The garden will support healthy eating, active living

ONTARIO, CA— On Saturday, April 17, the Carmel Connections Foundation (CCF) and the City of Ontario hosted a ribbon cutting for the grand opening of the Seeds of Joy Community Garden. The benefits and positive impacts that come from gardening inspired the name “Seeds of Joy” – meaningful to describe the garden itself, as well as those who will be tending to everything, and everyone, that will grow here.

Phase 1 is complete, and it is because of the efforts of all of the community. A special thank you to Hap Kellogg and Kellogg Gardening Products for helping the foundation to tend their garden by donating Kellogg Organic Products to Seeds of Joy.

Caramel Connections Foundation would like to thank all of our volunteers, sponsors, and community partners that have made great strides to bring the Seeds of Joy Community Garden to this point. Partners include San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors Chair Curt Hagman, West Side News, United Way of the Inland Empire, American Beverage Association, First 5 San Bernardino and the Inland Empire Health Plan. Additional supporters include UC Cooperative Extension Expanded Food and Nutrition Program (EFNEP), Master Gardener Program (MFP), and Master Food Preserver Program (MFP).

CCF was established in 2016 to empower families in the Inland Empire to access healthier food and lifestyle choices. Through educational and enrichment programs for children and adults, CCF offers low-income families opportunities to grow, cook and eat healthy food and participate in fitness activities that address the high rates of hypertension, diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure that are prevalent in the community.

The Seeds of Joy Community Garden is located at 1240 W. 4^th Street in Ontario, California.

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EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- Assembly Majority Leader Eloise Gómez Reyes and the County of San Bernardino announce that the California Transportation Commission has voted to approve funding for the Muscoy Area Safe Routes to School Pedestrian Improvements Project. This funding will come from the state’s Active Transportation Program (ATP) Cycle 5 and will provide the project with a $1.88 million grant. The grant will be matched with funding from the County of San Bernardino.

The approval of the funding for the project represents the culmination of several years’ worth of collaborative efforts to improve the area. The project was first conceived at the “DREAM BIG IE” Youth Empowerment Summit hosted by Majority Leader Reyes in 2017. At the summit, parents and students from Muscoy advocated for improved sidewalks and safer route infrastructure around the two elementary schools: Vermont Elementary and Muscoy Elementary.

A community partnership was formed at the summit to ensure that Muscoy’s children and their families could safely walk to and from school. This promise led to the formation of the student-led group known as SOAR IE, which created a diverse coalition known as the Sidewalks for Muscoy Coalition. This coalition consisted of community members working together to improve the sidewalks, crosswalks, and other infrastructure around the schools.

“The idea for this project came from high school students who used to walk to school in Muscoy. I honor their work, and I am so proud that they have worked with us to make it a reality. Our community deserves safer routes to school,” said Majority Leader Eloise Reyes.

“When walking the streets of my community, I’m afraid of what can happen, I’ve seen how kids struggle to walk on our streets, risking getting hurt because of a lack of sidewalks,” said former Vermont student Angela Loera.

“The County is proud to receive this grant and we are eager to get to work on these projects,” said San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors Chairman Curt Hagman. “People deserve to feel safe when they walk through their neighborhoods. We are thankful to be part of a collaborative effort.”

The Sidewalks for Muscoy Coalition served as the initial wave of improvements for the Muscoy community. The coalition rallied their community as they built sample crosswalks, bus shelters, and curb extensions using funding from Southern California’s Association of Government’s (SCAG) Go Human Campaign.

This initial collaborative effort led by SOAR IE would in turn become the Muscoy Safe Area Routes To School Pedestrian Improvements Project, which sought out and received a commitment from the County Public Works to make streets safer for residents to walk and bike. By 2019 the coalition was hosting events such as the first “Walk to School Day” for National Clean Air Day to promote safe routes.

In 2020, the San Bernardino County Public Works Department submitted the Muscoy Area Safe Routes to School Pedestrian Improvement Project for funding consideration for 2021 under the state’s Active Transportation Program. The funding will allow the project to upgrade existing crosswalks to more visible ladder-style crosswalks; install pedestrian flashing beacons, signage, red curbs, and sidewalks.

“When I went to the Youth Empowerment Summit, the Assemblymember asked for legislative ideas. We suggested protection for our siblings who attend elementary school in Muscoy. Assemblymember Reyes believed in our idea, and now we are excited to see the idea become a reality,” said SOAR IE member Guadalupe Tellez.

After unsuccessfully applying for a similar project in Cycle 4 of the Active Transportation Project, the Department of Public Works improved the application this year by adding more safety improvements and agreeing to a collaboration with the Department of Public Health and local CBO Mental Health Systems to provide educational and encouragement programming.

