Happily Divorced And After

Sacramento, CA – Today, to celebrate the 150^th Anniversary of the Buffalo Soldiers, an historic group of African American service members, Senator Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia) and Senator Isadore Hall III (D–Compton), Chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, hosted a reception in the State Capitol and presented Senate Concurrent Resolution 128.

More photos may be found at Senator Mendoza’s website: http://sd32.senate.ca.gov/150th-anniversary-buffalo-soldiers-honored-state-senate-capitol-ceremony-reception-june-6-2016

“I am honored to recognize the great accomplishments and service of the Buffalo Soldiers. These men made history by breaking barriers and serving our country with honor and distinction during war and peacetime under tremendously challenging circumstances,” said Senator Tony Mendoza.

“I thank their families and descendants for sharing their inspiring history and legacy with all Californians,” added Senator Mendoza.

SCR 128 celebrates the 150^th Anniversary of the Buffalo Soldiers, an historic group of African American service members established on July 28, 1866, by an Act of Congress. It was officially known as the 9^th and 10^th Calvary regiment and was comprised of former slaves, freemen, and black Civil War soldiers. The Buffalo Soldiers were the first African Americans to serve in the United States Army during peacetime.

During the latter part of the nineteenth century, the Buffalo Soldiers were assigned to Fort Riley, Kansas, and other areas of the Midwest, where they endeavored to maintain order between Native Americans and the settlers arriving in those areas, built forts and roads, patrolled borders, and protected mail coaches and railroad construction crews. When the campaigns against Native Americans ended in the 1890s, they went on to fight in Cuba during the 1898 Spanish-American War and served as Park Rangers in Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks.

Resolution:

Senate Concurrent Resolution    No. 128

Introduced by Senator Mendoza Senators Mendoza and Hall

April 06, 2016

Relative to the Buffalo Soldiers.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SCR 128, as amended, Mendoza. The Buffalo Soldiers.

This measure would honor the Buffalo Soldiers for changing the face of the United States Armed Forces forever through their record of unique accomplishments.

WHEREAS, On July 28, 1866, by an act of the United States Congress, African American men were allowed to join the post-Civil War army in special segregated units — the 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments of the United States Army; and

WHEREAS, Comprised of former slaves, freemen, and black Civil War soldiers, the Buffalo Soldiers were the first African Americans to serve in the United States Army during peacetime. During the latter period of the nineteenth century, the soldiers of the 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments were assigned to Fort Riley, Kansas, and other areas of the Midwest, where they endeavored to maintain order between Native Americans and the settlers arriving in those areas, built forts and roads, patrolled borders, and protected mail coaches and railroad construction crews; and

WHEREAS, Out of respect for their courage and fighting spirit, as well as for the dark curly appearance of their hair and the thick coats made from buffalo hide that these soldiers wore during winter, the Native Americans of the Midwestern plains honored the members of the 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments with the nickname of “Buffalo Soldiers”; and

WHEREAS, When the Indian Wars ended in the 1890s, the Buffalo Soldiers went on to fight in Cuba during the 1898 Spanish-American War and thereafter acted as rangers in Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks; and

WHEREAS, The Buffalo Soldiers of the regular African American army regiments were among the first to serve as park rangers in the newly created National Park Service; and

WHEREAS, Approximately 500 Buffalo Soldiers from the 9th, 10th, 24th, and 25^th Regiments served in Yosemite and nearby Sequoia National Parks, with duties ranging from evicting poachers and timber thieves to extinguishing forest fires; and

WHEREAS, The accomplishments of the Buffalo Soldiers as park rangers include building the first trail to the top of Mount Whitney in Sequoia National Park, building the first arboretum in Yosemite National Park, and clearing miles of trails and building roads into the national parks for visitor enjoyment; and

WHEREAS, Colonel Charles Young, the third African American graduate of West Point, served as acting military superintendent of Sequoia National Park in 1903; and

WHEREAS, Despite the Buffalo Soldiers wearing the uniform of the United States Army, performing their duties presented challenges to overcome due to racial prejudice. Buffalo Soldiers serving in Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks had to fulfill their duties using perseverance and diplomacy; and

