Local

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- Music Changing Lives, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing music, art, and tutoring programs in America’s public schools and community centers, is excited to announce its upcoming concert on series and night market, “Concert Under the Stars” on May 20 from 6-10 p.m. This free event is held monthly at San Bernardino Valley College (SBVC).

“Concert Under the Stars” is a family-friendly event that features live art, performances, poetry readings and DJs. The event is open to all ages and will showcase the diverse and vibrant arts and culture scene of the Inland Empire.

“We are thrilled to be hosting ‘Concert Under the Stars’ and to bring music and art to our community,” said Music Changing Lives CEO and Founder Josiah Bruny. “Our mission is to provide access to enrichment programs that help young people in our community thrive, and we believe that music and art are essential components of a comprehensive education and lifestyle.”

In addition to live performances, “Concert Under the Stars” will feature a night market with vendor opportunities for informational, merchant and food booths. Those interested in participating in the night market must register in advance, and food vendors must have a health permit or food handler’s card.

“Concert Under the Stars” is an opportunity to support local businesses and nurture the vibrancy of the community. With its focus on bringing enrichment programs to minority and low-income youth, Music Changing Lives is committed to positively impacting the lives of young people and their families.

“Good Vibes Only” is the motto for “Concert Under the Stars.” The organizers hope attendees will join them in building a better, more inclusive future for the San Bernardino community.

For more information about “Concert Under the Stars” or Music Changing Lives, visit their website at musicchanginglives.org.

REDLANDS, CA—- The Salvation Army San Bernardino Corps’ “Fight for Good” features a Community Resource Fair at Meadowbrook Park, 250 N. Sierra Way on Wednesday, May 17, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Local community service organizations will be on hand offering a wide variety of services to provide support for San Bernardino families in need of help.

This is one of the local events celebrating National Salvation Army Week, running from May 15 to May 21. The Salvation Army Corps of San Bernardino will join the National Salvation Army in a week-long series of events to pray for the hungry, homeless, and hopeless and demonstrate the good works it does. This event takes place all over the nation.

“The Resource Fair brings together many of our partners who offer services like ours as well as services we are not able to provide and gives people who need help a convenient way to get the help they need,” said San Bernardino Corps chief executive Major Braga.

These are the community service organizations confirmed as of this writing; more are still pending. Naomi Goforth, Director of Programs, said, “We will have between 20 and 30 organizations on hand from throughout the community.”

1. Community Action Partnership
2. Cal State San Bernardino Project Rebound
3. Telecare CORE/FACT
4. San Bernardino County Workforce Development
5. SAC Health
6. SAC Dental
7. San Bernardino County Department of Public Health, COVID Vaccinations
8. San Bernardino County Department of Public Health, HIV/Hep C Screenings
9. SoCal United Way 211+
10. Option House
11. Inland Empire Health Plan
12. Arrowhead Regional Medical Center Mobile Medical Clinicians
13. Inland Behavioral and Health Services
14. Assemblymember James Ramos
15. Dignity Health, St Bernardine’s Medical Center
16. Goodwill SoCal Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program
17. Veterans Administration Loma Linda Homeless Outreach
18. San Bernardino County Child Support Services Office
19. Open Door/Family Assistance Program
20. Borrego Health
21. Inland County Legal Services

In 1954, the first National Salvation Army Week was declared by the United States Congress and proclaimed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower as a reminder for Americans to give freely. This year’s San Bernardino Corps event showcases the services it offers to the hungry, homeless and hopeless in the community, providing facility tours and live streaming of Salvation Army programs in action, with testimonials from people that have been helped.

The Resource Fair is a special added attraction that highlights the array of service providers that are available to provide help above and beyond what The Salvation Army itself can provide. The greater San Bernardino area is fortunate to have such a robust network.

By itself, the Salvation Army provides emergency services including daily meals, food baskets; lodging for homeless or displaced families; after-school programs for youth, summer camping programs, clothing, showers, and furniture; assistance with rent or mortgage and transportation; and rehabilitation for homeless families when funds are available.

“For Salvation Army Week we are asking our friends to help our neighbors in need and commit to a $5 per month or more if you can giving program that adds up to a considerable level of tax-deductible support for Salvation Army programs that help the hungry, homeless and hopeless,” said Major Braga.

Donations can be made online at SBCSVA.org or by calling 1-(800)-SAL-ARMY, specifying that you want your donation applied to San Bernardino Corps in California.

For more information call (909) 792-6868.

