Happily Divorced And After

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— SAN BERNARDINO, CA— Brenda Dowdy, homeless education project manager for San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools, will receive the 2019 Sandra Neese Lifetime Achievement Award at a national conference in Washington, D.C.         

Dowdy will be honored at the 31st annual National Association for the Education of Homeless Children Conference on November 3.         

For the past 13 years, Dowdy has worked in County Schools’ Children Deserve Success program, working with liaisons of the county’s 33 school districts in homeless education to provide services for students from pre-kindergarten through college.          

San Bernardino County is home to more than 33,000 students identified as homeless as defined by the federal McKinney-Vento Act.         

Dowdy has led efforts through County Schools to provide backpacks with school supplies, clothing, emergency food and personal hygiene items for students. She has run tutoring programs to help students with homework. She also has helped raise and coordinate distribution of college scholarships for high school graduates annually.         

For the past 14 years, Children Deserve Success partners with community organizations to host an annual holiday celebration for more than 200 students and their families.

A celebration of global culture and community

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— LOS ANGELES, CA—- On September 28, 2019 from 11am to 6pm nearly four thousand women congregated at Grand Park in Downtown, Los Angeles for the fourth annual Head Wraps in the Park Festival made possible by Red Bay Coffee Roasters.  The event is a celebration of culture and the brainchild of Fatima Dodson, a local business owner in Los Angeles. The concept for the festival originated from the desire and need to create a safe space for women of all ethnicities to celebrate wearing head wraps. Head wraps, also known as “goddess wraps”, are a garment of choice associated with the natural hair movement in the African-American community. Goddess head wrapping is a global tradition ranging from South Asia to Africa. It is an art form that bridges cultures and also wonderfully displays creativity in textile arts & crafts. Originating in Sub-Saharan Africa, head wraps are an African beauty statement. Worn on the head and symbolizing a crown, the head wrap either covers hair completely or ties as a headband around the forehead to reveal the hair. There are many ways that someone can tie a head wrap, making it versatile enough to fit most personal styles.

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The annual event draws women from around the world. “The event is appreciated by the community and provides the opportunity to celebrate African culture and beauty,” says Fatima Dodson. 

Red Bay Coffee, the black-owned sustainable specialty coffee company with headquarters in Oakland, California, is a proud sponsor of the Head Wraps in the Park festival. Since its founding in 2014, Red Bay has been at the forefront of the fourth wave of coffee—a firm commitment to ensure coffee production is not only high quality and sustainable, but also a vehicle for social unity and economic empowerment. Red Bay Coffee’s Public Roasteries serve as hubs for building community and bringing Beautiful Coffee to the People.

“People are in need of a sense of courage and positivity. When Fatima invited us to support Head Wraps In The Park, we were happy to help. We source our coffee beans directly from countries such as Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, Mexico, and Colombia–all with a rich history of creativity and expression. Celebrating culture truly resonates with us,” says Keba Konte Founder and CEO at Red Bay Coffee.

The arts and culture festival will included experiences for all ages. Event highlights included panel discussions, heading wrapping bars, live DJ, food and beverage trucks, photo and art exhibits and so much more. Red Bay Coffee and Head Wraps in the Park also supported a social media head wrap contest with cash prizes given to winners. A special moment was captured when attendees gathered and organized for a photos in the shape of the continent of Africa.

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ABOUT RED BAY COFFEE ROASTERS

Since 2014 Red Bay Coffee Roasters has been building a global community through a commitment to bringing Beautiful Coffee to the People and ensuring economic opportunity with a team that values diversity and inclusion. Red Bay Coffee envisions a world in which specialty coffee is a vehicle for social restoration and environmental sustainability.  Red Bay Coffee’s commitment to producing the best and most beautiful coffee starts by building and maintaining real relationships with the farmers and cooperatives that harvest, process, and prepare some of the best green coffee in the world. Red Bay Coffee believes in fair relations and prides itself on creating value streams that emphasize experience and ethics, not just supply and demand.  

