Every action has a reaction, and I tell you, “I Did It My Way” has severe consequences. You better know that you know!
“All day long, I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.” [Romans. 10: 21]. They “walk in a way that is not good, following their own devices.” [Isaiah 65: 2]. But I tell you, they will soon find out the danger in, “doing it their way.” In Genesis 27, four people sang that same old song, “I did it my way.” In the end they all came up empty and paid a high price for their selfishness. Listen, there is a real danger in the “I did it my way” philosophy. The lie of autonomy seduces us into thinking that we’re independent creatures with the right to do whatever we want with the life that belongs to us. But listen to the song of Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning, God…” That song is played to a radically different melody. If God was first, our lives have never belonged to us. You and I don’t have the right to think, desire, act and speak as if it does. If God was, then everything he declares is. That means the universe and everything in it must be seen and understood in a certain way – God’s way.
You know, the last thing Joshua did in the [Book of Judges] was tell the people, “You choose how you are going to live your life” and they did. They did it “their way” and what a mess they made of it. Over a 350 year period, they went through seven cycles. A cycle would start with the Israelite doing it their way. As a result, Israel would find herself in slavery. God would then send a leader-a judge-who would bring them out of captivity. Israel would follow for a while. But then another cycle would begin with “doing it their way.” Each cycle was worse than the one before. God would step in yet again, and for a while peace came over the land. But, overall, the spiraling down of the society continued. I tell you, the danger of “doing it your way” always lead to severe consequences.
For Saul, disobedience in not following God’s instructions had severe consequences. In [1 Samuel 31] Saul was the Lord’s chosen king for the Israelite’s. But rather than trusting that God knew best, Saul’s ego took first place in his heart. When it did, disobedience—doing things his way—became his undoing. Saul lost everything by losing sight of the only thing that mattered: his relationship with the one, true God. Don’t you do! For [Proverbs 14:12] tells us that, “There is a way that seems right to a man but its end is the way of death.”
I tell you, “there are some dire consequences when you don’t do things God’s way. You lose out on the blessings that God has for you when you don’t do things God’s way. You lose out on the victory that God has for you when you don’t do things God’s way. Doors of opportunity will be shut in your face when you don’t do things God’s way. Sleep will leave your eyes and you won’t be able to get any rest when you don’t do things God’s way. You will find yourself disappointed, depressed, and sad when you don’t do things God’s way. You will find yourself in bondage and confused when you don’t do things God’s way. You will find yourself broke, disgusted and frustrated when you don’t do things God’s way. You will find yourself in a whole lot of trouble, you will find yourself in a whole lot of mess, and in a whole lot of unnecessary drama when you don’t do things God’s way. You will become weak, and despondent when you don’t do things God’s way. There will be no peace for you and no comfort for you when you don’t do things God’s way. There will be no joy for you and no happiness for you when you don’t do things God’s way. Not only will you mess yourself up when you don’t do things God’s way, but you will even cause your family, not to be blessed when you don’t do things God’s way. Salvation and eternal life will be out of your reach when you don’t’ do things God’s way because salvation and eternal life is found in Jesus Christ.”
“If you want to be blessed, you have to do things God’s way. If you want the victory, you have to do things God’s way. If you want to be successful and prosperous, you have to do things God’s way. If you want to be the head and not the tail, you got to do things God’s way. If you want to be blessed in the city and blessed in the field, you have to do things God’s way. If you want to be blessed going in and going out, you have to do things God’s way. If you want to be more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus, you have to do things God’s way. If you want deliverance, you must do things God’s way. If you want to be healed, you have to do things God’s way. If you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit, you have to do things God’s way. If you want your home and marriage to be blessed, you have to do things God’s way. If you want to be blessed on your job, at school, in your neighborhood, you have to do things God’s way. You ought to be committed in doing things God’s way.” [Proverbs 3:5-6,].
I tell you, wisdom is the principal thing, but in all your getting get an understanding.” [Proverbs 4:7].
“Refuse good advice and watch your plans fail…” [Proverbs 15:22-32].
LOS ANGELES— In Israel, the sight of an African American man dressed in full Hasidic regalia tends to attract second glances even from people who don’t recognize this person as an internationally-known Orthodox Jewish rapper. Above all else, however, Nissim Black craves authenticity. He is who he is and can live with the attention.
“I get a lot of stares. Mostly good,” Black said. “They could be staring at you because you look different, or they could be staring at you because they like your music, and they don’t necessarily know how to come over and tell you so.”
An internationally known Black, Orthodox Jewish rapper, Nissim Black craves authenticity.
Black spoke from Israel via Zoom before performing at the American Jewish University’s B’Yachad Together series. During the “From Gangs 2 God” discussion with AJU’s Rabbi Sherre Hirsch, Black reflected on a unique personal journey that took him across faiths and the world. He capped off the event with a performance of his 2020 hit “Mothaland Bounce,” which garnered more than 4 million views on YouTube.
In “Mothaland Bounce,” Black labels himself “Black and Yiddish … Hitler’s worst nightmare.” Hirsch brands him “the voice of a generation.”
“Talk about surviving and turning your life around,” Hirsch said. “All the stakes were against him. There should be no reason he should become this pillar not just of faith and hope but innovation and creation and music. It’s an extraordinary story.”
Born Damian Jamohl Black, the Seattle native is the son of two rappers and the grandson of other musicians. He was raised Muslim, and converted to Christianity in high school before turning to Judaism.
His upbringing included high school football, gang activity, and evangelical camps. Black is open about his achievements and missteps. His parents both had drug problems, and Black himself has been in what he characterizes as a “kill or be killed” situation with another rap artist.
From a young age, as others in his neighborhood dreamed of NFL or NBA super stardom, Black wanted something different. His decision in high school to turn toward faith was surprising to some and predictable to others. Black recalls a conversation with a cousin who said she recognized even then Black was special, before he realized it himself.
“I don’t know where she was coming from. I knew me back then and I thought I was a knucklehead … just like everybody else,” Black said. “I hooked up with my high school friends after some time, and they admitted they knew I was so on fire, so spiritually-focused that they would get jealous. They wanted me to belong even if they didn’t feel that I did.”
Asked about influences both musical and spiritual, Black admits to being equally moved by the writings of Martin Luther King Jr. and King David (The song “A Million Years” is inspired by a psalm of King David) as he is by the work of Eminem and fellow Jewish black recording artist Drake. Black released two albums as D. Black (“The Cause and Effect” in 2006 and “Ali’yah” in 2009) before stepping away from hip hop to focus on his spiritual journey.
