WSSN Stories

By Joe W. Bowers Jr. | California Black Media

The Social Justice Learning Institute (SJLI), based in Inglewood, is dedicated to addressing the challenges facing communities of color across Los Angeles County and beyond.

With a focus on education, health equity, and youth empowerment, SJLI runs impactful programs that tackle systemic inequalities and help build stronger communities. In addition to its work in Los Angeles, SJLI has expanded its efforts to Houston, Texas.

California Black Media (CBM) recently spoke with Derek Steele, SJLI’s Executive Director. He discussed the organization’s achievements, challenges, and future plans. Steele, a former engineer who transitioned into the field of health equity advocacy, has been at SJLI for more than a decade. His background in system-building and community organizing has shaped SJLI’s approach to solving critical issues like food insecurity and education disparities.

Responses have been edited for clarity and length.

What stands out as SJLI’s most impactful achievement in 2024?

SJLI’s Urban Scholars Program remains a bright spot despite our challenges. The program provided students with the academic support they needed to stay on track for graduation.

We maintained a 96% graduation rate across all sites. This fall, we’ve seen a 97% retention rate for students going into their second year of college This achievement is a testament to SJLI’s focus on bridging the gap between high school and college, ensuring that students have a smooth transition.

How has SJLI’s leadership and investments improved the lives of Black and Brown youth in LA County?

We must invest in both education and health. In addition to academic programs, SJLI has made a significant impact through our health equity initiatives, particularly in food access. Just last year, we distributed 1.2 million pounds of produce throughout LA County. This, along with their retreats and college tours, provided much-needed support for students and their families.

What has been the most challenging aspect of SJLI’s work in 2024?

While there was progress in 2020 and 2021 following the social justice movements, many of the commitments made during that time have since been rolled back. This made 2024 particularly challenging as efforts to push forward key initiatives, such as the Black Student Achievement Plan at Los Angeles Unified School District, slowed down.

The challenge has been the full-throated walk back of a lot of those commitments.

What inspired SJLI to continue its mission despite the challenges of 2024?

SJLI’s dedicated team and the support of the community have kept the organization moving forward. Our staff members have a deep commitment to the mission, and they are true believers in what we’re trying to achieve. The involvement of the broader community has also helped. Community members come by on Fridays for our produce distribution, and some even join us at events like the equity social.

What is one lesson SJLI learned in 2024 that will shape its decisions in 2025?

One of the biggest lessons learned is the importance of building strong, aligned partnerships. SJLI has collaborated with the Brotherhood Crusade and BAM LA forming the Bloom Alliance—an initiative that stands for Building a Lifetime of Options and Opportunity for young Men which was launched by the California Community Foundation.

Partnership matters, but alignment in those partnerships really matters. Having a clear plan in place allows the organization to stay adaptable when challenges arise. You have to plan the work and work the plan.

What is the biggest challenge facing Black and Brown communities in LA County in one word?

The biggest challenge is displacement. With rising housing costs, many families are being forced out of their neighborhoods, some leaving the state entirely or becoming homeless.  More than 50% of people are housing burdened, spending over half of their income on housing. So, SJLI is working on Sankofa at Centinela, a 120-unit, 100% affordable housing development that will also house our new 25,000 square foot headquarters.

What is SJLI’s main goal for 2025?

SJLI’s main goal is to continue empowering youth leaders of color through education, leadership development, and community engagement. We are here to improve the overall health, education, and well-being of youth leaders of color by fostering leadership and providing resources. SJLI aims to help communities become self-sustaining and thriving.

By Lou K. Coleman | WSS News Contributor

Come on, put your war clothes on. Time to let go, move on, and close doors. Time to end it once and for all!

You know there’s a famous passage in the [7th Chapter of the Book of Romans verses 14-25] where the Apostle Paul is describing a warfare going on within himself:  He says, “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.  I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. For I delight in the Law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin. O wretched man that I am! Who will free me from this life dominated by sin and death?

Sounds familiar?

I tell you, anyone who reads [Romans 7:14-25] should immediately identify with Paul’s expression of frustration and agony due to the weakness of his fleshly body: “All the things I don’t want to do I end up doing and all the things I want to do I end up not doing. I want to do what’s right, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what’s bad, but I do. It baffles me. My own behavior baffles me. Why do I keep making the same mistakes? Why am I so resistant to change? Why can’t I figure out why I do what I don’t want to do?” I don’t understand myself.

The human dilemma described as a man. Who is carnal, sold under sin. Desires to do good but finds himself unable. Desires to abstain from evil but finds himself unable. Who agrees that the Law is good but finds that sins dwell in him. [Romans 7:14-20].

Well, I want you to know that due to Adam’s fall into sin, mankind is corrupted by sin in every area of his life: mind, emotions, and will, have all been tainted. We think sinfully, we feel sinful, and we choose sinfully. We naturally love darkness [John 3:19], and we do not understand the things of God [1 Corinthians 2:14]. The human condition is lost; we have all wandered astray [Isaiah 53:6]. We are spiritually blind [2 Corinthians 4:4]. We are sinful, having broken the Law of God [1 John 1:8; 3:4]. We are enslaved by sin [John 8:34]. We are morally ruined [Romans 7:18]. We are dying physically and dead spiritually [1 Peter 1:24; Ephesians 2:1].

