Happily Divorced And After

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— The San Bernardino City Unified School District Board of Education honored 11 students with Outstanding Student Awards at the November 5, 2019, Board meeting. Students were also recognized by the San Bernardino Symphony, which provided them and their families with free symphony tickets, and Assembly member James Ramos, who provided each student with a certificate of recognition.

Outstanding Student Award winners are recognized for achievement in academics, athletics, fine arts, citizenship, or for showing significant improvement in these areas. Students are awarded and inspired to have hope for their future by thinking about long-term educational and career goals.

Hillside Elementary School Outstanding Students

Third-grader Dylan Molina is a model citizen with excellent PBIS skills who is always willing to help his peers. He is inquisitive and loves to share his knowledge with others. Dylan would like to play in the NFL someday. He also wants to be a police officer like his father.

Fourth-grader Josiah Popper has shown a renewed interest in learning, and his motivation to succeed shows in his improved behavior and academic achievement. Josiah wants to attend Cal State San Bernardino and eventually wants to manage a team of salesmen.

Sixth-grader Camelia Romero is a model student. She demonstrates good citizenship, loves to learn, and always tries her best. Camelia wants to attend one of the Claremont Colleges to become an ornithologist or marine biologist.

Riley College Prep Academy Outstanding Students

Fifth-grader Orlando Gomez demonstrates stellar citizenship by supporting others, being a model of the 16 social skills, and just being a good friend. He’s an avid reader and uses his love of books to connect with others. Orlando wants to be a police officer or football player.

Fourth-grader Natalia Guadarrama is a respectful and responsible student who models good behavior at all times. She is on the Honor Patrol and has auditioned for the Odyssey of the Mind Club. Natalia wants to attend UCR or UC Berkeley and become an elementary principal right here in SBCUSD.

Fifth-grader Myala Poynter consistently demonstrates PBIS skills and Restorative Justice practices. She is a high-achieving student who masters new concepts in both English and Spanish. Myala wants to attend CSUSB and become an artist who works in animation.

Del Vallejo Leadership and STEAM Academy Outstanding Students

Eighth-grader Adriane Flores is a model scholar-athlete who exhibits good behavior, completes his assignments, and is a starter on the softball team. Adriane wants to attend UCLA and become a professional baseball player or work in criminal justice.

Seventh-grader Rachel Gonzalez is an example of a student who understands the importance of both arts and academics. She plays baritone in the Advance Band, but her focus is always on maintaining her 4.0 G.P.A. Rachel is excited to become a Pacific Pirate and earn top grades so she can attend a four-year university and become a veterinarian.

Sixth-grader Laylah Johnson stays on task and focused on her studies, as evidenced by her 3.667 G.P.A. She is also helpful and kind, which is why her teachers can always count on her to represent the sixth-grade team. Laylah wants to attend Spelman College and eventually become a professional photographer.

Arroyo Valley High School Outstanding Students

Twelfth-grader Miguel Antonio is a scholar-athlete. He’s taking rigorous IB classes and is the president of the AVHS running club. And as senior class president, he helped create a positive, inclusive school culture. Miguel plans to attend Cal State San Bernardino and major in finance or marketing.

Twelfth-grader Veronica Banuelos is extremely intelligent and motivated. She is an International Baccalaureate scholar with a 4.9 GPA. She is being sought after by many colleges, who have invited her to visit. Veronica plans to major in economics and minor in business.

Tenth-grader Marissa Collins is smart and hardworking. She is willing to do whatever it takes to further her education. She took the initiative to travel to Vietnam over the summer to see how medicine is practiced in other countries. Marissa wants to major in medicine at an Ivy-league college.

In an effort to recognize MLK day and Black History month, Essence Atkins has joined forced with #NotMe to end harassment and discrimination in the workplace and beyond. Stay tuned for her story and why she is passionate about #NotMe, to be posted on MLK Day.

People often think of harassment as only sexual, but the reality is that bullying-related to race and gender discrimination are at the top of the list of workplace harassment. With MLK and Black History Month being right around the corner, we think there is a real opportunity to shed light on this issue and offer people a solution.

The prevalence of workplace discrimination is vast, and it affects black women the most – 25% of black women are harassed compared to 11% for white men. Blacks reported a 60% higher rate of discrimination compared to whites. Black women filed 28.6 percent of pregnancy discrimination charges, despite making up only 14.3 percent of the female labor force. Help us make the change our society needs.