“I couldn’t figure out a way to make the two worlds work,” Black said. “It was very hard for me because my relationship to hip hop, at one point, was associated with absolutely nothing that I was learning in Judaism. I started working a regular job. Of course, because I’m the creative soul that I am, I was never fulfilled. But my main focus was connecting and coming closer to God.”
Black changed his name knowing that both he and his wife would be converting and wanting the new name that he would be known by to be on his marriage contract. He settled on “Nissim” (meaning “miracles”) partly by happenstance and partly because of what he considers providence.
After considering, Yehoshua, Black consulted several rabbis. One day, while praying over the name conundrum in temple, he reached behind the bench to grab a prayer book that said “Nissim” on it. He later realized that he was born on the seventh day of Kislev, the month of miracles in the Jewish calendar.
As Nissim Black, the artist appears to have discovered how to bridge the two worlds. Songs like “Mothaland Bounce” and the new single “RERUN” are part announcement and part self-reflection without anger or expletives.
The videos are distinctly playful, employing elements of both traditional hip hop and Orthodox Judaism. As Hirsch put it, the artist is “unafraid to bring together what most people think shouldn’t be blended.”
Have there been challenges to being Hasidic Jew and a rap star?
“I was told by everybody else, that nobody was going to embrace it,” Black said. “Maybe I should try something different. Maybe I should start singing Jewish medleys. But that’s not what God wanted from me. It’s not what he gave me. Everybody told me nobody’s going to accept you over here. I’m surprised to find it hasn’t been true.”
Hirsch, who also served as AJU’s chief innovation officer, believes the world will benefit from Black’s artistry.
“He breaks barriers everywhere he goes,” Hirsch said. “The music itself is breaking records and breaking barriers … but also, it’s him. By being authentic and by being real, he sets a new standard for what it means to be impactful in the world.”
Clemson University is developing a reputation for producing NFL first-round draft picks at the quarterback spot. After Deshaun Watson won a national title with the Tigers, the Houston Texans selected him with the 12th pick in 2017. Experts project current Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence, who captured a national title as a true freshman, to be the consensus No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. However, long before Clemson produced these two amazing talents, Woodrow ‘Woody’ Dantzler was the top Tiger on campus. Dantzler was one the first signal-callers to thrive in the spread offense. In 2000, Dantzler set an ACC record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 220 against Virginia. The following year, he became the first QB in NCAA history to pass for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 in the same season. As a motivational speaker, he gears his speeches toward diverse skill building and critical thinking while trying to tackle communication issues among today’s youth. He also mentors current Clemson football players through the university’s Tiger P.A.W. Journey Program.
While discussing the cultural change that has led to the recent success of Clemson’s football program, Dantzler opens up about whom he idolized growing up and much more.
Percy Crawford interviewed Woody Dantzler for Zenger News.
Percy Crawford interviewed Woody Dantzler for Zenger News (Photo courtesy of Percy Crawford)
Zenger: How is everything going, bro?
Woody Dantzler: Everything is going good.
Zenger: During your time at Clemson University, as a quarterback, you didn’t seem to mind running in between the tackles. To me you brought a certain level of toughness and physicality to the position. Did you develop that at Clemson?
Dantzler: You know what, that is the first time I have been slated as someone that was physical. I don’t know. It probably could have been my upbringing because I was an outside kid. I worked with my older cousins and playing around, so I was used to the physical stuff, martial arts being in my background and a few other things. But I was actually that guy that didn’t like contact. That’s why I was able to develop the knack for not getting hit. I say this, too. A lot of times it [the hits] looked worse than what they were because of my martial arts training; I had pretty good body control. So, I can go with the hit and go with that and move with that instead of really observing that hit like it may have looked.
Zenger: Absolutely. I guess your willingness to run in between the tackles … at the time you were doing it, it was not popular amongst some quarterbacks who were more protected back then.
Dantzler: Exactly!
Zenger: You left Clemson with more than 50 records. Does one stand out or mean more than the others?
Dantzler: To me, none really stands out. It’s just the totality of being able to play on that level, perform on that level. For me, it was more about not letting my teammates down. So, the preparation I put into each week, the film study, the working out, extending my conditioning level, all of that was because I know I had guys depending on me and I didn’t want to let them down. So, the way I prepared, that — coupled with the fact that my dad taught me — ‘if you’re going to do anything, do it to the best of your ability’. So, with those two things in mind, the records, the standards and all that different stuff just kind of came with the territory.
Zenger: It seems as if you lived off your father’s words a lot. Two things I researched he told you and you utilize are: when you were going to Clemson, he told you to be more than just a football player and also he said each generation sets up the next generation. Basically, each one, teach one, and I love both messages.
Dantzler: You just pointed out two really important ones. ‘Don’t go up there just to be a football player’ was just to get me to go up there and not put myself in a bubble. Experience what life had to offer. Learn different cultures, learn different people, learn different environments so you will know how to adapt and move and gain insight in whatever environment you’re in. That will help you succeed in any environment — the whole thing of setting up the next generation to be equally successful. If you move back into your … just consider the civil rights movement. A lot of those people, what they did in fighting for the rights of Black people and fighting for the people to have the rights to vote, a lot of them knew that they would never get those rights, but they knew the people coming behind them would. That’s why they fought; that’s why they worked and strategized and sacrificed. That’s what it’s about. My life is not about me. That’s one of the things my dad was teaching me. Your life is not about you. Your life is about the people to come. You want to leave this world better than what you found it. You want to set your kids up to go further than what you went. You can only take the torch but so far, but sooner or later you gotta pass it off. And you want to make sure when you pass it off, you want to give it to them in space where they can take it and go further.
Zenger: It takes a different type of person to fight for something that you won’t directly benefit from but someone else will.
Dantzler: Right! You’re absolutely right.
Woody Dantzler gears his speeches towards diverse communication skill building (Photo courtesy of Woody Dantzler)
Zenger: You look at where Clemson is as a program and the success that it has had of late. Obviously, Coach Dabo Swinney changed the culture, but you were a part of that era where Clemson started to win eight or nine games a season. What do you think of these highly successful Clemson teams?
