WSSN Stories

Initiative aims to provide scholarships, internships, entrepreneurship training, and leadership and career development to HBCU students at qualifying institutions, while also igniting giving from additional corporate partners to increase HBCU funding

Southern Company and its subsidiaries today announced a $50 million multi-year initiative to provide students attending historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) with scholarships, internships, leadership development, and access to technology and innovation to support career readiness. This initiative will provide support for students attending select HBCUs within the Southern Company system’s service footprint in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina.

“This investment is a statement of our belief that America needs these HBCU graduates in order to ensure a thriving economy for generations to come,” said Thomas A. Fanning, chairman, president and CEO, Southern Company. “We invite others to partner with us to create the scholarships, internships, and opportunities to train the leaders of tomorrow.”

Southern Company acknowledges that building the talent pipeline at HBCUs cannot be done by one corporation –additional partners are needed to join in support with matching gifts.

HBCUs have a longstanding tradition of graduating compelling and impactful leaders. Founded before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, HBCUs were created, primarily, to provide African Americans with high quality education and skills development when laws prohibited them from being admitted at predominantly white colleges and universities. As a result, HBCUs have become incubators for innovative and bold leadership. The legacy of HBCUs includes pioneering leaders like Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Morehouse); Alice Walker (Spelman College); George Washington Carver (Tuskegee Institute); and many others. With an influx of support, HBCUs can grow this legacy by ensuring students have the resources and support not only to graduate, but to excel.

“Southern Company’s initiative is a tribute to the legacy of HBCUs as difference-makers for the American workforce. With this investment, we aim to foster a generation of graduates ready to disrupt industries and offer solutions to address the needs of our changing world,” said Chris Womack, executive vice president and president of external affairs, Southern Company.

Southern Company’s $50 million HBCU initiative is envisioned as a leadership development platform. It seeks to provide funding for programs that address four priorities necessary for producing HBCU graduates who are ready to become innovative leaders:

• Provide critical scholarship dollars to ensure talented students can attend and complete college;
• Equip HBCU students with access to new technology and train them to use the technology to solve real-world problems;
• Expose HBCU students to curricula, mentoring, and pathways to funding that increase their access to entrepreneurship; and
• Develop a corporate pipeline for leadership and career development, beginning with internships provided by Southern Company and corporate partners, to create avenues to prosperity.

Further details on this competitive program will be announced by May 1, 2020. The first round of funding will be awarded in time for the academic year beginning in fall 2021.

By Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.

While most people agree that it is in the public’s best interest to have safe and efficient airports that can accommodate increased passenger travel, proponents of increasing the passenger fee have been a little misleading about the condition of the nation’s airports.

NNPA NEWSWIRE – Why is it that poor people are always asked to pay more in America?  Last year, I warned about the possibility that Congress might try to impose a new tax on air travelers. Well, it’s 2020 – and here we go again.

Even in the midst of a historic impeachment trial and potential military conflict abroad, lawmakers on Capitol Hill have managed to find time to dust off their plan to soak air travelers, including working people who struggle everyday just to make ends meet.

Make no mistake about it: this is a tax hike, even though backers of this plan won’t call it a tax hike, for obvious reasons. And it’s one that hits relatively low-wage workers harder than it hits those who make a lot more money. And it hits those who routinely fly for business especially hard too.

This week, Democratic leaders are expected to unveil their broad infrastructure agenda for the coming year – a plan that is sorely needed given our aging highways, railways and other transportation needs.

But here is what is galling: sources tell me that buried in the broad array of transportation initiatives is a proposal to raise the so-called Passenger Facility Charge (PFC), a hidden fee on airline travelers that Congress enacted long ago to help pay for renovation projects at airports around the country.

Most Americans have probably never heard of the PFC, now capped at about $4.50 per person for each leg of a flight. But working families across the country, including our readers, may soon feel the impact if some members of Congress have their way.

Here is how the fee works. Passengers are charged the fee at the ticket counter, allowing the airport that collects it to keep it for local repairs and renovations. Current proposals in Congress include one to nearly double the fee to $8.50 per person for each leg of a flight. Another possibility is eliminating the cap entirely, thereby allowing airports to charge whatever they like.

