25th Anniversary San Manuel Golf Tournament raised nearly $500,000 for charity

HIGHLAND, CA — For 25 years, the San Manuel Golf Tournament has delivered an impact that extends far beyond the golf course. Since 1999, San Manuel has invited tens of thousands of golfers to answer the call of Yawa’ – a Serrano concept that means “to act on one’s belief” – by playing in the San Manuel Golf Tournament and contributing to impactful charities across the nation. Together, San Manuel Golf Tournament participants have raised more than $3.5 million in donations benefitting over 70 charities.

This year’s proceeds exceed previous records totaling $480,000 to benefit eight charities representing local and national causes. Each charity received $60,000 in unrestricted funds.

Proceeds benefited this year’s chosen nonprofit partners:

Elevate Navajo strives to develop genuine connections with Navajo youth that will strengthen individuals’ confidence, classroom engagement, provide lifelong skills, and lift the community. Elevate Navajo’s four primary program focuses are accredited classes to provide life and professional skills, mentoring available 24/7, adventures to inspire grand aspirations, and career & college prep.

Firefighter Cancer Support Network provides critical assistance for career, volunteer, active or retired firefighters, emergency medical service providers and their family members who are diagnosed with cancer.

Growing Inland Achievement (GIA) is a collective impact organization created to improve the long-term economic outlook of the Inland Empire by improving educational attainment rates among the region’s underrepresented groups. With an equity-framed approach, GIA connects more than 150 educational institutions, community-based organizations and workforce partners to create a network for K-20 students to provide strategic support for Black, Latinx, Native and other marginalized groups while removing barriers for all individuals.

Junior Achievement of Southern Californiainspires and prepares young people to succeed in a global economy. Volunteers from the professional sector help youth explore the business of life through hands-on dynamic programs that teach skills related to managing money, starting a business and entering the work world.

The Lindy Waters III Foundationenhances and supports Native American youth and Indigenous communities through sports, health and wellness, and leadership programs. The foundation is committed to providing a platform for individual improvement, opportunity, exposure, and access for all Native youth.

Phenix Gateway empowers adults with disabilities to secure full-pay employment through innovative job training programs and advocacy to remove barriers and promote equitable opportunities for all. Phenix Gateway has a unique ability to see what others might overlook and empower individuals to embrace their skills.

Social Work Action Group(SWAG) advocates for, educates and inspires marginalized individuals and families in the Inland Empire achieve sustainable independence through community support. SWAG believes the resources to address homelessness already exist in each community, and the missing component is communication and coordination of existing resources to address the different aspects of homelessness.

Southwest Indigenous Women’s Coalitionprovides critical services to all 22 tribes in Arizona to work towards a future of safe indigenous communities. This Native-led coalition helps Native communities develop their capacities to address and respond to violence through education, training, technical assistance, policy advocacy, and culturally sensitive and supportive services.

Each organization was selected for their ability to bring tangible and practical impact to their communities.

More than 850 golfers were in attendance to take part in the four-day event that spans three exclusive golf venues: Monarch Beach Golf Links at Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach, Pelican Hill Golf Club and Torrey Pines Golf Course.

Photos and b-roll of the event are available here.

About the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians 

The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians is a federally recognized Indian tribe located on the San Manuel Indian Reservation near Highland, California.  San Manuel exercises its inherent sovereign right of self-governance and provides essential services for its citizens by building infrastructure, maintaining civil services, and promoting social, economic and cultural development.  As the Indigenous people of the San Bernardino highlands, passes, valleys, mountains and high deserts, the Serrano people of San Manuel have called this area home since time immemorial and are committed to remaining a productive partner in the San Bernardino region. For more information, visit http://www.sanmanuel-nsn.gov

By Rhonda Smith | Special to California Black Media

Having spent more than 25 years advocating for equitable healthcare, I’ve listened to countless stories from individuals whose lives have been forever changed by the historic inequities that exist within our healthcare system.

I’ve heard mothers share their heartbreak over traumatic birth experiences and outcomes, and families recount the devastating complications from surgeries. These stories, though deeply personal, often feel like whispers lost in the wind because our current data doesn’t capture the full picture. We know that racism impacts the type of care and quality of care, but without demographic data, we can’t fully understand or address these issues. It’s crucial that we find a way to connect these personal stories to the larger narrative of healthcare equity, ensuring that every patient’s experience is acknowledged, and that there’s transparency and accountability, so that every community’s needs are addressed.

