Happily Divorced And After

MONTGOMERY, AL — The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) issued the following statement in response to the death of Harry Belafonte, Jr., award-winning singer, actor, and civil rights activist.

“Harry Belafonte was a passionate civil rights icon whose contributions through the arts continue to inspire our fight for the freedom and liberation of Black and Brown people today. A strong supporter of Martin Luther King, Jr., Mr. Belafonte used his celebrity to quietly underwrite the civil rights movement. When necessary, he solicited famous friends and even financed the movement himself — paying bail money and hospital bills and organizing a committee that raised $50,000 to continue the Birmingham Campaign after Dr. King’s arrest.

“Belafonte’s activism extended beyond the United States as he fought against apartheid alongside Nelson Mandela and Miriam Makeba, campaigned for Mandela’s release from jail, and advocated for famine relief in Africa.

“The SPLC mourns the passing of Harry Belafonte, Jr., the epitome of a servant leader with an unwavering commitment to social justice worldwide.

“Our hearts are with Mr. Belafonte’s family and loved ones. In his honor, we will continue the march toward equity, justice, and liberation for all.”

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— Kindergarten students from across San Bernardino and Highland participated in the KinderCaminata events in March and April, as part of a nationwide initiative that aims to promote college going among young children and their families.

Students dressed in matching, colorful t-shirts visited San Bernardino Valley College (SBVC) where they were welcomed by students and staff alike. The students were accompanied by their teachers, parents, and college leaders, all of whom were there to show their support. By the time KinderCaminata finishes in April, close to 2,000 San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) kindergartners will have visited the campus, said Director of Elementary Instruction Amy Coker.

The KinderCaminata is an important event that highlights the importance of early education in a child’s life. Studies have shown that children who attend kindergarten are more likely to succeed academically and socially than those who do not.

By participating in this event, SBCUSD students are sending a strong, early message that they are committed to learning and that they understand the importance of education, Coker said.

“Our kindergarten students had a blast participating in the KinderCaminata,” Coker said. “It’s a great opportunity for them to show their enthusiasm for learning and to get the community involved in promoting the importance of college. We believe that early education is critical to a child’s success and we are committed to providing our students with the best possible start in life.”

RIVERSIDE, CA—- On Friday April 21, 2023, the city of Riverside became the first city in the Inland Empire to hold a Reparations Town Hall. The Town Hall was put on by the Riverside County Black Chamber of Commerce as part of a two-day event focused on educating the public on the news of Reparations for African Americans in California.

The event was a debrief of the progress of Congressional Bill AB3121, enacted in September 2020, which established a nine-member Task Force to study and develop a recommendation for Reparations in California.

Following the educational portion of the event was a one-hour Q & A for the audience to get information on the questions they had about Reparations in California.

This historic event was the first of many to be held as part of the Social Economic Justice Advocacy program started by the Riverside County Black Chamber of Commerce.

The second day of this two-day event was the Reparations Listening Session on April 22, 2023. This event also briefly discussed the progress of the Reparations movement in California. However, the major undertaking of the day was the Listening Session itself. Not only was this session the first held in the Riverside but also the first accessible for those located in the Inland Empire.

The session gave powerful insight on the history of personal injustices experienced by several of the attendees due to race disparities in California following slavery.

The session wrapped up with a few words of encouragement for the audience as well as a call to action on the importance of staying educated and involved with the Reparations Movement.

RIVERSIDE, CA— Robert was the founder Gram’s BBQ in Downtown Riverside in 1987. As a longtime resident of Riverside his life story is one of struggle and ultimately success. He was one of seven children that migrated to California in 1956 from Rock Hill, South Carolina with his parents Josie “Gram” (from whom the restaurant got its name) & Robert “Pete” Bratton, Sr. Life wasn’t always easy, but he made a choice to turn his life around and focused on his goal of building a successful restaurant business. He accomplished that with Gram’s. He developed an award-winning barbeque sauce, which is a blend of family recipes, daily freshness, and southern flare. He has left a legacy that will be around for many years to come.

Services will be held on Friday, April 28, 2023, at 11:00am at:

The Bridge Church

9904 Bloomington Ave.

Bloomington, CA 92376

Repast Immediately Following at:

Bloomington Recreation and Park

17909 Marygold Avenue

Bloomington, CA 92316

Cards may be sent to:

GRAM’S BBQ

3527 Main St.

Riverside, CA 92501

Send plants in lieu of flowers to:

METROPOLITAN MORTUARY

2902 Rubidoux Blvd.

Rubidoux, CA 92509

Questions can be directed to: Shirion Simmons, 951-525-0394 or Shirion.Simmons@gmail.com

By Antonio? ?Ray? ?Harvey? |? ?California? ?Black? ?Media?