Dantzler: It is the culture shift. You get to the point where, Coach Swinney has said it himself, the guys go into the game and they expect to win. It’s not, “I hope we win,” it’s not, “I think we can win,” it’s an expectation. No matter how the game flows, no matter what happens, it’s an expectation to win. So now that I expect to win, I know there are certain things that I’m going to have to do to put myself in a position to win. So, that whole culture has shifted, the mindset of the players has shifted, the staff has all bought in. He talks about being all in. One thing that I like that they do, before each game … I’m not sure if they still do it; they probably still do. Right before they come out for pre-game, there is a token on their bench where their locker is. And as they are walking out of the locker room, the strength coach is standing there with a bucket, and I got this one chip, this is all I got, and they drop it into the bucket as they go out to the field. It’s that whole thing of, I’m going all out. I’m putting in everything I got. It shows you what that environment is like. And it’s not just the players, but it’s the coaching staff, it’s the support staff. You think about the video department, you think about the nutritional department and the strength department — all of these things that come together in working towards one common goal.
It’s just a different culture there now. Even preparing the guys with Tiger P.A.W. Journey. I talk about them all the time because most people see football. And they see the guys out there on the field, and you see them practicing and all these different things. But you don’t see what’s going on with them actually developing the individual. So, I’m teaching this because not everybody is going to go to the NFL. And then after that, there is life after football. So, these guys are getting internships during the summer. They are traveling overseas to do servant work. They are going through the interview process. They are bringing companies into Clemson to sit down and teach them how to prepare for an interview and how to prepare for corporate America. All these things that are building a total man are just wonderful. Again, it just speaks to the culture of Clemson now.
Zenger: I read an interesting article the other day and it basically asked the question, in today’s game, would Woody Dantzler be drafted into the NFL as a quarterback? Do you think the position has changed so much that you would not have been switched to running back?
Dantzler: Oh, most definitely! And I hear that a lot. It’s that whole thing that we discussed earlier. It just wasn’t my time. I played the role that I was supposed to play for this thing to be what it is. I’m not taking all of the credit because there were guys that came before me that were opening people’s eyes, too. I just took the torch from them and carried it as far as I could. Another good friend of mine, Antwaan Randle El, he switched over to receiver, but he was another one. Kordell Stewart. He was ‘Slash.’ If you go back to that, he was the guy that got into that because he was playing quarterback, receiver and whatever else position they wanted him to play in Pittsburgh. You got different guys that were able to do different things, and I am just happy to be a part of that conversation. It was coming because if you think about it, look at some of these guys on defense now. The way they move, how big they are, how fast they are, how athletic they are. Even though he’s been around for a while, the “Tom Bradys,” guys sitting in the pocket and pick you apart are kind of becoming extinct because these guys are so fast and smart on defense. You gotta have somebody that can move at some point. That 6-5, 6-6 [QB] standing in the pocket, throwing the ball down the field is not the thing right now.
Zenger: During your time, there were only a handful of black quarterbacks. Did you have one in particular whom you idolized?
Dantzler: It was Warren Moon, all day and all night. That’s why I wore the No. 1. That was actually one of the highlights of my life; I actually got to meet him a couple of years ago at an event in Atlanta. So, that was beautiful for me. I looked up to him because he was the one … even though he had to take that route and go to Canada, because back then there was the stigma that the quarterback was a cerebral position, and they didn’t believe the black athlete could handle that pressure, and have those leadership skills to do it. So, we can run, we can jump and do everything else, but the quarterback position is not where they wanted us at that time. It wasn’t overt, but it was covert. … a lot of people had that thought process in them and really didn’t know that they were influenced by some of the people they were taught by. It was a fight. So, to watch him come out of college and take the route of going to play in Canada, and then come back and be successful and make it into the Hall of Fame, it was proven that it can be done — a guy like Doug Williams being the first to win a Super Bowl.
Zenger: Does Woody Dantzler play college football during a COVID-19 pandemic?
Dantzler: I would have most likely decided to play. That’s just me again, the whole thing of not wanting to let my teammates down. Other factors may have come into it, but you know, it’s one of those things where, as an individual, yeah, you’re a part of a team but you gotta look at the factors, do the real research. That’s what I hope — these kids that are opting out are doing the research themselves, gathering an understanding, talking to different people to get the full scope of making an intelligent decision. Once they make the decision based off of information that they researched and understood and they feel like it’s the best decision for them, then I’m all for it. I just don’t want them to be making a decision based off of false information, bad information or someone with slanted motives trying to get them to do something that they don’t need to do. If they have done the research and they are making the best decision for them, I’m all for it. Nothing against that, but if it’s done to where they don’t have all the information and they could’ve made a different decision had they had all the info and done the research themselves.
Zenger: Were you able to be hands-on with Deshaun Watson when he was at Clemson or able to mentor him in some manner?
Dantzler: Yeah! I mentioned Tiger P.A.W. Journey. That’s the name of the program run by Jeff Davis and headed up by Rashard Hall. I participated in what they call ‘Tiger Hood.’ It’s where former players mentor current players. I’m in sales; my territory allows me to work the upstate. So, I’m in Clemson a good li’l bit. I pass through. Yes, I’ve had conversations with different guys. I mentor guys on the team currently. I have been doing that the past few years. DeShaun was that special individual. You just knew something was different about him. He doesn’t remember our first meeting because I actually remember him when he came to camp as a sophomore. I hope I don’t get in trouble (laughing), but I remember telling him, “Man, you’re a sophomore. You’re in the 10th grade. You have two more years. Enjoy high school.” They wanted me to go over there and convince him why to come to Clemson and this and that, but I went over there and I sat down and I was like, “Look, you got two more years of high school. Enjoy it! When you get into your senior year, then you can start thinking about which college you want to go to. If you come to a decision before then, then great. If not, don’t feel pressure to make a decision as a sophomore to go anywhere.” So, that was just the type of things we just talked about. We talked about real life.
Zenger: What are your thoughts on Trevor Lawrence, who by most accounts will be the first pick in next year’s draft?
Dantzler: With Trevor, as they say, he’s just one of those guys. He has that factor. DeShaun had that factor, and Trevor has that same “it” factor. He walks into a room and he just changes the environment with his presence alone. And not to mention he has the work ethic, he has the humility, he has all of the intangibles to be great. So, I’m not surprised at all that most likely he is going to be the #1 pick in the draft. He’s just that guy.
Zenger: You mentor Clemson players and you also do some motivational speaking all over the country. How important is that for you to give back and integrate that ‘each one, teach one,” mentality?
