SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- The San Bernardino County Public Health Department on Friday (Dec. 17) delivered more than 1,000 over the counter COVID-19 testing kits and face masks to Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (C.O.P.E.), a nonprofit faith-based organization of Black churches in the county.

“Our County is among the first in California to provide these over-the-counter tests to our nonprofits,” said San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors Chairman Curt Hagman. “We are leading the way on COVID-19 response by working with trusted community organizations to provide tests kits and masks to keep our communities safe and healthy.”

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the County has worked in partnership with C.O.P.E. to get people tested and vaccinated, Hagman said.

C.O.P.E.’s mission is to train and develop the capacity of religious and lay leaders in congregations across the Inland Empire to protect and revitalize the communities in which they live, work, and worship.

“On behalf of Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (C.O.P.E.), and Inland Empire Concerned African American Churches (IECAAC), we want to thank Supervisor Curt Hagman, as well as the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health for always being great partners,” said C.O.P.E. Executive Director Pastor Samuel Casey. “This is another layer of great partnership in stemming the tide of the pandemic as we see a rise in COVID cases. These take-home kits are a great resource for the community, especially for those who distrust the testing and vaccination process. This partnership is a positive and powerful way to end 2021.”

Friday’s delivery of testing kits and masks to C.O.P.E. was the first group of free supplies that will go out to eligible nonprofit organizations. Non-profit organizations can request an allocation of COVID-19 tests by submitting a request form here. Test kits will be available for distribution starting the week of Dec. 20.

Rapid antigen tests provide results in as little as 10 minutes. Individuals 14 or older can perform the test directly. Adults can help perform the test for children aged 2 or older. The test can be used for individuals with or without symptoms. People who get a positive test result, should self-isolate at home and avoid contact with others and follow care instructions from their healthcare provider.

“Testing continues to be a priority in San Bernardino County and providing COVID testing resources to our non-profit organizations is another way we can mitigate COVID-19 transmission in our community,” said Public Health Director Josh Dugas. “As we enter the holiday season, we want to ensure that travelers have access to fast, reliable, and easy-to-use COVID testing and be able to provide documentation of their results.”

To learn more about the On/Go rapid antigen kit, call the Public Health COVID-19 Testing Program Coordinator at (909) 501-8285.

ADELANTO, CA— Residents of Adelanto formed the group Adelanto Resident Delegate Committee two weeks before announcing their push for recall efforts against Mayor Gabriel Reyes (shown here) from the City of Adelanto. They have filed the Letter of Intention to circulate the Recall Petition on December 15, 2021, against Mayor Reyes  and the San Bernardino County Register of Voters have verified the signatures required to proceed with the recall efforts.

They are hopeful that neighboring communities will support them in our recall efforts as corruption continues to permeate the local governments of the United States of America. They would like to send a message to all elected leaders. The residents are watching, and we are not afraid to take matters into our own hands.

View the letter here

YUCAIPA, CA— Crafton Hills College (CHC) is offering a one-day, virtual registration event on January 5 to help students who want to enroll for spring classes.

On January 5, CHC will hold the Roadrunner Express Enrollment event to help make it easier than ever to get started at the college. CHC staff will assist students through the registration process, including application, orientation, assessment, advisement and enrollment. Those interested in participating in the Roadrunner Express Enrollment event must register at the link below.

The college is offering a variety of perks for students who register for spring, including a free loaner Chromebook and Wi-Fi hotspot, free parking and free textbook rentals. Spring classes at CHC start January 18.

For more information on this opportunity to fast-track your spring registration or register for the event, visit craftonhills.edu/expressenrollment.

The CSUF Black Student Scholarship Fund application opened on December 6. Together, the Orange County Community Foundation and Cal State University, Fullerton have established a dedicated scholarship program to promote the college aspirations of Black students in our community. If selected as a recipient, the student will receive a $1,500 award.

You can also find the requirements listed below, as well as the direct link to the application hosted through the Scholarship America Portal. The deadline to submit applications is February 1, 2022.

Applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Self-identify as Black or African American
• Be a prospective, incoming, or current undergraduate student
• Plan to enroll full-time at CSUF for the upcoming academic year
• Have a minimum 2.8 GPA

To apply, please follow this link: https://learnmore.scholarsapply.org/csufscholarship/.