We are in an epic battle! A battle of good and evil. A battle that spans from our very first breath until our last. It is a close and intimate war! Hand-to-hand combat with our adversary the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world, the accuser, the ruler of this world and the god of this age whose aim is to use pain and pleasure to make us blind, stupid, and miserable — forever. [Revelation 12:9–10; John 12:31; 2 Corinthians 4:4]. He will use any method necessary to take advantage of us and get us under his control. [1 Peter 5:8]. But we must use what God has given us to overcome. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Stand firm therefore, and gird your loins with the Belt of Truth, which counters deception, and put on the Breastplate of Righteousness which guards the heart, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace which provides stability. In addition to all, take up the Shield of Faith which extinguishes the enemy’s attacks, and take the Helmet of Salvation which protects the mind along with, the Sword of the Spirit [God’s Word], the Offensive weapon, because I tell you, it’s time to rise up and declare war on the devil. [Ephesians 6:10-18]. No longer will we give the devil a foothold. [Ephesians 4:27]. We are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ, and we don’t have to let the devil run all over us. For the Bible boldly declares, “…Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world” [1 John 4:4].

Like the disciples, God has authorized us to stand against the enemy. [Luke 10:17-19].  When we are authorized, we are commissioned, certified, licensed, lawful, legitimate, recognized, sanctioned, warranted, and official. Exercise your authority. Be like David; David was full of confidence that he was going to be victorious. He was so certain of victory the Bible says he ran to the enemy to fight him. There was no doubt in his mind. He wasn’t going to do it by using some great armor or weapon, but by the power of God. And he took a smooth stone, thrust it out, and killed the great giant of Gath. [1 Samuel 17:41-52].

I tell you, it’s time to put the devil where he belongs, under your feet. He may think he has you where he wants you. But don’t be afraid, for the Lion of the Tribe of Judah has arrived, for He has become your shield and your exceedingly Great Reward. [Genesis 15:1].

Come on, put your war clothes on. Time to let go, move on, and close doors. Time to tell the Devil to go to Hell! You are not at the mercy of the enemy’s attacks. Don’t put him on a pedestal, as if he has power and dominion over you. He is a defeated foe! Jesus defeated him and gave you power over him [James 4:7] USE IT! For in Christ, you are “far above all principality and power and might and dominion” and every lion and serpent you shall trample underfoot! [Romans16:20]. Time to Declare War!

He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. [Revelation 3:21

By Antonio? ?Ray? ?Harvey? ?|? ?California? ?Black? ?Media?

The California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) made history on Dec. 2. For the first time, most of its members are women. Nine out of its 12 current members are Black women, the highest number in the organization’s 57-year-history.

During the last legislative session, five out of 12 CLBC members were women.

For the 2025-26 Legislative session, three CLBC women members are serving in the State Senate and six in the State Assembly.

Sen. Laura Richardson (D-Inglewood) and Sen. Akilah Weber (D-LaMesa) were sworn in on the first official day of the 2025-26 Regular Session in the chambers of the State Senate by the Hon. Patricia Guerrero, Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court.

“Yesterday, I was sworn in as Senator of the 39th Senate District! I am so honored to do this work and excited to get started, Weber posted on her Facebook page Dec. 3. “I introduced my first bill on my first day, SB 32 to address maternity ward closures in the state. Let’s go Senate District 39.”

Before winning her Senate seat, Weber had served in the State Assembly for three years representing the 79th District in San Diego County.

She was also sworn in as Chair of the CLBC on Dec. 2.

Weber and Richardson are joining CLBC member Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Ladera Heights), who had previously been the only Black woman serving in the State Senate. Smallwood-Cuevas was elected in 2022.

“This has been a long journey,” said Smallwood-Cuevas. “We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for all of you coming together and standing up and supporting this effort to ensure that Black women have a voice here in Sacramento, representing the communities we all care about. We grew our caucus but this is just the beginning of making sure that the California State Legislature is representative of California.”

New CLBC lawmakers in the Assembly — Assemblymembers Sade Elhawary (D-South Los Angeles), Rhodesia Ransom (D-Stockton) and LaShae Sharp-Collins (D-San Diego) — were also sworn in on Dec. 2 on the Assembly floor.

Elhawary, Ransom, and Sharp-Collins and are joining Richardson as the newest members of CLBC. However, Richardson previously served in the Assembly before being elected to Congress in 2007.

“There are some incredible people here who turned out the vote,” said Richardson at a CLBC reception held to welcome new members. “Call me landslide Laura.”

Richardson paid tribute to the icons in California politics who paved the way for her and other newly elected Black women.

“When I took my portrait, I wore a white turtleneck and a red jacket like Congresswoman Maxine Waters,” added Richardson. All of us women are here because we stood on the backs and shoulders of women who served here capably and are respected and that has translated into giving us a chance.”