The Safe Routes Partnership assisted the applicants with the application process, which is well known for its difficulty. The Active Transportation Program is heavily oversubscribed, with fewer than 11% of applications funded in most cycles.  “Let Muscoy’s victory serve as a reminder of the urgent need to prioritize funding in environmental justice communities and rural communities of color across the Inland Empire and the state,” said Demi Espinoza from the Safe Routes Partnership. Jonathan Matz, also from the Safe Routes Partnership, added: “We’re incredibly proud of the agencies, NGOs, and most importantly community members who worked so hard to make this application stand out among the hundreds that were submitted. It’s a testimony to the need for safe walking infrastructure in Muscoy, and the community’s unity behind achieving it.”

Ultimately, the Muscoy Area Safe Routes to School Pedestrian Improvements Project represents what can be achieved through collaboration.

“If we want to improve the quality of life in a particular community, we cannot pretend to know what’s best.  The only way to do it is to bring the community together and ask “What do you need? How can we help?” And only then can we work together toward a goal of making life easier and better for the community. In this case, it was the students and then the parents who voiced the dream for Muscoy. And they helped make it come true.” .said Majority Leader Eloise Reyes.

“Margaret Mead once said, ‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.’ This quote defines Muscoy, a community of leaders that refuses to give up, engaged in collaborative dialogue to create a vision of a better future that includes safer conditions for youth en route to school. A job well done,” said Mirza Martinez, Mental Health System prevention specialist.

Majority Leader Eloise Gómez Reyes represents Assembly District 47, which includes the cities of Fontana, Rialto, Colton, Grand Terrace, San Bernardino, and the unincorporated areas of Muscoy and Bloomington.

• Covered California, the Department of Health Care Services and CalPERS are joining together to require their health insurance companies to address significant drops in preventive care due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has exacerbated racial and ethnic health disparities across the state.
• Together these three purchasers represent about 40 percent of California’s overall population.
• Covered California added performance goals for health plans, requiring them to return to pre-pandemic levels of childhood vaccinations and colorectal cancer screenings by the end of 2021.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Covered California, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) and CalPERS are taking the lead in addressing gaps in preventive care created by COVID-19 and will pay specific attention to racial and ethnic disparities that have been exacerbated by the pandemic. Covered California, DHCS — which operates the state’s Medi-Cal program — and CalPERS announced complementary efforts to ensure that everyone covered by the programs gets vaccines to prevent COVID-19 as they become available while addressing preventive care gaps caused by patients not getting needed services.

“As we focus on the immediate health and economic impacts of COVID-19, we must be proactive to address downstream effects the pandemic can have on the health of Californians and our communities,” said Peter V. Lee, executive director of Covered California. “Taking action now, on childhood immunizations and colorectal cancer screenings, is an investment in future good health, and these policies are intended to help avoid a surge of bad health outcomes in the future.”

Covered California will require its 11 health insurance companies to reach pre-pandemic levels of childhood immunizations and colorectal cancer screenings by the end of 2021 and to exceed those numbers by the end of 2022.

Dr. Alice Hm Chen, Covered California’s chief medical officer, said the motivation to act was data showing that COVID-19 has led to a sharp drop-off in primary and preventive care. At the same time, the pandemic has had a strikingly disproportionate impact on people of color. 

“Coverage is a means to getting better care and ideally better outcomes,” Dr. Chen said. “We wanted not only our health plans, but all health plans and providers in the state, to address the impact of COVID-19 on preventive care. Our hope is that by working collectively, we can make up critical ground that was lost over the past year.”

Data from California’s Department of Public Health shows that vaccination rates in the state have fallen. As of November 2020, 12 percent fewer children had received their first dose of the MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine compared to the year before, and 20 percent fewer adolescents received their Tdap (tetanus) shot. Dr. Chen said Covered California and its fellow public purchasers, DHCS and CalPERS, felt a sense of shared urgency to act.

“DHCS shares this focus on equity and childhood wellness, and we are finalizing a roadmap to reduce health inequities in Medi-Cal with measures to recognize health disparities among beneficiaries,” said DHCS Director Will Lightbourne. “Early in the pandemic, we identified growing gaps in well-child visits and immunizations. We are committed to closing those gaps and others, in part through our ongoing requirement that Medi-Cal managed care plans conduct performance-improvement efforts on youth preventive health care.”

“As the largest purchaser of public employee benefits in California, CalPERS is committed to providing high-quality, equitable care to our members. Our data shows that the use of preventive care, including cancer screenings and immunizations, has declined during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Don Moulds, CalPERS chief health director. “Together, with Covered California and DHCS, we are taking action to close gaps in care created by the pandemic, and are working with our health plans to ensure our members have access to much needed chronic care and preventive care services.”

Dr. Chen said colorectal cancer is a leading cause of cancer death and a source of significant racial and ethnic disparities. Data from the Epic Health Research Network found that at the onset of the pandemic, colorectal cancer screenings had declined by nearly two-thirds compared to the historical average. Dr. Chen said those trends need to be reversed immediately.