If the fee is raised to $8.50, a family of four on a trip with a connecting flight would pay nearly $150 in this tax alone – a tax that is layered on top of the price of the ticket itself, a major reason people don’t notice it. Such a substantial increase could be the deciding factor between that family taking a much-deserved vacation or staying home.

While most people agree that it is in the public’s best interest to have safe and efficient airports that can accommodate increased passenger travel, proponents of increasing the passenger fee have been a little misleading about the condition of the nation’s airports.

In reality, airports are undergoing something of a revitalization, particularly when compared to rail or highway travel. Passengers are traveling at record rates, airport revenues are at all-time highs, and infrastructure upgrades are booming across the nation.

Just take a look at the balance sheets of our nation’s airports. U. S. airports have over $16 Billion of unrestricted cash and investments on hand, with $7 billion sitting in the aviation trust fund. And, in the last decade, more than $165 Billion in federal aid has been directed to airports for improvement projects at America’s largest 30 airports alone.

Some of these projects have been completed. Others are currently underway. And some have received approval to move forward in the coming months. For example, Los Angeles International Airport and New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport are both undergoing multi-billion-dollar upgrades. Smaller facilities like the Long Island MacArthur Airport and the Shawnee Regional Airport are also upgrading their terminals and runways.

The bottom line, then, is that there is no substantive basis for a fee hike. And it makes even less sense politically.

With Election Day just months away, most lawmakers will likely make the safe calculation and reject any proposed hike presented on the floor for a vote, lest they stir a voter backlash. Yet it should be worrisome that House Democratic leaders appear willing to put a fee hike on the table for consideration.

It could be nothing more than a trial balloon released in an attempt to test whether rank-and-file lawmakers have the stomach for taking up such a measure in an election year. But even if it is just that, there’s still reason for concern, given that even unpopular ideas have a way of gaining sudden momentum in the topsy-turvy politics of Congress.

Air travel remains one of the most popular and necessary forms of transportation because it is relatively safe and convenient.  But it should not become more expensive because a hidden tax that few people expected is added.

Congress should not put air travel out of the reach of American families who are still trying to get out of poverty.  Thus, increasing taxes on airline tickets won’t fly for Black Americans and won’t fly for all others who believe in economic fairness and equality of opportunity.

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Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. is President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) representing the Black Press of America. He can be reached at dr.bchavis@nnpa.org.

By Lou Yeboah

“…You think you can tell me anything and I will believe it? You got me twisted! I am the Alpha and the Omega. I am your Creator! I know your deeds and your thoughts. I know the true intent of your heart [Jeremiah 17:10; Genesis 6:5]. Talking ‘bout “Lord, forgive me, I repent.” Knowing doggone well you don’t mean what you say, because as soon as you are done uttering those words, you are going back to your old ways.  You know it and I know it. You snake! You brood of viper! How are you to escape being sentenced to hell? [Matthew 23:33]. You can’t repent and remain the same. I wish that you were either hot or cold, but because you are lukewarm, I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” [Revelation 3:15-17].

I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle; And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats. When you come to appear before Me, who requires of you this trampling of My courts? Bring your worthless offerings no longer, incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies– I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly.  I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed fasts, they have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them.  So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Because your hands are covered with blood. Wash yourself, make yourself clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil,  Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow. [Isaiah 1:11-17] and consider how far you have fallen, because I’m fed up with you! You are a spiritual stranger to me. Your actions do not follow your intentions.  Truly, I say to you, I do not know you. I don’t recognize you as my disciple. I don’t acknowledge you as my follower. When your heart breaks over your sin and deep sorrow engulfs you for what you have done, then I will listened and offer full forgiveness, [2 Samuel 12:13]

I want you to know that God struck Ananias and Sapphira dead because He wanted to teach the church both then and now an important lesson about hypocrisy and deceit, and lying to the Holy Spirit. So don’t you ever think that you are smart enough to pull the wool over God’s eyes. You may be able to get away with deceiving people, but you cannot deceive God. Deception is always detected by God. You better know that you know! Lying to the Holy Spirit and lying to God extremely dangerous.

