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By Joe W. Bowers Jr. | California Black Media

Since Pres. Joe Biden decided not to seek re-election, Donald Trump has struggled to find his footing in a campaign that was previously geared toward attacking Biden’s age and fitness.

His performance at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Convention last week highlighted his inability to redefine his new opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump’s comments, particularly his questioning of Harris’s racial identity, failed to resonate with the audience and underscored his reliance on divisive rhetoric.

Trump’s response to Harris’s candidacy has focused on personal attacks rather than her record or Biden’s policies. He has used nicknames like “Laffin Kamala, Lying Kamala, and Phony Kamala” and he has concentrated on her race — her father is Black Jamaican, and her mother is East Asian Indian.

At the NABJ convention, Trump clashed with a panel of Black women journalists, accusing Harris of “switching her race” to gain political advantage. “She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she turned Black, and now she wants to be known as Black?”, Trump claimed.

This approach, intended to sow doubt about Harris’s authenticity, instead highlighted Trump’s persistent use of racially charged rhetoric. His failure to adequately address issues relevant to the Black community, such as the rising cost of living, small business support, maternal mortality, voting rights, and police reform, further alienated the NABJ audience.

Trump’s inability to adapt is also evident in his decision to cancel the Sept. 10 ABC Presidential debate, insisting on a new format with Fox News. This reflects his difficulty in keeping up with Harris’s campaign momentum. He characterized Harris’s rise as a “coup” within the Democratic Party, as he struggles to address her ascent effectively.

Harris, who attended Howard University, a historically Black university (HBCU), and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA), a Black sorority, has been measured in responding to Trump’s divisiveness. At a Sigma Gamma Rho sorority event in Houston, she stated, “The American people deserve better. The American people deserve a leader who tells the truth. A leader who does not respond with hostility and anger when confronted with the facts.”

Harris, as a multiracial American, has the ability to “code-switch”—a skill many people of color use to navigate various cultural environments and connect with diverse audiences. This skill allows her to authentically engage with different communities, whether she is rigorously questioning Supreme Court nominees, addressing issues at historically Black colleges and universities, or hosting Diwali celebrations. Code-switching is not about deceit but about adapting communication styles to resonate with different groups, a testament to her versatility and relatability.

Trump’s inability to grasp this concept underscores his disconnect from the experiences of people of color and multiracial Americans. Instead of recognizing code-switching as a valuable skill, Trump has tried to frame it as deceitful. This tactic plays into a broader narrative Trump has pushed that questions the authenticity of people who do not fit into a narrow, often racially homogenous, mold. By framing Harris’s multifaceted identity and her ability to adapt her communication as something suspect, Trump reveals his limited understanding of the complex and dynamic nature of American identity.

In contrast to Trump, Harris’ campaign is focused on issues resonating with a broad spectrum of voters, such as voting rights, women’s reproductive freedoms, and economic inequalities. Her message of inclusivity and progress stands in stark contrast to Trump’s attempts to rekindle fears of a changing America. She has even begun defending her border record, releasing a video framing her as pro-border security.

Trump’s reliance on racially charged rhetoric reinforces his image as a candidate stuck in the past. Harris can use Trump’s attacks to her advantage by staying focused on her message of unity and progress.

Harris’ campaign mentioning the “weirdness” and outdated nature of Trump’s worldview may prove effective. She is presenting herself as the candidate of the future. This framing helps her cast Trump and his allies as out-of-touch with modern American values as she and her surrogates point out the rollback of rights spelled out in the ultra-conservative Project 2025 agenda, which includes proposals to restrict voting rights, undermine reproductive freedoms, weaken environmental protections and rewrite parts of the Constitution, such as the 14th Amendment which grants citizenship rights.

As we approach the November election, we can expect the contrast to become starker between Trump’s provocative rhetoric that yearns for a return to an ambiguous bygone era of American greatness and Harris’ upbeat message that imagines a unified, forward-looking, stronger America where our diversity is an asset.

