SAN BERNARDINO, CA— Four distinguished young men were presented to society on Saturday, April 2, 2022, at the beautiful campus of California State University. The 55th Annual Beautillion Ball was no disappointment to a packed house of spectators as each young man was introduced along with their courts. Elegance, excitement, and suspense were thick in the air as the Knights and their courts performed dances with precession for their guests.

The Keynote speaker was Dr. Anthony Blacksher, faculty chair of sociology at San Bernardino Valley College with concentration in Africana Studies. He is the son of late Anthony and Lisa Blacksher, where he spoke truth, life and history into the young men as well as shared his spoken word through his poetry.

The evening concluded with the swearing in of our newest Sir Knight Kuzari Jelani Akinlana Osonduagwuike was dubbed Sir Knight, receiving over $10,000.00 in scholarships and awards for the prestigious title. Additionally, Kuzari received $6,000.00 for the Social Lites, Inc., Evan T. Carthen Emerging Leadership Memorial Award, and $1,500.00 for the Lisa Blacksher-Owens Memorial Award. Cumulatively, Sir Knight Kuzari was awarded over $18,000.00 and received countless gifts for college expenses to allow him to pursue his dream to become a Documentary Producer for the big screen.

Syrano Ware and Talmadges Hughes lll were both awarded 1st Runner – ups with receiving $2,000.00 each, MacBook laptops and accessories. Syrano Ware also won the Social Lites, Inc., Lisa Blacksher-Owens Social-Lites Memorial Awarded of over $1,500.00, in addition to other gifts of his choosing for his college education.

Talmadges Hughes lll was awarded 1st Runner up receiving an additional $1,000.00 for the Social Lites, Inc., Evan T. Carthen Emerging Leadership Award, and $500.00 for the Social Lites, Inc., Lisa Blacksher-Owens Social-Lites Memorial Award, in addition to other gifts of his choosing for college expenses.

Freddie Fletcher received over $1,000.00 for the Alumni Award and the Social Lites, Inc., Lisa Blacksher-Owens Memorial Award. Each young man received a host of Resolutions and Proclamations by local mayors and dignitaries.

As we conclude our ceremonial event, our work is NOT over. With your help, we are seeking our next black and brown young men to set on the path toward higher levels through their education. The Social Lites program is a non-profit (501c3) program that created the Beautillion Program. It was started in the Inland Empire out of concern for the future and survival of the young black and brown men in the community in which they live and serve. This program is designed to help young men who are seniors in high school prepare for college through the solicitation of ads, leadership development, accountability, responsibility, etiquette, attire for all occasions, spiritual growth, public speaking, and community service.

If you know any boys or young men 6 yrs old to 1st year in college who aspire to improve with their educational aspirations. Please reach out to us so that we can bring them into the program. If you would like to donate to our cause, we appreciate all contributions. To date, we have we have given out approximately 2.5 million dollars in scholarships to our college bound young men.

For more information, please call chairperson, Sheri Lewis at (909) 320-0799 or co-chairperson, Elsie Paulino (951) 205-8823 or publicity chairperson, Marlene Davis at (909) 709-5502.

Senate has confirmed Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Jackson was confirmed 53-47. Three Republican senators — Mitt Romney (Utah), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), and Susan Collins (Maine) — joined all 48 Democrats and two independents in voting to confirm Jackson to the nation’s highest court.

Jackson, 51, will become the Supreme Court’s 116th justice and the first Black woman ever to sit on its bench.

Vice President Kamala Harris, the nation’s first woman, first Black person, and first Asian American to hold that office, presided over the historic vote.

“In the 233-year history of the Supreme Court, never has a Black woman held the title of justice,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a speech before the vote. “Ketanji Brown Jackson will be the first, and I believe the first of more to come.”

Jackson watched the vote unfold with President Joe Biden at the White House.

Jackson will take her seat when Justice Stephen Breyer retires this summer. She will be the third Black justice, after Thurgood Marshall and Clarence Thomas, and the sixth woman.