Do not be like Saul, Nadab and Abihu, and Ananias and Sapphira. Obey the Word of God completely and make your entrance into the Everlasting Kingdom sure [2 Peter 1:1-11]. And why you at it, read [Psalms 2:9-12] a Scripture about vengeance. A Scripture that lets you know what happens when God says “Enough is enough!” It’s a Scripture that reminds us that God is to be feared and revered. It’s a Scripture that lets us know that one day, Jesus is going to look over at His Father and say, “Let me have them Father” and the Father will grant the request of His Son. Judgment will be unleashed on the Earth. Sin will be dealt with.  So if you want to escape the wrath of God: “Be wise!” Lying to the Holy Spirit and lying to God is extremely dangerous!

By California Black Media

On February 5, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that his office granted a posthumous pardon to civil rights activist Bayard Rustin, who was an ally to national civil rights icon the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.; an influential strategist during the 1960s civil rights movement; and a key architect of the March on Washington in 1963.

Ten years before that in 1953, police officers arrested Rustin, who was openly gay, in Pasadena, Calif., on what was then called “a morals charge” for having consensual sex with another man.

Under California’s penal code, the crime was considered a vagrancy misdemeanor offense. 

“In California and across the country, many laws have been used as legal tools of oppression, and to stigmatize and punish LGBTQ people and communities and warn others what harm could await them for living authentically,” said Gov. Newsom. “I thank those who advocated for Bayard Rustin’s pardon, and I want to encourage others in similar situations to seek a pardon to right this egregious wrong.”

That same day last week, the governor announced a broader clemency initiative to pardon people who were prosecuted in California for being gay.

“On behalf of the Black Caucus, I want to thank the Governor for granting this posthumous pardon. The Arc of Justice is long, but it took nearly 70 years for Bayard Rustin to have his legacy in the Civil Rights movement uncompromised by this incident,” said Assemblymember Shirley N. Weber (D-San Diego), chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus.

Rustin was a great American who was both gay and Black at a time when the sheer fact of being either or both could land you in jail,” Weber added.

The Legislative Black Caucus and the LGBTQ Caucus joined forces to urge the governor to pardon Rustin.

“These actions are consistent with the Governor’s deep and longstanding support for the LGBT community,” said Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), Chair of the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus, after Gov. Newsom made the announcement.

Rustin, who was born in West Chester, Pa., also worked closely with King to organize the Montgomery Bus Boycott in Alabama.

He attended Wilberforce University in Ohio and Cheyney State Teachers College in Pa., both historically Black colleges.

In 2013, President Barack Obama posthumously awarded Rustin the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States.

In 1987, Rustin died in New York City.

By Joe W. Bowers Jr. | California Black Media

Last week, from February 5^th to February 7th, the California branch of the National Action Network (NAN) met in Sacramento to hold its inaugural Western Regional Conference of chapters in California, Arizona, and Nevada.

The Rev. Al Sharpton founded NAN in 1991. The organization observes the spirit and tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., promoting a modern civil rights agenda that includes supporting any type of school that is successfully serving Black students.

Among the events the conference featured were a student rally at the state Capitol to send lawmakers the message that “Black kids deserve great schools too;” ground breaking ceremonies for the newest Fortune School campus, Tecoy Porter College Prep, to be built on Dr. Porter’s Genesis Church property in Sacramento; the convening of leaders from California’s top majority Black schools and honoring them at the NAN Gala Banquet; and the “Bridging the African American Achievement Gap” panel discussion.

Those events coincided with the release of a report titled “African American Leaders Hold the Roadmap to Black Student Achievement” authored by the Fortune School of Education and the National Action Network. African American students in California are the lowest performing subgroup on English language art and math standardized tests. The report proposes how to close their education achievement gap. 

Identified in the report are schools with majority Black populations that are in the top half of academic performance in math and English language arts. Of the sixteen schools highlighted, fifteen of them were founded or are led by African Americans.

Dr. Margaret Fortune, Secretary and Treasurer of the NAN Sacramento Chapter, deserves credit for taking the lead in producing the report and assembling the education leaders at the conference. In addition to her NAN duties, she is CEO and President of Fortune School of Education, Board Chair of the California Charter School Association, a Trustee of the California State University, and she has served as an education advisor to two California Governors. Four of her schools are on the list of top performers.

