By Valeria Howard-Cunningham | Special to California Black Media Partners

Los Angeles City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield claims that I torture animals.

Blumenfield, the author of a motion that will ban rodeo and equestrian events in Los Angeles, says in plain English in a new ordinance in front of the City Council that I and people like me who participate in rodeo events practice “inhumane” treatment of animals.

He says in plain English that I and people like me “encourage aggressive behavior in animals and inflict injury, pain and suffering on animals.”

As a rodeo lover, I take these false allegations personally.

I do not participate in any of the activities harming animals that Blumenfield alleges.

Neither does Kanesha Jackson, a proud Black young woman who is a 5-time Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo (BPIR) All Around Cowgirl Champion, an 8-time BPIR Event Champion, and mother of an upcoming rodeo champion named Kortney Solomon. She is also a farm owner who breeds championship horses.

Neither does Tory Johnson, a proud Black man, ranch owner, and one of our champion winners for many years. Or Krishan Adair, another proud Black woman and rodeo champion.

And neither did the cowhands in the Old West, where one in four were Black men. Nor Bill Pickett, the legendary Black cowboy, and namesake of my organization.

They, along with four generations of Black cowboys and cowgirls, inspire me and our audience to be part of the rodeo world. We have created a Black rodeo culture contributing to the history of the American West by practicing the sport of rodeo with affection towards the animals. For the cowboy and cowgirl, the animals are their best friends.

The BPIR has created a culture our community is proud of, one which keeps kids off the street, inspires hard work and goal setting, and helps people to connect with themselves and their emotions through animals.

Blumenfield’s proposed ordinance, rooted in lies and misinformation about rodeo, threatens to take all these positive activities away from the community in Los Angeles.

Excuse my directness, but I would ask: Is this what the Los Angeles City Council wants to do or intend to do, especially in the world we live in today?

The proposed ordinance is written so poorly that it would only allow some equipment to be used where the State of California specifically bans it to ensure animal safety. Although the confusion caused by this may help high-priced lawyers, it doesn’t help animals one bit.

In addition, the ordinance would ban the very equipment we use to train and assist our animals in the safest way possible, including lassos and flank straps – neither of which hurt animals in any way.

When you understand what the ordinance really does, you must ask why Blumenfield is pursuing it, after not bothering to obtain the facts and truth — or to understand how we care for our animals or how our equipment is used.

He did not ask the most diverse coalition ever created in Western Sports, formed to help educate lawmakers on a sport they’re not familiar with, about how we care for our animals daily. He didn’t ask our veterinarians, who are professionally dedicated to animal health and safety, about how all our rodeo equipment is used humanely all the time.

Blumenfeld’s actions of not educating himself to know the difference between truth and fiction lead me to ask, what the purpose of his agenda is, which is not the agenda of the majority.

The truth is often hard to find these days, and very few have regard for it. We implore the LA City Council to stand up for the truth and do what is right in recognizing they’re processing a harmful and unnecessary ordinance.

It is imperative that the City Council vote this ordinance down, or to make the changes outlined by the coalition for our elected officials, so that our community may continue to enjoy the culture and unifying sport of rodeo practiced humanely and aligned with California State law already on the books.

The City Council cannot ignore the will of the voters. Or the truth. Thank you for letting me speak it.

About the Author

 Valeria Howard-Cunningham is President of the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo.

Based upon the eponymous Universal film franchise written and directed by Malcolm D. Lee, the series will catch up with Harper, Robyn, Jordan, Lance, Quentin, Shelby, Candace, and Murch as relationships evolve and past grievances resurface in the unpredictable stages of midlife crisis meets midlife renaissance.

ABOUT THE SERIES:

• Premiere Date and Drop Cadence:December 22, 2022, all 8 episodes
• Cast: Morris Chestnut, Melissa De Sousa, Taye Diggs, Regina Hall, Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long and Harold Perrineau
• Creator of the Best Man Franchise, Co-Developed By, Writer, Executive Producer, Director, Co-Showrunner: Malcolm D. Lee of Blackmaled Productions
• Co-Developed By, Writer, Executive Producer, Co-Showrunner: Dayna Lynne North of Loud Sis Productions
• Executive Producer: Sean Daniel of Hivemind & Dominique Telson of Blackmaled Productions
• Produced By: Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group
• Directors: Malcolm D. Lee (four episodes), Charles Stone III, Robert Townsend and Stacey Muhammad
• Format: Limited Drama Series, 8 episodes x 60 minutes
• Filming Locations: New York City, Kearny, NJ and Dominican Republic

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

The California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparations Proposals for African Americans will be conducting its last meeting of 2022 on Wednesday, Dec. 14, and Thursday, Dec. 15, at Oakland City Hall Chambers located at 1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza adjacent to 14th Street. The start time is 9:00 a.m., for both days, beginning with one hour of public comment. The meetings will be live streamed via the official Task Force website or ETM Media on YouTube.