Richardson also acknowledged that there would be challenges ahead.

“In times like these, we don’t need to agonize. We need to organize,” she said.

After her swearing in, Sharp-Collins said she is “honored and humbled to represent the people of the 79th Assembly District.

“I plan to continue the work I have done for many years to advance the district — especially in helping support our most vulnerable residents,” Sharp-Collins continued.

Returning CLBC members in the State Assembly are: immediate past CLBC Chair, Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City), and Assemblymembers Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood), Mia Bonta (D-Alameda), Issac Bryan (D-Ladera Heights), Corey Jackson (D-Moreno Valley) and Mike Gipson (D-Carson).

Outgoing CLBC members include Sen. Steve Bradford (D-Inglewood), who was termed out and is running for Lieutenant Governor. Assemblymembers Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento), Chris Holden (D-Pasadena), and Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles) also left. McCarty did not seek reelection to the Assembly to run for mayor of Sacramento, a race he won. Holden and Jones-Sawyer were termed out.

The CLBC was established in 1967 by Black members of the California Legislature to address the concerns of African Americans and other citizens of color. Mervyn Dymally, who represented parts of greater Los Angeles in the Assembly and State Senate, led the founding. Dymally was also the 41st lieutenant governor of California and served in United States Congress before returning to serve in the Assembly.

The California Legislature is also making history this legislative session with an unprecedented 58 women lawmakers, almost half of its 120 total members.

“We couldn’t be more excited about this outstanding group of new Senators who were sworn in today,” said Senate Pro Tem McGuire (D-Healdsburg), who led the convening session that officially began the upcoming two-year legislative session.

“They’re hard-working, innovative, and ready to tackle the tough challenges ahead,” McGuire added.

Later that evening, the CLBC held a reception to welcome its new leadership and members. Weber and Bryan were elected by the CLBC in August to serve as its next Chair and Vice Chair, respectively.

The new members of the CLBC say there are inspired, motivated and ready to start working on behalf of their constituents.

“I’ve spent my career standing up for people, and I’m proud to represent the people of Assembly District 13,” said Ransom, who served on the Tracy City Council and held leadership roles in various community-based organizations

“I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to continue my work to provide economic opportunity for all, reduce costs, strengthen accountability and education, and protect our neighborhoods. I’m ready to get to work and deliver results, she added.”

On her first day, Elhawary, who is the daughter of Egyptian and Guatemalan immigrants, introduced her first piece of legislation, Assembly Bill (AB) 37, which proposes solutions to improve mental health services for our unhoused neighbors, especially schoolkids and their families.

“My goal with this bill is to organize all interested parties in a discussion with a goal to aggressively research the hurdles we still face and identify policy or regulatory solutions in providing this essential service,” Elhawary stated.

Sharp Collins stated. “I look forward to working with my colleagues and our Assembly leadership to better the 79th District and the State as a whole.”

“There is so much work to be done,” she said.

By Frederick Joseph

“We write because we believe the human spirit cannot be tamed and should not be trained.”– Nikki Giovanni, National Book Award finalist, NAACP Image Award winner, Langston Hughes Medal recipient, Grammy-nominated poet, celebrated professor, literary legend, revolutionary.

Dear Ms. Giovanni,

I never got to meet you, not in the way some people meet, where hands shake and voices hum their recognition. But I met you, didn’t I? Through the pen you wielded like a torch, like a wand, like a blade when the world needed sharpening. You didn’t just write poems—you built rooms for us to walk into, to rest in, to rage in, to love in. I stepped into those rooms again and again, never leaving quite the same as I entered.

I remember the first time I met you, even if you weren’t really there. I was in middle school, and my teacher handed me your poem, “Ego-Tripping.” I didn’t know poetry could feel like that—like it was climbing out of the page, standing proud, daring anyone to look away. That poem felt like a drumbeat in my chest, like the pulse of something bigger than me but still mine.

I enjoyed it so much that I decided I wasn’t going to be afraid to read aloud the next time my teacher asked. That might not sound like much, but you have to understand—I was always afraid to read aloud. My mind runs faster than my mouth can keep up. It still happens, even now. Words pile up in my head like a traffic jam, and my tongue tries to catch up but can’t. But that day, with your poem in my hands, I wasn’t afraid. I wasn’t fumbling. I was invincible.

Some days, I still am.

How do I thank you for that? For letting me sit beside you, poem after poem, as you held the mirror to Blackness and said, “Look. See how beautiful, how complex, how infinite we are.” You took your joy and your pain, your fight and your tenderness, and poured it into the pages, and those pages poured it into us. You made it possible to believe that the word could be a home, even when the world wasn’t.

Did you know you were handing us maps, showing us how to find ourselves when we felt lost? Did you know your words would echo long after you were gone, shaping us, challenging us, calling us to be bolder, softer, freer?

