WSSN Stories

Roxanne Williams has lived in San Bernardino for several years. In that time, she has made many friends and allies who have become advocates for the struggling city that four decades ago was bestowed with the All-America City award.

One of the most vocal and visible supporters of San Bernardino was John Henry Griffin.

“He loved his city and especially his neighborhood, Delmann Heights,” said Williams, a Parks, Recreation and Community Services commissioner, of Griffin and his friend and fellow San Bernardino supporter, Tyrone Jones.

Griffin’s passion for his city and neighborhood prompted San Bernardino City Councilwoman Bessine L. Richard to appoint the 69-year-old as a parks commissioner overlooking the city’s Sixth Ward, his beloved Delmann Heights and the Westside.

Griffin had a lot of plans for the area, especially Delmann Park, but on Nov. 9, Griffin was killed in his home in the 1800 block of Darby Street. Reports indicate he was shot in the back of the head.

“I read about the death in The San Bernardino Sun, about the murder and death of my friend, and I yelled, ‘Oh my God, they killed John Griffin!’?” said Williams, pausing when her voiced cracked over the pain of losing not only a fellow commissioner but a friend.

“All these murders in San Bernardino, we have to stop this,” Williams said. “It’s outrageous and discouraging to me that someone so respected in the community who had a relationship with the police, with the community, with everyone, could die in this way.”

Griffin, a father and grandfather, was so committed to the city, he would reach into his own pocket to keep the Delmann Heights Community Center open if there were not enough city funds.

“He was instrumental in keeping that community center open because he wanted a safe place for the children,” Richard said. “Everything he did was for the young people. So the young people could be safe. This was a great, great loss to the community. Especially the Westside. He was someone who protected it.”

A former Black Panther Party associate and someone who was interested in civil rights issues through the 1960s, Griffin rallied residents of the Westside to stand up for their communities and to work with the police to create better lives for themselves and especially the next generation, Williams said.

“I knew John and interacted with him frequently,” said San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan. “He was well-known in the community and had a passion for his neighborhood. I know a lot of people are hurting because of his death. My thoughts and prayers are with them.”

Although San Bernardino police investigators made an arrest in his slaying, many questions linger, especially why.

“Did they know who he was to this community?” asked Richard. “This is a devastating loss.”

GRIFFIN AND JONES AS WESTSIDE PROTECTORS

For decades, the Westside had two staunch defenders in longtime friends Jones and Griffin.

The men, who had known each other since the late 1960s — and at one point had been affiliated with the Black Panther Party in the early 1970s — founded the Westside Nubians, a grassroots kind of neighborhood watch that helped steer children away from a life of gangs and drugs. The group attempted to calm violence as well as tension between residents and law enforcement.

“They were on the front lines of our community,” said former Councilman Rikke Van Johnson. “They were trying to do all they could to keep harm away from the community. (Griffin) and his friend, Tyrone, were caretakers of the community.”

Johnson remembers Griffin at various city meetings asking for funding for the community center and park. He also recalled how Griffin and Jones both rallied residents to participate in cleanups and neighborhood improvements.

Griffin, carrying on the legacy and wishes of his friend, continued with the Westside Nubians, attending City Council meetings and fighting for his Westside neighbors.

His candor and passion caught the eye of Richard, who earlier this year appointed Griffin to the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department.

“He said, ‘Girl, I’m ready,’?” recalled Richard. “He knew the residents, they needed the park, they needed a place to go and a safe haven. Being on the board was a way he could see that the Delmann Heights Community Center stayed open and remained a safe haven for the kids in his neighborhood.”

The loss of Griffin has left a vacuum in the community that Williams feels will be hard to fill.

“But we need to keep their vision going,” she said. “We can’t go back.”

The funeral for Griffin is scheduled for 11 a.m. Nov. 29 at Temple Missionary Baptist Church, 1583 W. Union St.

Tina Knowles-Lawson and Essence joined forces with Solange Knowles and Kelly Rowland, with support from Beyoncé and BeyGOOD, to host Love on Louisiana: An Essence Hometown Heroes Tribute celebrating the resilience of the Baton Rouge community on Sunday, November 20, and the Raising Cane’s River Center in Baton Rouge, LA.

