BALTIMORE, MD— After an extensive international search, the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Brother Sean L. McCaskill as the Executive Director of the Fraternity. Brother McCaskill, who has been serving as the Interim Executive Director since March 1, 2021, assumes the official role at the General Office, effective, today, Friday, July 8.
Brother McCaskill, who was initiated at Xi Sigma Chapter on April 7, 1990, is no stranger to Alpha Leadership having served as both the District Director of the Pennsylvania Association of Alpha Chapters and the 26th Eastern Regional Vice President. He is a Life Member and currently an active member of the Alpha Omicron Lambda Chapter in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
“The Board of Directors and I are excited to appoint Brother McCaskill as the Executive Director for the Fraternity’s General Office,” said General President Brother Dr. Willis L. Lonzer, III. “Brother McCaskill has done an exceptional job in both motivating and empowering staff, which has ensured the stability in the operations of the General Office. His appointment provides consistency in our operations as well as ensures the high level of customer service we offer our Brotherhood. These challenging times will require dynamic leadership from Alpha, and Brother McCaskill provides the Board and I the best partnership to meet the ambitions we have in developing Alpha men into leaders needed to provide superior advocacy and service in our communities.”
Brother McCaskill attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) on a football scholarship, where he was a four-year letterman in football and two-year letterman in track and field as well as earned a bachelor’s degree in criminology and a master’s degrees in sociology.
For more than 20 years, Brother McCaskill, who also serves as an educational consultant, leadership coach, and entrepreneur, has successfully worked in the social service field gaining experience in individual and family therapy, treatment plan design, prevention, as well as team building and organizational leadership development.
“I am honored to accept this appointment and to be able to continue to do the work of Alpha in this capacity,” said Brother McCaskill. “I am also appreciative and incredibly proud of the General Office staff who have come to work every day over the last year with a shared commitment to improving systems and serving this Brotherhood at the highest level. I continue to be inspired by the work Brothers are doing across the country in their communities and will work to ensure the staff at your General Office is able to support that work in a meaningful way.”
McDonald’s USA, through its Black & Positively Golden movement, surprised its Future 22 leaders with $10,000 each, totaling $220,000, during a celebratory event in their honor at the ESSENCE Festival of Culture presented by Coca-Cola®. These grants were awarded to help further the community-driven causes of these 22 change leaders, introduced earlier this year. Award-winning actress, singer & entertainer, Keke Palmer, took part in the surprise announcement as the Future 22 spokesperson.
From a STEM educator who is leveling the playing field for Black and brown children in computer science to a financial literacy champion who is bridging the financial gap in inner cities, these visionaries are shattering ceilings and breaking barriers to create meaningful change in communities across the country. Since February, their stories have been told through an integrated marketing campaign that includes videos on Instagram at @wearegolden and McDonald’s YouTube channel, as well as TV and radio spots voiced over by Keke, and more.
“It’s an honor to join McDonald’s to recognize and celebrate these awesome leaders, while also supporting their work and mission,” said Keke. “They are creating bright futures for themselves and the next generation – and, really, all of us – and the excitement on their faces during the McDonald’s surprise gave me joy.”
During the celebratory event held at Essence Fest last weekend in New Orleans, which McDonald’s sponsored for the 22nd year, Keke and Marissa Fisher, a second-generation McDonald’s Owner/Operator in New Orleans, participated in a fireside chat moderated by McDonald’s Senior Director of Cultural Engagement, Elizabeth Campbell, to inspire Future 22 leaders and provide tips on staying true to one’s mission, finding balance while changing the world and paving the way for others, among other topics.
“This year’s Essence Fest theme was Black Joy, and we couldn’t wait to celebrate all 22 leaders and bring them to New Orleans, in honor of their accomplishments,” said Campbell. “We certainly could’ve surprised them virtually but making them a part of our Essence Fest moment meant unlocking the additional community of supporters who are McDonald’s Owner/Operators and the Essence Fest family, to further celebrate them and demonstrate our belief in their work. It was more special than imagined, representing our commitment to feeding and fostering the communities we serve.”
McDonald’s has sponsored Essence Fest for more than 20 years to help shine a positive light on the Black community, culture and youth. All weekend, the Golden Arches celebrated and brought to life “Black Joy.” This included impactful booth experiences like show-stopping performances from R&B singer Jacquees, and award-winning gospel artists Sir the Baptist and Jekalyn Carr who previewed the 16th annual Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour that kicks off (in person) this fall. Booth guest were also treated to a star-studded celebrity meet and greet lineup featuring Toya Johnson, Reginae Carter, Uptown Angela and actor and musician Jacob Latimore.
McDonald’s also reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Black media and communities of color by convening some of the leading voices in marketing, media, business, and tech for panels that offered tips and resources for opportunity creation and breaking barriers.
McDonald’s Future 22 and the Essence Fest partnership are two of the many company initiatives that celebrate Black excellence. For more than 65 years, McDonald’s and its Owner/Operators have awarded scholarships to HBCU students, created impactful partnerships with community organizations like the National Urban League, NAACP, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and more. And this year, McDonald’s is proud to congratulate the National Black McDonald’s Operators Association for 50 years of entrepreneurial and community excellence.
For more information on the McDonald’s Future 22, or to catch up on McDonald’s Black & Positively Golden activities at Essence, follow @wearegolden on Instagram.
HOUSTON — Bellator’s interim bantamweight champion, Raufeon Stots, is loud and confidence.
Currently riding a 10-fight winning streak, his lone loss coming in 2017, Stots feels mentally and physically on top. That spells trouble for opponents.
Danny Sabatello seems to have punched his ticket to take on Stots — after Sabatello unanimously defeated Leandro Higo at Bellator 282 on June 24. A heated exchanged between Stots and Sabatello during the post-fight interview set the stage for a showdown later this year.