By Edward Henderson | California Black Media

On May 4, 2023, a press conference was held to launch California vs Hate, a new website and telephone hotline created to address the sharp rise in hate crimes and hate incidents occurring in the state. The event was attended by the California Civil Rights Department (CRD), Gov. Gavin Newsom, First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, state legislators, advocates and people affected by hate crimes.

California vs Hate is a tool state residents can use to report crimes motivated by racial, ethnic or other identity biases. It is part of a broader $110 million investment in anti-hate initiatives.

Lorreen Pryor, President of the Black Youth Leadership Project (BYLP), spoke at the event.

“Anti-Black or African American-biased events rose from 456 in 2020 to 513 in 2021, an increase of 12.5%, continuing the trend of Black Californians being identified as the most targeted ethnic group,” Pryor stated.

According to Pryor, “BYLP is committed to working with the civil rights department, local and state officials, and community leaders to address longstanding anti-Black racism and the subsequent lack of response from law enforcement. We will continue to uplift Black youth, families, and community members as we navigate through daily acts of Black bias, discrimination and harassment.”

The Governor’s office stated that California vs Hate was established as a response to requests from state and local community and government leaders for resources to address the recent surge in reported hate crimes, which have reached their highest level since 2001. Between 2020 and 2021, hate crimes increased almost 33% statewide.

In California, any individual who has experienced or witnessed an act of hate can anonymously report it by phone or online, irrespective of their immigration status. Everyone is eligible for free care coordination and referrals to resources, including mental health care.

According to California law, a hate crime is a criminal act committed, in whole or in part, because of one or more of the following actual or perceived characteristics of the victim: disability, gender, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation; or because of the person’s association with a person or group with one or more of those actual or perceived characteristics.

“Here in California, we are sending an unequivocal message that hate will not be tolerated,” said Gov. Newsom. “We stand firm for a California for All and it is important that we hold perpetrators accountable for their actions and provide resources for those individuals victimized by hate crimes.”

In 2021, Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) proposed establishing a state hotline to report hate crimes. He said the program would assist individuals and communities who are targets of hate including Asian Americans, Latinos, Black Americans, LGBTQ+ individuals, religious minorities, and other diverse communities in California.

“We all saw how incidents of hate targeting Asian Americans escalated during the pandemic across the country. As we worked to fight back, we quickly saw this pandemic of hat was not only targeting Asians, but so many different communities in California,” said Muratsuchi.

Reports can be made online in15 languages at any time at cavshate.org, or by calling (833) 866-4283 or 833-8-NO-HATE, Monday to Friday from 9a.m. to 6 p.m. PT, and talking to trained staff in over 200 languages.

Trained care coordinators will provide support following a report, identify options for next steps after a hate incident or hate crime, and connect callers with culturally competent resources. It should be noted that this is not an emergency response hotline and callers are advised to call 911 if they are in immediate danger or witness someone else in distress.

“California is strong because of our diversity but hate-fueled violence remains a persistent and growing threat,” said CRD Director Kevin Kish. “With the launch of CA vs Hate, we’re taking action to help put a stop to hate and to provide support for victims, survivors, and their families. In the face of hate across the nation, we stand united in declaring: California is for everyone.”

This California Black Media report was supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library.

By Tanu Henry and Edward Henderson | California Black Media

Last week, California lawmakers passed Senate Bill (SB) 122 a bill that will provide $150 million in interest-free loans to financially struggling hospitals, primarily in rural areas.

The money will be a one-time emergency allocation and will come from the state general fund if the legislation if the legislation is signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

In a hearing last Thursday, State Sen. Anna Caballero (D-Salinas) says the funding is just the “beginning.”

It’s antiseptic ointment on the cut. We haven’t even started with the Band-Aid,” she added.

The loans will be administered by the California Department of Health Care Access and information and the California Health Facilities Finance Authority in State Treasurer’s Office.

By Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media

On May 6, the California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans held its 15th meeting and voted on its final report. The report must be submitted to the California legislature by the end of June.

During the meeting held at Mills College of Northeastern University in Oakland, the nine-member task force finalized its recommendations for compensating Black Californians for state laws, policies and practices that disproportionately and negatively affected African Americans. The final report which will be available to the public is expected to be about 1,000 pages long.

Task force chair and Los Angeles attorney Kamilah Moore closed out the one-day meeting by thanking “the community of eligibility for attending” the meeting and reflecting on the activities that occurred for nearly two years since the group first convened.

“I know it might have been tough in some spots but I just want to say:  stay encouraged. History is repeating itself,” Moore said. “When we think about what Callie House and Isaiah Dickerson went through, it was actually federal agencies U.S. Postal Office and U.S. DOJ (Department of Justice), the US Pension Office that worked to hinder the free people movement for pensions. So, just stay encouraged and know that justice will prevail at the end of the day.”