The holiday dinner and awards ceremony honored five standout students and teachers for their commitment to serving and rebuilding their communities. Essence President Michelle Ebanks, Editor-in-Chief Vanessa De Luca, Knowles-Lawson, Knowles and Rowland gave remarks, along with Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden who declared November 20th ‘Love On Louisiana Day.’

In addition to the award recognition, NIKE Jordan footwear and holiday turkeys were distributed to 800 students, teachers and families who are still largely affected by the severe flooding, courtesy of NIKE’s Brand Jordan and GUCCI.

With support from the City of Baton Rouge and the State of Louisiana, the event also served as a call to action to raise $1 million to help families recover in the wake of this summer’s catastrophic flooding, which produced 7 trillion gallons of water—three times the rainfall total of Hurricane Katrina.

Other event sponsors and partners included Habitat for Humanity of Greater Baton Rouge, BeyGOOD, Sam’s Club, Project 70805 and AmeriGroup.

Gwen Ifill, The co-anchor of PBS NewsHour with Judy Woodruff has died at the age of 61. The award-winning veteran journalist, who moderated two vice presidential debates in 2004 and 2008, died of endometrial cancer and apparently did not tell others about her illness.

Sara Just, the executive producer of PBS NewsHour and WETA SVP, released a statement saying: “Gwen was a standard bearer for courage, fairness and integrity in an industry going through seismic change. She was a mentor to so many across the industry and her professionalism was respected across the political spectrum. She was a journalist’s journalist and set an example for all around her.”

She continued, “So many people in the audience felt that they knew and adored her. She had a tremendous combination of warmth and authority. She was stopped on the street routinely by people who just wanted to give her a hug and considered her a friend after years of seeing her on TV. We will forever miss her terribly.”

Gwen was a former reporter for both the New York Times and the Washington Post. She switched to television in the 1990’s and covered politics and Congress for NBC News. In 1999, she moved to PBS as host of Washington Week, which later led to her becoming the co-host ofNewHour.

In 2009, she also authored a book entitled, The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama.

She will be remembered as a pioneer for women and for African Americans in journalism, becoming the first African American woman to host a major political talk show.

Watch one of her last interviews (with President Obama):

President-elect Donald Trump has already revealed his plan of action for his first 100 days in the White House. His plan, which he mentioned during a speech last month in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, outlines three main areas of focus: cleaning up Washington, including by imposing term limits on Congress; protecting American workers; and restoring rule of law.

He also revealed his plan for working with Congress to introduce 10 pieces of legislation that would repeal Obamacare, to fund the construction of a wall at the Mexican border, to encourage infrastructure investment, to rebuild military bases, and to promote school choice.

He calls his plan “Donald Trump’s Contract With The American Voter,” and here’s specifically what he said during his speech:

On the first day of my term of office, my administration will immediately pursue the following six measures to clean up the corruption and special interest collusion in Washington, DC:

* FIRST, propose a Constitutional Amendment to impose term limits on all members of Congress;

* SECOND, a hiring freeze on all federal employees to reduce federal workforce through attrition (exempting military, public safety, and public health);

* THIRD, a requirement that for every new federal regulation, two existing regulations must be eliminated;

* FOURTH, a 5 year-ban on White House and Congressional officials becoming lobbyists after they leave government service;

* FIFTH, a lifetime ban on White House officials lobbying on behalf of a foreign government;

* SIXTH, a complete ban on foreign lobbyists raising money for American elections.

On the same day, I will begin taking the following 7 actions to protect American workers:

* FIRST, I will announce my intention to renegotiate NAFTA or withdraw from the deal under Article 2205

* SECOND, I will announce our withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership

* THIRD, I will direct my Secretary of the Treasury to label China a currency manipulator

* FOURTH, I will direct the Secretary of Commerce and U.S. Trade Representative to identify all foreign trading abuses that unfairly impact American workers and direct them to use every tool under American and international law to end those abuses immediately

* FIFTH, I will lift the restrictions on the production of $50 trillion dollars’ worth of job-producing American energy reserves, including shale, oil, natural gas and clean coal.