“As a cancer that is amenable to prevention rather than just early detection, it’s critical we get people between the ages of 50 and 75 screened, and it’s a process that can be started without an in-person visit,” Dr. Chen said. “Treatment for colorectal cancer in its earliest stage can lead to a 90 percent survival rate after five years.”

Lee said these provisions chart a path for future collaboration for a bolder shared agenda in support of quality, equity and delivery system transformation.

“Covered California is proud to be joining with both other major purchasers and the health plans. We put a spotlight on core issues of health care equity and quality that matters, and they stepped up for the communities they serve,” Lee said. 

American Rescue Plan Special-Enrollment Period

The announcement comes during Covered California’s special-enrollment period in support of the American Rescue Plan. The new and expanded financial help that is now available will allow the uninsured to sign up for coverage at dramatically lower premiums, with many being eligible for high-quality plans that cost as little as $1 per month. Californians who are insured directly through a health insurance carrier can also switch to Covered California, often with the same carrier and coverage level, and save hundreds of dollars a month.

Californians are encouraged to check their health care options, even if they have checked in recent months or years, to see how affordable coverage can be. On CoveredCA.com, consumers can easily see exactly how they can benefit from the new law. Consumers just need to enter their ZIP code, household income and the ages of people in their household to see their monthly cost and the health insurance options in their area.

Those interested in learning more about their coverage options can also:

• Visit www.CoveredCA.com.
• Find local insurance agents or individuals in Navigator organizations who provide free and confidential assistance over the phone or in person, in a variety of languages.
• Get a call from certified enroller. Covered California will have someone reach out to the consumer to help them for free.
• Call Covered California at (800) 300-1506.

About Covered California

Covered California is the state’s health insurance marketplace, where Californians can find affordable, high-quality insurance from top insurance companies.

Covered California is the only place where individuals who qualify can get financial assistance on a sliding scale to reduce premium costs. Consumers can then compare health insurance plans and choose the plan that works best for their health needs and budget. Depending on their income, some consumers may qualify for the low-cost or no-cost Medi-Cal program.

Covered California is an independent part of the state government whose job is to make the health insurance marketplace work for California’s consumers. It is overseen by a five-member board appointed by the governor and the Legislature. For more information about Covered California, please visit www.CoveredCA.com.

About the Department of Health Care Services

The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) is the backbone of California’s health care safety net. It provides access to affordable, integrated, high-quality health care, including medical, dental, mental health, substance use treatment services and long-term care. DHCS funds health care services for about 13 million Medi-Cal beneficiaries and is the largest health care purchaser in California. It collaborates with the federal government and other state agencies, counties, and partners to invest more than $100 billion for the care of low-income families, children, pregnant women, seniors, and persons with disabilities. For more information about DHCS, please visit www.dhcs.ca.gov.

About CalPERS

For more than eight decades, CalPERS has built retirement and health security for state, school, and public agency members who invest their life work in public service. Its pension fund serves more than 2 million members in the CalPERS retirement system and administers benefits for more than 1.5 million members and their families through its health program. It is the largest defined-benefit public pension in the U.S. CalPERS’ total fund market value currently stands at approximately $446 billion. For more information, visit www.calpers.ca.gov.

By Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media

The disturbing story of Los Angeles County’s Bruce’s Beach Park — location of the first West Coast seaside resort for Black beachgoers and a residential enclave for a few African American families – has been making headlines around the country.

One hundred years ago, Manhattan Beach city officials seized the Bruce’s beachfront property from an African American couple, Charles and Willa Bruce, citing an “urgent need” to build a city park. But the area was not developed for recreational use after it was forcefully taken from the Black owners.

In addition to the Bruce’s land, the city grabbed about two dozen other properties from African American families along the city’s Pacific shore using eminent domain laws.

“This was a strategy and a tactic used everywhere – here in California. That’s why we get so much resistance when we fight it,” said Sacramento resident Jonathan Burgess, referring to Bruce’s beach and other properties he said were forcefully and illegally taken away from Black Californians in the past. Burgess’s family is engaged in a fight of their own to reclaim property in Northern California’s Gold Country that he says authorities stole from his ancestors.

Gold country is a mineral-rich area along the foothills of the Sierra Nevada that was a popular destination during California’s 19th century Gold Rush.

“The timing couldn’t be better because of what’s happening in Manhattan Beach. First, you have to reconcile the wrongs before you talk about reparations. That’s how you repair everything that happened afterward. You have to ask and wonder why there’s not massive wealth passed down from California’s early African American pioneers,” Burgess continued.

