Local

By Tanu Henry | California Black Media

Facebook is making investments in different efforts to address the gathering storm of social and economic problems facing America, particularly the ones hitting African Americans with unequal force. Through two community-focused initiatives, the Menlo Park-based tech company is shoring up three Black-Women-owned California-based businesses with mentoring and promotional opportunities. 

Increased misinformation; the diminishing of truth and objectivity in news programming; the COVID-19 crisis’s impact on small businesses; ongoing racial biases; the loss of newspaper ad revenue due to competition from the internet; and more. 

Many of those challenges if left unchecked, experts on both the political Left and Right agree, can chip away at the foundations of our democracy. According to the U.S. Commerce Department, the country’s Gross Domestic Product dropped by 32.9 %by the second quarter of last year. 

“COVID-19 is impacting all businesses. But Black businesses are closing at a faster rate than all other businesses,” said Erica Woods, State Public Policy Manager at Facebook. She was telling California Black Media about the company’s new #BuyBlackFriday campaign. 

According to Woods, #BuyBlackFriday is Facebook’s “holiday program that redirects the energy of Black Friday to encourage consumers to support Black owned businesses throughout the holiday season.” 

Woods says the campaign features 60 Black-owned businesses from around the United States. Two of them are based in California — both owned by Black women in the Los Angeles Area: Amethyst Soul Home, which makes scented candles and Gracemade, a clothing and accessory company. 

“I am elated for the opportunity for more people to experience SouLuxe Amber Noir scented coconut wax candles and fill their homes with a sultry fusion of Warm Amber, Sandalwood, Jasmine and Mandarin,” said Jillene Williams, owner of Amethyst Soul Home.  

 It’s an honor to be a part of the gift guide, as well as the Facebook Elevate program alongside many other great black-owned companies,” Williams continued. “Being featured in the Facebook #BuyBlack Friday Holiday Gift Guide has certainly introduced my scented coconut wax candles to a vast audience I would never be able to reach otherwise.”

Facebook is inviting all Black businesses across the country to use the hashtag #BuyBlackFriday to support their businesses, beginning now and particularly the day after Thanksgiving when the holiday shopping season unofficially kicks off. 

Gracemade and Amethyst Soul Home will both be featured on a show as well on the digital platform’s Black Voices page. 

“Small businesses are the backbone of our products,” Woods said. “So many businesses have used our platforms to connect with their audiences. We found that the pandemic was closing doors, that impacts us as well.  So, we want to support businesses and make sure that they flourish and grow.”

Earlier this month, the biggest social media platform in the world, also announced that it has invited the African American-owned Black Voice News in Riverside as well as 19 other local news publishers from around the United States to participate in the Facebook Journalism Project Sustainability Accelerator Program. 

“It’s a wonderful opportunity. It is forward-thinking. It is necessary. This program provides the support and mentorship that Black Voice News can use at this very critical time to be strong and sustainable,” said Paulette Brown-Hinds, Publisher of the Black Voice News and CEO of Voice Media Ventures. Based in Riverside, Black Voice News, is a nearly fifty-year-old publication founded by Brown-Hinds’s parents: the organization’s publisher emeritus Hardy Brown and his wife, former California Assemblymember Cheryl Brown. 

“Facebook’s intensive five-month Accelerator program is going to enhance our capabilities as an organization and team by providing opportunities to learn from industry best practices, benefit from the experiences of other members of our cohort in the program and grow from unique feedback customized for our organization and provided by a coach dedicated to the Black Voice News group,” Stephanie Williams, Editor, Black Voice News.  

According to Facebook, the training program will provide “intensive training” to local media outlets. Through the program, industry experts will also coach newspaper publishers on improving their news coverage, growing their audiences and enhancing their technology. Earlier this year, Facebook announced that it was investing $5 million in local news organizations that serve audiences in marginalized communities. The company has also awarded $10.3 million to 144 local newsrooms around the country as part of its COVID-19 Local News Relief Fund Grant Program. 

The Facebook Journalism project is supported by Facebook but run through the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), an advocacy and support organization that works around the world to grow news media outlets. 