In an increasingly multi-racial and multi-cultural America where there are tendencies to focus on the concerns that divide us, it is incumbent on both candidates to build their candidacies on a commitment to inspire voters to collectively pursue the best possibilities for our country and for all Americans.

We are all in this together.

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday took a significant step toward ensuring consistent protection for San Bernardino County’s many unincorporated communities.

Supervisors voted unanimously to place the San Bernardino County Law Enforcement Staffing and Community Protection Act of 2024 on the Nov. 5 General Election ballot. If approved by a majority of voters, the act will establish a funding formula for law enforcement resources in unincorporated communities and make it difficult for future boards to reduce law enforcement funding.

“We went through an era, that actually still to some degree exists, of ‘defund the police.’ This is an opportunity for us to communicate to our residents that we see, hear and understand that they would like to have minimum levels of staffing to ensure that we do have community protections,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman and Third District Supervisor Dawn Rowe.

The act would require the board to allocate a minimum amount of funding in its annual budget to fund patrol personnel’s direct salary and benefit costs for operations in the unincorporated areas of the county. The minimum amount would be the average of actual patrol personnel salary and benefit costs in the unincorporated area of the county in the three preceding fiscal years.
The board could suspend the requirement for no more than 12 months only if it declares a fiscal emergency by at least a four-fifths vote. Funding during a fiscal emergency would not be factored into future three-year averages unless authorized by a five-fifths vote of the board. The act would also ensure competitive compensation for the Sheriff and District Attorney by modernizing the formula used to set their base salaries. The existing formula is based on the salaries paid in Kern, Riverside, Orange, San Diego and Ventura counties. The act would delete Kern County and add Los Angeles County to the formula. The change would also apply to San Bernardino County’s Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk and Auditor-Controller/Treasurer/Tax Collector.

By Lou K. Coleman | WSS News Contributor

I don’t know whether you know this or not, but EVERY TIME the Bible has predicted a future event, it happened EXACTLY as Scripture said it would. Please don’t wait until it’s too late to repent and give your life to Jesus for [Luke 21:26] says that people’s hearts would faint and fail when they see what’s happening “on the earth.” He said there will be distress, dismay, anguish and great fear, because of “those things which are coming on the earth.” And I tell you, there are antisemitic signs all around us, showing that the end is near. [Luke 21:20].

Oh, how I wish we would all be ready! Because while they are saying, ‘Peace and safety!’ as [1 Thessalonians 5:3] says, then destruction will come upon us suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and we will not escape.” Not only that, “Wars, earthquakes, and famines will escalate” until the end of the Antichrist’s 3.5-year reign, when he will enter a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem and proclaim himself to be God and demand worship [2 Thessalonians 2:4; Matthew 24:15].

Then after that, [another 3.5 years], Jesus predicted, “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. Untold loss of life and destruction of the earth will occur during the Great Tribulation. Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.” [Matthew 24:21-22] Oh, how I wish we would all be ready!

John records the battle this way: “And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon [Satan] and out of the mouth of the beast [the Antichrist] and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs; for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty…” [Revelation 16:13–16]. Oh, how I wish that we would all be ready because the above events are not speculations or possibilities – they are what will take place in the future for the Bible has never once been wrong.

As Peter asks, given the truth of these prophecies: “Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be…because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!” [2 Peter 3:11–12].

I tell you we are closer to the Rapture and the Tribulation than ever before. If you do not repent and get under the umbrella of the Almighty God, you will be sorry. Don’t ignore the opportunity to get right with God because He is your ONLY ESCAPE!

As Larry Norman said in his song, [I Wish We’d All Been Ready]. “Life was filled with guns and war and all of us got trampled on the floor. I wish we’d all been ready. The children died; the days grew cold.
I wish we’d all been ready. There’s no time to change your mind the son has come, and you’ve been left behind…How could you have been so blind? A man and wife asleep in bed she hears a noise and turns her head, he’s gone, I wish we’d all be ready. Two men walking up a hill one disappears and one’s left standing still, I wish we’d all been ready. There’s no time to change your mind, the Son has come, and you’ve been left behind. You’ve been left behind. You’ve been left behind. You’ve been left behind. You’ve been left behind!”