Dantzler: That’s the thing. One thing I noticed is the generation gap has gotten so big to where there’s no passing down of information. There’s no conversations. With the explosion of single parenthood, these kids having babies when they’re young. Grandma, too, grandmas now are 45 years old. Those conversations and that knowledge is not being passed down like it used to be. My role … all I want to do is do what my dad did for me. We would talk, and I would ask him a question about something, and he would answer my question with a question. But what he was doing was making me think through the process, think through the situation myself to come up with an answer. Now, if I struggled a little bit, he would give me a little nudge, but for the most part he was teaching me how to think.
And right now, a lot of our young people don’t have those critical thinking skills. They don’t know how to look beyond the surface. They don’t know how to come outside of their own bubble to truly understand what’s going on. They get information and then they just go with the information. That whole thing of trust but verify — we don’t do the verifying part because it takes effort on our part. And that’s what I want to instill in these kids. Just the art of conversation. We don’t talk no more. People don’t talk no more, and it’s even more evident to the fact of, if I disagree with you, then you hate me. That’s what it really boils down to. We can have a disagreement about an issue and not hate one another. Just pushing kids to go beyond the surface to develop themselves to reach their full potential is what I want. And you can’t reach your full potential when you’re only looking at half the information or only taking in half the information. My goal is to get people to get back to thinking and thinking things through. We need to get back to critical thinking — having those conversations and being able to build — because we need one another.
Zenger: It’s an honor speaking with you, brother. Thank you and continue to be a voice to educate.
Dantzler: Thank you. I appreciate you thinking about me. I appreciate the conversation.
(Edited by Stan Chrapowicki and Allison Elyse Gualtieri)
After a rare diagnosis, Aubrey Glencamp began the fight of his life — and won.
October is dedicated to breast-cancer awareness. Pink symbolizes Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This potentially deadly form of cancer claims more than 42,000 lives a year. Usually detected in women, there are rare cases when the disease is discovered in men.
Aubrey Glencamp is one of them.
According to research, only 1 in every 833 men are diagnosed with breast cancer. After a double mastectomy and chemo in 2016, Glencamp, who was diagnosed at 33, is now cancer-free. He credits early detection as the key to beating the disease.
(In fact, mammograms are one of the best forms of prevention and early detection of breast cancer. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetimes.)
After a double mastectomy and chemo in 2016, Glencamp, who was diagnosed at 33, is now cancer-free (Photo courtesy of Aubrey Glencamp)
Glencamp, who lives in Northern Florida, hopes his experience serves as a reminder that no one is exempt from breast cancer. He encourages other men to share their story, rather than suffer in silence. Helping to remove the stigma that breast cancer is a “woman’s disease,” is a part of his mission.
His story is one of inspiration and determination — he even had a miracle baby along the way.
Percy Crawford interviewed Aubrey Glencamp for Zenger News.
Percy Crawford interviews Aubrey Glencamp (Photo courtesy of Percy Crawford)
Zenger: How are you doing today?
Aubrey Glencamp: I’m feeling fine. I’m still taking the medication Tamoxifen. I have some side effects, usually weight gain. I’m not having the hot flashes I first had. Next year, I should be done it.
Zenger: Has Covid affected your recovery?
Glencamp: No! Since I’m four years out, it hasn’t really affected it, but at the same time, I’m still careful and try not to congregate because I’m at high risk.
Zenger: In 2016, your wife actually discovered the lump in your chest. You were dieting and working out a lot, so at first you were not concerned because you thought it was some sort of fatty tissue. When did it become real and how?
Glencamp: In February 2016, I was laying a certain way and she happened to touch that exact spot. “What is this bump on your chest?” she asked. I had no idea. It didn’t even register to me. I went to the doctor that same week and got checked. Even my doctor was thinking it was fatty tissue. We weren’t thinking breast cancer. He didn’t think it was anything to really worry about and told me to continue living my life.
I was getting ready to do a Fitness Bootcamp at the time. He said: “Continue to do what you’re doing. Don’t worry about it.” Probably four weeks later, I went for my first appointment, which happened to be a mammogram.
Zenger: Aside from the lump that your wife discovered, you didn’t feel sick or any other symptoms, correct?
Glencamp: No. I had no other symptoms. Some guys will get some kind of blood or discharge, or inverted nipple. I didn’t have anything like that. At that time, I didn’t even feel it.
According to research, only 1 in every 833 men are diagnosed with breast cancer. Glencamp credits early detection as the key to beating the disease (Photo courtesy of Aubrey Glencamp)
Zenger: After you were diagnosed and did your research, I’m sure you discovered that a male being diagnosed with breast cancer was super-rare.
Glencamp: It’s pretty rare. As far as percentages are concerned, it’s a 1% net, depending on where you do your research.
Zenger: What was the most difficult part of your cancer ordeal?
Glencamp: It may have been just getting over the stigma. Here you are as a male being diagnosed with breast cancer. And there wasn’t a lot of information out there. So, prior to me being connected with The Men’s Breast Cancer Coalition, I had no idea of any male that had breast cancer, other than Richard Roundtree. (Roundtree is the actor who played private eye John Shaft in the 1971 film “Shaft.”)
Even in my family, no one had breast cancer. I didn’t have any reference as to what to expect. And most things were geared toward women.
Zenger: Were you able to maintain some of your normal way of living?
Glencamp: It definitely changed. Prior to that, I was doing half-marathons, Spartan Races, 5K’s, 10K’s, you name it. Even leading up to my surgeries, I had a race every weekend, because I didn’t know when I was going to be able to race again. Once surgery happened, I actually had a double mastectomy. I had both removed just in case. And my levels went down. My bones were a lot sorer. Just going through chemo and trying to get back in that lifestyle. I haven’t been as active as I was prior to the diagnosis. That part of my life has changed.
Zenger: And there was a fear that you wouldn’t be able to produce children.
Glencamp: Yeah! They said once you start chemo, there’s no telling if chemo is going to make you sterile or what chemo is going to do to you. They were trying to get us to go to a fertility clinic, but by the time we got work figured out and made all the doctor’s appointments, I just never got a chance to go. And then God blessed us two days before my surgery with the news that my wife was pregnant. My daughter is definitely our miracle baby.
Zenger: Does she know that she is a miracle baby and why?
Glencamp: She’s only three, so it’s still early. She sees the scars, but as far as me having cancer, she has no idea.
Zenger: What does it mean to you to be a survivor?