Even though we never met, I feel like I knew you. And maybe that’s the magic of what you gave to the world—you let us know you, the way the moon lets you feel its glow even when it’s distant. You were honest in your brilliance, unyielding in your love for your people, uncompromising in your devotion to truth. Your work has always felt like a hand on my shoulder, guiding me through the fog of this world.

Now you’ve passed on, and the earth feels a little quieter. But your words are loud enough to fill the silence. Your legacy beats like a second heart in those of us who’ve read you, who’ve been changed by you. You showed us how to live unafraid, how to write unafraid, and for that, we will never stop thanking you.

I wrote something for you, please let me know what you think of it when we finally meet:

sleep well, Ms. Giovanni

you sat the stars down and taught them how to wink,
wrapped the moon in your laughter, sent it spinning,
a love supreme floating through the quiet corners
of our kitchen sinks and subway cars.

and hot combs, and durags, and cognac,
and linen suits, and church hats, and thug life,
and all the shit they said was too Black.

you made poetry the blood,
made it the marrow—
the way we hold our babies close
or kiss the air when no one’s looking.
you wrote us whole,
even when we were breaking.

your words, a song—soft and unyielding—
Marvin Gaye on sunday mornings
and on protest lines.
you whispered to the shadows,
told them they were still made of light.

you told the south to sing,
told the north to dance,
held the universe in a mason jar,
and said, “look, this is ours.”

somewhere, beneath a magnolia tree,
your voice is still planting itself,
still pulling love out of the dirt,
still teaching us how to bloom.

With love and thanks,
Frederick

By Edward Henderson | California Black Media

Frontline Doulas provides African American families in Los Angeles County non-medical professional perinatal services at no cost.

This includes physical, emotional, informational, psychosocial and advocacy support during the pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum period. Women of ages — with all forms of insurance — are accepted and encouraged to apply for services.

Given that community-based doulas focus on marginalized patients and under-served families, they are more likely to support clients challenged by institutionalized racism and cultural incompetence within the medical setting. While serving past birthing clients in extreme situations, Frontline’s team of doulas strive to act with strength and compassion like soldiers on the frontline of battle. For this reason, supervisors and mentors Dr. Sayida Peprah and Khefri Riley affectionately gave them the name “The Frontline Doulas.”

California Black Media (CBM) spoke with co-founder Khefri Riley. She reflected on Frontline’s accomplishments this year and the organization’s goals moving forward.

Responses have been edited for clarity and length.

Looking back at 2024, what stands out to you as your most important achievement and why? 

In 2024, we are humbled to have been awarded the contract for the Los Angeles County Medical Doula Hub, which means that we are charged with creating a hub of connectivity and support for generating training and helping to create the new doula workforce for the medical doula benefit that went live in California on Jan. 1, 2023.

The major accomplishment of this historical benefit — in which we were part of the co-design team and are currently still working with the DHCS (Department of Healthcare Services) – is to bring equitable birthing services to Los Angeles County, especially for Black and Indigenous birthing families.

How did your leadership and investments contribute to improving the lives of Black Californians? 

We believe that the revolution begins in the womb. What we mean by that is we have the potentiality and the ability to create intentional generational healing from the moment before a child was conceived, when a child was conceived, during this gestational time and when a child is born.

And there’s a traditional saying in indigenous communities where what we do now affects future generations going forward. So, the work that we do with birthing families, in particular Black birthing families, is to create powerful and healthy outcomes for the new generation so that we don’t have to replicate pain, fear, discrimination, or racism. We can replicate joy and happiness and truth and collective liberation, and we can do that in birth. That’s where it starts.

What frustrated you the most over the last year?

Working in reproductive justice often creates a heavy burden on the organization and the caregivers that deliver the services most needed to the communities. So, oftentimes, we’re advocating for those whose voices are silenced and erased, and you really have to be a warrior to stand strong and firm. Our dedication to our communities can sometimes be tiring — repeating the same thing over and over. But you know the statistics, the dire outcomes, can take a lot out of you.

What inspired you the most over the last year?

My great-grandmother. My father was his grandmother’s midwife assistant when he was a young boy. I grew up with their medicine stories — the ways that they healed the community and were present to the community, even amidst Jim Crow. Knowing their resilience and their passion and their incredible gifts, who are we not to continue their lineage and uplift their message of loving the babies, loving the mothers and birthing people and loving the earth.

What is one lesson you learned in 2024 that will inform your decision-making next year?

I find that you have to really reach for your highest vision, and you have to stand firm in your value. The value you have as a sovereign self, the value that you have as a human being. And the value that we have in community and the value that we have in collective liberation. Because oftentimes, when we’re talking about large-scale systems, government, healthcare, politics, they’re not necessarily going to look out for you. You have to raise your voice, speak up and demand, and know your intrinsic value.

In one word, what is the biggest challenge Black Californians face?

Amplification. We cannot allow our voices to be silent.

What is the goal you want to achieve most in 2025?

I really would like to see a reduction in infant mortality and maternal mortality within our communities and witness this new birth worker force be supported and integrated into systems. So, that way, we fulfill our goal of healthy, unlimited birth in the Black community, and indeed in all birthing communities in Los Angeles and California.

