By Lue Dowdy, LUE Productions

Royale Records Presents the Official Lorie V. Moore Birthday Bash and Video Release Party is taking place this coming Saturday, April 23, at Celebrities Bar and Grill located at 127 W 40th Street, San Bernardino, CA 92407. The bash starts at 2 p.m. There will be a special Live Performance by Lorie Moore and Special Guest, Annyett Royale, CEO of Royale Records. Sound will be powered by none other than Wendell Djwen Patterson. Don’t miss this amazing concert showcasing two very talented Queens. For Table Reservation Please email collectivenetwork2019@gmail.com.

X Factor Semi-finalist, Lorie V. Moore’s first single of the year “Rare Breed” is a product of her sudden growth on TikTok coupled with direct fan engagement. After allowing access to witness the process in creating this song, Lorie’s followers vocalized support during her live streams and donated to help the Chicago native materialize the official music video of which she wore the hats of director and editor. The Single was produced by AJxOTB, written by Lorie V. Moore and mixed and mastered by Johan Lowenstorm, co-founder of Zeptagram (a platform created to help artists sell shares of their music to fans and investors by creating NFTs). Both the Song and the visual are set for release on April 22, 2022. Staying devoted to her fan base, Lorie pays homage by placing elements from her TikTok content like comic relief to tell a complete story.

“Lorie is truly a Rare Breed. As her team, we are elated to be the label that presents this particular piece at this particular time in her career” – Annyett Royale

Longtime friend B. Slade and mentor Tisha Campbell were Lorie’s main industry influences, while the concept of the song itself was inspired by so many of her female-identifying-friends, fans, and supporters. Rare Breed examines the concept of what chivalry looks like today and how women who hold steadfast to their standards may be perceived in today’s environment.
Going beyond normal artist roles and taking on the Directing and Editing of the video, Lorie has developed new skills that have inspired and compelled her to enroll in the Los Angeles Film School where she is now studying Filmmaking. This added talent is sure to bring another dimension and layer to her already unique creative perspective. Be on the lookout for full scale productions from Lorie V. Moore in the future.

For more information, promo requests, or to arrange an interview, email ARroyalerecords@gmail.com.

COLTON, CA— On Thursday, April 14, a ribbon cutting ceremony and mural recognition was held at Elizabeth Davis Park located at 1055 West Laurel Drive in Colton for two newly renovated basketball courts. Project Backboard partnered with City of Colton, Operation New Hope, Five Star Basketball and Blue Shield of California to make the unveiling possible.

This mural is the first step in the much larger project to update and revamp the entire park for the surrounding community. This event featured a ribbon cutting ceremony followed by an open basketball game and a family zone featuring inflatables and games for children. The mural, court renovation, new backboards, and rims were jointly sponsored by Blue Shield of California and Five Star Basketball. This sponsorship is part of Blue Shield of California’s efforts to support community revitalization and resiliency efforts.

By Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media

Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) summed up what he viewed as the reason for low turnout and public engagement at the ninth meeting of the California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparations Proposals for African Americans.

“Rudimentary, basic communications of alerting the community about meetings must be mandatory. That’s the part where we failed. We have a great story to tell but we are not telling it,” Bradford said April 14 during the second session of the two-day meeting.

“Frankly, I thought we’d have standing-room only these two days. I thought everybody in California wanted to be here. I think we missed the mark in promoting the first in-person meeting. That’s where the frustration is and where it is with me.”

Held at the Third Baptist Church in San Francisco, located in the city’s historic Fillmore District, the first in-person meeting since the task force convened in June 2021 was hosted by the Rev. Amos Brown, who is vice chair of the task force.

Brown, who is also president of San Francisco’s NAACP branch, said the panel’s communication’s strategy, or lack thereof, “has been compromised.”

The few dozen attending the meeting had no difficulty finding a seat in the large sanctuary of the historic church, which is a city landmark.

Founded 170 years ago, the Third Baptist has been a spiritual and cultural hub for local community leaders and hosted national icons, including WEB DuBois, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Josephine Baker, Adam Clayton Powell Jr, and Paul Robeson.

Leading up to the April meeting, there were simmering disagreements about the public relations strategy of the task force. The tensions came to a head when task force chair Kamilah Moore expressed her “concerns” with the firms contracted to handle communications at the March 29 meeting.

