Happily Divorced And After

With their performance season now underway, the San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra is currently preparing for the first of their Intimate Evening Series concerts.  On May 14th at 7:30 p.m., the Orchestra will present An Evening of Chamber Music featuring The Lyris Quartet as well as a performance by members of the Orchestra’s string section.

Noted Music Director and Conductor Anthony Parnther, “The Lyris Quartet is one of the foremost string quartets in the United States and has garnered an international reputation for their innovation and their frequent collaborations with the most highly regarded composers in the world.”

Mark Swed of the Los Angeles Times agrees, describing the ensemble as “radiant… excellent… and powerfully engaged.”

Members of the quartet have won top prizes at the Tchaikovsky International Competition and at the Aspen Music Festival, and the quartet has collaborated closely with composers Krystof Penderecki, Andrew Norman, Oliver Knussen, Steven Mackey, John Adams, Bruce Broughton, Peter Knell, Kurt Rohde, Paquito D’Rivera, Wadada Leo Smith, and Gerard Schurmann. Lyris has appeared throughout North America, Europe, and Asia in a diverse range of ensembles including Grammy nominated groups Absolute Ensemble, and Southwest Chamber Music, as well as in various festivals such as Ravinia, Brahms Festival in Madrid, Music Academy of the West, Banff Centre for the Arts, Czech SommerFest, and the Oregon Festival of American Music.

This season, Lyris was invited by the LA Philharmonic to perform on their Green Umbrella series and on their tribute concert to composer Steven Stucky. They also gave the west coast premiere of David Lang’s “The Difficulty of Crossing a Field”. This year will mark their fifth season as the resident ensemble for the critically acclaimed series Jacaranda: Music at the Edge, and they have recorded for Toccata Classics, ARS, and Naxos. The Lyris Quartet is also the founding resident ensemble of the Hear Now Music Festival which focuses on the music of living Los Angeles composers. As part of this series, they have collaborated with and premiered works by Stephen Hartke, Don Davis, Arturo Cardélus, and Veronika Krausas.

For the Orchestra’s 93rd year, Maestro Parnther created the concept of an expanded subscription season inclusive of three traditional large orchestral concerts at the historic California Theatre, a summer outdoor community concert, and three performances on a smaller stage where patrons can more fully immerse themselves in a single genre of music. These immersive events will be performed at the historic San Bernardino Valley College Auditorium.

The May 14th performance was curated to provide an eclectic and engaging blend of chamber music.

“We collaborated on finding the right program for this occasion and balanced it out to include Classical icons Beethoven and Ravel but also extending into living artists like Billy Childs, James Newton (who will join us at the concert) and Imogen Heap,” explained Parnther.

The Lyris Quartet will open the concert with Billy Childs’ Unrequited. The group previously appeared alongside Childs as part of the LA Phil’s Jazz and World music series at Disney Hall and with Steve Reich at LACMA’s Bing Hall. Lyris will then proceed into Beethoven’s Cavatina from String Quartet No. 13 in B-flat, Op. 130. Following will be Ravel’s four-movement String Quartet in F Major and Imogen Heap’s Hide and Seek, as arranged by Niall Ferguson. Then, under the baton of Maestro Parnther, members of the Symphony’s strings section will perform James Newton’s arrangement of Amazing Grace which was motivated by and dedicated to President Barack Obama and the lives taken in Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Lyris will close the concert with Beethoven’s Allegro Molto from String Quartet No. 9 in C. Major, Op. 59, No. 3.

The addition of composer James Newton, whose work encompasses chamber, symphonic, and electronic music genres, compositions for ballet and modern dance, and numerous jazz and world music contexts, is of particular note. Newton has been the recipient of many awards, fellowships, and grants, including the Ford Foundation, Guggenheim, National Endowment of the Arts and Rockefeller Fellowships, Montreux Grande Prix Du Disque and Downbeat International Critics Jazz Album of the Year, as well as being voted the top flutist for a record-breaking 23 consecutive years in Downbeat Magazine’s International Critics Poll. Newton is also a distinguished professor emeritus at the Herb Alpert School of Music, at the University of California at Los Angeles.

The specific concert venue was selected for a number of reasons. First, the Valley College Auditorium was designed by the same architect – John Paxton Perrine – who conceived the historic California Theatre of the Performing Arts where the Symphony generally performs. Second, like the California Theatre, it is also designated a National Registry of Historic Places site; however, many in the region have not had the opportunity to experience a performance there. Third, the venue’s smaller seating capacity makes it perfect for audience members to experience the music as it was originally designed.