Please feel free to contact Scholarship America with any questions at csufscholarship@scholarshipamerica.org or my colleague Misty Soto, who is leading this partnership, at msoto@oc-cf.org.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— On Christmas morning, Saturday, December 25, Santa Claus was at The Salvation Army Hospitality House for the first time ever and made a magical morning even more special by delivering donated gifts to homeless children. Santa was played by John Berry, long time bell ringer, supporter of The Salvation Army and retried 20-year veteran reporter from the Press Enterprise.

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The Salvation Army put on the event to restore hope to desperate families and children in dire circumstances. In this pandemic Inland Empire, we are called to Restore Hope and share joy through unique opportunities such as this with those who are most vulnerable.

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By Lou Yeboah

Even though the journey may not necessarily have been an easy one, God has been good to you. God has blessed you. Don’t make the mistake of forgetting that truth. God’s grace and mercy brought you through. [Psalm 91:7] says, “Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you.” May you never forget where He brought you from!

Like God through Moses told His people before their entrance into the promised land at least six times in [Deuteronomy 8:1-20]: Be careful not to forget the Lord your God! The children of Israel were being blessed with the Lord with the ability to enter the Promised Land, but they did not listen. May we not be like the children of Israel who didn’t listen. Not only did they forget the works of God, but they also forgot that it was God, who was leading them; guiding them; that had promised them a land flowing with milk and honey. I say and I say again, if God allows you to see another day, yet along another year, may you never forget where He brought you from.

We must remind ourselves, on a DAILY basis, where the Lord has brought us from, and where we could have been. We must keep a humble and a pure heart before the Lord because the danger of forgetfulness according to [Psalms 50] tells us that God will tear us in pieces, and there be none to deliver!”

Therefore, “Beware, that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His precepts, and His statutes, lest when you have eaten and are full, and have built goodly houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all you have is multiplied, then your [mind and] heart be lifted up and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, but who brought you forth water out of the flinty rock, who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end.  And beware lest you say in your mind and heart, my power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth. But you shall [earnestly] remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. And if you forget the Lord your God and walk after other gods, serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. Like the nations which the Lord makes to perish before you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God.” [Deuteronomy 8:10-20].

Thank God for His Grace and Mercy and thank Him for the provision made for you, so that you can have life in abundance.

Oh, Heavenly Father, I thank You Lord for Your Grace and Mercy. I reverence Your Holy and magnificent name. I give You praise, thanks, honor and glory for Your extended grace and mercy towards me. I thank You for paying the penalty for my sins and for never turning Your back on me. For there are many times that I have come short of Your Glory, BUT You still love and care for me. I’ve failed You and walked away from You BUT, You still came after me. Even when I take Your mercy and grace for granted, You still give me more grace and more mercy. I thank You Lord, for allowing me to awake this morning, when so many have passed unto eternity. You have favored me with life yet another day, whereof I am grateful. Thank You Lord for Your GRACE and MERCY. In Jesus name. Amen

May the New Year be one of great spiritual growth for you. May it be one where you learn the name of Jesus, and never fail to see Him for who He is, and what He is doing. And may it be one where you resolve to live with hope, and with love for God. Christ’s blessing be upon you in 2022, and always. Amen.

By Charlene Muhammad | California Black Media

The COVID-19 pandemic is taking a heavy toll on the health, finances, and mobility of people around the world, affecting almost everyone on the planet.

Youth, in particular, have been experiencing an uptick in mental health cases, including depression, in a trend U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy is calling an emerging crisis.

On Dec. 7, Murthy released a 42-page health advisory drawing the country’s attention to the “urgent” need to help youth facing mental health problems. He said one in three students in the U.S.  say they experience sustained periods of sadness and hopelessness. That number represents a 40 % increase from 2009 to 2019.

The pandemic has made those conditions worse.

“The future wellbeing of our country depends on how we support and invest in the next generation,” said Murthy. “Especially in this moment, as we work to protect the health of Americans in the face of a new variant, we also need to focus on how we can emerge stronger on the other side. This advisory shows us how we can all work together to step up for our children during this dual crisis.”

Recently, a panel of experts tackled the issue during a news briefing organized by Ethnic Media Services titled “The Pandemic’s Heavy Toll on Teen Mental Health.”

Michelle Cabrera, Executive Director of the County Behavioral Health Directors Association (CBHDA), spotlighted the health needs of minority youth.  She explained that all over the nation — and in California — youth are suffering from a mental health crisis, leading to increasing numbers of suicide and high levels of anxiety in schools.