#NotMe is a free and simple to use app that aims to prevent workplace harassment. The platform empowers anyone to safely report misconduct they’ve witnessed or experienced all via their mobile phone in as little as three minutes.

APPLETINIES Tiny & Tasty Chocolates was this year’s gift bag sponsor at Luxury Experience & CO Celebrity Gifting Lounge in partnership with The Vanderpump Dog Foundation and Valerie Beverly Hills during the 77^th Annual Golden Globe weekend on January 4, 2020 in Beverly Hills, California. Guest attendees included Chad Johnson(ABC’s The bachelorette; Bachelor In Paradise), Aubury Marquez (NBC’s Chicago Fire), Olden Polynic (Former NBA Player), Sally Kirkland (Best Actress Oscar Nominee, Golden Globe winner, Independent Spirit Award winner, and veteran of over 200 films), and many others.

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APPLETINIES Tiny & Tasty Chocolates is a family owned business by mother and son duo Sonja Wilfling and Lukas Wilfling who hail from Sinabelkrichen, the apple region of Austria, about an hour and a half from Vienna. APPLETINIES are 100% organic, gluten free, vegetarian, vegan & kosher, with no preservatives, no artificial ingredients, and 100% made in Austria offering nine different flavours. They are THE healthy sweets alternative with 100% chocolate taste and a particularly high addictive factor.

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Organically grown chunks of apple dried with care, covered in delicate, melt-in-your-mouth organic which consists of gently dried apple pieces, covered with a wafer-thin layer of tenderly melting organic chocolate in the flavours whole milk, dark & white chocolate with cinnamon. Once Appletinies – always Appletinies with Chocolate!

APPLETINIES Tiny & Tasty Chocolates are now available on Amazon and can be found under APPLETINIES Sweets.

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On December 5, 2019, Dr. Deborah Winn gained her heavenly wings. She was 66 years old.

Born on September 24, 1953, Deborah was the second youngest of nine children. She was born in Kansas City, KS and came to Los Angeles, California with her family at a very young age. She attended Jefferson High School in Los Angeles, California. She gave birth to four children and then later married Aubrey Winn on September 24, 1988 where he helped raise her children as his own.

Deborah was very instrumental within both Los Angeles and San Bernardino Communities. She accomplished philanthropical deeds through her organization Willing Winn Associations and Missions (WWAM Inc.). Through WWAM she was able to pursue and accomplish her purpose in life by educating and meeting the basic living needs of underprivileged families and individuals with love and respect; thereby, leading them to self-sufficiency.

Some of the major accomplishments that Deborah achieved included: feeding over 15,000 people at the Los Angeles Sports Arena; being honored at the 2014 Unforgettable Foundation’s gala; founding Juneteenth in San Bernardino where she held three celebrations (2013 at Perris Hill Park, 2014 on the block of Wall Street and 2017 at San Bernardino Valley College); and WWAM also adopted Juanita Beckley Elementary School in San Bernardino where Mrs. Winn provided food services and Christmas Toy Giveaways to over 300 students.  

In addition to her community efforts, the Winns also housed seven exchange students from all over the world. These students came from Korea, Japan, Rio de Janeiro, India and Brazil. Through WWAM, the Winns provided children with the opportunities to experience outgoings that they wouldn’t be able to experience without the help of WWAM. These outgoings included: Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers games, Disney On Ice, the Philharmonic Orchestra, the Universal Soul Circus, the L.A. Kings Hockey games, and more.

The community efforts did not stop there though. Upon coming to San Bernardino from Whitter, California, Deborah moved to one of the notorious areas of the Westside of San Bernardino— Wall Street. Wall Street, also known as Operation Phoenix, has since become transformed after WWAM took over. WWAM Inc., provided monthly fish frys, BBQs and community block parties as a means to cease the violence in that area. Because of this, Deborah ‘adopted’ men from the ages of 18 up to 80-years old who referred to themselves as ‘Mommas Boys’.