WHEREAS, During World War II, members of the Buffalo Soldiers branched out and formed into famous units, including the 24th and 25th Infantry Divisions, the famed Tuskegee Airmen that included the 99^th Pursuit Squadron the larger 332nd Fighter “Red Tails” Group, the 761st Tank Battalion of the Third Army, plus nearly the entire 92nd Infantry Division; and

WHEREAS, Due to Executive Order 9981 issued in 1948 by President Harry Truman eliminating racial segregation and discrimination in the United States Armed Forces, the last all black units disbanded during the first half of the 1950s, and, in 2005, the nation’s oldest living Buffalo Soldier, First Sergeant Mark Matthews, passed away in Washington, D.C., at 111 years of age; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature honors the Buffalo Soldiers for changing the face of the United States Armed Forces forever through their record of unique accomplishments, which testify to their skill, discipline, integrity, and heroism, and recognizes and thanks their families and descendants for sharing an inspiring legacy that speaks to the sense of excellence, potential, and patriotism shared by all Americans; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.

Senator Tony Mendoza, a Los Angeles native and former elementary school teacher in East Los Angeles, represents the 32^nd Senate District encompassing portions of Los Angeles and Orange Counties. For more information about Senator Mendoza visit his website or follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

MISSION STATEMENT
“To help constituents and the community through courteous, friendly, non-judgmental service and to help educate and lead the next generation of leaders.”

By Naomi K. Bonman

On Saturday, June 11, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern California (RMHCSC) awarded 94 accomplished college-bound seniors scholarship funds totaling $288,000 during a celebratory event at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. The scholarships and medals were awarded during a recognition ceremony where recipients were honored and commended by their families, school counselors, RMHCSC representatives, and Southern California McDonald’s owners and operators. Chris Pan, founder of myintent.org gave an inspiring keynote message before the celebrations ended with photos and well wishes.

“The scholarship luncheon is a great opportunity to recognize our scholarship recipients for their hard work in front of their friends, family and McDonald’s franchisees” said Vince Bryson, CEO, RMHCSC. “We are committed to providing opportunities and resources that strengthen families and are inspired by what these students have accomplished and are looking to achieve.”

Among those 94 students was Perris’ Citrus Hill High School senior, Lela Owens. Owens is involved in her school’s STEM program and will continue her education within the STEM field at Duke University where she will be majoring in Computer Science. After she graduates from college, Owens wants to dive into a career with a major technology company, such as Google or similar.

“The Ronald McDonald Scholarship has taken a lot of pressure off my shoulders,” Lela Owens stated on being awarded. “It will definitely help to pay my tuition.”

Owens emerged into the STEM field after enrolling an AP Physics class during her Junior year. Her teacher at the time inspired her to look into field after telling her about another young Black woman who took the AP Exam and passed it.    Owens wanted to pass it as well, and from there she found a passion for the industry.

In addition to receiving her degree, the rising scholar also wants to start a mentorship classroom at her high school. Her community service won’t start there though. Owens was the captain of her cheer team where she participated in hosting summer camps along with her team. She also tutored students at March Middle School in Mathematics.

Recipients of RMHCSC scholarships are selected through a rigorous application process and represent the highest caliber students in the five counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura. These scholarships give the recipients an opportunity to pursue their education goals and help ease some of the collegiate financial burden. Interested applicants can begin the process for 2016 scholarships in October, 2015. More information about RMHCSC and its programs can be found at www.rmhcsc.org or on www.Facebook.com/RMHCSoCal and via Twitter.com/RMHC_SoCal.

By Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, Yahoo Sports

“It is with deep sadness and overwhelming grief that we mourn the sudden loss of my son, Sean,” his mother, Deborah Brown, said in a statement released by the 76ers on Tuesday night. “Our family asks that our privacy be respected as we grieve during this incredibly difficult time.”

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

Can’t nobody tell you nothing! You think you know it all!  Mark Twain said, “It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.”  You ought to mimic Paul who said, “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified [1 Corin 2: 2].

There are just some people you can’t tell anything. Their minds are like steel traps – tightly shut and difficult to open. They have their mind made up and they’re not going to change for you, me… or even God. That’s pretty much the situation we discover in [Jeremiah 44] when Jeremiah warns the people that God is upset with their behavior… and they respond: “We will not listen to the message you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD!” [Jeremiah 44:16]. They’ve made up their minds.  They liked what they’re doing. And they had no intention of stopping for Jeremiah or God.