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

The Sacramento Police Department (Sac PD) has made two arrests in the mass shooting that happened in the early hours of April 3 in downtown Sacramento.

Brothers, Dandrae Martin, 26, and Smiley Martin, 27, are in SAC PD custody.

Dandre Martin was booked Monday for felony assault and illegal firearm possession charges, according to Sac PD. Charges against Smiley Martin, who was hospitalized after sustaining injuries during the shooting, are for possession of a firearm by a prohibitive person and possession of machine gun.

According to public records, the younger Martin has an outstanding arrest warrant in Riverside County for violating two terms of his probation related to a domestic violence arrest in 2014.

His older brother, Smiley Martin, was granted early release last year from a 10-year prison sentence for domestic violence and assault with great bodily harm — despite opposition from Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert.

Schubert said Martin assaulted his girlfriend who he had been “encouraging” and “assisting” to work as prostitute.

“He located her hiding in her bedroom closet and hit her repeatedly with a closed fist on the face, head, and body, causing visible injuries,” Schubert wrote in a letter opposing Martin’s release. “He then dragged her out of the home by her hair to an awaiting car. After he put her in the car, he assaulted her with a belt.”

Six people died from the shooting. The 12 wounded individuals who survived the incident suffer from minor to critical gunshot wounds. They are all in stable condition.

The investigation is ongoing.

“We want to thank the community for the overwhelming assistance that has been provided. To date, we have received over 100 videos and/or photo files provided through the community evidence portal. We continue to encourage the community to use the community evidence portal to directly provide the department with photos and videos,” Sac PD said in a statement Apr. 4

As the investigation progressed, Sac PD Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team and other detectives served search warrants at three residences in an area that has yet to be disclosed. At least one handgun reportedly related to the shooting has been recovered.

The shootings that have made headlines across the state and around the world happened in an area near the California State Capitol known for its restaurants and bars, a popular after-work hangout for politicians, staffers and other government workers.

Around 2:00 a.m., Sac PD officers responded to the sounds of shots fired in the busy part of downtown around 10th and K Streets, four blocks east of the Golden 1 Center where the NBA’s Sacramento Kings play. Over 100 rounds were reportedly fired into a crowd.

The deceased are Sergio Harris, 38; Melinda Davis, 57; Yamile Martinez-Andrade, 21; Johntaya Alexander, 21; Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, 32; and 29-year-old DeVazia Turner.

Stevante Clark, a Sacramento activist, told California Black Media two victims, Harris and Turner, were related.

Clark said he was with Harris’s wife Leticia Harris when a Sac PD Captain, at Clark’s insistence, told her about her husband’s death. Clark said Mrs. Harris was “out there all (Sunday) morning,” trying to get information.

“This is so sad. It breaks my heart” Clark said. “This is community violence.”

The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office will be “reviewing all related evidence in this investigation” to determine appropriate charges, the Sac PD stated.

On the afternoon of Apr. 3, Sacramento Police Chief Kathy Lester said a “stolen handgun” was recovered at the scene. Sac PD stated after the arrests that the weapon had been “inspected and found to have been converted” to a gun “capable of automatic gunfire.”

Sunday’s mass shooting is the second in Sacramento in under two months. On Feb. 28, five people were shot and killed after a man opened fire at a church in the state’s capital. The man shot and killed his three children and a man who was with them before taking his own life.

No link has been established between the mass shooting and organized crime, but gang activity has been on the rise in Sacramento.

In November 2021, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the results of a multiagency investigation into Sacramento-based criminal street gang activity that resulted in a number of arrests.

Gangs in the area are allegedly responsible for a series of violent crimes, including homicides. A total of 26 individuals were arrested, and more than 125 firearms were seized by state agents.

Most of the firearms confiscated were assault weapons, including “ghost guns.”

Ghost guns are un-serialized and untraceable firearms that can be purchased online and assembled. They are often sold through “ghost gun kits.”

Lester did not provide details of the stolen handgun used in Sacramento’s most recent shooting, but the SAC PD chief said a semi-automatic, high-velocity weapon was used.