* SIXTH, lift the Obama-Clinton roadblocks and allow vital energy infrastructure projects, like the Keystone Pipeline, to move forward

* SEVENTH, cancel billions in payments to U.N. climate change programs and use the money to fix America’s water and environmental infrastructure

Additionally, on the first day, I will take the following five actions to restore security and the constitutional rule of law:

* FIRST, cancel every unconstitutional executive action, memorandum and order issued by President Obama

* SECOND, begin the process of selecting a replacement for Justice Scalia from one of the 20 judges on my list, who will uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States

* THIRD, cancel all federal funding to Sanctuary Cities

* FOURTH, begin removing the more than 2 million criminal illegal immigrants from the country and cancel visas to foreign countries that won’t take them back

* FIFTH, suspend immigration from terror-prone regions where vetting cannot safely occur. All vetting of people coming into our country will be considered extreme vetting.

To view the full transcript, visit www.npr.org/2016/11/09/501451368/here-is-what-donald-trump-wants-to-do-in-his-first-100-days

Or watch the video below:

Lexington, KY—University Press of Kentucky author Bernard LaFayette Jr., whose memoir In Peace and Freedom: My Journey in Selma was released in paperback earlier this year, has been awarded the 2016 Mahatma Gandhi International Award for Reconciliation and Peace. He is also co-editor of The Chicago Freedom Movement: Martin Luther King Jr. and Civil Rights Activism in the North. The award is presented by theGandhi Development Trust. The GDT was founded in 2002 by Ela Gandhi, the social activist granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi. The Gandhi Development Trust’s mission is to promote a culture of peace, justice, non-violence, and ubuntu (human kindness); promoting Gandhian values of ahisma (non-violence), self-sufficiency, love, sarvodaya (good of all), compassion, and universality in order to reach their core vision of a peaceful, just, and non-violent world.

The Mahatma Gandhi International Award for Reconciliation and Peace was established in 2003 to honor people who have surmounted religious and ethnic obstacles to promote democracy, peace, and justice through non-violent measures. GDT believes that the award should not merely be seen as an annual event, but rather a catalyst for initiating non-violence, ubuntu, and nation building under the influence of non-violent leaders. LaFayette was chosen as this year’s winner in recognition of his outstanding work towards the promotion of peace, reconciliation, and justice both locally and internationally in his capacity as a civil rights activist.

LaFayette’s memoir, In Peace and Freedom, recounts that career as an activist. He was a cofounder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), a leader in the Nashville lunch counter sit-ins, a Freedom Rider, an associate of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), and the national coordinator of the Poor People’s Campaign. At the age of twenty-two, he assumed the directorship of the Alabama Voter Registration Project in Selma—a city that had previously been removed from the organization’s list due to the dangers of operating there.

LaFayette was one of the primary organizers of the 1965 Selma voting rights movement and the Selma-to-Montgomery marches, and his memoir, written with Kathryn Lee Johnson, shares the inspiring story of his struggles there. When he arrived in 1963, Selma was a small, quiet, rural town. By 1965, it had made its mark in history and was nationally recognized as a battleground in the fight for racial equality and the site of one of the most important victories for social change in our nation.

The award was presented on November 7, 2016, in Durban, South Africa.

Dianna “Dee” Dela Cruz

By Lue Dowdy

The Queen of L.P. SEXY BBW Model – Dianna “Dee” Dela Cruz is WHAT IT DO! This Plus Size model has the coldest walk ever! She slay’s the audience and the runway every time.

She was born on December 27 in the Philippines as a little girl she always wanted to be a Nurse and a Fashion Model. Now doing both this DIVA is making a name for herself. Raised in Orange County, Dee recently moved to San Bernardino. Yep the IE! Graduating from Rancho Alamitos High school in Garden Grove, CA and receiving her AA degree in Nursing from Pacific College in 2006, she became a Licensed Vocational Nurse. Soon she will be taking classes to be a Physician Assistant Certified at Western University of Health Sciences. Can you say Brains & Beauty!

It was a struggle starting off her modeling career. Her busy schedule from nursing and taking care of her mom and dad financially really took a toll on her. Being turned away and told that she was ugly, short, and fat by so many agencies did not stop this beauty. Her dedication and determination to make it as a plus size model made her STRONG. Discovered by Timmy T of Fashion Overdose as a print model in 2006 to 2009 her modeling career began to take flight.

“I will work on helping young women out there to love and accept themselves and love every curve they have,” she stated.

