Happy 4th of July! Happy 4th of July!
THE MEANING OF JULY FOURTH FOR THE NEGRO
Well before President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, and well before June 19, 1865, when news of freedom finally reached over 250,000 Galveston, Texas slaves, Frederick Douglass reflected on the paradoxical nature of the nation’s Fourth of July Independence Day celebrations in his July 5, 1852 speech “What, to the Slave, is the Fourth of July?” While change has come, there are still battles to be won for equal rights, equal access, and equal protections under the law. For Black people, the words of Frederick Douglass still resonate today. For some, the July Fourth holiday is cause for anticipatory celebration, others choose not to celebrate at all, while others celebrate the day with some reticence. — Dr. John E. Warren, Publisher
THE WORDS OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS, JULY 5, 1852
Fellow Citizens, I am not wanting in respect for the fathers of this republic. The signers of the Declaration of Independence were brave men. They were great men, too. Great enough to give frame to a great age. It does not often happen to a nation to raise, at one time, such a number of truly great men. The point from which I am compelled to view them is not, certainly, the most favorable; and yet I cannot contemplate their great deeds with less than admiration. They were statesmen, patriots and heroes, and for the good they did, and the principles they contended for, I will unite with you to honor their memory… …Fellow-citizens, pardon me, allow me to ask, why am I called upon to speak here to-day? What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence? Are the great prin-
ciples of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us?
See FOURTH page 9
MOSQUITOES TEST POSITIVE
WEST NILE VIRUS
Mosquitoes collected in routine monitoring in Rolando—a neighborhood in the mid-city region of San Diego—have tested positive for West Nile virus. The find prompted County environmental health officials to remind the public to protect themselves from mosquitoes that can transmit the virus.
The positive tests mark the first time mosquitoes have tested positive in San Diego County since 2023. Four dead birds have also tested positive this year. There have been no reported human cases in San Diego County this year. However, West Nile virus remains a potentially deadly threat.
County officials said people should continue to follow the County’s “Prevent, Protect, Report” guidelines to protect themselves from mosquitoes. Those include finding and dumping out standing water around homes to keep
mosquitoes from breeding.
West Nile virus is mainly a bird disease, but it can be transmitted to humans by several types of mosquitoes if they feed on an infected bird and then bite people. Some people who become infected can suffer symptoms including headache, fever, nausea, fatigue, skin rash, or swollen glands. But in rare cases, West Nile virus can make people extremely ill and even kill them.
See VIRUS page 2
TRUMP’S
TAX PLAN
DELIVERS BIG WINS TO THE WEALTHY, CUTS FOR THE REST IN MAJOR U.S. CITIES
By Stacy M. Brown BLACK PRESS USA SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT
The House-passed tax overhaul backed by President Donald Trump promises broadbased relief, but detailed Penn Wharton analysis shows the legislation disproportionately benefits high-income households while delivering modest gains—or losses—for working-class Americans in cities like Baltimore, New York, Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago, Houston, and Washington, D.C. Dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” the legislation makes permanent and expands the 2017 Trump tax cuts. It raises the cap on the state and local tax (SALT) deduction from $10,000 to $40,000, temporarily ends taxes on tips and overtime pay, and increases the child tax credit by $500 through 2028. To offset the cost—estimated at $2.8 trillion over 10 years—the bill also slashes Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by more than $1.2 trillion combined.
In every city studied, higher-income households walk away with five-figure gains while low-income families—many of them Black or Latino— lose more in benefit cuts than they gain in tax relief. For instance, a single mother earning $20,000 with two children in Baltimore’s 21216
By Stacy M. Brown
The National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. is facing mounting criticism after announcing a three-year, $300,000 p artnership with Target, a company at the center of an ongoing boycott over its retreat from diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. The deal, made public on June 20, is intended to support scholarships, senior programs, entrepreneurship, and workforce development. But national faith leaders, media figures, and everyday churchgoers are denouncing the move as a betrayal.
Target, a multi-billion-dollar retailer,
has faced criticism in recent months after scaling back its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in response to political pressure. Religious leaders and activists who launched the boycott accuse the company of abandoning commitments to Black communities. Target told Black Press USA that it hadn’t abandoned those commitments.
However, critics maintain the company has turned its back on Black A m erica. They argue that the partnership with one of the nation’s oldest Black faith organizations sends the wrong message.
Roland Martin, one of the country’s most prominent African American
and boycott supporter, called the move “a stunning act of
Earlier this year, the Black Minds Matter 2025 report projected that California’s Black K-12 public school students wouldn’t reach reading proficiency until 2070, or math proficiency until 2089. But that was assuming schools would continue to receive full funding.
Now, those timelines could be stretched even further, due in part to a fight between the state and the Trump administration amid the recent ICE raids and widespread protests in Los Angeles.
EDUCATION page 2
By Quintessa Williams
WORD IN BLACK
Excerpt from “What, to the Slave, is the Fourth of July”
IMAGE: Dale Stephanos
PHOTO: NNPA
Dr. John E. Warren Has Been Elected Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Newspaper Publisher’s Association Serving Over 200 Black Newspaper and Media Outlets in the Country.
PHOTO: NeonBrand
PHOTO: Courtesy of the County News Center
PHOTO: Courtesy of Roland Martin Unfiltered
ARTICLE CONTINUATION
TAX
Continued from cover
ZIP code is projected to lose $870 annually under the plan. Meanwhile, a married couple with two children earning $450,000 would gain nearly $20,000, benefiting from SALT deductions and expanded business income provisions. Meanwhile, New York’s wealthiest residents benefit greatly. A high-earning household in Manhattan sees more than $19,000 in net savings. In contrast, families in the Bronx or East New York earning $50,000 or less see less than $1,100 in gains—many facing potential losses if
EDUCATION
Continued from cover
According to a POLITICO report, the White House is considering slashing nearly $8 billion in federal education funding for California. The money, disbursed through the Department of Education, supports crucial programs such as Title I, which funds services for low-income students, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which provides funding for programs serving students with special needs.
“If the Trump administration were to cut California’s federal education funding, that would be theft, plain and simple,” says Dr. Christopher Nellum, executive director of Ed Trust-West. “It’s an ugly threat to steal our tax dollars from our children.”
Nellum notes that more than 3 in 4 Black students in California participate in Title I programs, which reach nearly 90% of school districts nationwide.
“I’m not sure people realize just how wide-reaching federal education dollars are,” he adds. “They support low-income students, multilingual learners, teacher development, transitional kindergarten, tutoring, and afterschool programs. All of those things would be impacted if funding is taken away.”
they rely on federal assistance.
Low-income workers in South Los Angeles, earning $20,000 and relying on SNAP or Medicaid, face a net loss of $870 per year. The limited deductions for tips and overtime income offer some help but are capped and set to expire after 2028. In Detroit’s ZIP code 48227, where public benefit reliance remains high, working-class families face limited gains. A married household earning $100,000 with children earns about $3,000, but any participation in Medicaid or SNAP would reduce or reverse that benefit. High earners again collect nearly $20,000 in relief. In neighborhoods like Englewood
Tony Thurmond, California’s school superintendent, told POLITICO that while he’s confident Trump can’t pull state funding without congressional support, he’s also prepared to block such a move.
“I’ve learned to expect anything and be prepared for anything,” Thurmond says. “I think that we do have avenues that will protect funding in this state, but every day is a new day, and we have to stay vigilant.”
Still, if those funds are withheld or cut, schools would lose vital programs that help students recover from learning loss, receive individualized support, or stay on track to graduate.
A Direct Hit to Black Student Support
At the heart of the Trump administration’s proposal to defund California’s education system are twin political disputes over the state’s policies on immigration enforcement and transgender rights. The move follows a wave of protests in Los Angeles and other cities against recent ICE raids — demonstrations that shut down sections of the town and signaled growing pushback to Trump’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants.
“In California, I think we saw pretty flagrant violations of Title IX, and that is why this focus was put on them,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon told CNN earlier this month. “We
or Austin, working-class residents see marginal benefits. A married couple with three children earning $100,000 would gain $3,090. Meanwhile, a single high-income earner downtown receives over $11,000 in tax breaks.
Without a state income tax, Texas families don’t benefit from the SALT expansion. Still, households earning $200,000 or more benefit from deductions aimed at higher incomes, including pass-through business income and estate tax changes. A single mother at $20,000 sees the same $870 loss. In the nation’s capital, where high state taxes and federal benefit reliance intersect, the gaps are widely married house-
have men participating in women’s sports, which is clearly against Title IX, and the president has made it very clear that he is definitely going to uphold Title IX.”
Potential cuts would include Title I and IDEA funds — programs that disproportionately serve Black students.
“It’s an ugly threat to steal our tax dollars from our children,” said Dr. Christopher Nellum, Executive Director of Edtrust-West.
Title I currently provides over $18 billion annually to schools serving predominantly low-income students. The money helps schools reduce class sizes, fund teacher retention programs, provide tutoring for struggling students, and cover the costs of after-school and summer learning programs. It also helps low-income districts pay for special education and mental health services.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) funding, which guarantees students with disabilities access to a free and appropriate public education, is also at risk.
“We’re already in a financial environment where schools — especially those serving primarily Black students — don’t have the resources they need,” Nellum says. “If federal funding is cut, it would be one more way we compound our long national history of underinvesting in Black students.”
A Crisis That Could Ripple Across the Nation
hold with three children earning $200,000 gains $9,925 under the bill. But in majority-Black neighborhoods like 20019 or 20020, lower-income residents lose more than they gain.
The Penn Wharton Budget Model concludes that the bill delivers more than two-thirds of its value to the highest earners. “The top 10 percent of the income distribution receives about 70 percent of the total value of the legislation,” the analysis found. It also projects long-term losses for those least able to afford them. “All future generations are worse off,” the Penn Wharton researchers wrote, citing the rise in federal debt and the weakening of core social support programs.
Despite the state’s wealth, a disproportionate number of Black public-school students attend schools that rely heavily on federal funding. Without those resources, the opportunity gaps identified in the report could stretch well beyond 2070 and 2089.
Recent proposals to dismantle the Department of Education could also worsen these projections, and Nellum says the aftershocks could ripple nationwide.
“If folks — no matter where they are in this country — are interested in supporting Black students and Black communities, California should be on their mind,” he told Word In Black earlier this year. “This is not just a California problem — that’s a problem for all the states that rely on us.”
We Will Continue to Fight
As uncertainty looms, education advocates and state leaders are preparing to fight back.
“California and other states have fought these efforts in court, and the actions of the administration have been blocked,” says Liz Sanders, director of communications for the California Department of Education. “We will continue to fight to protect all students’ access to educational resources.”
And Nellum says families and communities need to make themselves heard, too.
California is home to the sixth-largest Black population in the country and plays a crucial role in the nation’s economic future. Its $3.9 trillion economy — the largest of any state and the 5th largest in the world — significantly impacts the U.S. as a whole.
VIRUS
Protecting against mosquitoes is always important in San Diego County.
County officials said people can help protect themselves from mosquito-borne illnesses by following the County’s “Prevent, Protect, Report” guidelines.
Prevent mosquito breeding
Dump out or remove any item inside or outside of homes that can hold water—whether from rain or landscape irrigation. Those things can include plant saucers, rain barrels, buckets, garbage cans, toys, old tires and wheelbarrows. Mosquito fish, available for free by contacting the Vector Control Program, may be used to control mosquito breeding in backyard water sources such as stagnant swimming pools, ponds, fountains and horse troughs.
Protect yourself from mosquito bites
Protect yourself from mosquito-borne illnesses by wearing long sleeves and pants or use insect repellent when outdoors. Use insect repellent that contains DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, para-menthane-diol, 2-undecanone or IR3535. Make sure screens on windows and doors are in good condition and secured to keep insects out.
Report possible mosquito activity and dead birds
Report increased mosquito activity, unmaintained green swimming pools, and other mosquito-breeding sources, as well as dead birds—crows, ravens, jays, hawks and owls— to the County Vector Control Program by calling (858) 694-2888 or emailing vector@ sdcounty.ca.gov.
For more information about West Nile Virus, go to the County Health and Human Services Agency’s West Nile virus webpage.
“School leaders and district leaders should prioritize equity in every decision they make. All of them need to hear from you,” he says. “Show up to your local school board meetings and share what you need. Meet with your child’s principal. Call your legislators. We need to actively and frequently use all the tools we have available to protect vital funding for our students.”
TARGET
Martin also criticized the lack of transparency and consultation. “The leadership of t he National Baptist Convention made no effort to talk with, consult, or reach out to the leaders of the Target boycott,” he said. “They accepted $300,000 while the boycott is still active. That’s the definition of selling out Black people for crumbs.”
Others within the faith community quickly joined in. Pastor Jamal Bryant, who led the recent 40-day #TargetFast, said the partnership undermines the collective sacrifice made by churches and congregants who stood together against Target’s DEI backpedaling. “This boycott is the most successful economic protest by Black people in over 70 years,” Bryant said. “Target knows exactly what it’s doing. This isn’t partnership. It’s an attempt to fracture unity.”
Rev. Marcus D. Cosby of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church in Houston urged his congregation to continue to pressure Target. “We cannot be bought off,” Cosby said. “Support Black-owned businesses. Keep your dollars aligned with your values.”
On social media, backlash grew. The hashtag #NotMyNBC gained traction, with users calling the deal “a weak compromise” and “PR spin disguised as solidarity.” One Facebook post read, “If your church is one of the 31,000, demand your pastor explain taking dirty money.” Another user wrote, “Respectability over resistance. Silence over solidarity.”
Critics argue that such partnerships should not be made without community input, especially during a boycott. They say the timing and the dollar amount only add insult to injury.
“This is not how you stand with your people,” Martin said. “This is how you chase a check while the rest of us are doing the work.”
A NATION OF IMMIGRANTS UNDER ATTACK
Over 70 percent of the immigrants kidnapped by ICE have no criminal record
By Farrah Hassen
Across the country, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are tearing families apart, terrorizing communities, and upending businesses.