Stots talks strategies with Zenger on how he plans to beat Sabatello.
Zenger: We know how great you are in the cage, but you sounded pretty comfortable commentating Friday night’s Bellator card, as well.
Stots: The commentating was dope. It was a lot of fun. I had a blast.
Zenger: You were cage-side analyzing potential opponents. Were you dialed in scouting or commentating from a fan perspective?
Stots: That was one of the reasons I wanted to do it. To come and get a close look. I wanted to feel the pressure of the moment and see what they can create. That was huge. It’s definitely different from being at home watching. I was able to feel what was going on inside the cage — or lack thereof — in terms of the Danny Sabatello fight. It was fun.
Raufeon Stots struts around the Bellator cage after being crowned interim bantamweight champion following his knockout over Juan Archuleta in April. (Bellator MMA).
Zenger: In another interview, you said that since COVID, you removed self-doubt. Was the self-doubt mental or something you changed in training?
Stots: We couldn’t really practice during COVID to where I could rely on my coaches to teach me things. So I started learning stuff on my own. Then I started diving into the mental part of being an athlete — and a successful person. That was one of the affirmations I decided to create. That affirmation is that I’m confident and fearless in all that I do. I dominate, excite and finish fights. I’m Raufeon Stots, the Bellator world champion. I know that is who I am now. I embody that, and I’m not a doubtful person in anything I do.
Zenger: Since knocking out Juan Archuleta, do you feel pressured to top or repeat that performance?
Stots: The key for me is to focus on the moment. I can’t really worry about being better than I was last time, or what I have to do in the future. Good things happen when I’m in the moment. I feel like the one time I lost, I was too busy looking forward to things that were going to happen after I got the win, instead of focusing on what was occurring right in front of my face. In fighting, things can change in a second, so I definitely gotta be present.
Zenger: Your only loss came in 2017. You have won 10 consecutive fights since then. What is the key to this winning streak?
Stots: That fight taught me something, something that was missing in my game. It was on the mental side. It wasn’t really in my training. I have the best coaches and training regimen. I learned from the best in the game. It was a mental thing and now my mental is dialed in. That, coupled with my confidence and growing skill-set, I feel unbeatable right now. It’s a testament to what is occurring in my life over the past five-to-seven years.
Zenger: You seem to understand the entertainment aspect of fighting. How important is that in today’s climate, where self-promotion is key?
Stots: The talking part is really fun for me. The talking stuff is just extra. That’s my personality. It’s how I grew up. It’s my pastime. I like to play Fortnite and talk trash to my friends. I understand that none of that works unless you’re backing up what you’re saying. You have to go out there and perform well. I’m dialed in to MMA and the sport, so no matter what I’m saying or doing, I’m getting better in my sport.
There are so many things you can get good at in MMA, so every day, I’m doing something to better myself in my craft. I’m really good at fighting; the talking is just fun to me.
Zenger: How does a fight between you and Danny Sabatello play out?
Stots: We’re both good wrestlers. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have any skills past wrestling. I feel like if our wrestling cancels itself out, it’s going to be a long night for him. If he decides to engage me anywhere besides wrestling, the skill gap is too big. I said this before I was fighting him, I was rooting for him. But I didn’t know if he could make it because of his skill-set.
It’s so one dimensional, but luckily, he’s been able to fight people who don’t have good wrestling. I fought a lot of wrestlers, I wrestled myself, so I have a lot of those skills. I feel like there is nowhere he poses a threat. Even if he takes me down, there’s no way he can hold me down. It’s going to either be a long night or a really short night in my favor. I just don’t see anywhere he’s better. Maybe if he had finishing capabilities, I would think he can catch me with something, but I don’t see that. I don’t see power in his hands, I don’t see the threat of a submission, it’s just wrestling. My last opponent thought that would be the way to beat me.
Hopefully, he comes up with something in these next few months. I just don’t see a route to victory for him.
Raufeon Stots gets one step closer to becoming a million-dollar tournament winner for Bellator’s bantamweight division. (Bellator MMA).
Zenger: You have your sights set on that million-dollar prize. To win it, you obviously have to win a few more fights, but the ultimate test would be against your friend, Sergio Pettis. Not to look too far ahead, but have you wrapped your head around potentially having to put the personal to the side and handle business with Pettis?
Stots: I try not to think about that. To fight Sergio … I feel like he would be my toughest opponent. People don’t realize the work he’s put in to be a well-rounded fighter. Our styles are similar. Our striking ideologies are similar. We know each other’s weaknesses and strengths. A fight with him will be the ultimate chess match, the ultimate physicality match, and it’s going to be real violent. It will be a grueling fight. The best man is going to win, but it will be a grueling fight.
Zenger: Any closing thoughts for Danny Sabatello?
Stots: Sabatello sucks! The hardest part of this fight is going to be breaking down footage of him, because I fall asleep every time, I watch him fight.
Coach Dante Jones credits sports with saving his life.
As a 6-foot-2 and 215-pound senior linebacker at Dunbar High in Baltimore in 1994, Jones helped the Poets (12-0) become Baltimore’s first state champions. He recovered a fumble during a 15-point Class 2A rout of Cumberland’s Fort Hill High.
His achievements were memorable; but Jones’ drive was also personal. Darry Smith, a promising 6-foot, 185-pound quarterback died in March 2005 after being gunned down at the age of 19.
“The loss of Daryl really made me see,” Jones said. “I understand and focus more on saving the lives of inner-city kids. It has really become embedded in my coaching philosophy.”
Zenger interviewed coach Jones and former players Dionta Cox, Kyle Jackson, Sterling Jones, Tariq Toure (formerly Jones) and Terrence Wilson. All became influential in their communities.
Jones’ journey
In 2013, Dante Jones moved with his wife, Tyra, their two sons and five daughters to Dover, Delaware, after accepting the head coaching position at Dover High.
