SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- The City of San Bernardino celebrated the reopening of Second Street between Arrowhead Avenue and Mountain View Avenue on Tuesday, March 14, restoring vehicle and pedestrian traffic to a key downtown corridor. The road had been closed for three years for the demolition and reconstruction of the Second Street Bridge, which passes over Warm Creek and was found to have structural issues in 2020.

At a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the completion of the bridge, Mayor Helen Tran stated, “I share in the excitement of our residents and businesses in the reopening of Second Street. It is a small bridge, but a big connection point.”

When Caltrans found structural issues with the bridge in March of 2020 and ordered it closed to vehicles and pedestrians, plans were already underway to replace it. In February of 2021, the City awarded a contract to Ortiz Construction to construct a new bridge. Construction began in June of 2021.
“I would often get asked by constituents when Second Street would re-open,” said Council Member Damon Alexander. “We are pleased that today is that day.”

Completion of the project was delayed by over a year due to supply chain issues experienced by both the contractor and Southern California Edison, who needed to construct new electricity connections through the new bridge to downtown San Bernardino.

“This project was the poster child for the supply chain issues experienced at the height of the pandemic,” said San Bernardino Public Works Director Daniel Hernandez. “I’d like to thank our contractors and utility partners for their flexibility and patience with each other.”

The project was further delayed last summer to ensure the existing electricity connection remained in place to meet peak load demand downtown.

The cost to replace the four-lane bridge was just over $3.2 million. Approximately $2.6 million was funded by the City, and $600,000 was funded for project design, inspections, and contingencies by Caltrans.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— The time has come to the last few weeks of the Knights training and completing of their six-month culminating program. Together they have learned, volunteered, persevered and staying the course. Through this process they have maturing and are ready for the next journey in their lives. The Social Lites’ Inc goal since 1968 has been to prepare these young men to understand the struggles and opportunities involved in the journey to succeed in college and in life.

They are recognizing these outstanding five Knights who are on their way to prestigious colleges across the country and will return to serve our communities. The community is invited to join them for the 56th Annual Beautillion Scholarship Program on April 1, 2023, at California State University San Bernardino in the beautiful San Manuel Student Union Building. The black-tie formal events’ tickets can be purchased for $50 at the door as you will witness the crowning of Sir Knight 2023.

If you have questions, please contact the Business Manager, Brenda Daniels at (909)856-6341 or the President, Sheri Lewis at (909) 320-0799.

By Jasmyne A. Cannick

I do not get triggered easily. However, the Pepper Tree Elementary students in Upland, Calif. who say they were subjected to racist bullying managed to trigger random memories of my own childhood, as I am sure it did for many Black adults who went to predominately white institutions (PWI) for grade school.

As a young Gen Xer, it’s funny the things I can remember and the things I cannot (IYKYK).
I don’t remember much from my elementary school days during the 80s in Hermosa Beach, but I do remember that my best friend lived up the street from me, was white, and her name was Jeanette. I remember she came from a fairly large family?—?I think they were from Texas. And I remember that her family reminded me of the Beverly Hillbillies.

Let me preface all of this with, I didn’t know anything about racism as a child other than the carefully curated Black History we were taught?—?and that wasn’t much. The first 12 years of my life were very sheltered. Now I am sure my parents have their stories about being one of less than a handful of Black families in Hermosa Beach during the 80s, but whatever they endured, as a kid, I was oblivious to it. And for a time?—?maybe too long of a time?—?I thought I was just like all of the other kids at my school.

However, back to Jeanette and me. I don’t remember why Jeanette and I became such great friends, but we did. Her parents were always nice to me, and I remember that whenever they went out to dinner at Norm’s or Bob’s Big Boy, I was always invited to go along and vice-versa.

Jeanette had big brothers and kids back then and used to like to get into things. I remember one night, for no particular reason, her brothers decided they were going to “break in” to our local elementary school. And for context, breaking in just meant sliding through the gate. This was the 80s in Hermosa Beach, after all. I was spending the night at Jeanette’s, and we wanted to tag along, and they let us. I remember it was dark, and we were running across Prospect Ave., and I heard her brother say something to the effect, “Damn Jasmyne, you’re as Black as the sky.”

We all laughed, me included. I didn’t know any better. I didn’t think he was being racist at the time because I didn’t even have a concept of racism. Maybe he didn’t either, but looking back now, it was definitely a very racist thing to say.