Mario Romero was among those arrested by ICE recently. His daughter, Yurien Contreras, witnessed ICE agents taking him “chained by the hands, feet, and waist” after they raided his workplace in Los Angeles. Over 40 other immigrant workers were also arrested.
“It was a very traumatic experience,” she told The Guardian. But “it was only the beginning of inhumane treatment our families would endure.”
The architect of this anti-immigrant agenda, top Trump aide Stephen Miller, has demanded that ICE make 3,000 arrests like these per day — an arbitrary quota with no legal basis.
To meet this quota, masked, plainclothes ICE agents embrace violent and unconstitutional tactics to abduct people from courthouses, citizenship appointments, churches, graduations, restaurants, Home Depots, farms, and other workplaces. They arrest people without warrants or probable cause, violate their right to due process, and deny them their basic human dignity.
There’s mounting evidence of ICE using racial profiling. “We have U.S. citizens who are being asked for their documents and not believed when they attest to the fact that they are U.S. citi-
zens,” said Angelica Salas, who directs the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights. “They just happen to be Latino.”
In one disturbing case in Chicago, ICE agents grabbed, handcuffed, and forced Julio Noriega into a van as he stepped out of a Jiffy Lube in late January. ICE detained him for 10 hours before releasing him when they realized he was a U.S. citizen.
In another instance, ICE forced two children, who are both U.S. citizens — one undergoing Stage 4 cancer treatment — onto their mother’s deportation flight to Honduras in April. The cancer patient is four years old — and ICE deported him without his medication.
The inhumane treatment continues in ICE’s sprawling network of private prisons and county jails.
The U.S. spends over $3 billion annually on the world’s largest immigration detention system, which is primarily operated by forprofit prison contractors like GEO Group and CoreCivic. These facilities are notorious for poor medical treatment, dangerous overcrowding, due process violations, and preventable deaths.
The largest ICE detention center in California, Adelanto, is operated by GEO Group and currently houses dozens from the LA raids, including Yurien’s father, Mario.
The prison has a sordid history. Recent detainees have been forced to sleep on the floor without blankets and pillows and have been denied a change of clothing, underwear, or towels for over 10 days, reported the Los Angeles Times.
If these attacks on immigrants were really about “following the law,” then immigrants fleeing war and persecution would be able to exercise their right to seek asylum — a human right long enshrined under international and U.S. law. Their due process rights would be respected.
In fact, the vast majority of immigrants in this country — including those kidnapped by ICE — have no criminal history. According to agency data compiled by research organization TRAC, out of the 56,397 people held in ICE detention as of June 15, 71.7 percent had no criminal record.
Both Republicans and Democrats have enabled ICE’s rampant human rights abuses since the agency’s creation in 2003. ICE functions as a quasi-police force with limited public oversight and uses private data sources like utility bills to conduct unauthorized surveillance of potentially anyone in the U.S.
The current system has a vested interest in locking up and deporting people instead of pursuing real immigration solutions, like pathways to citizenship. This system, which includes ICE and its detention facilities, must be defunded and dismantled.
People abducted by ICE are not numbers. They’re someone’s entire world. They’re cherished members of communities. And they’re on the frontlines of defending all of our civil liberties. We must stand together and demand that ICE leave our communities. We are a nation of immigrants after all.
Farrah Hassen J.D., is a writer, policy analyst, and educator.
WHY BLACK SILENCE ON IMMIGRATION WON’T SAVE US
By Jasmyne A. Cannick
Let’s get right to it: I’ve been hearing a lot of Black folks shrug off what’s happening with ICE and our Latino brothers and sisters with a quick, “That’s their L.” And I get it—some of y’all are still recovering from watching folks wave Trump flags like they were auditioning for a deportation sponsorship. But this idea that we can stay quiet, stay cute, and somehow stay safe? That’s not strategy. That’s denial.
Thinking your American citizenship, your clean record, your church attendance, and being “prayed up” is gonna save you? I hate to break it to you, but it won’t.
This country is shifting. Fast. And not in our favor. What’s legal today can be criminalized tomorrow with a signature, a press conference, and a spin cycle on Fox News. And if you think that sounds dramatic, remember: we used to be illegal. Our bodies, our marriages, our votes, our very presence—criminalized. Legal status didn’t protect us then, and it won’t save us now. You can’t outrun anti-Blackness with paperwork, paychecks, or prayers.
And let me say this—especially to the brothas and sistas who love to call themselves “conscious,” “woke,” “revolutionary,” or whatever term is trending this week—while you’re sitting this one out, all quiet and unbothered, you’re sending a loud message to your Black immigrant cousins: you’re on your own.
And don’t hit me with the “that’s not my fight” nonsense. Because if you’re out here quoting Marcus Garvey, rocking red, black, and green, posting Pan-African flags, but turning your back on Black folks being deported, detained, or banned from entering this country—you’re not conscious. You’re just curated. You’re not radical. You’re selective.
Pan-Africanism isn’t about vibes, fashion, or throwing up a fist on Instagram. It means all Black people, everywhere. Even the ones who don’t sound like you. Even the ones who weren’t born here. Even the ones ICE is coming for at 5 a.m.
See SILENCE page 5
AS OBESITY CRUSHES OUR COMMUNITIES, CALIFORNIA CAN’T AFFORD TO CUT CARE
By Rhonda Smith
Obesity is a structural and systemic health crisis that demands a public health response.
Across California, nearly one-third of adults are living with obesity, according to data from UCLA. But behind this number lies a deeper truth: obesity is a disease, not a choice, and Black and Brown communities are bearing the brunt of its consequences.
The proposed budget cuts to Medicaid/Medi-Cal threaten to make things significantly worse.
Obesity is linked to a host of chronic diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, and stroke, all of which Black and Brown communities experience with worse outcomes and higher disease-related deaths. These health conditions drive nearly half the cost of chronic disease care in the U.S., draining both lives and livelihoods. And the burden is not shared evenly. In California, 36.8% of Black adults are living with obesity, which is significantly higher than the state average.
Under-resourced communities already face barriers to accessing quality healthcare nutritious food, safe places to be active, and culturally competent healthcare providers.
California has the highest total obesity-related medical costs in the United States, with annual medical care expenditures of adults with obesity nearly three times greater than for adults with normal weight, the greatest difference of any state.
Recent studies show that the obesity rate in California is projected to increase to 41% by 2030. Cutting access to effective, evidence-based treatments will exacerbate the disparities and costs—particularly for newer classes of medications, such as GLP-1 drugs.
These medications are proving to be effective not just at managing obesity, but at reducing downstream health conditions and costs. A recent workforce analysis from Aon found that individuals using GLP-1s saw a measurable reduction in healthcare spending, which could also result in potential gains in productivity and fewer workdays lost to illness.
However, this isn’t just about cost containment, it’s about transforming our healthcare system into one that provides quality, equity-centered care for everyone. The state’s proposed budget will cut GLP-1 coverage under Medi-Cal, effectively denying access to these treatments for low-income and vulnerable Californians. At a time when we should be expanding healthcare access, the pending budget cuts will harm many Californians and their ability to live long, healthy lives, and it sends the wrong message about who we are and what we value.
While Black Californians represent about 7% of the total Medi-
Cal enrollees, 1,013,251of them—about 50% of the state’s total Black population—are enrolled in Medi-Cal. The budget cuts risk reinforcing the very inequities California has pledged to dismantle. And while it may promise short-term savings, the long-term costs—medical, economic, and human lives—will far overshadow them.
California has long positioned itself as a leader in public health and health equity and we cannot retreat from being that beacon now. Instead of cutting access to healthcare services and treatments like obesity medications, we should be investing in scalable, community-driven solutions that address the root causes of health disparities.
State lawmakers must protect Medi-Cal coverage and preempt the risk of escalating costs and poorer health outcomes and focus on disease prevention and progression. Effective obesity treatments can be a solution. Equity, prevention, and a long-term vision should guide our budget choices, not short-term savings that come at the cost of our most vulnerable communities.
At such a critical moment for Americans’ healthcare at both the federal and state levels, California elected officials need to do the right thing and support coverage for anti-obesity medication, and protect Medi-Cal.
Rhonda Smith is the Executive Director of the California Black Health Network.
CHURCH DIRECTORY
Toson
SUNRISE 01/30/1990
SUNSET 05/27/2025
ARRANGEMENTS BY PREFERRED CREMATION & BURIAL
Service was held June 16, 2025 at North Park Apostolic Church.
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With broken hearts, we celebrate the life and memory of Shatoya Toson, a beloved daughter, devoted mother, cherished sister, and dear friend. Shatoya departed this life on May 27, 2025, leaving behind a legacy of love, resilience, and deep devotion to her family.
Born on January 30, 1990, in San Diego, California, Shatoya was the precious daughter of Tracey McDonald and Robert Toson. From the very beginning, she radiated joy and compassion-qualities that defined her life and the many lives she touched.
Shatoya was the proud and loving mother of five beautiful children: Angel Toson, Ty Jean Wayne, Zaleia Sherrell, Te’Leya Sherrell, and Zeus Toson. Her children were her greatest treasure, and she poured her heart into nurturing, guiding, and protecting them.
She shared an unbreakable bond with her siblings: Arenetta Williams, Shanae Toson, Alyna Webb, Robert Toson, and Rashaad Toson. To them, she was not only a sister, but also a confidant, a protector, and a constant source of love and strength.
Shatoya was preceded in death by her beloved sister LaTasha Elnora Williams, and her dear grandmother Jenny Stern, both of whom welcomed her into eternal peace.
Her spirit lives on through her nieces; Myrikal Lewis and Amaya Toson, her nephews; Tre’mond Hudspeth and Osiais Toson, and a host of extended family and friends who will carry her memory with love and pride.
Those who knew Shatoya will forever remember her radiant smile, her infectious laughter, and the fierce love she showed to those around her. She had a rare and beautiful gift for making others feel seen, valued, and loved.
Though her time on earth was far too brief, the light of Shatoya’s love will shine on forever in the hearts of all who were blessed to know her.
Minnis
SUNRISE 03/09/1973
SUNSET 05/17/2025
ARRANGEMENTS BY PREFERRED CREMATION & BURIAL
Service was held June 18, 2025 at Bethel AME Church.
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Latrell Hamilton Minnis “DRAC” was born to Sharon Spencer Minnis and Broderick Wayne Minnis in San Diego, California, on March 9th, 1973. His birth fell between the birthdays of his Great Grandfather Richard Ashley (March 8th) and his Great Grandmother Gussie B. Ashley (March 10th). Latrell was baptized at Bethel A.M.E. and attended church there throughout his youth. Known affectionately as “Drac” to all family and friends, he attended Memorial Junior High and San Diego High School.
He was a lover of sports, had a great sense of humor, and was loved by all he met (and with whom he often remained friends). An unfortunate incident with a cactus prematurely ended his participation in sports. Still, he loved to watch and constantly talked about his favorite teams. He was a gifted electrical wizard from a young age, a talent that continued throughout his life. He had his first child, Sharon, and also became a father to her older sister, Cassandra Wright (Honey Love), in 1992.
As a young man, life in San Diego included challenges that led him to relocate to Roanoke, VA. There, he began working in the meat packing industry. He gained knowledge about operating machinery and performing various tasks. He was quickly promoted and treated like family by the company owners. While in Virginia, he married Sharnika and had two children, Bethany and Jayden. He later fathered a daughter, Aundraya, with his partner, Shelby. More recently, Latrell moved to Las Vegas and lived with his older brother, Jamont. He worked at Levi Strauss, where he became a warehouse supervisor. Later, he shattered his right elbow, was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, and bravely battled several other health issues.
On May 17, 2025, he went to his eternal rest.
Family members who preceded him in death were Romanette Spencer (Aunt), Jeffrey Minnis (Uncle), and Dale Minnis (Uncle).
Latrell “DRAC” Minnis leaves to cherish his memory his loving parents; Sharon Spencer and Broderick Minnis, children; Sharon Johnson, Bethany Jones, Jayden Jones, Aundraya Minnis, and Cassandra Williams, brothers; Jamont Jones, Mario Barnes, Dante Gonzalez, Duane Minnis, Alvin Jones, and Glenn Jones, sister LeShan Minnis Hutchinson, aunts; Genora Jackson and Margaret Brown, nephew Jamont Jones, Jr., cousins, a God Sister, and a host of extended family and friends.
Memories Build a Special Bridge
Our memories build a special bridge when loved ones have to part to help us feel we’re with them still and sooth a grieving heart. Our memories span the years we shared, preserving ties that bind, They build a special bridge of love and bring us peace of mind.
Emily Matthews
Ronald Louis Latrell Hamilton Shatoya
Clinton
SUNRISE 12/18/1983
SUNSET 05/19/2025
ARRANGEMENTS BY PREFERRED CREMATION & BURIAL
Service was held June 27, 2025 at Bethel Baptist Church.
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Ronald Louis Clinton, affectionately known as “Ron,” was born on December 18, 1983, in San Diego, California, to Ronald Rowe and Tammy Clinton-Littlejohn. While his mother worked full-time, Ron was lovingly raised with the support of both sets of grandparents. His grandfather, a devoted bishop, helped shape Ron’s faith and values early on—a foundation he carried throughout his life. Ron accepted Christ as a young boy and remained grounded in that faith. A proud graduate of Hoover High School’s Class of 2002, Ron soon began his military journey. He first served in the U.S. Air Force, then transitioned to the U.S. Army in 2009, training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, as a 13B Field Artilleryman. Ron’s distinguished Army career took him across the country and overseas. He served at Fort Stewart, Georgia, including a deployment to Iraq during the transition from Operation Iraqi Freedom to Operation New Dawn. From 2012 to 2015, he was stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado, where he held leadership roles and deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (Spartan Shield).
In 2015, Ron joined the U.S. Army Recruiting Command, serving in leadership positions in the Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, and Phoenix Battalions. His passion for mentorship earned him numerous honors, including the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, and the Gold Recruiting Badge. He completed many leadership and military education courses, always striving for excellence. Nearing retirement, he dreamed of one day becoming a Command Sergeant Major.
Beyond his uniform, Ron was a devoted husband, father, son, and friend.