For nearly two hours at that meeting, the panel discussed challenges it has experienced with the contracted communications teams.

The Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA); Young Communications Group, a Los Angeles-based PR firm; and A/B Partners, a national social impact firm — were contracted to run the task force communication shop through the California Department of Justice.

No representative from the communication firms showed up at last week’s meeting, which was attended by six of the nine task force members on the first day. Eight task force members were present the second day.

Due to the high levels of tension that surfaced at the meeting in March, task force member Dr. Cheryl Grills said A/B Partners “resigned,” fearing harm to its reputation and the “vote of no confidence” in the company’s work as reflected in the statements of some task force members.

Concerns about the Bunche Center and two communications firms were related to “seven anchor organizations” charged with conducting community listening sessions.

Aside from the task force meetings, the anchor organizations are responsible for hosting public-engagement sessions in April, May, and June.

Grills, a professor of psychology at Loyola Marymount University, defended the Bunche Center, citing unique structural challenges hindering the organization because it functions under the umbrella state government. Grills said those problems delayed the center from performing its duties although it was “operating at warp speed” to make good on deliverables.

The bottom line, Grills shared, is that the Bunche Center has to abide by UCLA’s snail-paced process of handling contracts. The staff at the center missed two important “deliverables” in January and February waiting for greenlights from higher ups.

“The approval process is not under the purveyance of the Bunche Center,” Grills said. “We must understand that UCLA is a high-level bureaucracy of the state of California, which means that nothing happens quickly.”

Task force member Jovan Scott Lewis, chair of the Department of Geography at UC Berkeley, supported Grills’ explanation by providing his experiences with the UC system of schools.

UCLA’s Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) review and approve proposals and contracts before a research project is conducted. And each anchor organization is required to submit applications to be categorized as “vendors” by the university.

“I think that there is something to be said for the complications of getting something out of this process,” Lewis said. “When you add in the actual intellectual limits of the (anchor organizations), the requirements are typical for IRB. It’s quite reasonable to think about the delays. That’s the UC system’s (process).”

Michael Stoll, professor of public policy and urban planning, the new director of the Black Policy Project, which is housed at the Bunche Center, addressed some of the panel’s concerns by phone.

Grill said it has not been a smooth experience but offered assurances that the Bunche Center will respond to the anchor organizations’ needs and provide guidance for listening sessions.

“I think we’ve been fairly responsive,” Stoll said of addressing the anchor organizations’ needs. “Our goal was to plan and execute the listening sessions to their best potential as possible, and I think we are doing it fairly well.”

Young Communications Group (YCG), a Los Angeles-based public relations firm, did not attend the meeting in San Francisco.

While operating without financial resources, Grills said the task force, YCG and A/B partners were in the process of finalizing contracts and were ready to proceed with directions from the nine-member panel.

“Everything came to a halt at our March meeting,” Grills said. “Unfortunately, we may have put a negative spin on the reputations of communications firms that have spent years building credibility.”

Since the start of 2022, national media coverage of the task force has increased, including Moore’s appearance on MSNBC’s Tiffany Cross Show to discuss the panel’s decision to use lineage over race as the factor that determines who is eligible for compensation. That decision squeaked through with a 5-4 majority vote.

Lewis was interviewed by NBC Nightly News for a reparations-related clip involving Black Gold Rush pioneers who may have lost their land to the state in the 1940s. Other members of the task force have made their media rounds as well.

Members of the task force say they want the community-engaged listening sessions to happen without a hitch.

Seven anchor organizations will host public listening sessions that will help the task force hear various perspectives of Black Californians as it assesses the state’s involvement in slavery and Jim Crow discrimination.

Chris Lodgson, a founding member of the Coalition for A Just and Equitable California (CJEC), one of the host organizations, told the task force in San Francisco to add more communications firms.

“I gotta keep it business with you but the performance of the communications firms has been subpar,” Lodgson said. “I want to encourage (the task force) to find additional firms to get the word out to the community.”

Before the April meeting ended, Moore who is listed on the ballot as a candidate for the 28^th District Senate seat, was officially appointed the task force’s spokesperson. She and Grills will serve on the “solutions-oriented” Advisory Board Committee working directly with the Bunche Center and Young Communications to “triage” media and public affairs activities, Moore said.