While I can’t remember one minute after I put a pot of water on to boil for tea or where my keys are (IYKYK), I can somehow remember that comment from Jeanette’s brother 35 years ago. Now, of course, today, it doesn’t sit right with me, but I used this example to show how racism?—?even subconsciously?—?has a way of staying with us long after the incident and into adulthood.

That’s why when I heard the story of the Ethiopian 6th grader at Pepper Tree Elementary School in Upland, California, being given a “Golden N-Word Pass,” it enraged me. He didn’t even know what the n-word meant. He just thought it was a means to an end to stop being bullied for being Black.

Believe it or not?—?using the n-word as a term of endearment is an African-American thing?—?not an African or Black thing. So being an Ethiopian, as a child, he didn’t know what the n-word meant exactly. He just thought that if he signed it, he would stop being bullied. He had to go home and ask his mom what the n-word meant. His mother told reporters that she herself didn’t know what the “n-word” was and had to Google it.

“You might think I know that but from the country where I came from n-word means?—?it’s an alphabet for me,” said Kabene Gabremariam. “So I have to go ahead and Google that and I have to learn what the meaning of which really breaks my heart.”

Similarly, listening to 13-year-old Chloe Jenkins recount her experience being the only Black person in her class and assigned to be a slave in an American Revolution reenactment triggered another experience that I still can remember. I was a slave during a reenactment of a slave auction at Will Rogers Middle School in Lawndale. In fact, I can even remember that my friend Mitzie was the auctioneer.

But that was in the 80s, and it’s 2023. And while it wasn’t appropriate back then, I would like to think that we’ve made some progress?—?but it seems that we haven’t made enough.

Why is this still happening to Black children? I am not the world’s leading expert on child welfare or parenting, I don’t even have kids. That said, no one can convince me that the children involved in the racist bullying at Pepper Tree Elementary didn’t learn this behavior from the adults around them. Kids, especially those of the age involved in the bullying, have not been alive long enough to develop the kind of hatred they are displaying. They mimic the language and behavior they see and hear at home. Whether subconsciously or consciously, what we have is a situation where if this goes unchecked, these same children are going to turn into the same type of racist adults found in our schools and police departments today that we continue to work to expose and eradicate.

And it goes both ways.

I can remember driving in South L.A. some years ago with my then-kindergarten-aged godson. Something happened with another driver, and I must have said something aloud about it, because he quipped, unsolicited, mind you, “Stupid Mexicans!”

I was so shocked, and looking in the rearview mirror, I asked him where he learned that, and he said that’s what his mom always says. He learned that day from me, that was not something he should ever say?—?even if his parents say it.

I’m telling you, kids are like little sponges soaking up everything happening around them.

It’s hard to expect a child not to be a racist when their parents have given them the green light, literally and figuratively. If you ask me, having a racist parent as a child should be considered a form of maltreatment if it isn’t already. Child abuse is not just physical violence. It is any form of maltreatment by an adult, which is violent or threatening to the child, including emotional abuse that harms a child’s emotional well-being. I’d argue that being raised by a racist harms a child’s emotional well-being.

It’s sad to know that all of these years later, this is still happening in our schools. However, I am proud of the Black students at Pepper Tree Elementary for stepping forward publicly about the abuse they’ve endured from other children. But the onus is not on them to fix the situation. It’s on the parents of the bullies, teachers, and administrators who allowed this situation to fester and get to the point it is now. We know from the suicides of 10-year-old Seven Bridges in Kentucky and, more recently, 10-year-old Isabella “Izzy” Tichenor in Utah, that bullying is real and has real effects and consequences, whether verbalized or not, on children. Bullying cannot be left unchecked.

The students and parents at Pepper Tree Elementary are doing the right thing by exposing the racism and the bullying and, in doing so, are setting an example and adding to the playbook for other Black children and their parents on how to go up against Goliath (their schools)?—?and win.

Jasmyne Cannick is a Gen X award-winning journalist and on-air contributor in Los Angeles. She writes and talks about the collisions at the intersection of politics, race, and social issues. She’s online at iamjasmyne.com.

This oped can be link to online here.

As of earlier this week, the online interactive snow removal map created by the County Public Works Department showed that 409 miles or 79 percent of the roadways maintained by San Bernardino County had been made passable by crews working around the clock since last week from Mt. Baldy and Wrightwood to the eastern edge of the Big Bear Valley.

Please view this video documenting the County’s progress.

Passable means at least one lane open with less than 8 inches of snow, which can be navigated by four-wheel drive vehicles with chains.

