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Swearing-in Ceremony held for County Superintendent of Schools and Arrowhead United Way President

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- First 5 San Bernardino is pleased to announce Ted Alejandre and Gwendolyn Dowdy-Rodgers, EdD, have been appointed as new commissioners with the organization whose sole purpose is to help young children ages prenatal to 5 years old get a quality start in life.  Two commission seats were vacated recently after the passing of longtime community leader Dr. Margaret Hill who served the organization as a commissioner for eight years, and with the January 2022 term end for Jorge Escalante after serving for over two years.

These appointments were approved by San Bernardino County’s Board of Supervisors on March 29, 2022.  At First 5 San Bernardino’s first in-person commission meeting in over two years, Alejandre and Dowdy-Rodgers were sworn in by the organization’s Executive Director Karen E. Scott during the April 6, 2022, monthly meeting.

Alejandre is the San Bernardino County superintendent of schools who provides advocacy, leadership and services for and on behalf of more than 406,000 K-12 students attending public schools in San Bernardino County.  A retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, Alejandre is nearing the end of his second four-year term, serving as the county’s 34th superintendent after being elected to office in June 2014.

Dr. Dowdy-Rodgers currently serves as a community development specialist for Pacific Clinics (formerly known as Uplift Family Services), advocating for mental health services and resources on behalf of foster youth.  She also is the president and CEO of Arrowhead United Way, a member of San Bernardino City Unified’s board of education and is a delegate for the California School Board Association serving on the legislative committee.  Dowdy-Rodgers founded the Young Women’s Empowerment Foundation, an organization who mentors young women ages 12-21 to reach their highest aspirations.

“I am thrilled that the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors has selected Ted and Gwen to serve on the Children and Families Commission – First 5 San Bernardino,” stated Scott.  “Their knowledge of the community and experience with children brings invaluable expertise to our Commission.  We look forward to collaborating as we work to improve the health and development of young children and their families,” Scott concluded.

The First 5 San Bernardino Commission is comprised of seven members and includes a San Bernardino County Supervisor (Joe Baca, Jr.), the San Bernardino County Public Health Director (Joshua Dugas), San Bernardino County’s Assistant Executive Officer for Human Services (Diana Alexander) and four at large members from the community (Elliot Weinstein, MD, and Gary Ovitt).  The commission meets the first Wednesday of each month at 3:30 pm (unless otherwise noted).

Offering Early Literacy Software for Ages 2 to 8

Early Literacy Stations (ELS) are now available at each of four City of San Bernardino Public Library facilities with a wide variety of learning software to promote early literacy for youth ages primarily 2 to 8.

There are three ELS in tablet form in the Children’s Department at Feldheym Central Library (555 W. Sixth St.) and one ELS in desktop form at each of the three branch libraries: Rowe at 108 E. Marshall Blvd., Inghram at 1505 W. Highland Ave. and Villaseñor at 525 N. Mt. Vernon Ave.

The service days and hours are the same for all four locations:
• Monday & Tuesday: Noon to 8 p.m.
• Wednesday & Thursdays: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Friday: Closed.
• Saturday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Information is available at 909-381-8201.

They also offer various online resources for library cardholders via their library website at www.sbpl.org including Overdrive eBooks and eAudiobooks and Brainfuse Live Homework Help with subject experts via chat from 1 to 10 p.m. daily except major holidays. Patrons who don’t already have a library card can also sign up at their website for an online library card to use the digital resources. Information about library programs and activities is also available at our website.

With their performance season now underway, the San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra is currently preparing for the first of their Intimate Evening Series concerts.  On May 14th at 7:30 p.m., the Orchestra will present An Evening of Chamber Music featuring The Lyris Quartet as well as a performance by members of the Orchestra’s string section.

Noted Music Director and Conductor Anthony Parnther, “The Lyris Quartet is one of the foremost string quartets in the United States and has garnered an international reputation for their innovation and their frequent collaborations with the most highly regarded composers in the world.”

Mark Swed of the Los Angeles Times agrees, describing the ensemble as “radiant… excellent… and powerfully engaged.”

Members of the quartet have won top prizes at the Tchaikovsky International Competition and at the Aspen Music Festival, and the quartet has collaborated closely with composers Krystof Penderecki, Andrew Norman, Oliver Knussen, Steven Mackey, John Adams, Bruce Broughton, Peter Knell, Kurt Rohde, Paquito D’Rivera, Wadada Leo Smith, and Gerard Schurmann. Lyris has appeared throughout North America, Europe, and Asia in a diverse range of ensembles including Grammy nominated groups Absolute Ensemble, and Southwest Chamber Music, as well as in various festivals such as Ravinia, Brahms Festival in Madrid, Music Academy of the West, Banff Centre for the Arts, Czech SommerFest, and the Oregon Festival of American Music.