By Manny Otiko | California Black Media  

Rumors circulating on social media about Vice President Kamala Harris’s family, interests, politics, temperament, love life, beliefs and more did not begin when President Joe Biden dropped out of the race for the U.S. presidency last month and endorsed her candidacy.

However, a steady flow of disinformation has followed that announcement, including questions about her academic achievements. Harris’s life is under the microscope as more facts about her childhood and adult life surface in the national conversation.

As we dig through what’s true and not about the character and past of the woman who could be the next President of the United States, here are 10 little-known facts that give us more insight into her personality, past and private life.

1. Harris is named after the Hindu deity Lakshmi. The name “Kamala” means lotus in Sanskrit.
2. Her immediate family life is culturally diverse and so is her family background. Her mother was from India and her father is from Jamaica. She’s married to Doug Emhoff, who is Jewish. From the ages of 3 to 5, Harris lived on the west side of Madison, Wisconsin. She also lived in Champaign, Illinois and briefly lived in Canada as a child.
3. Harris is part of a blended family. She is a co-parent to her husband’s two children, who call her “Momala.” Harris’ parenting abilities were praised by Emhoff’s ex-wife. “For over 10 years, since Cole and Ella were teenagers, Kamala has been a co-parent with Doug and I,” said Kerstin Emhoff in a statement to CNN. “She is loving, nurturing, fiercely protective, and always present. I love our blended family and am grateful to have her in it.” Harris’ stepchildren also called her a “third parent.”
4. Harris has a record for breaking barriers according to Biography.com. She was the first woman district attorney in San Francisco, and the first African American woman to serve as California Attorney General. She’s also the first woman to serve as Vice President. Will she be the first woman to serve as Commander-in-Chief.
5. Harris has activism in her DNA. Her parents took her to civil rights marches when she was a child. According to Harris’ own accounts, she and her sister, Maya, protested their Montreal apartment’s policy of banning children from playing on the lawn. Also, her Indian maternal grandfather was an activist for women’s rights.
6. Harris was born at the height of the civil rights movement and experienced some of the huge societal changes common during that era. She was bused as part of Berkeley Schools’ desegregation program.
7. Harris is a foodie. She sees cooking as a good way to relax. According to Glamour, her mother sparked her interest in cooking. In 2019, Harris shot a campaign video with Indian American actress Mindy Kaling where they prepared masa dosa.
8. Although Harris got her start in the Bay Area political scene, she has ties to Southern California and the entertainment industry. She briefly dated former talk show host Montel Williams. When she’s in the Los Angeles area, she stays at her husband’s Brentwood home. Emhoff was an entertainment lawyer.
9. Harris is a Baptist and a Black Greek. One criticism of Harris is that she can’t relate to Black people. However, many of her life experiences have involved important African American cultural and religious organizations. She is a member of a Baptist church, graduated from Howard University, is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA.)
10. During her time as San Francisco DA, Harris instituted the Back on Track initiative. This program expunged young offenders’ records, as long as they performed community service and graduated from high school. The U.S. Department of Justice recognized it as a model reentry program.

Fijian Americans, who comprise a major segment of caregivers, are using their culture to fill an urgent demand for California caregivers.

By Selen Ozturk

As older and disabled Californians grow more diverse, high-tech caregiving can’t meet them where they are unless it’s also high touch.  Fijian Americans, who comprise a major segment of caregivers, are using their culture to fill this urgent demand.

That’s what Dr. VJ Periyakoil, associate dean of research at Stanford Medicine, told a room of about 30 Fijian graduates of LEADER, a first-of-its-kind program run by her through the Stanford SAGE Lab giving health workers practical skills to care for elderly and disabled people in their preferred language and cultural context.

“But what I learned most wasn’t this or that skill, but that any form of care cannot be stagnant,” said LEADER graduate Lusia Barciet about the training, which can span between four and 12 weeks in-person or online.