In 2003, he married his high school sweetheart, Laticia Clinton. Their nearly 22-year union was filled with love, faith, and joy. Together, they raised three daughters—Ranicia, Destini, and Nylah’Rose—who were his pride and joy. Ron often said everything he did was for them.
A lifelong Chargers fan, Ron was a proud season ticket holder who eagerly awaited football season each year. Whether at the stadium or watching from home, game days were sacred.
Ron brought joy, humor, and warmth wherever he went. He was the heartbeat of his family, often saying, “I am too blessed to be stressed.” Ron passed away on May 19, 2025.
Preceded in death by his grandparents, Ron is survived by his wife, daughters, parents, uncles; Glen Clinton and Patrick Rowe, and many loving relatives and friends who will forever cherish his memory.
“ Memory is a way of holding on to the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose. ” †¢
ARTICLE CONTINUATION
SILENCE:
Continued from page 3
If your liberation has borders, it’s not liberation—it’s branding.
So while you’re off somewhere being too “busy” or “neutral,” just know: silence is a choice. And that choice tells your Black immigrant fam exactly where they stand with you.
You’re Watching the Warning Play Out in Real Time
This was always supposed to be about the “bad hombres,” right? That’s what Trump said. That was the sales pitch. And no, that was never a good or moral argument—
but at least that was the lie they told to get folks comfortable.
So if you’re still pretending this is about criminals—you’re not paying attention. Or you’re lying to yourself. Either way, they’re coming for you next.
Now, this isn’t the only reason Black folks should care and stay tapped in. But for the “I’m just minding my own Black business” crowd? This might be the best one I’ve got. Because what happens to immigrants is your business. What happens when systems get away with
dehumanizing them is a blueprint for how they’ll come for you next. If history’s taught us anything, it’s that silence doesn’t protect us—it just clears the runway.
This moment calls for more than petty satisfaction. It calls for clarity, memory, and solidarity rooted in survival. Because history has shown us—again and again—that when the system finishes eating the folks it came for first, it always circles back for us.
Jasmyne Cannick is a political strategist and writer in Los Angeles.
IN MORE NEWS
Dr. Fabi Bagula Appointed As Permanent Superintendent of San Diego Unified Schools
The San Diego Unified School District Board of Education unanimously appointed Dr. Fabi Bagula on June 18, 2025, to be the permanent Superintendent of the San Diego Unified School District. Superintendent Bagula is the first Latina to hold the post of the second-largest school district in the state of California, which has a nearly 50 percent Latino student population. She is a native San Diegan.
“I want to make sure we provide students with opportunities to joyfully learn. No matter what is happening in their neighborhood or at home,” Dr. Bagula said in a statement.
As a native San Diegan, Superintendent Bagula has brought a data-driven, equity-
focused approach to district leadership— championing belonging, supporting schools directly, and centering student representation at every level.
According to the Superintendent’s office, as the permanent Superintendent, she will also focus on:
• Fiscal Responsibility
• Centering students and classrooms in decisions about limited resources
• Advocating for the funds students need and deserve
• Implementing new ways of doing the work that enhances student learning and well-being, and improves organizational efficiency
• Growing philanthropic partnerships and grants to sustain the student programs
• Continuous Academic Achievement for Students
• Launch of new Attendance Module
• Launch of new College & Career Readiness dashboard for students and families
• Community Building (Inside and Outside of San Diego Unified)
• Strengthening relationships and collaboration with our Spanish-speaking community
• Launch of Collaborative Impact Teams to better support schools and leaders
Community Leaders Unite to Call for Urgent Action
Following Federal Rollbacks
On June 18, 2025, the San Diego Solidarity Network (SDSN) convened nonprofit, government, philanthropic, and community leaders at the Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center to declare a state of civic emergency in response to devastating federal funding rollbacks that are threatening the region’s social infrastructure. The event highlighted urgent calls for action as nonprofit organizations across San Diego continue to experience widespread layoffs, service reductions, and destabilizing funding losses. In recent months, federal freezes and program terminations have disrupted frontline services— from food access and housing support to climate resilience and public health—placing thousands of San Diegans at risk.
“This is not just a funding crisis. It’s a dismantling of the safety net that holds our region together,” said Shantel Suarez Avila, co-steward of the San Diego Solidarity Network. “We are calling for coordinated, cross-sector action to protect our communities, restore trust, and rebuild systems with equity at the center.”
Crisis by the Numbers (as of March 2025):
• 72% of nonprofit leaders report current or imminent harm
• Nearly 500 staff laid off or furloughed
• 1 in 3 nonprofits have reduced or eliminated critical services
The SDSN Emergency Declaration outlines two core demands:
1. Rapid and sustained investment in community-rooted organizations
2. Support systems that center racial equity, cultural knowledge, and grassroots leadership
As part of the event, Catalyst of San Diego and Imperial Counties also announced the launch of the San Diego Resilient Response Fund—a philanthropic effort to mobilize resources in alignment with the
declaration’s goals.
Event Speakers Included:
• Shantel Suarez Avila and Claire Groebner, San Diego Solidarity Network
• Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera, San Diego City Council
COOL ZONES OPEN WITH SUMMER APPROACHING
With summer just around the corner, the County of San Diego opened its annual Cool Zones program June 1, giving people free, cool, air-conditioned places to beat the heat when they need it.
The program is expected to run to Oct. 31, giving people more than 80 places around the county to seek shelter when the temperatures soar.
Cool Zone sites include the County’s 33 branch public libraries, teen and
NEWS ROUNDUP
“Because American Democracy is at Risk…”
April Ryan, BlacPressUSA Washington Bureau Chief and White House Correspondent, recently reported:
Democratic Texas Congressman Al Green is filing Articles of Impeachment against President Donald Trump. Green, who has filed the Articles three times during Trump’s first term, seeks to have Trump impeached with the ultimate goal of removal from office.
House Resolution 537 details Green’s allegations of an “abuse of power” as “President Trump took America to war without consulting with the Congress of America.”
During [June 24th] speeches on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, Green alleged that President Trump has committed an “impeach-
senior centers in County parks and other city, public, private and volunteer organizations and places around the county.
A current list of all the Cool Zone sites, their hours, addresses and phone numbers is posted on the County’s Cool Zones website. The site also includes an interactive link that lets people search for Cool Zone sites by location, ZIP code, organization and what animals are allowed.
To learn more, visit Coolzones.org.
able act with the use of authoritarian powers to declare war.”
Once this Resolution is introduced, a vote could occur within days.
Green initiated impeachment three times during President Trump’s first term. [June 24th’s] attempt takes place only five months into Trump’s second term.
Green emoted during a phone conversation with Black Press USA [June 24], “This is a time of decision!” He emphasized, “We’re at the crossroads of Democracy and autocracy.” The Senior Texas lawmaker details, “Where we [are] now is in trust
of a person who has instigated an assault on the Capitol, who has denied due process,” and has the “ultimate power of determining whether he will decide when more than 300 million people will go to war. “
Trump, who has been impeached twice but never convicted of removal, has seen his approval ratings slip in recent polls. The iPsos/ Reuters poll finds that 57% of Americans disapprove of the president.
Green, a former Judge turned statesman, told this reporter, “If people can accept authoritarianism, then that’s a decision they make. I choose not to.”
Green needs most of the 435 House members to vote for his impeachment attempts. He hopes a Senate conviction will remove President Trump from office this time.
Green recalls that each time he has introduced articles of impeachment, they have been tabled. As for this new impeachment attempt, “I don’t believe that this will be an exception. I will not vote to table it.”
AG Bonta Wins Court Ruling
Restoring NIH Grants
California Attorney General Rob Bonta secured a court victory on June 16, revers-
• Amy Castañeda, Environmental Health Coalition
• Noun Abdelaziz, United Women of East Africa
• Alondra Alvarado, San Diego Hunger Coalition
• Cristina Sanchez-Kerr, Nonprofit Institute
• Megan Thomas, Catalyst of San Diego and Imperial Counties
Later, the San Diego Solidarity Network convened to deepen next steps and strengthen collective strategy. More than 50 people participated in the conversation, and momentum continues to grow to defend San Diego’s nonprofit sector from ongoing federal threats.
ing Trump-era terminations of NIH medical research grants. A federal judge ruled the moves discriminatory and unlawful, ordering reinstatement of funding for critical health projects tied to DEI, LGBTQ rights, and public health. This ruling protects California universities and nationwide institutions conducting life-saving biomedical research. NIH’s work has historically advanced vaccines, cancer prevention, and HIV treatment. The case now proceeds to assess delays in new grant processing, while Bonta continues defending equitable scientific research.
World Conference of Mayors Endorses Month of Non-Violence & AI Impact
On May 30, 2025, the World Conference of Mayors endorsed the 14th Annual Month of Non-Violence, sponsored by Black Women for Positive Change. The October 2025 event will focus on reducing violence and understanding AI's global impact. The campaign seeks to engage mayors and municipal leaders worldwide to promote non-violence, address root causes like poverty and racism, and explore how AI can support ethical, peaceful solutions. The initiative will feature collaborations across eight countries and ten U.S. states and promote a global agenda for peace.
Dr. Fabi Bagula.
PHOTO: San Diego Unified
PHOTO: Courtesy of the County News Center
PHOTO: San Diego Solidarity Network
PHOTO: San Diego Solidarity Network
Ebony Pearls’ 69th Annual Gala Spotlights San Diego’s Poised and Powerful Young Women
Earlier this Spring of 2025, the Ebony Pearls Foundation of San Diego Inc®, hosted its 69th Annual Ebony Pearls Youth Leadership Academy (EPYLA) Gala of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., San Diego Epsilon Xi Omega (EXO) Chapter. The event was held at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina in Harbor Island. The annual event featured 14 lovely young ladies who embodied this year’s theme as “Ebony Pearls…Powerful, Poised and Purposed”. They are highly accomplished for their academic achievements, community service and future career and educational goals. The event was attended by their proud parents, relatives, friends and were supported by their AKA, Inc. EXO mentors. Prior to the EPYLA gala, these talented and deserving high school juniors and seniors participated in various events including cultural activities and leadership enhancement workshops during the 2024-2025 season.
This year’s presenters were a trio of known standouts within the San Diego Community. They were Michael A. Allen, ChFC, of Allen Financial Advisement, KGTV 10 News Reporter Natay Holmes (AKA Member of EXO), and Dr. John Parker, Vice President of Finance and Administration of San Diego City College.
In addition, 18 young men of caliber served as Escorts and Marshalls, who accompanied the Ebony Pearls in the presence of their parents/guardians, relatives and friends.
The 2024-2025 Ebony Pearls Leadership Academy was led by the Reverend Tara R.
With breakfast provided by the Mental Bar at 8am, the Black Entrepreneurs Leaders and Learners (BELL) kicked off their 5th Annual Business & Government Contracting Summit on June 27th & June 28th, with 130 attendees over both days. Whether you’re a seasoned business owner or just beginning your entrepreneurial journey, this two-day summit was designed to equip entrepreneurs, leaders, and learners with the insights, tools, and partnerships to grow with confidence and purpose.
tracts. Procurement officers, supplier diversity leaders, and successful small business owners shared how to navigate complex systems, build competitive bids, and leverage certifications to become prime or subcontractors on major projects.
In a statement released just prior to the event BELL Co-Founder Brian Ware, a construction project manager states his and Jayton Harps, BELL co-founder and software engineer, reason behind it all. “We started this summit out of necessity. We saw how many of our peers were trying to pivot and access contracts but didn’t have the knowledge, networks, or mentorship to get started. The summit was our way of changing that.”
Authority, the State of California Department of General Services, and the Port of San Diego among others, offered insider knowledge on how to get certified and win contracts at local, state, and federal levels.
momentum, offering additional training and guidance for nonprofit organizations and small businesses.
Beginning with Banking Presentations from PNC and US Bank that set the tone for a day centered on access – access to capital, access to contracts, and access to opportunity –over 30 speakers and panelists from across industries and government agencies took the stage, offering attendees real-world strategies for securing government and corporate con-
Day one featured more than 25 hands-on workshops, B2B speed networking, and panels covering everything from supplier diversity programs to federal contracting basics. Representatives from agencies such as CalTrans, the City of San Diego, San Diego Unified School District, San Diego Gas & Electric, US Bank, California High Speed Rail
One of the summit’s key highlights is the $2,500 pitch competition, where entrepreneurs present their business ideas and growth strategies before a panel of judges. The summit also included a reception for networking and relationship-building. Saturday’s sessions continued to build on the
BELL’s mission remains sharply focused: to demystify the contracting process and open the doors of opportunity for those historically left out of the conversation. In the words of one attendee, “This isn’t just a summit— it’s a blueprint.”
For more information on what was covered and resources, visit https://bit.ly/bellsummit2025 or call (619) 369-0973.
Cador-Turner (General Chairman) and Dr. Donna L. Cook (Co-General Chairman), Deborah Davis-Gillespie (President of Epsilon Xi Omega Chapter), and Mary Castleberry (President of the Ebony Pearls Foundation of San Diego, Inc®).
The 2024-2025 Ebony pearls. Front Row( L-R): Jordyn House, Jai’Ciyah Anderson, Sophia Byrd, Ilori Baham, Sophia Rodriguez, Mahlia Coe, Diamond Daniels Back Row (L-R): Tori Patrick, Charley Calvin, Anissa Thompson, Nevaeh Valle-Hameed, Tiffany Williams, Sajanah King, CeeJay Calvin
The Marshalls were on duty to assist the Ebony Pearls at the Gala.
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc® Epsilon Xi Omega Chapter
The Escorts performed a special dance routine for the audience.
By Cassandra Clady
PHOTOS: Courtesy of Cassandra Clady
By Tihut Tamrat Voice & Viewpoint Staff
PHOTOS: Rashad Autumn and Tihut Tamrat
Brian Ware on right, speakers and panelists on left.
Frederick Douglass:Self-Made
“PROPHET OF FREEDOM”
By Latanya West VOICE & VIEWPOINT
MANAGING EDITOR
Frederick Douglass is arguably one of the most influential figures in American history.