“What happened is the biggest and most recent example of what we all know,” Lester said at a news conference hours after the deadliest shooting in the city’s history. “Gun violence is truly a crisis in our community, and it has increased not only here in Sacramento but across the nation.”

Do you have a special talent you’d like to share with the community? The San Bernardino County Fair is seeking competitive entries for categories including fine arts, wood carving, photography, ceramics, cooking, and much more! Deadline to apply is April 15. The fair will run May 28-June 5 at the Fairgrounds in Victorville. Learn more and apply here.

HESPERIA, CA— Several law enforcement agencies, including Hesperia Police, Victorville Police and CHP Victorville attended Hesperia Christian School’s First Responder Day last week. It was so wonderful to see deputies interacting with the students and inspiring them to pursue careers in public safety!

Easter will be celebrated on April 17 this year, and the First District is planning several fun family activities to honor the occasion.

In Apple Valley, don’t miss the annual Easter Egg Hunt and Eggstravaganza on April 16 at the James Woody Community Center. The event will include an egg hunt, food, games and more. For more information, call (760) 240-7880.

Town of Apple Valley will host its Bunny Run 5K and 10K at 7 a.m. April 16. The event will kick off at the James Woody Park and Community Center at 13467 Navajo Road. For more information, call (760) 240-7880 or visit them online.

Burning Bush Church will host a community event in Victorville from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 16. All are welcome to enjoy free bounce houses, games, food, music, covid testing (with a free gift card for everyone who tests), vaccinations (with free food from a food truck), a photo booth, and vendors. For more information, please call (760) 241-6221 or visit them online.

Calico Ghost Town’s Easter Celebration returns to Yermo on Sunday, April 17. Guests can enjoy photos with the Easter Bunny and a special pancake breakfast with eggs and bacon at the Calico House Restaurant. Learn more by calling 760-254-1123 or visit them online.

City of Victorville will host its annual Spring Festival on April 16 at Hook Park. Visitors can enjoy egg hunts (for kids 3-9 and special needs families), a kids zone, carnival games, visits with the Easter Bunny, vendors and more. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 14973 Joshua Street. For more information, call (760) 245-5551 or visit them online.

Hesperia Recreation and Park District will host its Kids Easter Egg Hunt at 10 a.m. April 16 at Hesperia Community Park, located at 10200 Datura Road. In addition to the egg hunt, guests can enjoy bounce houses, carnival games, car show, vendor booths, food trucks and photos with the Easter Bunny. For more information, call (760) 244-5488 or visit them online.

High Desert Second Chance is hosting its annual Easter celebration from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 16. Enjoy free family activities, giveaways and prizes, and a classic car show and contest. The event will take place at 16666 Smoke Tree Street, Building B4, Hesperia. Public parking is available on Chestnut, C Avenue and Smoke Tree streets. For more information, call 442-267-4444.

By Joe W. Bowers Jr. | California Black Media

What happens when you’re a vocal critic of bad decisions made by administrators at your local school district?

If Inglewood Unified is your local school district, you might receive an email from one of their highest priced lawyers questioning your intelligence and warning you that he is determining if you’ve engaged in actions that could be interpreted as threatening to people. The following is the email I received:

Dear Mr. Bowers:

I am in receipt of your email to Dr. Torres demanding a response to your Public Records Act Request (“PRAR”) concerning contracts or communications with TSS. The District’s response which was sent 41 minutes prior to your email was fully compliant with its obligations. I cannot tell if you took the time to review the website contained in the District’s response. Assuming it took you 15 minutes +/- to draft your email to Dr. Torres you certainly did not have time to conduct a thorough review of the material to which you were directed. Either way, the District has responded to your PRAR, and your email correspondence is moot.

On a different but related note, I have been advised that you have been in communication with TSS and made various threats or comments or statements which could be interpreted as threats. I am waiting for confirmation of the timing and content of those communications before taking any further action. I would, however, caution you that First Amendment rights do have limits and that in the heat of the moment people say things and/or threaten actions which take themselves outside of that protection. I suggest you consider keeping that in mind.