“When you care for someone, their needs change the more they age or suffer,” she explained. “How you help them keep from falling, what they need to fall asleep, their nutrition needs, how you can keep them talking so their brain is social and active — this all changes from day to day.”

Barciet and her husband Aseri Rika are live-in caregivers for an 82-year-old French man in Sacramento, before which she cared for community members “ages 84 to 94, one or two at a time”.

75% of Fijian Americans live in California, with many in Sacramento. Nationwide, the Census American Community Survey 2015-2019 reports a Fijian immigrant population of 47,000.

“Barciet helps him with physical daily tasks and care including a catheter, while I help him with projects around the house, of which he has so many — right now I’m helping him build a gate,” said Rika.

“He has the mental ability of a man in his 20s, and still thinks he’s in a 20 year old’s body,” he added. “As with stories of people who fall apart as soon as they retire, we’ve both learned how important to care is helping keep the fire alive in his belly, helping him live so he can often have joy.”

Before moving to Sacramento three years ago, Barciet worked as director of human resources at Fiji Marriott Resort, while Rika was a project officer at Fiji Community Development Program.

Fijian care agencies are relatively abundant in California, with three in Sacramento alone.

However, “I’ve only used an agency once,” said Barciet. “It’s so crucial to focus on training us, the caregivers, because we’re so communal. I really work through personal referrals, not agencies. If a child’s parents pass, for example, they refer me to someone else who needs care.”

Among Pacific Islanders in California overall, including native Hawaiians, 26% provide care to friends or family members — the same as white and more than Hispanic and Asian Californians.

In a testament to the strengths of their culture of communal caregiving, Pacific Islanders rank dramatically below all other races and ethnicities for reported financial stress or physical and mental stress due to caregiving. 16.86% of Pacific Islanders report financial stress compared to 56.32% of whites, for example, and 5% of Pacific Islanders report physical or mental stress compared to 16% of whites.

Despite a major dearth of linguistically and culturally specific care training programs like LEADER, language and cultural barriers are often the largest obstacles to care apart from physical difficulties, said Stanford Medicine Dean Dr. Lloyd Miner at the graduation event. “You are often the only ones who can meet them where they are.”

Nearly 6 million Californians, or 15% of the state’s population, were aged 65 and older as of 2021 according to the U.S. Census — a number projected to grow to over 8.7 million, or 20% of the state, by 2030.

The CDC reports that over 7.6 million Californians have a disability.

Caregivers “are truly the backbone of our health care system,” said Connie Nakano, assistant director of the California Department of Aging (CDA), at the Wednesday, July 31 event at the Stanford School of Medicine. To support California’s aging and disabled population, she added, “your commitment is crucial. It makes a difference in countless lives every single day.”

Since it was founded in 2016, LEADER has trained over 650 direct care workers — including home health aides, community health workers, certified nurse assistants and promotores — through funding by agencies including CDA, the National Institutes of Health and the Health Resources and Services Administration.

Nakano pointed to CDA’s own expansive CalGROWS training program as another opportunity for home health workers to earn up to $6,000 for learning and using new caregiver skills. However, time is running out for caregivers to sign up to earn money, as the program ends in August.

The guest of honor at the commencement, Ratu Ilisoni Vuidreketi — Fijian Ambassador to the U.S. — told the Fijian caregivers “Today we celebrate not only your academic achievements. Not only physical support but compassion, kindness and dignity can be the greatest gift you give to those you serve … May you find fulfillment and purpose in every interaction.”

After a traditional Fijian ceremony in the Li Ka Shing Center conference room to honor Vuidreketi and Miner, Periyakoil presented certificates to LEADER graduates, who then convened to sing a traditional hymn.

“Because of our communal culture, the most challenging part of this training was the beginning framework, learning the course of diseases like dementia and how needs change with them,” said Barciet after the event. “For example, in Fiji, there was no dementia. There was no written history. So we are always talking, talking, talking around the dinner table — ‘Remember this person? Remember that place?’ That’s how we live, socially.”

