Local

By Naomi K. Bonman

LOS ANGELES, CA- On Saturday, January 21 in Downtown Los Angeles, women from all over the Southern California region came together to march for one prime reason—unity and equality.

Women fought for their rights of equality in the past and felt the need to do it again after the inauguration of the 45^th President Donald Trump took place on Friday, January 21. Prior to Trump taking oath as the nation’s president, he had made countless racist and sexist remarks against minorities and women.

Prior to the march, President Trump altered the White House website with the removal of the LGBT rights. The Civil Rights page has also been replaced with a protecting our law enforcement page. The site is now only available in English and can no longer be accessed in Spanish. These are just a few events that prompted the Womens’ March across the Nation.

The mission of the Women’s March is for women to stand together in solidarity for the protection of women’s rights, safety, health, and their families by recognizing that their vibrant and diverse communities are the strength of the country.

As seen in marches from city to city, the Women’s March brought diversity within all ethnic backgrounds, as well as from the male gender. Everyone came together in the spirit of democracy and to honor the champions if human rights, dignity, and justice of past times.

The march was the first step towards unifying the community, forming new relationships, and creating change from the grassroots level up. Women’s March works peacefully while recognizing there is no true peace without justice and equity for all.

To keep up with Women’s March LA, follow them on Instagram @womensmarchla.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, the Presidential Inaugural Committee announced details surrounding the swearing-in of President-elect Donald J. Trump on January 20, 2017.

President-elect Donald J. Trump will be sworn-in on January 20, 2017 using his Bible, as well as the same Bible that President Lincoln used at his first inauguration. The oath of office will be administered by the Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts.

“In his first inaugural address, President Lincoln appealed to the ‘better angels of our nature,’” said PIC Chairman Tom Barrack. “As he takes the same oath of office 156 years later, President-elect Trump is humbled to place his hand on Bibles that hold special meaning both to his family and to our country.”

President-elect Trump’s Bible was presented to him by his mother upon his graduation of Sunday Church Primary School at First Presbyterian Church, Jamaica, New York, on Children’s Day, June 12, 1955. The Bible is a revised standard version published by Thomas Nelson and Sons in New York in 1953 and is embossed with his name on the lower portion of the front cover. The inside cover is signed by church officials and is inscribed with his name and the details of when it was presented.
 
The Lincoln Bible was purchased for the first inauguration of President Abraham Lincoln by William Thomas Carroll, Clerk of the Supreme Court. The Bible is bound in burgundy velvet with a gold-washed white metal rim along the edges of the covers. It is part of the collections of the Library of Congress and has been used at three inaugurals: 1861, 2009, and 2013.

Earlier this week, Rep. Norma J. Torres (D-CA) released the following statement announcing that she plans to attend the 58^th Inaugural Ceremony for Donald J. Trump.

“After serious consideration, I have decided to attend the inauguration of Donald Trump.  As an immigrant and a woman who represents a largely Mexican-American constituency, I am the embodiment of everything Trump has demonized and demeaned.  And on January 20^th, I will stand over his shoulder, just as I will during the next four years, to remind him that I and people like me deserve a seat at the table, and we will watch his every move.  We will hold him accountable.  We will not silently step aside and be ignored.  We will show up, and we will make our voices heard. 

“That day will be uncomfortable, even painful, but I believe that as a Member of Congress, it is my duty to witness the peaceful transition of power that is the hallmark of our democracy. Let us not forget that Republicans attended President Obama’s inaugurations and still managed to oppose him at every turn.  This is why the very next day, I will march with thousands of men, women, and children to show Donald Trump that women are what make America great.  We will send a clear message to him, and the world, that we won’t back down from the fight for justice, inclusiveness, and dignity for all. 

“I will never stop voicing my opposition to policies that divide and destroy this country, but I have always believed that to make a difference, you have to show up.  And that is exactly what I intend to do.”

Portions of a $4 million federal anti-terrorism victims grant coordinated by the state and county can be used to reimburse injured survivors of the Dec. 2, 2015 terrorist attack for medical treatments awaiting approval through worker’s compensation, the county learned on Friday in talks with the California Victim Compensation Board.

“The county made a commitment immediately after the attack to do all we can to help our employees recover. Working with the state to ensure proceeds can assist the recovering survivors is an example of how the county is honoring that commitment,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Robert Lovingood.

There are about 54 county employees with active worker’s compensation cases stemming from the attack. A small number of those employees have faced challenges with their claims, primarily as a result of waiting for their healthcare providers to provide the information needed to have their treatments approved. Survivors can use more than $1.6 million from the grant to pay for treatments that are awaiting approval. The California Victim Compensation Board will disburse the funds to the survivors.