“We are honored to partner with this impressive group of publishers, whose newsrooms make a difference in their communities,” said Joyce Barnathan, ICFJ’s president. 

About half the media outlets Facebook has invited to participate in the program are Black-owned or Black-led publishers, and about the same percentage are non-profit organizations.  They include established local African American newspapers that have over the years become institutions in the communities they serve, as well as digital publications that have launched more recently. 

Facebook, which also owns the social media platform Instagram, averages more than 2.7 billion active users a month. In 2019, the company’s revenue was estimated around $70 billion. 

Jasmine Rennie, who owns Gracemade says she’s excited that more women – not only in California, but around the world – are being introduced to her “faith-driven” brand that designs modest but fashion-forward apparel, including a bestselling jumpsuit. 

“A lot of women want clothes that don’t reveal too much but are still trendy, stylish and beautiful. This program will help us reach so many of them and provide the clothing that fits their lifestyles,” Rennie said.

ONTARIO, CA—- Living through a historic global pandemic and civil unrest, one school is seizing this critical time to foster global citizenship and teach its students to think outside school walls. Ignite is a first-of-its-kind partnership between Ontario Christian High School and the global Christian humanitarian organization World Vision. This innovative program will inspire students to take action and equip them to find solutions to the needs of today’s world.

Ontario students will also be committing to sponsor children in Kalapata, Kenya through World Vision, but in an empowering twist, the students will be Chosen by the children in Kalpata. The Ontario students had their photos taken and sent to the Kalpata community in Kenya where their photos were displayed for the Kenyan children to choose what Ontario student, they want to be their sponsor. 

“One of Ontario Christian’s goals is to be a community that considers loving your neighbor as an essential part of faith, as a non-negotiable. I’m really excited about this experience for the students,” said Ontario Christian Principal Ben Dykhouse. “I’m excited that I get to experience this along with them, with the child that my family is sponsoring.”

On November 18, the Ignite program will hold a powerful event where the students will find out who chose them as their sponsor. They will receive a picture of the child holding their photo and a note letting them know about the child and what made the child choose them. This will be the emotional beginning of a transformational relationship that, accompanied with an experiential curriculum, will shape the students into global leaders with a biblical worldview. 

Just this week, the students participated in the Social Innovation Challenge, which is a competition that empowers students to create real-world solutions to humanitarian issues. This year’s challenge invited students to come up with solutions to tackle youth drug abuse in Ethiopia. Competing against a team from a school in Las Vegas, the winning team gets a chance to see their solution implemented in a community in Ethiopia. 

World Vision is one of the largest Christian humanitarian organizations in the world, working in nearly 100 countries. Through the organization’s efforts every 30 seconds, a family gets water, a hungry child is fed, and a family receives the tools to overcome poverty.

Ontario Christian High School will launch the World Vision Ignite partnership with nearly 100 9^th grade students, who will build relationships with their sponsored child in Kenya through the remainder of their high school career at Ontario. They will also learn about the root causes of poverty and how to tackle critical world issues. By connecting with vulnerable kids in the developing world, students will gain empathy, learn to love their neighbors, and provide tangible help to meet the basic needs of others. The students will also lead out on local action, to help neighbors in need in the Los Angeles area.

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About World Vision: 
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender.?For more information, please visit https://www.worldvision.org/about-us/media-center or follow us on Twitter @WorldVisionUSA. 

The San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) Board of Education recently promoted career educator and San Bernardino native Ana Applegate to assistant superintendent of the Educational Services Division, which oversees the academic achievement of students from kindergarten through high school. 

Applegate, first hired to teach at Hunt Elementary School in 1993, will oversee key departments like Elementary Instruction and Secondary Education, Professional Development, and Multilingual Programs, among others vital to student learning. With an estimated 48,000 students, SBCUSD is the ninth largest school district in California.

Applegate assumes her new leadership role amid challenging school closures prompted by the coronavirus pandemic, which has placed greater emphasis and demand on remote teaching and learning. She will be tasked with strengthening the District’s distance learning program while also preparing for the eventual return of students to in-class learning when it’s deemed safe to reopen schools, as guided by local and state guidelines.