“In Fiji, all our houses were next to each other, so if I’d see someone struggling to wash clothes or build a fire, I’d simply go over and help them, then return to what I was doing,” she added. “We make such good caregivers because caregiving doesn’t even make sense to us as a separate concept. It’s life itself.”

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—The Educational Results Partnership (ERP) named four San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) campuses to its 2023 Honor Roll for being high-performing schools that improve student academic outcomes. The award-winning schools are Hillside, Kimbark and North Verdemont Elementary Schools; Richardson PREP HI Middle School and Rodriguez PREP Academy Middle School.

All but Kimbark Elementary also made the Honor Roll in 2018 and 2019. Kimbark was last honored in 2016. In fact, Richardson has been named to the Honor Roll 11 times and Hillside 8 times. All five schools earned the Star Award in 2023 and in previous years, which recognizes Honor Roll schools that are high performing and closing the achievement gap despite being high-need schools. This is the first year ERP has published the Honor Roll since 2019.

“I already know that our schools SHINE, that they are preparing SBCUSD scholars for success in school with high expectations that make them college and career ready,” said Superintendent Mauricio Arellano. “But it is certainly nice when outside organizations recognize our schools’ efforts.”

ERP is a non-profit organization that uses public school achievement data to help improve student outcomes and career readiness. ERP Honor Roll schools have demonstrated consistently high levels of student academic achievement, improvement in achievement levels over time and a reduction in achievement gaps among student populations.

In California, the ERP Honor Roll is supported by numerous businesses and organizations, including the California Black Chamber of Commerce and the Campaign for Business & Education Excellence.

Associated Press

The third-grade students at Roberta T. Smith Elementary School had only a few days until summer vacation, and an hour until lunch, but there was no struggle to focus as they filed into the classroom. They were ready for one of their favorite parts of the day.

The children closed their eyes and traced their thumbs from their foreheads to their hearts as a pre-recorded voice led them through an exercise called the shark fin, part of the classroom’s regular meditation routine.

“Listen to the chimes,” said the teacher, Kim Franklin. “Remember to breathe.”

Schools across the U.S. have been introducing yoga, meditation and mindfulness exercises to help students manage stress and emotions. As the depths of student struggles with mental health became clear in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last year endorsed schools’ use of the practices.

Children nationwide struggled with the effects of isolation and remote learning as they returned from the pandemic school closures. The CDC in 2023 reported more than a third of students were affected by feelings of persistent sadness and hopelessness.

“We know that our teenagers and adolescents have really strained in their mental health,” CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen told The Associated Press. “There are real skills that we can give our teens to make sure that they are coping with some big emotions.”

Approaches to mindfulness represent a form of social-emotional learning, which has become a political flashpoint with many conservatives who say schools use it to promote progressive ideas about race, gender and sexuality.

But advocates say the programming brings much-needed attention to students’ well-being.

“When you look at the numbers, unfortunately, in Georgia, the number of children of color with suicidal thoughts and success is quite high,” Cooper said. “When you look at the number of psychologists available for these children, there are not enough psychologists of color.”

Black youth have the fastest-growing suicide rate among racial groups, according to CDC statistics. Between 2007 and 2020, the suicide rate among Black children and teens ages 10 to 17 increased by 144%.

“It’s a stigma with being able to say you’re not OK and needing help, and having the ability to ask for help,” said Tolana Griggs, Smith Elementary’s assistant principal. “With our diverse school community and wanting to be more aware of our students, how different cultures feel and how different cultures react to things, it’s important to be all-inclusive with everything we do.”

Nationwide, children in schools that serve mostly students of color have less access to psychologists and counselors than those in schools serving mostly white students.

The Inner Explorer program guides students and teachers through five-to-10-minute sessions of breathing, meditating and reflecting several times a day. The program also is used at Atlanta Public Schools and over 100 other districts across the country.