Like Burgess, descendants of other Californians whose ancestors’ properties were unlawfully seized or stolen, are beginning to speak up. They are demanding restitution for their losses. With the backing of some lawmakers, advocates and historians, these incidents involving direct land theft, intimidation, coercion, and more, will likely become cases to investigate as California begins to wrestle with its history of slavery and discrimination and how those forces have impacted African Americans throughout the history of the state – and still contribute to racial inequity today.

Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 3121 into law. Former Assemblymember and current California Secretary of State Shirley Weber authored the landmark law which mandates the creation of a committee to study Californians involvement in slavery and discrimination and make recommendations for how African Americans can be compensated for injustices sanctioned or committed by government.

On April 9, Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn announced that the county will return a plot of Manhattan Beach land to the family of the Black couple who purchased Bruce’s Beach in 1912 for $1,225.

But last week the City Council of Manhattan Beach, a mostly-White city in southern Los Angeles County, voted to issue a statement of acknowledgement and condemnation,” stopping short of voting to apologize to the Bruce’s descendants.

There is also support in the California Legislature. Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) has announced new legislation, Senate Bill (SB) 796. It would exempt the Bruce’s Beach property from state zoning and development restrictions and enable the county to return the site to its rightful owners. The legislation is co-authored by Sen. Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica) and Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance).

After the Bruces bought the ocean-view parcel of land, which was considered a remote area at the time, they began operating Bruce’s Lodge and managed to construct a boarding space, an entertainment facility, café, and tents for changing clothing along with bathing suits for rent. Attracting African American beachgoers, the business incensed White neighbors who began buying property around the beach or posting No Trespassing signs near the front entrance of the beach, forcing guests to walk nearly two miles to get to and from the resort. There was also an arson attack on the resort reportedly committed by local members of Ku Klux Klan.

In Tulare County, the historic African American farming town of Allensworth suffered a similar fate to Bruce’s Beach. It was the first municipality in California to be founded, financed and governed by Blacks with its own schools, library, church, hotels and businesses.

Founded by Allen Allensworth, a man who born into slavery in Louisville, Kentucky in 1842, and later became a Colonel in the U.S. Army and the highest-ranking Black officer when he retired in 1906, the town had as many as 300 residents during its peak in the 1920s. But by 1925, a company called the Pacific Farming Company that was responsible for supplying irrigation water to the town, did not.

The lack of water affected the townspeople livelihood and the farmers’ productivity in the Central California town, and a lengthy and expensive legal dispute ensued between Allensworth and the company, which depleted all of the town’s resources. The residents and nearby farmers soon abandoned their land and slowly left the area in search of employment elsewhere.

Then, there’s the city of Folsom, 20 miles east of Sacramento. Parts of that city sits on land purchased by Joseph Libbey Folsom from the estate of William Leidesdorff, a wealthy African American merchant from San Francisco.

Leidesdorff obtained and owned the property from a Mexican land grant called “Rancho Rio de Los Americanos,” which was initially the city’s name before it was changed to Folsom. When Leidesdorff, 38, passed away in 1848 of Typhoid fever, his estate was passed on to his mother Anna Marie Sparks, and relatives who were living on the Island of St. Croix, according to the book, “William Alexander Leidesdorff – First Black Millionaire, American Consul and California Pioneer.”

Folsom went to St. Croix to negotiate a price to purchase land located on the American River near the Sierra Nevada and close to a boom town where some Blacks became involved in gold

mining. On Nov. 3, 1849, The two parties settled that Leidesdorff’s family would receive $75,000 for the land. Sparks received the first installment of $5,000, but she refused the second amount of $35,000 when she learned that Folsom’s valuation of the land she owned was below the market rate. She filed a lawsuit against Folsom, but California law ruled in his favor.

By then, people in the area had already began calling a portion of the estate “Negro Bar,” an area on the American River where Black people were designated to live in tents and mining camps.

After the Black miners were forced to move, Folsom renamed the town Granite City. After his passing in 1855 at the age of 38, Granite City was renamed in Folsom’s honor. When Folsom took full control of Leidesdorff’s estate, the land’s value increased exponentially and made him a millionaire, according to Leidesdorff’s biography.

“Ms. Sparks was not well educated and could not read well,” said Shonna McDaniel, who operates the Sojourner Truth African Heritage Museum in Sacramento. “I believe he took an advantage of her, manipulating her into believing the land was worthless. It was just another way to take something of value in California.”

Both Allensworth and Negro Bar are California State Parks now.

Back in Los Angeles County, Hahn describes the arc of the Bruces’ story – from business savvy entrepreneurs for their time and resources to their sad fate — as an “American Dream that turned into a nightmare.”

The parcel the Bruce’s bought was dormant for almost 30 years before it was opened as a park in the 1960s. It was renamed Bruce’s Beach in 2007.

“This land was taken from the Bruce family because they were Black and, before it was stolen, was one of the precious few beaches Black families could enjoy,” Hahn said. “When I realized that the county now had ownership of the Bruce family’s original property, I felt there was nothing else to do but to give it back to its rightful owners.