Task Force chairperson Kamilah Moore says that the next meeting is of high importance “for a few reasons,” and will include an in-depth conversation about redress and repair.

“No. 1, we will begin to refine community eligibility standards (including residency requirements); No. 2, we’re inviting leaders from local/municipal reparations efforts from across the state to share their incredible work (i.e., Oakland, Los Angeles, Berkeley, Russell City, Palms Springs etc.),” Moore said in a Dec. 1 written statement. “No. 3, it will be the first-time task force members will collectively discuss and begin to determine what types of reparation proposals will be in the final report that will be released in June 2023.”

The task force’s two-year charge is scheduled to end in June 2023.

California’s AB 3121, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom into law in 2020, created the nine-member task force to investigate the history and costs of slavery in California and around the United States.

The law charges the Reparations Task Force with studying the institution of slavery and its lingering negative effects on Black Californians who are descendants of persons enslaved in the United States.

From the information they collect the Task Force will develop reparation proposals for African Americans and recommend appropriate ways to educate Californians about the task force’s findings.

After the Task Force decided who would be eligible for compensation in March, the nine-member panel approved a framework for calculating how much should be paid — and for which offenses — to individuals who are Black descendants of enslaved people in the United States.

An expert panel reported to the panel in March that a “conservative estimate” of two million African Americans in California have ancestors who were enslaved in the United States. According to the US 2020 Census, there are about 2.6 million Black Californians out of a total state population of nearly 40 million residents.

The five-member expert panel, appointed by the task force, is quantifying past economic injustices African Americans faced in the state and elsewhere, and determining what or how much compensation should be for Black people living in California.

The expert panel includes Williams Spriggs (Chief Economist for the AFL-CIO and former Chair of the Department of Economics at Howard University), Thomas Craemer (Public Policy Professor at the University of Connecticut), and Dr. Kaycea Campbell (Chief Executive Officer for Ventana Capital Advisors and Associate Professor of Economics, Los Angeles Pierce College),  Dr. William A. “Sandy” Darity Jr., (the director of the Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity at Duke University), and Kirsten Mullen, (a writer, and lecturer whose work focuses on race, art, history, and politics).

All five experts participated on the first day of the two-day meeting held at the California Science Center in Los Angeles two months ago. Spriggs and Campbellattended the event in person, while the other three experts appeared virtually.

Campbell and her colleagues discussed with the task force the “models” to provide a “road map” that would determine how reparations would be “paid and measured.”

The experts presented “five harms or atrocities” down from 13 they originally proposed, that could be used to determine compensations.

Campbell said the five categories under review will not be “exhausted” until they have received enough data to complete the process.

“This is not to say that other harms and atrocities are not important. As soon as, or if we get better data or more recent data, then we can in fact go through the process of what these look like,” Campbell said.

The experts made “rough estimates,” of unjust property taken by eminent domain, devaluation of Black businesses, housing discrimination, the disproportion of mass incarceration and over-policing, and health inequities as the major harms.

Task Force member Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Inglewood) released the following statement as clarification to the public that the Task Force has not proposed that the State compensate descendants of slaves with direct compensation for historical housing discrimination.

Bradford said, “Since its formation a lot of misinformation and willful misrepresentation of the work from the Task Force has been released. The fact is that the Task Force has not completed its work and has made no formal recommendations to the legislature. It’s important that we be deliberative and get this right because the nation is watching and it’s more than likely ours will be the model for all to follow.”

Members of the community and media are encouraged to visit the Reparations Task Force website and subscribe to the task force’s mailing list for updates at: https://oag.ca.gov/subscribe or call or call (213) 519-0504.

By McKenzie Jackson | California Black Media

Steve Prudholme traveled from Malibu to South Bend, Ind. for ten days last month to cheer on his daughter, Sophia, and her Notre Dame Fighting Irish women’s soccer teammates in the NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship.

