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SAN BERNARDINO, CA- On Friday, September 8, the San Bernardino Black Culture Foundation will be hosting its Annual Black Rose and Humanitarian of the Year Community Service Awards Banquet. The annual event will take place at 6 p.m. in the Renaissance Ballroom at the National Orange Show Events Center located at 689 South E Street in San Bernardino.

San Bernardino Black Culture Foundation is proud to announce this year’s recipients which are: Humanitarian of the Year, Gwendolyn Rodgers; Community Service Award, Clarisa Howard; Black Rose Awards, Eta Phi Beta Sorority, Lesford Duncan, and Jamie Rios.

Please join us in congratulating our well-deserved recipients. Tickets are $65 per person for dinner or $750 for a table of ten. To purchase yours, please visit www.sbbcfoundation.com or http://2017blackrose.eventbrite.com/?s=75272501.

Dorothy Inghram

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- The San Bernardino County Board of Education voted to name its newest facility after the first African American teacher in San Bernardino County, Dorothy Inghram, during its meeting on September 5.

The board, which voted unanimously (5-0) for the naming, officially will call the new site the San Bernardino County Board of Education Dorothy Inghram Learning Center. The new building is located at 670 E. Carnegie Drive in San Bernardino.

“(Dorothy) was the Harriet Tubman of education for African American students in San Bernardino County,” said Sherman Garnett, president of the County Board. “This is true history right here.”

Inghram, who was born and raised in San Bernardino, graduated from San Bernardino High School in 1923. She graduated from San Bernardino Valley College in 1932 and wrote the school’s alma mater. In 1942, she was hired to teacher second grade at the Mill School, the first African American teacher in the county.

In 1945, she became a teaching principal at the Mill School, becoming the full-time principal in 1951. In 1953, she became the superintendent of the Mill School District, the first African-American in California to be a district superintendent. She lived to be 106 years old before passing away in 2012.

The new facility will serve as an administrative site for Regional Occupational Program and East Valley Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) staff, a cybersecurity career technical education training center, house regular County Board of Education meetings and provide conference rooms for educational leadership workshops and events. 

The board considered 45 names for the new facility before ultimately choosing the name honoring Inghram.

(from left to right: Alyssa Suarez, Alyssa Holmes, and Ethan Wilson with Tracy Holmes.

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA- Ms. Tracy Holmes is a local author from the Inland empire. She has hosted six Barnes & Noble book signings this year throughout Southern California. Her most recent book signing featured her newest release under her publishing company Say It Twice books entitled, “Fruits,” which was at the Rancho Cucamonga Barnes & Noble located on Foothill Boulevard on Sunday, August 20th.

Customers received a free face painting with the purchase of a book. Ms. Holmes has created a fun way for children to learn Spanish and an even easier way for their parents to read it in her Spanish to English books. Say It Twice Books all include a learning activity in the back of each book to enhance learning. Children are loving “Fruits” and have given great reviews on it.

“It was fun reading fruits. I like how it teaches you Spanish. I also like that my friends were there,” Alyssa Suarez a 3rd grader from North Fontana said.

“I like the face painting, it’s cool,” Ethan Wilson, a 3rd grader from North Fontana, said.

All Say It Twice Books are available on Amazon, as well as Barnes & Noble. To learn more about Ms.Holmes go to www.Sayittwicebooks.com.

Submitted by Angela Coggs

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- Young Women Empowerment Foundation (YWE) will host their fifth Annual Women’s Wellness Conference at San Bernardino Community Hospital Henderson Auditorium located at 1800 Western Avenue in San Bernardino on Saturday, September 9 from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. YWE invites family, friends, faith-based, students and community supporters to this augural event that focuses on emotional and physical health and wellness. This is a free event for all women in the Inland Empire.

This year’s theme is, “Silence No More.” It refers to not keeping silent regarding heart disease and domestic violence. Both areas of concern plague all people but especially minority women. The conference will focus on the prevention of heart disease as well as learning to live with and maintain if diagnosed. Women who attend will have the opportunity to participate in interactive demonstrations and hear life changing testimonials from other women on heart disease and domestic violence.  There will also be complimentary continental breakfast, lunch, entertainment, giveaways, and opportunity drawings.

