As the sun gets hotter and the days get longer, it’s time to celebrate summer in the First District. This year, there’s a fantastic lineup of free concerts happening throughout the region, offering a little something for everyone.

Get ready to groove under the stars with genres ranging from smooth jazz and soulful R&B to electrifying 80s rock and toe-tapping bluegrass.

From Town of Apple Valley’s “Sunset Concert Series” to Wrightwood’s “Music in the Pines,” there’s a concert series waiting to be your new Thursday night tradition. On Saturdays from now through September, don’t miss Mountain High Resorts’ free North Lodge concerts.

Be sure to mark your calendars for Victorville’s “Concerts in the Park” at Hook Park in June and Hesperia’s “Bobcat Summer Concert Series” kicking off in August.

Grab your picnic blanket and lawn chairs and get ready for a summer filled with great music and memories in the First District!

By Lou K. Coleman | WSS News Contributor

When Jesus comes at the Rapture, there will be NO WARNING. It will be INSTANTANEOUS. It will be as [1 Corinthians 15:52] says in the “Twinkling of an Eye”. There will be no time to get ready.  There will be no time to repent. It will be too late! What are you waiting for? For as [2 Corinthians 6:2] says – Behold, NOW is the accepted time; behold, NOW is the day of Salvation. Don’t wait until it’s too late! If you do, [Matthew 25:46] says, you will go away into eternal punishment. “You will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might. [2 Thessalonians 1:8-9]. For God is not a man that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? [Numbers 23:19].

Listen, there will be NO SECOND CHANCES to Repent and be Saved after Death [Hebrews 9:27; Jude 1:13; Matthew 25:46]. Prepare! Give your life to the Lord. Yes, there is an urgency to this message – Jesus is returning soon! Secure your eternal destiny today. Please! And understand that these words are not meant to scare you; they’re a warning about what the future holds if you reject the Lord’s offer of salvation. God has set before you a choice between eternal life and death. What will you choose? [1 John 5:11-13].

Throughout God’s word we see time and again where God warns people of the coming judgment, telling them to prepare. But for some, it’s out of sight, out of mind. For others, it’s business as usual and because of such [Isaiah 5:14-16; Isaiah 14:9] says, “Hell from beneath is excited about you, to meet you at your coming; it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.

Turn to the LORD before it’s too late. “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. [Isaiah 55:6-7]. Time is running out! [Romans 13:11].

By McKenzie Jackson | California Black Media

Californians who are Asian American or Pacific Islanders (AAPI) were the targets of an escalated number of hate crimes and hate incidents during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many AAPI people, particularly the elderly, reported being too scared to leave their homes.  Others experienced firsthand hateful incidents stemming from deep-rooted prejudices and stereotypes — such as verbal or physical assaults in public. Yet, too many of them were hesitant to voice their emotions, according to Yu Wang, an associate marriage and family therapist at the Asian Pacific Counseling and Treatment Center in Los Angeles.

“A space for healing is critically needed,” Wang said, also noting that some Asian cultures don’t put a heavy emphasis on sharing feelings and vulnerabilities. “It makes it difficult to talk about experiences related to racism. Also, many of us lack to the language to express emotions, which exacerbates feelings of isolation and fear.”

The Asian/Pacific Islanders (AAPI) Equity Alliance in collaboration with other Asian American community groups recently launched the Healing Our People through Engagement (HOPE) pilot program in Los Angeles County geared at healing racial trauma experienced by Asian American community members by providing healing spaces and reducing isolation. Based on the successes of the initiative, supporters and organizers believe the “culturally centered” program could become a model for other cities around the state.

Ethnic Media Services hosted an hourlong Zoom press conference on the last day of May, which was AAPI Heritage Month, to allow HOPE program facilitators and allies the opportunity to provide details of the initiative to the media.

HOPE is a healing space for five distinct Asian American communities — Cambodian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, and Korean — created to make sense of their experiences with racism and recent surges in hate crimes. The psychology of the program is radical healing, a framework that has aided Black people in dealing with years of prejudice-caused trauma. HOPE is funded by a grant from the California Department of Social Services.

More than 11,000 stories of hate have been reported to the California-based online resource, Stop AAPI Hate, since 2020.

AAPI Managing Director of Programs Michelle Sewrathan Wong called HOPE vital and said Asian Americans endured episodes of brutality on a scale not seen in generations in the U.S. during the pandemic.

“They were scapegoated by politicians for transmission of COVID-19, targeted for violent physical attacks, made to feel unsafe and unwelcome in their own communities and bullied and ridiculed by neighbors and strangers alike,” she stated.

