WSSN Stories

By Lou Yeboah

Understand that nothing – no calling or circumstance, no adversity or advancement, no pain or promotion, no status or station – escapes the brush strokes of My love for you. My love bleeds into every fabric and fiber of your being. There is nowhere you can escape My love. My love for you is unconditional, unending, and unmistakable. You see, before your first conscious thought, before even your first breath on Earth, I already loved you! [Jeremiah 1:5], says the Lord. Until death do us part! Nothing can escape the brush strokes of My love for you! I will never leave you. I will never abandon you.” [Hebrews 13:5].

I tell you; Paul was right. “Nothing can separate us from the love of God. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God …” [Romans 8: 35, 37-39]. “

I want you to pause this morning, afternoon, evening, night, whatever time of day it may be where you are and consider the overwhelming love of God. [Romans 5:8]. A love that was mocked, beaten, spat upon and had a crown of thorns twisted into His skull as He was beaten beyond recognition all because He loved you and me. I can imagine Angels watching in a state of shock when they saw how their great and glorious Master, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, the Lord of Hosts, was humiliated and taunted by demons and sinners. The powers of the universe shuddered and trembled when Jesus died. Even Satan couldn’t believe his own obscured eyes when he saw how this Mighty Son of God, who was so full of the Amazing Power of God, could be killed so easily. He could hardly believe it. This same Jesus cast out thousands of his demons, and healed tens of thousands of people who had been overcome by the devil… And now… He was defenseless, powerless, a willing lamb… Why? Because “No Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” [John 15:13]. Jesus wasn’t forced to die. He wasn’t overpowered, outnumbered, or tricked into it. He chose the Cross because of the love He has for you and me.

So, if you are searching for love this Valentine’s, then look no further – “God is waiting for you, with open arms. Ready to receive you, forgive you, embrace you. And it doesn’t matter where you’ve been, it doesn’t matter what you’ve done, it doesn’t matter what you’ve experienced, it doesn’t matter what you have thought about yourself or what other people may have said about you – God loves you unconditional. His love is not like human love which can be fickle and fragile. “His Love is stronger than death,” says the Song of Solomon.

He loves you so much that he has engraved your name on the palm of His hand. [Isaiah 49:16]. He loves you so much that He knows how many hairs are on your head. [Matthew 10:30]. He loves you so much that He saves your tears in a bottle. [Psalms 56:8]. He loves you with an everlasting love. [Jeremiah 31:3]. For there is no greater love than the love the Father has for us. To send His one and only Son to sacrifice His life on our behalf is the greatest love story of all time. [John 3:16].

I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power… to grasp how wide, long, high, and deep is the love of Christ. — [Ephesians 3:17-18]. But if you ever doubt that you are loved, read the love letters He’s written you. They’re in the Bible. The history of His love, the depth of His commitment, your worth – how much he values you and cherishes you, the lengths He went to in order to have a relationship with you. It’s all there. Just for you. Maybe this Valentine’s Day, it’s time you discovered your greatest love.

Happy Valentine’s Day in Advance!

CHARLOTTE, NC—- Today northAmerican Van Lines joined E. E. Ward Moving & Storage in celebrating their 2021 Agent of the Year win at their offices in Charlotte, N.C. The win comes one year after E. E. Ward celebrated its 140th anniversary as the oldest continuously black-owned and operated business in the United States – as recognized by the U.S. Department of Commerce – and is the first northAmerican black-owned agent to receive this prestigious award.

“Safety. Quality. Customer Service. Teamwork. These four components have been the foundation of the northAmerican Agent of the Year award since its inception,” says Kevin Murphy, Vice President and General Manager of North American Van Lines, Inc. “Winning agents, like E. E. Ward, demonstrate a true commitment to providing our customers with the best service and quality moving experience possible. We are honored to have an agent of their caliber as part of the northAmerican family and welcome them into the Agent of the Year winner’s circle, a distinction they richly deserve.”

“Winning the Agent of the Year award reinforces the attitude of everyone on the E. E. Ward team that safety, service and quality come first,” says Brian Brooks, President and Co-Owner, E. E.

