doing, strive to achieve a united community. News releases appearing in the San Bernardino AMERICAN News do not necessarily express the policy nor the opinion of the publishers. The San Bernardino AMERICAN News reserves the right to edit or rewrite all news releases.