But Smith’s No. 7 football jersey still hangs in the garage of his home in Dover, just as it did over his desk at Edmondson High School, when he coached the Baltimore City’s football team to a 37-9 Maryland Class 2A state championship in December 2006.
Jones became Edmondson’s football coach after the previous year, assisting Pete Pompey, whose Red Storm was a 2A state runner-up to Urbana in 1999. The Red Storm’s victory over McDonough made Jones the first man to have coached and played for state title-winning football teams from Baltimore.
And he never forgot sports’ larger purpose.
Currently, the athletic director and football coach at Early College High School on the campus of his collegiate alma mater, Delaware State University, Jones has established a community movement, Turn Around Dover, geared to uplifting communities. The move follows the recent murders of two promising young men in a city with a high crime rate.
Paying it forward
Dionta Cox lived in Columbia, Maryland, which he saw as affluent and white, while his family was neither. Originally from the city, Cox begged his mother to let him move in with his father, Dione Jones, in West Baltimore, so he could be around more black kids and be coached by Uncle Dante.
“Paying it forward is key,” said Dionta Cox, a teacher and social worker involved in individual, family and substance-abuse counseling. (Dionta Cox)
Some Edmondson players teased Cox as being too small at 5-foot-7, 160 pounds, citing nepotism as his greatest asset. But Cox worked harder than most, lifting weights and running wind sprints. His determination paid off.
Cox grabbed five interceptions and “never gave up a touchdown” as a senior as the Red Storm limited McDonough’s 6-foot-5 receiver Derek Drummond to two receptions for 22 yards and no touchdowns, having entered the game with 11 scoring receptions.
Social-service career
“There are obstacles and barriers as black men we have to overcome just to be looked at as a citizen in this country,” said Cox, the eldest of eight. He is first to go to college in his family and a single father of a 6-year-old daughter. “That’s why I’ve chosen the path of becoming an educator and mental- and behavioral-health specialist.”
Cox earned a BA in mass communications in 2011 from St. Augustine’s while playing defensive back over the course of four years. He received his master’s in 2015 from Delaware State University.
“At Early College, I’m an English and language arts department liaison and a 10th-grade, advanced placement and senior advisory teacher. Before teaching at ECS, I worked in a special education autism program and moved on to an Intensive Learning Center in Delaware,” said Cox, who also serves as an admissions counselor and social worker at Dover Behavioral Health.
“I handle the intake process for patients seeking services for mental health or substance abuse, as well as group, individual and family therapy sessions. I have several family members that dealt with mental health, as well as substance abuse. My goal is to give the right intervention and influence of a loving, trusting adult. Everyone needs help. Paying it forward is key.”
The Quiet Assassin
As a 6-foot-3, 220-pound team captain, linebacker and tight-end for Edmondson, Kyle Jackson was nicknamed “the quiet assassin” by the Red Storm staff.
“You don’t need the glitz and glam,” said Jackson. “Hard work and dedication will get you there every time.”
Jackson has always displayed maturity beyond his years, like during an early-season practice in 2006, consoling a teammate who was having a bad practice.
“I know how mad you are right now,” Jackson said. “You got a vein coming out of your forehead. But you can’t be like that.”
Jackson had one of his best games in October 2006, during a 12-0 shutout of neighborhood rival Dunbar as the Red Storm limited future NFL star Tavon Austin earned 61 rushing yards.
“I’m still close with the guys from that 2006 state championship team,” Kyle Jackson said. The Bowie State football coach was nicknamed “the quiet assassin” as a linebacker on Edmondson’s Class 2A state title-winning team. (Kyle Jackson)
“Coach Dante always showed us what family was about, generally showing his belief in us by going out of his way to do things for us that he didn’t have to do,” said Jackson, who earned his BS in sports management in 2012 after playing four years at Bowie State alongside Sterling Jones.
“Sports saved me from many bad decisions growing up,” said Jackson, whose childhood friend was killed in a summer car accident after an alleged robbery. “There are many life skills that come with football, bringing out characteristics you may never have known you had.”
Jackson was recently named the Bulldogs’ interim head coach.
“I enjoy coaching football because it is bigger than the sport. I’m still close with the guys from that 2006 state championship team,” Jackson said.
“In today’s world, instant gratification is a crutch to our youth. Everyone wants to be seen, but doesn’t want to do the work. My message to the youth is: Trust your process and work toward your goals.
Still Helping Others
Sterling Jones was a 5-foot-9, 200-pound team captain and linebacker who led the Red Storm with nine interceptions. In the state title game, Jones rushed for 63 yards, a two-point conversion and recovered a fumble that set up his 5-yard touchdown run during a 21-point fourth quarter.
Jones’ success continued over four years at Bowie State University, where he amassed 220 tackles, 20 pass breakups, 11 forced fumbles, five sacks and four fumble recoveries and earned defensive MVP in 2010 and both Male Athlete of the Year and Student-Athlete of the Year in 2011.
“Growing up in Baltimore City was a challenge, but Coach Dante and all the other coaches became mentors to us,” said Jones, who earned his BA in communications and public relations in 2011, and his masters in organizational communications in 2013 from Bowie State.
“Their coaching didn’t stop after our last high-school football season. They are always a phone call away to help to continue to guide us through life. My teammates are my brothers. A lot of us attended the same college, joined the same Omega Psi Phi fraternity, and still spend time together.”
“My high-school experience taught me core values … no one man is bigger than the team,” said former Edmondson linebacker Sterling Jones, a support-service specialist in building management. Each year, he provides Thanksgiving meals and collects clothing during Christmas for families. (Sterling Jones)
A support-service specialist in building management and acquisitions for the Washington, D.C., government, Jones annually provides Thanksgiving meals and collects clothing during Christmas for families.
“My high-school experience taught me core values of working together, that no one man is bigger than the team,” Jones said. “What I do affects people. I’m still continuing to help others and to have a positive impact on peoples’ lives.”