In line with the Orchestra’s mission to provide accessible music and music education, Maestro Parnther sees this as an opportunity fulfill the Orchestra’s decades-old commitment, adding, “Valley College is one of the cornerstones of our community and we are always excited about the opportunity to combine our resources to the benefit of our students.”

Two more such performances will follow this season, each also bringing similarly notable artists to the Inland Empire.
“I am fortunate to have some of the finest musicians in the world as close friends and colleagues,” shared Parnther. “Concerts like these allow us to continue to bring world class talent to San Bernardino to perform for our audiences and collaborate with our great orchestra.”
Observed Orchestra Board of Directors President Dean McVay, “As we anticipate a performance by this very popular quartet will sell out quickly, we encourage everyone to purchase their tickets now while you can.”

Single tickets are available online at www.sanbernardinosymphony.org or by calling the box office at (909) 381-5388. Money-saving five-concert season subscriptions are also available. Box Office hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Five Season Concerts Remain
A Classical piano event featuring Robert Thies is scheduled for June 11 and a September 10 jazz concert with the Josh Nelson Jazz Quartet will both be performed at the San Bernardino Valley College Auditorium. In between, a community-wide patriotic concert is also planned July 2 outdoors at the Valley College football stadium.
The Orchestra will return to the California Theatre on October 29, 2022 for “Movies with the Maestro” featuring cinema scores including John Williams’ iconic music from E.T. and Star Wars and the Alfred Hitchcock film scores of Bernard Herrmann (Psycho, The Birds, North by Northwest). The season will end December 17, 2022 with Cirque de Noel featuring the internationally renowned Cirque de la Symphonie troupe performing to orchestral holiday classics.

By Lou Yeboah

I writhe in pain! Oh, the pain in my chest! My heart pounds within me; I cannot be silent. For I have heard the sound of the horn, the alarm of battle. [Jeremiah 4:19]. Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation, and destruction. [Lamentations 3:47; Jeremiah 50:22]. “I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar, which is before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, ‘Release the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.” The four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, day, month, and year, to kill a third of mankind. I also heard the number of the horsemen to be two hundred million” [Revelation 9:13-16]. My Anguish, My Anguish! I cannot be silent.

“For the spoilers shall come unto her from the north, saith the Lord” [Jeremiah 51:48]. They themselves will be terrorized by the destruction and havoc they unleashed upon the earth. “The Lord of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honorable of the earth. He stretched out his hand over the sea, he shook the kingdoms: the Lord hath given a commandment against the merchant city, to destroy the strong hold thereof [Isaiah 23:9,11]. Soon, very soon, a nightmare will explode into reality. It will come suddenly and without warning. [Jeremiah 51:13] and few will escape. In one hour, it will all be over! Our days are numbered. Judgment is at the door!” And the church is asleep, the congregations are at ease, and the shepherds slumber. Oh, the pain in my chest! My heart pounds within me; I cannot be silent. I have heard the sound of the horn, the alarm of battle.

“The Second Woe is past, and behold, the Third Woe is coming quickly. Once the seventh seal is opened the trumpet judgments begin. These seven trumpets are “The Day of the Lord.” They are God’s wrath on mankind for refusing to believe. “Then I looked and heard an Eagle flying in mid-heaven saying with a loud voice, woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth because of the remaining blast of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound [Revelation 8:13]. Open your ears. The trumpet is blowing!

For it is a matter of God’s judgment that this world has been given more than enough time and information to know and to understand what is about to come upon it in the form of a final war. But how will they scoff and laugh at this message. Theologians will reject it because they can’t fit it into their doctrine. The pillow prophets of peace and prosperity will publicly denounce it. I no longer care. God has made my face like flint and put steel in my backbone. I am blowing the Lord’s trumpet with all my might. Believe it or not, the world is about to be shaken and set aside by swift and horrible judgments. Judgment is at the door! Prepare, awaken!

But He said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, but he that is able to receive it, let him receive it. [Revelation 19:11-12].

Perhaps only the overcomers will accept and hear the sound of this trumpet blast, but I proceed with these warnings because God called me to be a watchman. I hear the Word of God to Ezekiel ringing in my ears, “[Daughter] of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts and set him as their watchman: If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blows the trumpet, and warn the people; Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood will be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. But if the watchman see the sword come and blow not the trumpet. and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; So, thou, O [daughter] of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore, thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me” [Ezekiel 33:2-7]. My Anguish, My Anguish! I writhe in pain!