Although Applegate is a familiar face inside and outside the District, she was formally introduced to the community during the November 17 virtual Board of Education meeting. 

“I’m committed to working to provide all our students the highest quality educational experience in order to prepare them for college and careers,” Applegate said. “The relationships we build with students, families, and employees are an important foundation for our work.”

Most recently Applegate served as director of Multilingual Programs, where she was responsible for overseeing all of the English Learner programs, implementing the International Newcomer Academy at Pacific High School, and the trilingual program (English, Spanish, and Vietnamese) at Belvedere Elementary School. Prior to that role, she held a variety of positions, including mentoring new teachers. Applegate earned her bachelor’s degree and bilingual cross-cultural credential from California State University, San Bernardino. She earned her master’s degree in Education Administration from Azusa Pacific University.

Applegate is the third cabinet member to be promoted from within the District’s administrative ranks in recent months, which is attributed to the quality of educational leadership within the District, said Interim Superintendent Dr. Harold J. Vollkommer.

“As educators, we are in the business of building human potential,” Vollkommer said. “Ana is a progressive leader with a clear vision to help our students succeed academically. She takes that responsibility very seriously. Her passion for students and institutional knowledge are assets to our school district.”

By Quinci LeGardye | California Black Media

Californians can rest easy. With a little over two months to go until the state’s open enrollment period for 2021 ends on Jan. 31, 2021, expect no new restrictions to your health care coverage options. 

It is not likely that the latest challenge to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, will be successful. It occurred Nov. 10, when the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments against the national health care law passed under the Obama administration in the case California v. Texas, No. 19-840. 

Although some Obamacare supporters, including California Attorney General Xavier Beccera – who led the Democratic defense of the ACA — expressed some caution about the nation’s highest court’s 6-3 conservative majority, they largely remained confident. 

After the hearing, a majority of Justices indicated that the ACA is still safe.

California v. Texas mainly focused on the ACA’s mandate requiring insurance. It was filed by 18 Republican attorneys general backed by the Trump administration. They argued that the mandate became unconstitutional after Congress eliminated the penalty for not having health insurance in Congress’s 2017 tax reform bill. They also argued that since the mandate was a crucial feature of the law, and they deemed it unconstitutional, the entire law should have been thrown out. 

Although an official decision in the case will not come until the middle of next year, at least five Supreme Court justices have indicated that they would reject the attempt to kill the ACA. Two members of the Court’s current Republican majority, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, noted that striking down the individual mandate portion of the ACA did not require overturning the rest of the law.

“It does seem fairly clear that the proper remedy would be to sever the mandate provision and leave the rest of the act in place — the provisions regarding pre-existing conditions and the rest,” Justice Kavanaugh said.

The Court’s inferred support of the ACA comes at a time when unemployment across the United States is still at record highs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Covered California healthcare marketplace began open enrollment Nov. 1, and many newly unemployed or self-employed Californians will need to apply for either subsidized insurance, Medi-Cal or an individual medical plan.

In a virtual conference Nov. 9, the day before his Supreme Court oral arguments, Becerra spoke about the importance of the ACA during the COVID-19 pandemic, which he called a national health crisis.

“We need the ACA more than ever now. COVID-19 has infected more than 10 million Americans, it has cost 12 million American workers their healthcare, and it’s disproportionately hurting communities of color. Because of the ACA, in states with expanded Medicaid, workers who have lost their jobs and with that their employer-based health insurance, are still able to get healthcare and support that they need,” said Becerra.

California has supported the ACA since its inception in 2013, expanding the Medi-Cal program for low-income residents, and creating the state-based Covered California marketplace, which offers both federal subsidies and state-based aid. According to Census records, the rate of uninsured Californians dropped from 17.2 % in 2013 to 7.7 % in 2019.

According to Covered California, 271,820 people signed up for health care coverage through the marketplace during its special open enrollment period between March 20 and Aug. 20 this year, more than twice the number of people who signed up during the same period last year.