The younger Prudholme’s squad won three matches before being defeated, but her dad returned to the Golden State a happy father because his 19-year-old daughter is playing the sport she loves and getting a great college education.

“It makes me feel good to see her in that environment and also learning the trials and tribulations that sports teach you — especially from a female’s perspective,” Steve said.

The elder Prudholme said participating in sports allows Sophia to showcase her independence and strength of personality.

All of that is possible because of legislation championed by Democratic Congresswoman Patsy Takemoto Mink of Hawaii.

Mink co-authored and spearheaded the Education Amendments of 1972, more commonly known as Title IX. The law prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other education program that receives monies from the federal government.

Title IX was signed into law by President Richard Nixon on June 23, 1972 and renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act in 2002, after Mink’s death on Sept. 28, that year.

This week Mink would have turned 95. The tireless fighter for women’s rights and equity for everyone was born Patsy Matsu Takemoto in Paia, Hawaii Territory, on December 6, 1927.

Title IX ensures that young women are entitled to the same athletic chances as young men. It has been responsible for increasing the number of girls and women playing organized sports nationally.

Girl high school sports participation increased from 294,015 in the 1971-72 school year to 3.4 million in 2018-19 according to a study by the Women’s Sports Federation. Participation has risen at the collegiate level — from 29,977 athletes at NCAA schools 50 years ago to 215,486 a in 2020-21.

The educational law has helped increase female enrollment in college. Women accounted for nearly 60% of all college students by the end of the 2020-21 academic year, and women were awarded 57% of the bachelor’s degrees conferred.  Additionally, women earn nearly half of all law and medical degrees. Title IX is also a framework for handling sexual misconduct complaints on campuses.

Mink, known as an educational trailblazer, who changed the politics of gender, called Title IX her one of her most significant accomplishments as a member of Congress.

“I take special pride in honoring its contributions to changing our view about women’s role in America,” she said.

Mink served in Congress in two stints beginning in 1965. A Japanese American, Mink was the first woman of color to be elected to Congress, four years ahead of Shirley Chisholm, the first African American women elected to Congress.

University of California-Irvine professor of Asian American Studies Judy Tzu-Chun Wu said Mink’s bouts with discrimination fueled her advocacy for Title IX against educational bodies that tried to exempt themselves from the civil rights law.

“A lot of people associate Title IX with sports, but it’s really about all aspects of education,” Wu said. “It’s about admissions; It’s about scholarships; It’s about having a positive environment for women to be in school.”

Title IX turned 50 this year, so it and Mink have been the focus of celebrations nationally. A portrait of Mink was unveiled at the U.S. Capitol on the anniversary of Title IX’s signing by Nixon.

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi called Mink an American hero during the spectacle.

“With this portrait, the extraordinary courage of Patsy Mink will be known to all who come to the Capitol,” Pelosi said. “Women and girls — and that’s what I love about it — will know about her and that — her relentless fighting spirit. Patsy Mink made an enormous difference for women and girls in our nation.”

Many Americans don’t know about Mink’s championing of Title IX. “Women’s history is now more inclusive but there is still a tendency to celebrate the great white foremothers,” Wu said. “Sometimes Asian Americans are left out.”

Mink attended the University of Nebraska at Lincoln before graduating with a BA in zoology and chemistry from the University of Hawai’i in 1948.

While attending Nebraska, she was forced to live in a segregated dorm. She formed the Unaffiliated Students of the University of Nebraska for students of color who were prohibited from joining fraternities and sororities and the group succeeded in changing the university’s housing policies.

Mink’s ambition was to become a doctor, but being a woman of color, she was denied entry to 20 medical schools. She turned her focus onto earning a law degree and graduated from the University of Chicago Law School. In 1951 she married John Francis Mink, a graduate student in geology at the university.

She started her own law practice and became a lecturer at the University of Hawai’i after facing discrimination in her attempts to join a law firm.

Mink won seats in the territorial senate before Hawaii achieved statehood in 1959. In 1964, she became the first Asian American woman to serve in Congress. She won re-election five consecutive times.

Mink fought for equal rights and was against the Vietnam War and nuclear weapons. Her political leanings were steered by her background, Wu said.

“The society Mink grew up in was hierarchical in terms of class and race,” Wu said. “She experienced it in terms of gender. Those marginalizations shaped her desire to achieve equality.”