Finally, in the future please direct all further communications to the District to my attention. Your communications are increasingly hostile and District staff and administrators are entitled to perform their duties without fear of harassment or threats no matter how much you a person may disagree with their actions.

Thank you for your attention to this matter and compliance with my request.

David
David M. Orbach, Esq.
Orbach Huff & Henderson LLP

Recently I wrote an op-ed titled “Opinion: Closing Warren Lane Elementary in Inglewood Is a Terrible Decision.” The school district has experienced a significant decline in enrollment and closing some schools is fiscally responsible. The criteria they’re using to select which schools to close deserve scrutiny and criticism because they are not employing California Department of Education best practices.

Warren Lane has more attributes justifying keeping it open than shortcomings that justify closing it.

Conducting research for the op-ed, I made a California Public Records Act (CPRA) request for information about Total School Solutions (TSS), the consulting company that recommended closing Warren Lane Elementary School.

I wanted to review the TSS contract because, according to the California Secretary of State’s website, their business license was suspended by the Franchise Tax Board. When a company’s business license is suspended, technically, they can’t legally transact business until it is resolved.

The school district waited the maximum time CPRA allows to respond to requests and then informed me the information I was requesting could be found on the school district’s website.

The information I was seeking is not there. So, I notified County Administrator Dr. Torres that the school district was not being responsive to my public records request and demanded that they provide the records requested.

Rather than complying with my request, the school district is playing hardball and doubling down on withholding the information. And, to rub it in, sent the email that you just read.

Orbach, a lawyer Inglewood Unified has on retainer, seemed fascinated by how fast I answered the email they sent me about my public records request. He calculated my response time and concluded that no way was I capable enough to review the website as quickly as I did and conclude it did not have the information I requested.

I don’t know if Orbach is a racist, but I find his timekeeping stunt and comments about my response time are. If he intended to insult me, he failed because I don’t care what he thinks. Also, my correspondence was not “moot” because Inglewood Unified is hiding the TSS contract in violation of
CPRA.

But what is more disturbing and insidious about Orbach’s email was his disclosing that he had “been advised” that I have “made various threats” and he’s “waiting for confirmation”. I regard his disclosure as trying to be intimidating and bordering on character assassination.

Now, if he is referring to anything I’ve written about the closing of Warren Lane, no one has commented that I’ve said anything threatening.

My contact with TSS was only to confirm the status of their suspended business license on the Secretary of State’s website.

It’s clear to me what the school district lawyer is trying to do. Dog whistle phrases like “increasingly hostile”, “heat of the moment”, and “before taking any further action” say to me, “you’re an out-of-control angry Black man and if you don’t back off, the law is coming after you.”

It looks like criticizing Inglewood Unified about closing Warren Lane touched a nerve, although the email does not mention Warren Lane. But implying that my communications have been threatening to people, I feel, is a veiled attempt at getting me to stop criticizing a terrible decision.

Orbach’s aggressive action on behalf of the school district needed to be exposed and rebuked, that’s the reason I wrote this op-ed.

Taxpayer dollars are involved. He is directing me to send any communications I have with the school district to his attention and he’s surely not reviewing them pro bono.

The Los Angeles County Office of Education has oversight responsibility for Inglewood Unified. The public deserves to know why a school district which is in state receivership is permitted to pay a lawyer to try to silence a community member exercising their First Amendment rights.

The San Bernardino County Workforce Development and Victor Valley College are teaming up to host an Industrial Maintenance Mechanic Job Fair on April 14. Planned from 10:30 a.m. until 1 p.m., the event will include the following employers: Mitsubishi, Rio Tinto, Arden Companies, Robertson’s Ready Mix, UFI, Tree Island Wire, Amazon, CEMEX and CalPortland. The event will take place at 13313 Sabre Boulevard, Suite 2, Victorville. Register here.