“What we’re dealing with can be complex and convoluted,” task force member Monica Montgomery-Steppe said. “And getting that across on a national stage, because we are the example of what we hope for this nation, does need a larger strategy…a level of experience.”

By statute, the task force will issue a report to the Legislature by June 1, 2022, which will be available to the public.

Bradford said the communication shop can be instrumental in writing press releases and speeches, conducting research, problem-solving and disseminating information.

“This (Task Force to Study and Develop Reparations) will sell itself if we get it to the right people,” he said.

VICTORVILLE, CA— This past weekend, Burning Bush Church in Victorville and VaccinateALL58, hosted a ‘Party with a Purpose Easter Extravaganza’. The event was led by Bishop David Denson, Jr. where the community celebrated Easter with a day of family fun, fellowship and wellness. COVID-19 vaccines, boosters and testing were available for ages 5 and older.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— Recently, Fifth District Supervisor Joe Baca, Jr. hosted his first “College and Career Day” for over 200 high school seniors that are a part of San Bernardino, Rialto, and Colton Joint Unified School Districts. The event took place at the Workforce Inland Center in San Bernardino and was meant to assist high school seniors explore their options after high school. The event had over 20 vendors that had informative and interactive information regarding both jobs and college education opportunities after high school, for students who were interested in either. They were taught how to create a strong resume, how to dress for an interview, and even explore various jobs with our County Fire, Police, and EMT departments and dozens of other workforce departments and explore post-secondary opportunities.

“Not every student knows what their future is going to look like after high school. Not everyone has a set plan and that is okay. But to sit and have no plan is what is not okay. Opportunities for personal growth in our community, especially in our youth are endless. I hosted this event because I wanted the students in our district to know there are opportunities out there for them no matter what they choose to do. Success after high school is possible for these young adults and all they must do is work hard and set their minds to any goal that they want to personally achieve. This event opened doors for lots of students in our district and let them know that our County is always right behind them every step of the way. We couldn’t have done it without all the vendors who came out to spread the word, so I thank you all for coming out to support our students and their future.” -Supervisor Joe Baca, Jr.

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

Pastor Amos BrownThe California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparations Proposals for African Americans will hold its ninth meeting this week on April 13 and April 14 at Third Baptist Church in San Francisco.

Both days, sessions begin at 9 a.m.

During the meeting, the task force plans to discuss the challenges some members say the committee has been having with communications organizations it has hired to develop public information campaigns and handle public relations.

The firms — the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA); Young Communications Group, a Los Angeles-based PR firm; and A/B Partners, a national social impact firm — are contracted to work with the task force through the California Department of Justice.

Task force chair Kamilah Moore expressed “concerns” with the communications firms at the task force’s March 29th meeting, questioning their ability to successfully perform the work the nine-member panel has assigned to them.

“We have given these (communications firms) upward of $1 million to do a job and they are not doing it by virtue of what has been stated in the contract,” Moore said of the issue from her perspective. “This is a serious concern. This has to be addressed sooner rather than later. We have to have a comprehensive conversation about this at our next meeting. We may have to open up the process again (to hear other communications firms) about what they can do and what deliverables they can bring to this process.”

One of the firms “missed at least two deliverables” in January and February, and the other two groups gave out a “wrong email” when they were asked for an address to a website about task force inquiries, Moore said.

Concerns about the communications firms are related to seven “anchor organizations” charged with conducting community “listening sessions,” according to Moore.

The anchor organizations — different from the communications firms – are tasked with hosting public listening sessions in April, May and June, said task force member Dr. Cheryl Grills, a professor of psychology at Loyola Marymount University.

The “anchor orgs,” as they are referred to in meetings, will help the task force hear various perspectives of Black Californians as it assesses the extent of the state’s involvement in slavery and Jim Crow discrimination.

Grills took issue with Moore raising concerns about the communications firms, specifically bringing up allegations involving her, without giving prior notice before speaking about them in public.

Pushing back, Grills publicly said Moore met with an attorney that “organizes” and “convenes” meetings for the anchor organizations a week before the task force’s eighth meeting held March 29 and March 30. Moore did not lodge any complaints with the attorney, Grills stated.