Ward Moving. “By staying focused on these principles, our company has been able to secure some significant honors including the American Moving and Storage Association 2017 Moving and Storage Agent of the Year Service Excellence Award and the 2020 BBB International Torch Award for Ethics Finalist. Our entire team is honored to be recognized as the 2021 northAmerican Agent of the Year.”

The northAmerican Van Lines Agent of the Year award recognizes the agent that attains the best overall scores in categories including service quality, hauling growth, sales growth, safety performance, and demonstrates the “Power of Blue” in supporting fellow agents and customers.

By Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media

Black political leaders from Southern California are sounding off as a week of celebratory activities and high anticipation begins. It is the lead-up to the National Football League’s (NFL) Super Bowl LVI game between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals.

The NFL’s premier sporting event will be played in front of an estimated 70,000-plus spectators on Sunday, Feb. 13 at SoFi Stadium, the state-of-the-art sports and entertainment complex in Inglewood, which opened two years ago.

U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA-43) was among the first hometown lawmakers to celebrate this year’s Super Bowl game featuring the hometown Rams being held in her city.

“We don’t want to brag but we’re the baddest! The @RamsNFL are going to be the #SuperBowl (champs) and the game will be happening in my district, the 43rd District! The world will be watching, and we will be winning,” Waters tweeted on Jan. 30.

The Rams moved from Los Angeles to St. Louis in 1994. In 2000 they won Super Bowl XXXIV played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The team returned from the Midwest back to the City of Angels in 2016 after a $790 million settlement was paid to the city of St. Louis.

Members of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) from the South end of the state also jumped in on the excitement, sharing their thoughts about the game and hyping up their hometown team that could bring a Super Bowl championship to Los Angeles.

“As Vice Chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus, it is my pleasure to wish the Los Angeles Rams a successful Super Bowl,” said Sen. Sydney Kamlager (D-Los Angeles). “It is no easy feat to represent the greatest area in the nation, but there’s no better team I can think of to do it. Rams house!”

Assemblymember Chris Holden (D-Pasadena) of the 41st Assembly District, which covers areas on the eastern end of Los Angeles County applauded the team’s grit that he says took them to the big game.

“Congratulations to the Los Angeles Rams for making it to the Super Bowl! You all earned the right to be there, make us proud,” he said

The excitement of the sporting event is reverberating across the state, but millions of eyes around the world will be on the city of Inglewood.

Inglewood is located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County near Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and is17 miles from downtown Los Angeles. According to the 2020 United States Census, it has a population of 107,762. About 40.9 % of its residents are African American.

James T. Butts, Jr., who is African American, has been Inglewood’s mayor for the last 11 years. Butts, 68, a former law enforcement officer, has turned the South Bay town into a local economic powerhouse.

Butts helped negotiate the return of the Rams from St. Louis to the L.A. region. He also facilitated the relocation of the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) to Inglewood.

The Clippers, currently housed in Crypto.com Arena (formerly Staples Center) will start playing in the $1.2 billion Intuit Dome being built in Inglewood in 2024.

Next to SoFi Stadium, NFL Media moved its office from Culver City into a 2000,000-square-foot facility for its NFL Network, NFL.com, NFL app, NFL Game Pass, and NFL Redzone brands.

“This moment, this moment in time is the ultimate of my career,” Butts said during the Inglewood City Council meeting on Feb. 2. “I walk in the morning, in the last two days people will stop, roll down their windows and talk about how proud they are to live in Inglewood.”

The Inglewood sports and entertainment complex is on the former grounds of the Hollywood Park racetrack.

Under Butts Inglewood is experiencing a business and cultural renaissance. In October, the L.A. Philharmonic Youth Orchestra Program (YOLA) relocated to Inglewood in the 25,000-square-foot Judith and Thomas L Beckmen Center. The Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles have also moved from Marina del Rey to Inglewood.

In addition, Inglewood will host the 2023 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship College Football Bowl game and present the opening ceremonies for the Summer Olympics World Games in 2028.

The city of Inglewood announced that masks will be required at the Super Bowl game and spectators must show proof they’ve been vaccinated or recently tested negative for COVID-19 upon entry into SoFi Stadium.

For more Super Bowl 56 and traffic impact information, text ‘INGSB to 888-777 or visit www.cityofinglewood.org.

The Trojan Olympian — winner of seven Olympic gold medals and the most decorated U.S. track and field athlete in history — brings a message of empowerment and perseverance.