In 1976 Mink lost a bid for U.S. Senate. After serving as a member of the Honolulu City Council, she was re-elected to Congress in 1990 and served until her passing. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously in 2014 by President Barack Obama.

Wu said Title IX increased gender equality, but it is not completely implemented the way Mink envisioned.

“There are still ongoing battles,” Mink said. “There has been gender revolution, but it’s not complete. If we compared women’s lives from the 60s and 70s to now it would be drastically different. But again, it’s not complete.”

Shortly after Mink’s death, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA-43), paying tribute to her friend at a Congressional memorial, reflected on a WNBA game the two women had attended.

“It was just a few months ago that I sat at the WNBA All Star Game where Patsy was honored for her 30 years of work,” Waters said. “As I looked at all of those strong, tall women out there playing and my dear child, Lisa Leslie, who won the All-Star honor that evening, I thought it was a short, little woman that caused this tall, big woman to be able to realize her dreams, to be able to hone her talents. What a wonderful moment that was.”

This Article was supported by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library.

By Lou K Coleman-Yeboah

Danger is lurking around the corner in disguise. The signs of the times are evident. This is critically needed information from Christ to you about the end times. I encourage you to read it, reread it, and read it again. Study it, think about it, and pray over it, being convinced that it will all take place. Jesus Christ is not lying. He is telling you the truth, the truth about the end-times that you need to know and believe.

There are forces of darkness that are aligned against us that seek to undermine the Kingdom of God in our lives. Satan has been at work for a long time. He is cunning, and he knows where we are vulnerable. He knows our weaknesses and where we are suspect. And he is patient. He just waits for the opportune time. Just like when the people of Jerusalem were rebuilding the walls, their enemies sought to catch them off guard. They planned to catch them by surprise when they least expected it. The enemy looked for an opportune time. If you don’t recognize this, then you are unprepared for what is to come. Anyone can tell you that this up-and-coming New Year, God is going to bless you, but who will dare tell you what God has already revealed. Let us not be fools. Wake-up!

Destruction is coming to this seemingly mighty fortress. “The year 2023 will be the beginning of the worst years of our life, filled with death, destruction, fear, and mayhem. It will be the year Satan and his puppets will appear with many empty promises, peace, and security, but it will be the yoking of humanity. Do not be fooled! Never in our lifetime have we experienced anything on the global scale like what is to come.

Listen, I am not trying to frighten you, but in the next very few short years, we are going to be experiencing things that are going to literally change our life in ways we have never dreamed or imagine, and you better be ready for it. We are looking at the obvious, but I want you to hear and see spiritually what’s going on. The war is more intense now. The battle is so real and has been going on for some time now, but we have been so consumed with ourselves that we have not seen the enemy. Wake-up!

The Antichrist is the future evil tyrant who will rule the entire world at Satan’s behest just prior to Christ’s return. The Bible tells us the spirit of the Antichrist, is already at work [1 John 4:3], setting the stage for the great End Times deception. What signs do we see today that expose this gathering cloud of deception? How are Satan and his Luciferian co-conspirators deceiving the world as they roll out the New World Order? It is time for you to pick up your Bible and start reading and studying it, and then praying to God for wisdom and revelation to see through the lies and deception that now dominate our culture. Everything we have been experiencing, it is all part of the great reset, and it is all driving towards the same outcome, preparing for the arrival of the Antichrist. This is an urgent call. Wake up and do it NOW! [Romans 13:11-14].

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, speak to your people and say to them, If I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and make him their watchman, and if he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the trumpet and warns the people, then if anyone who hears the sound of the trumpet does not take warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet and did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But if he had taken warning, he would have saved his life. …[Ezekiel 33:1-33].

They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. [2 Thessalonians 2:10].

The Inland Empire job market recovered faster than anywhere in Southern California, with payrolls and a labor force climbing above pre-pandemic levels, according to a new economic report.

The report released Thursday by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) as part of its 13thAnnual Southern California Economic Summit, documents San Bernardino and Riverside Counties’ growth as a global supply chain hub, adding 63,700 jobs in transportation, warehousing, and wholesale trade since shortly before the pandemic. Other major employment gains have been reported in leisure and hospitality, which has fully recovered from its early pandemic losses and is up 17,600 jobs year-over-year, and the government sector, up 9,400 jobs year-over-year.

“Barring a recession, the Inland Empire labor markets will continue to perform well,” said Dr. Manfred Keil, Chief Economist for the Inland Empire Economic Partnership. “Clearly, the two-county region’s role in the supply chain is driving much of this, though sustaining growth in the long-term would benefit from prioritizing a diverse range of industries.”

