By Naomi K. Bonman

They say that if you want to see change that you must be the change. Meet Los Angeles, California native by the way of Midland, Texas, Rashaud Jones. Mr. Jones is being that change that he wants to see in his community. He is making a change through his music by being a voice for the voiceless. Under his stage name, HustleIsMandatory (H.I.M.), he broke into the music scene as an independent artist in October 2015 with the release of his first solo project entitled, “Dana Made H.I.M. Do It,” which was a concept piece based on conversations between H.I.M.’s late aunt Dana Augusta Wright and H.I.M over the last few years before her untimely death. He felt more than compelled to do it in honor of his aunt.

Now fast forward just one year later, and Mr. Jones is making an impact in his music once again with his current single #PROTECTUS which is off of his upcoming project #NOMOREHASHTAGS, which is inspired by the recent events that have occurred where innocent lives have been taken.

“In this moment we have to use our gifts and voices to stand up and say #PROTECTUS because if WE don’ history will continue to repeat itself. Therefore, we as people have to come together as one and showcase that not only “Black Lives Matters” but “All Lives Matter”.

Sophisticated Relations recently caught up with the prolific, uprising emcee where he chatted on his upcoming project, inspirations, and why we should all be using our platforms in order to create the change that we wish to see in the world.

To keep up with H.I.M. visit his website www.hustleismandatory.com or follow him on Instagram @hustleismandatory.

LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW BELOW:

Did you know that up to 70% of your annual water use occurs outdoors? Replacing your lawn with water-wise plants can save as much as 44 gallons per square foot each year. Here are a few tips on how to maintain a beautiful and less thirsty garden:

• Use less thirsty plants: African daisies, California poppies, celosia, creeping zinnia, cosmos, dwarf morning glories, gaillardia, marigolds, nicotiana, portulaca, and many more beautiful plants require much less water than grass.
• Cut back on fertilizer: It causes the plants to become more thirsty.
• Know your sprinklers: Use water-efficient sprinklers that focus on precise coverage and eliminate run off.
• Water for short intervals: Watering for short periods allows plants time to absorb water without causing run off.

Additional indoor and outdoor water-saving tips are available at Metropolitan’s conservation website bewaterwise.com®. The site also has information about education programs and rebates for water-saving devices.

By Lue Dowdy

LUE Productions Model Workshop POOLSIDE is WHAT IT DO!!! We’re looking to put together a one day Model Workshop at the beginning of October. In order to pull it off we must have at least 10 or more ladies in the workshop. You will experience a day of sisterhood through modeling. Our staff will provide top notch experienced individuals as instructors. The fee to participate is $100. Please do not let the cost scare you. We will work with you. The monies will go towards the instructors and amenities listed below worth $250 or more.

Upon completion of the workshop each participant will receive a certificate of completion and headshots. The workshop will consist of “The fundamentals of being a model,” which include: 1. What to expect 2. Tips on Walking 3. Hair & Make Up Tips 4. Fashion Tips 5. Tips on Posing 6. Tips on promoting yourself as a model 7. Information on go sees and 8. How to start your portfolio. Other amenities included in the fee are FREE lunch, FREE champagne, and FREE head shots. Please contact us at (909) 567-1000 or email Lue.info@yahoo.com for more details.

By Naomi Riggins

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- Mr. Jase Patterson, the new principal of Newman Leadership Academy is focused on creating high-quality education by bridging the gap through building stronger ties to the community with collective partnerships, not only with parents, but also with local businesses to support student achievement by first starting at the child’s home.

Patterson, 38, a native of Washington D.C., was an assistant principal at Assata High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for five and half years before transferring to Progressive Achievement Center in Compton, CA where he served as assistant principal for 2 and half years before coming to Newman Leadership Academy. His passion and commitment to children in the urban demographic had led him to the city of San Bernardino.  He recognizes parents are looking for positive male role models to change the perception that role models are only exclusive to the athletic figures. He is showing that role models need to and do include Teachers and Educators who harness educational attributes to make a difference in the world.

In a tough economy and competitive job market, Patterson says “parents find themselves raising children and looking to enter the job market,” or have had past employment problems or limited education. For those parents he plans to implement regular job fairs and educational and literacy programs, which includes computer literacy programs and home computers for the students of Newman, as well as community health fairs with blood pressure and health screenings.

Patterson engages students with the opening of a student store which children will earn incentives called “Scholar Dollars.”  Newman has future plans of expanding the library through donations, and incorporated the assistance of community businesses to help in funding for field trips. His openness has already impressed Newman Academy parents due to the fact that he has first and foremost put the children first. He is going to be a wonderful asset to Newman Leadership Academy Team.

Newman Leadership Academy is looking for additional donations in order to be able to continue to build onto the school’s library and resources.  To find out more about Newman Leadership Academy please visit 1314 E. Date Street in San Bernardino (92404) or visit www.newmanleadership.org.

