LOS ANGELES, CA- The California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) celebrated its 50th Anniversary with “The Legacy Continues” Black Tie Gala at Universal Studios Hollywood’s Globe Theatre. Nearly 500 people gathered at the Gala to honor 50 years of advocacy by former CLBC leaders, including the Founder’s Award recipients, Hon. Willie L. Brown, Jr. and the Hon. Yvonne Brathwaite-Burke; the Chairman’s Award recipient, Hon. Nate Holden; and the Vanguard Award recipient, Hon. Mark Ridley-Thomas. 

“The California Legislative Black Caucus began with the belief that by speaking with a single voice, we could be a force on issues affecting education, justice, and civil rights.” said CLBC Chair, Assemblymember Chris Holden. “The Gala’s honorees are visionaries who successfully passed policies on these issues and are responsible for making California the leader it is today.”

“[The California] Legislative Black Caucus became a reality because [Mervyn Dymally] came to us and said let’s do something together,” said former Assembly Speaker Willie L. Brown during his acceptance speech. “And the votes that we put together from that moment on became part of the public policy consideration for the state of California.”

The Gala, attended by members of the California Legislature, Congress, state government and community leaders, was emceed by Margaret Shug Avery who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in the film The Color Purple. The event concluded with a musical performance by Aloe Blacc.

“With each new generation comes a renewed commitment to the future, and as valuable as it is that we look back and honor these milestones, we always have to keep looking forward, keep moving forward. We will continue to fight for equality, for criminal justice reform, for environmental justice, and for ensuring greater access to education and enterprise for African Americans,” said Holden.

The CLBC Gala Honorees are as follows:

Congresswoman Karen Bass presented the second CLBC Founder’s Award to Willie Lewis Brown, Jr. Willie Lewis Brown, Jr. was born March 20, 1934 in Mineola, Texas. He was the fourth African American to serve in the 80-member Assembly when he was elected in 1964.  He was the first African American and longest serving Speaker of the Assembly, a top legislative leadership post he held for 16-years. In the early 1980s, he led efforts to divest state university holdings in South Africa during that nation’s apartheid era and was a strong advocate for increased funds for AIDS research. Additionally, he authored landmark legislation that legalized sex between consenting adults in California.  He retired from the Assembly in 1995 and was elected Mayor of San Francisco in 1995. He served as Mayor until his retirement in 2004.  In 2013, legislation was passed to rename the western span of the Bay Bridge to the Willie L. Brown, Jr., Bridge.  The signs went up in 2014, and Brown said that he hoped having the bridge named after him would be, “inspirational for kids.”

Assemblymember Autumn Burke presented the CLBC Founder’s Award to her mother, Yvonne Brathwaite-Burke. Yvonne Brathwaite-Burke was born October 5, 1932 in Los Angeles, California.  She was the first African American woman elected to the California State Assembly in 1966. During her legislative tenure, she focused on civil rights and juvenile issues. She was the first African American woman from the Golden State in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1973, and continued to break new ground as the first woman to have a child and secure maternity leave while serving in the U.S. Congress.  She became the first African American member of the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors, a position she has held on and off since 1978.  Assemblywoman Burke retired from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in 2008.

Assemblymember Chris Holden presented the CLBC Chairman’s Award to his father, Nate Holden. Nathaniel N. ‘Nate’ Holden was born June 19, 1929 in Macon, Georgia and was elected to the California State Senate in 1974. In 1975, Nate Holden passed legislation to require public schools and educational institutions to commemorate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for his contributions to the U.S. civil rights movement. He also passed legislation to provide health care for sickle cell anemia patients. In 1987, he was elected to Los Angeles City Council and stayed in office until 2002.

Assemblymember Sebastian Ridley-Thomas presented the CLBC Vanguard Award to his father, Mark Ridley-Thomas. Mark Ridley-Thomas was born in November 6, 1954 in Los Angeles, California.  He was elected to the Assembly in 2002 and to the Senate in 2006. His legislative agenda focused on job development, public safety, education, economic development, healthcare access and community empowerment. He also served as Chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus and is currently Supervisor for the Second District in Los Angeles County.

Nanette M. Rodriquez passed away on August 15, 2017. She was born on August 25, 1953 in New York, NY to George and Belgica Andrick. She was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and aunt. She is survived by her husband Mario; daughters Monica, Amanda, Kathy, and Rebecca; son Raymond, and nine grandchildren.

She had a career with the California Department of Corrections, California Institution for Women, beginning in 1981. She promoted to Correctional Sergeant in 1986 and Correctional Counselor in 1988. In 1996, she became a State Parole Agent, retiring in 2007.

A celebration of life will be held on Friday, September 8 at the grove Church located at 19900 Grove Community Drive in Riverside at 11 a.m.