House and Dickerson were leaders in the National Ex-Slave Mutual Relief, Bounty and Pension Association, the first organization to push for reparations for slavery.

Among the recommendations made by the task force is for the state of California to issue a formal apology from the state of California. The implied admission of guilt should mitigate the harm historically inflicted on the Black community, task force members say.

The report will contain “a non-exhaustive list” that includes “barbarities carried out on behalf of the State by its representative officers, governing bodies, and the people.”

“The Legislature must apologize on behalf of the State of California and the People of California for the perpetration of gross human rights violations and genocide of Africans who were enslaved and their descendants through public apology, requests for forgiveness, censure of state perpetrators, and tributes to victims,” the report states. “But the Task Force does not recommend the Legislature issue an apology without taking other required steps recommended by the Task Force to conform to the international standards for satisfaction; such an apology would be hollow and ineffective.”

The draft states that the apology would address the “atrocities committed by California state actors who promoted, facilitated, enforced, and permitted” under the institution of chattel slavery.” The final draft includes evidence provided by the California Department of Justice (DOJ) of African Americans denied their fundamental liberties and humanity throughout the state’s history, from before the Civil War to the present.

“To be effective, a considerable number of survivors and their relatives must participate in the development of the apology. As occurred with the apology to California tribal communities, the Legislature should establish a program or government body, such as the California American Freedman Affairs Agency, to facilitate listening sessions that allow victims and their relatives to narrate personal experiences and recount specific injustices caused by the state of California,” the task force recommends.

It took eight hours for the task force members to approve numerous recommendations addressing issues such as over policing and mass incarceration in Black communities, health and environmental inequities and discrimination in education, housing, voting, housing, and business opportunities, and others. The report also addresses the inability to create wealth due to inequity and lack of quality jobs.

During the task force’s14th meeting held in Sacramento in March, economists advising the task force presented economic formulas estimating that the reparations owed to Black Californians who are descendants of people enslaved in the United States is likely to total more than $800 billion.

U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland-12) addressed the panel during the public comments section of the meeting. She is co-sponsoring the Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) bill in Congress.

The first-ever congressional commission examines the effects of slaves, institutional racism, and discrimination against people of color and how history impacts laws and policies today.

“Reparations are not a luxury for our people but a human right long overdue for millions of Americans,” Lee said. “A promise of 40 acres and a mule made to formerly enslaved people over 150 years ago has yet to be fulfilled and it’s critical that the promise that was made to our ancestors is kept. We must repair this damage.”

Oakland City Council member Treva Ried (District 7) and Kevin Jenkins (District 6) were present at the meeting which was attended by more than 150 people at Mills College. This is where the Black Panther Party For for Self Defense (BPP) was born in 1966.

Elaine Brown, a former Black Panther Party leader and Minister of Information, was also in attendance. Last year, she broke ground on an $80 million affordable housing project in West Oakland. The housing project includes 79 units and aims to house formerly incarcerated people, homeless people and unemployed individuals.

“I’m glad to see all these Black people together. I want to see us all get into the streets because you know that you cannot legislate freedom…you are going to have to fight for it,” Brown said to the panel and audience. “You want these people to hear you…you’re going to have to get into the streets (to advocate for reparations).”

The final meeting for the Task Force will be held June 29 in Sacramento. Remarks by task force Members, a Presentation of the Report, closing comments by legislators and other dignitaries will end the two-year charge for the first-of-its-kind reparations commission.

For any questions about the Task Force meeting, contact DOJ at ReparationsTaskforce@doj.ca.govor call (213) 519-0504.

By Tanu Henry and Edward Henderson | California Black Media

On April 27, the Senate Budget Subcommittee #4 held a hearing on the California Film Tax Credit, a $330 million dollar program launched in 2020 to bolster the film industry in the state.

The California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) want Black workers in the entertainment industry to benefit from the tax break.

CLBC chair Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City) and the caucus’ vice chair State Sen. Steve Bradford (D-Inglewood) in a letter to the committee said, “We write to request that the Senate Budget Subcommittee #4 have a robust discussion regarding the diversity requirements for California Film Tax Credit that includes key stakeholders,” CLBC Members wrote in a letter.

“(We) are interested in highlighting the lived experiences of Black workers in the entertainment industry and survey the economic impact the new measure will have on Black and Brown entertainment workers.”

By Tanu Henry and Edward Henderson | California Black Media

California college freshmen and high school seniors have less than a week to apply for the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) scholarship. The deadline is May 15 at midnight.