LOS ANGELES, CA— PAFF announced the full lineup for the 30th annual Pan African Film & Arts Film Festival, the largest Black film festival in America, taking place April 19 – May 1, 2022. This year the festival will make its return to the Cinemark Baldwin Hills for in-person screenings, featuring over 200 films from 55 countries, in 18 languages, including 58 World and 32 North American premieres.  Of the films selected for the festival, 46% are helmed by female, queer, or non-binary filmmakers, and 80% are directed by filmmakers of African descent.  Many titles will also be available virtually for in-home screenings via the festival’s streaming platform Eventive to audiences worldwide.

The Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza will once again host its renowned Artfest, featuring over 100 established and emerging fine artists and quality craftspeople from all over the Black Diaspora.  Festival Passes and individual tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at www.paff.org.

BIG NIGHTS

The 30th Pan African Film & Arts Festival opens Apr. 19 at the Directors Guild of America with REMEMBER ME, a poignant look into the life and rise of gospel singer Mahalia Jackson and starring Grammy-winning singer Ledisi. The Centerpiece presentation are the winning films from the JOHN SINGLETON SHORT FILM COMPETITION.  Inspired by the legacy of the late Los Angeles-born legendary African American filmmaker, John Singleton, the competition is the result of a partnership between the City of Los Angeles and PAFF under L.A. City Council President Herb Wesson’s embRACE L.A. initiative and is designed to honor Singleton’s cinematic legacy while simultaneously celebrating his unapologetic approach to filmmaking. The Festival will also host the premiere of FX Network’s hotly anticipated “Snowfall” Season 5 finale and Showtime’s “The Man Who Fell From Earth,” starring Chiwetel Ejiofo. The full schedule is available in the online Festival Program.

Click here to download PAFF’s 2022 Quick Facts and Highlights

CELEBRATING 30 YEARS

7,200 miles away from Los Angeles in Ougadodo, Burkina Faso, the idea to showcase Black film and filmmakers in Los Angeles was born. It was 1989, the 20th anniversary of FESPACO also known as The Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou, the largest film festival in Africa. There, Ayuko Babu, Danny Glover (The Color Purple, Lethan Weapon), and others with the help of then-Chairman of the U.S. Subcommittee on Africa Rep. Mervyn Dymally and Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaoré conceived a plan to bring African cinema to the U.S. Thirty years later, the Pan African Film Festival (PAFF), is still going strong and is the largest Black film festival in America.

Ticketing
Festival Passes and individual tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at www.paff.org.

Festival Sponsors and Partners
PAFF is sponsored in part by the City of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell through the Department of Arts and Culture, LA Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson, LA Councilmember Curren Price, LA Councilmember Herb Wesson, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, LA Arts COVID-19 Relief Fund with the California Community Foundation, and the LA County COVID-19 Arts Relief Fund administered by the LA County Department of Arts and Culture.

The 30th Pan African Film & Arts Festival’s sponsors include major Festival sponsors: Stocker Street Creative, FX Networks, and Glassdoor.

About the Pan African Film & Arts Festival  

Established in 1992 by Hollywood veterans Danny Glover (The Color Purple, Lethal Weapon), the late Ja’Net DuBois (“Good Times”), and Ayuko Babu (Executive Director), the Pan African Film Festival is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that has remained dedicated to the promotion of Black stories and images through the exhibition of film, visual art, and other creative expression. PAFF is one of the largest and most prestigious Black film festivals in the U.S. and attracts local, national, and international audiences. In addition, it is an Oscar-qualifying festival for animation and live-action films, and one of the largest Black History Month events in America.

For media inquiries please contact press@paff.org.

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2022 PAFF MEDIA
CREDENTIALS APPLICATION

2022 PAFF TALENT SUBMISSIONS APPLICATION

Life is full of ups and downs, and you never know how your plans can be easily turned around. It’s a given that racial trauma causes pain, strain and distress, but it is often suppressed.

Lisa Collins, Ed.D is an educational researcher who planned to study trauma, but instead explored her lived experiences. She became her own research subject after her medical doctor demanded she take time off from work. The outcome? Dr. Collins examined her racial trauma and found a solution and healing for herself and others. She recently reflected on healing from racial trauma at a TEDx Carioba Studio event, an independently organized TED event, released March 2, 2022.