As of this afternoon, 100 percent of the County roads in Wrightwood County Maintained Roads are at 100% passable with properly equipped vehicles and crews are working on clearing and widening the roads.

County Public Works crews also continue to make progress servicing County-maintained roads in the Crestline and Lake Arrowhead area, where more than 60 percent of the roads are now passable.

Please avoid driving and parking on newly plowed roads. The pathways are needed for emergency vehicles and additional plowing.

While the County is closing in on 100 percent clearance of County-maintained roads, those who live on privately owned roads must need to contact a private contractor to remove snow. The County and Caltrans are prohibited from plowing private property.

For other snow guidance from DPW, visit our Snow Removal Frequently Asked Questions site.

Meanwhile, mountain residents are urged to remember that if they make to down the hill on either Highway 18 or Highway 330, there is a very strong chance they won’t be allowed back up. For those who find themselves stranded down the hill, there is a Red Cross shelter at Redlands East Valley High School. For assistance, call 909-387-3911.

By Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media

This past weekend, the California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparations Proposals for African Americans received insight on how the state government might implement recommendations the panel submits in its final proposal due before July 1.

Chas Alamo, the principal fiscal and policy analyst at the California Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO), appeared remotely in front of the panel as an expert witness during the two-day meeting held March 3 in Sacramento.

Alamo offered “several paths that could be possible for ultimate recommendations” by the task force to “flow through the Legislature and become state law” and how they can “apply” to the creation of the proposed California American Freedman Affairs Agency (CAFAA). The agency, if approved, would oversee compensation the state authorizes to Black California residents who are descendants of enslaved people in the United States.

The LAO is a non-partisan office overseen by the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC), a 16-member bipartisan team. It is the “eyes and ears” of the State Legislature ensuring that the executive branch is implementing legislative policy in a cost-efficient and effective manner. Its biggest responsibility is analyzing the Governor’s annual budget.

Alamo explained to the task force how the recommendations they make will likely become state policy.

“The creation of a new agency would be initiated through the governor’s executive branch and reorganization process, but other options exist,” Alamo said. “Regardless of the path, to initiate a new agency or enact any other recommendation that makes changes to state law, fundamentally both houses from the state Legislature would have to approve the action and the governor will have to sign it.

During discussions at the Sacramento meeting, the task force began the process of clearly defining CAFAA’s role, focusing on adding clarity to the agency’s mission as overseer for other entities offering reparations in the form of assistance to Californians who qualify.

After a two-hour spirited debate at the meeting – the 13th convening of the task force so far — all nine-members agreed that CAFAA that would have specified powers and its structure would include an administrative body that guides implementation.

“The proposed entity would be an agency, independent agency, that would provide services where they don’t presently exist (and) provide oversight to existing (state) agencies,” task force chair Kamilah V. Moore said.

Khansa “Friday Jones” Jones-Muhammad, is the vice president of the Los Angeles Reparations Advisory Commission. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.

CAFAA would facilitate claims for restitution and would set up a branch to process claims with the state and assist claimants in proving eligibility through a “genealogy” department, the task force members said. A commitment to assisting with the implementation and operation of policies and programs being considered for recommendation would also be in the purview of the agency.

The concept of CAFAA is based on the defunct federal Freedman’s Bureau. On March 3, 1865, Congress passed “An Act to establish a Bureau for the Relief of Freedmen and Refugees.” The bureau’s main objective was to provide food, shelter, clothing, medical services, and land to newly freed African Americans.

Ward Connerly, the African American political activist who led the ballot initiative that outlawed Affirmative Action in California in 1996, Proposition (Prop) 209, told FOX News one day after the task force’s Sacramento meeting that offering reparations was a “bad” and a “goofy idea.”

Connerly, former President of the California Civil Rights Initiative Campaign, has made objections to reparations for about a year now as California gets closer than any government in United States history to making amends for historical injustices committed against Black Americans.

“California is a progressive state but we’re not insane,” Connerly told FOX News on March 5. “So, I think that people of this state would rise up and say ‘no.’”

The two-day meeting in Sacramento was held at the Byron Sher Auditorium at the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) in downtown Sacramento. Both days attracted crowds, mainly comprised of interested individuals and groups from Southern California and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg attended the second day of the meeting. Steinberg is one of 11 mayors who pledged to pay reparations for slavery to Black residents in their cities.

Similar to efforts in Los Angeles, Oakland, San Francisco, and Richmond, Sacramento is focused on developing a municipal reparations initiative through the city’s ongoing Sacramento Centered on Racial Equity (SCORE) initiative.