By Lue Dowdy

Actor, model, and rapper T Win of the Inland Empire is What It Do! Now an official member of SAG/AFTRA this young man is beating the odds. Born a twin and extremely handsome, T Win whose real name is Donte Lazonn Mack turned a bad situation and turned it into good.

Growing up in the Inland Empire, T Win tried his best to avoid trouble. Reaching high school, he took to sports and began playing football which landed him two championships. After graduating Kaiser High School in 2005, Twin found himself in trouble with the law and was locked up for a total of four years. While incarcerated he linked up with a gentleman by the name of Monte Lindsey a.k.a. Devious and started to dabble in music. At that moment, he knew music was something he wanted to do.

Once he was released from prison in 2012, T Win took off running and hasn’t stopped. He began to take up acting and auditioned for a role in the block buster movie, “Straight out of Compton.” Although he didn’t receive a call back, his determination and love for his children kept him pushing. In 2014, he ended up landing a small part in the movie, “Dope” and in the summer Blockbuster movie “Spiderman Homecoming.”

This triple threat is currently working on a clothing line that is schedule to launch this year. While doing all that he still finds time to take it to the MIC. His mixtape titled, “Street Politics” will be dropping real soon. Please make sure to follow this talent on all social media sites under T Win. Until next week L’z!

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

For being chosen to walk the runway in this year “Ankara Fest LA” the biggest African cultural festival in the United States. With her beautiful features and at just 4′ 11″ tall, Krystal proves once again – that you don’t have to be super tall to become a successful model!  As the founder of MKY Petite Modeling Agency, she quotes Napoleon Hill, “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe it can achieve.” 

Yes, the Belasco Theater was the place to be September 1 to September 4. Festivities included Red Carpet and Cocktail, Runway Showcase, Artist Performance, Exhibitors/Vendors Showcase, Comedy, Best Dressed Male & Female Awards, dance and food with live music throughout the night and during the fashion show.  It was a fantastic, memorable evening.

“Los Angeles home to one of the largest celebrations of African fashion, culture, heritage, music, dance and art. In its mission to create social awareness for cultural pride, Ankara Festival serves as creative gathering place for fashion designers, models, exhibitors and individuals at the forefront of afro centric innovation.”

Miss Krystal Yvonne, “continue to be like the eagle: soar high, and drop your food onto rocks to crack them open.”  Heartfelt congratulations and best wishes for your continued success!

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- On Friday, September 8, the San Bernardino Black Culture Foundation will be hosting its Annual Black Rose and Humanitarian of the Year Community Service Awards Banquet. The annual event will take place at 6 p.m. in the Renaissance Ballroom at the National Orange Show Events Center located at 689 South E Street in San Bernardino.

San Bernardino Black Culture Foundation is proud to announce this year’s recipients which are: Humanitarian of the Year, Gwendolyn Rodgers; Community Service Award, Clarisa Howard; Black Rose Awards, Eta Phi Beta Sorority, Lesford Duncan, and Jamie Rios.

Please join us in congratulating our well-deserved recipients. Tickets are $65 per person for dinner or $750 for a table of ten. To purchase yours, please visit www.sbbcfoundation.com or http://2017blackrose.eventbrite.com/?s=75272501.

Dorothy Inghram

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- The San Bernardino County Board of Education voted to name its newest facility after the first African American teacher in San Bernardino County, Dorothy Inghram, during its meeting on September 5.

The board, which voted unanimously (5-0) for the naming, officially will call the new site the San Bernardino County Board of Education Dorothy Inghram Learning Center. The new building is located at 670 E. Carnegie Drive in San Bernardino.

“(Dorothy) was the Harriet Tubman of education for African American students in San Bernardino County,” said Sherman Garnett, president of the County Board. “This is true history right here.”

Inghram, who was born and raised in San Bernardino, graduated from San Bernardino High School in 1923. She graduated from San Bernardino Valley College in 1932 and wrote the school’s alma mater. In 1942, she was hired to teacher second grade at the Mill School, the first African American teacher in the county.

In 1945, she became a teaching principal at the Mill School, becoming the full-time principal in 1951. In 1953, she became the superintendent of the Mill School District, the first African-American in California to be a district superintendent. She lived to be 106 years old before passing away in 2012.

The new facility will serve as an administrative site for Regional Occupational Program and East Valley Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) staff, a cybersecurity career technical education training center, house regular County Board of Education meetings and provide conference rooms for educational leadership workshops and events. 

The board considered 45 names for the new facility before ultimately choosing the name honoring Inghram.

Lou Coleman-Yeboah

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

Well, you asked for it! Fate it will be: your destiny, Death says the Lord. “For when I invited you, you ignored me; when I spoke to you, you brushed me off. You did the very things I exposed as evil; you chose what I hate.” Therefore, I will put you to death… “[Isaiah 65:12-15] [Psalms 50:22]. Prepare to meet your God!