By Manny Otiko | California Black Media

Some California legislators want to shorten the standard American workweek from 40 hours to 32.

But critics of the proposed law say it will hurt productivity and slash business’ revenues.

Assemblymembers Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens) and Evan Low (D-San Jose) introduced Assembly Bill 2932 in February. The legislation aims to limit the work to eight-hour days and 32 hours per week for companies with 500 or employees. However, the bill forbids companies from reducing workers’ pay.

If lawmakers approve the legislation, it will affect 50.4% of California businesses, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy. The other 49.6 % of business in the state have between 1 and 499 employees.

According to the proposed bill, which is currently under review in the Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment, work above 32 hours per week would count as overtime.

“Any work in excess of eight hours in one workday and any work in excess of 32 hours in any one workweek and the first eight hours worked on the seventh day of work in any one workweek shall be compensated at the rate of no less than one and one-half times the regular rate of pay for an employee,” the bill language reads. “Any work in excess of 12 hours in one day shall be compensated at the rate of no less than twice the regular rate of pay for an employee.”

Last year, Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA-41) introduced a similar federal bill.

Takano says a 32-hour workweek would improve worker productivity and reduce employer premiums spent on healthcare.

“I am introducing this legislation to reduce the standard workweek to 32 hours because — now more than ever — people continue to work longer hours while their pay remains stagnant,” said Takano. “We cannot continue to accept this as our reality. Many countries and businesses that have experimented with a four-day workweek found it to be an overwhelming success as productivity grew and wages increased.”

“After the COVID-19 pandemic left so many millions of Americans unemployed or underemployed, a shorter workweek will allow more people to participate in the labor market at better wages,” the lawmaker continued.

The 32-hour workweek has been experimented with in Iceland, where it was deemed a success. According to the Association for Sustainable Democracy in Iceland, workers who tried the new workweek format reported less burnout, improved productivity and health, and less stress.

The proposed shorter workweek has also been tried in the U.S. at Kickstarter, a global crowdfunding platform, and D’Youville College, a private school in Buffalo, N.Y.

However, some members of the business community in California have already criticized the proposed law, saying it is one more burden that lawmakers are placing on the back of businessowners in the state.

Ashley Hoffman, a policy advocate with the California Chamber of Commerce, described the bill as “a job killer” in a letter to Low.

“This significant rise in labor costs will not be sustainable for many businesses. Labor costs are often one of the highest costs a business faces. Such a large increase in labor costs will reduce businesses’ ability to hire or create new positions and will therefore limit job growth in California,” said Hoffman.

American workers are infamous for working long hours and taking shorter vacations according to workers in other industrialized nations. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the average American worker put in 1,770 hours a year. OECD also stated that American workers labor longer than all workers living in the world’s largest economies.

Chrissy Teigen, John Legend and their kids, Luna and Miles, pose with Minnie Mouse while celebrating Luna’s birthday at Disneyland Park in Anaheim, Calif., April 14, 2022. The family enjoyed multiple attractions, including a voyage on ‘it’s a small world,’ complete with a cast of nearly 300 audio-animatronics dolls representing children from every corner of the globe singing the classic anthem.

By Lue Dowdy, LUE Productions

Royale Records Presents the Official Lorie V. Moore Birthday Bash and Video Release Party is taking place this coming Saturday, April 23, at Celebrities Bar and Grill located at 127 W 40th Street, San Bernardino, CA 92407. The bash starts at 2 p.m. There will be a special Live Performance by Lorie Moore and Special Guest, Annyett Royale, CEO of Royale Records. Sound will be powered by none other than Wendell Djwen Patterson. Don’t miss this amazing concert showcasing two very talented Queens. For Table Reservation Please email collectivenetwork2019@gmail.com.

X Factor Semi-finalist, Lorie V. Moore’s first single of the year “Rare Breed” is a product of her sudden growth on TikTok coupled with direct fan engagement. After allowing access to witness the process in creating this song, Lorie’s followers vocalized support during her live streams and donated to help the Chicago native materialize the official music video of which she wore the hats of director and editor. The Single was produced by AJxOTB, written by Lorie V. Moore and mixed and mastered by Johan Lowenstorm, co-founder of Zeptagram (a platform created to help artists sell shares of their music to fans and investors by creating NFTs). Both the Song and the visual are set for release on April 22, 2022. Staying devoted to her fan base, Lorie pays homage by placing elements from her TikTok content like comic relief to tell a complete story.