I will venture to say that we all have come across people who think they know everything. Usually, they like to tell us how they know so much and make us feel like we are inferior. These arrogant personalities are perhaps the most difficult types of people to deal with.

But I just want to bring to remembrance to all the “Can’t tell me nothing” individuals. [Psalm 81:11-14], tells the story of a sad saga of a people who would not listen to God. From this Psalm, we learned that the nation of Israel did not listen to the counsel of God.  They tuned Him out and followed their own “stubborn hearts.”  You see, God told Israel through His commandments not to bow down to other gods, but they did not listen to Him.  Instead, [1 Kings 17:12] says, they worshiped idols, though the Lord had said, “You shall not do this.”  They chose to follow their own ways instead of God’s ways. And do you know what happened to the Northern Kingdom known as Israel? And because of their hard-headiness, in 722 BC, they were destroyed by the Assyrian army. Since they did not listen to God, and follow His will, God allowed the Assyrian army to defeat them.

What will happen to those of us who do not listen to God’s Word?  “He will punish us who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of Jesus” [2 Thess. 1:8]….. [2 John 9] says, “Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.”

Listen, if we want to live godly lives, then we must listen to God’s will and then put it into practice.  The Bible teaches in [Deuteronomy 11] that if we listen and obey God, we will be blessed.  On the other hand, if we do not listen to God, we will be cursed.

God still lives and His Word still speaks. We need to listen to His Word because of our position before Him and our responsibility to Him. It is Finished!

LOS ANGELES, CA- OUR HOUSE Grief Support Center is hosting two weekends at Camp Erin-LA this summer (June 10-12 and August 19-21) at the scenic Camp Bloomfield in Malibu. Camp Erin-LA is a weekend-long camp experience for children and teens ages 6 to 17 who have experienced the death of a parent, sibling, or guardian in the past 3 years. Camp is free of charge for all children and combines traditional camp activities with grief support, education, and remembrance projects. Typical fun and engaging camp favorites such as rock climbing, swimming, arts and crafts, and campfires are interspersed with projects and experiences used to facilitate expression of feelings, memorialize their loved one who died, and promote healing.

When campers arrive on Friday, they are greeted with open arms by the dozens of grief specialists and trained volunteers who guide the campers through a series of bonding and grief-related exercises, as well as fun high-energy physical activities. They begin their camp journey with an intimate Friday evening ceremony where each camper shares their name, the name of their loved one who died, and places a photo of that person on a “memory board.”   Saturday evening’s Luminary Ceremony is equally powerful and another opportunity to come together to say goodbye to their loved one by writing a message or drawing on a lantern that’s lit and set adrift across the pool. OUR HOUSE Grief Support Center recognizes every person’s grief is unique in duration and intensity, and that commonalities of experience strengthen the value of a grief support group in helping the healing process. “By offering Camp Erin-LA, OUR HOUSE puts a support system into place, offering a safe space to talk and providing the tools to cope with their grief,” said Michele Prince, Executive Director of OUR HOUSE Grief Support Center. “Camp might be the only opportunity they have to work on their grief with other kids.”

Camp Erin is an initiative created and funded by The Moyer Foundation in Seattle, WA, a non-profit organization established by Major League All-Star pitcher Jamie Moyer and his wife, Karen.  Camp Erin is named in memory of Erin Metcalf, a friend of the Moyers who lost her battle to cancer at age 17.   Camp Erin-LA was featured in an Emmy award-winning HBO documentary “One Last Hug: Three Days at Grief Camp”, which was produced in association with The Moyer Foundation and OUR HOUSE Grief Support Center.

For more information about Camp Erin-LA, please visit www.ourhouse-grief.org/volunteer-opportunities/camp-erin-los-angeles.

Derman Redman

Sixteen-year veteran Omnitrans Coach Operator (CO) Derman Redman was taking break one recent day at the San Bernardino Transit Center, and stopped to catch up with fellow CO Urbanita Ramon. She mentioned a flyer that she’d seen, asking for help finding a missing local man with developmental disabilities. He’d been away from home for two weeks.

“It lay heavy on my heart,” said Urbanita. “My brother is physically and mentally disabled, and I feel a kinship to people who live with disabilities. That’s what made me share the information with my fellow drivers – I even posted it online to help get the word out.”