Keil is part of a new Economic Roundtable convened by the SCAG – which hosted the Summit in downtown Los Angeles – to provide both a snapshot of the region now as well as a preview of economic opportunities and challenges ahead. Their research was compiled in a report that offered caution on turbulence ahead from global forces, but also promise that Southern California is better positioned than other regions to withstand it.

Among the factors that could moderate the impacts of a possible recession across the six-county SCAG region:

• Continued growth in core industries, such as information, logistics and tourism
• Measurable increases in labor productivity in 2022
• New development and construction in infrastructure and housing, both public and private
• Household debt and real estate values that are less likely to decline than elsewhere

“With improvements in the global inflation picture, combined with continuing 2022’s positive momentum, the region’s economy raises hopes that the much-anticipated global recession of 2023 will not severely impact Southern California,” said Dr. Gigi Moreno, Senior Economist at SCAG.

However, threats do remain. In the Inland Empire, housing affordability and rising interest rates are among the biggest challenges. Even as home sales have fallen for the past 15 months, higher prices and mortgage rates have reduced affordability by one-third, Keil said.

“Housing affordability becomes an even bigger issue as more and more people move to the IE, forcing prices up even higher,” Keil said, noting studies that have shown the Inland Empire among the fastest-growing population centers in the country.

Click here for the complete Southern California Economic Update.

NATIONAL—- Last night Trevor Noah, comedian, author and acclaimed host of The Daily Show, hosted a “Black Theater Night” for the Tony-winning Best Musical A Strange Loop, complete with a hilarious and insightful cast talkback. The event was open to all theater lovers but offered a special invitation to Black theatergoers.

Playwright, Composer and Lyricist Michael R. Jackson, creator of A Strange Loop; Choreographer Raja Feather Kelly and Musical Director Rona Siddiquijoined Noah and cast members James Jackson, Jr.; L Morgan Lee; John-Michael Lyles; John-Andrew Morrison; Jon-Michael Reese; Jaquel Spivey and Jason Veasey for the talkback.

“I’ve now been to A Strange Loop four times and it’s funny [but] every single time I come I feel like I’m focusing on something different, I’m learning something different and there’s a different part of the play that almost gets revealed to me,” said Noah, who called the show, “one of the most spoken about and one of the most lauded productions on Broadway.” The comic also congratulated the show on its recent Grammy Award nomination for Best Musical Theater Album.

Noah further said: “What I find interesting about it in particular is the first time you watch the play, for instance, you may think, depending on who you are, ‘Oh, this is a play about Black and white.’ The second time you watch it you may go, ‘Oh no. This is a play about religion and how it controls people’s lives and how it tells us how we should be or shouldn’t be.’ Then it becomes about acceptance. Each time it feels like there is a different layer. And really, the more I watch it, I realize it almost feels like a commentary on all these little prisons, all these structures, all these systems and I guess the most confining one being our minds.”

There are only seven more weeks to see the Pulitzer Prize-winning A Strange Loop, which will play its final Broadway performance on January 15. The show opened April 26, to critical acclaim at the Lyceum Theatre (149 West 45th Street). The musical is directed by Tony Award nominee Stephen Brackett, choreographed by Kelly and produced by Barbara Whitman, along with Page 73 Productions, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company and Playwrights Horizons.

Meet Usher: a Black, queer writer writing a musical about a Black, queer writer writing a musical about a Black, queer writer…

Michael R. Jackson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning, blisteringly funny masterwork exposes the heart and soul of a young artist grappling with desires, identity, and instincts he both loves and loathes. Hell-bent on breaking free of his own self-perception, Usher wrestles with the thoughts in his head, brought to life on stage by a hilarious, straight-shooting ensemble. Bold and heartfelt in its truth-telling, A Strange Loop is the big, Black, and queer-ass Great American Musical for all.

For more information on A Strange Loop visit https://strangeloopmusical.com.

Follow A Strange Loop on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube at @strangeloopbway

“‘A Strange Loop’ is a shattering, electrifying debut musical. Jackson’s score is packed with maddening melodies and clever rhymes.” – Entertainment Weekly.