The three keynote speakers for the wellness conference will focus on issues that are important and relevant to heart disease and domestic violence. The keynote and guest testimonial speakers are as follows:

Dr. Romeo Brooks, Ph.D. (Keynote)

Herbalist, Iridologist, Natural Hygienist and Naturopathic Medicine

Roots Nutrition

Melinda Cuellar

Representative

Divine Connections, H.O.P.E.

*Joyce Fairman

CEO/Founder

Hearts of Color

As we continue to mourn the loss of our beloved friend and heart health advocate Joyce Fairman we will celebrate her memory during her original scheduled speaking time. 

Cuellar will discuss domestic violence and how Divine Connections, H.O.P.E. mission to offer guidance, empowerment, education and resources for building healthy relationships. Option House will also provide additional information about domestic violence and conduct a question and answer segment at the end. Additionally, a unique skit on the subject of domestic violence will take a personal look inside a potential volatile situation.

Dr. Brooks will discuss preventing and living with heart disease and how the physical body is not only the expressed image of the invisible mind but is also the visible barometer of what occurs in our mental, emotional and spiritual bodies.

In addition to providing useful health and wellness information at the conference, the attendees will also be presented with the opportunity to get physical during the live line dance demonstrations by Heart and Soul’s Harriette Coggs Stuckey. The line dance demonstrations has been a huge success for the past three years. Please come dressed to participate. Workout clothes are highly encouraged and recommended.Please register on Eventbrite under “Free Young Women’s Empowerment Foundation (YWE) 5^th Annual Women’s Wellness Conference.  Also, please encourage and invite family and friends to register and attend this noteworthy opportunity focused on empowering women to live mentally and physically healthy lives. Space is limited, sign up today.

YWE serves to strengthen the character of young women of high school age in the San Bernardino City region of the Inland Empire in Southern California. Young Women’s Empowerment was founded by CEO Gwendolyn Dowdy- Rodgers. The mission of our program is to empower these young women to achieve at their highest potential, particularly in education, and to instill in them a commitment to return to their community as leaders and mentors.

The Young Women’s Empowerment Foundation (YWE) is dedicated to strengthening the self-esteem, character, integrity and capacity of young women ages 12-21 so that they may achieve their highest potential. YWE accomplishes its purpose through strategic partnerships with other organizations. YWE is guided by ethics and principles which exhibit respect for cultural diversity.

All inquiries, pre-register individual or groups, please email Tiffany James at ywefoundation@gmail.com.

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Producing, selling and using plastic bags becomes illegal as officials say they want to target manufacturers and sellers first

NATIONAL- Kenyans producing, selling or even using plastic bags will risk imprisonment of up to four years or fines of $40,000 from Monday, as the world’s toughest law aimed at reducing plastic pollution came into effect.

The East African nation joins more than 40 other countries that have banned, partly banned or taxed single use plastic bags, including China, France, Rwanda, and Italy. 

Many bags drift into the ocean, strangling turtles, suffocating seabirds and filling the stomachs of dolphins and whales with waste until they die of starvation. 

“If we continue like this, by 2050, we will have more plastic in the ocean than fish,” said Habib El-Habr, an expert on marine litter working with the UN environment programme in Kenya.

Plastic bags, which El-Habr says take between 500 to 1,000 years to break down, also enter the human food chain through fish and other animals. In Nairobi’s slaughterhouses, some cows destined for human consumption had 20 bags removed from their stomachs.

“This is something we didn’t get 10 years ago but now it’s almost on a daily basis,” said county vet Mbuthi Kinyanjui as he watched men in bloodied white uniforms scoop sodden plastic bags from the stomachs of cow carcasses.

Kenya’s law allows police to go after anyone even carrying a plastic bag. But Judy Wakhungu, Kenya’s environment minister, said enforcement would initially be directed at manufacturers and suppliers. 

It took Kenya three attempts over 10 years to finally pass the ban, and not everyone is a fan. 

Samuel Matonda, spokesman for the Kenya Association of Manufacturers, said it would cost 60,000 jobs and force 176 manufacturers to close. Kenya is a major exporter of plastic bags to the region. 