Dr. Collins has an interesting backstory and comes from a loving family. Fostering healing was ingrained in her throughout her life. Her grandfather was a sharecropper in rural Arkansas and worked until he could have enough money to have his own land.

“I believe that my grandfather, mother and my ancestors racially fought for me, and they did. And now I’m fighting for the racial well-being of my children, and their healing,” she recalls.

The request to take time off from work was a wake-up call for Dr. Collins. In the middle of researching trauma for her doctorate, she started looking at herself and reflecting on her own life. After her primary care doctor suggested taking time away from work, Dr. Collins began her journey through racial healing. When she heard a small voice say, “You’re the subject of your research,” she listened and an autoethnography was born.

Dr. Lisa Collins’s research on Healing from Racial Trauma: A Consciousness Journey in Autoethnography, examines the ever-going frustrations of people of color that generate racial trauma and health implications, silenced by ignorance and avoidance. During her TEDx talk, she describes instances of microaggression in predominantly white institutions as the catapult for her research on racial trauma, and her experiences as the basis of that research.

Dr. Collins wrote about her lived experiences in three organizations. She gathered data, pictures, poems, written reflections, experiences, and discerned each one. She coded them. Coding and qualitative research are how she defined and understood each artifact. She looked at each artifact and highlighted parts or all of it.

“So, my research consists of 61 artifacts and 178 highlighted quotes,” she explained. “Six themes emerged. Organizational trauma, racial trauma, systemic oppression, settler colonialism, white supremacy, and racial healing. The most prevalent experience was racial trauma. The one with the least amount was racial healing. Racial trauma happened five times more than racial healing.”

Racial trauma, according to Dr. Collins, is unlike other forms of trauma. She believes that most black people experience racial trauma regularly. She said that many of us have learned how to suppress it and because of that, we are confronted with unforeseen health complications.

As a black educator, racial trauma cumulated the inevitable stress, anger and anxiety that she felt throughout her career. The lack of racial trauma awareness for people of color shut the door to healing and confronting generational trauma that exists in BIPOC communities.

Dr. Collins’ research yielded a call to action for greater community well-being and racial healing groups for BIPOC and NON-BIPOC people. Her research and her healing led to a coaching model that will help people of color to be able to recognize, learn, heal and pass it on to other people. Using her research, Dr. Collins aims to coach people of color on how to live in white spaces

without losing their sense of self and identity. She currently facilitates racial healing spaces at various times during the year. With a resulting goal to help others build community and heal from the past, she is well on her way to creating a better future for us all.

About Lisa Collins
Lisa Collins is an educational professional with over 25 years of experience. She holds degrees in psychology and education and works as an assistant professor at Lewis and Clark College and the Director of her small business, Education Through Engagement, LLC. As a learning and development professional, she supports talent management and business partners to solve workforce challenges. She brings a gender and equity lens to her working environments and her communities as a person of color. She uses Conscious Freedom and Interpersonal Neurobiology frameworks to enhance her consulting. Dr. Collins brings multiple perspectives, creates community, and studies racial healing to her work. She serves on the Oregon Assembly of Black Affairs, the advisory board for Strategies of Trauma Awareness and Resilience with Eastern Mennonite University, and On The Inside, a creative outlet and healing for incarcerated women.

Creatively, Dr. Collins is a playwright and filmmaker with works produced in New York (Manhattan Repertory Theater) and Portland (Hipbone, Portland Center Stage, and the Armory). Her short film, Be Careful What You Ask For has won selection in the Fertile Ground New Work Virtual Festival 2021, Manhattan Repertory Short Stories Film Festival 2021, Pacific Northwest Multicultural Film Festival 2021, and Portland Film Festival 2021. She is also currently the host of her own Podcast, Love and Light with Dr. Lisa. The show is designed to identify and find the need for a life of peaceful love-filled existence and engagement with tough topics by leaning in and incorporating healing. The Podcast is featured on the #1 positive talk network, streaming live on www.transformationtalkradio.com.

For more information on Dr. Lisa Collins and her research, please call 971-238-9608 or visit www.educationthroughengagement.com.