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The Know Your Food short film series continues to premiere this season on PBS Food. One film will be released every Thursday until June 19, 2014. Click here to watch!

Please share with your network, and help us bring transparency to the food we eat

POMONA, CA- On Sunday, April 13, The Nile Garden Bookstore located inside the African American Museum of Beginnings (AAMB) and the Institute of MAAT cordially invites you to attend their grand opening celebration  from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.  The museum is located at 1460 East Holt Avenue, Suite #188 in Pomona (91767). Special guest speaker Queen Mother Yeyefini and performance poet Arkay Evans will empower audiences with presentations that motivate, scintillate and inspire.

Queen Mother (Iyalode) Yeyefini Efunbolade (www.yeyefini.com) is the author of ‘Meaningful Mondays’ and an inspiring charismatic speaker who has brought joy and meaning to lives of thousands of people through her commitment and passion as a spiritual coach, priestess, renown diviner cultural consultant, life coach and President of Yeyefini.com/Balanced Living Inc. She was ordained as a Yoruba/Ifa/Lucumi Priest in 1971, teaches and performs rituals and ceremonies in the West African tradition. She organizes and hosts spiritual retreats and pilgrimages throughout the United States, Caribbean and the world through the International Institute of African Studies and Knowledge (IIASK. Inc), which she founded.

Reggie Webb (right), Webb Family Enterprises, presents A. Majadi (left), President of the Boys & Girls Club of San Bernardino, with a check for $5000 for the program.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- Each Monday for the last 42 years the Westside Action Group has met at noon. This past Monday the group met at Stones & Chins Jamaica Restaurant, 763 west Highland Avenue in San Bernardino.  It is like taking a quick, inexpensive trip to Jamaica, from the atmosphere to the food. We first came here as part of WAG’s commitment to support Black Owned Businesses. Now we come because Georgette Chin, owner, runs a great restaurant and has become a real benefit to the community. She is providing, as well as giving to various community based groups, such as the Boys & Girls Club of San Bernardino.

There were about 25 attendees participating in the meeting and the buffet. During the meeting, A. Majadi, President of the San Bernardino Boys & Girls Club, was presented a check for the club in the amount of $5000 from Restaurateur Reggie Webb, representing Webb Family Enterprises.

“Reggie Webb is a blessing to this community. This check is a symbol of the support and dedication that he has to balancing the playing field for our youth,” Majadi said in response to the gift. “He is a good man and I truly thank him that”. (Written by By Wha-Lee; photos by Photos By NewHawk).

Host Cizzle C

Every first Friday at 8: 30 p.m. Doors open at 8 p.m. Mature adults only in upscale attire. Cost is $15 to get in. The JRoom is located at 1445 Spruce Street in Riverside 92507.  The show and event is held inside the elegant B&D Dance Center. For more information call (909) 953-4350 or (951) 220-5631.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- Rehearsals for the Assistance League of San Bernardino’s 53^RD Annual Signature Headdress Ball are in full swing and coming to the final weeks of practice for the 10 headdress models and the volunteer dancers that will be performing with them. The National Orange Show will play host to this year’s Headdress Ball on Saturday, April 12. There will be a matinee performance at 10 a.m. that will include lunch and the presentation of the headdresses.  The cost to attend the matinee is $75 per person.   The evening gala celebration will begin with a cocktail reception at 5:30 p.m. sponsored by the Signature Club.  Tickets for the evening black-tie performance are $150 per person.  The tables seat 10 for the evening dinner performance. This year’s headdress models will include Assistance League members: Lillian Vasquez-Wisegarver (Colton), Nancy Gutierrez (Rancho Cucamonga), Margaret Ortiz (San Bernardino), and Marsha Scott (Redlands).  Representing Les Confreres, an auxiliary organization of the Assistance League are Louise Hummel (San Bernardino) and Danielle Hilder (LakeArrowhead). Special guest models that will be representing community interests include: Tammy Martin-Ryles (San Bernardino) representing Inland Empire Black Chamber of Commerce; Geri Jure (San Bernardino) representing Friends of Assistance League; Maria Saenz (San Bernardino) representing San Bernardino Sinfonia Mexicana; and Mary Ann Quiggle (San Bernardino) representing the San Bernardino Chamber of Commerce.

All proceeds from the matinee and the evening performances will go to benefit the children of San Bernardino through the support and funding of the Dr. Earl R. Crane Children’s Dental Health Center and Operation School Bell, a program that provides clothing for needy children. To purchase tickets contact Bobbi Simenton at (909) 862-0732 or you may send your reservations to 3344 Parkside Drive, San Bernardino, CA  92404.  Make checks payable to the Assistance League of San Bernardino.  Tickets and donations to Assistance League are available online at http://headdressball2014.eventbrite.com.

Stevie B

ONTARIO, CA- Super Freestyle Explosion is back!  This annual live music event featuring classic artists and infectious dance hits comes to the Inland Empire for one night only this summer with a Friday, June 27 show at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario. Super Freestyle Explosion 2014 includes platinum stars Stevie B, Lisa Lisa, Debbie Deb, Expose, Stacey Q, Connie, Nu Shooz, Trinere  and Pretty Poison.  Fans can expect a night full of both chart-topping Hi-NRG hits and smooth ballads like, Stevie B’s “Spring Love” and “Because I Love You,” Lisa Lisa’s “Lost In Emotion,” and “I Wonder If I Take You Home,” Debbie Deb’s “Lookout Weekend,” Expose’s “Seasons Change,”  Nu Shooz’ “I Can’t Wait” and much more. Super Freestyle Explosion tickets will go on sale Friday, April 4 at 10 a.m. and will be available online at www.AXS.com and www.ticketmaster.com, by phone at (888) 929-7849 and at the Citizens Business Bank Arena Box Office during normal business hours.