While Dr. Fortune supports the efforts of Gov. Gavin Newsom and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond to close the African American achievement gap, she contends that they are not moving the needle on progress fast enough.

The signal that she wants her former education policy colleagues to receive is that “We don’t need more policy, we need more successful schools” and they should turn their attention to consulting with the people like the education leaders in the report who are doing the work and adopt what they are doing  to solve the problem.

Her plea to the state is provide incentives to these educators to replicate what they are doing. Today there are sixteen schools on the list of top performers. If they all start another school, that’s 32 schools. As more successful schools come on line, the policy makers can then figure out how to bring those ideas to scale across the state.

The educators that participated in the “Bridging The African American Achievement Gap” panel discussion were Dr. Margaret Fortune, President and CEO Fortune School, Sacramento; Ramona Wilder, CEO and Administrative Director, Wilder’s Preparatory Academy, Inglewood; Eugene Fisher, Board President, Watts Learning Center, Watts; Shawn Brumfield, Principal, Pasadena Rosebud Academy, Altadena; and Richard Da Sylveira, Principal, Cowan Avenue Elementary School, Los Angeles.

When asked what they thought Newsom and Thurmond could do to help their schools, the panel responded loud and clear that African-American students should be written into California’s Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF).  Because LCFF provides additional funds to low income students most policy makers feel African-American students needs are being satisfied. But, the fact is not all blacks are “broke” and when it comes to their student experience the issues causing their achievement gap are more complicated than income. Race does matter in education. The panel agreed that the support offered to African-American students needs the same specificity provided in policy for English language learning students if it is going to have any impact toward closing the achievement gap.

Assemblymember Shirley N. Weber (D – San Diego) has twice proposed legislation, AB 2635 and AB 575, which would have directed LCFF funding to Black students that does not reference race, but recognizes them as the lowest performing subgroup that has not already drawn federal funding like special needs students.  Both times, concerns about conflicts with Proposition 209, which prohibits state governmental institutions from considering race in public education, was used to stop the bills.

The National Action Network conference has changed the paradigm for how California should approach closing the African American student achievement gap. There are majority Black schools in California that have already closed the gap, although the numbers are small.

Wilder’s Preparatory Academy Charter Middle School in Inglewood has over 80 percent African-American students and over 99 percent students of color. Seventy-four percent of the students qualify for free and reduced price meals. Education researchers would probably predict students at Wilder’s Prep would not perform well on standardized tests. But, the taxpayer-funded public charter school is in the 96 percentile of California schools in English Language arts scoring 30 points above the state average and 14 points above the state average in Math.

Meanwhile it’s an outrage that the majority of Black students find themselves in schools not making progress because of ineffective policies put out by the state.

Dr. Fortune and the other successful leaders of majority Black schools are telling policy makers they are tired of being outliers in the education of Black students and they want to demonstrate to other educators in the state what works so that finally progress can be made in closing the achievement gap in California schools.

The video of the “Bridging the African American Achievement Gap” panel discussion should be required viewing for Governor Newsom and Superintendent Thurmond.  

Link: https://www.facebook.com/Sacgenesis/videos/836172220189578/

SACRAMENTO, CA— Recently, the California Census 2020 campaign announced expanding its outreach to Black Californians through a multimedia effort in partnership with Black-owned and operated media partners across California. Voice Media Ventures, a multimedia company and strategic communications firm, is working with these media partners, leveraging trusted messengers to motivate California’s hardest-to-count communities to participate in the 2020 Census.

“We are attempting to move the needle to address the traditional issues of distrust and educational gaps around the Census that impact participation rates of the Black community in California,” said Ditas Katague, Director of the California Complete Count – Census 2020. “Through our trusted partners, we are creating a surround-sound strategy to help ensure the hardest-to-count Californians complete the Census form.”

Voice Media Ventures has been leading community convenings and holding focus groups to assess Black Californians’ gaps in knowledge about the Census and what will motivate them to participate in the 2020 Census count. The information collected from these gatherings are being used to create culturally relevant messages for Black media partners to share with local communities.