Listen, life is filled with boundaries. The government places boundaries on our lives through various laws and regulations.  Society places boundaries on our lives by telling what most people feel constitutes acceptable behavior.  Religion places boundaries upon the lives of people by telling them what they can and cannot do.  Even churches have certain standards which they expect people who attend to observe.  The list could literally go on forever, but the truth of the matter is this: everywhere you go in this world, you are confronted with boundaries, and when a boundary is crossed, usually a penalty is incurred.  If you violate the laws of the land and get caught, there is a price to pay.  If you step over the boundaries imposed by society or religion, you may be ostracized by the group. The same is true when it comes to God.  When you step over God’s boundaries, there is always a price to pay. Case in point, Lucifer was proud and because of that God hurled him from heaven down to the earth because he crossed God’s boundary of obedience into the territory of disobedience.  [Revelations 12:7-9]. Adam and Eve had one boundary in the Garden of Eden: abstain from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but they chose to overstep the boundary. They crossed the boundary and the result was the introduction of sin, disease, violence, greed, pain and death into our world. [Genesis 3:14-19] [Romans 5:12].  Not to mention Eli’s sons who crossed the boundary of morality. They slept with the women who came to sacrifice at the altar. They therefore met untimely and tragic deaths [1 Samuel 2:12-36]. And Jonadad, who advised and encouraged his friend and cousin Amnon to commit incest by sleeping with his own sister. After committing incest with Tamar, Amnon turned to hate her and chased her away, later Amnon was murdered. [2 Samuel 13: 1-39]. Ham who saw his father Noah’s nakedness, Noah was displeased and rained curses on him [Genesis 9:18-25]. The problem is we’ve been deceived into believing that the boundaries don’t matter.  But here is the deal, if God is truth and he speaks the truth, then what he says matters.   Stepping beyond the boundary stones is not wise.

Listen, God has set certain boundaries in His Word.  Those who cross God’s boundaries will find that there is no hope, no forgiveness and nothing to look forward to but His judgment.  But, it doesn’t have to be that way!  The Lord stands ready right now to forgive all those who will come to Him in humble repentance, [1 John 1:9]. Come to the Lord today and get things right with Him.   Don’t cross that line!  If you do, you will regret it for all eternity! Come while He may be found.  You see a crooked generation is a lost generation. We are told that Peter warned them. We are told that he pleaded with them to save themselves. In other words they were in terrible danger and they couldn’t see it, and so he had to warn them and beseech them to see their plight. “Don’t ignore what I have said to you. The wages of sin is death!” Won’t you respond as the 3,000 men responded who were listening to Peter? They understood what he was saying, and they agreed with his diagnosis of their condition. They nodded their heads silently. They said ‘Amen’ in their hearts. They acknowledged their corruption and that their only Savior was Jesus Christ. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you too will be saved.

[Jeremiah 26:4-6]

“And you will say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD, “If you will not listen to Me, to walk in My law which I have set before you, to listen to the words of My servants the prophets, whom I have been sending to you again and again, but you have not listened; then I will make this house like Shiloh, and this city I will make a curse to all the nations of the earth.”

 [Deuteronomy 30: 19] “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life that both thou and thy seed may live…”

(from left to right: Alyssa Suarez, Alyssa Holmes, and Ethan Wilson with Tracy Holmes.

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA- Ms. Tracy Holmes is a local author from the Inland empire. She has hosted six Barnes & Noble book signings this year throughout Southern California. Her most recent book signing featured her newest release under her publishing company Say It Twice books entitled, “Fruits,” which was at the Rancho Cucamonga Barnes & Noble located on Foothill Boulevard on Sunday, August 20th.

Customers received a free face painting with the purchase of a book. Ms. Holmes has created a fun way for children to learn Spanish and an even easier way for their parents to read it in her Spanish to English books. Say It Twice Books all include a learning activity in the back of each book to enhance learning. Children are loving “Fruits” and have given great reviews on it.

“It was fun reading fruits. I like how it teaches you Spanish. I also like that my friends were there,” Alyssa Suarez a 3rd grader from North Fontana said.

“I like the face painting, it’s cool,” Ethan Wilson, a 3rd grader from North Fontana, said.

All Say It Twice Books are available on Amazon, as well as Barnes & Noble. To learn more about Ms.Holmes go to www.Sayittwicebooks.com.

Submitted by Angela Coggs

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- Young Women Empowerment Foundation (YWE) will host their fifth Annual Women’s Wellness Conference at San Bernardino Community Hospital Henderson Auditorium located at 1800 Western Avenue in San Bernardino on Saturday, September 9 from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. YWE invites family, friends, faith-based, students and community supporters to this augural event that focuses on emotional and physical health and wellness. This is a free event for all women in the Inland Empire.