Bruce’s Beach Park is currently housing L.A. County’s lifeguard training facility.

Last week, Bradford, who is chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus and an appointee to the state’s still-forming reparations task force, held a press conference to share details about SB 796.

“There comes a time when someone must take a position that is neither safe, nor political, nor proper,” said Bradford, quoting Martin Luther King, Jr. “He must take it because his conscience tells him it’s the right thing to do.”

He said the bill “would finally allow Bruce’s Beach to be returned to its rightful owners.”

L.A. County Board of Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, L.A. County Fire Department Chief Daryl Osby, former Manhattan Beach Mayor Mitch Ward, Justice for Bruce’s Beach Founder Kavon

Ward, and Bruce family representative Duane Shephard, all attended the news conference, along with Bradford, Hahn and Muratsuchi.

“We’re not looking for an apology. We want our property back. We want restitution for the loss of revenue for 96 years from the generational wealth that would have been built up,” Shepherd said on MSNBC two days after the news conference. “We want punitive damages from the city of Manhattan Beach City Council and the police department at that time for colluding with the Ku Klux Klan to railroad our people out of there.”

Empire News Network

NORTH MIAMI BEACH, FL—- On Thursday, April 8, the North Miami Beach Commission voted unanimously to declare Juneteenth as an official citywide holiday. Commissioner Michael Joseph, Esq. sponsored the legislation.

This declaration is noteworthy as it makes NMB the first city in Miami-Dade County to observe Juneteenth as a municipal, paid holiday for its employees. NMB is a diverse city with more than 40% of its residents identifying as Black or African American.

“This recognition represents where we are and where we are going as a diverse and vibrant community,” said Commissioner Joseph. “I am looking forward to celebrating Juneteenth in North Miami Beach as an official city holiday.”

Several local civil rights leaders attended the commission meeting, including Stephen Hunter Johnson, Chair of the Miami-Dade County Black Affairs Advisory Board.

“I applaud the City’s leadership for the example they have set by recognizing this important day in our collective American journey. North Miami Beach has set a standard that I hope other local governments follow,” expressed Mr. Johnson.

Juneteenth is an annual holiday observing the end of slavery in the U.S. It commemorates June 19, 1865, when news of emancipation reached people in the deepest parts of the former Confederacy in Galveston, Texas.

By Bo Tefu | California Black Media

California is taking steps to reopen its economy on June 15. The plans are underway as leaders in public health and local government come up with the next steps in the state’s COVID-19 pandemic recovery.

Efforts to reopen the state are, “driven by the health and science to help nonprofit community organizations and businesses get back on track,” said Dee Dee Myers, director of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz).

So far, the state has administered 22 million vaccines since it expanded its efforts to immunize everyone in California against COVID-19. A fifth of the vaccine doses were allocated to communities most impacted by the pandemic. According to the California Health and Human Services Agency (CHHS), the number of hospitalizations has declined as testing increases and vaccine eligibility expands.

Now, state officials aim to move beyond the Blueprint for a Safer Economy, a system Gov. Gavin Newsom put in place to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infections and implement updated public health safety measures in all 58 counties. A part of the state’s game plan is to end the Blueprint system provided that businesses and public spaces adhere to ‘common-sense’ public health policies, including the various tiers outlined for outdoor activities.

Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of CHHS, said that health equity is a critical piece of the puzzle that will keep the momentum for reopening moving in the right direction.

“We’re still focused on making sure hard-hit communities get vaccines made available to them in convenient ways,” said Dr. Ghaly.

State officials said that the pandemic did not affect California communities equally, even though the state implemented equity metrics for underserved communities. According to the California Healthy Places Index (HPI), 40 percent of COVID-19 cases and deaths occurred in low-income communities.

“We believe that there’s still significant demand for the vaccine, so we’re ensuring that providers in hard-hit communities are the ones that are moving forward,” said Dr. Ghaly.

The state partnered with over 180 community-based organizations and health care centers for community outreach to dispel vaccine hesitancy.

“Californians are still very interested in getting vaccinated, we’re seeing improvements in what some people call vaccine hesitancy as more communities get information and their questions answered, so that they feel confident moving forward with vaccines,” said Dr. Ghaly.

Public health officials will continue to closely monitor the state’s progress by tracking data on vaccine distribution and COVID-19 test results to achieve its goal of reopening in mid-June of this year.

People in California will still be required to wear masks as well as get tested or vaccinated depending on their occupation, as part of the state’s ‘common-sense’ health measures. The state’s long-term plans to get the economy up and running also includes allowing large-scale outdoor events to take place.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said that the state is confident about reopening the economy as people, “continue the practices that got us here.”

“We can now begin planning for our lives post-pandemic,” said Gov. Newsom.