For communities of color, racism in the healthcare system can have a devastating impact, affecting not only the quality of care that patients receive but also their overall well-being. Research shows that these communities experience higher rates of patient adverse events — incidents that cause permanent harm, necessitate life-saving interventions, or potentially lead to death at greater frequencies than White patients. Disturbingly, these trends disproportionately impact Black women and other communities of color.

A recent Kaiser Family Foundation survey found that a third of Americans see racism as a major problem in health care, compared to over half (52%) of Black people surveyed. Disparities in maternal health outcomes and overall distrust of the medical system are historic and well-documented. According to the California Health Care Foundation’s “Listening to Black Californians” research report, nearly one-third of Black Californians say they have been treated poorly by healthcare providers just because of their race or ethnicity. Additionally, a significant number of Black Californians overall (38%) and of Black women in particular (47%) say there has been a time when a provider did not treat their pain adequately.

While we know this to be true, right now, no demographic information is collected for patients who experience things like negative birth outcomes, surgery complications, patient safety events, or other adverse experiences in hospital settings. The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) tracks these events, but doesn’t collect information like the age, race or gender of these patients. As a result, the state doesn’t know who is suffering the most from these avoidable mistakes, and therefore how to prevent them from happening in the future.

This is why we are working in partnership with the California Pan Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN),  Black Women for Wellness Action Project, and the office of Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Oakland) to advance Assembly Bill (AB) 3161, legislation that will seek to collect demographic data on patient complaints and safety incidents. It is our hope that a bill that collects this important demographic data can be a step toward in capturing evidence-based data on racial bias trends in California’s healthcare system and the impact they have on the safety, health, and well-being of patients.

AB 3161 would require the collection of self-reported patient demographics when receiving complaints regarding hospitals and long-term care facilities.  It will assist in compiling, reviewing, analyzing, and publishing trends of patient safety events. This bill would also require the publication of adverse event trends based on demographic data in a manner that is consistent with patient confidentiality.

Critics, such as the CDPH, have raised concerns over the cost of updating their forms to accommodate demographic data collection. The department estimates the annual cost for updating, modifying or creating a new system for this demographic data collection could cost at least $1.6 million each year for the first two years.

While we appreciate the state’s estimate, the cost of doing nothing, when health and lives are at stake, is far greater.

Understanding and addressing health disparities is not just about statistics; it’s about real people with real stories. By collecting demographic data, we take a significant step toward true transparency and accountability in our healthcare system. This will allow us to see the full picture and make informed decisions that can save lives and improve the quality of care for all Californians. Let’s ensure that every patient’s experience is acknowledged, and every community’s needs are addressed, inclusive of their race or ethnicity.

About the Author

Rhonda Smith is the Executive Director of the California Black Health Network.

This article is supported by the California Black Health Journalism Project, a program created by California Black Media, that addresses the top health challenges African Americans in California face. It relies on the input of community and practitioners; an awareness of historical factors, social contexts and root causes; and a strong focus on solutions as determined by policymakers, advocates and patients.

By Dianne Anderson

Reginald “Reggie” Webb was well revered for decades as a McDonald’s mogul, and not just for his personal wealth and business acumen.

For those who knew him, he brought more to the table than many people realize, and his vision lives on.

Bishop L. Kirk Sykes said Dr. Webb took up the mantle to speak out about the need for economic development, and to reach like-minded people about growing wealth in the Black community.

“As pastors, we have the pulpit. We lay down the foundation for our church members, that they need to participate in this not just for their sake, but for their children’s sake, it will continue to grow. I’m committed to seeing his vision through,” said Pastor Sykes of CrossWord Christian Church in Riverside.

Dr. Webb passed away on July 20. He was 76.

Bishop Sykes described Webb as a friend and a selfless man who wanted everyone to be empowered, and later, Webb became a member of his church.

Although Dr. Webb was affluent, Sykes said the vision for CEEM, Cooperative Economic Empowerment Movement, was to restore the community by recycling Black dollars.

“He was blessed in the financial arena, but wanted to give back, not just African Americans, but those who are downtrodden and those who needed a hand up. That’s why I loved and appreciated him,” he said.

Webb was a stalwart, he said, and always pressing the need for the Black community to support each other, and get children educated about financial responsibility.

Although recycling Black dollars is not a new concept, it was his heart.