Glencamp: It means a lot. The reason why I share my story is because I wanted other men to know that it was OK, that there are other guys out there supporting them. I’m working on a blog to let them know what to expect — and that there is life afterwards. You always have that thought that something could come back. I was Stage 2 HER2 positive, so it was aggressive, and by the time I had surgery, it had reached my lymph nodes. So, I’m constantly worried if something may come back, but while I’m here, I definitely want to share my story and hopefully save a life or two for somebody that may not have checked. They may start checking and be able to find something through early detection.
“The reason why I share my story is because I wanted other men to know that it was OK, that there are other guys out there supporting them,” Glencamp said. (Photo courtesy of Aubrey Glencamp)
Zenger: I also read you mentioned not realizing what women went through in terms of how uncomfortable a mammogram is. I’m sure that was a teachable moment, as well.
Glencamp: It’s not a fun process. Now when I go for check-ups, it’s more of the physical feeling around trying to make sure there are no bumps. That process was definitely different and just going through that procedure shed the light on what women have to go through, and that pressure and how uncomfortable it can be.
Zenger: What advice would you give anyone diagnosed with breast cancer?
Glencamp: Have faith and a great support system around you. The biggest thing for me and something I have always shared was, don’t treat us any different. If someone is going through cancer, don’t cry around me. I’m going through this, if I’m smiling and putting on a brave face, then I want you to, as well.
What you do in private is completely up to you, but while I’m smiling and joking, I want you to do the same thing or stay away from me (laughing). I would say, just have a positive outlook. Know that you can, while you’re here, do the best that you can to enjoy life to its fullest.
Zenger: You are a true inspiration, brother. Always stay in the fight, and I appreciate you sharing your story with me.
Glencamp: Thank you. I appreciate it.
(Edited by Fern Siegel and Allison Elyse Gualtieri)
In 23 fights, Gervonta Davis has 23 wins and 22 knockouts, deservedly earning the moniker of “Tank”. In fact, the last time one of Davis’ opponents saw the final bell was in October 2014. The only decision of Davis’ career came in his ninth bout, when he defeated 79-fight veteran German Meraz. Davis’ other 22 opponents weren’t so lucky.
“Speed is power” is an old boxing adage, and “Tank” possesses both in his hands. The southpaw from Baltimore, Maryland will grace the biggest stage of his career on Halloween night to face Leo Santa Cruz. Headlining his first pay-per-view, Davis has been called “must-see TV” by many A-list celebrities and boxing pundits alike.
Davis has been under the watchful eye of boxing legend and self-proclaimed “TBE”—The Best Ever—Floyd Mayweather Jr., who also serves as his promoter under Mayweather Promotions. Davis is one of the promotion’s brightest stars, and on Saturday night, he has an opportunity to become one of the sport’s brightest stars as well.
Davis and Santa Cruz will be clashing for the World Boxing Association’s super featherweight title and lightweight title. The bout takes place Oct. 31 on Showtime PPV.
Percy Crawford interviewed Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis for Zenger News.
Gervonta “Tank” Davis (Scott Hirano Photo)Percy Crawford interviews Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis (Photo courtesy of Percy Crawford)
Zenger: I’m sure you are all interviewed out, so I won’t keep you long. How are you doing?
Gervonta Davis: I’m great. Yourself?
Zenger: I’m doing great as well. How important was it for you to have fans at this fight?
Gervonta Davis: It means a lot now, but if I had to do it [without fans], so be it. We had to adapt to whatever comes with the sport. We’re professionals. I was prepared to fight with no fans, but as far as us having fans there now, I’m excited. I’m grateful to be in this position and I’ll be ready.
Zenger: It’s in San Antonio, which will have a pro-Mexican crowd. Do you expect to silence the fans with your performance or use them as fuel during your performance?
Gervonta Davis: Definitely both! I want to see them come out and show support to Leo and also me. Even if they are all cheering for Leo, I’m grateful for that. I’m excited to go out there and put on a great performance for his fans and my fans — the ones that show up and the ones watching on pay-per-view. I’m just happy to be in this position.
Zenger: It’s a testament to your maturation as a person and as a fighter, but you came out of the seclusion of Baltimore to train in Vegas. However, you also have “All Access” cameras following you along with all the COVID testing protocols. You seem to be handling it well. What has it been like for you?
Gervonta Davis: I had to adjust quickly. I’m the type of guy that adapts to what comes with my responsibilities. And this is what comes with it. I asked for it, I prayed for it and it’s just me growing up and handling the task that I have in front of me. Come Saturday night we gotta get a job done, so we’re not quite there yet.
Gervonta Davis Workout. (Sean Michael Ham, Premier Boxing Champions)
Zenger: Did you focus on one fight in particular when studying Leo or just an accumulation of his body of work?
Gervonta Davis: I watched a few quick fights, but it wasn’t like I watched a whole fight or watched one particular fight. It was just here and there; I would watch it.
Zenger: I hear more and more fighters say that. Do you not watch a lot of film, so you don’t get your mind wrapped around them doing one thing and they come out and do another?
Gervonta Davis: No! It’s just me not going out there and worrying about what he got going on and focusing on what I got going on.
Zenger: I think you are very underrated regarding at the angles at which you throw your punches. Some of your uppercuts come from a very strange angle when you land [them]. Not to give away the plan, but are you expecting those odd angles to make Leo hesitant to throw so much volume?
Gervonta Davis: Leo comes with a lot of punches, so I’m going to have to go out there and throw at all angles. That’s what my main goal is, is to go out there and do whatever I can possibly do to win and look good while I’m doing it. I don’t mean look good as in pretty, but as far as being explosive, being fast and strong. Whatever punch I have to throw, I’m throwing it.
Zenger: When the Abner Mares fight fell through, and I know you have had other fights since, but in terms of a step-up fight, did Leo Santa Cruz make the most sense to you?
Gervonta Davis: Yeah, I think so because Leo is a four-time world-champion. His resume speaks for itself. So, me fighting someone who is destined to be great like Leo is attempting to be is best for me to fight them type of guys.
Zenger: How has being around Floyd Mayweather the past few months changed your perspective or your approach to the sport if at all?
Gervonta “Tank” Davis shows his prowess in an open workout. (Photo by Scott Hirano, Premier Boxing Champions)
Gervonta Davis: It just pushed me harder to become a multiple-time champion. It also humbled me. It shows me that I haven’t done nothing yet. I am a three-time world champion, but there is more I need to do to become that superstar. That’s basically what I took away from being around Floyd.