Dr. Deborah Winn’s legacy will continue to live on. She is preceded in death by her parents, brothers Buford “Blue” Lewis, Orlando “Bear” Lewis, and sister Donetta “Dee Dee” Witherspoon. She is survived by her husband Aubrey Winn; five siblings; four children: TaMeeka, Dalia, Brittnay and Michael; 31 grandchildren; and a host of nieces, nephews, and other family members and close friends.

A memorial is set for Sunday, January 19 at 4 p.m., at the Winn home on Wall Avenue in San Bernardino. For those that are interested in attending, please email Dalia at daliamac1@yahoo.com.

By Lou Yeboah

Boy, only, if we would take that stance, how different our lives would be. But naw, we want, “Our Will”  to be done. Well, News Flash! It’s not about “Our Will,” it’s about “God’s Will,” and the sooner we register that the better off we will be.  For thus saith the Lord, “You come into the New Year expecting Me to do for you what you want do for Me. Tell Me… What have you done for Me lately? Have you fed the hungry? Visited the sick? Or even entertained strangers? No! Then why do you bother Me? What do you want from Me? You want Me to give you what you want, while all of the time you have neglected, overlooked, and not even considered my will, nor my work. Well forget about it! If you can’t keep My Commandments, why should I let you inquire of me at all? [Ezekiel 14:3]. I tell you, “If you love me, you will obey what I command. For whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one that gets My blessings. So until you obey, don’t expect my blessings, Period!  I told you, “My New is not Your New in 2020, and I don’t care what man has prophesied to you, until you obey, forget about it! The Great I Am has spoken!”

I tell you, just as Haggai’s message was blunt and he pulled no punches and wasted no words, I want you to know that God is withholding His blessing because your priorities are not right. As Haggai said, “Put God’s house first and He will bless you.” Jesus said the same thing: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.”  [Psalms 37:4] says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” 

Understand that the blessings of God as promised to all believers do not materialize automatically. There are some things that God says we need to do to activate His blessings. According to [Deuteronomy 28:1-2] “If we will LISTEN diligently to the voice of the Lord our God, being watchful to DO ALL His commandments, THEN the Lord will set you high above all the nations of the earth, and all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you.  This is the key to unlocking the blessings of God in your life. [Psalm 112:1].

I believe that every year that God gives us on this earth is to be a year where we are as productive as we can be for His work and as pleasing as we can be for His glory. I hope that the longer you live the more you realize just how fleeting these years are and just how important it is to maximize the potential of each year for being what you ought to be and doing what you ought to do. The truth that obedience to God brings blessing, is the first principle in understanding what it means to be a child of God. Failure to understand this first principle and failure to implement it is to forfeit God’s best  in your life. 

I write this not to condemn anyone, but to remind us all that Jesus who suffered and died for us, expects something from us. We cannot expect to continually take and take from Him and not do something for Him. It is after all, a relationship that we have with Him, and relationships are all about give and take. God wants us to do our part – so He can do His. 

Listen…. Follow… Do…. Blessings Activated by Obedience.  Welcome to the New Year… 2020!

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— The Northwest Redevelopment Project Area Committee is hosting a Town Hall and Candidates Forum featuring the two candidates for the city’s 6^th Ward Council Seat: Bessine Littlefield-Richard and Kimberly Calvin. 

The forum will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, January 21, at the Family Life Center located at 1505 Highland Avenue in San Bernardino.  The forum is open to the public and attendees are encouraged to meet the candidates, hear their platforms and find out any recent events affecting the 6^th Ward.

The Northwest Redevelopment Project Area Committee is an oversight organization.  The committee serves as a liaison to the city’s mayor, city council members and various departments.  The organization collaborates with other PACS, public and private agencies on workshops, seminars, and outreach on projects and services benefiting residents and businesses in the 6^th Ward and citywide. For more information, contact them at (909) 913-0831. 

ARABIAN SEA (Jan. 6, 2020) Aircrew Survival Equipmentman 1st Class Paul Villaruz, right, from Chino Hills, California, assigned to the “Sunliners” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 81, tests oxygen flow in pilot gear in a paraloft aboard the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) in the Arabian Sea Jan. 6, 2020. The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of naval operations to ensure maritime stability and security in the Central Region, connecting the Mediterranean and the Pacific through the western Indian Ocean and three strategic choke points. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kaysee Lohmann)   

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— Local non-profit organization, SistersWe (SW), has received two grants from the Arbor Day Foundation in conjunction with BNSF Railway (BNSF) for environmental beautification projects in San Bernardino.  They will be holding a celebration on Friday, January 10, 2020 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Viva La Boba and Breezeway located at 475-479 W. 4^th Street in San Bernardino.