LOS ANGELES, CA—-USC’s 139th commencement ceremony will take on a victorious spirit when Allyson Felix, Trojan alumna and renowned athlete and activist, delivers the keynote address in May.

“Allyson has already inspired the world as a runner and used her platform to push for women’s health and women’s rights,” said USC President Carol L. Folt. “Her spirit and her message will inspire our students as they set out to make their mark on the world.”

More than 15,000 degrees will be conferred during the May 13 ceremony. As many as 60,000 are expected to attend, and countless others around the world will watch online.

Felix will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree at the commencement ceremony.

USC commencement speaker: Los Angeles roots, Trojan traditions

Felix, who has described herself as “a Los Angeles girl through and through,” grew up a Trojan fan.

She is the daughter of an ordained minister, and her mother is an elementary school teacher. Her older brother Wes is also a USC alum and a Pac-10 champion in the 200-meter dash in 2003 and 2004.

Felix first connected with track and field at Los Angeles Baptist High School, where her slight exterior belied a powerful human engine. She was named High School Athlete of the Year by Track & Field News in 2003.

She turned pro in 2003, the same year she enrolled at USC. She became an international track star, winning her first Olympic medal in 2004 in Athens — a silver in the 200-meter dash — as a sophomore. Shortly after earning her bachelor’s degree from the USC Rossier School of Education in 2008, she won her first Olympic gold in Beijing.

Felix took home three gold medals at the 2012 Olympic Games in London and two more at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.

In the Tokyo Games last year, Felix ran her last race as an Olympic athlete at the age of 35. The wins brought her career total to 11 Olympic medals — seven gold, three silver, one bronze — making her the most decorated U.S. track and field athlete ever, surpassing famed sprinter Carl Lewis.

Allyson Felix: championing women’s rights

She earned her 11th Olympic medal after embarking on one of the most challenging and rewarding journeys of her life — to be a mother — and chose to publicly take on one of the largest companies in the world and her employer, Nike.

Felix knew her decision to start a family could end her career, but she fought for contractual protections during and after pregnancy while turning the national spotlight on working mothers and child care needs.

Other Olympians followed her lead. Soon after, many major brands announced new policies and protections. Felix also went on to become the first sponsored athlete for Athleta, a line of athletic apparel for women.

Felix was open about a difficult pregnancy and birth after her daughter, Camryn, was born in 2018. Felix has called Camryn “by far my greatest accomplishment.”

Motivated by her life-threatening experience, Felix testified before the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means on the topic of the Black maternal mortality crisis in America in 2019.

She turned pro in 2003, the same year she enrolled at USC. She became an international track star, winning her first Olympic medal in 2004 in Athens — a silver in the 200-meter dash — as a sophomore. Shortly after earning her bachelor’s degree from the USC Rossier School of Education in 2008, she won her first Olympic gold in Beijing.

By Ben Jealous

President Joe Biden’s first year in office has brought both triumphs and disappointments. There’s no question that the administration has work to do on voting rights and on passing the critical social infrastructure pieces of the Build Back Better plan.

But firmly in the “wins” column is the president’s extraordinary success nominating and confirming to the federal bench extraordinarily qualified judges with a demonstrated commitment to civil rights, especially Black women judges. This is profoundly important to our legal system, to how justice is administered and to how everyday people experience life in our democracy, whether they ever find themselves in court or not.

That’s because even though the Supreme Court grabs headlines when it decides a big case, the high court takes only a few cases every year. The vast majority of federal cases is decided in the lower courts, at the circuit and district levels. This is where rulings are made that affect our right to vote, to not be discriminated against in housing or on the, to access health care, and so much more.

Having a strong contingent of Black women judges on these courts means the lived experience they bring — in addition to their stellar legal credentials — is coming into play in deciding cases that will shape all our lives for years to come.

The numbers tell a powerful story. A full 65 percent of President Biden’s circuit court nominees have been people of color. Three quarters have been women, and 42 percent have been Black women. These statistics break all previous for inclusion on the critically important circuit courts, whose opinions establish the law in all the states in their region.

