(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) and the District African American Advisory Council (DAAAC) are holding the first Black Family Summit on Saturday, July 20 at San Gorgonio High School.

A free breakfast will be provided for the first 200 people to register. All Summit participants will receive a free lunch.

The event begins at 9:30 a.m. After the keynote speaker, participants will rotate through three sessions of special programs and parent leadership workshops, all of which are geared toward helping African-American families navigate the school system in a way that leads to excellence for their children.

Black Honor Roll students from the District’s middle and high schools will be honored along with African-American elementary students who met or exceeded the standards on the CAASSP standardized tests.

The Black Family Summit will end with special giveaways to help prepare students for the new school year.

Families are encouraged, but not required, to RSVP by July 15 to Sharon Ellis, Department of Equity and Targeted Student Achievement, at (909) 473-2098.

San Gorgonio High School is located at 2299 Pacific Street in San Bernardino.

By Tanya A. Christian 

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—-ENN)—- Pete Buttigieg has a plan to encourage Black entrepreneurship and he’s named it after two of the most recognized self-made business owners, Madam C.J. Walker and Reginald F. Lewis. The 2020 hopeful unveiled his proposal on Sunday during an address at the 2019 Essence Festival.

“Let’s talk about economic empowerment,” Buttigieg said to the thousands gathered in the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and streaming live on Facebook. “Women of color account for nearly half of all women-owned businesses — $386 billion dollars of annual revenue. Which means that we should continue lifting up women of color and Black-owned enterprises not just with our words, but with our dollars.”

In a private interview with ESSENCE, the current mayor of South Bend, Indiana, compared the Walker-Lewis plan to the Marshall plan that was put into action after the end of World War II and explained that it would close the economic wealth gap. Essentially that plan would allow those who qualified for Pell Grants an opportunity to have their student loan payments forgiven if they start a business and employ three people within five years.

Buttigieg projects that the financial incentive will help triple the number of entrepreneurs from underrepresented backgrounds in 10 years. “We can do that, and we should,” he insisted. He also called for creating a $10 billion fund to invest in businesses that are started by minorities.

“This is what freedom looks like in the 21st Century,” Buttigieg said.

His plan comes on the heels of another economic initiative named after an African-American figurehead. In June the former military officer outlined his Douglass plan named after abolitionist Frederick Douglass. In an op-ed published ahead of his appearance at BET’s Black Economic Alliance, he said, “We want to increase the number of successful small businesses in Black communities by 50%, by reforming credit scoring, increasing access to credit, and supporting long-term growth.”

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— SACRAMENTO, CA – Today the California Latino Legislative Caucus announced its endorsement of Abigail Rosales Medina in her campaign to win California’s 23rd Senate District, a Democratic pick-up opportunity in the 2020 election cycle.

 “Abigail Medina is a tireless advocate for her community and will be an important voice in the California Senate,”saidChairwoman of the Latino Caucus, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego). “The Latino Caucus is proud to endorse Abigail Medina’s run for the 23rd Senate seat, which could not only flip a red district to blue, it would also add to our caucus’ record-breaking number of Latina legislators.”

Abigail Rosales Medina is president of the San Bernardino City Unified School District and executive director of the Inland Regional Equality Network, which works to build a strong and inclusive LGBTQ+ community in the community She has served on the school board since 2013 and as its president since 2017. During that time, she helped move the 60 percent graduation rate up to 90 percent – exceeding state and county standards for the first time in over 40 years – while managing an annual budget. In 2016, she defied the odds by coming in first in the Assembly’s 40th District primary before ultimately finishing less than 2,000 votes behind the Republican incumbent.

The 23rd Senate District has little partisan lean (34.89% of registered voters listed as Democrats, 34.58% as Republicans and 24% as “no party preference”) and is currently represented by Republican State Senator Mike Morrell, who is terming out. It includes a wide arc of the Inland Empire, Rancho Cucamonga in the northwest to Menifee in the south, communities in the San Bernardino Mountains and a portion of the High Desert.