This year’s theme is, “Silence No More.” It refers to not keeping silent regarding heart disease and domestic violence. Both areas of concern plague all people but especially minority women. The conference will focus on the prevention of heart disease as well as learning to live with and maintain if diagnosed. Women who attend will have the opportunity to participate in interactive demonstrations and hear life changing testimonials from other women on heart disease and domestic violence.  There will also be complimentary continental breakfast, lunch, entertainment, giveaways, and opportunity drawings.

The three keynote speakers for the wellness conference will focus on issues that are important and relevant to heart disease and domestic violence. The keynote and guest testimonial speakers are as follows:

Dr. Romeo Brooks, Ph.D. (Keynote)

Herbalist, Iridologist, Natural Hygienist and Naturopathic Medicine

Roots Nutrition

Melinda Cuellar

Representative

Divine Connections, H.O.P.E.

*Joyce Fairman

CEO/Founder

Hearts of Color

As we continue to mourn the loss of our beloved friend and heart health advocate Joyce Fairman we will celebrate her memory during her original scheduled speaking time. 

Cuellar will discuss domestic violence and how Divine Connections, H.O.P.E. mission to offer guidance, empowerment, education and resources for building healthy relationships. Option House will also provide additional information about domestic violence and conduct a question and answer segment at the end. Additionally, a unique skit on the subject of domestic violence will take a personal look inside a potential volatile situation.

Dr. Brooks will discuss preventing and living with heart disease and how the physical body is not only the expressed image of the invisible mind but is also the visible barometer of what occurs in our mental, emotional and spiritual bodies.

In addition to providing useful health and wellness information at the conference, the attendees will also be presented with the opportunity to get physical during the live line dance demonstrations by Heart and Soul’s Harriette Coggs Stuckey. The line dance demonstrations has been a huge success for the past three years. Please come dressed to participate. Workout clothes are highly encouraged and recommended.Please register on Eventbrite under “Free Young Women’s Empowerment Foundation (YWE) 5^th Annual Women’s Wellness Conference.  Also, please encourage and invite family and friends to register and attend this noteworthy opportunity focused on empowering women to live mentally and physically healthy lives. Space is limited, sign up today.

YWE serves to strengthen the character of young women of high school age in the San Bernardino City region of the Inland Empire in Southern California. Young Women’s Empowerment was founded by CEO Gwendolyn Dowdy- Rodgers. The mission of our program is to empower these young women to achieve at their highest potential, particularly in education, and to instill in them a commitment to return to their community as leaders and mentors.

The Young Women’s Empowerment Foundation (YWE) is dedicated to strengthening the self-esteem, character, integrity and capacity of young women ages 12-21 so that they may achieve their highest potential. YWE accomplishes its purpose through strategic partnerships with other organizations. YWE is guided by ethics and principles which exhibit respect for cultural diversity.

All inquiries, pre-register individual or groups, please email Tiffany James at ywefoundation@gmail.com.

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Producing, selling and using plastic bags becomes illegal as officials say they want to target manufacturers and sellers first

NATIONAL- Kenyans producing, selling or even using plastic bags will risk imprisonment of up to four years or fines of $40,000 from Monday, as the world’s toughest law aimed at reducing plastic pollution came into effect.

The East African nation joins more than 40 other countries that have banned, partly banned or taxed single use plastic bags, including China, France, Rwanda, and Italy. 

Many bags drift into the ocean, strangling turtles, suffocating seabirds and filling the stomachs of dolphins and whales with waste until they die of starvation. 

“If we continue like this, by 2050, we will have more plastic in the ocean than fish,” said Habib El-Habr, an expert on marine litter working with the UN environment programme in Kenya.

Plastic bags, which El-Habr says take between 500 to 1,000 years to break down, also enter the human food chain through fish and other animals. In Nairobi’s slaughterhouses, some cows destined for human consumption had 20 bags removed from their stomachs.

“This is something we didn’t get 10 years ago but now it’s almost on a daily basis,” said county vet Mbuthi Kinyanjui as he watched men in bloodied white uniforms scoop sodden plastic bags from the stomachs of cow carcasses.

Kenya’s law allows police to go after anyone even carrying a plastic bag. But Judy Wakhungu, Kenya’s environment minister, said enforcement would initially be directed at manufacturers and suppliers. 

It took Kenya three attempts over 10 years to finally pass the ban, and not everyone is a fan. 

Samuel Matonda, spokesman for the Kenya Association of Manufacturers, said it would cost 60,000 jobs and force 176 manufacturers to close. Kenya is a major exporter of plastic bags to the region. 

“The knock-on effects will be very severe,” Matonda said. “It will even affect the women who sell vegetables in the market – how will their customers carry their shopping home?” 

Big Kenyan supermarket chains like France’s Carrefour and Nakumatt have already started offering customers cloth bags as alternatives.