HOPE opened healing spaces in Los Angeles County that offer six two-hour sessions conducted in groups by facilitators, who are staff from partner community organizations. The initiative’s curriculum encourages self-reflection and dialogue, and it facilitates connections among participants.

DePaul University Associate Professor of Psychology Dr. Anne Saw said the radical healing framework promotes healing over merely coping with the traumatic impacts of racism. She said radical healing is about becoming whole despite racism.

“We believe the radical healing framework provides a powerful set of tools/approaches to help people of color heal from racism,” Saw explained. “Healing may be lifelong because racism is ongoing, yet a program like ours reminds people of the cultural, community, family, and individual strengths they have to resist racism. We believe that healing in a group can be more powerful than an individual engaging in healing on their own because of the support they receive.”

Wang, a HOPE facilitator, recalled a gathering of four Chinese and Chinese Americans people she met.

“The participants shared their feelings of helplessness and fear,” Wang said.

She noted how one of the participants, a woman who grew up in a predominantly White community, was initially reluctant to talk about her feelings because she didn’t grow up in a Chinese majority neighborhood.

“However, after seeing how others shared their stories openly, she felt encouraged and shared her own story,” Wang recalled. “I think because our community tends to internalize traumatic experiences rather than talking about them, this healing space was so powerful and allowed us to express and validate these feelings. The group let us learn how to support each other.”

HOPE facilitator Xueyou Wang, a social services program assistant at Little Tokyo Services Center in Los Angeles, said the center’s officials were uncertain if members of the community they served would benefit from HOPE.

“The participants talked a lot about microaggressions that would build up during the pandemic,” she said.

Wang said the group included new Japanese Americans and multi-generational Japanese Americans, who discussed and bonded over their concerns of loss of culture and history and how to combat gentrification in Little Tokyo.

“It was very interesting to see participants meet each other where they were and hold space for each other,” she said. “Newer Japanese immigrants fearing the loss of culture and Japanese Americans, who have been here for longer, fearing the loss of the history.”

HOPE is meant to empower people and to fight racism.

Next year, the program will focus on outreach to older adults.

“The concept of radical healing can be empowering,” Saw stated.

This resource is supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library in partnership with the California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to CA vs Hate.

SACRAMENTO, CA—Assemblymember James C. Ramos (D-San Bernardino) today received the 2024 Legislator of the Year Award from the Spirit of Veterans Day nonprofit organization. The award cited the group’s “heartfelt appreciation for your support for California’s 1.6 million veterans and Gold Star Families.”

Ramos said, “This award is a tremendous honor. We owe our veterans so much and their sacrifices are too often overlooked and undervalued. California must do better by those who serve, who sacrifice and the many who have paid the ultimate price for their country.”

Candace Hamilton, Founder and Chair of the 12th Annual Spirit of Veterans Day nonprofit, said the criteria for recognition is based upon making a significant difference in the state legislature in the support of veterans’ issues. Recipients must also honor those who have given their lives during active duty – the loved ones of California’s Gold Star Families. Gold Star Families are those who have lost an immediate family member as the result of active-duty military service.

Hamilton noted Ramos’s legislation to honor Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Dylan Merola. The young man was killed in a suicide bombing on August 26, 2021, at the Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport while assisting people during an evacuation. Ramos introduced successful legislation, ACR 139, in 2022 to name a San Bernardino freeway overpass in recognition of the fallen hero. He was also a joint author of AB 1452 that was signed last year. It would create a process to establish an Iraq Afghanistan Kuwait Veterans Memorial monument on State Capitol grounds.

Ramos has also introduced AB 46, a bill granting military retirees and dependents a state tax exemption on their pension revenue. That bill is in the State Senate.

RIALTO, CA– Rialto Middle School held its 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony at Wilmer Amina Carter High School on Thursday May 30, 2024, at 5 p.m. In attendance were Board of Education Members: President Joseph W. Martinez, Vice President Edgar Montes, Clerk Evelyn P. Dominguez, Member Nance G. O’Kelley, Member Dr. Stephanie E. Lewis, and Student Member Keiyne Galazo.

School Principal Ricardo Garcia began working at Rialto Middle School three years ago. These graduating students are the first class he has seen all the way through.

Rialto Middle School is celebrating 100 years of service to Rialto students. The school began in 1924 as a Grammar School and for many years was designated as a Junior High School. It is now functioning as a Middle School serving grades 6th through 8th.