Trust Takes Time
The second-youngest of 17 in a Muslim family, Tariq Toure was among the Red Storm’s best students and a team captain, but only after begging his parents to let him leave an Islamic private school which had mandatory religious classes but no sports. Nor was his school accredited.
Edmondson’s administration allowed Toure’s credits to transfer after Dante Jones argued his presence would expose students to a different culture.
Toure ran for scores of 6-, 16- and 18-yards and a career-high 308 of the Red Storm’s 345 rushing yards in their championship victory over McDonough.
A 5-foot-9, 185-pounder, Toure finished with 1,951 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns, often breaking long runs, sidestepping linebackers and plowing over defensive backs. Toure played for four years at Bowie State, graduating with a BS in 2011 and with an MA in 2016 from Howard University.
“I majored in social work with a community administration and policy concentration,” said Toure, a married father of an 8-year-old daughter who changed his last name at a friend’s suggestion. “When my daughter was born, I decided to change my name. I was going to legally change it, but then I thought: Why would I ask for my name back from the people who stole it?”
A former vice president of Male Enterprise Network (MEN), Toure has worked as a program administrator for at-risk youth, authored several poems, and has featured work online, including For The Love Of The Game about football and Audubon about Malcolm X.
“The police I grew up with were baldheaded white dudes in unmarked cars terrorizing the community,” said poet Tariq Toure (center). He has worked for programs for at-risk youth and was portrayed in the HBO series “We Own This City,” which addressed the corruption of the Baltimore Police Department’s Gun Trace Task Force members. (Tariq Toure)
Toure was also portrayed in April by Baltimore native Nathan Corbett in the six-episode HBO series, “We Own This City,” which chronicled the corruption and arrests of the Baltimore Police Department’s Gun Trace Task Force.
“One day, two police officers came to me. I’m not one of those people who are happy they came to my living room, so there was nothing I could offer them as far as resolution. There are police officers who will plant drugs on you and keep on pushing,” said Toure, a 2020 winner of an award from The Center for Global Muslim Life for his short film, Dear Beloved Son.
“Being from the place where people get a taste of what it feels like being black, I was like, y’all might be some alright dudes, but the police I grew up with were baldheaded white dudes in unmarked cars terrorizing the community. We pray that God purifies everyone’s intentions, and we welcome any help we can get. But their work to gain trust will take time.”
Focused on money
Dante Jones worried about Terrence Wilson, a 5-foot-11, 205-pound sophomore running back. So impressive was Wilson’s size and speed that Toure volunteered to move to fullback and block for him.
“Tariq lived right down the street from me as a kid, so I looked up to him like a big brother,” said Wilson, now father to two boys, four and nine. “My mother had a decent job, but being from the streets, I wanted to make money selling cocaine, not practice and work out.”
Wilson’s championship exposure led to solid performances during his junior and senior seasons and opportunities to play in college upon graduating in 2009.
But football ended for Wilson after a year at conference runner-up Fort Scott Community College in Kansas in 2010, and an injury-plagued half season at conference champion Hartnell College in Salinas, California, in 2011.
“I wound up coming home when my shoulder got damaged. But what I learned in high school is to stay humble and focus on transferring my reactions on the field into real life,” said Wilson, who often hires and mentors youth as the owner of Humble Man Landscaping.
“I’m entering my 10th year, mostly solo, with a client base of 95 to a 100 right now. I maintained that along with being an electrician in charge of a 10-man crew over the course of 2016 to 2020 before transitioning over to landscaping full-time.”
One day, while parked in his truck outside his home, Wilson’s 4-year-old son, Travis, came out to ask if his dad was OK.
“Thanks for checking on your daddy,” Wilson told Travis. “Living in Baltimore can be scary. You always want to protect your boys and vice versa.”
Right after Tina McKinnor was sworn in as a member of the California State Assembly representing the 62nd District, she reintroduced a housing affordability bill.
First introduced by Assemblymember Jose Medina (D-Riverside) in January, Assembly Bill (AB) 1743, would require planning agencies to include in their annual reports the number of units that have received a certificate of occupancy in the prior year. “On my first full day as an Assemblymember, I presented my first bill, AB 1743. My bill will help guide our efforts to make sure every Californian has a safe & affordable place to call home. The bill was approved on a vote of 7 to 0! #caleg,” McKinnor tweeted June 22.
With her oath, McKinnor, a Democrat, became the 12th member of the California Legislative Black Caucus.
Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D–Lakewood) conducted McKinnor’s swearing-in ceremony on June 22.
The winner of a June 7 special election to fill the seat left vacant by the resignation of Autumn Burke, McKinnor now represents the cities of El Segundo, Gardena, Hawthorne, Inglewood, Lawndale, Lenox, Los Angeles, Marina del Rey, Venice, West Athens, Westchester, and Westmont and surrounding communities in Los Angeles County.
“I am excited to add our newest member here, Tina McKinnor, to our Assembly. She stands for things that I and all of us strongly believe in,” Rendon said. “She has worked with an organization to promote the idea that we can work across communities to be more equitable and economically successful at the same time. I know she will hit the ground running here in Sacramento.”
Assemblymember Burke resigned in January. After a seven-year run in Sacramento, Burke said she left the Legislature to spend more time with her family.
A nonprofit director, businesswoman and mother of two adult sons, McKinnor, 58, ran against Lawndale Mayor Robert Pullen-Miles, 55. The candidates survived an April 5 special primary election for the 62nd Assembly District that pushed them into a run-off last month,“I am honored by the trust voters have placed in me,” McKinnor said. “California is a place where the possible becomes a reality. By harnessing our progressive spirit and strong work ethic, I am confident we can address the biggest challenges facing us and build an equitable future for all Californians.”