The story also captured Derman’s attention, and he asked what the man looked like so that he could keep an eye out for him. Urbanita’s description sounded familiar; when she showed Derman the photo from the missing person flier, he couldn’t believe it.

“I know that guy!” said Derman. He recognized Roger, a regular passenger from his days driving Route 10. “But two weeks, wow. That’s a long time. Who knows what could have happened by now?”

Derman went on his way, but the story stayed with him all day, through his shift, and that night at home. Roger rode Derman’s bus for almost 10 years, and they had developed a good rapport.

“He was always friendly and nice,” Derman remembered. “Very quiet, but he would give you the shirt off of his back if you asked him.”

At work on his route the next morning, Derman pulled up to a stop and opened the doors as usual. There was a man waiting who looked a bit the worse for wear – his socks were muddy, and his hair was long and unkempt. But Derman thought he recognized him. He did a double take. Yes, he was pretty sure – the man was Roger!

“To be honest, the thought crossed my mind, ‘Did I summon this guy?’” Derman said. “I couldn’t move at first. Then I went up to him and asked, ‘Roger, is that you?’”

Roger simply said, “Yes,” as if all was normal.

“Are you lost?”

“No.” Very firm.

“Are you sure you’re not lost?”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

“When was the last time you went home?”

“I don’t know.”

“Are you sure you’re not lost?”

“I’m trying to get home right now,” Roger said. But Derman realized that he was at the wrong bus stop.

At that point, Derman decided to take action. Asking his bus full of passengers to “please wait, I’ll be right back,” Derman told Roger to “sit tight, and don’t move.”  Trusting Derman, Roger stayed put. Derman ran as fast as he could into the transit center, to find Supervisor Ricky Williams. He burst into the break room, out of breath, shouting “Ricky, I found that guy! The missing guy!”

Running back out to his stop to check on Roger and his passengers, Derman saw the missing person flyer on Roger hanging from the fence.

“I kept looking at the flyer and at the man. Could it really be him? And it was,” said a relieved Derman.

Ricky contacted Roger’s caregiver, Brigette Flowers, who drove all the way from Riverside to pick him up. She and her husband had been out looking for Roger every night for 12 days. He now is reunited with his family and recovering well from his ordeal.

“We got lots of calls during that time from people who said they saw Roger, but we never could pin him down,” Brigette said. “It’s drivers like Derman who see people like Roger every day, and care about them.”

Brigette isn’t Derman’s only fan. When he arrived home that night, he told his family about what had happened during his eventful day. “Daddy, you’re like a hero!” his daughter said.

“No, we just do a lot of things out there,” said Derman, trying to play down his role. But she wasn’t having it. “No, Daddy, anything could have happened to that man. You did a good thing.”

Nya BanXXX

By Lue Dowdy

Arie Vee

Female EMCEE, Nya BanXXX; R&B Singer, Yung Muusik; and Singer Arie Vee is WHAT IT DO this week Inland Empire.

LUE PRODUCTIONS is holding its very first B.B.W. MODEL COMPETITION/FASHION SHOW and FUNDRAISER this Saturday at the San Bernardino Women’s Club located at 501 N. E Street from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Come out and watch these amazing artists do what they do and that’s ENTERTAIN. For information on this EPIC EVENT highlighting BIG BEAUTIFUL WOMEN please visit LUE PRODUCTIONS Facebook page or text (909) 567-1000.

Tickets are just $20 bucks. Hope we see you there. Until next week L’z!

By Naomi K. Bonman

As a Journalist and being able to interview people of all walks of life from celebrities to people in the community, my favorite stories and interviews are always from the locals; the people that you run into every day. In 2012, I interviewed Shawn O’Connell when he was running for Rialto City Council. He had a very gentle, sweet, and down to earth spirit. His love for the community was made him best fit to be a councilmember. The recent news of his passing was definitely a shock. Although, I only got to interact with him a couple times after the interview, he will definitely be remembered throughout the City of Rialto and in San Bernardino County.

In addition to his seat on Rialto’s council, O’Connell ran a patrol team and was a crisis negotiator for the SWAT team. He was Officer of the Year in 1998. He had never seen himself stepping into the world of politics, yet his mother who served on an East Coast school board instilled in him a passion for public service.