In 2016, Red Bay Coffee established its first public roastery and production headquarters in the Fruitvale District of Oakland, California. Since then, Red Bay Coffee continues to spread its footprint throughout the United States through several locations and directly to customer’s doorsteps nationwide. Red Bay Coffee Roasters was founded by Keba Konte, a renowned local artist and successful food entrepreneur with deep roots in the San Francisco Bay area’s specialty coffee and hospitality industry. Konte continues to foster his vision of using Red Bay Coffee as a platform to create a culture of equity, where all people are celebrated, in addition to bringing greater opportunities for those historically marginalized and/or left out of the specialty coffee industry, particularly people of color, the formerly incarcerated, women and people with disabilities. www.redbaycoffee.com

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)—- SAN BERNARDINO, CA—-  The San Bernardino Public Library will be hosting a visit from award-winning author and poet, Kwame Alexander and musician Randy Preston on Tuesday, October 22, 2019. This free all-ages event will be held at 6 pm in the Bing Wong Auditorium at the Feldheym Central Library, 555 W. 6^th Street.

Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, and the New York Times Bestselling author of 32 books, including The Undefeated, illustrated by Kadir Nelson; How to Read a Book, illustrated by Melissa Sweet; Swing; Rebound, which was shortlisted for the prestigious Carnegie Medal; and his NEWBERY medal-winning middle grade novel, The Crossover. Some of his other works include Booked, a National Book Award Nominee; The Playbook: 52 Rules To Help You Aim, Shoot, And Score In This Game Of Life; and the picture books Surf’s Up; Acoustic Rooster and his Barnyard Band; and Out Of Wonder, which won the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award.

A regular contributor to NPR’s Morning Edition, Kwame is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including The Coretta Scott King Author Honor, The Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Prize, Three NAACP Image Award Nominations, the 2017 Inaugural Pat Conroy Legacy Award, The Dominion Energy Strong Men and Women of Virginia, and the 2018 NEA Read Across America Ambassador.

Kwame’s belief in the power of poetry and literature to inspire, engage, and empower young people is the guiding force behind his appointment as the inaugural Innovator-in-Residence at the American School in London. Kwame is the Founding Editor of VERSIFY, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers whose mission is to Change the World One Word at a Time. He’s led cultural exchange delegations to Brazil, Italy, Singapore, and Ghana, where he built the Barbara E. Alexander Memorial Library and Health Clinic, as a part of LEAP for Ghana, an international literacy program he co-founded.

Randy Preston is a singer-songwriter, educator and storyteller, who grew up on 3 different continents.  Raised in England and Kenya, he gained a deep appreciation for the lore, the myths and the legends of the places he has lived.  This love of words and storytelling led to reams of bad poetry, a degree in English Literature, a mildly successful Christian rock band, and culminated in an 18 year teaching career, from the high school classroom to the university lecture hall.

Most recently, Preston has been touring with Kwame Alexander visiting schools and special events to entertain and engage people through catchy music and interactive storytelling. He’s written original songs for Kwame’s latest novels in verse REBOUND, SOLO, and SWING.

Books will be available for purchase at the event. This free program is sponsored by the California Library Literacy Services.

You can reserve free tickets at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/newbery-award-winning-author-kwame-alexander-tickets-74045822047 or call the library at 909-381-8238 or 909-381-8250.

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- Bullying and violence in our communities were top concerns on Monday night. Over 200 community members joined with Assemblymember Reyes and Chief Joseph Paulino of the San Bernardino City Unified School District Police at Arroyo Valley High School to share their frustrations and concerns on important community issues in San Bernardino. 

The goal of the Community Healing Forum was to provide a safe space for the community to express their concerns to community leaders. The main topics discussed were bullying and student safety.

“It was clear to me that bullying is a main concern to parents and our community. When parents drop off their children at school they expect them to be safe from bullying and other trauma that impacts their children,” said Assemblymember Reyes. “These conversations are difficult, but they are the first step to healing and finding solutions to the community’s concerns.”  

The Community Healing: Protecting the Next Generation event was the first in a series of community healing events that Assemblymember Reyes is planning throughout the 47th Assembly District. These events will tackle issues of poverty, gun violence, student safety, homelessness, government transparency and more.