“The new musical by Michael R. Jackson performs a phenomenal feat — it is both a raw and unflinching interrogation of identity and the most furiously entertaining show on Broadway.” – Variety

“Explosively imaginative. Dazzlingly one-of-a-kind. Broadway’s best new musical.” – Washington Post

“A dazzling ride. No measure of praise could be too much.” – The New York Times

????? “This is the musical we’ve been waiting for. A Strange Loop is unmissable.” – Time Out NY

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— Supervisor Joe Baca, Jr. successfully hosts his second annual Open House Holiday Toy Drive. This year’s open house had an incredible turnout and an overflow of toys that will be gifted to underserved children in the Fifth District, including Crestmore Elementary School in Bloomington, California. Not only were children’s toys donated, but toys for animals will donated to San Bernardino County’s Animal Care Centers as well. The event was to celebrate Supervisor Baca. Jr.’s second year in office and invite the public to see the current accomplishments and future growth in the years to come.

“Over the past two years in office, I have provided residents of my district with the revitalization of several parks, infrastructure improvements, a brand-new animal care center in Bloomington currently in the works and keeping our community safe by introducing three new deputies specifically assigned to be in Rosena Ranch. These are just a few of the many accomplishments we were able to achieve together this year and yesterday at our Open House we were able to come together and celebrate these positive changes in our Fifth District. Last night was truly so special and I appreciate all the groups and members of our County who came out to support the aspirations we have for our community. We couldn’t do it without all your love and support. Thank you all.” -Supervisor Joe Baca, Jr.

By Maxim Elramsisy | California Black Media

A poll of Black women and Latinas across California sponsored by Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA) and Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE)® found that 77% are experiencing some form of discrimination due to “personal characteristics,” including race or ethnicity, assumptions about income or education, and/or physical appearance.

“We have known that racism and discrimination take a toll on the mental health of our communities, and now we must factor in the disproportionate and lingering effects of the pandemic on communities of color,” said LaNiece Jones, Executive Director of BWOPA.

“What matters now is that we don’t sweep these added challenges aside but treat these barriers in mental health care for what they are, a crisis in care that must be urgently addressed,” Jones added.

The historic poll was conducted by Los Angeles-based public opinion research firm EVITARUS.

Responses were recorded from 800 Black and Latina women across California and the finding give insights about the most important concerns that they face with their families, accessibility of mental health services, preferences for providers, and priorities for approaches to create greater equity in the provision of mental health care.

Experts widely agree that the COVID-19 pandemic triggered an unprecedented global mental health crisis. People of color, young people, women, and those with low incomes are most at risk of mental health challenges before and after the pandemic, compounded by the added weight of a heightened economic crisis and instability, as well as more visible expressions of White Supremacy, anti-Blackness, anti-immigrant sentiment and hate crimes aimed at communities of color.

The current social and economic climate creates a distinctive set of pressures on Black women and Latinas. Thirty-four percent cite finances or issues related to inadequate income as the top concerns facing their households.  Safety, health, and housing also rank as chief concerns.

More than 3 in 5 respondents reported having a mental health concern for which they did not seek care from a provider. They attributed this to various barriers, citing travel expenses, length of travel time to appointments and inability to take time off work. Women without coverage for mental health services, those with mental health conditions, younger women, and those covered through Medi-Cal reported the highest rates of untreated needs.

The women that did seek help reported often having negative experiences. Seventy percent of Black women and 54 % of Latinas reported racial or ethnic discrimination. Another 59 % of Black women and 55 % of Latinas reported “assumptions people make about your income or level of education.” Fortypercent of Latinas reported discrimination based on “assumptions about their ability to communicate in English” and 28 % reported “assumptions about your documentation of immigration status.” Several other types of discrimination were reported, particularly relating to class, faith, size, and accent.

“Our research draws a direct line between the challenges in accessing mental health care for Latinas and Black women to the shortage of mental health professionals that share our backgrounds,” said Helen Torres, CEO of HOPE. “The data is a call to action for healthcare providers and educational institutions to address the negative impacts of a healthcare workforce that does not represent the communities it serves. We must take steps to close the representation gap and provide better care to all.”

Nearly half of respondents reported difficulty finding access to a mental health provider.

Fifty-seven percent of Black or African American women and 38 % of Latina women said that it was extremely important or very important to have providers of the same background, but more than half said it is difficult to find a provider who shares their values or comes from a similar background.  According to the Medical Board of California, only four percent of active psychiatrists practicing in California are Latino and only two percent are Black.