Teachers and administrators say they have noticed a difference in their students since they’ve incorporated mindfulness into their routine. For Aniyah Woods, 9, the program has helped her “calm down” and “not stress anymore.”

“I love myself how I am, but Inner Explorer just helps me feel more like myself,” Aniyah said.

Malachi Smith, 9, has used his exercises at home, with his father helping to guide him through meditation.

“You can relax yourself with the shark fin, and when I calm myself down, I realize I am an excellent scholar,” Malachi said.

After Franklin’s class finished their meditation, they shared how they were feeling.

“Relaxed,” one student said.

Aniyah raised her hand.

“It made me feel peaceful,” she said.

This resource was supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library via California Black Media as part of the Stop the Hate program. The program is supported by partnership with the California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to https://www.cavshate.org/

By Aldon Thomas Stiles

According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), hate crimes targeting the LGBTQIA+ community in California were on the rise between 2022 and 2023, despite the state seeing a decline in overall hate crimes.

While the frequency of overall hate crimes reported to the California Attorney General’s Office (OAG) between 2022 and 2023 decreased by 8.9%, 24.2% of all hate crimes reported to the OAG were LGBTQIA+ hate crimes.

According to the California DOJ, anti-LGBTQIA+ hate crime incidents grew by 86.4%.

“As this report makes clear, homophobia and transphobia can all-too-easily morph into something even more dangerous,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta in a letter of this year’s DOJ State of Pride report. “This rise of hate is unacceptable, and we will not stand for it.”

On July 9, the DOJ’s Office of Community Awareness Response and Engagement (CARE) held their annual hate crime report briefing during which members of the CARE Team discussed the report’s findings on overall hate crimes and how the state plans to address them.

Among the next steps the state plans to take based on the report are reaching out to communities that, on average, are reporting less hate crimes than other communities, billboard campaigns, regular updates for underserved communities and “community-specific engagement” through grants and partnerships, including a subgrant with California Black Media.

During the presentation, the DOJ identified organizations that they are partnering with to quell hate crimes in the state, including the California Department of Social Services, the California State Library, and the OAG.

The DOJ intends on taking a “community-centered approach” to their efforts to address hate, ensuring collaboration with community organizations.

These next steps include connecting with culturally competent resources, improving hate incident and crime reporting and continued training in cultural competency

Of the reports made to the OAG, 18.4% cited discriminatory treatment, 16.7% reported verbal harassment and 16.7% reported incidents of the use of slurs.

According to the report, 29.9% of these incidents were reported to occur in residential areas, 9.7% in the workplace and 9.1% in public facilities.

“Everyone has a part to play as we continue to fight prejudice and create safer communities in California,” Bonta stated in a press release. “I urge everyone to review the data and resources available and recommit to standing united against hate.”

In the press release, Bonta spoke about the responsibility of the state to address these issues.

“The California Department of Justice has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to hate, and will continue working with law enforcement, elected leaders, and community organizations across the state to keep our communities safe through education, prevention, and enforcement,” he said.

To report hate incidents or crimes, visit the California Civil Rights Department website, or call 833-8-NO-HATE.

This resource was supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library via California Black Media as part of the Stop the Hate program. The program is supported by partnership with the California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to https://www.cavshate.org/

By Aldon Thomas Stiles

On July 16, Zócalo Public Square and the University of California, Riverside’s (UCR) College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences hosted a panel titled “How Does the Inland Empire Strike Back Against Hate?”

Moderated by Professor Emeritus of Cal State San Bernardino’s School of Criminal Justice Brian Levin, the conversation centered around the Inland Empire’s history with hate crime as well as the current state of hate in the region.

“In a civil, democratic society, we have to build spaces that actively support strategies to diffuse the underlying elements that give rise to violence and hate crimes,” stated Moira Shourie, executive director of Zo?calo Public Square, on UCR’s events web page. “Our goal with this program is to examine the past, present, and bright future of the Inland Empire’s fight against injustice that local policymakers and advocates in the region are spearheading.”