“While the overall strategy for the communications campaign is to ensure the state is reaching the hardest-to-count Californians through trusted messengers, for outreach to the Black community, it was especially important to also work with Black owned and operated partners,” said Dr. Paulette Brown-Hinds, founder of Voice Media Ventures. “This is not only a partnership that involves innovative tactics, but also a social justice issue to ensure trusted partners on the ground are involved with Census work in California.”

Media partners involved in the campaign include: KDEE, Sacramento HUB, Sacramento Observer, East Palo Alto Today, Post News Group, Richmond Pulse, San Francisco Bay View, Sun Reporter Publishing Company, The Bay Area Review, 99One FM KJBU-LP, California Advocate, Central Valley Voice, Observer News Group, ONEMEDIA Central Valley, Inland Valley News, San Bernardino American News, The Precinct Reporter Group, Black Voice News, IE Voice, Westside Story News, Carib Press, Compton Herald, Inglewood Today, KJLH, LA Focus, LA Sentinel, LA Watts Times, LA Wave, Our Weekly, Pace News, Pasadena/San Gabriel Valley Journal, San Diego Monitor, and San Diego Voice & Viewpoint.

In addition, Voice Media Ventures is working with the newly created Mapping Black California Census Lab, a collaborative community mapping project, incorporating technology, data, geography, and place- based study to better understand the African American community in California.

Research conducted on behalf of the Census campaign shows that African American communities may be more inclined to participate if the Census is framed as being done on behalf of their community.

This announcement builds on the Census campaign’s foundation of trusted messengers – community leaders, organizations and influencers who are working together to motivate California’s hardest-to-count communities to participate in the 2020 Census.

For example, My Black Counts is an education and awareness initiative convened by California Calls as part of The California Black Census and Redistricting Hub Project. As one of California’s outreach partners, California Calls has done outreach to Black populations throughout the State using door-to-door canvassing, phone banking, and digital communication strategies.

“Throughout history, the Black community has fought for equity and to be represented on our own terms. We are always ready to unite in power to ensure that we are all counted,” said Kevin Cosney, Special Projects Manager of California Calls. “In order to ensure we get our fair share of resources and representation, Black Californians must stand up and be counted in the 2020 Census – and that’s the reason we’re working so hard to get the word out– so the community trusts and accepts ownership in the anthem, ‘My Black Counts.’”

The California Census has joined efforts with these partners in recognition of the need for more effective engagement with the Black population about the 2020 Census count. The Black population has historically been undercounted in past Census enumerations and the state is committed to changing that trend.

Last month, the campaign announced four Census Ambassadors who will leverage their voices and their networks throughout the campaign to educate and empower the hardest-to-count Californians to take part in the upcoming 2020 Census.

California is considered the hardest-to-count state in the nation, with high populations of immigrants, renters, individuals living on homes without a broadband subscription, people living close to or below the poverty line, and children younger than five years old. With billions of dollars in federal funding on the line, the campaign has assembled a historically diverse coalition comprising hundreds of partner organizations to help reach the hardest-to-count populations in California.

The California Complete Count – Census 2020 Office

Once each decade, the U.S. Census Bureau attempts to count every person in the United States. Californians will be receiving an invitation to complete the Census form starting on March 12, with this enumerating being the first to rely heavily on online responses. California leaders have invested $187.2 million toward a statewide outreach and communication campaign. For more information, please go to https://californiacensus.org/.

DATA: To see data on the hard-to-count populations in cities, counties, congressional and legislative districts in California, please visit: https://census.ca.gov/htcfactsheets/

By Lue Dowdy, LUE Productions

This week I’d like to spotlight the very sexy and talented Sabri. Soon to be one of your favorite singers, songwriters, producers, and household name, Sabri is a sure star on the rise!

I was tagged in her new song, “BREATH”, and as soon as the melody came on, I was hooked but then the lyrics took it to another level.

A Brooklyn Queen, born in Cali girl, Sabri gives us the best of both worlds with fiery, edgy lyrics paired with a smooth, sexy, alluring voice. Writing poetry and song lyrics since the age of 12, she has mastered the art of storytelling and delivering a heartfelt message every time. Both men and women can relate to her music.