The ability to find a therapist with shared values and offering low-cost services were the most commonly reported barriers, though many also reported difficulty finding providers and services covered by their insurance. Insurance acceptance was the most documented problem across all age groups, underscoring the widespread unaffordability of mental health care.

Disparities in women’s health are well documented at almost every level of health care. Mental health is no different.

The mental health crisis is not specific to adults. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among people aged 15-19, according to a 2019 study on mortality.  Suicide rates among Black youth have been rising for more than a decade, most sharply among Black girls. According to a 2021 report, approximately one third of young Latinas seriously contemplate suicide.

Long-existing disparities in maternal health are also present with relation to mental health. Women of color suffer from higher rates of postpartum depression compared to White women. They also have a lower rate of screening and treatment for post-partum mood disorders.

The study recommended increased funding to address the barriers to getting adequate care, development of programs, scholarships and financial aid to increase the pipeline of Black women and Latinas in mental health related fields,which, experts say, will increase the number of mental health advocates and promotors who can work to help women navigate the system, and expand awareness among communities of color about the benefits of seeking help or support when facing mental health challenges.

The San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra will return to the California Theatre on December 17, 2022, for “Cirque de la Noel,” a holiday concert featuring the internationally acclaimed Cirque de la Symphonie performing group.

Shared Music Director and Conductor Anthony Parnther, “We decided to bring Cirque de la Symphonie back this season due to extraordinary popular demand,” adding “We cannot be more grateful to our exceedingly generous presenting sponsors, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians.”

The Symphony’s artistic leader has recently been the recipient of significant notoriety for his role as conductor of the scores of several 2022 box office smashes, including the top-grossing movie in the world, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the new Disney+ fantasy-adventure series Willow, and the Holiday Action-comedy Violent Night, and epic war drama Devotion, all of which opened this past weekend.

Cirque de la Symphonie will add an additional level of festive artistry through awe
inspiring performances by their renowned aerialists, jugglers, hula hoop and cyr wheel
experts and quick-change artists all choreographed to a variety of music mindfully spanning the holiday orchestral repertoire. Established by ballet and circus veteran Alexander Streltsov in 1998 for a special PBS production with the Cincinnati Pops, Cirque, troupe members originate from across the globe.

“We are so pleased to once again collaborate with Cirque as they brought such joy to everyone in attendance when they last performed with us in February of 2020,” said Symphony Executive Director Dr. Anne Viricel, adding, “I am certain this festive concert will inspire many happy family memories.”

The evening’s offerings will include traditional American holiday fare like Leroy
Anderson’s “A Christmas Festival” (1950) and “Sleigh Ride” (1948), and Leon Jessell’s
“Parade of the Wooden Soldiers” (1933), to new arrangements of old favorites like
Carmen Dragon’s 2012 reimagining of “Deck the Halls,” to contemporary compositions
like Jeff Tyzik’s 1994 Chanukah Suite.

Beloved cinematic scores will also find their way into this celebratory evening, including
John Williams’ “Flight to Neverland” from Hook, Alan Silvestri’s “The Suite from Polar
Express,” and Howard Blake’s “Walking in the Air” from the 1982 animated film, The
Snowman based on Raymond Briggs’ 1978 children’s book of the same name.
Classical masterpieces including “Waltz of the Flowers” and “Trepak” (Russian Dance)
from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker will be performed, along with “Dance of the
Buffoons” from Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Snow Maiden and Georges Bizet’s
L”Arlesienne Suite No.2 from Alphonse Daudet’s drama of the same name.

“Along with our Summer Patriotic and our Movies with the Maestro Series, SBSO fans can expect an Annual Christmas Festival each year replete with all your holiday favorites and a few classical staples alongside them,” added Parnther. In keeping with the festive theme, audience members are encouraged to attend dressed in their favorite holiday attire.

“Everyone loves this magical season,” said Symphony Board President and former City
of San Bernardino Mayor Judith Valles. “On December 17th, no matter what this past
year has brought us, we can forget our troubles for a while and gather together as a
community in the spirit of the holidays.”

Ticket Availability

Single tickets for all SBSO concerts are available online at
www.sanbernardinosymphony.org or by calling the box office at (909) 381-5388. Box
Office hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday. Tickets are $30 – $100 with
students and active military always just $15. The availability of tickets cannot be
guaranteed on concert night.

The California Theatre is located at 562 W. Fourth Street in downtown San Bernardino.
Free, lighted parking is available directly across from the venue.