NATIONWIDE — High-achieving women searching for clarity and confidence in their dating lives now have a one-of-a-kind opportunity. Dr. Casandra “Coach Cass” Henriquez, America’s Go-To Love Coach, is hosting the “How to Attract Quality Men Intensive” from January 31 through February 1, 2025, in a luxurious Fort Lauderdale, Florida mansion.

Tailored for professional women over 40, this hands-on, immersive weekend helps participants master dating skills through mock dates with real men—and gain live, constructive feedback. With only 12 spots available, this exclusive event is designed to offer actionable insights that help women attract quality men who align with their values and goals.

Why Women Want Real Feedback

For many single, successful women, the dating process can feel frustrating and unclear:

• Am I sending the right signals?
• Why does the connection fizzle after a great date?
• What am I doing wrong—and how can I fix it?

“Too often, women are left guessing about what went wrong,” says Coach Cass. “This intensive provides immediate answers and helps women feel confident about how they’re coming across.”

A Weekend of Practice, Feedback, and Results

Unlike traditional seminars or online courses, the How to Attract Quality Men Intensive combines expert coaching with real-world application. Participants will:

• Learn body language, communication, and flirting techniques in a workshop setting.
• Practice those skills during mock dates with real men in a judgment-free environment.
• Receive real-time feedback from men and Coach Cass to fine-tune their approach.

Test their skills in a public setting to build confidence in real-life scenarios.

“This isn’t just learning—it’s doing,” says Coach Cass. “Women leave this experience with tools they can immediately apply to their dating lives.”

What Sets This Intensive Apart

Coach Cass created the intensive after hearing from women who felt stuck in their dating lives:

• “I don’t know why I keep attracting men who aren’t ready for commitment.”
• “I’m not sure what makes me stand out or how to meet high-quality men.”
• “I’ve worked so hard on my career and life, but I don’t want to grow old alone.”

Through honest feedback and personalized coaching, the event helps women gain clarity about what works in dating — and the confidence to connect with the men they truly want.

About
Dr. Casandra “Coach Cass” Henriquez is a bestselling author, certified love coach & matchmaker, and creator of the Real Love Network. Known for her relatable and results-oriented approach, Coach Cass has helped thousands of professional women break free from dating frustrations to create meaningful relationships.

Her book, Wanted Woman: The Busy Woman’s Guide to Attracting and Choosing a Love That Lasts, has made her a trusted voice for women who want to approach dating with clarity and ease.

Event Details

When: January 31 to February 1, 2025
Where: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Investment: $3,500
How to register: Register online at WantedWoman.com/intensive

This all-inclusive weekend includes accommodations, gourmet meals, workshops, mock dates, and real-time feedback. Applications are now open for only 12 spots.

By Joe W. Bowers Jr. | California Black Media

At 32, Isaac Bryan (D-Ladera Heights) has emerged as one of California’s most dynamic Assemblymembers.

As a former Assembly Majority Leader, Bryan has focused his legislative career on addressing racial inequities and systemic injustice, particularly in criminal justice reform, environmental justice, and economic equality.

Now in his fourth year in the legislature, Bryan serves as a generational bridge within the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) as several longer-serving colleagues have left office due to term limits. In 2025, he will assume the influential role of CLBC Vice Chair and is expected to provide greater leadership on issues important to Black Californians.

Representing the 55th Assembly District, which includes both affluent and disadvantaged communities in Los Angeles County, Bryan’s legislative efforts have been crucial in passing policies that uplift marginalized communities, particularly Black Californians, while addressing long-standing systemic inequities.

Recently, Bryan spoke with California Black Media (CBM). He reflected on his legislative efforts in 2024, the challenges he faced, and his vision for 2025.

His responses have been edited for length and clarity.

Reflecting on 2024, what do you believe was your most impactful achievement for advancing the interests of Black Californians, and why? 

The first is AB 2716. It is a major win for environmental justice that addresses long-standing health and safety concerns for Black and lower-income residents living near oil and gas production fields. The second is AB 2906. That bill ensures that foster care children, many of whom are disproportionately Black, receive their rightful survivor benefits from federal programs after their parents pass away. Previously, these funds were often redirected to county budgets. AB 2906 is a real game-changer for foster care youth. We’ve ensured that these kids, who’ve already faced so many obstacles, are not cheated out of the financial support meant for them.

As the incoming Vice Chair of the Black Caucus, how have your leadership and policy efforts helped address key issues impacting Black Californians? 

Leadership is about bringing people together across racial, geographic, and political lines to make meaningful change. The Black Caucus secured $300 million in ongoing funding for California’s lowest-performing students, who are disproportionately Black. We fought hard for this funding, and it’s going to make a real difference in our communities, helping to close the achievement gap.

What were the most significant challenges you faced in advocating for Black Californians, especially in navigating the complexities of reparations discussions and other policies aimed at addressing systemic inequities?