Many partners joined to ensure the community was heard including: Moderators Dr. April Clay, Clay Counseling Solutions and Mary Valdemar, Ch.I.C.C.C.A.A. The panelists in attendance included: Abigail Medina, SBCUSD School Board President; Gwen Rodgers, SBCUSD School Board Vice-President; Jason Anderson, San Bernardino County District Attorney; Horace Boatwright, Deputy Chief San Bernardino County Sheriff; Michele Mahan, Lieutenant San Bernardino City Police Department; Sergio Luna, Director of Organizing Inland Congregation United for Change; and, Terrance Stone, Executive Director Young Visionaries. 

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY—- About 1,200 county residents registered to vote last week, pushing the total number of registered voters in San Bernardino County past the one million mark for the first time ever.

More than 75 percent of eligible county residents are now registered to vote.

The Registrar of Voters processed the registration records submitted last week and determined which were new voters and which were updates to existing voter records.  The Registrar of Voters confirmed today that the one million registered voters’ milestone was achieved on Wednesday, September 25, 2019.

“It’s great to see this level of interest in voting in our county. Voter participation increases our community’s influence on regional, state and federal issues,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Curt Hagman.

As the County celebrates this milestone, we encourage voters to share their thoughts on social media about why it is important to register.

The registrar may share or retweet non-partisan posts that tag the Registrar of Voters and use #VoteReady and #SBCountyCounts in an effort to reach more than 330,000 potential voters in San Bernardino County still not registered to vote.  

Eligible citizens may register or re-register online at SBCountyElections.com. Voter registration applications are also available at the Registrar of Voters office in San Bernardino and throughout the county at post offices, city clerks’ offices, county libraries, and the Department of Motor Vehicles. A map of these locations is available on the Registrar of Voters website.

Likewise, 16 and 17 year olds may now pre-register to vote if they meet all other eligibility requirements. On their 18th birthday, they will be automatically registered to vote so they will not miss an election.

Finally, the Registrar of Voters encourages voters and potential voters to be #VoteReady for the upcoming Presidential Primary Election on March 3, 2020.

Voters can verify their registration status by visiting SBCountyElections.com and logging into the My Elections Gateway application. Any voter who wants to update their name, address, or party affiliation will need to re-register to be #VoteReady.

For more information about registering, re-registering or pre-registering to vote, visit the Registrar of Voters website at SBCountyElections.com, or call (909) 387-8300.

Fontana, CA — Zeta Sky today announced its commitment to National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM), held annually in October.

To mark the occasion, Zeta Sky will be hosting the Inland Empire Cyber Security Summit on October 17th, 2019 at the InTech Center in Fontana.

Click Here to Register (Please RSVP by October 15th as catered lunch will be provided)

Attendees will hear from the FBI – Cyber Crime Unit about the latest and greatest threats against businesses and employees, how to avoid being the next victim, and simple ways to build awareness in your company.

You’ll also hear from Guest experts from Datto, representatives from Citrix, and Cyber Insurance specialists.

This will be a great opportunity to learn from industry professionals, network with your peers, and bring actionable steps to help secure your business!

“Cybersecurity is important to the success of all businesses and organizations. We are proud to have such a strong and active community helping to encourage proactive behavior and prioritize cybersecurity in their organizations – Adrian Francoz, CEO of Zeta Sky”

Photos by John Coleman

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(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— SACRAMENTO, CA—- Today, Assemblymember Holden’s College Athlete Civil Rights Act of 2019 was signed into law. The legislation, Assembly Bill 1573, gives college athletes more tools and protection to address the challenges or abuses they may face on campus. The bill also allows colleges to create a degree completion fund.

“Many college athletes are putting everything on the line and risking their bodies, and for some, one injury away from losing everything. Others are at risk of losing it all for speaking out for their team or any abuses they are experiencing as college coaches have the power to keep you on or off the team,” said Assemblymember Chris Holden. “This bill is personal for me – before I started my journey in public service, I played college basketball for San Diego State University.”

Abuses and unfair policies against college athletes have made headlines and raised questions about the way college sports programs are run. Assembly Bill 1573 requires schools to inform students of their rights with documentation and public signage and prohibits retaliation by schools if a student reports violations of abuse or violation of rights.