“Not to keep wealth to himself but make sure that all those that wanted to go to the next level have an opportunity to do it through CEEM,” he said.  “[His message] was to save that money, invest and leave a foundation for our children’s children, so our children don’t have to struggle the way we struggled.”

In the 1980s, Webb was one of just a handful of Black McDonald’s owners nationwide. He grew his small venture into a thriving family franchise spanning 16 Los Angeles and Inland Empire locations. In recent times, the enterprise sold the chain and started CEEM to teach the Black community about financial educational strategies.

In a relatively short time, CEEM has grown to include hundreds of members throughout the region.

Dr. Judy White recalls meeting Webb when she served as Superintendent of Moreno Valley Unified School District. In the early phases of CEEM development, she was tapped for Webb’s vision to champion his goals within the educational sphere.

She said his passion was to create a legacy to benefit the entire community.

While she understood all things about academics from preschool through college, she said Webb taught her things she didn’t know, like empowering community economics in education, and how to reach and teach others.

Everyone involved in the project wanted to grow and collaborate.

Some of her best memories in serving the CEEM board was when Webb asked her to identify educators in the Inland Empire, San Diego and San Bernardino County to honor them at the L.A. County Fair on stage for fighting for students of color. Many had never been recognized before.

It was clear to her that Dr. Webb was not just satisfied with his own success, but serving others in need. She said it takes someone special to pull from their personal resources for the betterment of the community.

“We always thought education was key, critical and important, but not if it doesn’t impact your economics,” she said. “It is personal, I changed as a human being. His presence brings out the best in you. I saw him as a pure soul.”

CEEM categories of outreach, called Pillars, held regular board meetings where nonprofits, faith-based, business and education partners came together. Annually, they pulled about 400 participants for a full house.

Jonathan Buffong, who also works with CEEM and the local Youth Action Project, counts Dr. Webb as a close friend and mentor of the past ten years, for himself and many other young Black men in the Inland Empire.

Early on, he said Webb was a unifying force for other Black franchise owners to learn best practices to grow their businesses. In those times, Blacks were purposely placed in locations where they wouldn’t succeed. He said Webb’s strategy also boosted McDonald’s stocks and owners became extremely successful.

Parity, today a term commonly used to indicate equity for the community, was a concept that began with Dr. Webb.  In many ways, that blueprint for parity is now being carried forth to this generation.

Through Youth Action Partnership, Buffong worked the “Pathways to Parity” project, powered by CEEM with the help of Webb’s initial investment. That effort was to get workers into solid opportunities without college, particularly in cybersecurity, transportation and clean energy, where salaries easily reach $100-150,000 a year.

“Dr. Webb saw that and seeded $1 million to get started on that project. Then, we found funding from other places, but a lot of people don’t know that Dr. Webb is behind a lot of things,” he said.

Eliminating a hefty $23,000 community cost to host an annual celebration of Black graduates at CSUSB Coussoulis arena over the years was another major success. Today, those monies are now directed toward Black students in the form of scholarships. He thanks Dr. Webb and his daughter Kiana for working out that solution with President Tomás Morales.

Buffong said it’s just a few of many things that Dr. Webb brought to the table.

“When we declared racism as a civil right violation for both Riverside and San Bernardino counties, it was Reggie Webb that had a strong message that the county supervisors really respected,” Buffong said.

He had also had an enormous capacity for discipline, integrity in life and business, and was a man of his word. He also had boss communication skills.

“He had the business side to him, he would be behind the scenes on political figures, particularly for folks with African American best interests. He made sure they were taken care of,” he said.

Watching Dr. Webb’s high level of integrity and behind-the-scenes work demonstrated what it takes to be successful. It’s something that many young people in the community never experienced before.

“In some aspects, he was a father-like figure. We had not seen an example of how wealth could be transferred down to your kids. He was that first person for us and very accessible,” he said.

To learn more about CEEM, and Dr. Webb, see https://www.ceemcoop.com. 

By Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media

Assemblymembers Mia Bonta (D-Alameda) and Issac Bryan (D-Ladera Heights) introduced a bill in January that requires lock-up facilities to provide menstrual products to incarcerated persons without requiring a request.

The bill will be reviewed by the Senate Appropriations Committee after the Legislative recommences in August.