“The numbers of children and youth in acute mental health crises shot up two and sometimes three-fold. We have had children as young as eight-years-old who have been hospitalized due to suicidal ideation,” stated Cabrera.

Behavioral health experts say transitioning students back to in-person learning results in higher rates of children and youth experiencing mental health crises, she said.

According to Cabrera, existing programs lack support for youth in Black and Native populations, and records show that major disparities are also present among professionals within the behavioral health field.

“For example, the access to services and programs that may be used in White communities to combat mental health problems are not made available in Black communities,” she said.

Cabrera mentioned that there is also a career crisis in behavioral health, and that by 2022, these benefits will be put in place to help abate the employment crisis in California and all over the nation.

“The pandemic has also changed the statistics about drug and substance abuse in America,” Cabrera continued. “Data has shown an increase in alcohol and opioid consumption in young people, who are also experiencing a lot more overdoses because of their consumption of fentanyl in the drugs that are used,” she said.

Youth also struggle with returning to school physically, bullying, and a lack of programs to address their mental health issues.

Dr. Latonya Wood is the director of clinical training at Pepperdine University in Malibu. She delved specifically into the data about Black children who are suffering from mental health-related issues. She explained that depression is being expressed and understood differently among Blacks.

For example, young, Black males interprete their emotions and mental conditions differently. They may not act in ways that are typically associated with depression, such as sadness or melancholy. Black youth typically translate those emotions into aggression and more physical reactions.

In addition, the pandemic has amplified some of the disconnections in the Black community, said Dr. Wood.  She explained that there has not been consistent help in public health organizations that serve Black communities.

“Seldomly, there is relatability to the Black community. So African American are going to be lacking resources because they don’t know how to reach them,” she said.

Wood said historically Black people have not had a reason to fully trust mental health providers. A recent survey asked a group of Black youth about mental health care during COVID.  It found that Black youth do not feel like mental healthcare providers care for them, that they only want money, and they do not understand the lived experiences, according to Dr. Wood.

“I think that really reflects the lack of culturally informed and trauma-informed care and really understanding the experiences of Black youth in some ways were traumatic during COVID,” said Dr. Wood.”

More Black people are seeking Black providers, but they number just short of about 4% of the psychologists in America, according to a 2020 Workforce Study, completed by the American Psychological Association, she continued.

As a result, Black people suffer usually long wait times to even be seen by a therapist or to receive care. Wood stressed that finding the right care for people dealing with mental disorders in the Black community is very important.

Solutions for these issues were suggested at the level of community-based care provided at places where people congregate like school, church, and the barbershop, among others. Those spaces can serve as supportive places venues where mental health care or interventions can be accessible.

“The youth need support systems in place in order to help guard against the extreme negatives that come with poor mental health,” said Wood.

The San Bernardino Board of Supervisors unanimously approved ordinances allowing Code Enforcement to immediately issue citations related to illegal cannabis grows and make it easier to abate or clean up those sites.

Over the past several months the County has taken an aggressive approach in fighting against illegal cannabis grows with Operation Hammer Strike. Illegal grows negatively impact the wellbeing and safety of area residents and have devastating impacts on the environment.

When the sites are abandoned or shut down, they leave behind a blight on the community.

The vote taken by the Board Tuesday will do several things to help mitigate the impacts of illegal cannabis sites in unincorporated San Bernardino County. The new ordinance creates streamlined and expedited procedures for abatement and passes the cost of clean-up on to the property owners, not the taxpayers. It will also authorize issuance of immediate administrative citations where there are proven violations related to the illegal cultivation of cannabis. Moreover, it allows for the items used in the cultivation of illegal cannabis to be declared a public nuisance and therefore subject to abatement and discarding.  Items include things such as trailers, hoop houses, electrical equipment, fencing, greenhouses, sheds, and irrigation systems.

“This vote is a big step forward in our fight against illegal cannabis and the dangers associated with it,” said Dawn Rowe, Vice Chair of the Board of Supervisors. “While we continue to make significant progress in shutting down these sites, we need to do more to ensure that we clean up the mess that these criminals leave behind. All of our residents deserve to live in safe and clean environment.”