According to the CLBC, the scholarship, named after Frederick Roberts – California’s first Black lawmaker — was “established to assist deserving students by offering financial assistance to help meet educational expenses.”

Get more details and apply at https://cablackcaucus.org/scholarship.

Sponsored by Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California Riverside African American Historical Society Fair Housing Council of Inland Empire. A huge congratulations to the following women:

Felicia Alexander, Cheylynda Bernard, Gaye Caroline, Lois Carson, Amina Carter, Shirley Coates, Dr. Mildred Dalton Henry, Dr. Debora Deas, Dr. Leita Harris, Dr. Janet Hill, Dr. Margaret Hill, Renee Hill, Sylvia Jackson, Lynne B. Kennedy, Sharron Lewis, Dr. Angelina Martin, Deborah McDuff Williams, Holly Mitchell, Dr. Carolyn Murray, Dr. Regina Patton-Stell, Dr. Gwen Rogers, Janice Rooths, Cherie Russell, Dr. Hazel Russell, Harriette Stuckey, Pastor Karen Sykes, Mildred Tyler, Mary Welch, Dr. Niedha Welch, Dr. Judy White, and Eliza Woolford-Daniely.

ONTARIO, CA— – Cooperative Economic Empowerment Movement (CEEM) returns to LA County Fair this year for its 4th annual Black Excellence Weekend May 20 – 21. Grammy-nominated artist MAJOR will headline along with a solid lineup of Hip Hop, R&B, Jazz, and Gospel artists. From the taste of local black-owned food vendors, live performances, CEEM’s second annual Pitch Competitions, and panel discussions with surprise guests to a riveting National Black graduation soirée, CEEM’s Black Excellence Weekend will celebrate and honor the past, present, and future of Black culture.

CEEM’s two-day affair has become an anticipated local tradition, bringing together African American communities. Owned by a collective of members, CEEM is a cooperative economic engine that empowers people to move.  This collective movement creates access to knowledge, wealth, and power, allowing the Black community to prosper, to achieve what CEEM calls prosparity.

CEEM will bring out some of Southern California’s top Black-owned brands and organizations such as That’s A Awful Lot Of Cough Syrup, Snoop Dogg’s Snoop Youth Football League and Special Stars, the National Black Grads (NBG), and more.

Saturday’s lineup includes Nakkia Gold, freestyle artist Ray Wimley, to name a few. 102.3 KJLH Radio personality Aundrae Russell will broadcast live from the fairgrounds creating an unforgettable experience for all fairgoers to enjoy.

“Fairplex is proud to collaborate with CEEM as it champions its mission of prosperity for our Black community. CEEM’s Black Excellence Weekend has created the space to expand both of our horizons to new opportunities,” says Walter Marquez, president and CEO of Fairplex.

“I’m always excited when we get to partner in the community, but I really love the LA County Fair partnership because it truly represents CEEM; creating value, building relationships and showcasing the African-American community in a really fun way,” states interim CEO Kiana Webb. “I enjoy being a steward in a legacy that is looking for new ways to understand parity; it’s an economic movement, an empowering movement, and a cooperative movement.”

Key highlights:

Black-Owned Food Vendor Tasting Experience – May 20 – 21

CEEM will amplify the culinary experience at the fair this year by bringing together Black-owned food vendors and businesses known throughout the county such as such as Billionaire Burgers Boyz, D Lo’s Kitchen, All flavor No Grease, and etc.

Black Graduation Night – Sunday, May, 21

In partnership with National Black Grads (NBG), CEEM will bus over 700+ Black graduate students to the fair for an evening celebration consisting of a fashion show, featuring local high school graduates, live performances, prizes, and other fun activities for Black students and families to enjoy!

CEEM Pitch Competition  – Saturday, May 20

CEEM is excited to announce its annual pitch competition at the LA County Fair! This year, we’re offering $5,000 and a Start-Up Business Service Kit to the winner with the best business idea.

CLICK HERE to see the full schedule! For more information about CEEM, visit www.ceem.coop. 

• To purchase your tickets with CEEM, CLICK HEREand enter the discount code CEEM2023z
• Need media passes and/or interested in covering the event? Please contact our PR rep Cathy J. Hood at cathy@pristineinitiative.com. 

Follow @CEEM on social media:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ceemcoop/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CEEMCoop

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors presents a Proclamation to The San Bernardino Salvation Army‘s Major Isais Braga In recognition of National Salvation Army Week.

In 2022 The Salvation Army helped 23,218 people, 22,268 households, served 105,981 meals, gave groceries to 10,318 households, and provided educational and recreational programs for 1,612 children. The Hospitality House provided 31,534 nights of shelter to families and children experiencing homelessness.