Brian (left), land lord of the office suites, welcomes in Renea Wickman (right) into the office building on behalf of Danny Tillman. Reginald Young (center) is a stronger supporter of Tillman and is helping to move the campaign forward.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- Danny Tillman and his team will be having a grand opening of his campaign headquarters on Sunday, April 6 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at 577 North ‘D’ Street, Suites 103 & 104 in San Bernardino. An additional open house will be on Monday, April 7 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. The office will be open Monday thru Friday from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

“We are so thankful for the community members who made this happen, without your support and donations we could not have done it,” Renea Wickman stated.

Danny Tillman is a Democratic Candidate for U.S. Congress running in California’s 31st District Open-Seat. He is also a San Bernardino Board of Education Member and is known for getting people involved to fight injustices. Mr. Tillman will be a progressive voice and a Congressman who will work hard to create family wage paying jobs and educational opportunities for the people of the Inland Empire. The District 31^st District includes the cities of San Bernardino, Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands, Upland, Fontana Rialto, Colton, Loma Linda and Grand Terrace.       Donations of cash, reams of white paper, envelopes, stamps and office supplies will be greatly appreciated. For more information visit Danny Tillman for Congress at www.dannytillmanforcongress.com or call (909) 567-0222 or (909) 800-0318. Also be sure to follow Danny Tillman’s campaign on Twitter @Tillman4House and Facebook at DannyTillmanForCongress.

Joy Harvest World Outreach Church adopted San Gorgonio High School on April 1. The adoption and ceremony were part of the Adopt-a-School program sponsored by the San Bernardino Area Chamber of Commerce and the San Bernardino City Unified School District. The program encourages partnerships between community organizations and District schools. San Gorgonio High is the second school to be adopted by Joy Harvest World Outreach Church this year. In February, Joy Harvest adopted Emmerton Elementary School, which is located just down the street from San Gorgonio High. Church members have committed to mentoring San Gorgonio students and helping them connect to the greater community. The April 1 ceremony was a joint adoption by Joy Harvest World Outreach Church and New Hope Missionary Baptist Church.

A new task force made up of parents, educators, and community leaders has begun focusing on ways to boost the academic success of the San Bernardino City Unified’s nearly 8,000 African-American students.

Among the first goals of the Task Force for African American Student Achievement is surveying parents about the District’s parent and community engagement practices. The task force, headed by the Rev. Samuel Casey of Communities Organized for Prophetic Engagement (COPE), hopes to establish more community engagement opportunities that will help parents and guardians work with the District as it strives to increase the number of African-American high school graduates who are ready to succeed in college and careers.

Formed late last year, the task force represents a spectrum of grassroots community organizations, among them the Westside Action Group, Young Visionaries, BLU Educational Foundation, the San Bernardino chapter of the NAACP, Boys and Girls Club of San Bernardino, Youth Action Project, Inland Empire Concerned African American Churches, and the Black Voice Foundation. The task force’s mission is to ensure that the District’s Targeted Instructional Improvement Plan, known as TIIP, is implemented for the benefit of African-American students.

“We have a responsibility to hold the District accountable but also to work alongside the District,” Casey said. “Effective collaboration is essential to real change.”

This summer, the Task Force for African American Student Achievement will host a Parent Learning Institute to educate mothers, fathers, and guardians, so they can become better advocates for children. The institute will also focus on empowering parents and caregivers to participate in the decision-making process at the school, District, and community level.

Task force members will have a booth at the April 5 Day of King Celebration at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, located at 1250 Medical Center Drive in San Bernardino. The parent survey will be available during the event.

Superintendent Dr. Dale Marsden, who has long supported authentic parent engagement, welcomes the task force’s help.

“We have already begun a productive dialogue that I believe will be beneficial to the task force, the District, and, most importantly, our students,” Marsden said. “Educating students and ensuring their future success is the work of our entire community.”

For more information about the work of the new task force, please call COPE at (909) 915-1776.

Michael Gallo

Michael Gallo provides leadership to the commercial, civil, and military space community as a founding member and past chairman of the California Space Education and Workforce Institute, the California Space Authority and as section chairman of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.  He is a past chairman and current board member of the Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County.  Michael serves as advisory board chairman of the Lewis Center for Educational Research, a k-12 charter school.

He founded Technical Employment Training, Inc., a non-profit established as a partnership between education and industry, to prepare a skilled and highly-qualified workforce for the manufacturing sector and place students into careers.

As the past chairman of the San Bernardino County Workforce Investment Board, board member of several California State University initiatives and regional education collaboratives, he is focused on the implementation of key strategic education, workforce, and economic development objectives to enable our region to compete within targeted high-growth industry clusters and provide technology sectors with qualified workers.

Time for Change Foundation’s Annual Awards Luncheon will be held on Thursday, April 10, 2014 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. at the National Orange Show Events Center, located at 690 S. Arrowhead Avenue, San Bernardino, CA 92408.  “Celebrating Life’s Precious Jewels” is this year’s theme.  The event will celebrate the life successes of Time for Change Foundation while awarding the members of the community who contribute to the success of those in need.

Other awardees at this year’s event include:  Dan and Melissa Carlone for the Community Champion Award; Penny Lilburn for the Community Pioneer Award; the Safety Employees’ Benefit Association for the Ramos Family Spirit of Compassion Award; Brenda Dowdy and Vicki Lee-Nichols for the Community Service Award; and Ron Cochran for the Public Safety Award.

The mission of Time for Change Foundation is to empower disenfranchised low income individuals and families by building leadership through evidenced-based programs and housing to create self-sufficiency and thriving communities.  Event sponsorship opportunities and seats are available.  Please call (909) 886-2994 or visit www.timeforchangefoundation.org for more information or to make a donation.