RIVERSIDE, CA—- In honor of Juneteenth, Music Changing Lives is thrilled to invite the Inland SoCal out to the first Block Party of the summer, showcasing an evening of music, art, culture, and inspiration, on Saturday, June 15, 2024.  This event will be taking place between Tios Tacos and the Civil Rights Institute in downtown Riverside, located at 3933 Mission Inn Ave, Riverside, CA 92501 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

This year there will be a live mural by L’Expression Creative Studios, and many more to be announced, along with Live performances by AJ McQueen, JSQ Sax, and more to come.  Enjoy Tios Tacos, Tikal Bakery, and many other merchants such as Divine 1 Clothing and Muse Maven Collective.  Rounding off the lineup on the one’s and two’s is DJ Achilles Aurelius.

“We are humbled to host this concert in the heart of downtown Riverside,” said Josiah Bruny, CEO and Founder of Music Changing Lives. “Music has always been a powerful tool for change and expression, and this event underscores our commitment to fostering community and honoring the legacy of those who fought for justice and equality.  We want to continue to uplift our young people and inspire them to make history!”

MCL is inviting the whole #InlandSoCal to come out and hang out, have fun, enjoy music, art, food, a beer and wine garden, and more.

Vendor opportunities are still available until June 10th.   To purchase tickets and/or to sign up to become a vendor, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/juneteenth-art-speaks-tickets-867405572417.

Join the community in having a great time with one another and lift the community’s spirits!

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- The Black and Brown Opportunities for Profit (BBOP) Center, held its inaugural Fast Pitch Competition aimed at investing in Black and Brown women entrepreneurs. Twenty-eight applicants submitted their fast pitch videos, with the hopes of being selected as one of twelve finalists to pitch their businesses for grand prize investments of $3,000, $5,000 and $10,000 cash prizes.

Twelve powerhouse entrepreneurs were selected as finalists based on the criteria outlined prior to the video submissions. Submissions needed to speak to their brand, the business model, value proposition, their competition/market, business model, marketing and sales strategy, just to name a few.  Businesses pitched ranged from a juice bar, wellness brands, event artisans, a seamstress, and loose-leaf tea.  Each finalist shared their business pitch, followed by questions and comments from the judges within a 15-minute time frame.

“Being a judge for the Black and Brown Opportunities for Profit Center’s first annual Fast-pitch Competition was truly inspiring,” said Elvia Rodriguez, owner of Goldamity Insurance Services.  She further expressed, “It was incredible to hear about the different businesses, ranging from newly established ventures signing their first client, to seasoned enterprises looking to scale and advertise.”

This competition provided the unique opportunity for Black and Brown women entrepreneurs to showcase their business ventures, receive invaluable feedback from industry leaders, and compete for a chance to win significant funding and resources to scale their businesses.  The panel of diverse judges were precisely selected to cover a gamut of industries and professional acumen to ensure fair and consistent rating on the finalists’ pitches.  The judges consisted of Angela Myles, CEO of VMA Consulting Group and host of “The Fundable CEO” podcast; Vanessa Casillas, CEO of Changing Lives Staffing; Marla A. Matime founder and CEO of The MAR.M Agency; Elvia Rodriquez, owner of Goldamity Insurance Services; Kimberly Calvin, Councilwoman for San Bernardino Ward 6 and Director of Akoma Unity Center; and Hilda Kennedy, founder and President of AmPac Business Capital.

At the end of the competition, third place business investment of $3,000 went to Roxanne Williams of Roxie Brown Town Productions.  Second place of $5,000 went to Daisy Munguia, CEO and founder of Mastery Blueprint.  The grand prize winner of the $10,000 investment was awarded to La Shaunn Spivey-Angeletti, owner of Dream Cultivators, where she pitched her Reflect, Refresh, Retreats which provides other women entrepreneurs with a chance to get away on a destination retreat to allow for them to heal and release their stresses in order to show up fully for their own lives.

“The competition was a phenomenal learning experience and incredibly empowering. Every participant had such impressive pitches that I found myself wanting to invest in, buy, or sign up for their programs. It was truly inspiring to see so much innovation and dedication, said Daisy Munguia, owner of Mastery Blueprint and winner of the $5k investment.  When asked what her immediate future goals are with her investment, she stated, “With Mastery Blueprint, my goal is to start making a tangible impact on the warehouse industry. I hope to make professional development a new norm for frontline employees, elevating their skills and well-being, and transforming the industry from within.”

Vanessa Casillas left the finalists and attendees with a word of encouragement, “You will struggle no matter where you work.  As an Entrepreneur, you get to choose who you struggle for.”