Assembly Bill (AB 1810), “Incarcerated Persons: Menstrual Products,” passed with a 5-0 vote in the Senate Public Safety Committee in June after advancing from the Assembly on May 21 with a 71-0 floor vote.

Bryan told California Black Media (CBM) that he was “comfortable” with the bill’s progress.

“AB 1810 will bring our state closer to the menstrual health equity that other states are seeing that require that menstrual care products are free and readily available for all incarcerated people,” Bryan said. “It will also bring our state into parity with several other states such as Louisiana, Tennessee, and Florida – all of which do not require their incarcerated people to request these basic necessities from their correctional officers.”

Bryan and Bonta are members of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC). Fellow CLBC members, Assemblymembers Akilah Weber (D-La Mesa), Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood), and Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles) signed on as the bill’s co-authors Assemblymembers Eloise Reyes (D-Colton) and Rick Zbur (D-West Hollywood) have also joined as co-authors.

Under existing law, individuals incarcerated in state prison or confined in a local detention facility, or a state or local juvenile facility, and “who menstruates or experiences uterine or vaginal bleeding” entitled to request and receive personal hygiene products for their menstrual cycle and reproductive system, according to the bill language.

The materials include but are not limited to, sanitary pads and tampons.

By imposing additional duties on local detention facilities, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

“There are currently incarcerated women and formerly incarcerated women who brought this bill before us,” Bryan said. “Anyone, any person who menstruates deserves that care. It’s not a luxury, it’s not a privilege. It’s a right.”

The California Constitution mandates that the state compensate local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. AB 1810 would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill “contains costs required by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions,” the bill language states.

Tatiana Lewis, a member of All of Us or None (AOUON), testified in support of AB 1810 in front of the Senate Public Safety Committee on June 11. Lewis says she spent time in a juvenile facility and said that some correctional officers delay providing menstrual materials as a punishment or intimidation.

Lewis said she has heard from countless former and current incarcerated women about how they had to create makeshift tampons or how their prison-issued uniforms would be covered with blood. AOUON is a statewide, grassroots civil and human rights organization that fights for the rights of formerly- and currently incarcerated people and their families.

“That power is in their hands,” Lewis said of requesting menstrual products from correctional officers. “This bill needs to pass. It’s essential for incarcerated individuals who need these products as soon as possible instead of going through someone who intimidates them. We’re already humiliated by strip searches and searches of your (cell). It would also give us some type of liberty should this bill pass.”

According to a Feb. 16, 2023, report, “The 2023-24 Budget: The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation,” by the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO), the state is currently operating 32 state prisons and one leased prison.

As of Jan. 18, 2023, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) was responsible for incarcerating a total of about 95,600 people — 91,300 men, 3,900 women, and 400 nonbinary people. CDCR provided that transgender, nonbinary, or intersex are mandated to be housed in a men’s or women’s facility based on their preference.

Not everyone is on board with the specifics of AB 1810. Some family-oriented organizations and members of religious institutions across California say they have an issue with the word “person” in the bill. They want it to be amended to refer to only biological females.

California Family Council’s (CFC) Outreach Director Sophia Lorey testified in front of the Assembly Public Safety Committee on Feb. 27. CFC’s vision and mission statement says the religious organization Advances “God’s Design for Life, Family, and Liberty through California’s Church, Capitol, and Culture.”

Lorey said AB 1810 replaces all mentions of “females and women” in the current statute. The bill attempts to “to obscure obvious biological distinctions between males and females,” Lorey stated.

“I urge you all to vote no on AB 1810 unless this bill is amended to only provide birth control and menstrual products to actual women,” Lorey told the committee. “To vote yes or abstain on this bill further advances the erasure of women and ignores basic biology. Oh, and if men menstruate…I am intrigued. Where does the tampon go?”

The bill passed out of the Assembly Public Safety Committee with an 8-0 vote. Committee members Reyes, Zbur, Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City), Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento), Stephanie Nguyen (D-Elk Grove), Juan Alanis (R-Palmdale), and Tom Lackey (R-Modesto) all voted in favor of AB 1810.

“I appreciated the wording (in AB 1810),” said Wilson, the chairperson of CLBC. “It says ‘a person who menstruates or experiences uterine or vaginal bleeding’ will have access to what they need and be able to take care of that. That is a beautiful thing. It’s empowering to those who have that issue.”

By Joe W. Bowers Jr. | California Black Media

Since Pres. Joe Biden decided not to seek re-election, Donald Trump has struggled to find his footing in a campaign that was previously geared toward attacking Biden’s age and fitness.