Dr. Jamila Perritt, President and CEO of Physicians for Reproductive Health, spoke about the importance of the ACA for the community she treats as an OB-GYN.

“I take care of people, real people who deserve to have access to the healthcare they will want and need access to — provided by the Affordable Care Act. The health of my patients has improved. The health of our communities has improved. I know that the Affordable Care Act has been a safety net for many communities and undermining or eliminating it will disproportionately impact those who need care,” said Perritt.

After presenting the arguments for keeping the Affordable Care Act, Becerra was optimistic.

“The ACA has withstood numerous legal and political challenges. It’s been upheld by the Supreme Court as constitutional twice before. And we are optimistic that it will withstand this challenge as well,” said Becerra.

ONTARIO, CA— A drive-thru COVID-19 testing site opens today at Ontario International Airport (ONT) just in time for the holiday travel season as airport officials forecast that approximately 280,000 passengers will travel through the Southern California gateway.

Testing is available in parking lot 3 between terminals 2 and 4 from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week. Tests are administered by Covid Clinic, a Southern California-based non-profit which operates testing sites in California and Arizona. ONT is COVID Clinic’s 24th location. 

Rapid tests with results available in as few as 20 minutes are among a variety of antigen and antibody tests offered. Rapid test specimens are processed on-site while others are sent to local third-party laboratories with results generally reported in two to four days. 

“The availability of COVID-19 testing adds a new level of service and convenience to the Ontario airport experience,” said Mark Thorpe, chief executive officer of the Ontario International Airport Authority. “It is our hope that on-site testing administered in the comfort of a passenger vehicle will provide peace of mind to our customers, guests and airport employees, as well as any of our neighbors who want to be tested.” 

Reservations for testing at ONT, and more detailed test information and pricing, is available here. Patients may be able to receive reimbursement from their health insurance provider for all or a portion of their COVID-19 test.

Thanksgiving holiday travel spanning 11 days from Friday, November 20^th through Monday, November 30^th is expected to bring more than 100,000 air travelers through ONT, based on current airline schedules, while more than 180,000 are expected to depart and arrive at ONT during the winter holidays from Thursday, December 17^th through Sunday, January 3^rd. The total number of passengers expected in the coming weeks is 60% of the traveler volume estimated for the period last year.

Surges in COVID-19 infections across the country, government orders to pause restarts and guidance from public health officials to limit family gatherings could cause holiday travel volumes to fluctuate even more, however, as most passengers are purchasing airline tickets within 30 days of departure, Thorpe cautioned.

Nonetheless, as air travel shows signs of gradual resurgence, ONT has recorded six straight months of traffic growth since reaching its low point in April when passenger levels declined by 93%.

Ontario’s recovery ranks first among airports in California and third nationally, having regained roughly 50% of passenger volume compared to a year ago.

International carrier Volaris initiated nonstop service from ONT to its Mexico City base earlier this month.

Delta Air Lines, which resumed daily, nonstop service to its Atlanta hub in July, began twice daily, nonstop flights to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in October. Southwest Airlines restarted its Chicago Midway International Airport route while United Airlines resumed flying to Houston’s George H.W. Bush Intercontinental Airport in August.

Denver-based Frontier Airlines announced in recent days that it will add or restart flights to seven popular U.S. destinations to its ONT schedule between February and May in 2021.

Ontario airport continues intensive efforts to keep passengers and guests safe while in the airport and to prevent the spread of the coronavirus by frequently sanitizing restrooms, gate areas and high-touch surfaces with highly effective disinfectant, and utilizing security screening trays treated with powerful antimicrobial technology.

Ontario requires appropriate face covers for all customers, visitors and employees. Passengers are urged to wash hands with soap and water frequently and use the many hand sanitizing stations that have been added throughout ONT terminals. Vending machines including personal protective equipment such as face covers, hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes are also located in passenger terminals.

“The pandemic has impacted life in every aspect, but we strive every day with our airline partners to take steps to reassure passengers that they can travel safely,” Thorpe said.

Submitted by Covered California

With COVID-19 raging across the country, African Americans — disproportionately infected with the virus – are being urged to enroll in health insurance through California’s Obamacare exchange, Covered California.