“You didn’t raise any concerns, so then you bring it up in a public forum,” Grills told Moore during the meeting. “You cast a potentially negative light on the communications firms and the Bunche Center. That feels unfair to me. From a process perspective, this is troubling to me how you are operating.”

The task force’s vice chair Amos Brown is the pastor of Third Baptist Church, where the next meeting will be held. It is located at 1399 McAllister in San Francisco.

On the first day of the April meeting, the history of discrimination at colleges and professional education institutions and the school-to-prison Pipeline will be discussed.

On the second day, the task force will preview its first report.

On the afternoon of April 14, the communications firms will present their strategies for responding to press inquiries, facilitating meetings for the anchor organizations and educating the California public on report findings.

The Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies was founded in 1969 as the Center for Afro-American Studies It was renamed in 2003 for diplomat, scholar, activist, and UCLA alumnus Ralph J. Bunche, who was the first Black person the win the Nobel prize.

According to its website, the Bunche Center supports research that expands the knowledge of the history, lifestyles, and sociocultural systems of people of African descent. It also “investigates problems” that have relevance to the psychological, social, and economic well-being of persons of African descent.

Recently, the work the task force is doing has been garnering national attention. But members say they must implement a stronger communications and public relations strategy leading up to the release of its findings.

By statute, the task force must issue a report to the Legislature by June 1, 2022. Their findings will be available to the public.

Other task force members who have fielded complaints about the communications firms are Sen. Steve Bradford (D-Gardena), Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles), and San Diego City Councilwoman Monica Montgomery-Steppe.

Brown told the nine-member panel that “communications have to be at an optimum.”

He told his colleagues that the task force must leverage mainstream media, and Black-owned newspaper reporters, editors, and publishers should be contacted and informed of the group’s activities.

The civil rights leader said that Black churches, nonprofits that do community activism, and social organizations should have inside knowledge of the task force leading up and after the reports are submitted to the state legislature.

“We’re in the driver’s seat. We have to tell them what we want to be done without delay,” Brown said of the communications firms. “If they can’t fulfill it … we might have to make a change.”

Inland Empire, CA – Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (COPE) is an organization whose mission is to train and develop the capacity of religious and lay leaders in congregations and across the Inland Empire to protect and revitalize the communities in which they live, work, and worship. Throughout the pandemic, this organization has done exceptional COVID education and vaccine outreach through various initiatives, including virtual town halls, outreach campaigns, and vaccination clinics in San Bernardino County.

COPE has established strong partnerships with San Bernardino County, Loma Linda Hospital, as well as San Bernardino High School to conduct COVID outreach and vaccination clinics. COPE also utilizes relationships with local community faith partners to connect regularly and coordinate clinic dates. One such partnership that COPE formed is with Inland Empire Concerned African American Churches (IECAAC). Together, they have been able to reach a broader faith-based community. Another partnership with San Bernardino Unified School District has allowed COPE to host vaccination clinics at San Bernardino High School, reaching the school age community.

Some of COPE’s outreach has been by way of virtual town halls, which allows the organization to reach a greater number of congregations and members of the community through social media. These town halls, which are conducted before their upcoming vaccination clinics, have allowed a direct platform for community members to have their questions and concerns about COVID addressed. This platform has been important for COPE as it has been a vital part of their Education for the community as well as given them the ability to understand what people’s fears are. Dates for upcoming clinics and registration links are also provided during announcements at these town halls. In conjunction with the town halls, COPE was also able to launch their Essential Faith campaign which included African American Faith leaders and churches in San Bernardino County communities, with the mission to further share COVID information and discuss the concerns and importance of getting vaccinated.

Laniea King, an administrator and lead on COVID support for COPE said; “One of the most important aspects of this work is community. And so, I think that in this climate, we still have more work to do. We still have to be diligent and make sure that we’re continuing to take the necessary precautions in order to overcome this virus.” Speaking about COPE itself, Laniea said; “As an organization, COPE is committed to continuing this work and will continue to do our due diligence in educating and vaccinating our community”.

To learn more about C.O.P.E. and Administrative Lead Laniea King, visit: Copesite.org.