His performance at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Convention last week highlighted his inability to redefine his new opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump’s comments, particularly his questioning of Harris’s racial identity, failed to resonate with the audience and underscored his reliance on divisive rhetoric.

Trump’s response to Harris’s candidacy has focused on personal attacks rather than her record or Biden’s policies. He has used nicknames like “Laffin Kamala, Lying Kamala, and Phony Kamala” and he has concentrated on her race — her father is Black Jamaican, and her mother is East Asian Indian.

At the NABJ convention, Trump clashed with a panel of Black women journalists, accusing Harris of “switching her race” to gain political advantage. “She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she turned Black, and now she wants to be known as Black?”, Trump claimed.

This approach, intended to sow doubt about Harris’s authenticity, instead highlighted Trump’s persistent use of racially charged rhetoric. His failure to adequately address issues relevant to the Black community, such as the rising cost of living, small business support, maternal mortality, voting rights, and police reform, further alienated the NABJ audience.

Trump’s inability to adapt is also evident in his decision to cancel the Sept. 10 ABC Presidential debate, insisting on a new format with Fox News. This reflects his difficulty in keeping up with Harris’s campaign momentum. He characterized Harris’s rise as a “coup” within the Democratic Party, as he struggles to address her ascent effectively.

Harris, who attended Howard University, a historically Black university (HBCU), and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA), a Black sorority, has been measured in responding to Trump’s divisiveness. At a Sigma Gamma Rho sorority event in Houston, she stated, “The American people deserve better. The American people deserve a leader who tells the truth. A leader who does not respond with hostility and anger when confronted with the facts.”

Harris, as a multiracial American, has the ability to “code-switch”—a skill many people of color use to navigate various cultural environments and connect with diverse audiences. This skill allows her to authentically engage with different communities, whether she is rigorously questioning Supreme Court nominees, addressing issues at historically Black colleges and universities, or hosting Diwali celebrations. Code-switching is not about deceit but about adapting communication styles to resonate with different groups, a testament to her versatility and relatability.

Trump’s inability to grasp this concept underscores his disconnect from the experiences of people of color and multiracial Americans. Instead of recognizing code-switching as a valuable skill, Trump has tried to frame it as deceitful. This tactic plays into a broader narrative Trump has pushed that questions the authenticity of people who do not fit into a narrow, often racially homogenous, mold. By framing Harris’s multifaceted identity and her ability to adapt her communication as something suspect, Trump reveals his limited understanding of the complex and dynamic nature of American identity.

In contrast to Trump, Harris’ campaign is focused on issues resonating with a broad spectrum of voters, such as voting rights, women’s reproductive freedoms, and economic inequalities. Her message of inclusivity and progress stands in stark contrast to Trump’s attempts to rekindle fears of a changing America. She has even begun defending her border record, releasing a video framing her as pro-border security.

Trump’s reliance on racially charged rhetoric reinforces his image as a candidate stuck in the past. Harris can use Trump’s attacks to her advantage by staying focused on her message of unity and progress.

Harris’ campaign mentioning the “weirdness” and outdated nature of Trump’s worldview may prove effective. She is presenting herself as the candidate of the future. This framing helps her cast Trump and his allies as out-of-touch with modern American values as she and her surrogates point out the rollback of rights spelled out in the ultra-conservative Project 2025 agenda, which includes proposals to restrict voting rights, undermine reproductive freedoms, weaken environmental protections and rewrite parts of the Constitution, such as the 14th Amendment which grants citizenship rights.

As we approach the November election, we can expect the contrast to become starker between Trump’s provocative rhetoric that yearns for a return to an ambiguous bygone era of American greatness and Harris’ upbeat message that imagines a unified, forward-looking, stronger America where our diversity is an asset.

In an increasingly multi-racial and multi-cultural America where there are tendencies to focus on the concerns that divide us, it is incumbent on both candidates to build their candidacies on a commitment to inspire voters to collectively pursue the best possibilities for our country and for all Americans.

We are all in this together.

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday took a significant step toward ensuring consistent protection for San Bernardino County’s many unincorporated communities.

Supervisors voted unanimously to place the San Bernardino County Law Enforcement Staffing and Community Protection Act of 2024 on the Nov. 5 General Election ballot. If approved by a majority of voters, the act will establish a funding formula for law enforcement resources in unincorporated communities and make it difficult for future boards to reduce law enforcement funding.