“In addition to providing protection, laying out a path for universities to create a degree completion is a big step towards creating an equitable system for college athletes,” said Holden. “I hope to see universities across California establish degree completion funds in the near future – whether to help students complete their academic program should they lose their eligibility, or to provide a savings account to collect money earned through sponsorships that would be available upon graduation.”

Nielsen’s Latest Report Reveals How Technology and Culture Drive Black Buying

African Americans want more for themselves and from corporate America, and they express it with their dollars as they move through the consumer journey, from brand awareness to purchase, as revealed today in Nielsen’s 2019 Diverse Intelligence Series (DIS) Report on African Americans.

It’s in the Bag: Black Consumers’ Path to Purchase explores the non-linear and uniquely technologically driven road that African Americans follow to make purchasing decisions, which ultimately maximizes both online and in-person shopping options. This path highlights several differences in shopping behavior and purchasing when compared to the total U.S. population. The report also includes deeper insights into how culture, socio-economics and business influences how, why and what motivates African American spending in a special co-authored section by advocate and media commentator Angela Rye, CEO and Principal of Impact Strategies.

“At 47.8 million strong and a buying power that’s on par with many countries’ gross domestic products, African Americans continue to outpace spending nationally,” said Cheryl Grace, Nielsen’s Senior Vice President of Community Alliances and Consumer Engagement and co-creator of the DIS Report. “This year, we wanted to help brands and marketers understand the multi-faceted process that Blacks take to buy the products they buy. There are several drivers, but culture is at the center of them all. Further, with their love for technology, they are much more savvy and conscious consumers. They are as we say, ‘woke.’ They pay attention to how companies are speaking to them. As they spend more, they want more for themselves and from the brands they support.”

Dating back to 2011, this is Nielsen’s ninth report highlighting the media consumption, purchasing habits, lifestyle interests and economic advancements of African Americans. It is the third in a theme, released by Nielsen this year following the comprehensive purchasing processes of Asian American and Latinx consumers. Key takeaways from It’s in the Bag: Black Consumers Path to Purchase include:

African Americans are welcoming recipients of advertising across all channels. However, while the trends of the Black buying power and over-indexing in spending continue to increase, companies’ investments to advertise to them have decreased.

• African Americans are more likely than the total population to agree that advertising provides meaningful information on most platforms, including mobile (42% higher), television (23% higher), radio (21% higher) and the internet (18% higher).
• Advertising spend designed to reach Black consumers declined 5% between 2017 and 2018.

Physical appearance reflects a sense of cultural pride and self-expression in the Black community. This is evidenced by the top spending priorities for African Americans from everyday soap to luxury handbags.

• African Americans outspend the total market on personal soap and bath needs by nearly 19% ($573.6 million).
• Men are making an impact with grooming habits, outpacing the total market by 20% on toiletry items.
• Blacks are 20% more likely than the total population to say they will “pay extra for a product that is consistent with the image I want to convey.”
• They are also more likely to say they shop at high-end stores including Saks Fifth Avenue (63%), Neiman Marcus (45%) and Bloomingdales (24%).

While online shopping grows, African Americans continue to head to physical stores for the personal touch and feel experience—but with more discerning eyes.

• More than half (52%) of African Americans find in-store shopping relaxing, compared with 26% of the total population.
• 55% of Black consumers say they enjoy wandering the store looking for new, interesting products.
• When shopping, African Americans are more influenced than the total population by store staff (34% more likely), in-store advertising (28% more likely) and merchandising (27% more likely).

The “for us by us” trend of Black-owned brands is profoundly impacting the African American path to purchase and consumer marketplace. Black consumers support brands that align with their lifestyles and values.

• African Americans dominate the ethnic hair and beauty aids category, accounting for almost 90% of the overall spend.
• 42% of Black adults expect brands they purchase to support social causes (16% higher than the total population).
• 35% of African American shoppers are more likely to agree, “when a celebrity designs a product, I am more likely to buy it.”
• Procter & Gamble (P&G) is the largest advertiser in African American media, spending more than a half-billion dollars ($544.3 million). Five of the top 20 baby care category products come from P&G’s Pampers and Luvs brands.