As a legislator, McKinnor said she will prioritize California’s continued COVID-19 recovery and fight to increase funding for public education, expand universal access to healthcare, and address the state’s housing and homelessness crises.
McKinnor says she will also work with colleagues to reform the state’s broken criminal justice system, demand environmental justice for communities most impacted by the climate crisis, and seek equity for communities of color in the cannabis industry.
Prior to her election to the State Assembly, McKinnor served as civic engagement director for the non-profit LA Voice. She also previously served as operational director for the California Democratic Party and chief of staff to several members of the State Assembly.
McKinnor’s term representing the 62nd District ends in December. She is on the ballot in November to represent the 61th District. Her opponent is Lawndale Mayor Robert Pullen-Miles who she defeated in the special election.
A little over a week ago, the United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS) handed down a 6-to-3 decision making it more difficult for a handful of states – including California – to keep strict laws they have in place against carrying guns in public.
Late last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom fired back by signing two pieces of new legislation intended to strengthen the state’s hardline position on possessing firearms in public. He says, together, the bills, AB 1621 and AB 2571, will take on ghost guns and prohibit the gun industry from “advertising to children.”
“From our schools to our parks to our homes, our kids deserve to be safe – in California, we’re making that a reality. As the Supreme Court rolls back important gun safety protections and states across the country treat gun violence as inevitable, California is doubling down on commonsense gun safety measures that save lives,” said Newsom, who also pointed out that gun violence is the leading cause of death among children.
“The lives of our kids are at stake and we’re putting everything on the table to respond to this crisis,” the governor added.
News about the SCOTUS decision on guns June 23 was drowned out by coverage of the national outrage, and applause, that followed its ruling on Roe. V. Wade the next day.
Reactions nationally to the court’s gun restriction decision – the most significant change to the country’s firearm laws in a decade — were swift, passionate and strong. But the protests and celebrations mostly happened on the sidelines of the country’s more intense reactions to the abortion ruling.
In California, where more than 60 % of all adults favor stronger gun laws, elected officials, activists and civil rights leaders have blasted the SCOTUS’ decision.
But not everyone agrees.
Micah Grant is Black, Republican, a father, husband and Natomas School Board member in Sacramento County. He agrees with the SCOTUS’ decision on guns, arguing that the New York law had a built-in racial and class bias.
“I think it’s a fundamentally sound ruling that comes at, obviously, a very sensitive time,” Grant says. But the laws as they were created created two separate classes of people, where in many regions, only the connected and elite could exercise their fundamental right to protection.”
Grant says with crime on the rise in many cities across California, just going outside is “cause enough” to carry a gun.
“The state can simply implement reasonable training requirements to ensure those who apply for permits are knowledgeable, responsible, trained and that they understand the liability that comes with gun ownership,” Grant added.
California is one of five states with gun restrictions on the books, both statewide and municipal, that are affected by the ruling. The others are Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Hawaii.
SCOTUS Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanagh said states are still allowed to ban handguns in certain sensitive places like courthouses, statehouses, polling places, etc.
Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA-37) is running for Mayor of Los Angeles, a city where the homicide rate has seen a steep 50% increase between 2019 and the end of last year.
“Only 31 days after 19 students and 2 teachers were murdered in one of the most devastating mass shootings in the history of this country, the Supreme Court has responded by striking down a law that was on the books for more than 100 years, making it easier now to carry a weapon in public,” Bass said in response to SCOTUS’ ruling.
Craig DeLuz is Black and Republican like Grant and also the publisher of 2ANews, an online news and opinion outlet focused on gun rights.
“When you have a patchwork of laws from one city to another you don’t know what the regulations are. You are setting someone up to violate the law,” he says.
DeLuz says as Gov. Newsom and State Legislators draft new public safety laws to comply with the SCOTUS’ ruling, he hopes they do not violate the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution that grants citizens the right to bear arms.
“His lack of knowledge on the issue on of firearm policy and firearm technology is evident every time he speaks about it,” DeLuz said, criticizing the governor.
“Gun control laws in the state of California and nationally have been about disarming people of color going back to the 1870s,” he said. “It has been about making it illegal for Native Americans, Chinese Americans, Blacks and other people of color from owing firearms.”
Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D-Carson) has been the strongest voice in the California Legislative Black Caucus calling for strong gun control laws.
“Alarmingly, we are finding that more and more, no region or demographic is exempt from gun violence – our hospitals, grocery stores, schools, and even places of worship, are no longer safe. The proliferation of ghost guns, which are intentionally untraceable weapons to evade law enforcement, has only worsened the issue,” Gipson said.
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-13) says the current Right-leaning Supreme Court has shown a double standard in the way the Justices ruled on gun rights and women’s rights to abortion.
“This conservative Supreme Court has ruled that states shouldn’t be trusted to make their own laws on gun control but can keep people from making their own health care decisions. It is unconscionable,” Lee said. “We are seeing the horrific consequences of minority rule playing out in real time—and this is only the beginning of their radical agenda to take America back in history and take another step toward eroding our democracy.”
There is overwhelming support and widespread commitment among elected officials in California for finding ways to strengthen gun laws in the wake of the SCOTUS Decision.
In the state budget that Newsom signed last week, lawmakers and the governor’s office agreed to fund $176 million in gun violence prevention grants going to 79 cities and nonprofits.
Attorney Gen. Rob Bonta announced that he is working with the State Legislature on a bill, Senate Bill (SB) 918, to preserve California’s existing concealed carry laws. He reminded residents of the state that “general prohibitions” against carrying firearms in public are still in effect.
“The data is clear, and the consequences are dire — more guns in more places make us less safe. In California, we are committed to passing and defending commonsense, constitutional gun laws that save lives,” Bonta said.
A bill that would generate over $400 million for an estimated 785 public school districts across the state to provide critically needed academic support for Black students is on its way to the California Senate Committee on Appropriations.