“We went through an era, that actually still to some degree exists, of ‘defund the police.’ This is an opportunity for us to communicate to our residents that we see, hear and understand that they would like to have minimum levels of staffing to ensure that we do have community protections,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman and Third District Supervisor Dawn Rowe.

The act would require the board to allocate a minimum amount of funding in its annual budget to fund patrol personnel’s direct salary and benefit costs for operations in the unincorporated areas of the county. The minimum amount would be the average of actual patrol personnel salary and benefit costs in the unincorporated area of the county in the three preceding fiscal years.
The board could suspend the requirement for no more than 12 months only if it declares a fiscal emergency by at least a four-fifths vote. Funding during a fiscal emergency would not be factored into future three-year averages unless authorized by a five-fifths vote of the board. The act would also ensure competitive compensation for the Sheriff and District Attorney by modernizing the formula used to set their base salaries. The existing formula is based on the salaries paid in Kern, Riverside, Orange, San Diego and Ventura counties. The act would delete Kern County and add Los Angeles County to the formula. The change would also apply to San Bernardino County’s Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk and Auditor-Controller/Treasurer/Tax Collector.

By Lou K. Coleman | WSS News Contributor

I don’t know whether you know this or not, but EVERY TIME the Bible has predicted a future event, it happened EXACTLY as Scripture said it would. Please don’t wait until it’s too late to repent and give your life to Jesus for [Luke 21:26] says that people’s hearts would faint and fail when they see what’s happening “on the earth.” He said there will be distress, dismay, anguish and great fear, because of “those things which are coming on the earth.” And I tell you, there are antisemitic signs all around us, showing that the end is near. [Luke 21:20].

Oh, how I wish we would all be ready! Because while they are saying, ‘Peace and safety!’ as [1 Thessalonians 5:3] says, then destruction will come upon us suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and we will not escape.” Not only that, “Wars, earthquakes, and famines will escalate” until the end of the Antichrist’s 3.5-year reign, when he will enter a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem and proclaim himself to be God and demand worship [2 Thessalonians 2:4; Matthew 24:15].

Then after that, [another 3.5 years], Jesus predicted, “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. Untold loss of life and destruction of the earth will occur during the Great Tribulation. Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.” [Matthew 24:21-22] Oh, how I wish we would all be ready!

John records the battle this way: “And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon [Satan] and out of the mouth of the beast [the Antichrist] and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs; for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty…” [Revelation 16:13–16]. Oh, how I wish that we would all be ready because the above events are not speculations or possibilities – they are what will take place in the future for the Bible has never once been wrong.

As Peter asks, given the truth of these prophecies: “Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be…because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!” [2 Peter 3:11–12].

I tell you we are closer to the Rapture and the Tribulation than ever before. If you do not repent and get under the umbrella of the Almighty God, you will be sorry. Don’t ignore the opportunity to get right with God because He is your ONLY ESCAPE!

As Larry Norman said in his song, [I Wish We’d All Been Ready]. “Life was filled with guns and war and all of us got trampled on the floor. I wish we’d all been ready. The children died; the days grew cold.
I wish we’d all been ready. There’s no time to change your mind the son has come, and you’ve been left behind…How could you have been so blind? A man and wife asleep in bed she hears a noise and turns her head, he’s gone, I wish we’d all be ready. Two men walking up a hill one disappears and one’s left standing still, I wish we’d all been ready. There’s no time to change your mind, the Son has come, and you’ve been left behind. You’ve been left behind. You’ve been left behind. You’ve been left behind. You’ve been left behind!”

By Manny Otiko | California Black Media  

Rumors circulating on social media about Vice President Kamala Harris’s family, interests, politics, temperament, love life, beliefs and more did not begin when President Joe Biden dropped out of the race for the U.S. presidency last month and endorsed her candidacy.

However, a steady flow of disinformation has followed that announcement, including questions about her academic achievements. Harris’s life is under the microscope as more facts about her childhood and adult life surface in the national conversation.

As we dig through what’s true and not about the character and past of the woman who could be the next President of the United States, here are 10 little-known facts that give us more insight into her personality, past and private life.