In December, the U.S. Department of Justice approved the California Victim Compensation Board’s request for $4 million in Anti-Terrorism and Emergency Assistance Program funds to support the short- and long-term needs of the victims of the San Bernardino terrorist attack. The allocation was based on information provided to the state by the county.

Approximately $1.3 million of the grant is intended to reimburse the county toward the more than $20 million the county has spent responding to and recovering from the incident. More than $832,000 of the approximately $1.3 million will reimburse the county for services provided directly to the survivors.

The PAL Charter Academy is excited to announce the launch of their new school app.  This is a first for the Academy and CEO Dwaine Radden, Sr. says “this app symbolizes bridging the past with our future.”  

The app is user-friendly, and provides parents, students, and the public access to all school events and activities.  Just visit the Apple app store or Google play for Android to download the app.  

Neo-R&B singer Andra Day, who earned two Grammy Award nominations last year, is nominated for Artist of the Year and Album of the Year (for “Cheers to the Fall”).

Online voting runs from Jan. 16 through Feb. 26 at sandiegomusicawards.com. The public can vote in every category except the eight best album categories, which is voted on by members of the San Diego Music Academy. Tickets for the March 21 awards fete go on sale Monday through the event’s website.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- On Monday, January 16 the Inland Empire of Concerned African American Churches (IECAAC) held its 37^th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Prayer Breakfast at California State University, San Bernardino. Political, city, and state dignitaries came out to honor Dr. King. After the breakfast, the group went downtown to the statue to continue to honor and celebration. Mayor Carey Davis spoke during the statue acknowledgment.

Photo credit: Reginald Young

Edited and Re-written by Naomi K. Bonman

LOS ANGELES, CA- This year marked the 32^nd annual Kingdom Day Parade which was held on Monday, January 16 in South Los Angeles. Each year the parade brings our dignitaries to help honor the life and achievements of Martin Luther King Jr.

Groups that participated in the 2017 Kingdom Day Parade included a New Orleans-style brass band with dancers from the Los Angeles Korean Dance Academy. The 200,000 people crowd loved the band. The band also brought in more diversity to the celebration, something that King would be pleased to see and fought for.

One thing that was different and brought to light during this year’s parade was the impending inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, which had the focus of some officials’ attention on how they would push back against the new administration’s policies and decisions. Others referenced the parade’s theme: “Now more than ever, we all must work together.”

“We are confronting a dichotomy of democracy — something that is unique in our history,” state Senate leader Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) said at a breakfast before the parade. “More than ever, California must remain a beacon of hope and opportunity in an uncertain world.”

He continued, “California will never appease anyone who seeks to undermine our economic prosperity and fundamental human rights.”

Los Angeles County health workers, including nurses and technicians, marched in protest of a possible repeal of the Affordable Care Act, President Obama’s landmark healthcare legislation. And L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas marched with them, holding a sign that read, “Obamacare Works.” 

Other groups celebrating at the parade Monday included representatives from local labor unions and law enforcement agencies, as well as high school marching bands and the Omega Psi Phi fraternity — the first predominately black fraternity to be founded at a historically black university. Another float, sponsored by Denny’s and adorned in gold and green tinsel, displayed a large photo of the slain civil rights leader. 

“We stand with him, and with the community, in trying to support all the things that he stood for,” Ronald Smothers, who owns a Denny’s restaurant on Crenshaw Boulevard, said in an interview with ABC 7. 

Christopher Kirkpatrick

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- Christopher Kirkpatrick, a local San Bernardino poet and English teacher at the PAL Charter Academy, recently published his 5th collection of poetry, In Case You Were Wondering. This new book includes selections from his other previously published works written over the past decade: Learning To See From The Blind, Mixed Metaphors, and I Don’t Know What To Tell You. His work has also previously appeared in various other magazines and literary journals such as Aleola, Chaff, Nourishment Notes, Clever Copywriting, and Time of Singing. His books are available on Amazon.com and from America Star Books.

By Lou Coleman

As we all know Worship is Celebration – A Celebration to be Experienced and a Celebration to be shared.

This is a call to all church music ministries to join us on the mountain top of worship, to come into God’s presence, and to stand before God’s throne. If your church music ministry would like to be a part of this great commission, please email a video of your music ministry in songs to walleniv@yahoo.com and/or colemanlou@hotmail.com.

“Worship is the goal of evangelism and evangelism is the fruit of worship.” Be a worshipper, but be a witness. Be one drawn into God’s presence, but also be one sent out into the world. [Gerrit Gustafson]