While tens of thousands of African Americans have benefited from insurance through Covered California at one time or another since 2013, nearly 65,000 uninsured Africans Americans in the state are eligible for financial help through Covered California or Medi-Cal.

“In the midst of this global health crisis and resulting economic recession, we want everyone to be insured, regardless of their race or economic status, and no matter what situation they find themselves in,” Covered California Executive Director Peter V. Lee said. 

Covered California recently launched its open enrollment period, which lasts through Jan. 31, and is encouraging all eligible residents to “Get Covered” and “Stay Covered,” Lee said. “During this holiday season, what better way to show a loved one you than by giving the gift of health,” Lee said.

Long-standing systemic health and social inequities have put many people from racial and ethnic minority groups at increased risk of getting sick and dying from COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

According to a report in the Washington Post, African Americans were 37 percent more likely to die than Whites from COVID-19, after controlling for age, sex and mortality rates over time.

“Health insurance can have a lasting impact,” Lee said. “From day one Covered California has worked hard to connect with the state’s diverse communities. We believe that part of addressing the disparities exposed by the pandemic is by effectively reaching out to enroll all Californians.”

Open enrollment is the one-time of the year when anyone eligible can sign up for health care coverage for 2021. Covered California consumers can check their options and see if they qualify for financial help by using the Shop & Compare tool on the revamped CoveredCA.com.

Eligible consumers who sign up through Covered California can qualify for financial help from the federal government, the state of California, or both. Consumers can visit and find out if they are eligible for either lower cost private plans through Covered California or free coverage through Medi-Cal (which is open year-round). Right now, a record 1.5 million Californians are enrolled in Covered California and are in the process of renewing their coverage, with nearly 90 percent receiving some level of financial assistance.

“Affordability is the number one issue for consumers, and the financial help available through Covered California helps bring the cost of coverage within reach,” Lee said.

In 2021, nearly all Californians (99.8 percent) will be able to choose from two or more carriers and over three-quarter of Californians (77 percent) will have four or more choices.

Consumers will need to sign up by Dec. 15 in order to have their coverage begin on Jan. 1, 2021. Those interested in learning more about their coverage options can:

• Visit www.CoveredCA.com.
• Get free and confidential assistance, in a variety of languages, from a certified enroller.
• Have a certified enroller call them and help them for free.
• Call Covered California at (800) 300-1506.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— Mobile home parks in San Bernardino and Riverside counties were awarded more than $4 million in grants by the California Public Utilities Commission, which will provide access to technology for residents.

Charter Communications applied for the California Advances Services Fund Infrastructure Grants to bring broadband service to underserved communities. 

“Technology helps move communities forward so we are excited that our residents who need Internet access the most will soon be connected,” said Curt Hagman, chairman of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors. “No community should be left behind in our county when it comes to technology, which is essential to compete in our world today. Closing the digital divide improves access to emergency services, expands economic opportunities and bridges the economic divide.”

“Now more than ever, we’ve seen how access to the internet allows residents to connect with businesses, schools and loved ones. It’s a necessity,” said Riverside County Board Chair and Fourth District Supervisor V. Manuel Perez. “Bringing the internet to underserved communities will significantly support the basic activities in our residents’ lives. I look forward to more opportunities to broaden this effort and reduce the digital divide.”

The four Inland projects that received grant approval are: Country Meadows Mobile Home Park in Ontario – $2,120,390; Monterey Mobile Home Village in Montclair – $784,322; Villa Montclair Mobile Home Park in Montclair – $543,529; and Soboba Springs Mobile Estates in San Jacinto – $907,817.

The approved projects will enable broadband access at speeds of up to 940 megabits per second (Mbps) download and 35 Mpbs upload to 661 households. These households currently are unserved with no facilities-based wireline or fixed wireless broadband service providers. The projects are expected to be completed over the next year.

With one million COVID-19 cases confirmed in California to date, a new travel advisory just issued, and health officials concerned about the surge we are experiencing, NOW IS THE TIME to help educate Californians about specific ways they can pitch in and do their part to slow the spread, starting with your own African American community.  