1. Harris is named after the Hindu deity Lakshmi. The name “Kamala” means lotus in Sanskrit.
2. Her immediate family life is culturally diverse and so is her family background. Her mother was from India and her father is from Jamaica. She’s married to Doug Emhoff, who is Jewish. From the ages of 3 to 5, Harris lived on the west side of Madison, Wisconsin. She also lived in Champaign, Illinois and briefly lived in Canada as a child.
3. Harris is part of a blended family. She is a co-parent to her husband’s two children, who call her “Momala.” Harris’ parenting abilities were praised by Emhoff’s ex-wife. “For over 10 years, since Cole and Ella were teenagers, Kamala has been a co-parent with Doug and I,” said Kerstin Emhoff in a statement to CNN. “She is loving, nurturing, fiercely protective, and always present. I love our blended family and am grateful to have her in it.” Harris’ stepchildren also called her a “third parent.”
4. Harris has a record for breaking barriers according to Biography.com. She was the first woman district attorney in San Francisco, and the first African American woman to serve as California Attorney General. She’s also the first woman to serve as Vice President. Will she be the first woman to serve as Commander-in-Chief.
5. Harris has activism in her DNA. Her parents took her to civil rights marches when she was a child. According to Harris’ own accounts, she and her sister, Maya, protested their Montreal apartment’s policy of banning children from playing on the lawn. Also, her Indian maternal grandfather was an activist for women’s rights.
6. Harris was born at the height of the civil rights movement and experienced some of the huge societal changes common during that era. She was bused as part of Berkeley Schools’ desegregation program.
7. Harris is a foodie. She sees cooking as a good way to relax. According to Glamour, her mother sparked her interest in cooking. In 2019, Harris shot a campaign video with Indian American actress Mindy Kaling where they prepared masa dosa.
8. Although Harris got her start in the Bay Area political scene, she has ties to Southern California and the entertainment industry. She briefly dated former talk show host Montel Williams. When she’s in the Los Angeles area, she stays at her husband’s Brentwood home. Emhoff was an entertainment lawyer.
9. Harris is a Baptist and a Black Greek. One criticism of Harris is that she can’t relate to Black people. However, many of her life experiences have involved important African American cultural and religious organizations. She is a member of a Baptist church, graduated from Howard University, is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA.)
10. During her time as San Francisco DA, Harris instituted the Back on Track initiative. This program expunged young offenders’ records, as long as they performed community service and graduated from high school. The U.S. Department of Justice recognized it as a model reentry program.

Fijian Americans, who comprise a major segment of caregivers, are using their culture to fill an urgent demand for California caregivers.

By Selen Ozturk

As older and disabled Californians grow more diverse, high-tech caregiving can’t meet them where they are unless it’s also high touch.  Fijian Americans, who comprise a major segment of caregivers, are using their culture to fill this urgent demand.

That’s what Dr. VJ Periyakoil, associate dean of research at Stanford Medicine, told a room of about 30 Fijian graduates of LEADER, a first-of-its-kind program run by her through the Stanford SAGE Lab giving health workers practical skills to care for elderly and disabled people in their preferred language and cultural context.

“But what I learned most wasn’t this or that skill, but that any form of care cannot be stagnant,” said LEADER graduate Lusia Barciet about the training, which can span between four and 12 weeks in-person or online.

“When you care for someone, their needs change the more they age or suffer,” she explained. “How you help them keep from falling, what they need to fall asleep, their nutrition needs, how you can keep them talking so their brain is social and active — this all changes from day to day.”

Barciet and her husband Aseri Rika are live-in caregivers for an 82-year-old French man in Sacramento, before which she cared for community members “ages 84 to 94, one or two at a time”.

75% of Fijian Americans live in California, with many in Sacramento. Nationwide, the Census American Community Survey 2015-2019 reports a Fijian immigrant population of 47,000.

“Barciet helps him with physical daily tasks and care including a catheter, while I help him with projects around the house, of which he has so many — right now I’m helping him build a gate,” said Rika.

“He has the mental ability of a man in his 20s, and still thinks he’s in a 20 year old’s body,” he added. “As with stories of people who fall apart as soon as they retire, we’ve both learned how important to care is helping keep the fire alive in his belly, helping him live so he can often have joy.”

Before moving to Sacramento three years ago, Barciet worked as director of human resources at Fiji Marriott Resort, while Rika was a project officer at Fiji Community Development Program.

Fijian care agencies are relatively abundant in California, with three in Sacramento alone.