This season, Lyris was invited by the LA Philharmonic to perform on their Green Umbrella series and on their tribute concert to composer Steven Stucky. They also gave the west coast premiere of David Lang’s “The Difficulty of Crossing a Field”. This year will mark their fifth season as the resident ensemble for the critically acclaimed series Jacaranda: Music at the Edge, and they have recorded for Toccata Classics, ARS, and Naxos. The Lyris Quartet is also the founding resident ensemble of the Hear Now Music Festival which focuses on the music of living Los Angeles composers. As part of this series, they have collaborated with and premiered works by Stephen Hartke, Don Davis, Arturo Cardélus, and Veronika Krausas.

For the Orchestra’s 93rd year, Maestro Parnther created the concept of an expanded subscription season inclusive of three traditional large orchestral concerts at the historic California Theatre, a summer outdoor community concert, and three performances on a smaller stage where patrons can more fully immerse themselves in a single genre of music. These immersive events will be performed at the historic San Bernardino Valley College Auditorium.

The May 14th performance was curated to provide an eclectic and engaging blend of chamber music.

“We collaborated on finding the right program for this occasion and balanced it out to include Classical icons Beethoven and Ravel but also extending into living artists like Billy Childs, James Newton (who will join us at the concert) and Imogen Heap,” explained Parnther.

The Lyris Quartet will open the concert with Billy Childs’ Unrequited. The group previously appeared alongside Childs as part of the LA Phil’s Jazz and World music series at Disney Hall and with Steve Reich at LACMA’s Bing Hall. Lyris will then proceed into Beethoven’s Cavatina from String Quartet No. 13 in B-flat, Op. 130. Following will be Ravel’s four-movement String Quartet in F Major and Imogen Heap’s Hide and Seek, as arranged by Niall Ferguson. Then, under the baton of Maestro Parnther, members of the Symphony’s strings section will perform James Newton’s arrangement of Amazing Grace which was motivated by and dedicated to President Barack Obama and the lives taken in Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Lyris will close the concert with Beethoven’s Allegro Molto from String Quartet No. 9 in C. Major, Op. 59, No. 3.

The addition of composer James Newton, whose work encompasses chamber, symphonic, and electronic music genres, compositions for ballet and modern dance, and numerous jazz and world music contexts, is of particular note. Newton has been the recipient of many awards, fellowships, and grants, including the Ford Foundation, Guggenheim, National Endowment of the Arts and Rockefeller Fellowships, Montreux Grande Prix Du Disque and Downbeat International Critics Jazz Album of the Year, as well as being voted the top flutist for a record-breaking 23 consecutive years in Downbeat Magazine’s International Critics Poll. Newton is also a distinguished professor emeritus at the Herb Alpert School of Music, at the University of California at Los Angeles.

The specific concert venue was selected for a number of reasons. First, the Valley College Auditorium was designed by the same architect – John Paxton Perrine – who conceived the historic California Theatre of the Performing Arts where the Symphony generally performs. Second, like the California Theatre, it is also designated a National Registry of Historic Places site; however, many in the region have not had the opportunity to experience a performance there. Third, the venue’s smaller seating capacity makes it perfect for audience members to experience the music as it was originally designed.

In line with the Orchestra’s mission to provide accessible music and music education, Maestro Parnther sees this as an opportunity fulfill the Orchestra’s decades-old commitment, adding, “Valley College is one of the cornerstones of our community and we are always excited about the opportunity to combine our resources to the benefit of our students.”

Two more such performances will follow this season, each also bringing similarly notable artists to the Inland Empire.
“I am fortunate to have some of the finest musicians in the world as close friends and colleagues,” shared Parnther. “Concerts like these allow us to continue to bring world class talent to San Bernardino to perform for our audiences and collaborate with our great orchestra.”
Observed Orchestra Board of Directors President Dean McVay, “As we anticipate a performance by this very popular quartet will sell out quickly, we encourage everyone to purchase their tickets now while you can.”