The San Francisco Commission and Department on the Status of Women (DOSW) moved one step closer to helping transform the Golden Gate City into a fully-gender equitable city by staging an event centered on women’s voices, perspectives, and ideas.

In partnership with the African American Art and Culture Complex (AAACC), DOSW presented the “Shift Happens: Women’s Policy Summit” that attracted nearly 600 women to City View at The Metreon in downtown San Francisco on April 13.

The summit was a daylong event about “shifting narratives, policies, and culture” to create a “gender-equitable space” for women, said Kimberly Ellis, Director of DOSW. The event featured prominent women, allies and advocates from across the country to come up with effective ways DOSW can build inclusive pathways to education, tools and resources to create opportunities, and practical guides for health and safety.

“The Department of the Status of Women has reframed our work into three areas: health and safety, economic security, and civic engagement and political empowerment,” Ellis said “Today, you will hear conversations about shifting in those areas that needs to happen in order to get on the path to gender equity.”

Ellis continued, “Truth be told, the shift is always happening. We (women) are always called to higher levels. What I truly do believe is that as we climb, we must lift. And when you get there, bring other women along the way as you climb. So, today is just the beginning. We’re just getting started.”

The AAACC is a space for Black creatives to present, gather, and learn, while serving as a venue for all to experience Black art and culture. The DOSW collaborates with other city leaders and agencies to address issues on numerous intersectional and interdepartmental fronts. It promotes equitable treatment and fosters the advancement of women, girls, and nonbinary people throughout San Francisco through policies and programs.

With the city’s skyline as its background, the summit attracted movement makers, policy leaders, proprietors, elected officials, community advocates, artists, and more.

Ellis and her staff brought in an array of dynamic speakers from various sectors of society. San Francisco Mayor London Breed opened up the eight-hour summit with a warm welcome and address.

Guest speakers from San Francisco included California State Controller Malia Cohen, San Francisco Supervisor Myrna Melgar, and San Francisco City Administrator Carmen Chu.

Conversations with CEO and Co-Founder of Ellevest, Sallie Krawcheck, and U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA-13) were also part of the program.

“We have to start highlighting the conversations about addressing the challenges that exist for women and making sure that we are taking action, putting forth women’s voices and women’s needs — and not to be apologetic about talking about it publicly” Breed said. “Today is that day to hear from various panels, actresses, people in law enforcement, men who support women and all of these kinds of folks from all over the state of California coming together to empower you.”

The first panel during the Economic Security segment focused on various economic and financial resources available to women at the local, state and federal levels in California, as well as products and support through private and philanthropic initiatives. Panelists included Holly Mitchell, Los Angeles County Supervisor; Natalie Foster, Economic Security Project President and Co-Founder; Amy Everitt, CEO of Golden State Opportunity/CalEITC; Nicole Agbayani, San Francisco Office of Financial Empowerment Director; and Kimberlee Vaye, program director of California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls.

“We understand at the core that women are responsible for keeping families whole and keeping communities whole,” said Mitchell, who is one of five history-making policymakers serving on an all-woman L.A. County Board of Supervisors. “When we have policies that disproportionately, negatively impact us, we are compromising the integrity of all of our communities. We do what we can to end the systemic racism and sexism that have led us to the conditions that we are expected to live and survive in today.”

The second panel addressed health and safety. Panelists included women of color Police Chiefs, District Attorneys and Sheriffs who mostly lead predominately male staff. Diana Becton, Contra Costa District Attorney; Tanzanika Carter, San Francisco Assistant Sheriff; Christina Corpus,
San Mateo County Sheriff; Bisa French, Richmond Police Chief; Brooke Jenkins, San Francisco District Attorney, Tina Nieto; Monterey County Sheriff and moderator Diana Oliva-Aroche, the Director of Policy and Public Affairs for the San Francisco Police Department spoke during this segment.

The final panel, civic engagement and political empowerment, discussed specific legislation already in the works to address structural gender inequities, as well as ways DOSW intends to leverage individual and collective efforts to organize.