However, “I’ve only used an agency once,” said Barciet. “It’s so crucial to focus on training us, the caregivers, because we’re so communal. I really work through personal referrals, not agencies. If a child’s parents pass, for example, they refer me to someone else who needs care.”

Among Pacific Islanders in California overall, including native Hawaiians, 26% provide care to friends or family members — the same as white and more than Hispanic and Asian Californians.

In a testament to the strengths of their culture of communal caregiving, Pacific Islanders rank dramatically below all other races and ethnicities for reported financial stress or physical and mental stress due to caregiving. 16.86% of Pacific Islanders report financial stress compared to 56.32% of whites, for example, and 5% of Pacific Islanders report physical or mental stress compared to 16% of whites.

Despite a major dearth of linguistically and culturally specific care training programs like LEADER, language and cultural barriers are often the largest obstacles to care apart from physical difficulties, said Stanford Medicine Dean Dr. Lloyd Miner at the graduation event. “You are often the only ones who can meet them where they are.”

Nearly 6 million Californians, or 15% of the state’s population, were aged 65 and older as of 2021 according to the U.S. Census — a number projected to grow to over 8.7 million, or 20% of the state, by 2030.

The CDC reports that over 7.6 million Californians have a disability.

Caregivers “are truly the backbone of our health care system,” said Connie Nakano, assistant director of the California Department of Aging (CDA), at the Wednesday, July 31 event at the Stanford School of Medicine. To support California’s aging and disabled population, she added, “your commitment is crucial. It makes a difference in countless lives every single day.”

Since it was founded in 2016, LEADER has trained over 650 direct care workers — including home health aides, community health workers, certified nurse assistants and promotores — through funding by agencies including CDA, the National Institutes of Health and the Health Resources and Services Administration.

Nakano pointed to CDA’s own expansive CalGROWS training program as another opportunity for home health workers to earn up to $6,000 for learning and using new caregiver skills. However, time is running out for caregivers to sign up to earn money, as the program ends in August.

The guest of honor at the commencement, Ratu Ilisoni Vuidreketi — Fijian Ambassador to the U.S. — told the Fijian caregivers “Today we celebrate not only your academic achievements. Not only physical support but compassion, kindness and dignity can be the greatest gift you give to those you serve … May you find fulfillment and purpose in every interaction.”

After a traditional Fijian ceremony in the Li Ka Shing Center conference room to honor Vuidreketi and Miner, Periyakoil presented certificates to LEADER graduates, who then convened to sing a traditional hymn.

“Because of our communal culture, the most challenging part of this training was the beginning framework, learning the course of diseases like dementia and how needs change with them,” said Barciet after the event. “For example, in Fiji, there was no dementia. There was no written history. So we are always talking, talking, talking around the dinner table — ‘Remember this person? Remember that place?’ That’s how we live, socially.”

“In Fiji, all our houses were next to each other, so if I’d see someone struggling to wash clothes or build a fire, I’d simply go over and help them, then return to what I was doing,” she added. “We make such good caregivers because caregiving doesn’t even make sense to us as a separate concept. It’s life itself.”

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—The Educational Results Partnership (ERP) named four San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) campuses to its 2023 Honor Roll for being high-performing schools that improve student academic outcomes. The award-winning schools are Hillside, Kimbark and North Verdemont Elementary Schools; Richardson PREP HI Middle School and Rodriguez PREP Academy Middle School.

All but Kimbark Elementary also made the Honor Roll in 2018 and 2019. Kimbark was last honored in 2016. In fact, Richardson has been named to the Honor Roll 11 times and Hillside 8 times. All five schools earned the Star Award in 2023 and in previous years, which recognizes Honor Roll schools that are high performing and closing the achievement gap despite being high-need schools. This is the first year ERP has published the Honor Roll since 2019.

“I already know that our schools SHINE, that they are preparing SBCUSD scholars for success in school with high expectations that make them college and career ready,” said Superintendent Mauricio Arellano. “But it is certainly nice when outside organizations recognize our schools’ efforts.”

ERP is a non-profit organization that uses public school achievement data to help improve student outcomes and career readiness. ERP Honor Roll schools have demonstrated consistently high levels of student academic achievement, improvement in achievement levels over time and a reduction in achievement gaps among student populations.

In California, the ERP Honor Roll is supported by numerous businesses and organizations, including the California Black Chamber of Commerce and the Campaign for Business & Education Excellence.