The California Latino Legislative Caucus serves as a forum for members from the State Senate and Assembly to identify key issues affecting Latinos and develop avenues to empower the Latino Community throughout California. Since its creation 46 years ago, the Caucus has grown in both numbers and stature. It boasts a rich history of legislative and political success and serves as one of the most influential and strategic organizations in California. The Caucus is currently comprised of 29 members, including 16 Latina members.

For questions or to schedule an interview with a member of the Latino Caucus, contact Sami Gallegos (209) 658-7617. 

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— VIRGINIA BEACH, VA – Many Americans enjoy do-it-yourself projects and some Americans make a living in construction. There’s a group of U.S. Navy sailors who apply the same creativity required for DIY endeavors along with the engineering discipline of construction, but with a unique twist. They work underwater. Around the world. In some of the most challenging conditions imaginable including hostile environments, extreme heat or cold, or in remote locations where the only support and supplies they have are the ones they brought with them. 

Petty Officer 1st Class Ashley Pritchett, a 2006 Franklin High School graduate and native of Hesperia, California, is one of these sailors serving at Underwater Construction Team (UCT) 1, which is responsible for underwater construction, inspection, repair and demolition operations supporting both peacetime and wartime missions. 

As a Navy equipment operator, Pritchett is responsible for driving heavy equipment. 

“I move dirt, haul dirt and play in dirt,” said Pritchett.

Pritchett credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Hesperia. 

“I learned to have good morals and keep doing what you’re passionate about,” said Pritchett. 

A key element of the Navy the Nation needs is tied to the fact that America is a maritime nation, according to Navy officials, and that the nation’s prosperity is tied to the ability to operate freely on the world’s oceans. More than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water; 80 percent of the world’s population lives close to a coast; and 90 percent of all global trade by volume travels by sea. 

“The sailors who serve as part of the Navy’s Underwater Construction Teams possess a very specialized skill set,” said Lt. Cmdr. James Johncock, UCT-1’s commanding officer. “The work they do is crucial to providing freedom of the seas in both peacetime and wartime. It’s an honor to lead these sailors and I continue to be inspired every day by their commitment to being the absolute best at what they do. The physical and technical abilities underwater construction technicians demonstrate make them some of the most highly trained sailors in the Navy.” 

Pritchett is playing an important part in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy. 

“Our priorities center on people, capabilities and processes, and will be achieved by our focus on speed, value, results and partnerships,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. “Readiness, lethality and modernization are the requirements driving these priorities.” 

Though there are many ways for sailors to earn distinction in their command, community and career, Pritchett is most proud of being promoting to the rank of petty officer first class. 

“The Navy is my dream job,” said Pritchett. “Being able to accomplish this was meaningful to me.” 

Serving in the Navy is a continuing tradition of military service for Pritchett, who has military ties with family members who have previously served. Pritchett is honored to carry on that family tradition. 

“My grandfather served in the Navy,” said Pritchett. 

As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Pritchett and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs. 

“Joining the Navy is what I have always wanted to do and I feel very passionate about it,” said Pritchett. “Defending freedom is a huge deal to me.” 

By John Coleman

The Foundation for African Medicine and Education/Advanced Medical Care for Underserved Communities in Tanzania event was held on April 16 in the Genomics Building on the campus of UC Riverside. 

The presentation by Dr. Artress and Susan Gustafson was followed by a Q&A session proceeded by a reception with the program participants and other ‘invitees’.

By Lou Yeboah

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— Oration delivered by abolitionist Frederick Douglass in Rochester, N.Y. on July 5, 1852, entitled “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro”.