An internationally renowned orator, statesman, anti-slavery crusader, and author, the child born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, came to exemplify what is best and most enduring about American ideals and the promise of our country’s constitution.
be his mother’s white slave owner. His mother, who was enslaved on a nearby plantation, would walk twelve miles to visit her son until her untimely death when Frederick was a young boy. Viewed as property to be bought, sold, or transferred in ownership, Douglass was hired out as cheap labor to a number of slave masters.
Long before his physical freedom, Frederick was liberated by the power of words. Ignoring the laws of the times, one of Frederick’s slave mistresses taught him the alphabet. It
Douglass used words to eloquently and unapologetically speak, write, and educate northern whites about American slavery. He unapologetically named in detail after detail slavery’s horrific injustices, white slavemasters’ and even religious abolitionists’ moral ineptitude, and called to task northern whites who turned a blind eye to slavery’s insidiousness. He called on all Americans to look directly and unflinchingly at slavery’s cost, not only for America’s slaves, but also for the entire nation.
At a time when freedom was only a vague promise on the horizon for most black Americans, Douglass was a resounding voice of hope, justice, and dignity for African Americans. He elevated the national discussion on slavery, helping to hasten its demise.
Here is a brief biography of the man known as the “Prophet of Freedom”:
EARLY LIFE
Douglass’ early life was lonely and tragic. Born a slave sometime in 1818 in Talbot County, Maryland,
proved to be a transformative event in Douglass’ life. He recounts in his 1845 bestselling autobiography that “Learning the alphabet gave me the key to reading; I took that key and, with a little help from my friends, learned how to read, thus becoming a free man in my mind.” With an audacious sense of purpose that flowered as he matured into adulthood, the young Frederick convinced his white childhood friends to teach him to read and write in exchange for food. He read at every opportunity, even after being sold into hard slave labor in rural Maryland. His steely desire for knowledge never faltered. He soon organized a Sunday
school for fellow slaves and quickly earned a reputation for being a headstrong troublemaker.
In 1836, Douglass impersonated a sailor and escaped to freedom during a time when abolitionist fervor was growing across the U.S. He married Anna Murray, a free black woman instrumental in his escape, and settled in New Bedford, Massachusetts. While working as a laborer to support his young family Douglass began to frequent anti-slavery rallies. He was soon up on stage, reluctantly but powerfully sharing his story.
VANGUARD OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
1841 proved to be a fateful year for Douglass. He gave his first major speech at the Massachusetts AntiSlavery Society’s annual convention and launched his influential career as an antislavery crusader. The famed abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison was so moved by Frederick’s magnetic stage presence and powerful personal story that he enlisted him to lecture with the American AntiSlavery Society at meeting halls across the Eastern and Midwestern United States. It was often danger-
Civil War infantry of free northern black men. Immortalized in the 1989 movie Glory, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment significantly contributed to the war’s effort in the famed fight for Fort Wagner and helped legitimize black troops. Never one to shy away from controversy, Douglass was also an early supporter of the women’s suffrage movement.
In 1847 he began publication on The North Star, his uniquely successful and influential anti-slavery newspaper, so named for the bright star said to guide fugitive slaves to freedom along the Underground Railroad. In numerous speeches, writings, and publications, Douglass doggedly promoted the end of slavery. During this time, Douglass was also a conductor on the Rochester, New York arm of the Underground Railroad.
He recounts in his 1882 autobiography, The Life and Times of Frederick
ous work. Douglas became known for his clear, direct, and articulate oratory style. He spoke truthfully and eloquently about his life as a slave, sometimes inciting riotous mobs that weren’t ready to face the American south’s horrifying and morally inept “peculiar institution.”
Douglass’ first autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, mentioned details about his life as a slave, including the name and residence of his former master. To avoid recapture, Frederick spent two years touring and lecturing to abolitionists in Great Britain. The tour earned him international fame and he returned to the States intent on helping African Americans gain the freedoms he enjoyed while abroad.
LATER YEARS
After the Civil War, the former slave continued his appointment with destiny. In the mid-1870’s, Douglass moved to Washington, DC and served in a number of prominent presidential appointments: U.S. Marshall (1877–1881) and Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia (1881–1886). He was chargé d’affaires for Santo Domingo and minister to Haiti (1889-1891). In 1874 he was
Douglass, that his home served as one of the Underground Railroad’s main stations and helped spirit runaway slaves to Canada and freedom.
Douglass’ fame and influence grew as the abolitionist movement and the political winds of change brought the issue of slavery to the forefront
appointed President of the Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company, popularly known as the Freedman’s Savings Bank, the first savings institution established by the U.S. government to assist former slaves and African-American Civil War veterans during the Reconstruction era.
of American politics. His second autobiography, My Bondage and My Freedom, is a more detailed account of his life as a slave and his evolution as a thinking, self-made man who valued faith and literacy. When the Civil War broke out, Douglass’ morally persuasive arguments against slavery were at the vanguard of slavery’s demise.
When Douglass spoke, national leaders paid attention. Douglass outspokenly called for the right of black men to fight for their freedom and boldly petitioned President Lincoln for the fair and equal treatment of African American men in uniform. He helped recruit troops for the first official
opponent of Jim Crow segregation until his death from a heart attack in 1895.
ENDURING LEGACY
Cedar Hill, Douglass’ family home, is maintained as a part of the National Park Service and was designated a National Historic Site in 1988. His great great granddaughter Nettie Washington Douglass established the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives to preserve his legacy and create awareness about modern day slavery, which today affects an estimated 27 million people worldwide. Visit www.fdfi.org to learn more.
Buoyed by the Civil War victory but bitterly disturbed by the failures of Reconstruction, Douglass was a vigorous
Cedar Hill Frederick Douglass’ Home in Anacostia, Washington, D.C., as it appears today. (photo credit NPS)
The North Star. (NMAAHC); Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan A.M.E. Church gave this Bible to Frederick Douglass in 1889. (PHOTO: NPS); Frederick Douglass (PHOTO: NPS)
Frederick Douglass, Jr. (1842-1892 was the third child of Anna and Frederick Douglas (NPS).
Charles Redmond Douglass (1844-1920) was the fourth child of Anna and Frederick Douglass. (NPS)
Lewis Henry Douglass (1840-1908) was the second child of Anna and Frederick Douglass. (NPS)
Right: The Frederick Douglass stamp, issued June 29, 1995 to honor the 130th Anniversary of the end of the Civil War.
Above: The Frederick Douglass stamp, issued February 14, 1967 as part of the Prominent Americans Definitive stamp series.
Douglass in his Cedar Hill library c1890. (NPS)
Anna Murray Douglass (1813-1882) married Frederick Douglass in 1838 shortly after helping him escape from slavery. (NPS)
Rosetta Douglass Sprague (1839-1906) was the first child of Anna and Frederick Douglass. (NPS)
THE MEANING OF JULY FOURTH FOR THE NEGRO
The words of Frederick Douglass, July 5, 1852
And am I, therefore, called upon to bring our humble offering to the national altar, and to confess the benefits and express devout gratitude for the blessings resulting from your independence to us?
Would to God, both for your sakes and ours, that an affirmative answer could be truthfully returned to these questions! Then would my task be light, and my burden easy and delightful. For who is there so cold, that a nation’s sympathy could not warm him? Who so obdurate and dead to the claims of gratitude, that would not thankfully acknowledge such priceless benefits? Who so stolid and selfish, that would not give his voice to swell the hallelujahs of a nation’s jubilee, when the chains of servitude had been torn from his limbs? I am not that man. In a case like that, the dumb might eloquently speak, and the “lame man leap as an hart.”
But such is not the state of the case. I say it with a sad sense of the disparity between us. I am not included within the pale of glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought light and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn. To drag a man in fetters into the grand illuminated temple of liberty, and call upon him to join you in joyous anthems, were inhuman mockery and sacrilegious irony. Do you mean, citizens, to mock me, by asking me to speak to-day? If so, there is a parallel to your conduct. And let me warn you that it is dangerous to copy the example of a nation whose crimes, towering up to heaven, were thrown down by the breath of the Almighty, burying that nation in irrevocable ruin! I can to-day take up the plaintive lament of a peeled and woe-smitten people!
“By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down. Yea! We wept when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. For there, they that carried us away captive, required of us a song; and they who wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. How can we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land? If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth.”
Bible which are disregarded and trampled upon, dare to call in question and to denounce, with all the emphasis I can command, everything that serves to perpetuate slavery-the great sin and shame of America! “I will not equivocate; I will not excuse”; I will use the severest language I can command; and yet not one word shall escape me that any man, whose judgment is not blinded by prejudice, or who is not at heart a slaveholder, shall not confess to be right and just.
But I fancy I hear some one of my audience say, “It is just in this circumstance that you and your brother abolitionists fail to make a favorable impression on the public mind. Would you argue more, and denounce less; would you persuade more, and rebuke less; your cause would be much more likely to succeed.” But, I submit, where all is plain there is nothing to be argued. What point in the anti-slavery creed would you have me argue? On what branch of the subject do the people of this country need light? Must I undertake to prove that the slave is a man? That point is conceded already. Nobody doubts it. The slaveholders themselves acknowledge it in the enactment of laws for their government. They acknowledge it when they punish disobedience on the part of the slave. There are seventy-two crimes in the State of Virginia which, if committed by a black man (no matter how ignorant he be), subject him to the punishment of death; while only two of the same crimes will subject a white man to the like punishment. What is this but the acknowledgment that the slave is a moral, intellectual, and responsible being? The manhood of the slave is conceded. It is admitted in the fact that Southern statute books are covered with enactments forbidding, under severe fines and penalties, the teaching of the slave to read or to write. When you can point to any such laws in reference to the beasts of the field, then I may consent to argue the manhood of the slave. When the dogs in your streets, when the fowls of the air, when the cattle on your hills, when the fish of the sea, and the reptiles that crawl, shall be unable to distinguish the slave from a brute, then will I argue with you that the slave is a man!
For the present, it is enough to affirm the equal manhood of the Negro race. Is it not astonishing that, while we are ploughing, planting, and reaping, using all kinds of mechanical tools, erecting houses, constructing bridges, building ships, working in metals of brass, iron, copper, silver and gold; that, while we are reading, writing and ciphering, acting as clerks, merchants and secretaries, having among us lawyers, doctors, ministers, poets, authors, editors, orators and teachers; that, while we are engaged in all manner of enterprises common to other men, digging gold in California, capturing the whale in the Pacific, feeding sheep and cattle on the hill-side, living, moving, acting, thinking, planning, living in families as husbands, wives and children, and, above all, confessing and worshiping the Christian’s God, and looking hopefully for life and immortality beyond the grave, we are called upon to prove that we are men!
with irons, to hunt them with dogs, to sell them at auction, to sunder their families, to knock out their teeth, to burn their flesh, to starve them into obedience and submission to their masters? Must I argue that a system thus marked with blood, and stained with pollution, is wrong? No! I will not. I have better employment for my time and strength than such arguments would imply. What, then, remains to be argued? Is it that slavery is not divine; that God did not establish it; that our doctors of divinity are mistaken? There is blasphemy in the thought. That which is inhuman, cannot be divine! Who can reason on such a proposition? They that can, may; I cannot. The time for such argument is passed.
At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed. O! had I the ability, and could reach the nation’s ear, I would, to-day, pour out a fiery stream of biting ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, and stern rebuke. For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake. The feeling of the nation must be quickened; the conscience of the nation must be roused; the propriety of the nation must be startled; the hypocrisy of the nation must be exposed; and its crimes against God and man must be proclaimed and denounced.
What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer; a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciation of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are, to Him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy — a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages.There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and
bloody than are the people of the United States, at this very hour.
Go where you may, search where you will, roam through all the monarchies and despotisms of the Old World, travel through South America, search out every abuse, and when you have found the last, lay your facts by the side of the everyday practices of this nation, and you will say with me, that, for revolting barbarity and shameless hypocrisy, America reigns without a rival....
...Allow me to say, in conclusion, notwithstanding the dark picture I have this day presented, of the state of the nation, I do not despair of this country. There are forces in operation which must inevitably work the downfall of slavery. “The arm of the Lord is not shortened,” and the doom of slavery is certain. I, therefore, leave off where I began, with hope. While drawing encouragement from “the Declaration of Independence,” the great principles it contains, and the genius of American Institutions, my spirit is also cheered by the obvious tendencies of the age. Nations do not now stand in the same relation to each other that they did ages ago. No nation can now shut itself up from the surrounding world and trot round in the same old path of its fathers without interference. The time was when such could be done. Long established customs of hurtful character could formerly fence themselves in, and do their evil work with social impunity. Knowledge was then confined and enjoyed by the privileged few, and the multitude walked on in mental darkness. But a change has now come over the affairs of mankind. Walled cities and empires have become unfashionable. The arm of commerce has borne away the gates of the strong city. Intelligence is penetrating the darkest corners of the globe. It makes its pathway over and under the sea, as well as on the earth. Wind, steam, and lightning are its chartered agents. Oceans no longer divide, but link nations together. From Boston to London is now a holiday excursion. Space is comparatively annihilated. — Thoughts expressed on one side of the Atlantic are distinctly heard on the other.
The far off and almost fabulous Pacific rolls in grandeur at our feet. The Celestial Empire, the mystery of ages, is being solved. The fiat of the Almighty, “Let there be Light,” has not yet spent its force. No abuse, no outrage whether in taste, sport or avarice, can now hide itself from the all-pervading light. The iron shoe, and crippled foot of China must be seen in contrast with nature. Africa must rise and put on her yet unwoven garment. ‘Ethiopia, shall, stretch out her hand unto God.” In the fervent aspirations of William Lloyd Garrison, I say, and let every heart join in saying it:
God speed the year of jubilee The wide world o’er!