“Lorie is truly a Rare Breed. As her team, we are elated to be the label that presents this particular piece at this particular time in her career” – Annyett Royale

Longtime friend B. Slade and mentor Tisha Campbell were Lorie’s main industry influences, while the concept of the song itself was inspired by so many of her female-identifying-friends, fans, and supporters. Rare Breed examines the concept of what chivalry looks like today and how women who hold steadfast to their standards may be perceived in today’s environment.
Going beyond normal artist roles and taking on the Directing and Editing of the video, Lorie has developed new skills that have inspired and compelled her to enroll in the Los Angeles Film School where she is now studying Filmmaking. This added talent is sure to bring another dimension and layer to her already unique creative perspective. Be on the lookout for full scale productions from Lorie V. Moore in the future.

For more information, promo requests, or to arrange an interview, email ARroyalerecords@gmail.com.

COLTON, CA— On Thursday, April 14, a ribbon cutting ceremony and mural recognition was held at Elizabeth Davis Park located at 1055 West Laurel Drive in Colton for two newly renovated basketball courts. Project Backboard partnered with City of Colton, Operation New Hope, Five Star Basketball and Blue Shield of California to make the unveiling possible.

This mural is the first step in the much larger project to update and revamp the entire park for the surrounding community. This event featured a ribbon cutting ceremony followed by an open basketball game and a family zone featuring inflatables and games for children. The mural, court renovation, new backboards, and rims were jointly sponsored by Blue Shield of California and Five Star Basketball. This sponsorship is part of Blue Shield of California’s efforts to support community revitalization and resiliency efforts.

By Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media

Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) summed up what he viewed as the reason for low turnout and public engagement at the ninth meeting of the California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparations Proposals for African Americans.

“Rudimentary, basic communications of alerting the community about meetings must be mandatory. That’s the part where we failed. We have a great story to tell but we are not telling it,” Bradford said April 14 during the second session of the two-day meeting.

“Frankly, I thought we’d have standing-room only these two days. I thought everybody in California wanted to be here. I think we missed the mark in promoting the first in-person meeting. That’s where the frustration is and where it is with me.”

Held at the Third Baptist Church in San Francisco, located in the city’s historic Fillmore District, the first in-person meeting since the task force convened in June 2021 was hosted by the Rev. Amos Brown, who is vice chair of the task force.

Brown, who is also president of San Francisco’s NAACP branch, said the panel’s communication’s strategy, or lack thereof, “has been compromised.”

The few dozen attending the meeting had no difficulty finding a seat in the large sanctuary of the historic church, which is a city landmark.

Founded 170 years ago, the Third Baptist has been a spiritual and cultural hub for local community leaders and hosted national icons, including WEB DuBois, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Josephine Baker, Adam Clayton Powell Jr, and Paul Robeson.

Leading up to the April meeting, there were simmering disagreements about the public relations strategy of the task force. The tensions came to a head when task force chair Kamilah Moore expressed her “concerns” with the firms contracted to handle communications at the March 29 meeting.

For nearly two hours at that meeting, the panel discussed challenges it has experienced with the contracted communications teams.

The Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA); Young Communications Group, a Los Angeles-based PR firm; and A/B Partners, a national social impact firm — were contracted to run the task force communication shop through the California Department of Justice.

No representative from the communication firms showed up at last week’s meeting, which was attended by six of the nine task force members on the first day. Eight task force members were present the second day.

Due to the high levels of tension that surfaced at the meeting in March, task force member Dr. Cheryl Grills said A/B Partners “resigned,” fearing harm to its reputation and the “vote of no confidence” in the company’s work as reflected in the statements of some task force members.

Concerns about the Bunche Center and two communications firms were related to “seven anchor organizations” charged with conducting community listening sessions.

Aside from the task force meetings, the anchor organizations are responsible for hosting public-engagement sessions in April, May, and June.

Grills, a professor of psychology at Loyola Marymount University, defended the Bunche Center, citing unique structural challenges hindering the organization because it functions under the umbrella state government. Grills said those problems delayed the center from performing its duties although it was “operating at warp speed” to make good on deliverables.

The bottom line, Grills shared, is that the Bunche Center has to abide by UCLA’s snail-paced process of handling contracts. The staff at the center missed two important “deliverables” in January and February waiting for greenlights from higher ups.

“The approval process is not under the purveyance of the Bunche Center,” Grills said. “We must understand that UCLA is a high-level bureaucracy of the state of California, which means that nothing happens quickly.”