Zenger: Any fans watching Gervonta “Tank” Davis for the first time or any fan trying to familiarize themselves with you, what can they expect on Saturday night?
Gervonta Davis: Just an explosive fight. A fight that you can’t walk away from. You can’t leave your seat during my fights to go get popcorn, use the bathroom or anything like that. Just make sure your eyes are glued to the TV; or if you’re there live, don’t take your eyes off of the ring. Come Saturday night it’s going to be a hell of a fight.
(Edited by Stan Chrapowicki and Allison Elyse Gualtieri)
NATIONWIDE—- State of the Black World Conference V, a virtual national town hall meeting assessing the impact of the 2020 presidential election on Black America and the Pan African World. More information to be announced. Visit ibw21.org and stay connected by following the Institute of the Black World 21st Century on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram @IBW21ST.
The California Democratic Party African American Caucus (CDPAAC) hosted press conferences at four locations across the state to call on Black Californians to support what that group has deemed as the “pro-Black” propositions on this November’s ballot.
The news conferences were held in metropolitan areas with some of the largest numbers of African American voters in the state — Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego and Sacramento — on Thursday, Oct. 22.?The initiatives the CDPAAC has endorsed are: Prop 15 (split roll tax), Prop 16 (repeal of Prop 209); Prop. 17 (restoring voting rights for ex-prisoners); and Prop 21 (rent control).
“We will be expressing our support for pro-Black ballot initiatives. We will also be speaking specifically to the benefits the initiatives will have on the Black community,” said Kimberly Ellis who ran for chair of the California Democratic Party in 2019 and is a former recording secretary of the CDPAAC. She was in Oakland speaking with California Black Media by phone.
The CDPAAC’s Black women leaders who led the effort also used the political event to criticize what they describe as attempts by some “bad actors” within the African American community to undermine initiatives that could improve the lives of African Americans.
Kendra Lewis, vice chair of the CDPAAC, called out the?California – Hawaii National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), saying that group is one of the detractors whose positions on ballot measures go against African American interests.
Kendra Lewis, vice-chair of the California Democratic Party Black Caucus, speaks at an event staged by the political organization at the state capitol in Sacramento. (Photo Credit: Antonio Harvey)
“Sadly, we’ve seen the NAACP California-Hawaii chapter lose its moral compass as evidence of its most recent endorsements, including to pro-Black initiatives like Prop. 15 and Prop. 21,” Lewis said on steps at the north entrance of the State Capitol.
Lewis accused the California branch of the country’s oldest civil rights organization of accepting payments to take stances on legislation, but she also acknowledged the problem of money influencing politics is much larger than the NAACP.
“To be clear, this isn’t about any one person or institution as these types of payouts have been happening for far too long,” she added.
Although the CDPAAC is supporting four “pro-Black” ballot propositions, it is emphasizing two of them: Prop 15 and Prop 21.
Prop. 15, the “Tax on Commercial and Industrial Properties for Education and Local Government Funding Initiative,” would levy higher real-estate taxes on business and industrial buildings than on residential homes. The initiative’s intent is to increase funding for public schools, community colleges, and local government services by changing the tax assessment of commercial and industrial properties.?The state’s fiscal analyst has estimated that, upon full implementation, Prop 15?would generate between $8 billion and $12.5 billion in revenue per year. Forty percent of the revenue would be allocated to schools while the other 60 % would fund local government.
Khiry Moore, an educator, photographer and entrepreneur in Sacramento who owns a couple of rental properties with his wife, says he neither supports Prop 21 nor Prop 15.
“The problem we have as a culture or race is that we don’t allow objective thought. We don’t focus on how these propositions would benefit or affect us as Black people,” he said. “You must remember. We – the Black Caucus — supported welfare reform and 1990s crime bills.”
“We get to a point where somebody tells us this issue is important to us and we go hard to defend it without thinking it through. We also don’t hold politicians responsible after elections,” Moore continued. “They might promise us that this money will be spent on things that are important to us like schools, but how many times in the past have we seen this money raised and re-routed to other spending that has nothing to do with us and we are never there to follow up and hold these politicians feet to the fire? I’m still waiting on the lottery money from the eighties.”
At the CDPAAC Sacramento event, L. Lacey Barnes, Executive Vice President of the California Federation of Teachers, said she supports Prop 15.
“For small businesses, I think the (minimum) number is at $3 million. At the most 80 % (of Black businesses won’t meet that threshold),” Barnes said, describing the size of businesses that would be taxed if voters approve Prop 15 next week.
“If they do, we still believe that’s a benchmark. If we reach that level of success, paying your fair share is not going to break the bank,” she continued.
But Huffman and the California State Hawaii NAACP insist Prop. 15 would not benefit Black businesses and lower income Americans. In fact, in a statement about the initiative, Huffman said it would hinder the upward mobility of Black working people.
“The property tax hike on the November ballot will hurt minority communities — causing more gentrification, killing jobs, and increasing the cost of living for working families,” she wrote.
Along with Huffman, former state Assemblymember Roderick Wright, former state Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, and pastor Amos C. Brown, president of the San Francisco branch of the NAACP, oppose Prop 15.
Moore agrees with Huffman. As a business owner who rents a commercial space for his photography studio, Moore also said taxing commercial property owners at a higher rate will cause landowners to find a way to make up for their losses.
“My landlord allows me to pay below market rate because he supports Black businesses,” he said. When taxes become too expensive for commercial property owners, Moore says, “they will just evict us and collect tax write-offs for vacant buildings.”
Black politicians and supporters of Prop15 are state Sen. Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles), Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento), State Superintendent of Education Tony Thurmond and San Francisco Mayor London Breed.
Almost $125 million has been poured into the fights for and against Prop 15. The Schools and Communities First Political Action Committee (PAC) has raised $63.39 million in favor of the initiative. Seven PACs, including Californians to Stop Higher Property Taxes, have collected $60.72 million in an effort to defeat Prop 15.
Prop 21, the “Local Rent Control Initiative,” would allow cities to introduce new rent control laws or expand existing ones. Huffman says she and California -Hawaii NAACP are concerned that, if Prop 21 passes, it would pave the way for higher real estate costs, which would increase unaffordability in the state’s housing market, leading to more evictions. This would severely affect the Black community, she says.
“Prop. 21 encourages landlords to evict tenants and would result in less rental housing supply, higher tenants, and more homelessness,” Huffman says.