Would you have me argue that man is entitled to liberty? that he is the rightful owner of his own body? You have already declared it. Must I argue the wrongfulness of slavery? Is that a question for Republicans? Is it to be settled by the rules of logic and argumentation, as a matter beset with great difficulty, involving a doubtful application of the principle of justice, hard to be understood? How should I look to-day, in the presence of Amercans, dividing, and subdividing a discourse, to show that men have a natural right to freedom? speaking of it relatively and positively, negatively and affirmatively. To do so, would be to make myself ridiculous, and to offer an insult to your understanding. There is not a man beneath the canopy of heaven that does not know that slavery is wrong for him.
What, am I to argue that it is wrong to make men brutes, to rob them of their liberty, to work them with out wages, to keep th e m ignorant of their relations to their fellow men, to beat them with sticks, to flay their flesh with the lash, to load their limbs
When from their galling chains set free, Th’ oppress’d shall vilely bend the knee, And wear the yoke of tyranny Like brutes no more.
That year will come, and freedom’s reign, To man his plundered rights again Restore.
Fellow-citizens, above your national, tumultuous joy, I hear the mournful wail of millions! whose chains, heavy and grievous yesterday, are, to-day, rendered more intolerable by the jubilee shouts that reach them. If I do forget, if I do not faithfully remember those bleeding children of sorrow this day, “may my right hand forget her cunning, and may my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth!” To forget them, to pass lightly over their wrongs, and to chime in with the popular theme, would be treason most scandalous and shocking, and would make me a reproach before God and the world. My subject, then, fellow-citizens, is American slavery. I shall see this day and its popular characteristics from the slave’s point of view. Standing there identified with the American bondman, making his wrongs mine, I do not hesitate to declare, with all my soul, that the character and conduct of this nation never looked blacker to me than on this 4th of July! Whether we turn to the declarations of the past, or to the professions of the present, the conduct of the nation seems equally hideous and revolting. America is false to the past, false to the present, and solemnly binds herself to be false to the future. Standing with God and the crushed and bleeding slave on this occasion, I will, in the name of humanity which is outraged, in the name of liberty which is fettered, in the name of the constitution and the
God speed the day when human blood Shall cease to flow! In every clime be understood, The claims of human brotherhood, And each return for evil, good, Not blow for blow; That day will come all feuds to end, And change into a faithful friend Each foe.
God speed the hour, the glorious hour, When none on earth Shall exercise a lordly power, Nor in a tyrant’s presence cower; But to all manhood’s stature tower, By equal birth!
That hour will come, to each, to all, And from his Prison-house, to thrall Go forth.
Until that year, day, hour, arrive, With head, and heart, and hand I’ll strive, To break the rod, and rend the gyve, The spoiler of his prey deprive — So witness Heaven!
And never from my chosen post, Whate’er the peril or the cost, Be driven.
Frederick Douglass. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution (CCO)
COMMUNITY
Blanket Sounds Turns Up the Vibe for Black Music Month
By Tihut Tamrat CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Waterfront Park transformed into a vibrant celebration of music, culture, and community this past weekend as Blanket Sounds brought hundreds together for a soulful afternoon of live performances, DJ sets, and local cre ativity—all in honor of Black Music Month.
Curated by Loren Cobbs, founder of Blanket Sounds and SD Melanin—a community driven organization that redefines Black entertainment spaces—the free outdoor event was a full-sensory experience grounded in the power of Black music and rooted in Cobbs’ mission to create intentional, joyful spaces for San Diego’s Black community, supported by the City of San Diego Parks and Recreation.
“This is about celebration, about connection, and about reclaiming space in the heart of the city,” Cobbs said, watching families spread picnic blankets and friend groups dance under the sun. “Black Music Month is the perfect time to do that.”
With the downtown skyline as its backdrop, the event pulsed with energy from the moment it kicked off. Local artists, such as JB Saxx, took the stage with electrifying sets, while DJ Cowbell Chris kept the rhythm steady between acts,
spinning everything from soulful classics to high-energy Afrobeats. The seamless blend of genres was a reminder of the rich, evolving legacy of Black music—and how it continues to influence every corner of sound today.
the
and
was clear that Blanket Sounds had struck the right chord. Not just a festival, but a feeling—one that lingered long after the last beat dropped.
Blanket Sounds is part of a seasonal series that will continue through the summer, with upcoming dates scheduled for July 20, August 24, and September 21 so bring your blanket, your people, and your joy, the vibes will be waiting!
But Blanket Sounds was more than a concert—it was a cultural gathering. Kids painted and played in the dedicated art zone, while vendor booths showcased Black-owned businesses selling everything
handcrafted jewelry to plantbased eats. The crowd moved freely between lounging on the grass and dancing in the aisles, united by a shared sense of community and celebration.
As
sun dipped lower
the basslines echoed into the evening, it
Above, on right, Loren Cobbs founder of Blanket Sounds and SD Melanin.
PHOTOS: Tihut Tamrat
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Mali Approves Bill Extending Junta Leader's Rule by 5 Years
By Associated Press
Mali’s Council of Ministers on Wednesday [June11] adopted a controversial bill granting the head of the military junta an additional five years in power.
Gen. Assimi Goita has led the West African nation since orchestrating two coups in 2020 and 2021. The move follows the military regime’s dissolution of political parties in May.
According to the government’s cabinet statement, the bill will lead to the “revision of the Transition Charter, granting the Head of State a five-year renewable mandate starting in 2025.” It implements the recommendations of the national dialogue consultations organized by the military regime in April, which the political parties boycotted.
tion by several hundred activists.
World Bank Grants South Africa $1.5B
for Energy,
Infrastructure Upgrade
By Michelle Gumede Associated Press
The World Bank granted South Africa a $1.5 billion loan to upgrade transportation infrastructure and help it transition toward a low-carbon economy, the country’s National Treasury said Monday [June 23].
Deteriorating rail systems, jammed ports and frequent blackouts have hindered vital industries like mining and auto manufacturing in South Africa, contributing to slow economic growth over the last decade in Africa’s most developed economy.
The bill now awaits ratification by the National Transitional Council, the legislative body overseeing the transition.
Earlier in May, Gen. Goita signed a decree dissolving political parties, a decision made against a backdrop of burgeoning opposition. It coincided with a surge in kidnappings of pro-democracy activists in the capital, Bamako, and just days after a demonstra-
Food Rations
Mali, a landlocked nation in the semiarid region of Sahel, has been embroiled in political instability that swept across West and Central Africa over the last decade.
The nation has seen two military coups since 2020 as an insurgency by jihadi groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group worsened. The junta had promised a return to civilian rule by March 2024, but later postponed elections. No date has been set yet for the presidential election.
Are Halved In
Refugee Camps After US AID Cuts
By Evelyne Musambi Associated Press
Martin Komol sighs as he inspects his cracked, mud-walled house that is one rain away from fully collapsing. Nothing seems to last for him and 300,000 other refugees in this remote Kakuma camp in Kenya — now, not even food rations.
Funding for the U.N. World Food Program has dropped after the Trump administration paused support in March, part of the widespread dismantling of foreign aid by the United States, once the world’s biggest donor.
That means Komol, a widowed father of five from Uganda, has been living on handouts from neighbors since his latest monthly ration ran out two weeks ago. He said he survives on one meal a day, sometimes a meal every two days.
“When we can’t find anyone to help us, we become sick, but when we go to the hospital, they say it’s just hunger and tell us to go back home,” the 59-year-old said. His wife is buried here. He is reluctant to return to Uganda, one of the more than 20 home countries of Kakuma’s refugees.
Food rations have been halved. Previous ration cuts led to protests in March. Monthly cash transfers that refugees used to buy proteins and vegetables to supplement the rice, lentils and cooking oil distributed by WFP have ended this month.
Each refugee now receives 3 kilograms (6 pounds) of rice per month, far below the
9 kilograms recommended by the U.N. for optimal nutrition. WFP hopes to receive the next donation of rice by August. That’s along with 1 kilogram of lentils and 500 milliliters of cooking oil per person.
But they can’t escape hunger. Komol’s 10year-old daughter immerses herself in schoolbooks when there’s nothing to eat.
“When she was younger she used to cry, but now she tries to ask for food from the neighbors, and when she can’t get any she just sleeps hungry,” Komol said. In recent weeks, they have drunk water to try to feel full.
The shrinking rations have led to rising cases of malnutrition among children under 5 and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers.
At Kakuma’s largest hospital, run by the International Rescue Committee, children with malnutrition are given fortified formula milk.
Nutrition officer Sammy Nyang’a said some children are brought in too late and die within the first few hours of admission. The 30-bed stabilization ward admitted 58 children in March, 146 in April and 106 in May.
Fifteen children died in April, up from the monthly average of five. He worries they will see more this month.
The hospital had been providing nutrient-dense porridge for children and mothers, but the flour has run out after stocks, mostly from the U.S., were depleted in March. A fortified peanut paste given to children who have been discharged is also running out, with current supplies available until August.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and his coalition government have pledged to tackle corruption and decades of poor management as well as pursue reforms to get the country out of its economic rut and ease its extremely high unemployment rate.
While it did not give specifics, the South African government said it expects the World Bank loan will enable inclusive economic growth and job creation by assisting in the removal of important infrastructure bottlenecks, especially in the energy and freight transportation sectors.
“This agreement reinforces the strong and constructive collaboration between the World Bank and the government of South Africa,” said the National Treasury. “This partnership marks a significant step toward addressing South Africa’s pressing economic challenges of low growth and high unemployment.”
Additionally, because the financing has better conditions than conventional borrowing, such as a three-year grace period, it should reduce escalating debt-service expenses, it added.
South Africa’s 2025-26 budget has allocated over R1 trillion over the next three years toward critical transportation, energy, water and sanitation infrastructure while improving access to basic services.
However, real gross domestic product was revised downward to 1.4% in 2025 from 1.9% previously projected by the Finance Ministry projected in March because of the worsening global outlook and the persistence of logistics constraints and higher borrowing costs. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said government debt is projected to stabilize at 77.4% of GDP in 2025/26.
Earlier this year, the dismantling of USAID by the Trump administration cut around $436 million in annual funding to South Africa for HIV treatment and prevention, putting the program and thousands of health care jobs on the line.
Godongwana said the country doesn’t have the funds to cover the more than $430 million shortfall caused by the Trump administration’s cuts in foreign aid, which have threatened the vast network of support for one of the world’s largest HIV-positive populations.
How African Designers Are Making Their Mark On Global Fashion
By Jackie Prager CNN
In recent years, African designers have found support from international celebrities including Beyoncé, Alicia Keys and Naomi Campbell. Now a growing number of the continent’s fashion brands are preparing to make inroads into global fashion markets.
Among this wave of talent is South African designer Thebe Magugu, who was awarded the 2019 LVMH Prize for young designers, which comes with a €300,000 ($315,000) grant, and opened his first fashion house in Johannesburg last year.
His style combines modern designs with the continent’s cultural identi ty, an approach he hopes will help African fashion go global.
“I think the world is really hungry for stories that are outside the European gaze or the American view,” he told CNN. “I think the storytelling we have in Africa is so nuanced …when they see it for the first time, they really respond to it.”
A 2023 UNESCO report on Africa’s fashion sector predicted demand f or African haute couture will increase by 42% by 2033, driven partly by the growth of e-commerce. But it found that a lack of funding, infrastructure, and training programs are holding the sector back. Magugu has experienced this firsthand. He says importing fabric into South Africa means paying a 45%
duty and that a lack of access to capital makes it hard for small businesses.
One way to bolster the industry is for the continent to utilize its raw materials rather t han having to reimport them as processed goods. The report found 37 African countries produce cotton yet the continent imports $23.1 billion of textiles each year, including clothing and footwear
Kenyan designer Katungulu Mwendwa launched her brand Katush in 2014, with sustainability as a key pillar.
Mwendwa says she often sources cotton from Burkina Faso, Uganda and Tanzania. A portion of that cotton is processed into thread and dyed before being sent to hand weavers in Nairobi to bring her
But transporting textiles from across the continent can be expensive, she added, meaning the brand is unable to compete on price with imported garments from China and other major exporters.
“Fashion does not exist in isolation,” Mwendwa said. “It is so important for my brand and brands like mine to have that global presence. It is so critical even just us as Kenyans to be able to share our work with the continent and with the world and to feel that sense of pride.”
Synthetic fuel plant owned by Sasol at Secunda, Mpumalanga in South Africa. PHOTO: Wikimedia Commons
HEALTHY LIVING
The World’s Only Twice-AYear Shot To Prevent HIV Could Stop Transmission
If people can get it
By Lauran Neergaard Associated Press
Th e U.S. has approved the world’s only twice-a-year shot to prevent HIV, the first step in an anticipated global rollout that could protect millions – although it’s unclear how many in the U.S. and abroad will get access to the powerful new option.
While a vaccine to prevent HIV still is needed, some experts say the shot made by Gilead Sciences — a drug called lenacapavir — could be the next best thing. It nearly eliminated new infections in two groundbreaking studies of people at high risk, better than daily preventive pills they can forget to take.
the shot advise cold packs to counter injection-site pain.
From Beaches to BBQs: The County’s Checklist for a Safer Summer
keep a fire extinguisher or bucket of water nearby. Keep children a safe distance from hot surfaces and flying sparks.
“This really has the possibility of ending HIV transmission,” said Greg Millett, public policy director at amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research.
Condoms help guard against HIV infection if used properly but what’s called PrEP — regularly using preventive medicines such as the daily pills or a different shot given every two months — is increasingly important. Lenacapavir’s six-month protection makes it the longest-lasting type, an option that could attract people wary of more frequent doctor visits or stigma from daily pills.
Gilead’s drug already is sold to treat HIV under the brand name Sunlenca. The prevention dose will be sold under a different name, Yeztugo. It’s given as two injections under the skin of the abdomen, leaving a small “depot” of medication to slowly absorb into the body. People must test negative for HIV before getting their twice-a-year dose, Gilead warned. It only prevents HIV transmission — it doesn’t block other sexually transmitted diseases. Some researchers who helped test
Ian Haddock of Houston had tried PrEP off and on since 2015 but he jumped at the chance to participate in the lenacapavir study and continues with the twice-yearly shots as part of the research follow-up.