Authored by Akilah Weber (D-San Diego), Assembly Bill (AB) 2774, passed out of the Senate Education Committee with a 7-0 vote on June 30, the last day before the Legislature’s summer recess.
“Thank you, CA State Senate Education Committee, for passing my bills,” Weber said via her Twitter account. “Our shared goals are to keep our students safe, provide opportunities for each of them to excel academically, and receive the support they need to stay in school and graduate.”
Weber introduced AB 2774 in February. The bill is co-authored by Assemblymember Chris Holden (D-Pasadena), chair of the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Both are members of the California Legislative Black Caucus.
Before the Senate Education Committee vote, many supporters of the bill from around the state rallied in front of “the Swing Space” – temporary legislative offices while the Capitol is under renovation — to urge Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign the bill. The building is located one block south of the State Capitol.
Margaret Fortune, Fortune School of Education; Yolanda Moore, Clovis Unified Board of Education, Keshia Thomas, Fresno, Unified School District Board of Education, and students from Fresno, Sacramento, and Elk Grove made an appearance.
In addition, Sacramento County Democratic Party Chairperson Tracie Stafford, Chache Wright from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People of San Bernardino, and Sacramento County Board of Education trustees Al Brown and Bina Lefkovitiz joined the supporters of AB 2774.
“There is an undeniable achievement gap when it comes to Black children and we cannot continue failing them,” Moore said. “Our students want to do better; they want to be held to a higher standard, but they need our focus and effort to get them there. AB 2774 would push for sustainable, equitable, and academic growth.”
AB 2774 addresses equity issues with the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), which was created to provide additional funding for the highest need students in California.
AB 2772 would amend the definition of “unduplicated pupils” for the 2023–24 fiscal year to include pupils who are included in the lowest-performing “subgroup or subgroups,” as defined in the language.
The subgroups identified as unduplicated pupils receiving supplemental funding include English Language learners, low-income students, and foster/homeless youth.
The adjustment is based on the most recently available mathematics or language arts results on the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, as specified.
“I want to specifically call on the governor to support AB 2774,” Fortune said. “Everybody would agree that there is a crisis that 67% of Black kids can’t read at grade level in our public schools. Now it’s time for (Gov. Gavin Newsom) to stand in front of this issue. This group of students deserves support.”
The LCFF was enacted in 2013. Weber said over one-quarter of Black students are not receiving supplemental funding through LCFF.
In 2019, testing data showed that Black students are the lowest-performing subgroup on state standardized tests with 67% not passing English Language Arts (ELA) and 79% not meeting the Math standard.
AB 2774 states that the subgroup identified for the 2023-2024 fiscal year, based on the 2018-19 the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) scores “shall be included within the ‘unduplicated’ pupil count until its scores equal or exceeds the highest performing subgroup (Asian American students).”
AB 2774 would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to annually identify the lowest-performing pupil subgroup or subgroups and would authorize school districts and charter schools to review and revise their submitted data on pupils who are included in the lowest-performing subgroup or subgroups.
There are nearly 310,000 Black students enrolled in California’s public schools. Approximately 80,000 Black students in the state do not receive any additional funding under the LCFF, according to data compiled by the California Department of Education.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond supports the legislation.
“This is a state of emergency and we have been in a state of emergency for far too long and nothing has been done,” Thurmond said. “We cannot and will not continue to let our babies fall behind.”
The Black lesbian feminist poet Audre Lorde once said that she wrote “for those women who do not speak, for those who do not have a voice because they were so terrified, because we are taught to respect fear more than ourselves.”
Lorde further stated, “We’ve been taught that silence would save us, but it won’t.”
However, in the decades since Lorde penned those words many Black lesbians are no longer silent. Yet, we must ask the question, how safe are Black lesbians today? Perhaps we should ask WNBA basketball star, Brittney Griner, who is among the growing number of prominent Black lesbians in America living out loud.
Most have battle scar evidence of their struggle to find a peaceful life in a world that in many ways, still considers who they are and who they love an aberration. And, although disrespect and dangers continue to lurk for members of the LGBTQ+ community in America, it is still safer to live here than in many other places in the world.
Unfortunately for Griner, however, she is now trapped in a country, where racism against Blacks is normalized and where the government is working to ostracize members of the LGBTQ+ community. But how different is this really from many places in America today.
Despite the spread of anti-gay sentiments in Russia and right leaning countries across Europe, Griner plays basketball internationally during the WNBA’s off season. This despite writing about her “coming out” in her 2017 autobiography, “In My Skin: My Life On and Off the Basketball Court,” which helped make her one of the most recognizable lesbians in the world.
Racism and Homophobia in Russia
For those who have not followed Griner’s fate in recent months, she was arrested on drug charges in Russia on February 17. Her arrest came just days after a Russian court suspended a lawsuit (February 11) intended to shut down its LGBT Network—the country’s most powerful gay rights organization—for purportedly spreading gay views, which of course, could farcically include anything from a view out one’s window of gay people walking down the street, to realistically include gay people advocating for the same rights to live and love as they choose like any other Russian.
Identifying as lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender or queer has been legal in Russia since 1993 (how enlightened) however in 2013 under Vladimir Putin’s leadership, the nation adopted what’s been called the “gay propaganda” law that made it illegal to speak words related to the LGBTQ+ community around minors.
Racism and homophobia in America
Before Russia took such action, America was already contriving to do the same.
There has been much criticism recently of Florida’s recently enacted Parental Rights in Education Bill signed into law in April that appeared to follow Russia’s lead. But, it was revealed by The Center for Media and Democracy (Center), a nonprofit that tracks the work of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), that the Parental Rights Amendment was actually listed under its “Education Task Force and included in the 1995 ALEC Sourcebook of American State Legislation.