“I wholeheartedly support reparations and think everyone should,” Steinberg told the task force panel on March 4. “If government should stand for anything, it should stand for investing in communities and people who have been the victims of discrimination and disenfranchisement for far too long.”

A participant stands and waits to give public comment at the March 4 Reparations Task Force meeting in Sacramento. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.

The task force also recommended “appropriate ways” to educate the public about the task force’s findings and future reparations actions by the state.

The charge calls for building a collective base of knowledge to inform racially diverse communities in California about reparations, appealing to different ways of learning, expanding task force discussions into mainstream conversations, and inspiring reflection and action among all residents of California.

Task force members Dr. Cheryl Grills and Don Tamaki presented the proposal.

The next two-day task force will return to Sacramento at the end of March. For more information on the next meeting, visit the California Department of Justice’s website.

RIVERSIDE, CA—The Foundation’s annual College Television Awards recognizes and rewards excellence in student-produced programs from colleges across the country. Winners in the competition will be announced by television stars at the red-carpet awards ceremony April 1 at the Television Academy in North Hollywood, California.

Pettit has been nominated, along with two classmates from Brigham Young University, in the Animation Series category for a piece titled Cenote. Pettit served as the producer on the project, which was selected from over 132 submissions from colleges and universities nationwide by Television Academy members.

Cenote tells the story of Axel, a small axolotl who gets separated from his family by ancient magic. Along with an unlikely human ally named Memo, Axel must find his way out of the cenote he’s trapped in to get back to home.

Pettit graduated from Brigham Young University with a BFA in animation and a minor in computer science. He is currently a character shading/groom TD at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, California.

“The world needs content that is not only uplifting but entertaining in nature,” said Pettit. “The story we told at its core is about the feeling of being alone and relying on others’ strengths to strengthen yourself and accomplish your goals. Being able to briefly connect the audience to the emotion of abandonment and then showing them how to reach out and rely on others’ strengths was something we wanted to show to our audience.

“I hope to create a greater voice for unique stories and technology that have not been heard or seen before,” continued Pettit. “As a character shading artist, I wish to push the bounds of what 3D animation can look like. We live in an exciting experimental time in animation both in story and look development. I hope to be a large force in encouraging this experimentation in the industry.”

2023 College Television Awards nominees will also participate in a variety of professional-development activities from March 29-April 1, including a special screening of all nominated projects attended by members of the Television Academy, an industry-professionals networking breakfast, Hollywood studio visits and additional career-enhancing activities before the red carpet awards show.

Nominees and winners of the 42nd College Television Awards automatically become members of the Television Academy Foundation’s alumni family, gaining access to year-round networking opportunities, events and professional development resources. Prominent College Television Awards alumni include CNN national correspondent Natasha Chen; Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan director Patricia Riggen; Maya and the Three executive producer Jorge Gutierrez; and Love, Victor executive producer Jason Ensler.

NEW YORK, NY— Patrick Cupid, an emerging, self-made contemporary fashion designer, unveils “Letting Go,” his ninth collection for the Fall – Winter 2023 collection. “Letting Go” celebrates the freedom of self-release from social conformity and embracing the simple joys of life through personal aesthetics.

The collection forgoes trends for a more classic approach in a focused manner that reflects the individual. Exploring the autumn of self-discovery by shedding the concepts that aren’t representative of the self while expressing a style that begins to define who you are. The collection will debut in Paris March 5, 2023.

“Letting Go” collection highlights the colors Midnight Blue to reminisce the wildness of New York’s nightlife. The colors Dalila, Electrified Orange, and Cream demonstrate a floating symphony and elegant wave of colors. These colors with floral prints will provide a bold look for the fall and winter.

The Fall – Winter 2023 Collection will integrate designs containing long flowy dresses with seductive cuts in silk material. This collection will also incorporate textured wool, that will top the look off. These designs are hand-crafted providing a chic look. To allow for a nostalgic feel.

“True style is innate and not fabricated. It is a defining characteristic that speaks in a quiet voice not related to trends but to the individual,” says Fashion Designer Patrick Cupid.

The following high-end boutique stores will carry his luxury designs: CityGirl Atelier (San Francisco, CA), Felt (Chicago, IL), EJ On Thames (Newport, Rhode Island), Sandy Glam Boutique (Rhode Island), De-Essentia (Charlotte, N. C.), Shop Boutique (South Carolina), Affaire Estrangers (Paris, France), Wolf And Badger (London, Britain).