“Now I forget that I’m on PrEP because I don’t have to carry around a pill bottle,” said Haddock, who leads the Normal Anomaly Initiative, a nonprofit serving Black LGBTQ+ communities.
“Men, women, gay, straight – it really just kinds of expands the opportunity for prevention,” he added. Just remembering a clinic visit every six months “is a powerful tool versus constantly having to talk about, like, condoms, constantly making sure you’re taking your pill every day.”
Winnie Byanyima, executive director of UNAIDS, said in a statement the price is still too high. If it’s unaffordable, she said, “it will change nothing.”
And HIV experts worry the arrangements Gilead has made to reduce costs in some countries leave out middle-income countries like some in Latin America.
EDUCATION
How can you enjoy the season while staying safe? Read on for simple tips to help you and your loved ones make the most of summer.
Driving Safety
• Set ground rules for teens. Establish a “no distractions” policy and enable Do Not Disturb mode on their phone. California law forbids holding a phone while driving—even when stopped at a red light.
• C hoose the right time . Avoid peak travel hours or late-night drives when crash risk is highest.
• Plan a sober ride. Decide on a designated driver before drinking, or use rideshare, taxi, or public transit.
• S hare the road. Yield to pedestrians at crossings and give bicyclists a full lane when passing, as required by state law.
• R eport dangerous drivers. Call 9-1-1 or the Sheriff’s Department at (858) 565-5200 if you suspect an impaired driver—buzzed driving is drunk driving.
Fourth of July Safety
• Skip consumer fireworks. Sparklers, firecrackers, bottle rockets—even poppers— are illegal in San Diego County. Attend a permitted public show instead, and remind kids never to touch spent fireworks.
• Grill smart. Keep grills at least 10 feet from structures, supervise them at all times, and
Sun and Heat Safety
• Hydrate.
• Block the rays.
• Handle food safely. Keep perishables cold and discard any left out for more than two hours (one hour if above 90 °F). Use a food thermometer to ensure meats reach safe grilling temperatures.
• Find a Cool Zone. More than 30 air-conditioned Cool Zones—libraries, senior and teen centers—are open across the County; use the interactive Cool Zone finder on the County Cool Zones website to locate one near you.
Water Activities
• L earn to swim.
• Swim with a buddy. Solo swimmers are at greater risk.
• K eep constant watch. Drowning is the leading cause of injury related deaths among children under the age of five, according to California Department of Public Health data. Always supervise children around pools and near water, even bathtubs, shallow kiddie pools and when lifeguards are present.
• U se proper gear. Have children wear a properly fitting, U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket for their size and weight.
HBCUs are Empowering Students with New Levels of Technology
By Hazel Trice Edney
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) produce 20 percent of all of America’s Black college graduates. That includes 80 percent of Black judges; 70 percent of Black doctors; 50 percent of Black teachers; and 25 percent of Black students who major in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
Despite this level of success in educating primarily the descendants of enslaved people – many who are the first to attend college from their families - HBCUs have suffered historical challenges, including underfunding and difficulty attracting and retaining students. That is why educational experts are now applauding the fact that HBCUs are increasingly opening its virtual classrooms to non-traditional students through online learning programs. It is a strategy that is not only enhancing the lives of older adults and professionals, but also positively impacting the growth of historically Black institutions overall.
These are the crucial points made in a new report titled “How HBCUs are Using Technology to Improve Outcomes and Better Fulfill Their Mission”. It is winning wide acclaim for its research on HBCU successes in online education.
“Many HBCUs realize that traditional oncampus programs alone can’t serve all the students who need them,” writes Kristoffer Adams, a board member of the Black Legislative Leadership Network and author of the report.
The report, researched by Adams, is being released and discussed this week during a Nashville gathering of the HBCU Caucus Convening, a conference of HBCU officials, advocates and associates coming together to
explore ways to expand, empower and move HBCUs forward.
Adams believes his findings may be key to the advancement of HBCUs across the nation. But he is not alone as professors and college administrators laud the benefits of online learning; especially the benefits to HBCUs.
The report quotes Dr. Kendrick Brown, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Morehouse College, explaining how the OPMs have worked to extend Morehouse beyond its Atlanta campus. The college now offers an online bachelor’s degree in business administration with about 20 courses, serv -
ing about 300 students, the report describes.
Rigor is largely the key says Hamil Harris, a veteran journalist who reported nearly 25 years for the Washington Post. Harris has been teaching online at Maryland’s Morgan State University and is set to teach three additional online courses at Morgan this fall.
Harris says there are students who have not passed his online class because they failed to adhere to the high ethical standards such as using artificial intelligence “in an improper way…There is zero tolerance for cheating.”
The students are coming from every walk of life. Though Harris teaches in the School of
Communications at Morgan, most of his students are non-journalism majors.
Students in his online media literacy class have included bankers, engineers, chemists, Fortune 500 executives, sports stars, police officers and even FBI agents, he said, illustrating the professional diversity of those who are now being drawn to HBCUs due to online programs. As technology advances, working people often find the need to increase their education in order to advance.
Symone Campbell, Ph.D., a researcher at the Siegel Family Endowment and Professor of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Ethics at Howard University, agrees as she is currently teaching in a graduate program that is entirely online. It is Howard's newest master’s degree program - a data science and analytics program. For example, “we need more black data scientists; we need more data scientists that are coming from backgrounds that are not White males because all of these technology innovations that are being created over the years, we know that White men are creating them. And they're being created with their biases. So, we need to train Black data scientists and scientists of color with social justice mindsets, etc.,” Campbell said. She adds that most of the classes are also in the evening, which is a major convenience for people who work during the day. But technology at HBCUs have proven to be as beneficial to the institution itself as it is to the students. Online programs have been credited for the revival of Morris Brown College, which 22 years ago lost its accreditation and thousands of students amidst financial and legal problems. With its accreditation reinstated only three years ago, its current president, Dr. Kevin James, says in Adams’ report that - partially because of online programs - “The fact that we’re still here, still open, is a miracle in itself.”
PHOTO: Freepik
PHOTO: Courtesy of the County News Center
VOICE & VIEWPOINT NEWSWIRE
PHOTO: Freepik
CLASSIFIEDS / LEGAL NOTICES
PUBLIC NOTICE
The San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) is soliciting public comment on its Fiscal Year 2026 (July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026) Admissions and Continued Occupancy Policy (ACOP). The
ACOP will be available for review on SDHC’s website, www.sdhc.org, beginning on June 25, 2025.
Admissions and Continued Occupancy Policy (ACOP): Comments must be submitted by 5 p.m. July 14, 2025, to be considered by SDHC staff and decision-making authorities in their final review of the proposed ACOP. Please submit comments by mail to San Diego Housing Commission c/o Patrick Valerio, 1122 Broadway, Suite 300, San Diego CA 92101 or email your comments to patrickv@sdhc.org.
SUBJECT Admissions and Continued Occupancy Policy: In its Fiscal Year 2026 Admissions and Continued Occupancy Policy, specific updates are being made to align public housing policies with the San Diego Housing Commission’s Rental Assistance Department. PUBLIC HEARING
SDHC will hold a Public Hearing to receive comments regarding the Admissions and Continued Occupancy Policy on Monday, July 9, 2025 at 2:30 p.m. Information on how to attend will be provided on SDHC’s website, www.sdhc.org/housing-opportunities/affordable-rentals/rent-from-sdhc/
Notice is
visit is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on THURSDAY, JULY 10, 2025, outside the main office of Ericson Elementary School, 11174 Westonhill Drive, San Diego, CA 92126. Upon completion of the first site, contractors shall proceed to the following sites in the order listed: Walker Elementary School, 9225 Hillery Drive, San Diego, CA 92126, Foster Elementary School, 6550 51st Street, San Diego, CA 92120. Prime contractors must be present at all 3 sites. In order to bid this project. All attendees must preregister with the District prior to attending the site walk at sandiegounified.org/sitewalks. The Bid and Contract Documents may be downloaded free of charge at the District’s online Planroom at sandiegousdplans.com. All bids must be received electronically via PlanetBids before 1:00 p.m. on THURSDAY, JULY 31, 2025. Prime contractors interested in submitting a bid must go to tinyurl.com/SDUSDPlanetBids then search under “Bid Opportunities” for “Invitation number” CC26-0153-52-00-00 Group 4B Shade Structures. For new vendors, please register under “New Vendor Registration.” The project estimate is between $1.2 million and $1.5 million, inclusive of allowances. This is a PSA project and requires prequalification. The
A. Harris III, Director, Fiscal Controls and Information Systems, Facilities Planning and Construction CC26-0153-52-00-00
485 North Citrus Ave Apt 30
Escondido, CA 92027
County of San Diego
This business is conducted by:
An Individual Registrant has not yet begun to transact business under the name(s) above
This business is hereby registered by the following:
Laura Claudia Milpas
Martinez
485 North Citrus Ave Apt 30 Escondido, CA 92027
This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on June 02, 2025
This fictitious business name will expire on June 02, 2030 6/26, 7/3, 7/10, 7/17
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT
2025-9011938
Fictitious business name(s): Communal Gifts
Located at: 3045 A St San Diego, CA 92102
County of San Diego
This business is conducted by:
An Individual
The first day of business was: 06/19/2025
This business is hereby registered by the following:
Emily Ann Busam 3045 A St San Diego, CA 92102
State of Incorporation/ Organization
California
This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on June 20, 2025
This fictitious business name will expire on June 20, 2030 6/26, 7/3, 7/10, 7/17
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT
2025-9011876
Fictitious business name(s):
JodiLu Enterprises, Inc
Located at:
This fictitious business name will expire on May 23, 2030 7/3, 7/10, 7/17, 7/24
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2025-9012024
7/3, 7/10, 7/17, 7/24
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2025-9012005
Fictitious business name(s): JM Mobile Mechanic Located at: 1604 Presioca St #29 Spring Valley, CA 91977 County of San Diego
This business is conducted by: An Individual Registrant has not yet begun to transact business under the name(s) above
This business is hereby registered by the following: Junior Jose Manzo 1604 Presioca St #29 Spring Valley, CA 91977
This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on June 23, 2025
This fictitious business name will expire on June 23, 2030 7/3, 7/10, 7/17, 7/24
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2025-9010177
Fictitious
Fictitious business name(s): Women's Sports Xcelerator Located at: 5441 S Macadam Ave Ste N Portland, OR 97239 County of Multnomah
This business is conducted by: A Limited Liability Company
The first day of business was: 06/10/2025 This business is hereby registered by the following: Sweat Consulting LLC 5441 S Macadam Ave Ste N Portland, OR 97239 State of Incorporation/ Organization Oregon This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on June 23, 2025 This fictitious business name will expire on June 23, 2030 6/26, 7/3, 7/10, 7/17
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2025-9011739
Fictitious business name(s): Quickscreen Co. Located at: 3433 Sweetwater Springs Blvd Spring Valley, CA 91978 County of San Diego
This business is conducted by: An Individual The first day of business was: 06/17/2025
This business is hereby registered by the following: Daryna Omelchuk 3433 Sweetwater Springs Spring Valley, CA 91978
This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on June 17, 2025 This fictitious business name will expire on June 17, 2030 6/26, 7/3, 7/10, 7/17
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2025-9010642
Fictitious business name(s): Prana's Sweets & More Located at:
The first day of business was: 06/02/2025 This business is hereby registered by the following: Peak Solutions LLC 6455 La Jolla Blvd, Unit 315 La Jolla, CA 92037 State of Incorporation/ Organization California
This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on June 20, 2025
This fictitious business name will expire on June 20, 2030 6/26, 7/3, 7/10, 7/17
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2025-9011016
Fictitious business name(s): Budget Trainer Located at: 6761 Birchwood St. San Diego, CA 92120 County of San Diego
This business is conducted by: A Limited Liability Company Registrant has not yet begun to transact business under the name(s) above This business is hereby registered by the following: Budget Trainer 6761 Birchwood St. San Diego, CA 92120
State of Incorporation/ Organization California
This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on June 06, 2025
This fictitious business name will expire on June 06, 2030 6/26, 7/3, 7/10, 7/17
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2025-9011015
Fictitious business name(s): Gemstone Gymnastics Located at: 5121 Waring Road San Diego, CA 92120 County of San Diego
6191 Rancho Mission Rd #316 San Diego, CA 92108
County of San Diego
This business is conducted by: A Corporation
The first day of business was: 06/10/2025
This business is hereby registered by the following: JodiLu Enterprises, Inc
6191 Rancho Mission Rd #316 San Diego, CA 92108 State of Incorporation/ Organization
California
This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on June 20, 2025
This fictitious business name will expire on June 20, 2030 6/26, 7/3, 7/10, 7/17
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2025-9009832
Fictitious business name(s): Latchkey Kidz, LLC Located at: 6191 Rancho Mission Rd #316 San Diego, CA 92108
County of San Diego
This business is conducted by:
A Limited Liability Company
The first day of business was: 04/03/2024
This business is hereby registered by the following: Latchkey Kidz, LLC 6191 Rancho Mission Road #316 San Diego, CA 92108 State of Incorporation/ Organization California
This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on May 19, 2025
This fictitious business name will expire on May 19, 2030 6/26, 7/3, 7/10, 7/17
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2025-9011879
Fictitious business name(s): Home Care Resource Located at:
7851 Mission Center Court, Suite 208 San Diego, CA 92108 County of San Diego
6455 La Jolla Blvd, Unit 315 La Jolla, CA 92037
This business is conducted by: A Limited Liability Company
This business is conducted by: A Limited Liability Company
The first day of business was: 08/14/2017
This business is hereby registered by the following: Gemstone Gymnastics 6761 Birchwood St. San Diego, CA 92120
State of Incorporation/ Organization California
This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on June 06, 2025
This fictitious business name will expire on June 06, 2030 6/26, 7/3, 7/10, 7/17
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2025-9011292
Fictitious business name(s): La Mesa Cab Located at: 2365 Via Alta Apt 316 San Diego, CA 92108 County of San Diego
This business is conducted by: An Individual
The first day of business was: 08/05/2020
This business is hereby registered by the following: Sherif Said 2365 Via Alta Apt 316 San Diego, CA 92108