Also, according to the Center, although ALEC has tried to distance itself from this controversial legislation since 2011, it is difficult to identify any efforts to advocate against the current movement to codify this legislative into law across the country.ALEC is a nonprofit organization of conservative state legislators and private sector representatives that drafts models of legislation for distribution and adoption by conservative legislatures around the country and for decades has worked to pull America toward extremism.
Sadly, Florida’s recent law is just the tip of the iceberg. Anti LGBTQ+ toxicity is spreading quickly in America. Red states from Ohio to Texas to Indiana to Colorado to Wyoming to South Dakota, Iowa, Utah and beyond have pushed to pass similar bills. In some instances state’s were only prevented from doing so by Democratic legislators who held the line against Republican, anti-gay governors seeking to work their will.
As we watch and point with deserved derision and criticism, the unfolding fate of Griner in Russia, Time magazine provided a chilling reminder in mid-May, of what is possible in America regarding the welfare of LGBTQ+ citizens. It recalled the successful work of Florida’s Johns Committee—a state legislative committee that launched an LGBTQ+ purge in the late 1950s rooted in racism, homophobia, and anti-communism.
Beginning in 1957 and continuing through 1963 the Florida legislative committee persecuted and intimidated those suspected of being gay at state universities as part of the state’s resistance to federally sanctioned school desegregation in response to the 1954 Brown v Board of Education Supreme Court decision.
According to Time, the committee’s original goal was to uncover all communists believed to be behind desegregation. Not surprisingly since it was based on a false premise, that mission failed. This subsequently compelled the committee to find another group to scapegoat—gays and lesbians. This eventually led to a report popularly known as “The Purple Pamphlet”( because of its sensational and explicit content), that highlighted “the extent of infiltration into agencies supported by state funds by practicing homosexuals.”
By1965, hundreds of Floridians were prosecuted and charged because of their sexuality. Frighteningly, not unlike the experiences of Griner in Russia today, Florida interrogations were reportedly conducted in privacy and even worse, the accused were denied legal counsel.
A need to raise our collective voices
Today, as Griner languishes in a Russian prison—most assuredly because she is Black and a lesbian who may or may not have committed a minor drug infraction in a racist, homophobic country —,there are legitimate concerns about her safety. As her detention days turn into weeks and weeks into months, there is little doubt it is up to all of us, Black women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, those who support and validate our right to exist and every American committed to human rights to pressure the federal government to bring her home. We must raise our collective voices to keep Griner’s freedom at the forefront of America’s political consciousness.
Audre Lorde lamented about the fate of Black lesbians in her seminal work the Black Unicorn where she noted “‘The black unicorn was mistaken for a shadow or symbol and taken through a cold country…, ” She further spoke to the power of Black women/lesbian strength and determination to live their truth stating, “the Black unicorn is unrelenting.” I pray this perceived power is enough to sustain Griner (her wife and loved ones) in the days ahead.
In concluding her poem Lorde also reminded all of us that although the metaphorical Black unicorn is empowered, as we are witnessing today decades after Lorde put pen to paper on this issue, as it relates to Griner, “the Black unicorn is not free.”
Raise your voice to advocate for Griner’s freedom by calling the U.S. Department of State at 1-202-647-4000 and the White House at 202-456-1111 to advocate for Griner’s release. Remember, “Silence is complicity.”
Of course, this is just my opinion. I’m keeping it real.
Did you ever wonder whether elections really matter? Well, the Trump Supreme Court majority has answered that question for good.
Or, more accurately, they have answered it for bad.
In the term that has just ended, the new far right-wing majority on the Supreme Court went on a rampage. They have torn up decades of legal precedent to diminish Americans’ rights and legal protections. To justify the results they wanted, they lied in their rulings the way some of them lied to get on the court. It has been a shameful display of power politics disguised as judging.
Not surprisingly, the most attention has been paid to the Court majority overturning the 50-year-old Roe v. Wade decision. A constitutional right that has made a huge difference in the lives of generations of women was wiped away. The impact will be devastating and deadly.
Millions of individuals and couples dealing with unwanted pregnancies, the trauma of rape or incest, life-threatening pregnancy complications, or even a miscarriage that some intrusive government official decides is suspicious, will have their options severely limited or eliminated entirely.
We know that those restrictions and their consequences will fall most harshly on already vulnerable people, including Black people, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, and low-income people. Already in Missouri, a major health care system will no longer treat rape victims with emergency contraception because the state abortion ban puts medical care providers at legal risk.
Anti-abortion state legislators seem to be in competition to see who can pass the most extreme, intrusive, and controlling laws. Some are even trying to limit people’s right to travel from one state to another, targeting anyone who helps a person from a state that bans abortion get care in a state that permits it. It reminds me of the old fugitive slave laws that forced free states to help slave states deny people their freedom.
Unfortunately, overturning Roe is just one of the harmful decisions handed down by the Trump Court.
The Court intervened in voting rights cases to protect gerrymandering designed to limit Black voters’ access to political power. This comes on top of other rulings gutting the Voting Rights Act.
The Trump Court went after sensible regulation of guns. The far-right justices overturned a New York law more than 100 years old that required people to show a good cause to get a permit to carry concealed firearms. Communities that are already suffering from the effects of gun crime are likely to experience even greater violence now that the court has robbed public officials of options and given the extremist pro-gun political agenda the power of law.
The court also further dismantled the separation of church and state, which protects religious freedom and preserves equality under law for people regardless of their religious beliefs. The Trump court took a wrecking ball to this pillar of American society. It is forcing states to divert tax dollars to religious schools, like some southern states did when they funded white evangelical segregationist academies that emerged in resistance to the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision outlawing racially segregated public schools. This court has made it easier for public officials, like teachers, to coerce students into prayer or other religious practices. This is a very clear threat to anyone whose faith is different from the one dominant in their community or state.