Misinformation and disinformation were huge obstacles in 2024, especially during an election year. These tactics have been used to divide Black communities and diminish their political influence. Another major challenge was navigating the state’s budget deficit, which threatened critical programs for Black Californians. We had to fight hard to protect programs in education, housing, and social services from severe cuts. When you’re dealing with a budget deficit, every dollar counts, and we had to ensure that our communities weren’t the ones left shortchanged.

What events or movements inspired you the most in your efforts to support Black communities?

Watching grassroots organizations and everyday people stand up for their communities, especially when it comes to health and safety, has been powerful. It’s inspiring to see local advocates and community members not only speak up, but demand the right to live in safe, healthy environments.

What lessons from 2024 have shaped your approach to policy and decision-making?

The biggest lesson from 2024 is the importance of persistence. As leaders, we have to stay committed to the long game, even when the path is difficult. The fight for equity, whether it’s in housing, education, or environmental justice, requires consistency. You can’t let up.

In one word, what do you see as the most pressing issue Black Californians are facing?

Equity. We need to make sure that Black Californians are not left behind as we move forward as a state. This means pushing to repair past harms and fighting for fair access to resources and opportunities in every aspect of life, whether it’s education, jobs, or health.

What is the one goal you are most committed to achieving in 2025 as Vice Chair of the Black Caucus?

My number one goal for 2025 is to ensure that the state’s budget is not balanced on the backs of Black Californians. The budget is a moral document, and it needs to reflect our values of fairness and justice.

By Lou K. Coleman | WSS News Contributor

Being lost and going to Hell, thinking you were going to Heaven. A line from a Negro spiritual says it well, “Everybody talkin’ ’bout Heaven ain’t goin’ there.”

You see, Jesus makes one of the most startling statements in the entire Bible. He says, not everyone that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in Heaven. [Matthew 7:21-27]. Some people who will think they are saved are, in fact, still lost and headed to Hell! Why? Because Jesus says that not all who profess Him possess Him. [Titus 1:16].

So, you can sing, “When We All Get to Heaven” if you want to; But if you are not doing what the song says, “Trusting, Serving Every Day; Being Truthful and Faithful,” you can forget about it. [Matthew 7:21-23; Hebrews 10:26-31; Revelation 21:8; Galatians 5:19-21; Jude 1:7].

As Paul wrote to the people in the Church at Corinth, examine yourself to see if you are truly in the Faith. Prove your own self, giving diligence to make your calling and election sure. For if ye do these things, ye shall never fall. [2 Corinthians 13:5; 2 Peter 1:10] because professing Christ and not possessing Him you will be excluded from Heaven. Beside you can appear to have your act together with the Lord, but God knows the true condition of each man’s heart. For He says in [Mark 4:12; Jeremiah 17:9-10] the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.

I tell you, so many people think they are saved because they consider themselves good people, because they have said a “Sinner’s Prayer, been Baptized, Pray, Read the Bible, Fast, Pay Tithes, Do Good Works, Go to Church, Hold a Position in Church, Speak in Tongues, Heal, Cast out Demons, Prophesize and do Miracles in Jesus name which is all good but as [Titus 1:15-16] says, none of them will get you into Heaven if your conscience is defiled.

Such people claim they know God, but they deny Him by the way they live. That’s why Jesus says, for many will say to Me in that day, have we not prophesied in Thy name, cast out devils, and done many wonderful works in Thy name?  And then I will profess unto them, I never knew you: Depart from me, ye that worker iniquity. [Matthew 7:22-23]. Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: These people say they are mine. They honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me, and their worship of Me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote. [Matthew 15:7-9; Mark 7:6; Isaiah 29:13; Jeremiah 12:2].

Don’t recite My Laws no longer, and don’t pretend that you obey Me. For you refuse My discipline and treat My Laws [God’s Word & God’s Commandments] like trash. [Psalm 50:16-22]. You draw near to Me with your mouth. You Honor Me with your lips, you worship Me, but you are not saved. On the outside you look Righteous and Holy, but you are not. While you did all this, I remained silent, and you thought I didn’t care. But now I will rebuke you, listing all my charges against you. [Psalms 50:21].

These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead. [1 Timothy 4:2]. They seek to enter Heaven. They knock at God’s door. They pray and call upon the name of the Lord. [Matthew 7:21]. They take Communion. They say to Me, “Lord, Lord. They prophesize in My name. They cast out devils in My name.  They do many wonderful works in My name, yet they perish. What a terrible day that is going to be for so many people who believe they lived good lives and should be allowed into Heaven. [Proverbs 14:12].

The Bible clearly states you must: Repent and Believe the Gospel, Forsake all Sin, and Obey God’s Word. [John 3:3,7, 36; John 5:24; John 6:28-29]. So, follow Jesus command: so that you may enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” [Matthew 7:13–14]. For many are called, but few are chosen. [Matthew 22:14].

Then I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel: 12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed, 12,000 from the tribe of Reuben, 12,000 from the tribe of Gad, 12,000 from the tribe of Asher, 12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh, 12,000 from the tribe of Simeon, 12,000 from the tribe of Levi, 12,000 from the tribe of Issachar, 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000 from the tribe of Joseph, 12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed. [Revelation 7:4-8].