Working with the owners of Viva La Boba, David Friedman and Tansu Philip, “The Historic Downtown San Bernardino Living Pocket Park Project” will turn the side of a building on 4^th Street into a “Living Wall” complete with an original sculpture created by local artist Nathaniel Gelston.  Surrounded by historic buildings, this block has the highest concentration of old buildings still standing in San Bernardino.  Succulents and other plants that help sequester oxygen will be planted on the wall using a hydroponics system; the adjacent alley way and courtyard will be developed into a community event space. Trees and shrubs will complete this urban green space, providing health and environmental benefits to the entire community.

“The Muscoy Pocket Park Project” will add an additional 15 trees to an existing SistersWe project on a donated property located at the corners of California and Nolan Streets.  The trees will line the walkway leading to a circular seating area in the center of the pocket park.  The planted trees will be monitored by SW for three years for growth and health conditions as part of a statewide “Urban Forest” project.  Future plans include adding 20 raised-bed family garden plots, a Farmer’s Market, movie nights and other family activities throughout the year.  

The mission of SW is to provide Inland Empire residents and communities with cleaner air, healthier eating options and a healthier environment.  They will accomplish that by donating and planting trees to provide a beautiful canopy, and sequester carbon in our cities and neighborhoods. Other community gardens will be established at various locations throughout the IE.  Founded in December 2018, SW is the brain child of biological sisters Nedra Myricks, Vanessa Dean and Adrienne Thomas.  Vanessa and Adrienne are graduates of the “Green Infrastructure” training program and wanted to bring the knowledge and skills they acquired to their community and others.  Adrienne also recently received her Master Gardner certification.  Nedra is a retired Administrative Professional and functions as Executive Assistant for the group.  The sisters are natives of San Bernardino and have a long history of supporting community activities in the art and music fields.

Please join them as they announce the development of these two new Pocket Park projects and take a tour of the future “Living Wall” site.  Several sample concepts of Nathaniel Gelston’s artwork will be on display for the public to vote for their favorite. Don’t miss out on your chance to vote! 

By Aldon Thomas Stiles | California Black Media

Kim Kardashian West will likely check “Black or African American” on the US 2020 Census form when marking the race of her children.

In several interviews with various media outlets, the famous media personality and businesswoman, who lives in the San Fernando Valley near Calabasas, has said she’s very conscious of race when it comes to her and rapper Kanye West’s four children.

Kardashian, who is half-White and half-Armenian, has said she identifies the race of her children as “Black” and says the advocacy she has recently been involved in: addressing racial inequities in the criminal justice system – is partly inspired by the race of her children.

On this year’s census form, Kardashian’s other option for checking the race box to identify her children would be to select “Other.” That’s if she chooses to count them as bi-racial or mixed race.

Race and ethnicity have often been – and continue to be – controversial and misunderstood census categories. Experts suggest that some people might be confused about the difference between the two.

On the 2020 census forms,  there will be six ways people can identify their race: American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; Black or African American; White; Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander; and Other.

Options will also be available for respondents to include an ethnic identification, too. For instance, a Trinidadian-American of African descent may select “Black or African American” under the racial category and write in “Trinidadian” under the ethnic category.

According to the Census Bureau, “Overlap of race and Hispanic ethnicity is the main comparability issue.” For example, the U.S. Census Bureau includes Black Hispanics in both the number of Blacks and in the number of Hispanics.

Dr. Walter Hawkins, former California State University San Bernardino Director of Research and Policy Analysis, helped clear some of that confusion by detailing the numerous ways people can self-identify on US 2020 Census forms, mentioning the “100 percent count.”

“Under the Census Bureau, in order to get the 100 percent count, they have to use what’s called the ‘Hispanic exclusive method’ because a person who is Hispanic can be any race. So, if you do not take that into consideration, you end up with over 100 percent,” said Hawkins.

Hawkins stated that this distinction affects the overall count for African Americans in California.

“The Black alone ‘non-Hispanic’ population in California is about 2.2 million compared to about 2.7 million if all racial and ethnic combinations are included,” Hawkins said.