Of more than 2.3 million African Americans living in California, 5.5% of the total population, about 64% are renters, according to TenantsTogether.org. More than 16 million people in California are renters.?
But many Black landlords like Moore look at Prop 21 from a different angle.
He says more rent control will make landlords super-selective about who they rent their apartments to, forcing them to reject applicants who are low income or have lower-than-average credit scores.
The effort to place Prop 21 on the ballot is to repeal the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act (Costa-Hawkins). Costa-Hawkins is a state statute that limits the use of rent control in California.
Prop 21 is opposed by a diverse group of seniors, veterans, labor, homeowners, affordable housing advocates, and businesses. They say the timing of the initiative is especially bad, too, as many homeowners in the state that rent properties are suffering because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Homeowners and Tenants United PAC has raised $40.20 million to support Prop 21 while Five PACs, including Californians for Responsible Housing, has garnered $73.41 million in opposition to the initiative.
Gov. Newsom opposes Prop 21.
“In the past year, California has passed a historic version of statewide rent control – the nation’s strongest rent caps and renter protections in the nation – as well as short-term eviction relief,” said Newsom. “But Proposition 21, like Proposition 10 before it, runs the all-too-real risk of discouraging availability of affordable housing in our state.”
On November 3, voters will determine the fate of Proposition 16. If approved, it will repeal the ban on affirmative action written into the California Constitution after voters approved Proposition 209 in 1996.
The Constitution reads, “The state shall not discriminate against or grant preferential treatment to any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting.”
The campaign behind Prop 209 purposely omitted the phrase “ban affirmative action” in the ballot language because voter polls indicated that if it was used, support for the initiative dropped below 50%.
California is among just nine states outlawing affirmative action policies and programs in public education and government offices. Prop 209 halted all of the state’s affirmative action programs to increase representation of racial, gender and ethnic groups that have historically been discriminated against in access to public education, jobs, and business opportunities.
President John F. Kennedy by executive order first advocated for affirmative action to level the playing field and combat systemic racism denying opportunity for minorities competing for federal contracts. Whenever the constitutionality of affirmative action policies have been challenged, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that they are constitutional, except race and gender quotas are unconstitutional.
Prop 16 is on the ballot because a super majority of the Legislature passed Assembly Constitutional Amendment (ACA)-5. This initiative was introduced by Assemblymember Shirley N. Weber (D-San Diego) and co-sponsored by the Legislative Black Caucus.
Among the supporters of Prop 16 are the Legislative Women’s Caucus, the Legislative Jewish Caucus, the Legislative Asian & Pacific Islander Caucus, Gov. Newsom, Sen. Kamala Harris and many businesses, civil rights and faith-based organizations, and education and labor organizations, including Equal Justice Society, ACLU, Chinese for Affirmative Action and the California Teachers Association.
According to Weber, “While it was sold as a civil rights law when it passed in 1996, Prop 209 has cost women and minority-owned businesses $1.1 billion each year, perpetuated a wage gap wherein women make 80 cents on every dollar made by men, and allowed discriminatory hiring and contracting practices to continue unhindered. Far from being colorblind, the bill has set up barriers to women and minorities to share in the economic life of California. Proposition 209 has hindered public policy, thwarted opportunity and maintained economic disparity long enough. It’s time to give voters a chance to right this wrong.”
When legislators put the constitutional amendment on the November ballot, they were conscious of the protests over the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the devastating impact that
the COVID -19 pandemic has had on people of color and consequently they embraced their responsibility to come to a reckoning with systemic racial inequities prevalent in the most diverse state in America.
Prop 16 will allow any state agency, city, county, public university system, community college district, or school district to establish policies and programs that can factor in someone’s race, sex and ethnicity in making decision on admissions, spending, and hiring. It will not permit the use of quotas.
While the public debate about repealing Prop 209 has fixated on the fairness of admissions policies at California colleges and universities and its detrimental impact on minority matriculation on the campuses, concerns about violating Prop 209 has for over two decades impeded policy makers from instituting programs in k-12 public schools specifically tailored to close the Black student academic achievement gap.
According to Dr. Elisha Arrillaga, Executive Director, The Education Trust West. “Repealing Prop 209 will enable our Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) to address the needs of our most vulnerable students.”
Weber has twice proposed legislation, AB 2635 and AB 575, which would have directed LCFF funding to Black students who currently are the lowest performing racial ethnic subgroup on standardized assessments. Both times, concerns about violating Proposition 209 were raised and the bills failed.
In January, when Governor Newsom briefed Californians on his 2020-21 Education Budget, he said, “Where we are not seeing progress is for African Americans. It seems self evident that we should focus and concentrate our efforts in those areas in order to address … the substance of the vexing issue as it relates to academic achievement for our African American students.”
Newsom also mentioned the need to build a diverse teaching workforce with more teachers that look like their students. “That’s incredibly important as related particularly to African American achievement,” he said.
But, when the Department of Finance released the “omnibus education trailer bill” detailing Newsom’s education funding proposals there was no specific funding designated to help Black students close the achievement gap or any reference to sourcing more Black teachers. While not cited, avoiding conflict with Prop 209 was likely behind the trailer bill language omissions.
Passing Prop 16 will unblock the Governor, the Legislature and school districts with large African American student bodies from using LCFF supplemental funds on race conscious programs concentrating on closing the academic achievement gap being experienced by all Black students independent of their economic standing.
The ballot title for Prop 16 submitted by Attorney General Xavier Becerra says: Allows diversity as a factor in public employment, education and contracting decisions.
Polling for Prop 16 shows it not being well received by likely voters. The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) found 37% support. The Education Trust –West poll reports 66% of parents
of K-12 students supported it and a poll conducted by David Binder Research found 45% support for the initiative.
Eva Patterson, co-chair of the Opportunity for All – Yes on 16 Campaign, said, “Watching a focus group with Black voters from Los Angeles, they all said no we won’t vote for this as it was read to them. Then we explained that it was in favor of affirmative action and equal opportunity, and they all said, ‘Of course we’ll vote for this.”
Because the phrase “ban affirmative action” was cleverly not used in Prop 209, the challenge for the Yes on 16 Campaign is to clear up voter confusion about repealing a law that says you can’t discriminate at the same time it denies racial and gender equity.
If they succeed, school district policies targeting the specific needs of African American students will be legal to be implemented in California.