California’s public health agencies say they are committed to tracking and containing new variants as government leaders move forward with plans to reopen the economy, state officials said.

Extension of large-scale pilot vaccine sites

The state recently extended the use of the nation’s first mass vaccination sites at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum and California State University Los Angeles.

The pilot sites operated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in Oakland and Los Angeles aim to accelerate the state’s goal to safely reopen schools and the economy.

According to data from FEMA and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), both sites have administered more than half a million vaccine doses since they opened in February this year.

In the Bay Area, state officials partnered with Alameda County and Contra Costa County to keep the sites running for vaccine distribution.

Keith Carson, president of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, said the Oakland Coliseum site has administered more than 100,000 doses to residents in the county.

“Having a mix of large vaccination sites, alongside smaller community sites and mobile pop-ups, is critical for our vaccination infrastructure and meeting our goals for equitable distribution,” said Carson.

The Oakland-based vaccination site is set to operate for an extended period of four weeks. State officials said that the site will deliver approximately 6,000 vaccines on a daily basis.

Diane Burgis, chair of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, said that the partnership, “will provide additional resources for mobile vaccine clinics that can go where we need them most.”

The two counties continue to promote equitable vaccine distribution for local residents seeing that, “many of them are teachers and frontline essential workers from some of our hardest-hit neighborhoods,” said Burgis.

California Black Media’s coverage of COVID-19 is supported by the California Health Care Foundation.

Empire News Network

Credits family, faculty, perseverance for historic milestone

At a time when data breaches are making headlines, Alexis White is set to embark on a career that’s all about keeping sensitive data safe. The Arcadia, Louisiana native will be the first graduate of the cybersecurity program at Grambling State University. It’s not the path she initially chose but she’s glad she took it.

The degree connects students with research leaders and working professionals who specialize in combating cyber-crimes, big data, cloud computing, vulnerability assessment, and more.

White was in her junior to senior year of a biology degree when Grambling announced the addition of the cybersecurity degree. “I knew I would regret it if I did not give myself the opportunity to really live out all my interests especially since I had loved science since Barney was mixing blue and yellow to make green paint,” she says. “I made the decision to pursue the degree by doing a bit of research and after speaking with (computer science professor) Dr. Reddy and my parents, it was a done deal.”

Dr. Yenumula Reddy, department head, professor, and program coordinator for the Department of Computer Science and Digital Technologies at GSU, describes White as hardworking, intelligent, and well-prepared. She worked very diligently to complete the program and that shows her strong willpower, he says.

“Grambling and the department are proud of the first graduate and her name will be in GSU history,” Reddy says.

White has long had an interest in computer science. She attended New Tech at Ruston High School and, in her freshmen year, was selected to participate in the Cyber Security Camp at Louisiana Tech.

“I was later picked for AP physics and this is where I really started learning how to code robots which led to me joining the robotics team,” she says.

Although White began at Grambling as a biology major, the cybersecurity program is a great fit and she welcomed the challenge. “Biology is not easy by any means but the analytical side to cyber really made me focus and consider material from a different perspective…” she says. “I will say my study and learning style changed a bit. It took a couple of semesters to really get that this is different, but you can do this.”

White completed her bachelor’s degree in biology and a minor in business management in the spring of 2018. She will be awarded a bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity on April 15.

After graduation, she will complete Clinton Global Initiative classwork and later begin an apprenticeship as a cyber analyst in governance risk and compliance at Deloitte Touché Tohmatsu Limited. The company provides a variety of services including audit and assurance services, regulatory services, and risk and financial advisory services.

White says she would not be where she is today without the support and examples set by her parents Donald and Valerie White. Her father is Dean of the College of Business at Grambling who always encouraged her to do well in school. She has many fond memories of being on campus and decided early on that she wanted to attend GSU. Her mother served in the U.S. Airforce, retiring as a lieutenant colonel.

“I had so much pride seeing my mother wear her uniform, symbolizing strength, duty, courage, and heroism,” she says.

White says her entire family inspires her – especially her grandmothers.

“My grandmothers, Vera Scott White and Gatha Heard Smith, were absolutely my world growing up. I mean they carried themselves with such grace and once again were captains of our family after losing my grandfathers…,” White says. “I would say my demeanor and how I face issues really comes from them. They also were the ones to instill Christ in me alongside my parents. My parents put every ounce of knowledge and wisdom they could into me from an early age and it has really helped me.’

As she nears graduation, White says she wants people to know that “my journey was not easy, but it was achievable. If you can get yourself to think positively, keep going no matter the opposition and just do it – as Nike says – it can be done.”

She thanks her parents, professors, mentors, and others who put time and work into her. “I just want them to know just how grateful I am for the lessons and opportunities that they have given me.”