Hawkins noted that much of the complication with racial self-identification originated from an old census rule called “head of household.”

“If you marked ‘Black,’ your whole house was Black. And if you marked ‘White,’ your whole house was White,” Hawkins said.

Data collected during national censuses, which the federal government conducts every 10 years, directly impacts not only the availability but also the quality of services in communities, according to Dr. Anthony Asadullah Samad, Executive Director of the Mervyn Dymally African American Political and Economic Institute (MDAAPEI) at California State University Dominguez Hills.

Inaccurate census counts can lead to billions of dollars lost in government funding for states and local communities. That loss of cash can be critical for already under-served neighborhoods that rely on federal and state tax dollars for social programs, healthcare, infrastructure, schools and other local public services. Census counts also determine the number of representatives a state is allotted in the US Congress.

“Cultural identity is important to every community. First, in understanding presence. Second, in understanding population growth,” Samad said. “Every ethnicity faces this challenge in the upcoming census, including Latinos and Asian Pacific Islanders, because demographic descriptions speak to a particular community’s service needs.”

According to Samad, African Americans have been at a disadvantage in this regard.

“For the last three censuses, there have been African-American undercounts,” Samad said. “The only ethnicity with larger undercounts have been Native Americans, largely due to their populations being on sovereign lands that limit census-taker access.”

According to the Census Bureau, the population of Black or African-American people who did not identify with any other race in 2018 counted for 6.5 percent of the overall population in California. Whereas, the population of people who identified as mixed race made up 3.9 percent of the state’s overall population.

The mixed population counts as its own category, making it unclear how many of these people have African lineage.

Samad pointed to another factor that might skew the amount of African Americans being accounted for in the Census: Fear.

“Black people have legitimate fears for sharing information with the federal government for numerous reasons,” Samad said. “However, there hasn’t been sufficient education tying the Census to the community’s welfare.”

Dr. Tecoy Porter, Sacramento President of the National Action Network, shares this concern.

“One of the reasons African Americans are undercounted are our household situations. We  tend to not want to reveal all of our information or we do not trust the government,” Porter said. “We think that information could be applied against us.”

Hawkins says he understands those fears. However, he believes that they should not prevent people from wanting to be counted.

“Most of the time if a person is skeptical, they won’t fill out the form at all,” Hawkins said. “But the Census information is completely confidential.”

While some experts underscored the importance of an individual selecting a specific race on his or her census questionnaire, others pointed to the significance of participants choosing how they want to identify themselves.

Lanae Norwood, Strategic Communications Director of the California Black Census and Redistricting Hub “My Black Counts,” stated that while educating African Americans on their options when identifying themselves during the 2020 Census is their goal, individual expression is equally important to her organization.

“Our civic engagement program is about educating and encouraging the Black community to be part of the census count. We are not telling blacks – or anybody for that matter – how to self- identify in the census or what box to check,” Norwood said. “we recognize that Black is not a monolith and contains much racial and ethnic diversity. We trust people to select the racial or ethnic identity that most represents them.”

COLTON, CA—- Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) recently hosted several high school students in the Marketing, Nutrition Services and Medical Imaging departments. In 2018, ARMC was the pilot location for the GenerationGo! Career Pathways Program, which was established by the San Bernardino County Workforce Development Department in collaboration with other county agencies, K12, community colleges, and private businesses. GenerationGo! is a career pathway program providing on-the-job training for high school students.

“GenerationGo! is a rewarding program for us because we get to train the best and the brightest and help retain talent in the Inland Empire,” said Hospital Director, William Gilbert.

Bloomington High School student Alexis Ascencio, 17, recently worked in the hospital’s Marketing and Public Relations Department and learned how to write press releases, design graphics and posters, and prepare spreadsheets and reports.

“Participating in the GenerationGo! program helped me realize that I wanted to go to college to learn about marketing,” said Ascencio. “I enjoyed the work environment and learned about all the different jobs in the hospital.”

GenerationGo! students have the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of careers in the medical field and in the support, offices depending on their specific interest. For example, Ascencio was originally interested in the medical imaging field, but after learning about hospital marketing, she was drawn to the new career option.

For more information about GenerationGo! call 800-451-JOBS or visit http://wp.sbcounty.gov/workforce/youth/