The BBOP Center’s BBOP Business Academy has ongoing open enrollment.  Black and Brown women entrepreneurs are encouraged to take the courses to learn step by step, how to build, grow, and scale their businesses. To learn more about the BBOP Center or to enroll into the BBOP Business Academy, please visit www.bbopcenter.com, call (909) 530-2267 or email info@bbopcenter.com.

By Bo Tefu, Lila Brown and Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator Isabel Guzman joined hands last week to launch of the first federally recognized Women’s Business Center at the Vermont Slauson Economic Development Corporation (VSEDC) in South Los Angeles to help small businesses start, grow and develop in the city.

Bass highlighted the partnership Los Angeles has with the federal government and emphasized her administration’s work to open Los Angeles for business by making more resources like the new Women’s Business Center offers available to more Angelenos.

“This beautifully renovated building will provide a dedicated space for business experts and consultants to meet one on one with entrepreneurs and small business owners to help their business launch, grow and thrive,” said Mayor Bass during the ribbon cutting ceremony. She reminded guests that not only the Olympics, but another Super Bowl and All-Star Week is coming to the city and local business owners should be prepared for the opportunities that lie ahead.

“As the business center develops, we need to partner with organizations like Vermont Slauson to make sure that these events don’t just come to LA and pass us by, but that these events help serve as a catalyst so that our small businesses become larger businesses and everyone in the area prospers from the world coming to this center,” said Bass.

The official opening was among initiatives the mayor led this week to support businesses in Los Angeles through LA Optimized 2.0, a program created to help small businesses build and strengthen their digital presence along with LApreneur, a new online learning platform created to equip entrepreneurs with key skills and information to succeed.

Bass also encouraged residents, small business owners, and other residents who were impacted to apply for the low-interest disaster loans through the U.S. Small Business Administration that were recently made available following Mayor Bass’ calls for federal support.

“We are committed to investing in women through our Women’s Business Centers, where knowledge and connections to capital can be deployed to power that next generation of founders, said SBA Administrator Guzman following remarks from Mayor Bass. “The SBA is committed to making sure that they have the funding that they need. We have instituted transformations across our policy, loan, investment, and bonding programs to ensure that the $52 billion that’s put out from SBA every year goes to the people who are starting businesses at the highest rates and that our check writers look like the businesses who are starting businesses at the highest rates. We’ve seen a 70% increase in our lending to women.”

“When women-owned businesses succeed, our economy succeeds,” stated U.S. Congressmember Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA-37) in a press release following the event.

“I am thrilled to celebrate the Vermont Slauson Economic Development Corporation’s launch of its Women’s Business Center, located here in South LA, which will support women entrepreneurs throughout every step of their business journey,” she added.

The South LA Women’s Business Center (WBC) is the first women’s ?business center in South LA and Watts. It will offer support to Black and Latino women ?entrepreneurs.

Marva Smith Battle-Bey founded VSEDC and led the organization for 35 years before her passing in 2016.

By Bo Tefu, Lila Brown and Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media

California State Supreme Court Justices last week heard oral arguments from attorneys representing both sides in a lawsuit questioning the constitutionality of Proposition 22.

Prop 22 is the controversial gig worker law that voters approved in a 2022 ballot measure that reversed AB 5, a law that went into effect in 2020 that mandated tech companies to reclassify independent contractors as full-time W-2 employees.

During the court hearing, advocates questioned whether the initiative conflicts with the Legislatures’ constitutional power to implement a complete worker’s compensation system for gig workers. Currently, Prop 22 states that independent contractors for gig companies are ineligible for workers’ compensation.

Digital tech companies, including Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash supported Prop 22.

John Logan, a professor of labor and employment at San Francisco State University, said the state supreme court ruling will have national significance.

“Everyone is watching what the California Supreme Court will decide and whether or not these companies have a right to classify their workers as independent contractors,” Logan said.

Tech companies Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash spent $200 million backing the initiative and helped reclassify 1.4 million drivers as contractors rather than employees.

California labor groups argue that Prop 22 is unconstitutional and goes against state law since the legislature codified workers’ compensation in 1911. The state’s largest labor union, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) argued against Prop 22 alongside four drivers affected by the lawsuit.

However, gig companies Uber and Lyft threatened to leave the cities and states that classify drivers as employees following their large investment in the initiative.

During the hearing, company representatives from Uber said that removing the law would be, “devastating for thousands of drivers and couriers who turn to Uber for flexible work.”

“Millions of Californians would see major service reductions and cost increases,” Uber representatives said.