“Fellow-citizens, pardon me, allow me to ask, why am I called upon to speak here to-day? What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence? Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us? The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common. —The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought life and healing to you has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth [of] July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn. To drag a man in fetters into the grand illuminated temple of liberty, and call upon him to join you in joyous anthems, were inhuman mockery and sacrilegious irony. Do you mean, citizens, to mock me, by asking me to speak to-day? What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelly to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciations of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade, and solemnity, are, to him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy—a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages… For black men there are neither law, justice, humanity, not religion.” [Frederick Douglass]

“One hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we’ve come here today to dramatize a shameful condition. In a sense we’ve come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the “unalienable Rights” of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked “insufficient funds.” But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we’ve come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksand’s of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children. It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges…. And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true…” [Martin Luther King Jr].

“Allow me to say, in conclusion, notwithstanding the dark picture I have this day presented of the state of the nation, I do not despair of this country. There are forces in operation, which must inevitably work the downfall of slavery. “The arm of the Lord is not shortened,” and the doom of slavery is certain. I, therefore, leave off where I began, with hope [Frederick Douglass].

“True Freedom is yours Forever in Christ!”

“Free At Last, Free At Last, Thank God Almighty I’m Free At Last!” [Martin Luther King Jr.]

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— LOMA LINDA, CA—- Three Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital patient families received a refurbished vehicle from the National Auto Body Council’s (NABC) Recycled Rides™ program at Hamblins Body and Paint in Riverside on Tuesday, July 2.

The three patients who received cars for their families were:

1. Antoine Davis, 14, from Hemet, has rheumatic disease, kidney disease and orthopedic issues.
2. Elijah Bacchus, 4, from Hesperia, has a combination of medical conditions including a hole in his heart, cerebral palsy and was born with only one kidney.
3. Nathaly Padilla, 19, from Pomona, diagnosed with a brain tumor.

Brett Walls, assistant vice president of ambulatory services at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital, said these vehicles will help the families get the care they need.

“There is a connection between transportation and the health of a child,” Walls said. “These Recycled Rides will provide these families with reliable transportation for necessary medical care and other needs, such as to get groceries or to get to work or school.”

In addition to the cars, the trunk of each was filled with toys, snacks and/or household items for the family to enjoy.

Often challenged with daily medical appointments for their children, the families juggle demanding finances, employment, and transportation schedules. One patient family said they took the bus to get to the event.

GEICO donates vehicles to the NABC Recycled Rides™ program to help individuals, families, or organizations in need of a hand. Over 1,000 cars have been donated through the Recycled Rides program since its inception in 2007.

Brian Wright, auto damage director at GEICO said, “We can’t take these patients’ medical issues away, but we hope we are able to help out their situations.”

Hamblins Body and Paint and its employees have volunteered their time, expertise and labor to refurbish the vehicles to a like-new condition, and Enterprise provided a donation to Recycled Ride recipients.

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—-ENN)—- MORENO VALLEY, CA—Riverside University Health System opened five new beds in its emergency department and trauma center this week to meet the growing demand for services at its Moreno Valley-based Medical Center.

The additional beds bring the total number of emergency and trauma beds at the hospital to 45. At the 125-year-old public teaching hospital, more than 90,000 patients are seen annually in the emergency department and level 2 trauma center, where the most gravely injured patients are treated.

Doctors at RUHS Medical Center are developing a robust research program and recruiting internationally renowned trauma surgeons with an eye on becoming Riverside County’s first level 1 trauma center by summer of 2020. A level 1 trauma center serves as a regional leader in trauma prevention and education with all the resources to stabilize and treat traumatic injuries.

“We are the safety net for our community and becoming a level 1 trauma center is essential, said Dr. Raul Coimbra, who serves as surgeon and chief at RUHS Medical Center after building one of the world’s leading trauma programs at UC San Diego Health Hillcrest. “When we put patients in the center of our decisions we provide better care. We become more efficient and ultimately we have better outcomes,” he added.

The expansion also includes a new lobby and flexible space that can be shifted to accommodate the ebb and flow of a busy emergency department.The entrance is being remodeled and will open later this summer.  It’s all  part of an effort by RUHS officials to improve services and expand access to primary and specialty care in an expansive 7,300 square-mile county that has only half the physicians needed for the 2.5 million people who live here.