For more information about Patrick Cupid, please visit www.patrickcupid.com, email info@patrickcupid.com and (212) 748-7302.

About Fashion Designer Patrick Cupid:

Patrick Cupid is an emerging, self-made contemporary designer fashion brand that plays the formality of elegance against the ease of elevated sportswear, enveloping a cosmopolitan instinct. The first collection, “All in Jest,” started a conversation around independent style without social restrictions in Fall 2019.

The brand tells a story of independence and evolving culture through clothing seamlessly translating from professional to social. Each collection features a custom print designed by Patrick Cupid himself, emphasizing the seasons’ concept’s philosophy.

By Lou K Coleman

“Going through your daily life and your daily routines acting as you know that you have tomorrow promised to you. You act like there is time to waste and things can wait. You put off the things of Me and you only concern yourselves with the things of this world. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. “Walk Circumspectly, Not as Fools, but as Wise.” Because I tell you, things are going to change dramatically. Do not be one of those who I have to turn away when all is said and done. Time is of the essence. [Psalms 39:4-6; 90:12]. Do not delay! You must get yourself together if you are going to be able to survive what is coming. Turn from your procrastination! Do what I’ve told you to do, and do not waste any more time! You’ve been warned! I, the LORD, have spoken! The time has come, and I won’t hold back. I will not change my mind, and I will have no pity on you. Therefore, “Walk Circumspectly Not as Fools, But as Wise!”

Listen, the Bible is actually very clear about what is coming. We are living in a very troubling time in this world. The world conditions have escalated from confusion to chaos. In Revelation God gives us three different accounts of the end time. These are given in the Seals, the Trumpets, and the Vials. Heed the warning as we near the Rapture and Great Tribulation prophesied in the Book of Revelation. For there is only one place to be safe and that is in Christ. So, consider today with some urgency your eternal life. With as much going on in our society and in the world today, tomorrow is not promised. “Walk Circumspectly Not as Fools, But as Wise!”

And he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God. But when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and withdrew the disciples. [Acts 19:8-10]. It then became too late!

By Maxim Elramsisy | California Black Media

This profile is part of a series of 10 California Black Media articles capturing the stories of elected Black Mayors working to make a difference in the lives of Californians in large cities and small towns across our state.

When the City of Fontana hosted NASCAR Feb. 24, third-term Mayor Acquanetta Warren served as an honorary official for the final run of the Cup Series Pala Casino 400.

According to Warren, Auto Club Speedway, formerly California Speedway, will undergo reconstruction that will reduce its size from the current two-mile track to a half-mile one.

One observation stood out for Warren as the mayor reflected on the final race on the racetrack that opened in 1996 in the city about fifty miles east of Los Angeles.

“I’m seeing way more African Americans working on the cars. They are more among the vendors, and I think in two more years, we’ll have even more,” she said.

“I’m constantly trying to get younger sisters and brothers that look like me to understand that you can have these dreams and they can be fulfilled,” Warren told California Black Media (CBM). “Don’t limit yourself.”

Although stock car auto racing has a well-known lack of racial diversity, particularly among owners and drivers, former NBA great Michael Jordan bought a majority stake in NASCAR’s 23XI team in 2020. Driving the team’s “23 car,” a nod to Jordan’s Chicago Bulls jersey number, is Bubba Wallace, NASCAR’s only active Black racer.

Other racing teams are becoming more diverse, too. Lamar Neal, a 29-year-old Black man, was on the pit crew for Kyle Busch’s race-winning team.

“It’s a sport that’s waiting for young smart people, not just drivers or pit crew, but the analytical side, the engineers — a whole world waiting for young, good people,” said Warren.

As the race cars revved up their engines to the thundering roars of the race spectators, Warren said she was reminded that inflation continues to skyrocket and that natural gas prices are running higher than normal — a point many guests attending the series also pointed out.

“We recognize these are really hard times, especially with the gas costs. People are calling me with bills [totaling] $600 to $800 when they’ve been paying $52 a month. That is terrible,” Warren told CBM.

Leaders must respond urgently to the high costs, Warren said.

Enter Fontana Eats, a program distributing gift cards for food to residents of the city.

“We had already been working on this program, but I want to increase [the amount people in the program receive]. It is also an opportunity for us to get our residents out more and do it safely,” she said. “They can go to restaurants, or they can go to grocery stores.”

When Warren was elected mayor in 2010, she was an experienced local politician, having served eight years on the city council.

Like many places around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic presented new challenges.