San Bernardino County Fire Station 304, located in the City of Hesperia, has welcomed a new water tender into service. According to the department, the new tender carries 1,800 gallons of water and can pump 500 gallons per minute!

Captain Jeremy Kern said that the unit’s multi-use package will allow the tender to function on a multitude of fires. It has a remote joystick in the cab, allowing crews to stay inside while directing the flow of water, nozzle pattern and direction.

“While many of our areas utilize municipal fire hydrants, this new tender will help bring additional water to the scene when a hydrant isn’t nearby,” said Kern. “The high ground clearance, four-wheel drive and rear locker will allow the vehicle to traverse rough terrain and make access like a Brush Engine or Brush Patrol.”

This new tender will be a wonderful addition to our public safety efforts in Hesperia, and the entire High Desert.

Volunteers are still needed for the Community Health & Wellness Holistic Fair. The is event is Saturday April 16, volunteers would be needed from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. If you available to help, please visit https://forms.gle/JxxZECAy2gVY5TZFA to sign up.  And of course, if you cannot attend or volunteer, please share the flyer with your friends, your family, and on all your social media platforms.

By Aldon Thomas Stiles | California Black Media

Officials in Sacramento and Washington frequently point to the low unemployment rate in the state and around the country as proof that the U.S. economy has recovered from the downturn experienced during the global COVID-19 crisis.

But the total unemployment rate for Black Californians seems stuck at almost three times higher than the national rate – despite steady increases in overall hiring of African Americans in the state.

A sharp drop in the national unemployment rate for all Americans – down to 3.6 % in February — brings the number of people without jobs across the United States to just one tenth of a point above the pre-pandemic level of 3.5% (February 2020), according to data compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics at the U.S. Department of Labor.

In February alone, the U.S. economy added a remarkable 431,000 jobs, bringing the number of jobs created since 2021 to 7.9 million.

Cecilia Rouse, Chair of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, told California Black Media that the nation’s Black unemployment rate has drastically decreased since the pandemic related recession.

“At the height of this pandemic, the unemployment rate for Black people was 16.8% and from what we saw this month, it is down to 6.2%,” she said.

Overall, unemployment in California is also down from a pinnacle in 2020 during the peak of the pandemic. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined 10.5 percentage points from April 2020 to February 2022, from 15.9% to 5.4%.

According to the California Employment Development Department (EDD), the state’s economy has added 2,405,900 nonfarm jobs, “in effect, recovering 87.2% of the nonfarm jobs it lost during the COVID-19 recession.”

Although, Black unemployment in California has seen a decrease during the recovery period as well, it has not dropped to pre-pandemic levels, according to state officials.

Black unemployment was hovering at around 10 percent for the fourth quarter of 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. At that time, California’s overall unemployment rate was 7.5 %, about two points higher than it was for February.

Although the unemployment rate for Black Californians is higher than the state rate, it continues to move downward.

From April 2020 to February 2022, California increased its number of Black workers by 59,000, going from 1,009,000 in April 2020 to 1,068,000 in February 2022.

Before the Covid-19 recession from February 2020 to April 2020, there were 1,133,000 employed Black workers in California, according to the EDD.

Over the course of the COVID-19 recession, the state lost 2,758,900 nonfarm jobs and the unemployment rate rose from 4.1% in February 2020 to 15.9% only two months later. Over this time period, the unemployment rate for California’s Black workers rose 8.2 percentage points.

Across the country, the unemployment rate for African Americans is also decreasing, dropping from 9.5 % in March 2021 to 6.2 % in March 2022, according to the U.S. Labor Department.

“What we’ve seen is tremendous improvement in the labor market status for Black Americans, Black workers,” Rouse says, attributing the improving numbers to the American Rescue Plan, the Biden administration’s pandemic recovery initiative.

“It provided the resources to help us get through this pandemic,” said Rouse. “The management of the pandemic is fundamental and so integral to this strong labor market recovery that we’re seeing.”

Since 2021, growth in employment for Black Californians has been significant in three industries: Transportation and utilities, services, and the leisure and hospitality industries.

According to the EDD, there has been an increase of over 50,000 Black employed workers in the transportation and utilities industry, over 14,100 in other services, and over 13,700 in the leisure and hospitality industry.