The panel consisted of U.S. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-12), Emiliana Guereca Zeidenfeld, Women’s March Action Chief Executive Officer; Molly Watson, Deputy Director of California Donor Table; Erica Pinto, chairwoman of Jamul Indian Village of Kumeyaay; Sara Guillermo, IGNITE National Chief Executive Officer; and the panel’s moderator Aimee Allison, She The People President.

Tlaib made history in 2008 by becoming the first Muslim woman to ever serve in the Michigan legislature. She was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018. She shared her childhood experiences, talked about her close connection to the Black community in Detroit, and the tensions she sometimes experiences serving in Congress as a woman of color.

“When I got on to that floor it really was not an institution ready for me. It really wasn’t,” Tlaib said at the summit. “But it’s going to be ready for us (women of color) because we are not going anywhere.”

An all-male panel, titled “Power ‘Man-el,’” provided a provocative conversation that explored topics including strategies to shift cultural narratives around societal roles, gender equitable frameworks in the business and private sectors and recent legislation around pay transparency.

The members of San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women spoke about championing the equitable treatment and advancement of women and girls across social, economic and political indexes through policies, programs and legislation.

In the Fall of 2020, Ellis was appointed by San Francisco Mayor London Breed to lead the DOSW. She was charged with helping to lead advocacy efforts at the local, state and federal levels for resources and policies that create greater opportunity for women, girls and nonbinary people.

Ellis manages a $25 million budget, including more than $13 million in discretionary city-funded grants to community-based organizations to support issues like gender-based violence and housing insecurity. An additional $11 million in state, federal and privately funded grants are under her purview.

Kimberly Ellis is doing such an amazing job and really making shifts happen,” U.S Congresswoman Lee said before her virtual fireside chat with Ellis during the summit.

Ellis is known around the country as a power player in politics. She has appeared on syndicated television and radio, having been interviewed by national political media outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post and Associated Press.

Ellis has run national operations, including the shepherding of the state and federal incorporation and launch processes in 2010 as the National Affiliate Director at Emerge America, the nation’s most effective training program for Democratic women who run for office. She led the flagship affiliate, Emerge California, as its Executive Director. Ellis holds a law degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Law at Northcentral University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Jacksonville University.

“If you like what you saw, heard, and felt it today, tell a friend, tell two or three, and tell them we are going to do this again next year,” Ellis said of hosting another women’s summit.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— Congratulations to San Bernardino County Fire’s Station 305, which has officially launched its Large Animal Rescue Team — a project spearheaded by Captain Robert Edie — as part of the Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) unit.

The Hesperia station’s large animal rescue trailer is equipped with a variety of harnesses, ropes and flotation devices designed to rescue horses (or cattle) that may fall into the aqueduct, river, or down a ravine. A 400-pound realistic horse prop, used for training, can be manipulated at its joints for a variety of rescue scenarios.
The Large Animal Rescue Team traveled to Muscoy in March, where they rescued 17 large animals stuck in deep mud, along with 30 medium-sized animals.

Thanks to Captain Edie and the County Fire team for adding this valuable resource to our community!

WATSONVILLE, CA—— U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) met with families, small business owners, and farmers in Watsonville and Pajaro impacted by the recent extreme storms in California. During his visit, Padilla surveyed damage near Highway 1 where the breached Pajaro River levee caused devastating flooding to surrounding communities. During the visit, Padilla was joined by Representative Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.-19), Mark Strudley, PhD, Executive Director of Pajaro Regional Flood Management Agency, and Tommy Williams, Deputy Chief of Project Management at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the San Francisco District. The visit comes after Padilla and Lofgren successfully led the California Congressional delegation in urging the Biden Administration to approve a Major Disaster Declaration for the most recent severe winter storms and atmospheric river systems.

“It’s clear the communities around Pajaro have a long road ahead of them—not just to rebuild the communities affected by this year’s atmospheric rivers, but to protect the region from future natural disasters,” Senator Padilla said. “I am committed to continuing to push for increased federal investments as we work to address the inequities in our infrastructure that have long existed in our most vulnerable communities. The need will only grow as we continue to experience more frequent and more devastating natural disasters due to climate change.”

“As extreme weather events continue to put pressure on the Pajaro River levee, its antiquated embankments will continue to fail causing flooding in the surrounding fields and forcing families to flee their homes,” said Rep. Panetta. “It’s taken persistent political pressure to secure the necessary federal and state funding and solidify the partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to prioritize the Pajaro River Flood Risk Management Project and put it on an expedited path forward. Nevertheless, we must keep up the pressure to start the project as soon as possible so that we can provide the necessary protections to the produce and people of the Pajaro Valley.”