I Tell You; The Only Thing Worse Than Being Lost and Going to Hell is Being lost and Going to Hell, Thinking You Were Going to Heaven.

By Edward Henderson | California Black Media

Assemblymember Lori D. Wilson (D-Suisun City) was elected in a special election in April 2022 to represent California’s 11th Assembly District, which includes all of Solano County and portions of Contra Costa and Sacramento Counties.

Prior to her election to the Assembly, Wilson was the first Black female Mayor to serve in the entire history of Solano County.

In August of 2022, Wilson was elected Chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC). Her tenure ended this month.

In the Assembly — and as CLBC Chair — Wilson says she has prioritized bringing state services directly to individuals, local businesses, veterans, non-profits, and local governments. Wilson said her efforts focus on people and organizations that have needed help interacting with government agencies and accessing resources.A native Californian, raised on the west side of Fresno, Wilson is married to her high school sweetheart, Chavares Wilson, a retired Air Force Reserve Technical Sergeant. They have been blessed with two sons, Tyler and Kiren, a daughter-in-law, Brittney, and a grandson, Weston.

California Black Media (CBM)spoke with Wilson about her accomplishments, challenges and lessons she learned over the last year.

Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

Looking back at 2024, what stands out to you as your most important achievement as Chair of the CLBC and why? 

The End of Slavery Act — getting that across the finish line and to voters as Prop 6.  It was a central piece of our reparations legislative package.  It failed last year at the very end. I was so disappointed. But it was good for me to experience that as a brand-new legislator. Just because something is moral and has values associated with it that are consistent with California’s values, that doesn’t mean people will vote for it.

The other involves the bonds. It’s rare for a legislator to be a negotiator on two bonds – Prop 2  and Prop 4 — that made it unto the ballot for voters to decide during the November elections.

How did your leadership contribute to improving the lives of Black Californians? 

Well, I think, for sure, there are so many of us; we’re disproportionately impacted by the carceral system, and so if we can get this language changed, I think it will make an impact to ensuring that Black Californians in the system have dignity as well as truly get an opportunity to rehabilitate.

On the education bond, I was instrumental in getting the add-on language for resources like school kitchen facilities to have more access to produce and farmers markets and things like that. As well as urban greening.

On the climate bond, I was instrumental in getting the agriculture section in there with a substantial number of investments. One particular area was to ensure our farmers of color are included.

What frustrated you the most over the last year?

My greatest frustration is centered around the weaponization of people. Stakeholders in the community who are lobbying directly for bills, when they’re not getting their way, or something happens, they go to the community with soundbites and try to weaponize the community against something that might be beneficial. There were a number of bills this year that were like solid bills, and it took forever to undo someone putting it in a negative light.

I think it’s frustrating in this political environment how much misinformation is out there.

What inspired you the most over the last year?

Always people. When people come in and share their stories. When they come in and share their hopes and dreams. Then, you know that the work that you’re doing is so impactful. Now, you have a person in mind that you’ve talked to, that you know, that has been helped. You know that the moment a bill is signed into law, someone’s life is instantly better.

What is one lesson you learned in 2024 that will inform your decision-making next year?

Behind my nameplate, there is a card that has been there since 2015. Somebody wrote down a quote from Jerry Brown. Ever since I found this card on my desk, I’ve been ruminating. It says, “the challenge is to build for the future, not steal from it.” That is such a profound statement.

In one word, what is the biggest challenge Black Californians face?

Familiarity. People are so familiar with our struggle that they minimize it. Other people struggle, but ours is so just so familiar that you have to remind people how terrible it is. You have to remind people what racism looks like. You have to remind people what discrimination looks like.

What is the goal you want to achieve most in 2025?

Increasing the quality of life of people in California. It’s always my goal.

By Ethnic Media Services Staff

SANTA BARBARA, CA – During Black History Month in 2022, two 12-year-old Black boys were the victims of racist bullying. The alarming incidents happened at two different Santa Barbara Unified School District (SBUSD) junior high schools.

SBUSD is being sued by the victims’ mothers, who accuse school officials of not doing more to protect their kids in a city where African Americans have long been an extreme minority.

Over the last 50 years, Santa Barbara’s Black population has decreased nearly two percentage points from a peak of 3.27% in 1970 to about 1.37% in 2024, according to data from World Population Review. That decline in Santa Barbara reflects a broader trend across the state, which experienced a total loss of more than one million Black residents from 2000 to 2020, according to a study conducted by the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA.

In June 2020, in response to the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, SBUSD issued a “Resolution in Support of Black Santa Barbara Youth,” stating, “We do not tolerate hate or racism and must respond swiftly and decisively when we encounter intolerance, inequity, and bias on our campuses.”

Less than two years later, a Black Santa Barbara Junior High student was assaulted by Latino classmates mimicking the lethal police attack on George Floyd, their knees pressed against the victim’s neck. Within days, a Black La Colina Junior High student was bullied by a White student who made a TikTok video comparing photos of him and other Black students to monkeys and apes. The video, accompanied by an offensive song, was festooned with the N-word.

