PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE
60
th
PAID
Anniversary
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Thursday July Vol. Vol. 57 60No. No.35 30 | Thursday, August 23, 31, 2020 2017
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LOCAL
- SEE PAGE 10
COVID-19 UPDATES
Lines Still Forming Lines are still forming at the County’s Southeast COVID-19 testing site at the Tubman/Chavez Community Center. The number of younger San Diegans getting infected with the novel coronavirus has increased in recent weeks, and more are landing in the hospital, the County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) announced July 15. Now with limited testing supplies, the County is encouraging and prioritizing testing for those with symptoms or people in high-risk groups. Photo Credit: Brian Goodin
Cannot be Heard”
Serving Serving San Diego SanCounty’s Diego County’s African & African AfricanAmerican & African Communities American57Communities Years 60 Years
WHAT’S ON THE NOVEMBER BALLOT - PT. 2
COMMON GROUND THEATRE APPOINTS NEW DIRECTOR
– see page 7
– see page 8
Convention Center Honors Civil Rights Icon
COVID-19 CASES IN SOUTHEAST
541 786
589
92105
92102 958
92115
743
92114
92113
92139
Monday, July 20, the sails of the San Diego Convention center shone red, white & blue in honor of the life & leadership of Civil Rights icon, Rep. John Lewis, who died last Friday at age 80. Photo Credit: Brian Goodin
SUPPORTERS
450
Source: County of San Diego a/o 7/21/20
IN MEMORIAM:
NEWSOM LAYS OUT
Freedom Fighter
Learning and Safe Schools
The World Mourns A Pandemic KICK OFF “YES ON Plan for PROPOSITION 16” CAMPAIGN True Icon and Reinstatement of Affirmative Action in California is at stake
John Lewis 1940-2020
By Quinci LeGardye California Black Media
Ahead of the November election, the Opportunity for All Coalition has
Last week, Governor Gavin Newsom announced his plan for learning and safe schools ahead of the 2020–2021 school year. The California Department of Public Health simultaneously issued a framework for when and how schools should reopen for in-person instruction.
begun its “Yes on Proposition 16” campaign. To kick off the drive, the group held a virtual press conference on Zoom July 14 featuring lawmakers, advocates and activists. Supporters of See PROP 16 page 2
Menthol and African Americans: Lawsuit Filed Against
the FDA Over Menthol Cigs
Rep. John Lewis Good Trouble Trailer. Photo courtesy: NNPA
By Antonio Ray Harvey
By Stacy M. Brown
California Black Media
NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent
Seven out of 10 African American youth between ages 12 and 17 who smoke use menthol cigarettes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And a higher percentage of Black adults who smoke began using menthol cigarettes (93%) — that’s more than two times higher than the number of White adults who did the same (44%), according to the CDC.
Somewhere it’s raining. Somewhere the heavens have opened up, reflecting the tears that are falling across the globe as news of the death of civil rights icon Congressman John Lewis (DGA) spreads.
The two top-selling mentholated cigarette brands in the United States are
See CIGS page 2
Voice & Viewpoint Newswire
The legislator, freedom fighter and justice warrior, who was famously beaten, bloodied and arrested in Selma, Alabama — and in other cities across the Jim Crow South — during the struggle for civil rights and racial equality, was 80. His death came just hours after another the passing of another civil rights icon, Rev. C.T. Vivian, who was 95. National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) President
See LEWIS page 2
“Learning is non-negotiable,” said Governor Newsom. “The virus will be with us for a year or more, and school districts must provide meaningful instruction in the midst of this pandemic. In California, health data will determine when a school can be physically open – and when it must close – but learning should never stop. Students, staff, and parents all prefer in-classroom instruction, but only if it can be done safely.” The Governor’s plan centers on five key areas: 1) Safe in-person school based on local health data The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) currently uses six indicators to track the level of COVID-19 infection in each California county as well as the preparedness of the county health care system – data that includes the number of new infections per 100,000 residents, the test positivity rate, and the change in hospitalization rate, among others. Any county that does not meet the state’s benchmarks is put on the County Monitoring List. See SCHOOLS page 2