Padilla surveys damage caused by the Pajaro levee breach and is briefed on the damaging effects of the flood waters reaching the nearby Watsonville Wastewater Water Treatment Plant that threatened over 60,000 residents and 4,000 acres of agricultural land

“Families and businesses in California’s 18^th Congressional District have been uprooted by the recent storms, and the Pajaro River levee breach, specifically, caused much devastation. That’s why Sen. Padilla, Rep. Panetta, and I are pushing to accelerate the federally-authorized levee upgrade project. Since the storms, we learned from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that they could use even more funding to fast-track the improvement efforts, so I am now requesting an additional $200 million for Fiscal Year 2024 through the Community Project Funding process. Unfortunately, severe weather events could get worse, not better, because of climate change, and leaders at all levels of government must make sure our communities are as resilient as possible,” said Rep. Zoe Lofgren.

“At the local level, as project sponsors, we are ready, willing, and able to start building new levees, said Mark Strudley, PhD, Executive Director of Pajaro Regional Flood Management Agency. “We are taking action to remove regulatory obstacles by working with our State and federal partners to hasten project delivery and in the interim to ensure the levees are repaired and ready for next winter.”

“We all continue to quickly respond to this disaster and to ensure sufficient funding is provided for all necessary work,” said Tommy Williams, Deputy Chief of Project Management at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the San Francisco District. “The Army Corps is committed to delivering near term emergency repair work and providing long term, equitable, and sustainable support for this underserved community with the construction of an improved flood risk management system beginning in the Summer of 2024.”

Senator Padilla along with Senator Feinstein, and Representatives Zoe Lofgren and Jimmy Panetta recently sent a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers urging them to accelerate construction of the federally authorized project to reduce flood risks faced by surrounding urban and agricultural areas, and to provide emergency repairs and response for the towns of Pajaro and Watsonville. Last month, Padilla pressed Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Shalanda Young to ensure adequate resources go to historically overlooked and low-income communities like Pajaro, California, which disproportionately bear the impacts of natural disasters due to lack of adequate protections.

Padilla, Feinstein, and Panetta secured $149 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law with Lofgren’s support to address the urgent flood risks along the Pajaro River, including the modernization of the 74-year-old levee system that was breached before improvements could be made.

By Lou K Coleman

War is Coming! The battle lines have been drawn in the sand. The forces have taken their positions. The leaders have exhausted every resource and have resigned themselves to the inevitable. Weapons are ready, now aimed toward the enemy [America]. A war that has been waged for many years but has intensified in the last few centuries. Fighting will be as fierce as it has ever been and if you aren’t under the wings of the Almighty God, you are in trouble. I’m talking about the War in Revelation!

Two beasts—end-time political powers that are Satan’s human agents to carry out his war against the woman and her offspring. This is the same war that began in heaven and quickly moved to earth and is now in its final phase. And in this phase of the war, Satan will succeed in gaining the political control that he failed to achieve in heaven, for Revelation says that he will be “given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation.” Brace Yourself!

War in Revelation identical to Jesus’ warning that deceptions from end-time signs and miracles by False Christs and False Prophets will be so subtle that they will “deceive even the elect. [Revelation 13:16-17]. The first beast will “make war against the saints and . . . conquer them,” and the second beast will cause anyone who refuses to worship the first beast to be killed! Brace Yourself! Another World War is coming, and it will be the biggest World War ever. According to the Bible, one out of three people on the earth will die in this war of all wars. And out of the chaos and destruction, a strong leader will rise to promise peace and security. The Antichrist will step onto the world scene at just the right moment. He will provide firm direction, but he will also demand absolute obedience. Brace Yourself!

I want you to know that there are four prophetic developments occurring right now that demonstrate how close we are to the Euphrates River War, otherwise known as World War III. Get under the wings of the Almighty God NOW! DO NOT DELAY!

Read and understand the prophetic truths found in the Book of Revelation. [Revelation 6:2; 4; 11:7; 12:7; 13:4, 7; 16:14; 17:14; 19:11; 19:19]. As Daniel related too in the final chapter of his book God will open up the prophetical books at the end times so that those with wisdom can discern what is coming. Because what God prophesied for ancient Judah also applies to America. Brace Yourself!