#OperationHammer Strike Completes 14 Weeks of Enforcement

The Sheriff’s Department completed a 14th week of #OperationHammerStrike in the areas of Lucerne Valley, Helendale, Johnson Valley, Hinkley, El Mirage, Rancho Cucamonga, El Monte, and San Gabriel.

From Nov. 29 to Dec. 5, the Sheriff’s Marijuana Enforcement Team along with deputies from several patrol stations served 22 search warrants after receiving numerous complaints about large outdoor and indoor marijuana cultivations in these areas.

Sheriff’s personnel located and arrested 21 suspects.  Investigators seized 19,117 marijuana plants, 10,844 pounds of processed marijuana, nine guns, and over $99,000. A total of 312 greenhouses were eradicated from these locations and four indoor grow locations.  Investigators mitigated one electrical bypass and one THC extraction lab.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is urged to contact the Sheriff’s Gangs/Narcotics Division at (909) 387-8400 or NARC-MET@sbcsd.org. Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463), or you may leave the information on the We-Tip website at www.wetip.com.

By Kassidy Henson | California Black Media

Grammy Award-winning Christian Hip-Hop hop artist Lecrae is on a mission to increase financial literacy among African Americans.

Growing up in a “marginalized” community in San Diego, Lecrae says he was exposed to incredible wealth and opportunity when he visited communities along the Pacific coastline or neighborhoods nestled in the hills overlooking the city.

But life was different in his predominantly Black neighborhood. Less possibility. Much more poverty.

“You begin to wonder ‘how do I acquire that?’ How do you change the narrative?” Lecrae told California Black Media.

“Returning to a community that faced marginalization, brutality and the effects of poverty was a reflection — excluded from the gleaming SoCal Hills.”

Recalling those childhood experiences, Lecrae — who now lives in Atlanta — said he decided to launch an effort to create opportunities for African Americans that would help to close the wealth gap between Blacks and Whites.

Using his own production company, 3 Strands Films, Lecrae developed a short-form financial education show called Protect the Bag.

The six-part web series provides viewers with a “blueprint” for financial wellness by delving into topics like saving, retirement, investment, budgeting, and identity protection, according to the rapper who released a new album with fellow artist 1K Phew titled “No Church in a While” on Dec. 3

Lecrae, who won a Grammy for Best Gospel Album in 2012, says he hopes the show helps to restore stability and hope in a new generation of young Black people.

The concept for Protect the Bag was developed during the COVID-19 lockdown last year. During that time, Lacrae says he partnered with the credit scoring company Experian to come to the aid of 21 families facing foreclosure due to financial hardship.

A series of short roundtable conversations comprises the Protect the Bag. During each one, Lecrae explains the basics of building a financial legacy. In discussions with financial professionals, community members and guests like Denver Nuggets forward Michal Porter Jr, the panelists address obstacles to building wealth that large numbers of African Americans face.

By the end of each episode, Lecrae says his goal is to equip viewers with the knowledge, exposure and confidence to create better financial habits.

Before knowing that his passion for financial education would grow into what he calls a “new-age Teen Summit” (referring to the early 1990s BET weekly show that dealt with issues facing young African Americans), Lecrae says he was working to expose those around him to the benefits of good money habits.

A self-described “doer,” Lecrae explained that at his label he met with artists and hosted financial literacy classes exploring buying power, disparities in the stock market, and the value of the Black dollar.

“Those are all important pillars of good financial stewardship,” says the artist who joined other lecturers to teach a six week “pop-out course” at Stanford University.

“One of the struggles that we had in academia is that academics often speak through a backwards megaphone. They speak through the wide end. To them, the information is easy to grasp when it comes out the smaller side,” he says. “How do we turn that megaphone around? How do we take these narrow concepts and make them more broad and applicable for everybody listening? How do we speak the language of the community and allow it to be less complicated than everyone makes it sound?”

Lecrae also talked about the many benefits that can be reaped when African Americans decide to invest in their communities.

“It creates a network. Like that old game, Barrel of Monkeys: when someone reaches down to give you a hand the next step is to reach your hand down to help the next person up,” he says. “This practice puts funds and resources back into the community, which is an essential part of a financially stable economy.”

Lecrae said young people should ditch the mindset that you only live once.

“You can really lose a movement over a moment. I think we chase pleasure over happiness. Think about what you want long-term because your decisions today can work to ensure that your 60-year-old self is living in a way that is liberated and free.”

New episodes of Protect the Bag are released each week on Lecrae’s YouTube channel.