Dr. Jean Peacock is pictured with a quilt from her grandmother Mrs. Ella Lee of Sulphur Springs, Texas. Her grandmother was 96 when she died in 1978. The Anthropology Museum at California State University, San Bernardino opened an exhibition this week called, “Re/Collect: Memories of Childhood.” Check out the museum at: “Re/Collect: Memories of Childhood, Curated by Dr. Arianna Huhn & student Assistant Curators,” anthro.csusb.edu/resources/anthropology_museum.htm.

By Ronda Racha Penrice, Urban News Service

Kunta Kinte still haunts us.

Nearly 40 years after it premiered, Roots – Alex Haley’s iconic quest, tracing his ancestry from slavery back to Juffure, The Gambia – still inspires African-Americans to reclaim their heritage. Today, the ripple effect of the 1977 ABC miniseries is evident in reality shows, such as Finding Your Roots, and now the History Channel’s reboot of the epic TV program for a new generation. And African-American entrepreneurs have capitalized on the momentum by helping others find their own roots.

“The original Roots was extremely effective for all of us who saw it, black people who saw it, in planting the seed to wonder where am I from, where in Africa is my ancestor from, where is my Kunta Kinte, what was my name before Toby?” says Gina Paige, co-founder of African Ancestry, a Washington, D.C.-based DNA testing service. “African Ancestry was born out of a desire for black people to better understand who they are.”

African Ancestry came to prominence as part of Henry Louis Gates’s 2006 PBS series, African American Lives. Through the pioneering work of Paige’s co-founder, Dr. Rick Kittles, a renowned geneticist and expert in African lineages, the company helps clients uncover their own roots.

“In addition to losing our names, we lost our languages. We lost our traditional beliefs. Our families were torn apart. All of those things have an impact on us even today,” Paige says. “So, we’re the only company that allows people, black people, some identity restoration.”

That identity restoration, which costs $299 per test, can be powerful, Paige says.

After Isaiah Washington discovered his direct African lineage, the actor took an active role in the country where most of his bloodline was traced, she says. “He went to Sierra Leone specifically and then helped to rebuild a hospital and then got dual citizenship and started a foundation, specific to the people with whom he shares an ancestry.”

There are limits to DNA testing, Paige says. “If you’re just a consumer watching these shows, you think you can get one test and get all of that information, and that’s not true. It takes different types of tests, as well as genealogy research itself, to get the same comprehensive amount of information that celebrities receive on those shows.”

That’s where a professional genealogist such as Dean Henry comes in. Henry merged his IT background with his decades-long interest in genealogy and launched Family Pearl in 2013. In addition to traditional genealogical research, the Berwyn, Pa., company helps clients establish accounts on Ancestry.com and similar sites, digitize family documents and pictures, and maintain electronic family trees.

Television has motivated some clients to seek him out, Henry says. “They’ve seen some of the commercials for Ancestry.com, or they’ve seen some of the shows [like] Finding Their Roots, and it piques their interest. They always wanted to learn more about their family, but they didn’t really know how to go about doing it.”

While many folks want to know from where in Africa they descended, some people want to do so by ignoring the most painful period of American and African-American history – and you just can’t do that, says genealogist Kenyatta D. Berry, best known for hosting PBS’s hit series, Genealogy Roadshow. “That’s why you’re here,” she says. “The reason we’re living our lives, doing whatever we’re doing, is because someone survived that.”

On Genealogy Roadshow, Berry, the first black president of the Association of Professional Genealogists, tackles many difficult periods of history. In one recent episode, the Tuskegee Experiment played a central role in a guest’s genealogy. An episode this June features black people who owned slaves. In past programs, relatives who passed for white have surfaced.

Whether its Roots then, Roots now or the countless Roots-inspired TV shows, they all bank on this: knowing who you are is powerful. For Berry, it helps to cancel out the stereotypes and low expectations that black people constantly endure.

“If you listen to what people tell you, and you listen to what the media say about you, then you buy into that crap,” Berry says. “That’s why I think it’s so important to know your ancestors and your ancestry because, if you look at those who came before you, who survived and went through all of that stuff, then you will have more of a greater sense of power and empowerment.”

And that’s why, nearly 40 years later, Kunta Kinte still leads the charge.