SACRAMENTO, CA— Assemblymember Dr. Corey Jackson has introduced Assembly Bill (AB) 702, the Promoting Youth Success and Empowerment Act (PROMYSE Act), to support community-based youth development services in juvenile justice programs. The bill will reduce the involvement of law enforcement entities in these programs, by shifting resources to Community Based Organizations (CBO) and other non-law enforcement agencies, that provide trauma informed, restorative programs and services for youth impacted by the juvenile justice system.

In 2022, 63% of JJCPA funds were spent on probation salaries and benefits, with half of all California counties spending more than 70% of their JJCPA funds on probation salaries and benefits. Riverside County alone spent 15% more this past year on probation salaries and benefits than in 2021. The record low numbers of youth being referred to probation does not match the JJCPA allocation. Referrals to juvenile probation declined 66% between 2006 and 2020, with an additional 24.7% drop between 2020 and 2021.

According to Assemblymember Dr. Corey Jackson, “AB 702 (PROMYSE Act) will help ensure that our juvenile justice system is centered around the needs of our youth and their families, rather than punitive measures. By prioritizing community-based youth development services and increasing community representation in the Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council (JJCC), we can create programs that promote healing and restoration for our at-promise youth.”

Co-sponsored and supported by a broad coalition of CBOs (listed below), AB 702 will require programs and strategies funded under these provisions to be modeled on healing-centered, restorative, trauma-informed, and positive youth development approaches in collaboration with community-based organizations. This bill recognizes the critical support and skills that CBOs bring, and the added value that in-community programming provides to not only prevent recidivism, but can address the needs and challenges that youth face in their neighborhoods. To increase the success of this supportive arm, this bill also requires no less than 95% of JJCPA funds to be allocated to community-based organizations and public agencies or departments that are not law enforcement entities. Programs such as those provided by Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice (CURYJ) in Oakland include culturally-competent community healing work, youth leadership development programs catered to systems-impacted youth and young adults, life coaching, violence interruption work, build youth leaders and have shown to prevent violence, crime, and further re-entrenching youth in the criminal justice system.

Breon Hatcher, Leadership Development Programs Associate at CURYJ, and a formerly incarcerated youth who went through CURYJ programming before becoming an employee said, “Through CURYJ, I gained a deeper understanding of how the school-to-prison pipeline affected me directly, and the ways the system could have invested in building us up and giving us a pathway to flourish, rather than using $600k to incarcerate a youth. Being a part of CURYJ, I am able to turn my pain into healing by reimagining how the system works,”

Organizations such as SBX Youth & Family Services provide a variety of programs and services to youth and their families in the Inland Empire. Their prevention and intervention programs offered to young people are restorative, culturally focused, trauma-informed and youth-centered. These include mentoring programs, restorative justice programming, youth civic engagement initiatives, and culturally focused programs that build cultural and historical appreciation of self while also establishing confidence in identity.

Jessica Aparicio, Director of Engagement & Social Impact from SBX Youth & Family Services, also expressed support for the bill, stating that “AB 702 (PROMYSE Act) is a step in the right direction towards creating a more just and equitable juvenile justice system. By promoting healing-centered, restorative, trauma-informed, and positive youth development approaches, we can create programs that empower our youth and their families to thrive rather than continue to punish them.”

Furthermore, AB 702 (PROMYSE Act) requires the Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council (JJCC) of each county to provide annual, data-driven reports to the Counties Board of Supervisors and the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) relating to their programs. AB 702 (PROMYSE Act) has been referred to the Committee on Public Safety and is set to be reviewed on Tuesday, April 25, 2023.

The bills co-sponsors include:

Alliance for Boys and Men of Color
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, California
California Alliance – Youth & Community Justice
Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice
Children’s Defense Fund-California
Community Interventions
Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice
Fresh Lifelines for Youth
National Center for Youth Law
National Prevention Science Coalition to Improve Lives
SBX Youth & Family Services

PACIFIC OCEAN (April 10, 2023) Aviation Electronics Technician 3rd Class Adrian Diaz, left, a native of Hesperia, Calif., and Aviation Electronics Technician Mason Schepf, a native of Winnie, Texas, perform general maintenance on a thermal imaging camera aboard Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). Vinson is currently underway conducting Group Sail. Group Sail demonstrates Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group’s ability to rapidly aggregate the strike group units and provides an opportunity to conduct progress training to enhance levels of excellence, increase lethality and tactical proficiency of U.S. Navy units operating in the 3rd Fleet area of operation.