“We are focused on always being prepared for any emergency that presents to our hospital, and we are committed to providing high-quality patient-centered care,” said Leah Patterson, executive nursing director of critical care services at the Medical Center. “We hope you’ll never need our emergency department or trauma services but you’ll be in good hands if you do.”

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— SAN BERNARDINO, CA— The Class of 2019 earned more than $11.6 million in college and military scholarships, far surpassing previous years’ totals.

Cajon High School had the largest graduating class in the District, with 624 students earning a high school diploma in June. More than half of Cajon’s graduates received scholarships or grants to help them pay for college. In all, Cajon graduates received over $3.1 million in scholarships and grants, including $1.1 million shared by 14 students who received military scholarships and signing bonuses for enlisting in nearly every branch of the armed forces.

Seniors graduating from San Andreas High School, a continuation school serving students who need to catch up on credits to graduate, received close to $400,000 in aid, with the majority of it going to six students who signed up to serve in various branches of the military.

In comparison, the Class of 2018 received $8.1 million in grants, scholarships, and military aid. That sharp increase in financial aid is partly due to the number of San Andreas High students who enlisted in the military.

The San Bernardino City Unified School District is grateful for the generosity of scholarship donors, said Superintendent Dr. Dale Marsden.

“Those who donate so generously are investing in our community and in doing so, they are making hope happen for students who may otherwise struggle to pay for college,” Marsden said. “There’s no better way to improve our city than to help young people realize their dream of going to college.”

SBCUSD is unusual among public school districts in that it has two organizations dedicated to providing scholarships to graduates. Founded in 1957, the San Bernardino Community Scholarship Association is a non-profit with the sole purpose of coordinating contributions from individuals and local groups to award scholarships to SBCUSD graduates. More than 85 donors contribute more than $250,000 annually, with individual scholarships ranging from $100 to $9,000. The Making Hope Happen Foundation is a non-profit geared toward helping the San Bernardino area become a thriving community. To that end, the Foundation awards scholarships to SBCUSD and volunteers mentor recipients so students can have a successful college experience. If you would like to donate to the Making Hope Happen Foundation, visit http://makinghope.org. If you would like to establish your own scholarship through the Community Scholarship Association, call (909) 381-1250.

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— SAN BERNARDINO, CA— The California Arts Council announced a grant award of $14,400 to the San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra as part of its Arts Education Exposure program.

Arts Education Exposure supports attendance at high-quality performances and exhibits for students with limited access to these experiences. As such, the Council selected experiences that offered deep cultural resonance with the student communities served and which would be complemented by pre- and post-attendance activities.

The award will help to fund back-to-back student concerts featuring Cirque de la Symphonie scheduled for February 2020. This talented international group choreographs traditional circus acts to classical music and will perform them on stage with the Symphony at its primary performance venue, the historic California Theatre of the Performing Arts. Transportation and logistics will be provided by longtime Symphony partners, the San Bernardino City Unified School District, as well as by the other schools in attendance.

The February student concerts have been a part of the Symphony’s commitment to the Inland Empire for many years, but it has only been in the past three years that they increased from one to two performances, effectively doubling the number of local youth served.

“We are incredibly grateful to the California Arts Council,” said Symphony Executive Director Dr. Anne Viricel. “This is so much more than just a field trip. Because of this grant, more than 3,000 local youth will experience the fine arts in a venue close to home and this local access, together with the engaging and educational performance planned, creates the kind of pride of place that is exactly what children in our community need.”

The San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra is one of 124 grantees chosen for the Arts Education Exposure program. The award is part of a projected $24,508,541 in grant funding for 2018-19, the highest investment in statewide arts programming since the 2000-01 fiscal year.

“Arts and culture are inextricably linked to our humanity,” said Nashormeh Lindo, California Arts Council Chair. “They serve as a universal touchpoint for understanding and addressing our societal issues—dismantling inequity, healing trauma, reframing justice, inspiring truth and shaping futures. The Council is humbled to support the vital work of the San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra and its passionate efforts to make a better California for us all.”