This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on June 11, 2025
This fictitious business name will expire on June 11, 2030 6/26, 7/3, 7/10, 7/17
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2025-9010764
Fictitious business name(s): Saucedo's Janitorial Services Located at: 647 W Manor Dr Chula Vista, CA 91910 County of San Diego
This business is conducted by: An Individual
The first day of business was: 09/23/2024
This business is hereby registered by the following: Manuel Saucedo 647 W Manor Dr Chula Vista, CA 91910
This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on
June 03, 2025 This fictitious business name will expire on June 03, 2030 6/26, 7/3, 7/10, 7/17
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2025-9011634
Fictitious business name(s): Root Digger Genealogy & Legacy Consulting LLC Located at: 701 Selma Place San Diego, CA 92114
County of San Diego
This business is conducted by: A Limited Liability Company
The first day of business was: 06/03/2025
This business is hereby registered by the following: Root Digger Genealogy & Legacy LLC 701 Selma Place San Diego, CA 92114
State of Incorporation/ Organization California
This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on June 16, 2025
This fictitious business name will expire on June 16, 2030 6/19, 6/26, 7/3, 7/10
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2025-9011591
Fictitious business name(s): SD Craft Jerky Located at: 6374 Akins Ave. San Diego, CA 92114
County of San Diego
This business is conducted by: An Individual
The first day of business was: 06/16/2025
This business is hereby registered by the following: Thuy Cam Tran 6374 Akins Ave. San Diego, CA 92114
This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on June 16, 2025
This fictitious business name will expire on June 16, 2030 6/19, 6/26, 7/3, 7/10
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2025-9009291
Fictitious business name(s): AquaHae Located at: 1395 Santa Diana Rd #6 Chula Vista, CA 91913 County of San Diego
This business is conducted by: A General Partnership
The first day of business was: 05/12/2025
This business is hereby registered by the following: Sun Min Kim 1395 Santa Diana Rd #6 Chula Vista, CA 91913
Kenneth Kim 1395 Santa Diana Rd #6 Chula Vista, CA 91913
This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on May 12, 2025
This fictitious business name will expire on May 12, 2030 6/19, 6/26, 7/3, 7/10
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2025-9011470
Fictitious business name(s): Amy Kushner
Photography Located at: 4645 Mississippi Street #11 San Diego, CA 92116 County of San Diego PO Box 503783 San Diego, CA 92150
This business is conducted by: An Individual Registrant has not yet begun to transact business under the name(s) above
This business is hereby registered by the following: Amy Kushner 4645 Mississippi Street #11 San Diego, CA 92116
This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on June 12, 2025
This fictitious business name will expire on June 12, 2030 6/19, 6/26, 7/3, 7/10
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2025-9011555
Fictitious business name(s): A to Z Organic Marketing
Spare Panties and Change Located at: 4645 Mississippi Street #11 San Diego, CA 92116 County of San Diego PO Box 503783 San Diego, CA 92150 This business is conducted by: An Individual Registrant has not yet begun to transact business under the name(s) above This business is hereby registered by the following: Amy Kushner PO Box 503783 San Diego, CA 92150 This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on June 13, 2025 This fictitious business name will expire on June 13, 2030 6/19, 6/26, 7/3, 7/10
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2025-9010596
Fictitious business name(s): Zamora's Trees And Trinkets Located at: 9902 Jamacha Blvd Spc 22 Spring Valley, CA 91977-8022 County of San Diego This business is conducted by: An Individual Registrant has not yet begun to transact business under the name(s) above This business is hereby registered by the following: Kelsey Lynn Zamora 9902 Jamacha Blvd Spc 22 Spring Valley, CA 91977-8022
This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on June 02, 2025 This fictitious business name will expire on June 02, 2030 6/19, 6/26, 7/3, 7/10
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2025-9011289
Fictitious business name(s): Monavations Consulting Located at: 3551 Quail View St. Spring Valley, CA 91977 County of San Diego
This business is conducted by: An Individual
The first day of business was: 05/05/2025
This business is hereby registered by the following: Mona Lyn Friday 3551 Quail View St. Spring Valley, CA 91977 This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on June 11, 2025 This fictitious business name will expire on June 11, 2030 6/19, 6/26, 7/3, 7/10
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2025-9010906
Fictitious business name(s): Rolaro Corp
Rolando's Distribution Located at: 2305 National Ave San Diego, CA 92113 County of San Diego
This business is conducted by: A Corporation The first day
San Diego, CA 92130
This business is conducted by:
An Individual Registrant has not yet begun to transact business under the name(s) above
This business is hereby registered by the following:
Brionna Star Donnantuoni Ohayon
3766 Mykonos Lane #83 San Diego, CA 92130
This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on May 16, 2025
This fictitious business name will expire on May 16, 2030 6/12, 6/19, 6/26, 7/3
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2025-9010816
Fictitious business name(s): Ione Chapter No 58 Located at: 2901 Clay Ave San Diego, CA 92113 County of San Diego PO Box 210 Lemon Grove, CA 91946
This business is conducted by: A Corporation
The first day of business was: 09/19/1955
421 Broadway #5043 San Diego, CA 92101
County of San Diego
This business is conducted by:
A Limited Liability Company
Registrant has not yet begun to transact business under the name(s) above
This business is hereby registered by the following:
Busy Bee Cleaners LLC
421 Broadway #5043 San Diego, CA 92101 State of Incorporation/ Organization
California
This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on June 04, 2025
This fictitious business name will expire on June 04, 2030 6/12, 6/19, 6/26, 7/3
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2025-9009461
Fictitious business name(s):
Afer Publishing House Located at: 5954 Flipper Dr San Diego, CA 92114 County of San Diego
This business is conducted by: An Individual
The first day of business was: 05/14/2025
This business is hereby registered by the following: Joseph C Carey 5954 Flipper Dr San Diego, CA 92114
This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on May 14, 2025
This fictitious business name will expire on May 14, 2030 6/12, 6/19, 6/26, 7/3
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2025-9009952
Fictitious business name(s): dlS Concessions Located at: 11915 Briarleaf Way San Diego, CA 92128 County of San Diego
This business is conducted by:
A Married Couple
The first day of business was: 05/20/2025
This business is hereby registered by the following: Antonio Taasin de los Santos 11915 Briarleaf Way San Diego, CA 92128
Christina Diane de los Santos 11915 Briarleaf Way San Diego, CA 92128
This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on May 20, 2025
This fictitious business name will expire on May 20, 2030 6/12, 6/19, 6/26, 7/3
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2025-9010640
Fictitious business name(s): Happisigns Located at: 3319 Menard St. National City, CA 91950 County of San Diego
This business is conducted by: Joint Venture
The first day of business was: 06/02/2025
This business is hereby registered by the following: Anabel Ley Brambila 3319 Menard St. National City, CA 91950
Joelle Celest Ley 3319 Menard St. National City, CA 91950
This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on June 02, 2025
This fictitious business name will expire on June 02, 2030 6/12, 6/19, 6/26, 7/3
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2025-9009227
Fictitious business name(s): Fruteria Don Chamango Located at: 4948 El Cajon Blvd. San Diego, CA 92115 County of San Diego
This business is conducted by: An Individual
The first day of business was: 11/05/2011
This business is hereby registered by the following: Maria Pelayo 7412 Peter Pan Ave San Diego, CA 92114
This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on May 12, 2025
This fictitious business name will expire on May 12, 2030 6/12, 6/19, 6/26, 7/3
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2025-9010394
This business is conducted by: A Limited Liability Company
Registrant has not yet begun to transact business under the name(s) above
This business is hereby registered by the following: Babylon's Garden Market LLC 4726 Market St San Diego, CA 92102 State of Incorporation/ Organization
California
This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on May 28, 2025
This fictitious business name will expire on May 28, 2030 6/12, 6/19, 6/26, 7/3
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2025-9010211
Fictitious business name(s): Caring Heart Family Support Services
Located at: 204 Van Houten Avenue El Cajon, CA 92020 County of San Diego
This business is conducted by: Co-Partners
The first day of business was: 11/04/2024
This business is hereby registered by the following: Javodki Vorner Harrison
204 Van Houten Avenue El Cajon, CA 92020
Edward L Harrison
204 Van Houten Avenue El Cajon, CA 92020
This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on May 23, 2025
This fictitious business name will expire on May 23, 2030 6/12, 6/19, 6/26, 7/3
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2025-9010210
Fictitious business name(s): Mashiah Naturals
Located at: 206 Van Houten Avenue El Cajon, CA 92020 County of San Diego
This business is conducted by:
A Limited Liability Company
The first day of business was: 01/01/2025
This business is hereby registered by the following: Mashiah Naturals LLC
206 Van Houten Avenue El Cajon, CA 92020 State of Incorporation/ Organization California
This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on May 23, 2025
This fictitious business name will expire on May 23, 2030 6/12, 6/19, 6/26, 7/3
STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME 2025-9010740
Fictitious business name(s) to be abandoned: Root Digger Genealogy Research Services
Y ..Indeed Located at: 701 Selma Place San Diego, CA 92114 County of San Diego
This business is conducted by: An Individual
The Fictitious business name referred to above was filed in San Diego County on: 09/23/2021 and assigned File no. 2021-9021255
The fictitious business name is being abandoned by:
Yvette Marie Porter-Moore 701 Selma Pl San Diego, CA 92114
This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County June 03, 2025 6/12, 6/19, 6/26, 7/3
STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME 2025-9010976
Fictitious business name(s) to be abandoned: Elevate Home Care
Located at: 6455 La Jolla Blvd, Unit 315 La Jolla, CA 92037 County of San Diego
7851 Mission Center Ct #208 San Diego, CA 92108-1326
This business is conducted by: A Limited Liability Company
State of Incorporation/ Organization
California
This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County June 06, 2025 6/12, 6/19, 6/26, 7/3
NAME CHANGE
SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA
330 West Broadway San Diego, CA 92101
Hall of Justice Courthouse Case Number 25CU031941C
Petitioner or Attorney:
Theresa Marie Nevills AKA
Theresa Marie Nevills-Porter
To All Interested Persons: Petitioner
Theresa Marie Nevills AKA
Theresa Marie Nevills-Porter filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows:
a. PRESENT NAME:
Theresa Marie Nevills AKA
Theresa Marie Nevills-Porter
PROPOSED NAME: Theresa Marie Nevills
THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.
NOTICE OF HEARING
Date: August 11, 2025 Time: 8:30 A.M. Dept. C-61
(To appear remotely, check in advance of the hearing for information about how to do so on the court's website. To find your court's website go to www.courts.ca.gov/find-mycourt.htm)
NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE.
The court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).
If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One copy of the Order Granting the Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.
To change a name on a legal document, including a birth certificate, social security card, driver license, passport, and other identification, a certified copy of Decree
Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree
Changing Name and Order Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC-230) may be required. Contact the agency(ies) who issue the legal document that needs to be changed, to determine if a certified copy is required.
A certified copy of Decree
Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree
Changing Name and Order
Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC-230) may be obtained from the Civil Business Office for a fee. Petitioners who are seeking a change of name under the Safe at Home program may contact the assigned department for the information on obtaining certified copies.
In accordance with California Health and Safety Code Section 1255.1,1255.5 and Senate Bill
(SB1300),
San Diego Health is providing public notice of a proposed change in service involving the closure and relocation of its Senior Behavioral Health (SBH) Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) services located at 410 Dickinson Street, San Diego, CA 92103.
• Facility: UC San Diego Health, Hillcrest Medical Center.
• Service Affected: Senior Behavioral Health Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP).
• Proposed Effective Date: No sooner than 90 days from the date of this notice (May 29).
• The SBH IOP provided intensive outpatient group therapy services for older adults diagnosed with behavioral health conditions, with the majority of patients treated for major depressive disorders.
• Between July 1, 2020, and June 30, 2024, the SBH IOP served 141 unique patients. Patients were primarily aged 65 and older and represented a racially and ethnically diverse population, with the majority identifying as White/Caucasian.
• The SBH IOP has served patients covered by Medicare and commercial insurance plans.
• Less than 5 personnel are expected to be impacted by the change in services.
• Aggregate demographic and service data will be shared with Medi-Cal managed care plans in compliance with SB1300.
• This change is part of a broader initiative to enhance behavioral health services at the UC San Diego Health East Campus Medical Center, including the expansion of higher levels of care such as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), increased home-based care, and further integration of outpatient behavioral health programs.
• The transition is intended to improve access, streamline care delivery, and better meet the behavioral health needs of the region.
• UC San Diego Health will continue to provide inpatient psychiatric services at Hillcrest Medical Center (age >18) and East Campus Medical Center (age >50). UC San Diego Health will continue to provide outpatient psychiatric services at Outpatient Psychiatric Services Hillcrest, La Jolla, and Rancho Bernardo locations.
• Other known local intensive outpatient geriatric behavioral health service providers include Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital, Paradise Valley Hospital and Sharp Grossmont Hospital, which accept Medicare and commercial insurance plans.
• Comments or questions may be submitted to: publiccomments@health.ucsd.edu
• UC San Diego Health may be reached at 858-657-7000.
The closest comparable facilities offering intensive outpatient geriatric behavioral health services are:
Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital (5 miles)
7850 Vista Hill Avenue, San Diego, CA 92123
Paradise Valley Hospital – Bayview Behavioral Health Campus (14 miles)
330 Moss Street, Chula Vista, CA 91911
Sharp Grossmont Hospital – Senior Intensive Outpatient Program (12 miles)
5555 Grossmont Center Drive, La Mesa, CA 91942
• The relocation allows for current senior behavioral health resources to
medical-psychiatric inpatient unit on a UC San Diego Health campus that
new partial hospital programs and home-based
• The transition aims to improve access, streamline care delivery, and better meet the behavioral health needs of the region.
• Proposed Effective Date: No sooner than 120 days from the first date of this notice.
• The SBH Inpatient Unit, consisting of 14 beds, provided inpatient treatment for a variety of behavioral health conditions commonly experienced by older adults, as categorized under Medicare Severity Diagnosis-Related Groups (MSDRGs); these included a broad mix of psychiatric conditions managed in an acute care setting.