She continues, “And I have a big heart from young girls and women who are being or got bullied because I was bullied when I was a young girl and being a young woman because of my weight.”

LUE Productions is happy and honored to have her as our 1st B.B.W. Queen. Dee is available for booking. The next time you need a host, speaker, or a diva to rock your runway please hit us up at (909) 567-1000 or email Lue.info@yahoo.com. Love the skin that you’re in BIG or SMALL! Until next week L’zzz!

More about DEE DELA CRUZ:

• Model for Plush cat Club and Big on Batik 2008 to 2010 2013 Rock your curvy style model (1st Asian Plus size Runway Model)
• 2014 Model for Dede Allure ( 1st Asian Plus Size Runway Model)
• 2014 1st Asian Plus Size Runway Model to walk for LAstyle fasion Week ( 1st plus size models to walk that runaway ever) we made history!
• 2014 Walk for New York Fashion Week
• 2nd Runner for Miss Plus Top Model 2015 Competition.
• Ms. Anaheim Plus America 2015. She helped out with low income senior for free nurse wellness checkup, and assisted with Children’s Hospital of Orange County & Los Angeles Children’s Hospital.
• 2015 signed to Maverick Artist Agency for Fit Modeling!
• 3rd Runner up for Ms. California Plus America 2015!
• Miss Congeniality – Plus America 2015!
• Miss Rock your Curve 2016!
• 2016 Lue Productions 1st Big Beautiful Woman Queen!
• 2016 guest speaker for young women empowerment For Diabetes Awareness and got awarded by City of San Bernardino, Mayor, Congressman, State Assembly and Senate!

By Lou Coleman

He will ensnare you and destroy your soul [1Peter 5:8] Make no mistake about it! The Devil does not want you to sell out to God. He wants you to sell out to him. And he will give you every reason in the world to justify the things he wants you to do. Then when you have followed him and are out of God’s will and in trouble, he will discard you like a piece of trash and leave you to rot in your sins! He will chew you up and spit you out! You better know that you know! You see [2 Corinthians 2:11] tells us that Satan desires to gain an “advantage” over us and to do this he will use every trick in the book to get us to follow him into failure. Be careful! For [1 Peter 5:8] tells us that the devil wants us. He wants our family. He wants our testimony. He wants our church. If you have it and it’s from the Lord, he wants it, and to get it, he will do anything! “Don’t Compromise with the Devil!” If you do he will get you into such a shape that the Lord cannot bless and use you at all! If you don’t believe me just read about David, the sweet singer of Israel, the man after God’s own heart, what the devil can do to your life. You follow the devil and you, like David might find yourself in a place of prayer begging God just to restore the joy of your heart and life [Psalms. 51:12].

I tell you I wonder: Just what did the devil tell David to get him to sleep with Bathsheba? Just what did the devil tell Cain to get him to kill Abel? Just what did the devil tell Judas to get him to betray Jesus? I wonder: just what has the devil told you? Because sadly, there are many in the church today that live a compromised life. Being too friendly with the enemy! You cannot walk with God and hold hands with the Devil. You better read the story of Lot. Lot started out with Abram and like him enjoyed the blessings of God, but, he exchanged what Abram could offer for what the world could offer and in the end he lost out! You know Jesus said in [Matthew 6:24] No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. I wonder: Which direction is your tent pitched – toward Bethel [God’s house] or towards Sodom [The world]?

I tell you it is crucial that you take the steps that are necessary to defeat the devil and walk in victory. You do not have to roll over and play dead while the devil molds you to his will. You need to be like Jesus, who when He was tempted turned to the Word of God and confronted Satan with the truth of the Book and caused the devil to have to flee from His presence. General Rule: “Do Not Give the Devil a Foothold” [Ephesians 4:26-27] To Hell with Satan!