There is an urgent need to educate the public about what they CAN AND SHOULD DO to protect their families and their communities. We respectfully urge you in the news media to help inform on this front.

Chet P. Hewitt, President and CEO of the Sierra Health Foundation, is available to provide perspective regarding the following guidance from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) which can help members of our community plan safer gatherings and help loved ones reduce potential harm. Please share these guidelines for small gatherings and tips for a healthier holiday season with your readers to help educate and inform your community. 

Here are some specific tips to share and that Chet can also speak to: 

1. Check your county’s status to find out what types of activities and gatherings are permitted in your county based on the current spread of the virus.
2. Wear a mask in public settings, like on public and mass transportation, shopping and in stores, and anywhere you will be around people who do not live with you.
3. Wear a mask not only with people you do not know, but with anyone you don’t live with including close friends and family. While we feel safe and can easily let our guard down around loved ones, the risk of transmission is still there.
4. Keep your distance – Stay six feet apart from individuals outside your household, especially from older family members and those with chronic health conditions.
5. Do not gather indoors with other households if your county prohibits it. Indoor gathering is prohibited in purple tier counties.  
6. If you are in a county where indoor gathering is permitted, when indoors, keep windows and doors open so fresh air circulates and continue to practice safe behaviors like wearing a mask, washing your hands, and using all the space you can indoors; spread things out.
7. Avoid sharing utensils or drinks with anyone. 
8. Commit to keeping gatherings short (under two hours), whether inside or outside. The longer the duration, the higher the risk of spreading COVID-19.
9. People at higher risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19 (such as older adults and people with chronic medical conditions) are strongly urged not to attend any gatherings, especially indoor gatherings. If you gather with older people or those with chronic conditions, make sure they wear a surgical or N95 mask.
10. It is safest to celebrate the holidays with the people who already live with you, but if you invite others, invite no more than two other households to your gathering.
11. Minimize mixing – Participating in multiple gatherings with different households or groups is strongly discouraged. Keep the households that you interact with stable over time. By spending time with the same people, risk of transmission is reduced. 
12. Travel increases your chance of getting and spreading the virus. Incoming travelers from out of state and Californians returning to the state should self-quarantine for 14 days after arrival before mixing indoors and with others.
13. Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
14. Stay home if you are sick. 

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) will celebrate the Thanksgiving Break November 23–27, 2020. Students are not expected to participate in distance learning but may have homework or other assignments that are due when they return to online instruction on Monday, November 30, 2020.

Middle College High School students follow the San Bernardino Valley College schedule.

Due to the holiday closure, Grab and Go meals will only be available on Monday, November 23, 2020, from 8 to 11 a.m. at 10 meal distribution sites. Families will be able to pick up seven days’ worth of breakfast and lunch per child. Children do not need to be present when picking up meals. Snacks and dinner will not be provided during the Thanksgiving Break. Only the following sites will be open for Grab and Go meals on November 23: Cajon High School, Del Vallejo Leadership & STEAM Academy, Golden Valley Middle School, Indian Springs High School, King Middle School, Muscoy Elementary School, Pacific High School, Richardson PREP HI Middle School, San Bernardino High School, and San Gorgonio High School.

Absolutely no food will be distributed the remainder of that week. Regular meal distribution will resume on Monday, November 30, 2020.

RIVERSIDE, CA— Starting Over, Inc/Riverside All of Us or NONE are planning a free reentry legal clinic for people with arrest and conviction records in partnership with the Sahaba Initiative.

Receive a free livescan, Prop 47., record expungement, and learn how to navigate barriers with a record from Sahaba Initiative representatives and Starting Over’s Participatory Defense specialists. 

What are the benefits of getting a livescan?: Livescan fingerprinting is a background check that allows you to obtain your record of arrest and prosecution (or RAP sheet). It’s important to get access to your RAP sheet so you can check your record for any inaccurate information. If there is, we will work with you to get it corrected or expunged.

Sign up today and make 2021 better by getting your record cleaned before the end of the year! To sign up email office@startingoverinc.org or call (951) 208-7879