• The SBH inpatients served over the past five years have been covered by Medicare, Medi-Cal, and commercial insurance plans.
• Between July 1, 2019, and June 30, 2024, the SBH Inpatient Unit discharged over 1,100 patients, averaging approximately 244 discharges and 190 unique individuals per year. Patients were primarily aged 65 and older and represented a racially and ethnically diverse population, with the majority identifying as White/Caucasian and a portion of patients choosing not to disclose demographic information.
• Aggregate demographic and service data will be shared with Medi-Cal managed care plans in compliance with SB1300.
• Potential impacts may occur to less than 50 employment positions which will be prioritized for re-deployment within UC San Diego Health where possible.
• UC San Diego Health will continue to provide inpatient and outpatient psychiatric services at Hillcrest Medical Center (age >18) and East Campus Medical Center (age >50).
The closest comparable facilities offering inpatient geriatric behavioral health services are: San Diego County Psychiatric Hospital (3 miles)
3853 Rosecrans Street, San Diego, CA 92110
Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital (5 miles) 7850 Vista Hill Avenue, San Diego, CA 92123
Paradise Valley Hospital – Bayview Behavioral Health Campus (14 miles)
330 Moss Street, Chula Vista, CA 91911
The facilities are contracted with Medi-Cal, Medicare and various commercial insurance plans for inpatient behavioral health services.
• A public hearing will be scheduled within 60 days; details will be posted at https://health.ucsd.edu/policies-notices
• Comments may be submitted to: govtcomm@ucsd.edu
• UC San Diego Health may be reached at 858-657-7000
as follows:
a. PRESENT NAME: Marissa Facio
PROPOSED NAME: Marissa Zuelsdorf
b. PRESENT NAME: Melissa Facio
parties by mail of a future hearing date
Any Petition for the name change of a minor that is signed by only one parent must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other nonsigning parent, and proof of service must be filed with the court.
The address of the court is:
330 West Broadway San Diego, CA 92101 7/3, 7/10, 7/17, 7/26
SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA
PROPOSED NAME: Melissa Zuelsdorf
THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted.
court.htm)
NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE.
The court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).
The Fictitious business name referred to above was filed in San Diego County on: 01/09/2024 and assigned File no. 2024-9000582
Fictitious business name(s): Babylon City Located at: 4726 Market St San Diego, CA 92102 County of San Diego
The fictitious business name is being abandoned by: PEAK Solutions LLC
7851 Mission Center Ct #208 San Diego, CA 92108-1326
If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.
If a timely objection is filed, the court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.
325 S. Melrose Dr. Vista, CA 92081 North County Division Case Number
25CU031324N
Petitioner or Attorney: Marlene Zuelsdorf
To All Interested Persons: Petitioner Marlene Zuelsdorf filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names
Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.
NOTICE OF HEARING Date: August 01, 2025 Time: 8:30 A.M. Dept. N-25
(To appear remotely, check in advance of the hearing for information about how to do so on the court's website. To find your court's website go to www.courts.ca.gov/find-my-
If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One copy of the Order Granting the Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.
To change a name on a legal document, including a birth certificate, social security card,
of Decree Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or
must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other nonsigning parent, and proof of service must be filed with the court.
The address of the court is:
325 S. Melrose Dr. Vista, CA 92081
6/26, 7/3, 7/10, 7/17
SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA
330 West Broadway San Diego, CA 92101
Case Number 25CU030827C
Petitioner or Attorney: Gregory Timothy Adams
To All Interested Persons: Petitioner Gregory Timothy Adams filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows:
a. PRESENT NAME: Gregory Timothy Adams
PROPOSED NAME: Gregory Timothy Anderson
THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted.
Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.
NOTICE OF HEARING
Date: August 04, 2025
Time: 8:30 A.M. Dept. 61
(To appear remotely, check in advance of the hearing for information about how to do so on the court's website. To find your court's website go to www.courts.ca.gov/find-mycourt.htm)
NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE
SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE.
The court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).
If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One copy of the Order Granting the Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.
To change a name on a legal document, including a birth certificate, social security card, driver license, passport, and other identification, a certified copy of Decree
Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree
Changing Name and Order
Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate
(JC Form #NC-230) may be required. Contact the agency(ies) who issue the legal document that needs to be changed, to determine if a certified copy is required.
A certified copy of Decree
Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree
Changing Name and Order
Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate
(JC Form #NC-230) may be obtained from the Civil Business Office for a fee. Petitioners who are seeking a change of name under the Safe at Home program may contact the assigned department for the information on obtaining certified copies.
If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.
If a timely objection is filed, the court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.
A RESPONDENT
OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE MUST
FILE A WRITTEN
OBJECTION AT LEAST
TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date
Any Petition for the name change of a minor that is signed by only one parent must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other nonsigning parent, and proof of service must be filed with the court.
The address of the court is:
330 West Broadway San Diego, CA 92101
6/19, 6/26, 7/3, 7/10
SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA
330 West Broadway San Diego, CA 92101 Hall of Justice Courthouse
Case Number
25CU029009C
Petitioner or Attorney:
Freida Jean Jackson AKA
Fredia Jenne Davis
To All Interested Persons: Petitioner
Freida Jean Jackson AKA Fredia Jenne Davis filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows:
a. PRESENT NAME:
Freida Jean Jackson AKA
Fredia Jenne Davis
PROPOSED NAME:
Freida Jean Jackson [First] [Middle] [Last]
THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted.
Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.
NOTICE OF HEARING
Date: July 23, 2025
Time: 8:30 A.M. Dept. 61
(To appear remotely, check in advance of the hearing for information about how to do so on the court's website. To find your court's website go to www.courts.ca.gov/find-mycourt.htm)
NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE.
The court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).
If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One copy of the Order Granting the Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.
To change a name on a legal document, including a birth certificate, social security card, driver license, passport, and other identification, a certified copy of Decree
Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree
Changing Name and Order
Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC-230) may be required. Contact the agency(ies) who issue the legal document that needs to be changed, to determine if a certified copy is required.
A certified copy of Decree
Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree
Changing Name and Order
Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC-230) may be obtained from the Civil Business Office for a fee. Petitioners who are seeking a change of name under the Safe at Home program may contact the
assigned department for the information on obtaining certified copies.
If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.
If a timely objection is filed, the court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.
A RESPONDENT
OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE MUST FILE A WRITTEN
OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date
Any Petition for the name change of a minor that is signed by only one parent must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other nonsigning parent, and proof of service must be filed with the court.
The address of the court is: 330 West Broadway San Diego, CA 92101 6/19, 6/26, 7/3, 7/10
SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA
330 West Broadway San Diego, CA 92101
Hall of Justice Courthouse Case Number 25CU030424C
Petitioner or Attorney: Margo Jone Curry AKA Anika Jone Curry
To All Interested Persons: Petitioner
Margo Jone Curry AKA Anika Jone Curry filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows:
a. PRESENT NAME: Margo Jone Curry AKA Anika Jone Curry
PROPOSED NAME: Anika Jone Curry [First] [Middle] [Last]
THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted.
Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.
NOTICE OF HEARING
Date: July 31, 2025 Time: 8:30 A.M. Dept. 61
(To appear remotely, check in advance of the hearing for information about how to do so on the court's website. To find your court's website go to www.courts.ca.gov/find-mycourt.htm)
NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE.
The court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).
If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One copy of the Order Granting the Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.
To change a name on a legal document, including a birth certificate, social security card, driver license, passport, and other identification, a certified copy of Decree
Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree
Changing Name and Order Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC-230) may be required. Contact the
agency(ies) who issue the legal document that needs to be changed, to determine if a certified copy is required.
A certified copy of Decree Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree Changing Name and Order Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC-230) may be obtained from the Civil Business Office for a fee. Petitioners who are seeking a change of name under the Safe at Home program may contact the assigned department for the information on obtaining certified copies.
If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.
If a timely objection is filed, the court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.
A RESPONDENT
OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date
Any Petition for the name change of a minor that is signed by only one parent must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other nonsigning parent, and proof of service must be filed with the court.
The address of the court is: 330 West Broadway San Diego, CA 92101 6/19, 6/26, 7/3, 7/10
SUMMONS (Citation Judicial)
NOTICE TO DEFENDANT
(Aviso al demandado): Ofer Koren
YOU ARE BEING SUED BY PLAINTIFF (Lo esta demandado el demandante): Victoria Ann Morgan
NOTICE! You have been sued. The court may decide against you without your being heard unless you respond within 30 days. Read the information below.
You have 30 CALENDAR DAYS after this summons and legal papers are served on you to file a written response at this court and have a copy served on the plaintiff. A letter or phone call will not protect you. Your written response must be in proper legal form if you want the court to hear your case. There may be a court form that you can use for your response. You can find these court forms and more information at the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www. courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp), your county law library, or the courthouse nearest you. If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the court clerk for a fee waiver form. If you do not file your response on time, you may lose the case by default, and your wages, money, and property may be taken without further warning from the court.
There are other legal requirements. You may want to call an attorney right away. If you do not know an attorney, you may want to call an attorney referral service. If you cannot afford an attorney, you may be eligible for free legal services from a nonprofit legal services program. You can locate these nonprofit groups at the California Legal Services Web site (www.lawhelpcalifornia.org), the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www. courtinto.ca.gov/selfhelp), or by contacting your local court or county bar association. NOTE: The court has a statutory lien for waived fees and costs on any settlement or arbitration award of $10,000 or more in a civil case. The court's lien must be paid before the court will dismiss the case.
¡AVISO! Lo han demandado. Si no responde dentro de 30
dias, la corte puede decidir en su contra sin escuchar su versión. Lea la información a continuación.
Tiene 30 DIAS DE CALENDARIO después de que le entreguen esta citación y papeles legales para presentar una respuesta por escrito en esta corte y hacer que se entregue una copia al demandante. Una carta o una llamada telefónica no lo protegen. Su respuesta por escrito tiene que estar en formato legal correcto si desea que procesen su caso en la corte. Es posible que haya un formulario que usted pueda usar para su respuesta. Puede encontrar estos formularios de la corte y más información en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California (www.sucorte. ca.gov), en la biblioteca de leyes de su condado o en la corte que le quede más cerca. Si no puede pagar la cuota de presentación, pida al secretano de la corte que le de un formulario de exención de pago de cuotas. Si no presenta su respuesta a tiempo, puede perder el caso por incumplimiento y la corte le podra quitar su sueldo, dinero y bienes sin mas advertencia. Hay otros requisitos legales. Es recomendable que llame a un abogado inmediatamente. Si no conoce a un abogado, puede llamar a un servicio de remisión a abogados. Si no puede pagar a un abogado, es posible que cumpla con los requisitos para obtener servicios legales gratuitos de un programa de servicios legales sin fines de lucro. Puede encontrar estos grupos sin fines de lucro en el sitio web de Calitornia Legal Services, (www. lawhelpcalifornia.org), en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California, (www. sucorte.ca.gov) o poniéndose en contacto con la corte o el colegio de abogados locales.
AVISO: Por ley, la corte tiene derecho a reclamar las cuotas y los costos exentos por imponer un gravamen sobre cualquier recuperación de $10,000 o más de valor recibida mediante un acuerdo o una concesión de arbitraje en un caso de derecho civil. Tiene que pagar el gravamen de la corte antes de que la corte pueda desechar el caso.
Case Number: 25CL017018C
The name and address of the court is (El nombre y direccion de la corte es): San Diego Superior Court Hall of Justice, 330 W. Broadway, San Diego, CA 92101
The name, address, and telephone number of plaintiff 's attorney, or plaintiff without an attorney, is: (El nombre, la direccion y el numero de telefono del abogado del demandante, o del demandante que no tiene abogado, es): Victoria Ann Morgan, Pro Per 4815 33rd St. San Diego, CA 92116
DATE (Fecha): 04/03/2025
Clerk By: R. Stille Deputy Clerk 6/19, 6/26, 7/3, 7/10
NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF Jamie J. Kim
Case Number: 25PE001693C
To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate or both, of Jamie J. Kim
A Petition for Probate has been filed by Steve Kim in the Superior Court of California, County of San Diego.
The Petition for Probate requests that Steve Kim be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.
The Petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without
obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: July 16, 2025 at 1:30 P.M. in Department Probate Room 502 located at the Superior Court of California County of San Diego 1100 Union St. San Diego, CA 92101 Central Courthouse
If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.
If you are a creditor or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.
You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.
Petitioner: Steve Kim 6909 Starstone Dr. Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275 (310) 903-0865 6/19, 6/26, 7/3
SYVILLA FORT IS BORN
Syvilla Fort, born on July 3, 1917, was a pioneering dancer and teacher whose Afro-Modern technique blended African, Caribbean, and American styles. Denied access to formal ballet schools due to racism, she trained privately, began teaching at age nine, and later studied at the Cornish School as its first Black student.
Fort performed with Katherine Dunham’s company before an injury shifted her focus to teaching. Her New York studio trained stars like Marlon Brando and James Earl Jones, before passing away in 1975 after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
1940
FONTELLA BASS IS BORN
Fontella Bass, born on July 3, 1940 in St. Louis, was a powerhouse vocalist whose gospel roots shaped a dynamic career in soul, R&B, and jazz. Best known for her 1965 hit “Rescue Me”, Bass blended sacred and secular sounds with emotional depth and vocal fire. She later collaborated with jazz greats, recorded Grammy-nominated albums, and performed worldwide. Bass’s music and resilience left a lasting legacy before her passing in 2012 at age 72.
1994
ZELA WATSON GEORGE PASSES AWAY
Zelma Watson George born in 1903, was a trailblazing opera singer, social worker, and political activist. The first Black woman to perform a lead role in a Menotti opera, she also earned a Ph.D. in Sociology and worked as a community leader in Cleveland.
George advised President Eisenhower, served at the U.N., and directed the Cleveland Job Corps Center for Women before passing away on July 3, 1994. Her legacy of service, education, and the arts continues to inspire.
Kremers President,