Following the arguments, the court justices have 90 days to deliberate, take a preliminary vote, and then issue a final ruling on the lawsuit.

By Edward Henderson | California Black Media

Amid escalating tensions stemming from clashing and entrenched opinions about the conflict in Gaza – and the ongoing chaos on college campuses nationwide — Jewish American Californians paused to celebrate Jewish American Heritage month this May.

On college campus and in neighborhoods across California, many Jewish Americans from different backgrounds representing various perspectives about the conflict in the Middle East reported fearing for their lives and safety.

Despite making up only about 3% of the California’s population, the Jewish community has faced a disproportionate share of religiously motivated hate crimes, with a surge in antisemitic attacks in recent years. According to the Anti-Defamation League Central Pacific Region, antisemitism has spiked in the U.S by about 140% and by a staggering 202% in Northern California Alone.

“It’s been a challenging time for our community. It’s been a dark and difficult seven months,” said Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband, referring to the period of time since Oct. 7,2023, when Hamas terrorists attacked Israel and killed nearly 1,200 people.

Since that attack, more than 30,000 Palestinians have died in Israeli retaliative attacks.

Emhoff, a former entertainment industry lawyer based in Los Angeles before moving to Washington DC, was speaking at the White House on May 20 at a Rose Garden ceremony organized to celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month.

“I know a lot of us are feeling alone, afraid, and in pain,” Emhoff continued.  “There is an epidemic of hate, including a crisis of antisemitism, in our country and around the world.  We see it on our streets, our college campuses, and our places of worship.”

Earlier in May, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a proclamation declaring it Jewish American Heritage Month.

“California is home to the second largest Jewish population in the U.S., with thriving communities in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and other parts of the state,” Newsom said in a statement.

“This month, we recognize the enduring faith, perseverance, and resilience of the Jewish people and lift up the many ways that Jewish Americans enrich our culture, politics, civil society, and countless other areas.”

“Amid brazen displays of antisemitic hate, California is taking action to protect our communities and ensure that future generations never forget the lessons of the past, including the deliberate murder of approximately six million European Jews during the Holocaust,” Newsom continued.

The California Legislative Jewish Caucus (CLJC) is advancing legislation its members authored to help combat the increase in antisemitic sentiments and violence.

Members of the CLJC recently announced their priority legislation for the 2024 legislative season.

Those bills, according to the CLJC, seek to protect Jewish students on campus, better educate young people about the Holocaust and modern forms of antisemitism, and address the rise in hate crimes. The Jewish Caucus is also working to implement key strategies outlined in the recently released Golden State Plan to Counter Antisemitism.

Additionally, the state has launched the CA vs. Hate online resource, a platform that allows victims and witnesses of hate acts to anonymously report them.

“I am proud that the Jewish Caucus is laser-focused on legislation that prioritizes combatting this hate and making our state a safer, more compassionate, and more understanding place for all people,” said Sen. Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park), Vice Chair of the CLJC.

“The Jewish Caucus stands united and fully committed to working with other communities to advance our legislative package and ensure that the California Dream is achievable for all of us,” Becker said.

The following bills are included in the Jewish Caucus’s priority package:

AB 2925: Including Antisemitism in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion  Author: Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Glendale)

AB 2925 requires that any campus that chooses to provide DEI training must include training about discrimination against the groups most likely to be targets of hate, including the Jewish community.

AB 3024: Stop Hate Littering Act Author: Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego)AB 3024 seeks to prevent the distribution of hateful flyers, posters, or symbols that are intended to terrorize vulnerable communities.

SB 1277: Teachers Collaborative for Holocaust and Genocide Education Author: Sen. Henry Stern (D-Malibu)

SB 1277 will enshrine the California Teachers Collaborative for Holocaust and Genocide Education as a statewide professional development program for teachers under the Department of Education. The Collaborative will focus on the Holocaust and other genocides, as well as identifying and confronting hate and antisemitism in modern society. 

SB 1287: Protecting Free Speech at Institutions of Higher Education Author: Sen. Steve Glazer (D-Orinda)

SB 1287 will require colleges and universities to update and enforce student codes of conduct to better prevent violence, harassment, intimidation, and discrimination that is intended to interfere with free speech and other constitutionally protected rights.

“Jewish leaders are on the frontlines fighting antisemitism through education, advocacy, and building bridges with other communities.  It’s because of your leadership that we will dismantle prejudice and ensure Jewish safety,” Emhoff said.

This resource is supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the?California State Library?in partnership with the?California Department of Social Services?and the?California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs?as part of the?Stop the Hate?program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to?CA vs Hate.