Task force member Jovan Scott Lewis, chair of the Department of Geography at UC Berkeley, supported Grills’ explanation by providing his experiences with the UC system of schools.

UCLA’s Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) review and approve proposals and contracts before a research project is conducted. And each anchor organization is required to submit applications to be categorized as “vendors” by the university.

“I think that there is something to be said for the complications of getting something out of this process,” Lewis said. “When you add in the actual intellectual limits of the (anchor organizations), the requirements are typical for IRB. It’s quite reasonable to think about the delays. That’s the UC system’s (process).”

Michael Stoll, professor of public policy and urban planning, the new director of the Black Policy Project, which is housed at the Bunche Center, addressed some of the panel’s concerns by phone.

Grill said it has not been a smooth experience but offered assurances that the Bunche Center will respond to the anchor organizations’ needs and provide guidance for listening sessions.

“I think we’ve been fairly responsive,” Stoll said of addressing the anchor organizations’ needs. “Our goal was to plan and execute the listening sessions to their best potential as possible, and I think we are doing it fairly well.”

Young Communications Group (YCG), a Los Angeles-based public relations firm, did not attend the meeting in San Francisco.

While operating without financial resources, Grills said the task force, YCG and A/B partners were in the process of finalizing contracts and were ready to proceed with directions from the nine-member panel.

“Everything came to a halt at our March meeting,” Grills said. “Unfortunately, we may have put a negative spin on the reputations of communications firms that have spent years building credibility.”

Since the start of 2022, national media coverage of the task force has increased, including Moore’s appearance on MSNBC’s Tiffany Cross Show to discuss the panel’s decision to use lineage over race as the factor that determines who is eligible for compensation. That decision squeaked through with a 5-4 majority vote.

Lewis was interviewed by NBC Nightly News for a reparations-related clip involving Black Gold Rush pioneers who may have lost their land to the state in the 1940s. Other members of the task force have made their media rounds as well.

Members of the task force say they want the community-engaged listening sessions to happen without a hitch.

Seven anchor organizations will host public listening sessions that will help the task force hear various perspectives of Black Californians as it assesses the state’s involvement in slavery and Jim Crow discrimination.

Chris Lodgson, a founding member of the Coalition for A Just and Equitable California (CJEC), one of the host organizations, told the task force in San Francisco to add more communications firms.

“I gotta keep it business with you but the performance of the communications firms has been subpar,” Lodgson said. “I want to encourage (the task force) to find additional firms to get the word out to the community.”

Before the April meeting ended, Moore who is listed on the ballot as a candidate for the 28^th District Senate seat, was officially appointed the task force’s spokesperson. She and Grills will serve on the “solutions-oriented” Advisory Board Committee working directly with the Bunche Center and Young Communications to “triage” media and public affairs activities, Moore said.

“What we’re dealing with can be complex and convoluted,” task force member Monica Montgomery-Steppe said. “And getting that across on a national stage, because we are the example of what we hope for this nation, does need a larger strategy…a level of experience.”

By statute, the task force will issue a report to the Legislature by June 1, 2022, which will be available to the public.

Bradford said the communication shop can be instrumental in writing press releases and speeches, conducting research, problem-solving and disseminating information.

“This (Task Force to Study and Develop Reparations) will sell itself if we get it to the right people,” he said.

VICTORVILLE, CA— This past weekend, Burning Bush Church in Victorville and VaccinateALL58, hosted a ‘Party with a Purpose Easter Extravaganza’. The event was led by Bishop David Denson, Jr. where the community celebrated Easter with a day of family fun, fellowship and wellness. COVID-19 vaccines, boosters and testing were available for ages 5 and older.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— Recently, Fifth District Supervisor Joe Baca, Jr. hosted his first “College and Career Day” for over 200 high school seniors that are a part of San Bernardino, Rialto, and Colton Joint Unified School Districts. The event took place at the Workforce Inland Center in San Bernardino and was meant to assist high school seniors explore their options after high school. The event had over 20 vendors that had informative and interactive information regarding both jobs and college education opportunities after high school, for students who were interested in either. They were taught how to create a strong resume, how to dress for an interview, and even explore various jobs with our County Fire, Police, and EMT departments and dozens of other workforce departments and explore post-secondary opportunities.