“The knock-on effects will be very severe,” Matonda said. “It will even affect the women who sell vegetables in the market – how will their customers carry their shopping home?” 

Big Kenyan supermarket chains like France’s Carrefour and Nakumatt have already started offering customers cloth bags as alternatives.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- The San Bernardino Pastors United (SBPU) will be having another Community Block party on Saturday, September 16th at Anne Sherrill Park, located at 1367 California Avenue in San Bernardino.  The community leaders are giving back to the community and taking a stance against crime, increasing gang actively and other senseless violence in our City. The Pastors believe that we must show love, help thy neighbor, be there for one another. The Churches of San Bernardino will take a stand together as a united front to encourage the community.

There will be Free food, free groceries, free shoes, free backpacks for kids, free clothes and free health checks and the money machine. There will be a life-saving message by Pastor Raymond Turner, Temple Missionary Baptist Church, powerful gospel music, dancing and good fellowship. Please register by phone, email or at our website www.sbpastorsunited.org.  They are asking the community to join them as they bring “Healing, Change, and Progress” to the City of San Bernardino, for more information call (909) 353-7977 or email sbpastorsunited@gmail.com.

By Naomi K. Bonman

As you drive around Southern California, you can’t help but to notice graffiti. It’s on the freeway bridges, ramps, train cars, abandon buildings, and just about every flat surface that is in attention to the general public.

Graffiti frustrates many because they feel as if it destructs the city unless it is done in a tasteful manner. Over the recent years, we have seen more graffiti artists who have turned their art into something more positive and of value, such as Rialto, California’s own WetPaint Larry.

“I’ve been painting for a long time,” he states on what inspires him to paint. “Everything around me inspires me to go harder. I have a lot of things that I paint that makes me feel good.”

WetPaint Larry started off doing graffiti but now he paints murals for small businesses, cities, and schools. He is known well regionally and has built up an impressive social media following with over 15,000 followers on Instagram. Larry’s accomplishments recently earned him recognition in the “Under 30 Awards” that was presented by Assemblywoman Eloise Gomez Reyes. 

“That was a good highlight for this year,” WetPaint Larry discusses his recent achievement. “That was something huge for me because when I went in there and looked around I seen high rank [city officials]. As I sat there, I thought ‘[Man], I’m among great people that are doing great work. So, for me that’s huge from being a graffiti artist to getting that award. I look at it all the time.”

Since his latest city achievement, WetPaint Larry has been on the grind with trying to secure more jobs for himself in the schools. He is looking forward to expanding beyond Rialto and has had school officials from Fontana and San Bernardino call him to do some work for their schools.

You can check out WetPaint Larry’s work on his Instagram page @wetpaintlarry and if you want to collaborate with him on a project send him a direct message via the platform.

(from left to right) CEO of Black Business Expo, Jerry Green; President of the Black Chamber of Commerce Inland Empire, Tammy Martin-Ryles; Black is Lit Founder, Winter Minisee; and Host of “Empire Talks Back”, Wallace.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- Sunday’s “Empire Talks Back” (ETB) radio broadcast was amazing as usual.  Their special guest, Winter Minisee, 16-year old founder of ‘Black is Lit’, had no problem tackling all our world issues. Watch the video of the show live at www.ustream.tv/search?q=empire+talks+back.

ETB is broadcast each Sunday morning at 10 a.m. on KCAA 1050-AM, 102.3 FM and 106.5 FM Radio, and it streams live at www.kcaaradio.com.

Dr. Francis Bandoh-Aidoo

Dr. Francis Bandoh-Aidoo was born in Bekwai (Ashanti), Ghana of Ghanaian parents. He lost his parents at an early age and was raised by his grandmother and aunt. His parents were highly educated and therefore he aspired to be the best he could be in life. He was destined for greatness, faithfully serving the Lord and being lead by the Holy Spirit to make decisive decisions. Ranking high in exams in high school and college were some achievements he spoke about. Obtaining his first job in Ghana as an accountant was thrilling for him for he had gained experience working amongst people. He often spoke of his beloved siblings, whom he learned from. A very unique man was Dr. Aidoo. It was hard for us to grasp where he was coming from at times because of his excellency and being a disciplined individual. We had to accept the fact that he was a strict man who wanted the best for his family, so he did things his way.