“We probably had over a half a million free masks to give out,” Warren said, recalling a step the city took responding to price gouging by some businesses.

Measure EE, in San Bernardino County, narrowly passed in November 2022. It directed elected representatives for San Bernardino County to research and advocate for all methods (including secession from the state) for receiving an equitable share of state funding and resources.

Mayor Acquanetta Warren greets JROTC volunteers at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California on February 26, 2023. (Maxim Elramsisy | California Black Media)

“I really advocated for people to vote for [Proposition] EE, because it’s a study on whether or not we’re obtaining the funds fairly in this county. We always are the stepchildren,” said Warren. “San Bernardino County is the largest county in the United States by land mass. Yet, we can’t really make it work if we’re not getting adequate funding.”

For example, Warren says her city does not have enough courthouses and judges.

“People talk about fairness, equity and due process. Well, it would help if we could get them into court and get them out of jail. If you don’t have the resources, everybody has to wait,” she said.

In addition to advocating for funding and tackling food insecurity, Warren is pushing for more public parks.

“We’ve always focused on our recreation, particularly for our young people. We don’t want them to be graduates of sidewalk university,” she said. “We’ve got softball, we’ve got baseball, football, soccer, basketball. We have various programs that the kids can sign up for. They can do arts, they can dance.”

According to Warren, the city now has 59 parks to keep its 220,000 residents active.

As she walked across the front straight away, Warren spoke with anyone who approached her, and she stopped by to a room full of teenagers from the Boys and Girls Club of Fontana.

Warren says she moved to Fontana after the Rodney King riots in 1992 shook her neighborhood in Compton.

“When I got appointed to be the first African American on the council, people were making a really big deal, but I discounted it,” she said. “For many residents though, it was a big deal. The Black pastors and a lot of the older African Americans in this community called me to a meeting and they let me have it. They let me know that I stood on their shoulders, and they were proud of me.”

Warren is an advocate for more diversity among people addressing the challenges all Californians face. This month she was named the Chair of the Southern California Water Coalition’s Board of Trustees.

“We need more African Americans in the water world. All these people are retiring,” she said.

Although several heavy storms have hammered California over the past three months, including a historic storm disrupting the weekend race schedule, Warren doesn’t think California’s historic drought is over.

“The challenge will be, can we capture the water when it melts, and store it, and that’s where we fall short,” she said.

Drivers resume the race at the final NASCAR race on Auto Club Speedway’s 2 mile configuration in Fontana, California on February 26, 2023. (Maxim Elramsisy | California Black Media)

By Rick Burke, Navy Office of Community Outreach

MILLINGTON, TN. – A native of Rancho Cucamonga, California, recently completed an intensive 10-week training program to become a member of the elite U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard.

Seaman Vicktor Flores, a 2013 Chaffey High School graduate, joined the Navy six months ago. Today, Flores serves as a U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guardsman.

“I joined the Navy to serve my country after being influenced by my family’s commitment of service,” said Flores.

Established in 1931, the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard is the official honor guard of the U.S. Navy and is based at Naval District Washington Anacostia Annex in Washington, D.C.

According to Navy officials, the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard’s primary mission is to represent the service in Presidential, Joint Armed Forces, Navy, and public ceremonies in and around the nation’s capital. Members of the Navy Ceremonial Guard participate in some of our nation’s most prestigious ceremonies, including Presidential inaugurations and arrival ceremonies for foreign officials.

“The biggest thing I’ve learned from being in the Navy is leadership,” said Flores.

Sailors of the Ceremonial Guard are hand selected while they are attending boot camp at Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Illinois. Strict military order and discipline, combined with teamwork, allow the Ceremonial Guard to fulfill their responsibilities with pride and determination. They are experts in the art of close order drill, coordination and timing.

The Ceremonial Guard is comprised of the drill team, color guard, casket bearers and firing party.

“I enjoy serving at my current command because I am able to execute ceremonies and missions that very few are fortunate to do in the Navy,” said Flores.

There are many opportunities for sailors to earn recognition in their command, community and careers.

“I am proud of taking the first step of joining the military, and proud of the fact that I was chosen to be a Ceremonial Guardsman,” said Flores.

As a member of the U.S. Navy, Flores, as well as other sailors, know they are a part of a service tradition providing unforgettable experiences through leadership development, world affairs and humanitarian assistance. Their efforts will have a lasting effect around the globe and for generations of sailors who will follow.

“Serving in the Navy means protecting my family, loved ones and the people that came before me to serve and defend our Constitution,” added Flores.