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About Grambling State University

Grambling State University, located in Grambling, Louisiana, is a historically black university founded in 1901 that combines the academic strengths of a major university with the benefits of a small college. This combination enables students to grow and learn in a serene and positive environment. The 590-acre campus offers 43 undergraduate and graduate academic programs. A member of the University of Louisiana System, Grambling State University has been accredited by 13 accrediting associations and holds accreditations in all programs required by the Louisiana Board of Regents. With a longstanding tradition of excellence, Grambling State University continues to emphasize the value and importance of each student, exemplified by our motto: Where Everybody Is Somebody.

Empire News Network

Spring commencement may be the last time fraternal triplets Stevie, Steven, and Stephon Wilson are seen together on campus. As they evolve from students to alumni, the Winnfield, Louisiana natives will chart courses that will take them in three different directions.

Upon graduation, Stevie will attend a virtual Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) prep program with the University of Miami before attending medical school. Steven will take a gap year to gain experience before attending medical school. Stephon will move into a permanent position working for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).

Stevie, the firstborn among the trio, said he chose to attend Grambling State because other members of his family attended, and he wanted to be somewhere that had a supportive environment. The biology major was inspired to pur­­sue a career in medicine when his grandmother had bilateral knee replacement surgery. There were doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals who aided her journey toward regaining mobility.

“They were straightforward, but also endlessly concerned and compassionate. This gave me a greater appreciation for the medical profession. I decided it was my purpose in life to give back,” Stevie said, noting that he and his brothers were a high-risk pregnancy. “I’m here because of those health professionals. I feel that it is my time to give back.”

Adamant about changing the distrust of doctors among the African American community, Stevie also aims to be a change agent in the medical field.

“Representation matters. More importantly, black health matters, and a lot of black people don’t trust the medical field,” said Stevie, referring to the Tuskegee experiment. “[Some people in the African American community] don’t have faith in doctors. My passion is to be a medical doctor because too many people of color and [in] different ethnic groups are dying because they aren’t being heard. This field is in need and I want to be a part of that. I want to be able to help heal this world.”

Stevie balanced his time between being a member of the Grambling State University World Famed Tiger Marching Band and many other organizations during his time at Grambling State but values the connection he has with his brothers above all.

“Although we don’t share the same facial features or height, or have telepathic abilities, ours is a bond like no other,” Stevie said. “Growing up as a triplet, particularly in a set of all the same gender, is like being assigned two best friends at birth. All of that togetherness also taught me a lot of things, along with brotherly love. Being a team player is natural for me since it was second nature in our household to do everything as a team. We once shared a womb, and then we shared a room. At the same time, the three of us are all individuals.”

Steven Wilson is in the center of it all as second in birth order. Although he researched other institutions, it was the desire to continue his family’s legacy of Gramblinites and the encouraging atmosphere that solidified his choice.

The biology major was inspired to choose medicine as a career when watching health-related and 911 rescue shows on TV. It made him want to be one of those people in the world who one day would be recognized as a front-line essential worker.

Like his brother Stevie, Steven is also emphatic about minority representation in the health industry.

“There’s not a lot of African-American males in the medical field,” said Steven. “In the next generation or decade or so, we need those black role models in medicine. Without [them], where would the medical field be? Who will advocate for the culture, the people, or the community?”

Steven’s passion for advocacy was evident during his time at Grambling State. When he was elected Student Government Association President, he used the platform to fight food insecurity on campus. With the help of Graduate Student Association president Karmel Reeves, alumni, university administration, and off-campus partners, he was able to see the work materialize with the opening of the Tiger Resource Room powered by Whataburger©.

Upon graduation from Grambling State, Steven will travel to Dallas and take a gap year to get more clinical experience before going to medical school to specialize in anesthesiology. While he looks forward to working in the field, experience in student leadership broadened his vision to include politics and health care reform.

Steven knows commencement will be an emotional day for his parents but he is also aware of what the day will mean for youth in his hometown.

“[When we graduated high school] we saw it. When we all left [for college] they were very, very emotional but us graduating and actually separating – I think it’s going to be bittersweet, but they’ll be happy because we’ll be third [generation] legacy,” said Steven. “Our motto when we left Winnfield was to set the standard for other African American minorities in our town. [For] so many young students in Winnfield, they don’t have that role model to look up to. We set that standard to let them know it can be done.”

Although Stephon Wilson initially planned to attend a different institution, he found himself at Grambling State and doesn’t regret his decision. The youngest of the brothers, he has a double major in management and computer information systems. During his matriculation, Stephon was intentional about being engaged in every meaningful opportunity. Whether it was traveling to represent the institution or being involved in a litany of organizations, Stephon made sure he was a part of it. During his sophomore year, his status expanded from student to employee when he took the opportunity to serve as Assistant Director of Transportation at Grambling State. By his senior year, he was elevated to the position of Director.