Assemblymember Corey A. Jackson (D-Riverside), one of the event’s panelists, claimed that there is much work to be done to combat hate in the region.

He also stressed the importance of historical context.

“We are not doing enough in the Inland Empire,” said Jackson. “I think that we have to remember the history of the empire and this rise of hate, only to me, shows me that it’s going back to its roots and we have got to do all that we can to fight against that.”

Near the beginning of the event, organizers played a video of California Attorney General Rob Bonta discussing hate crimes, citing hate crime statistics.

“Between 2022 and 2023, we witnessed a 20% increase in overall hate crimes. Crimes based on race, religion, and sexual orientation,” said Bonta. “Hate against any one of us is hate against all of us. That’s not something we can ever stand for.”

Panelist Luis Nolasco, Senior Policy Advocate and Organizer for ACLU’s Southern California Inland Empire Office, spoke about the immigrant experience in the state and his involvement in projects meant to improve it.

He said that during election years, immigrants tend to be “scapegoats” for the nation’s woes and that the Inland Empire is “no different.”

“I think one of the biggest projects has been ensuring that our localities are implementing policies that are proactive in defending and affecting our immigrant community,” Nolasco said.

Jackson said that one step the Inland Empire can take toward reducing hate crime is to build anti-racist institutions.

He mentioned the Commission on the State of Hate, California’s Civil Rights Department’s commission dedicated to identifying, addressing and preventing hate activity statewide.

“We are making sure that we are upholding what other generations did for us so that when hate, racism and xenophobia raises its ugly head, we’re going to beat it back into the shadows where it belongs,” said Jackson.

Project Director of Mapping Black California and speaker on the panel Candice Mays spoke about reporting hate crimes and how crucial that is for understanding the scope of these types of crimes in the region.

She asserted that citizens need to be made aware of how to report hate crimes and who to report them to, considering that sometimes the perpetrators of hate crimes are those sworn to protect the citizenry from them.

“I think the first hurdle to report a crime is how do you tell the police on the police,” said Mays.

In terms of victimization, Jackson stated that no one is safe from hate crime, saying that “we are all on the menu.”

“As a matter of fact, it is starting to become a buffet when it comes to hate,” he said.

During the event, Inland Valley News inquired of the panel what measures the state can take to improve upon how they respond to reports of hate crimes.

“When instances of hate arise, the Civil Rights department cannot respond to it unless someone calls them and asks them for support,” Jackson said. “So we’re changing the law to say that they can be proactive so that they can begin. And their direction is going to be to send someone into the community, provide them with training, help them build coalitions and the infrastructure to prevent it from happening again or to respond in a better way.”

He went on to emphasize the crucial role lawmakers play in addressing hate.

“The idea is that we have to make sure that we’re eliminating legislative legal barriers, but also unleashing the power of the state to actually be the in the forefront of anti-hate,” he said.

PERRIS, CA – This past Saturday, July 27th, the community gathered for Assemblymember Dr. Corey A. Jackson’s first annual Community BBQ Competition, an event that celebrated local culinary talent and brought together over 1000 community members. The competition featured four local BBQ small businesses, each vying for top honors in the categories of Best Meat and Best Side.

The participants included Mama T’s Food for the Soul (Moreno Valley), D.E.N. Catering (Riverside), Coronado BBQ (San Jacinto), and Nini’s BBQ (Menifee). Attendees had the delicious task of tasting the offerings and voting for their favorites.

The winners are:

• Best Meat: D.E.N. Catering earned top honors with their expertly prepared and flavorful BBQ meats.
• Best Side: Nini’s BBQ delighted voters with their outstanding side dish, securing the win in this category.

“We are thrilled to have hosted this event and look forward to it becoming a beloved annual tradition,” said Assemblymember Dr. Corey Jackson. “Events like these showcase the incredible talent and entrepreneurial spirit within the 60th Assembly District and the Inland Empire.”

This event was not only a culinary celebration but also an excellent opportunity to support our small businesses. All BBQ competitors are proud local business owners who contribute greatly to their community.