The president has shown a similar commitment to diversity on the district courts, as well. And all this comes against a backdrop of record-shattering appointments overall: Biden has had more lower federal court judges (circuit and district combined) confirmed than any other president in his first year, in 60 years.

Probe beneath the numbers and you discover even more compelling stories: the personal histories of the Black women tapped by Biden to serve on our highest courts.

A distinguished Yale Law School graduate, Candace Jackson-Akiwumi had her pick of high-powered legal jobs. She worked for a while at a prestigious law firm, then quit to become a public defender, representing people who could not afford a lawyer. In that role, she helped expose the government’s use of “phony stash houses,” a way to trap people into committing crimes they would not otherwise commit. Today she serves as the only Black judge on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago.

Similarly, Yale alumna Eunice Lee spent 20 years at Manhattan’s Office of the Appellate Defender, representing poor people in New York City convicted of felonies. Today she is a judge on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York.

And Ketanji Brown Jackson, a Harvard Law graduate, devoted years of her career to public service, representing low-income people in Washington, D.C., as a public defender. She also served on the U.S. Sentencing Commission, where she worked to end the unjust discrepancy between sentences for crack and powder cocaine. Today she serves on the D.C. Circuit and is often talked about as a future Supreme Court nominee.

The paths to confirmation for these women and their fellow nominees were tainted by attacks, racist and otherwise. The right-wing press criticized these nominees as “radical liberals.” The Senate Judiciary Committee asked Jackson and Jackson-Akiwumi point-blank at their confirmation hearings if race would play a role in their judicial decision-making. And far-right conservatives did everything they could to delay their confirmation. But all of them prevailed, with dignity, grit and grace, the qualities that so many accomplished Black women have shown in the face of adversity.

And the story is still being written. On the campaign trail, President Biden promised to name the first Black woman to the Supreme Court, and Justice Stephen Breyer’s retirement paves the way for that to occur. Soon, we may see that woman take a long-overdue and rightful seat on the nation’s highest court; I look forward to celebrating that beautiful and momentous day.

Ben Jealous serves as president of People For the American Way and Professor of Practice in the Africana Studies Department at the University of Pennsylvania where he teaches leadership. Jealous has decades of experience as a leader, coalition builder, campaigner for social justice and seasoned nonprofit executive. In 2008, he was chosen as the youngest-ever president and CEO of the NAACP. He is a graduate of Columbia University and Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar, and he has taught at Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania.

By Lou Yeboah

What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away. [1 Corinthians 7:29-31]. I tell you; our entire lives are about to change.

You see, we are moving forward toward the Biblical description of the last era of human history prior to Christ’s return. [Romans 13:11-14]. Events will unfold soon to destroy the world’s way of life as we have known it. How much time is left? We do not know. That is a mystery that God holds in His hand, and He will not tell us. But what He does tell us is, “IT’S LATER THAN YOU THINK.” Time is passing quickly. It will not be long before this present age as we know it will end. I tell you our entire lives are about to change. Wake up!

The Bible reveals that the worst, most indescribably terrifying time in the entire history of this planet is soon to occur. This terrifying time [the Great Tribulation] spoken of as the time of “Jacob’s trouble” [Jeremiah 30:7] will be such an awful time that the destruction and genocide of World War II will seem like a picnic in comparison! Just thinking about the horrors to be visited on the city caused Jesus to weep. [Luke 19:41].

“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened” [Matthew 24:21–22].

I tell you, we are now approaching that time, and these things are now being revealed. War, violence and lawlessness, drought and famine, earthquakes and other natural catastrophes, disease epidemics, the rise of an aggressive, fundamentalist Islamic power, an ascendant European Union seeking global primacy, the crisis involving Jerusalem, the abomination of desolation. Understand the significance of today’s news and where it is all leading, for the end of all things is at hand. [1 Peter 4:7]. The night is nearly over the day is almost here. Our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.  [Romans 13:11-14].

And Jesus said to the multitudes on one occasion: “Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming’; and so, it is. And when you see the south wind blow, you say, ‘There will be hot weather’; and there is. Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?” [Luke 12:54-56]. Days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation” [Luke 19:42-44]. Wake up! Everything is about to change!