In other words, the U.S. Supreme Court, which we counted on for generations to uphold civil rights and tear down obstacles to equality, is now acting as an arm of the increasingly aggressive far-right political movement.
How did we get here? Simple. Thanks to the anti-democratic Electoral College, Donald Trump was elected in 2016 even though almost three million more Americans voted for Hillary Clinton. Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell prevented the Senate from even considering President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nomination so that Trump could fill it instead—and then rushed Trump’s third justice onto the court even as voters were casting ballots to remove Trump from office. Behind Trump and McConnell was a massively funded, decades-long campaign to build the political power to take control of the judiciary.
In other words, winning the presidency and controlling the Senate gave the far right the power to force its harmful agenda on the American public long after voters rejected Trump. Taking the Court back from the extremists who now control it will be a long-term project. It starts with this year’s elections.
Ben Jealous serves as president of People For the American Way and Professor of the Practice at the University of Pennsylvania. A New York Times best-selling author, his next book “Never Forget Our People Were Always Free” will be published by Harper Collins in December 2022.
SACRAMENTO, CA– Earlier this week, Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D – Woodland Hills), other elected officials, community leaders, and civil rights organizations gathered to discuss social media’s role in amplifying recent surges in violence across the country and call for the passing of Assembly Bill (AB) 587, a first-of-its-kind measure to require social media platforms to publicly disclose their policies regarding online hate, disinformation, extremism, and harassment, as well as key metrics and data regarding the enforcement of those policies.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a key supporter of AB 587, also rolled out a new nationwide report at the event on the state of online hate and harassment in the U.S. Key findings include: Asian Americans reporting a dramatic increase in harassment, paralleling the rise in anti-Asian hate incidents offline; LGBTQ+ individuals experiencing harassment at the highest levels among all respondents; and nearly half of youth ages 13-17 reporting experiencing some type of harassment, and more than a third in the past 12 months.
“Californians are becoming increasingly alarmed about the role of social media in promoting hate, disinformation, conspiracy theories, and extreme political polarization,” said Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel. “It’s long past time for these companies to provide real transparency into their practices. The public and policymakers deserve to know when social media companies are amplifying certain voices and silencing others. This is an important step in a broader effort to protect our vulnerable communities and hold Big Tech accountable.”
New studies and reports are drawing ties between hate-motivated violence, mass shootings, and online activity. The assailants in the El Paso shooting in 2019, the Isla Vista shooting in 2014, the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in 2018, the Charleston shooting in 2015, the Parkland shooting in 2018, and the Buffalo shooting earlier this year all utilized social media to engage in hateful activity and were often radicalized online. A recent bulletin by the Department of Homeland Security has warned the public of extremist, copycat behavior promulgated in online forums following the Uvalde shooting. Just last week in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, a group of white supremacists who attempted to disrupt an attack a pride event were exposed for frequenting online chats groups targeting the LGBTQ community.
Despite widespread concerns, efforts by social media companies to self-police have been widely criticized as grossly inadequate. As disclosed by Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen and other sources, social media platforms will recommend harmful, divisive, or false content even where a user is not looking for it. Facebook, for example, has evidence that its algorithms encourage polarization and “exploit the human brain’s attraction to divisiveness,” but the company has declined to implement proposed solutions to address these concerns.
AB 587 would address this troubling lack of transparency by requiring platforms to file reports disclosing: their corporate policies on hate speech, disinformation, extremism, harassment, and foreign political interference; their efforts to enforce those policies; and any changes to their policies or enforcement practices. The measure also would require disclosure of key metrics and data regarding such content, including the number of pieces of content, groups, and users flagged for violation; the method of flagging, and the type and content of action flagged.
“Disinformation and extremism are running rampant on social media platforms, and sadly it only seems to be getting worse,” said Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco). “We need to hold social media companies accountable for the spread of violent extremism and the racism, sexism, transphobia, and antisemitism taking over the internet. More accountability and transparency for social media companies will help us address this problem and keep people safer. Assemblymember Gabriel’s AB 587 will make the internet a safer place.”
AB 587 is supported by a coalition of leading civil rights and technology accountability organizations:
? “A key step in tackling anti-AAPI hate is to make our online communities safer. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have been the targets of racial discrimination and scapegoating in digital spaces, which have perpetuated the rise in attacks on our community in the past two years. AB 587 is a fundamental step in the right direction and we urge the Senate Judiciary Committee to pass it out of committee.” – Linda Ng, National President of OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates
? “According to ADL’s Online Hate and Harassment Report, 65% of those in a marginalized group, including Jews, women, and people of color, experienced hate-based harassment online because of their identity. That is harassment simply for existing. This is unacceptable and we must address it with meaningful legislation. Assembly Bill 587, which is a foundational approach to bringing to light the real issue of hate online, would require big social media
platforms to be more transparent in their reporting and content moderation policies.” – Jeffrey I. Abrams, Regional Director of ADL Los Angeles
? “Greater transparency can combat the rise of disinformation, hate speech, and calls to violence that are omnipresent on social media and destructive to our democracy. By creating clear guidelines requiring online platforms to disclose their policies and their enforcement of those policies, AB 587 will increase public trust and engender more awareness by tech companies about the deceptive and harmful activity on their platforms. To preserve our democracy, social media platforms must be accountable and transparent to the public, and this bill is an important step in that direction.” – Ann M. Ravel, Policy Director at Decode Democracy and former Chair of the Federal Election Commission
? “Like many other marginalized communities, the California Women’s Law Center is sadly very familiar with the hate and harmful content that women experience every single day online. And not only do many of these companies know their platforms are toxic—especially for young girls—but they consistently play down their negative effects to the public and policymakers. We can’t continue to leave these companies to their own devices—we need transparency and accountability now.” – Betsy Butler, former Assemblywoman and Executive Director of the California Women’s Law Center
AB 587 is set to be heard in Senate Judiciary Committee next week.
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