Soul food drives African American consumers’ top grocery purchases. These consumers are also passionate about the environment, wanting to buy safe, locally sourced food items.

• African Americans outpace the general market on: Quaker grits ($19 million); Louisiana Fish Fry ($11 million); Glory Greens (frozen and fresh, $9.5 million combined) and Jay’s Potato Chips (nearly $2.7 million).
• 61% say produce is the most important category to buy local, followed by bakery and prepared foods (56%), eggs (55%) and dairy (52%).
• Blacks over-index the total population concerned about food safety issues: antibiotic use in animal production (by 20%); artificial ingredients (by 19%) and GMO crop development due to climate change. The biggest worry is rising prices due to trade tariffs (68% Blacks vs. 56% total population).

“Nielsen continues to unearth undeniable data and insights that highlight both the agency and power of Black consumers, and the plethora of opportunities that exist for companies that are focused on nurturing and empowering how they move through the world,” said Jonathan Jackson, former 2019 Nieman-Berkman Klein Fellow in Journalism Innovation at The Nieman Foundation for Journalism and member of Nielsen’s African American External Advisory Council.

Nielsen uses U.S. Census data to determine population estimates that inform its U.S. panels and its understanding of consumer behavior. Given the rapid diversification of the U.S. population, an accurate census has never been more important. That’s why Nielsen has signed on as a 2020 Census Official Partner with the U.S. Census Bureau and utilized census data to show the economic and demographic impact of African American consumers. This is the second time the company has leveraged this partnership for the Diverse Intelligence Series, after the 2019 Latinx consumer report, released in August.

For more data and insights, download It’s In the Bag: Black Consumers Path to Purchase at Nielsen’s African American community site. Nielsen invites consumers to weigh in on the discussion using the hashtag #TruthBeTold on social media. Follow Nielsen on Facebook (NielsenCommunity) and Twitter (@NielsenKnows).

Thanksgiving is a time for reflecting on what we have been blessed with, and giving back. On Wednesday, November 27^th – the day before the annual turkey feast – local non-profit Project Boon and over 25 other local businesses, non-profits and government organizations will be teaming up in Fontana’s Seville Park to help give thanks and bring the spirit of the season to the Inland Empire’s underserved communities. Beginning at 11:00am and running until 3:00pm, the 8^th Annual Eat and Be Well event will provide families with a traditional Thanksgiving meal, access to health services, fun and entertainment for the whole family to enjoy.

Eat and Be Well will enters its 8^th consecutive year of bringing the Inland Empire community together for the common good. The annual Project Boon event draws thousands of people together for a fun-filled day of feasting, entertainment, and health services. Most importantly, it helps people in need stretch their budgets while still enjoying all that the season has to offer.

Although providing a free bountiful meal to those in need is a reward in and of itself. Eat and Be Well also serves up health and wellness by partnering with both non-profits and for-profits businesses that have programs that provide vital resources. To be able to serve up to 2,500 attendees, Eat and Be Well relies on donations to cover costs and food items. In past years, this has included free dental exams, provided by In motion Dentists, health exams from Bloomington Community Health Center, and bus passes provided by Omnitrans to help people without transportation get to and from the event.

“Last year, after having my house-call dental practice volunteer at Project Boon’s Thanksgiving Health Fair, I was able to see what type of impact they were making in the lives of so many people in Southern California,” said Dr. Wade Banner, In Motion Dentists. “It was because of their mission, vision and overall heart to help their local community that I found a desire to continue helping Project Boon in any way I could, I look forward to many years of a close volunteering relationship to support our local community.”

You can contribute to Eat and Be Well by dropping off turkeys, canned food; such as sweet potatoes, gravy, and cranberry sauce at The Hitch Burger Grill in Rancho Cucamonga, California or visit our website for a complete list of items needed and drop-off locations.

Excess perishables will be donated to help support recovery homes, churches, soup kitchens, veterans and missions the next day on Thanksgiving.

For more information on how to volunteer, donate, sponsor or for a complete list of items needed and drop-off locations visit eatbewell.org