As cities across California take a closer look at unfair practices in the criminal justice system, Proposition 25 offers a statewide policy that could aid their efforts: getting rid of cash bail.
The ballot measure, which is based on SB 10, a bill former Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law two years ago, would replace cash bail with risk assessments for suspects awaiting trial.
Currently California uses a cash bail system that allows suspects to pay a cash bond to be released from jail with the promise to return to court for trial, at which point the cash bond is repaid. If Prop 25 passes, cash bail would be replaced with a risk assessment system that categorizes suspects as low risk, medium risk, or high risk, with suspects for misdemeanors exempt from needing a risk assessment.
Under the new system, suspects who are categorized as low risk and likely to appear in court – and are also a low risk to society — would be released from jail before trial, and those deemed high risk would remain in jail. The state Judicial Council would decide what the risk assessment tools would be, with the proposition mandating that “tools shall be demonstrated by scientific research to be accurate and reliable.”
The California Legislature approved SB 10 during the 2018 session, and former Gov. Jerry Brown signed it into law on Aug. 28 that same year. The next day, opponents filed a referendum to overturn the bill, which prevented the law from being scheduled to take effect in 2019. Opponents gathered enough support to move it to a 2020 ballot initiative, which means the decision to overturn or uphold Prop 25 now falls to voters on Election Day next week.
Supporters of Prop 25 argue that the cash bail system is inherently unfair, where wealthy people can pay their way out of jail and poor people with the same likelihood to appear or not appear for trial have to stay imprisoned. They say that the risk assessment system will make public safety the guiding factor to determine which suspects have to stay in jail before trial. They also argue that they system will allow more poor people to go free before awaiting trial, which would save money for local jails.
Supporters also argue that the cash bail system is deeply inequitable. They say that people who cannot afford bail are more likely to take a plea deal after months of sitting in jail while possibly losing their jobs and homes. Those who can afford it, can avoid or minimize jail time and be less impacted by the implications of their arrest.
Supporters include the California Democratic Party, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the California Medical Association — as well as Gov. Gavin Newsom and U.S. Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-CA-37).
“For years, California has proudly led the way on fundamental civil rights and criminal justice reform but, as we’ve witnessed firsthand across our country, there’s more we must do to root out racial inequity and structural bias and to embrace proven reforms that work. This November,
state voters will once again have the opportunity to make California a national leader in the unfinished fight for equity and justice,” said Newsom.
Opponents of Prop 25 argue that the risk assessment system could be potentially worse than cash bail, with a high possibility that racial profiling could be used in the assessment process. Also, they argue that implementing the system would be too expensive, as the proposition’s fiscal impact statement says it would cost “possibly in the mid hundreds of millions of dollars annually” for the new system.
Opponents include the Republican Party of California, the ACLU of Southern California, the California Business Roundtable and the California Black Chamber of Commerce.
Prop 25 is also opposed by the commercial bail bond industry, which would be disrupted if the proposition is passed. The American Bail Coalition organized the political action committee Californians Against the Reckless Bail Scheme that filed the veto referendum in 2018. Representatives of the bail industry argue that risk assessments are no better than cash bail, that they are potentially more costly and that more people who go free before trial may commit more crimes before trail.
“This legislation is a reckless attempt at changing the state’s bail system and is fundamentally bad for California. While we all agree that bail reform is necessary, this costly, reckless plan will use racially biased computer algorithms to decide who gets stuck in jail and who goes free. That’s not right,” said Jeff Clayton, spokesperson for Californians Against the Reckless Bail Scheme.
The legal push-and-pull over whether ride-hailing company drivers in California will maintain their status as independent contractors or become W-2 employees continued last week.
On October 22, the First District Court of Appeal in San Francisco upheld the injunction issued against Uber and Lyft last August that those companies’ app-based drivers are employees.
In its ruling, the court said there was an “overwhelming likelihood” that Uber and Lyft are violating AB 5. The law that has driven a wedge between opponents and supporters across the state requires that employers classify workers who meet certain criteria as employees instead of independent contractors. It also states that those hiring firms must provide all worker benefits to employees that California’s labor laws mandate.
If voters approve the ballot measure, which Uber and Lyft are sponsoring, the gig economy companies will be able to continue classifying their employees as independent contractors. The injunction resulted from a lawsuit that California Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed in May in conjunction with the city attorneys of San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego. The suit argued that Uber and Lyft violated AB 5 by classifying drivers as independent contractors after AB 5 took effect in January.
The injunction resulted from a lawsuit that California Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed in May in conjunction with the city attorneys of San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego. The suit argued that Uber and Lyft violated AB 5 by classifying drivers as independent contractors after AB 5 took effect in January.
“Uber and Lyft have used their muscle and clout to resist treating their drivers as workers entitled to those paycheck and benefit protections. The courts saw right through their arguments. It’s time for Uber and Lyft to play by the rules,” said Becerra in a statement after the ruling.
Uber, Lyft and other gig economy companies have been fighting against AB 5 since Gov. Newsom signed it into law in August 2019. While the state’s lawsuit has worked its way through the courts, Uber and Lyft, along with other gig economy companies, have pumped nearly $200 million into the Yes on Prop 22 campaign so far.
Lyft spokesperson Julie Wood said in a statement, “This ruling makes it more urgent than ever for voters to stand with drivers and vote yes on Prop 22.”
The gig economy companies are also facing another legal battle. On Oct. 22, a group of California gig workers sued Uber for penalties totaling up to $260 million. The workers argue that Uber’s use of aggressive in-app messages urging the workers to support Prop 22 violated their employment rights. They are seeking an injunction to prevent Uber from showing any more Prop 22 messages in the app.
“Uber’s threats and constant barrage of Prop 22 propaganda on an app the drivers must use to do their work have one purpose: to coerce the drivers to support Uber’s political battle to strip them of workplace protections,” said attorney David Lowe of Rudy, Exelrod, Zieff & Lowe in a statement announcing the lawsuit.
There have been numerous reports on social media of the Uber app’s messages, which read “Prop 22 is progress” and “Prop 22 will provide guaranteed earnings and a healthcare stipend.” Drivers then had to click either “Yes on Prop 22” or “OK” to proceed in the app. Uber spokesman Matthew Wing said that specific language is no longer used, and now drivers are occasionally shown a pop up that says “Drivers deserve better” and offers the option to click through to see more facts.
An Uber spokesperson called the lawsuit “without merit, filed solely for press attention and without regard for the facts.”
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