 “It’s all personal”, is the motto for songwriting and you will know it when you hear it.

Singing and performing in bands, school and church choirs since the age of 6, Sabri is steadily perfecting her craft of singing and writing. Attending W.E.B. Dubois Academy of Music in Brooklyn, New York, Sabri discovered her love of writing. Starting with poetry, slowly progressing into entire three verse songs on subjects way beyond her years, like Heartbreak, Love, and even the weather. Joining forces with a high school best friend, Sabri performed at local talent shows and festivals, at school pep rallies where they sang “The Black National Anthem” educating their peers on the history and importance of such a song. Eventually, they landed a permanent gig opening talent showcases in Oceanside, California at The Starlight Theatre which boosted them into the spotlight and landed them an appearance on Showtime at The Apollo, where the duo outshined all other contestants, and all in her Senior year of high School.

With many early accomplishments and accolades under her belt, Sabri is destined to be a star. Performing at some of the most prestige venues in Southern California, such as BB Kings in Hollywood, The House of Blues, The Zen Lounge, a State tour with Barry White’s Tribute Band, and an array of background vocalist gigs for local and established artist, she is ready for the spotlight and a chance to shine. This is Sabri’s first go as a solo artist and she is stepping on all necks and taking the industry by storm.

“Writing and Creating a mood and bringing someone into that to share these emotions with you, is the greatest feeling in the world, it’s like I’m never alone. Everyone is just a pen and paper away. Telling a story and you visualize it just the way I do is the goal, that’s where my heart is. Undeniably Sabri is sure to capture your mind and reel you in, buckle up and get ready. You Gon Feel This”, say’s Sabri.

Please make sure you support this dynamic artist. Until next time and make sure to always keep it 100 percent.

LOS ANGELES, CA—- The NAACP recently announced that global music and fashion icon, business entrepreneur, and philanthropist, Rihanna, will receive the prestigious President’s Award during the 51st NAACP Image Awards. The President’s Award is presented in recognition of special achievement and distinguished public service, with previous recipients including last year’s recipient Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter, Jesse Jackson, Lauryn Hill, Soledad O’Brien, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, and Muhammad Ali among others. NAACP President Derrick Johnson will present the award to Rihanna during a LIVE TV special on BET on Saturday, February 22, 2020, from Pasadena, California.

“Rihanna has not only enjoyed a groundbreaking career as an artist and musician but has also distinguished herself as a stellar public servant,” said Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of the NAACP. “From her business achievements through Fenty to her tremendous record as an activist and philanthropist, Rihanna epitomizes the type of character, grace, and devotion to justice that we seek to highlight in our President’s Award.”

Alongside her incredible musical achievements, which include nine GRAMMY awards, Rihanna continues to add more credits to her burgeoning resume: executive producer, fashion designer, actress, business entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Rihanna never stops breaking barriers and has built beauty and fashion empires with global beauty brand FE?TY Beauty, lingerie brand SAVAGE x FENTY, and the recently launched luxury fashion brand FE?TY, which saw her become the first woman of color to partner with LVMH and the first woman to start an original brand for the world’s largest luxury group. 

Rihanna has also used her influence for good through philanthropic efforts. Chief among these is her own Clara Lionel Foundation. The Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF) was founded in 2012 by Rihanna in honor of her grandparents, Clara and Lionel Braithwaite. CLF supports and funds groundbreaking and effective education and emergency response programs around the world. With the voices of Rihanna and her fans, CLF also engages in global advocacy with the goal of improving the quality of life for young people everywhere.

By Lue Dowdy, LUE Productions

Sugar and Spice and Everything nice is WHAT IT DO Folks. Girls rule the world in my- Beyonce Voice. 

Congratulations to Kimberly Woods and the entire team of ‘I’m A Diva And Fabulous Youth Foundation’ for hosting the very first  ‘Miss Teen Rialto Scholarship Pageant ’ that took place this past Saturday on February 1.