In their initial court filing, mothers Leeandra Shalhoob and Katherine McCullough argued the attacks were the culmination of a pattern of racist bullying throughout their sons’ years in Santa Barbara public schools. Shalhoob said that despite the district’s proclamations, school officials allegedly acknowledged, “We don’t know how to deal with this.”

Blacks make up less than 1% of SBUSD’s student body, which is majority Latino (61%) followed by White students (31%). Asian American and Pacific Islander, Native American and students of two or more races account for the remainder.

Shalhoob and McCullough initially filed suit against the district in August 2022 seeking reform of SBUSD’s practices and compensation for the toll on their sons. Mediation efforts collapsed in December 2022. In February of this year, they filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court against SBUSD. The filing requested unspecified damages and a jury trial. The case is still pending.

The mothers allege that despite the schools’ awareness of racist bullying, teachers and administrators failed to intervene, protect their children, adequately inform the parents or provide prompt and effective support for their sons.

“It’s difficult to put a dollar amount on wanting someone to do something right,” said Shalhoob. “I had to learn that often change comes from someone feeling like they had to pay for what they did wrong.”

She continued, “But more than anything, I just don’t want anyone at Santa Barbara Unified School District ever again to be able to say, ‘I didn’t know what to do.’”

Not long after the attacks, McCullough said that Gateway Educational Services, a Black women-led nonprofit learning center, and Healing Justice Santa Barbara, a Black women-led nonprofit, organized parents and children that spring to speak out at school board meetings about unchecked anti-Black racism in the SBUSD.

McCullough said, “There was a common outrage at the lack of transparency.”

In addition to complaints from other parents at the school board meetings, students talked about how regularly they were called racist names by their classmates, how they felt seeing racist slurs written on surfaces in the locker rooms, how they were mocked for their appearances and compared to animals.

In response to the public outcry, school board president Wendy Sims-Moten, pushed the district to independently audit the schools’ racial climate.

The district hired an independent auditor to conduct the assessment using surveys and 24 focus groups. The study participants included 585 district and school staff, 888 families and caregivers and 4,694 students. At the time of the audit, from October 2022 to February 2023, there were about 12,500 children enrolled in the district.

Among the April 2023 report’s key findings: students said school staff ignored and therefore normalized racist bullying. “It’s kind of normal to come to school and feel like it’s going to be a racist day today,” a student remarked in a focus group. “Students get in trouble for cursing, but not for using the N-word,” another said.

Staff said they had no clear guidance for how to handle racist incidents. “Santa Barbara staff stated their immediate reaction in response to directly or indirectly encountering racism was to report the event to an acting administrator or supervisor rather than hold space to serve as the first line of defense against racism and anti-Blackness,” the report noted.

Shevon Hoover, who says anti-Black racist incidents have been an “annual occurrence” for her son the past six years, helped organize the push for the climate survey. “The only people that were really surprised [by the findings], I think, was the school district and the administrators, and quite frankly, the White teachers who are completely disconnected,” Hoover said.

About 67% of SBUSD’s teachers are White. According to a focus group summary of school professionals, many “expressed an uncertainty for whether or not their race or whiteness disqualifies them as individuals able to lead anti-racist and pro-Black efforts in the district.”

Since the report’s release, the district has been working on several reforms, including an app where students can file reports as soon as something happens and staff training on how to effectively “recognize, respond and report” racist offenses when they happen.

“We now have a policy,” said Sims-Moten. “We have an oversight committee that is helping us guide many of the policies and the responses. And for the first time, we now have a procedure that talks about here’s how you respond. And here’s also how you follow up with families so that they don’t feel left in the dark when these incidents occur.”

Still, for Shalhoob and McCullough, these efforts are too little, too late.

McCullough’s son, who has dyslexia and anxiety, has struggled with serious depression since the racist TikTok video. She said his condition has changed the family dynamic with everyone on edge “because we know that [he’s] not a hundred percent stabilized mentally and emotionally because of the effects of this.”

Two years later, the kid behind that devastating video, and McCullough’s son are both at Santa Barbara High School. So are Shalhoob’s son and the kids who bullied him.

“There’s one main hall at Santa Barbara High School and for a couple of weeks he was dodging the main hall because kids would say, ‘I can’t breathe’ when he walked by,” Shalhoob said. “And still nobody’s doing anything.”

Worst of all, Shalhoob feels she’s failed her child.

“I feel like it’s just taught him like, yeah, that adult might love you to death and might want to make things better for you, but it’s just shown him how, excuse my language, but how f-up the system is.”

The idea that teachers would need special training in protecting Black kids from obviously damaging situations, like getting called the n-word, or dismissing kneeling on someone’s neck as “horsing around,” enrages Shalhoob.

“That’s what brought me the most anger. I don’t think you need training to deal with it,” she said. “You just need to be a human.”

This resource is supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library in partnership with the California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to CA vs Hate.