Single tickets are available online at www.sanbernardinosymphony.org or by calling the box office at (909) 381-5388. Money-saving five-concert season subscriptions are also available. Box Office hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Five Season Concerts Remain
A Classical piano event featuring Robert Thies is scheduled for June 11 and a September 10 jazz concert with the Josh Nelson Jazz Quartet will both be performed at the San Bernardino Valley College Auditorium. In between, a community-wide patriotic concert is also planned July 2 outdoors at the Valley College football stadium.
The Orchestra will return to the California Theatre on October 29, 2022 for “Movies with the Maestro” featuring cinema scores including John Williams’ iconic music from E.T. and Star Wars and the Alfred Hitchcock film scores of Bernard Herrmann (Psycho, The Birds, North by Northwest). The season will end December 17, 2022 with Cirque de Noel featuring the internationally renowned Cirque de la Symphonie troupe performing to orchestral holiday classics.

COLTON, CA— On Thursday, April 14, a ribbon cutting ceremony and mural recognition was held at Elizabeth Davis Park located at 1055 West Laurel Drive in Colton for two newly renovated basketball courts. Project Backboard partnered with City of Colton, Operation New Hope, Five Star Basketball and Blue Shield of California to make the unveiling possible.

This mural is the first step in the much larger project to update and revamp the entire park for the surrounding community. This event featured a ribbon cutting ceremony followed by an open basketball game and a family zone featuring inflatables and games for children. The mural, court renovation, new backboards, and rims were jointly sponsored by Blue Shield of California and Five Star Basketball. This sponsorship is part of Blue Shield of California’s efforts to support community revitalization and resiliency efforts.

VICTORVILLE, CA— This past weekend, Burning Bush Church in Victorville and VaccinateALL58, hosted a ‘Party with a Purpose Easter Extravaganza’. The event was led by Bishop David Denson, Jr. where the community celebrated Easter with a day of family fun, fellowship and wellness. COVID-19 vaccines, boosters and testing were available for ages 5 and older.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— Recently, Fifth District Supervisor Joe Baca, Jr. hosted his first “College and Career Day” for over 200 high school seniors that are a part of San Bernardino, Rialto, and Colton Joint Unified School Districts. The event took place at the Workforce Inland Center in San Bernardino and was meant to assist high school seniors explore their options after high school. The event had over 20 vendors that had informative and interactive information regarding both jobs and college education opportunities after high school, for students who were interested in either. They were taught how to create a strong resume, how to dress for an interview, and even explore various jobs with our County Fire, Police, and EMT departments and dozens of other workforce departments and explore post-secondary opportunities.

“Not every student knows what their future is going to look like after high school. Not everyone has a set plan and that is okay. But to sit and have no plan is what is not okay. Opportunities for personal growth in our community, especially in our youth are endless. I hosted this event because I wanted the students in our district to know there are opportunities out there for them no matter what they choose to do. Success after high school is possible for these young adults and all they must do is work hard and set their minds to any goal that they want to personally achieve. This event opened doors for lots of students in our district and let them know that our County is always right behind them every step of the way. We couldn’t have done it without all the vendors who came out to spread the word, so I thank you all for coming out to support our students and their future.” -Supervisor Joe Baca, Jr.

Inland Empire, CA – Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (COPE) is an organization whose mission is to train and develop the capacity of religious and lay leaders in congregations and across the Inland Empire to protect and revitalize the communities in which they live, work, and worship. Throughout the pandemic, this organization has done exceptional COVID education and vaccine outreach through various initiatives, including virtual town halls, outreach campaigns, and vaccination clinics in San Bernardino County.

COPE has established strong partnerships with San Bernardino County, Loma Linda Hospital, as well as San Bernardino High School to conduct COVID outreach and vaccination clinics. COPE also utilizes relationships with local community faith partners to connect regularly and coordinate clinic dates. One such partnership that COPE formed is with Inland Empire Concerned African American Churches (IECAAC). Together, they have been able to reach a broader faith-based community. Another partnership with San Bernardino Unified School District has allowed COPE to host vaccination clinics at San Bernardino High School, reaching the school age community.

Some of COPE’s outreach has been by way of virtual town halls, which allows the organization to reach a greater number of congregations and members of the community through social media. These town halls, which are conducted before their upcoming vaccination clinics, have allowed a direct platform for community members to have their questions and concerns about COVID addressed. This platform has been important for COPE as it has been a vital part of their Education for the community as well as given them the ability to understand what people’s fears are. Dates for upcoming clinics and registration links are also provided during announcements at these town halls. In conjunction with the town halls, COPE was also able to launch their Essential Faith campaign which included African American Faith leaders and churches in San Bernardino County communities, with the mission to further share COVID information and discuss the concerns and importance of getting vaccinated.

