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Vol. 64 No. 5 | Thursday, February 1, 2024
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SOUTHEASTERN STRONG:
Serving San Diego County’s African & African American Communities 64 Years
INSIDE
THIS WEEK'S ISSUE:
DISTRICT 4 RALLIES TOGETHER
COMMUNITY STORM RESOURCES SEE PAGE 6
AMID HISTORIC FLOOD Devastating winter storm displaces over 200 households and counting…
SAN DIEGO’S FORGOTTEN SLAVE HISTORY SEE PAGE 8
Tasha Williamson giving powerful testimony on behalf of flood victims at the Jan. 29 City Council meeting. PHOTO: Macy Meinhardt/ Voice & Viewpoint
By Macy Meinhardt VOICE & VIEWPOINT STAFF WRITER In the wake of what experts say is a “thousand-year flood”, Southeastern San Diego has boots on the ground as neighbors, volunteers, and organizations rally together to assess what needs to be done to rebuild amid the current state of emergency. After a devastating atmospheric river swept through the region last week, hundreds of res-
idents and counting, have reported significant loss—ranging from homes, businesses, vehicles, pets, medication and more. With more rain on the way starting today, Feb. 1, through the weekend, volunteers and crisis management personnel are working overtime to ensure that affected residents are secure—either through hotel vouchers or shelter housing—and that future flood victims will be limited. See FLOOD page 2
THREE BLACK U.S. ARMY RESERVISTS KILLED IN DRONE ATTACK NEAR SYRIAN BORDER
PHOTO: NNPA Newswire
GET REGISTERED AND READY, MARCH 5TH PRIMARY IS COMING SOON A look at the candidates running in your upcoming primary election San Diego County Registrar of Voters will soon become a hot spot come March 5. PHOTO: Macy Meinhardt/ Voice & Viewpoint
By Macy Meinhardt VOICE & VIEWPOINT STAFF WRITER
lot starting from the State Senate down to Local City Council races.
As we are on the brink of the March 5th Primary election for local and state offices representing San Diego, now is the time to familiarize yourself with the candidates vying to shape the future of your community. Residents who are currently registered should expect to receive a ballot in the mail the week of February 4, 2024. Here is a look at some of the names voters should expect to see on the bal-
1. United States Senator Roughly thirty candidates have filed for candidacy for California Senator. Democrat Laphonza Butler is the current incumbent and will retire at the end of her term. Notable challengers include U.S Reps. Katie Porter, Barbara Lee, Adam Schiff, and Steve Garvey. See PRIMARY page 2
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA NEWSWIRE SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT
base plays a crucial role in providing support for the coalition’s efforts against ISIS, according to Central Command.
Three Black American reservists from the 926th Engineer Brigade, based at Fort Moore, Georgia, lost their lives in a drone attack on a U.S. base near the Jordan-Syria border. Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh identified the fallen soldiers as Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46, of Carrollton, Georgia; Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, of Waycross, Georgia; and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23, of Savannah, Georgia.
The attack marks the third drone strike on the outpost in the past six months, with the first two occurring in the latter half of the previous year being unsuccessful. Lt. Gen. Jody Daniels, chief of the Army Reserve and commanding general of the U.S. Army Reserve Command, said the murders of the three Black reservists cut deeply.
The tragedy occurred at the logistics support base at Tower 22 of the Jordanian Defense Network, where approximately 350 U.S. Army and Air Force personnel are stationed. That
The U.S. government has determined that Iran was responsible for the attack, prompting President Joe Biden to vow a response. “There will be a response,” Biden declared. See ATTACK page 2
CALIFORNIA BECOMES FIRST STATE TO BREAK DOWN
BLACK EMPLOYEE DATA BY ETHNICITY Disparities in income, health care outcomes and career and state agencies' leadership revealed
By Antonio Ray Harvey CALIFORNIA BLACK MEDIA As of Jan. 1, California became the first state in the nation to disaggregate data for its Black population by ethnic lineage. Thanks to a bill authored by Assemblymember Chris Holden (D-Pasadena). Holden is a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus. A California Department of Human Resource (CalHR) questionnaire requests newly or rehired employees to voluntarily self-identify their race, ethnicity and gender for the state to track and evaluate equal employment opportunities and nondiscriminatory employment practices more accurately. “For the first time, the descendants of our ancestors, people in my family and the families of over 2 mil-
lion Californians, the overwhelming majority of Black California, will see our community represented and counted among the very important data our state collects, starting among current and future state employees,” said Chris Lodgson, a member of Coalition for Just and Equitable (CJEC). CJEC is a statewide organization comprised of various associations, community groups, and individuals united by a commitment to fight for reparations and reparative justice for descendants of enslaved Black American men and women. Applicants now have the option to check boxes under Black or African American that declare them a descendent of persons who were enslaved in the United States, or not a descendant of persons who were enslaved in the United States, including African Black and Caribbean Black. They can also identify by marking “descendant
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PHOTO: California Black Media
status is unknown” or they can choose not to identify. See ETHNICITY page 15