“Not every student knows what their future is going to look like after high school. Not everyone has a set plan and that is okay. But to sit and have no plan is what is not okay. Opportunities for personal growth in our community, especially in our youth are endless. I hosted this event because I wanted the students in our district to know there are opportunities out there for them no matter what they choose to do. Success after high school is possible for these young adults and all they must do is work hard and set their minds to any goal that they want to personally achieve. This event opened doors for lots of students in our district and let them know that our County is always right behind them every step of the way. We couldn’t have done it without all the vendors who came out to spread the word, so I thank you all for coming out to support our students and their future.” -Supervisor Joe Baca, Jr.

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

Pastor Amos BrownThe California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparations Proposals for African Americans will hold its ninth meeting this week on April 13 and April 14 at Third Baptist Church in San Francisco.

Both days, sessions begin at 9 a.m.

During the meeting, the task force plans to discuss the challenges some members say the committee has been having with communications organizations it has hired to develop public information campaigns and handle public relations.

The firms — the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA); Young Communications Group, a Los Angeles-based PR firm; and A/B Partners, a national social impact firm — are contracted to work with the task force through the California Department of Justice.

Task force chair Kamilah Moore expressed “concerns” with the communications firms at the task force’s March 29th meeting, questioning their ability to successfully perform the work the nine-member panel has assigned to them.

“We have given these (communications firms) upward of $1 million to do a job and they are not doing it by virtue of what has been stated in the contract,” Moore said of the issue from her perspective. “This is a serious concern. This has to be addressed sooner rather than later. We have to have a comprehensive conversation about this at our next meeting. We may have to open up the process again (to hear other communications firms) about what they can do and what deliverables they can bring to this process.”

One of the firms “missed at least two deliverables” in January and February, and the other two groups gave out a “wrong email” when they were asked for an address to a website about task force inquiries, Moore said.

Concerns about the communications firms are related to seven “anchor organizations” charged with conducting community “listening sessions,” according to Moore.

The anchor organizations — different from the communications firms – are tasked with hosting public listening sessions in April, May and June, said task force member Dr. Cheryl Grills, a professor of psychology at Loyola Marymount University.

The “anchor orgs,” as they are referred to in meetings, will help the task force hear various perspectives of Black Californians as it assesses the extent of the state’s involvement in slavery and Jim Crow discrimination.

Grills took issue with Moore raising concerns about the communications firms, specifically bringing up allegations involving her, without giving prior notice before speaking about them in public.

Pushing back, Grills publicly said Moore met with an attorney that “organizes” and “convenes” meetings for the anchor organizations a week before the task force’s eighth meeting held March 29 and March 30. Moore did not lodge any complaints with the attorney, Grills stated.

“You didn’t raise any concerns, so then you bring it up in a public forum,” Grills told Moore during the meeting. “You cast a potentially negative light on the communications firms and the Bunche Center. That feels unfair to me. From a process perspective, this is troubling to me how you are operating.”

The task force’s vice chair Amos Brown is the pastor of Third Baptist Church, where the next meeting will be held. It is located at 1399 McAllister in San Francisco.

On the first day of the April meeting, the history of discrimination at colleges and professional education institutions and the school-to-prison Pipeline will be discussed.

On the second day, the task force will preview its first report.

On the afternoon of April 14, the communications firms will present their strategies for responding to press inquiries, facilitating meetings for the anchor organizations and educating the California public on report findings.

The Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies was founded in 1969 as the Center for Afro-American Studies It was renamed in 2003 for diplomat, scholar, activist, and UCLA alumnus Ralph J. Bunche, who was the first Black person the win the Nobel prize.

According to its website, the Bunche Center supports research that expands the knowledge of the history, lifestyles, and sociocultural systems of people of African descent. It also “investigates problems” that have relevance to the psychological, social, and economic well-being of persons of African descent.

Recently, the work the task force is doing has been garnering national attention. But members say they must implement a stronger communications and public relations strategy leading up to the release of its findings.

By statute, the task force must issue a report to the Legislature by June 1, 2022. Their findings will be available to the public.

Other task force members who have fielded complaints about the communications firms are Sen. Steve Bradford (D-Gardena), Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles), and San Diego City Councilwoman Monica Montgomery-Steppe.

Brown told the nine-member panel that “communications have to be at an optimum.”

He told his colleagues that the task force must leverage mainstream media, and Black-owned newspaper reporters, editors, and publishers should be contacted and informed of the group’s activities.

The civil rights leader said that Black churches, nonprofits that do community activism, and social organizations should have inside knowledge of the task force leading up and after the reports are submitted to the state legislature.

“We’re in the driver’s seat. We have to tell them what we want to be done without delay,” Brown said of the communications firms. “If they can’t fulfill it … we might have to make a change.”