Even though Moses, wrote in [Psalms 90], “Teach us to number our days aright that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” We don’t know how to do that. We don’t know how to measure the number of days we have left. And therefore, the heart of wisdom is for us to assume that today might be our last day on earth, and that we should make the most of the hours we have today, to live them to the fullest to the glory of God, and do this, understanding the present time.

None of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand” [Daniel 12:10].

I say, and I say again, “Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand!”

By Vicki C. Philips

“How fortunate and blessed we are to know about the types of COVID vaccines that are available today.  Why then should we deny ourselves getting vaccinated? We all have the opportunity to be informed, receive advice from professionals we trust and understand how we can protect ourselves by getting vaccinated.”

Those were the words of Lillie Tyson Head, daughter of Freddie Lee Tyson, a United States Public Health Service Syphilis Study Victim at Tuskegee and Macon County, Alabama and President, of the Virginia-based, Voices for Our Fathers Legacy Foundation https://www.voicesforfathers.org, speaking on a panel entitled “Vaccine Hesitancy: Understanding the Science and Getting people to Trust It.” The panel was part of the Annual Round-Up of Education Leaders, co-hosted by the California Association of African American Superintendents and Administrators, https://www.caaasa.org/the Los Angeles County Alliance of Black School Educators and the National Coalition on Education Equity under the theme “Addressing Equity for African American and Other Students of Color.”

The organizations, including educators from throughout California, met recently at the Reef Restaurant in Long Beach, to discuss several issues related to education equity.  The Annual Round-Up of Education Leaders was co-hosted by the California Association of African American Superintendents and Administrators, the Los Angeles County Alliance of Black School Educators and the National Coalition on Education Equity under the theme “Addressing Equity for African American and Other Students of Color.”

The presentation on vaccine hesitancy, also featured Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Director, LA County Department of Public Health and Dr. Oliver T. Brooks, Chief Medical Officer, Watts HealthCare Corporation and Past President, National Medical Association and was one of four highlighted throughout the day.

During her speech, Tyson Head shared information about the history of Public Health Service’s Study and corrected some of the misinformation that has been widely circulated for decades. For one, she requested that the monikers, “The Tuskegee Syphilis Study,” and “Tuskegee Experiment,” cease from being used.  Tuskegee Institute (now University) was not the owner of the study, nor were they responsible for it, she said

“The study began in 1932 and was initially funded by the Rosenwald Foundation for six months and then, for the next 39 years and 6 months, it was approved and funded by the US government,” she said.  “This study is the longest lasting, non-therapeutic, biomedical study in US history.” The participants were African American men; struggling farmers or poor sharecroppers with little formal education.  They were NOT injected with syphilis, as the myth has been circulated.  The “recruits” included men with congenital syphilis, latent syphilis or no syphilis.

“The men were told that they had ‘bad blood’ and that they would receive treatment.  They were never told they were in a study and the intent of the study.”  To make matters worse, those with syphilis were denied Penicillin, when it became available in 1945, despite the drug’s proven results in treating the disease.

“The ramifications of this study are still haunting and fosters mistrust” she said.  “Forty nine years after the study was exposed and 89 years after the study began, people, particularly in the African American communities, distrust certain medical treatment and medical research.  And they are using this study as reasons for hesitating getting vaccinated or refusing to get vaccinated at all.

Other Round-Up highlights included virtual greetings by California Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Thurmond and Education Trust West Executive Director, Dr. Christopher Nellum.  Panel discussions included: Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness; Families and Educational Stakeholders: Maintaining an Equity Focus, Post-COVID; and Supporting the Mental Health of Black Students and Educational Stakeholders.

Founded in 1993, CAAASA is an education equity and advocacy organization that works through collaboration, network-building and direct community engagement to promote the success of African American, Latinx and other underserved California K-12 public school students and families.  CAAASA’s members include school superintendents, administrators, teachers and other educational professionals from throughout California.

Although its primary focus is education, CAAASA has been at the forefront of numerous issues impacting the health of the African American community. Once vaccines became available within LA County, CAAASA hosted a webinar with noted medical professionals, to address the concerns of African American students, families and education stakeholders. Additionally, CAAASA is currently engaged in campaigns, funded by the County COVID-19 Community Equity Fund (CCCEF) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to provide individuals with valuable information about COVID-19, in the hope of increasing vaccine awareness among African Americans living in the Antelope Valley area.