By Lou Coleman

I tell you David said sometimes you just got to encourage yourself. Just look back over your life, yesterday, last week, last month, last year, five years ago, you will discover that you have already gone through enough stuff that should have caused you to lose your mind; but you are still standing. There are others who have gone through less than you went through and committed suicide. Given up on life! But you made it through. Still Standing! Although you’ve been lied on, talked about, criticized, misunderstood, mistreated, you are still standing. Hurt, wounded, knocked down, sick spells, buried loved ones, had to say goodbye to acquaintances, left alone, heartbroken… and you are still standing.  Even though the pain hurts, even though your heart is still healing, even though you still have some tender spots, and your memory is still playing tricks on you… you are still standing. Who am I talking too? May not have as much money as you ought to have, may not have as many friends as you think you deserve, but one thing you can say, “I’m still here.”  And by being here that says one thing, you still have a chance.  You still have an opportunity to reach goals that you have not reached. You still have a chance to get closer to God, and let him use you. Hurt but still standing; Misunderstood but still standing. Almost lost your life but survived the attack, still standing. What the devil meant for evil God turned into good. “They said you wouldn’t make it. They said [you] wouldn’t be, here today. They said [you’ll] never amount to anything…But [you’re] still holding on. Holding on to God’s [unchanging hand] [Lyrics Luther Barnes] though the road has been rough and the goings been mighty tough…” You are still standing!

I tell you when you can persevere through something that should have killed you, and still remain standing; when you can go through crises, and still remain standing; when you can weather the storm and still remain standing; Ah…. Perseverance, preserved, kept in the fire, not kept from the fire… Had to cry yourself to sleep, but you’re still standing. I want you to know that the purpose of this message is to encourage you to know that these can be your words of victory as you face whatever comes your way this week, that at the end you can say, “I’m still standing!” Understanding that you have to go through some things to get to where God wants you to be; betrayal, denial, crucifixion – you’ve got to go through it to get new life.

Let me tell you something, in spite of the issues that came my way, I knew that I had enough in me to withstand it all. And when you know that beyond a reasonable doubt you have what you need inside of you, there is a certain confidence that calms your nerves which is why you don’t have to panic and get hysterical. Why should you crumble under the pressure? When the Word says to you, “Be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.” So go ahead and declare that you were built for this. You were built to handle whatever life throws your way. Knowing that the devil tried this before, but the last storm that you came through left you with praise. A praise that the devil couldn’t shake, because it was deep in the Rock. Joy that the devil could take, because it was deep in the Rock. Power that the devil couldn’t defeat, because it was deep in the Rock. And when you’re built on the Rock, Hell can’t move you. Water can’t drown you. Hallelujah! Can I get a witness?

By Lou Coleman

It can be very difficult to work with a Scorpio as a co-worker. Ain’t that right Mr. Allen? LOL… The Scorpio needs to be in charge professionally and does better in those jobs that will allow them flexibility and freedom to be in control. I’m talking about Naomi “The Marketer” Riggins; Lou Coleman, “The Whatever”, Naomi “The Editor” Bonman, and Lucretia “Ain’t No Stopping Me” Dowdy, strong, commanding, intense, passionate and zealous. Driven, dedicated and loyal. Ambitious and security-loving Scorpio women independent and determined individuals. We will only strive to reach high goals, and we will let nothing get in our way of accomplishing these goals. We will do whatever is necessary to meet goals and don’t care whose feet we must step on in order to accomplish those goals. Watch out now!   Even though we as one celebrate our birthday’s this month, we want to send a shout out to all who are November born. Happy Birthday to You! Now as we go and cut the cake be good to yourselves and one another….Leaving the stage singing….Happy Birthday to Us! Happy Birthday!

By Lue Dowdy

What up IEeeeeeeeeeee! Well feeding those in need is what it DO in a real way! LUE Productions, along with several other community organizations, artists, and community members that come together every year to deliver hot meals to the homeless in downtown San Bernardino are getting together again. Giving back is such a rewarding feeling. Mobilize with us to feed over 400 individuals in the Inland Empire.

Last year we made 477 hot meals and passed out socks, sleeping bags and more. This year we’re doing it bigger and better. Please join in!!!

Items that are still needed include: Rolls, Corn, Dressing Mix, Gravy packages, Cranberry Sauce and Cakes and Pies.

Drop off Days for food donations are Friday, November 18th at Starbucks in Colton located at1181 S Mount Vernon Avenue in Colton at 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. We must have ALL Turkey’s donated by this date in order to get it our cooks; and on November 20 located at 254 Carousel Mall in San Bernardino from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

For more information, please call (909) 567-1000 or email Lue.info@yahoo.com.