Upon leaving Ghana in his early twenties, he took a big leap to move to England to pursue his education as a certified public accountant. He also studied law and received different credentials in business.While studying in London, he met his wife who was a nursing student. It was a real love story for them, for they fell in love, got married and had two children. He started working for a company, importing and exporting goods. That was part of his business experience.  Dr. Aidoo wanted to do more with his knowledge, and that’s when he moved to the United States. He believed the United States to be the land of opportunity. Years later, his wife conceived their third child. He had a creative idea of manufacturing hair care products because of people’s need for solutions to receding hair lines and hair breakage problems. He made products for all hair types. The products had now become a company. First it was known as Afriq A Fro, then Ancestral Hair Care Products, and now Aidoo Aid. He researched enzymes and alkaloids and how they could be used to effectively help hair grow. He started his trial and testing procedures with two adopted brothers Peter and Rocco Guerriero. Together, they never thought he would fail and encouraged his courageous reputation. To this day, that teamwork legacy constructively stands for Dr. Aidoo’s legacy to be embarked. His coworkers and family continue to believe in his vision of promoting his hair products. His children will inherit his company with dignity and respect of attaining what Dr. Aidoo so valued.

This is a short summary of this wonderful and clever man whose life was of the essence. He was an interesting individual and his family believes his legacy will live on. We love you and will miss you Dr. Aidoo.Thank you for reminding us that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens you, so do it!

ONTARIO, CA-  Route 66 Cruisin’ Reunion has announced the entertainment line-up for next month’s event. The public is invited to attend the 5th Annual Route 66 Cruisin’ Reunion, a three day Cruisin’ Classic Car Show on September 15^th to 17^th. Come as a family, food or retail vendor, bring your classic car, or come to stroll along historic tree lined Euclid Avenue to admire the beauty of these fabulous vehicles from yesteryear.

“We are thrilled to announce the entertainment line-up for our fifth annual Route 66 Cruisin’ Reunion” said Michael Krouse, President and CEO. “This year we have added themes to our live concerts making it fun for the classic car owners, families, and attendees. We are happy to welcome some of the iconic DJ’s in the business to Route 66 Cruisin’ Reunion as well.”

ENTERTAINMENT

Live on Stage at Ontario Town Square

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15

5:00pm – 10:00pm Let’s Cruise – Route 66 Cruisin’ Reunion begins with Aloha Friday 5:00pm – 9:00pm Visit Uncle Joe’s Garage at the R. Jack Mercer Bandstand

7:00pm Local dance studios present Hawaiian themed dancing

8:00pm Uncle Joe with The Sound and will award the “ugliest Hawaiian Shirt Contest winner” 8:15pm – 10:00pm Surf City All Stars – A Tribute to the Beach Boys

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16

9:00am – 10:00pm Let’s Cruise

10:00am – 6:00pm Visit with the KLOS team including DJ Jim Daniels at the R. Jack Mercer Bandstand 7:30pm Award presentation for Classic Cars, winner of the 50/50 announced

8:00pm – 10:00pm Blood, Sweat, and Tears with Bo Bice – Classic Rock

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17

9:00pm – 1:00pm Let’s Cruise

9:00am – 11:00am Breakfast with Britain’s Finest – a Beatles Tribute Band

“This annual event, held on the third weekend in September, is free to the public and encompasses approximately twenty” “two city blocks with cars and hot rods parking and cruisin’ for three days along the streets of downtown Ontario, California. This family friendly event is located on Euclid Avenue and the downtown streets near the Ontario Town Square, Ovitt Family Community Library, and Ontario City Hall located at 303 East “B” Street, Ontario, CA 91764. Last year The Route 66 Cruisin’ Reunion proved to be a huge success with over 200,000 car enthusiasts and spectators. Get”
“ready to rumble Southern California – the Route 66 Cruisin’ Reunion will be coming town soon!”