Laniea King, an administrator and lead on COVID support for COPE said; “One of the most important aspects of this work is community. And so, I think that in this climate, we still have more work to do. We still have to be diligent and make sure that we’re continuing to take the necessary precautions in order to overcome this virus.” Speaking about COPE itself, Laniea said; “As an organization, COPE is committed to continuing this work and will continue to do our due diligence in educating and vaccinating our community”.

To learn more about C.O.P.E. and Administrative Lead Laniea King, visit: Copesite.org.

San Bernardino County Fire Station 304, located in the City of Hesperia, has welcomed a new water tender into service. According to the department, the new tender carries 1,800 gallons of water and can pump 500 gallons per minute!

Captain Jeremy Kern said that the unit’s multi-use package will allow the tender to function on a multitude of fires. It has a remote joystick in the cab, allowing crews to stay inside while directing the flow of water, nozzle pattern and direction.

“While many of our areas utilize municipal fire hydrants, this new tender will help bring additional water to the scene when a hydrant isn’t nearby,” said Kern. “The high ground clearance, four-wheel drive and rear locker will allow the vehicle to traverse rough terrain and make access like a Brush Engine or Brush Patrol.”

This new tender will be a wonderful addition to our public safety efforts in Hesperia, and the entire High Desert.

Volunteers are still needed for the Community Health & Wellness Holistic Fair. The is event is Saturday April 16, volunteers would be needed from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. If you available to help, please visit https://forms.gle/JxxZECAy2gVY5TZFA to sign up.  And of course, if you cannot attend or volunteer, please share the flyer with your friends, your family, and on all your social media platforms.

By Aldon Thomas Stiles | California Black Media

Officials in Sacramento and Washington frequently point to the low unemployment rate in the state and around the country as proof that the U.S. economy has recovered from the downturn experienced during the global COVID-19 crisis.

But the total unemployment rate for Black Californians seems stuck at almost three times higher than the national rate – despite steady increases in overall hiring of African Americans in the state.

A sharp drop in the national unemployment rate for all Americans – down to 3.6 % in February — brings the number of people without jobs across the United States to just one tenth of a point above the pre-pandemic level of 3.5% (February 2020), according to data compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics at the U.S. Department of Labor.

In February alone, the U.S. economy added a remarkable 431,000 jobs, bringing the number of jobs created since 2021 to 7.9 million.

Cecilia Rouse, Chair of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, told California Black Media that the nation’s Black unemployment rate has drastically decreased since the pandemic related recession.

“At the height of this pandemic, the unemployment rate for Black people was 16.8% and from what we saw this month, it is down to 6.2%,” she said.

Overall, unemployment in California is also down from a pinnacle in 2020 during the peak of the pandemic. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined 10.5 percentage points from April 2020 to February 2022, from 15.9% to 5.4%.

According to the California Employment Development Department (EDD), the state’s economy has added 2,405,900 nonfarm jobs, “in effect, recovering 87.2% of the nonfarm jobs it lost during the COVID-19 recession.”

Although, Black unemployment in California has seen a decrease during the recovery period as well, it has not dropped to pre-pandemic levels, according to state officials.

Black unemployment was hovering at around 10 percent for the fourth quarter of 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. At that time, California’s overall unemployment rate was 7.5 %, about two points higher than it was for February.

Although the unemployment rate for Black Californians is higher than the state rate, it continues to move downward.

From April 2020 to February 2022, California increased its number of Black workers by 59,000, going from 1,009,000 in April 2020 to 1,068,000 in February 2022.

Before the Covid-19 recession from February 2020 to April 2020, there were 1,133,000 employed Black workers in California, according to the EDD.

Over the course of the COVID-19 recession, the state lost 2,758,900 nonfarm jobs and the unemployment rate rose from 4.1% in February 2020 to 15.9% only two months later. Over this time period, the unemployment rate for California’s Black workers rose 8.2 percentage points.

Across the country, the unemployment rate for African Americans is also decreasing, dropping from 9.5 % in March 2021 to 6.2 % in March 2022, according to the U.S. Labor Department.

“What we’ve seen is tremendous improvement in the labor market status for Black Americans, Black workers,” Rouse says, attributing the improving numbers to the American Rescue Plan, the Biden administration’s pandemic recovery initiative.

“It provided the resources to help us get through this pandemic,” said Rouse. “The management of the pandemic is fundamental and so integral to this strong labor market recovery that we’re seeing.”

Since 2021, growth in employment for Black Californians has been significant in three industries: Transportation and utilities, services, and the leisure and hospitality industries.

According to the EDD, there has been an increase of over 50,000 Black employed workers in the transportation and utilities industry, over 14,100 in other services, and over 13,700 in the leisure and hospitality industry.