I had the pleasure of participating on the judges panel, which wasn’t an easy task. All of the young ladies looked so beautiful and did such an amazing job. The contestants had to go through intensive training which prepared them for the competition.

It was a beautiful evening! The pageant took place in the City of Rialto at Wilmer Amina Carter High School, Hosted by the beautiful ‘Melinda A. Clarkson’, former Mrs. Utah International 2003-04. The competition consisted of three different divisions (Princess Diva ages 2-4 , Jr. Pre-Teen Diva ages 8-9, and Miss Teen Rialto Diva ages 10-18). 

Pageant Director and Founder of ‘I’m A Diva and Fabulous Youth Foundation’, Kimberly Woods, explains her reason for putting on the pageant, “I did this event because I love our young girls and want to see them successful in life and to know that they can achieve anything they put their minds too”.

I salute all the young ladies and their support team. Competition in any field of life can be stressful and hard but as we all know, there can only be one Queen Crowned. Congratulations to all! 

For more information on how you can support the pageant or get involved, please call (909) 200-7591.

Crowned:

• Princess Diva: Daleyza Romirez # 36
• Jr. Pre-Teen Diva: Brooklyn Dorado # 30
• Miss Teen Rialto: Autumn DeVila # 37

Other Awards: 

• Academic Achievement Award: Hannah Romero # 32
• Community Service Award: Brooklyn Dorado # 30
• Community Service Award: Katelynn Shepard
• Viewers Choice Award: Brooklyn Dorado # 30

By Lou Yeboah

“… Wash me through and through. Create in me a clean heart so that I may worship You.  Do it for me, Lord ¬ Change me!” [Change Me – Tamela Mann].

I tell you, we all have to make this our sincere, daily prayer: Oh God, Change me! Create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me. Dig deep in me; show me where I’ve failed and gone astray. Expose my pride, anger, stubbornness and sin. Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.  Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving-kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Transform me into the image of Jesus. For Your name’s sake, Lord,  do in me what has to be done. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen. [Psalm 51:10-12; Psalms 139: 23-24;  1 John 1:9, Hebrews 13:8, 2 Corinthians 13:8].

I tell you, when you become aware of how great your sin is, you quickly realize that you are in desperate need of a God who is greater than those sins. A God who can remove your guilt and forgive you for all of eternity. There may be some of you reading this and you’ve never really considered how much sin there may be in your life. And I get that, because if you haven’t had an encounter with the presence of God, how would you even know? But I believe that the people who are most likely to pray this prayer like Isaiah did are the people who live with an awareness of their sin and an understanding of His grace. If that’s where you’re at, then you won’t be afraid to pray this dangerous prayer, “Change Me Oh, Lord….Make me whole Jesus! Make me over I pray! I’m ready for change. I’m so sick and tired of being sick and tired. I am a mass of contradictions; I don’t want to be, but I am. I preach a gospel of peace, but my life isn’t always driven by peace. I talk about a Jesus who alone can fully satisfy the soul, but I am often not satisfied. I celebrate a theology of amazing grace, but I often react in ungratefulness. And if I rest in God’s control, why do I seek it for myself? Even in moments when I think I am prepared, I end up doing what I didn’t want to do. There is this law operating inside of me. When I step out with a desire to do good, evil follows me wherever I go.  There are times when I feel like a prisoner, held against my will. So, have mercy on me, O God, according to Your unfailing love, according to Your great compassion, blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions and my sin is always before me. I embrace the rescue that could only be found in You.” [Romans 7].

“The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt – a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the LORD,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more. [Jeremiah 31:31-34].

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” [Romans 8:1-4].

Praise be to Him always that though we were once “dead in the trespasses and sins; God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ” [Ephesians 2:1-5].

Praise be to Him and to Jesus our deliverer always.

Singing: “I know I’ve been changed, the angels in Heaven done signed my name…”  [I Know I’ve Been Changed -La Shun Pace]. “…I’ve been healed, freed, delivered, and right now is the moment, today, I’ve been changed, and I have waited for this moment to come, and I won’t let it pass me by; so I say, I won’t go back, can’t go back, to the way it used to be. No more chains, fear, my past is over…!” [I Won’t Go Back – William McDowell].