“Being the Director [of Transportation] has been a great opportunity,” Stephon said, noting that his management courses were instrumental in organizing services. “It has helped me build the skills of management, leadership, writing skills, and customer service.”

During his senior year, Stephon managed to balance his time as a student and employee while also serving as a financial literacy ambassador, Thurgood Marshall College Fund student ambassador, White House HBCU Scholar, and working for the FDIC. Upon graduation, he will move to a permanent position with the FDIC as an asset management specialist with a goal to ultimately work in the Washington, D.C. office.

For Stephon, commencement will be an emotional moment for him because it validates their mother’s advocacy for equity during the early part of their K-12 education.

“They tried to put us in special education,” said Stephon. “If it wasn’t for my mother…she’s the one that said ‘no, those boys got talent.’ When we graduated high school, we proved them wrong. Now we’re getting ready to walk and prove them wrong.”

With each of them graduating on April 15, their parents Djuana and Stevie L. Wilson said the occasion will be exciting but emotional.

“[We’ll be] crying,” said Mr. Wilson.

“It’s gonna be a bittersweet day,” said Mrs. Wilson. “People ask me now, ‘what are you going to do?’

She recalled Steven suggesting that she wear Christian Louboutin heels to the ceremony. Although she intends to wear them, she said they may come off once their names are called.

“It’s going to be some shouting and crying going on that day!” Mrs. Wilson exclaimed.

When reflecting on their time at Grambling State University, the Wilson brothers said they hope people will remember that they were leaders and respectable young men who were role models to others.

“We did it,” said Steven.

By Hazel Trice Edney

Among the first evidence presented by prosecutors in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in his killing of George Floyd is that it was not just 8 minutes and 46 seconds as originally thought, but rather, it was 9 minutes and 29 seconds that Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck.

People in the courtroom and those keeping up with the trial by media would later learn that it was even worse than the 9 minutes and 29 seconds. Moreover, they learned that Chauvin’s knee not only remained on George Floyd’s neck for as long as there was breath in his body; but – according to a pulmonary expert, Chauvin’s knee continued to press into Floyd’s neck for three minutes after Floyd was already dead.

These travesties of justice remain unspeakable to those who cringe or cry every time they hear the suffering of George Floyd as he pled for his life. And as bad as that was, the blows of injustice to the Black community, its parents and children continue to get worse.

In yet another tragic death, Minneapolis has been on nightly curfew as protestors continue to cry out for justice. On Sunday, April 11, only 10 miles away from the location of the Derek Chauvin trial, yet another Minneapolis police officer took out her revolver and shot an unarmed 20-year-old Black man. The death of Daunte Wright was characterized by the then police chief as an accident.

Despite the resignation of the now former Officer Kim Potter, who said she meant to shoot her taser at Wright and the resignations of the police chief and city manager, there is no consolation to Americans – Black or White – who have experienced these non-stop back-to-back travesties against Black people.

So far, indications are that there is seemingly no end in sight for the assaults on the Black community. Even the senseless Windsor, Va. traffic stop of U. S. Army Lt. Caron Nazario a Black and Hispanic man stopped and pepper sprayed by a rogue cop shouting misguided orders has baffled the nation. There is no solace that the cop, Joe Gutierrez, who then lied in his report about the details of the incident, was fired. It is no solace because these travesties of justice happen every day out of the sight of cameras where some of the stories are never even revealed much less believed.

On March 3, 1991, when Rodney King was viciously beaten by Los Angeles police officers, much of America was awakened by the video repeatedly shown on daily news. But across America, Black-owned newspapers have long recorded the trauma of violence against Black people, continuing from the unspeakable cruelties of American slavery. Beginning with Freedom’s Journal in 1827 to journalist Ida B. Wells’ 1895 Red Record documentation of American lynching to Black American newspapers’ Double V campaign during World War II to JET magazine’s 1955 photo of the tortured Emmett Till, regardless of how bad it got, the continued documentation of these evils well into the 21^st Century now proves that it is yet worse than we ever thought.

But there must be an end to this centuries-long nightmare. The blood of those who have recently become household names are crying out, underscoring the indescribable horrors heaped upon them and therefore upon Black people: Trayvon Martin, Stephon Clark, Freddie Gray, Eric Garner, Amadou Diallo, Philando Castile, Michael Brown, Breonna Taylor, Tamir Rice, Sandra Bland, George Floyd – and thousands of others.

And yet, we the people march and protest because we still believe. We still believe that our America, a nation built upon our backs and by the suffering of our ancestors, will someday respect us. We still believe that America, with a Declaration of Independence that promises equality of “life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness”, will someday do right by us. And, even as we acknowledge that it is indeed worse than we ever thought, we still believe that the collective voices and unified courage of Black, White and others together will give rise to answered prayers that will finally end this modern-day civil war.