SAN BERNARDINO CA- Assemblymember Cheryl R. Brown (D-San Bernardino), in partnership with Wells Fargo, sponsored the 47^th Assembly District Youth Academy’s trip to Sacramento on Monday, August 8. The Youth Academy, comprised of local high school students, are working together to finalize a bill proposal for next year’s legislative session.

“The goal of the trip was to get a better understanding of how a bill becomes a law,” said Assemblymember Brown. “I want to thank Wells Fargo for generously sponsoring our field trip to the State Capitol. The experience was both fun and educational for our students.”

During the visit, the Youth Academy members participated in legislative and professional development workshops, as well as attended a committee hearing and Assembly floor session. 

“Every minute of the trip, from meeting Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon to participating in a very compelling question and answer session with Assemblymember Brown’s Chief of Staff, was informative and captivating,” said Maria Mendoza, a recent graduate of Kaiser High School in Fontana. “Witnessing our state Assemblywoman Cheryl Brown in action and finalizing our bill proposal has been unparalleled. I am very thankful to have received the opportunity to be a part of Assemblywoman Brown’s Youth Academy; it has inspired me to become a more politically cognizant citizen.”

            “The trip to Sacramento was a great experience for me,” said Michael Egiebor of Carter High School in Rialto. “I have never been to Sacramento before, so everything I saw was new to me. My favorite part of the trip was working on our legislative proposal with Assemblymember Brown’s Legislative Director, Shannon McKinley.  It showed me that young people can make a difference in their society. All in all, it was a great trip and it inspired me to consider working in the political field.”

“Wells Fargo is pleased to support the 47th Assembly District Youth Academy whose mission is to help enrich the lives of underserved students. At Wells Fargo, we believe it is vital to the health and success of our communities that young people are able to learn from pioneering role models such as Assemblymember Brown,” said President Evelin Martinez, Wells Fargo Inland Empire Area. “We’re pleased to hear that the visit was more than just an educational field trip, but an enriching experience that has motivated our students to become remarkable leaders of the future.”

The 2016 Youth Academy program will conclude November 2016. Applications for the 2017 Youth Academy will become available December 1, 2016.  For more information, contact Ashley Jones at (909) 381-3238.

Kevin Jeffries

With Riverside County being the 10^th largest county in the nation and the 4^th largest in the State of California, and projections saying we may one day be the second largest county in the state, you can’t help but wonder what the future will look like for our growing county.   When I was first elected to the Board in November 2012, one of my questions for our county’s future was – what do we want to be when we grow up?  Are we going to become one mass of concrete and houses?  While we hear a lot about the logistics industry’s impact on the Inland Empire, will our largest export continue to be people, with workers heading out every morning at the crack of dawn to work in LA, Orange and San Diego counties? Or are we going to control and shape our own destiny and bring our people home?

I remember a time when builders built a variety of new buildings for professional offices, small neighborhood commercial centers, and light industrial facilities for small businesses and manufacturers to start and grow.  Today it’s either large residential developments or large warehouses.  Where did the little guy go? Hasn’t it always been the small mom & pop businesses that have all the plaques on the wall, because they could never say no to a little league or soccer league sponsorship request?  That wall of plaques usually doesn’t exist at a corporate chain store.  

My point is – as we grow and question how to add more roof tops and of course more cars on our congested streets, we have to simultaneously figure out where our future high school and college graduates are going to live and work. While we have some beautiful, hillside, gated communities being built, where are the starter homes for young families or professionals? A couple of warehouses along major transportation corridors doesn’t cause me to lose much sleep – but we owe it to our kids and grandkids to attract high tech, professional, and yes, good paying retail and blue collar jobs to our county.  Putting all our eggs into one basket and becoming the mega-center of warehouses for Southern California is not my idea of a long term promising future.  Let’s think outside the box (pun intended).

You may have seen some news stories about the county budget, and the contentious discussion surrounding it.  I ended up voting no on our new county budget and its deficit spending of $1.17 million per week. On a 4-1 vote the Board lifted the previous restrictions that had been imposed a month earlier on travel, new hiring and the purchase of large items (cars, etc.). It also increased spending for a non-public safety agency (or two) and then left unanswered how we are going to deal with a $34 million shortfall in the Sheriff’s Department and at least a $6 million short fall for the District Attorney.  I had hopes that all spending was going to be on the table for re-evaluation and funding prioritization, but that was not the case.  Something tells me we will be re-visiting our decisions by the end of the year.

Respectfully,

Kevin Jeffries

FONTANA, CA- An eager group of students cheered alongside Fontana Unified officials on Aug. 4 as a ceremonial ribbon was cut to celebrate the first day of the new Dolores Huerta International Academy, a $30 million campus that provides dual-language and pre-International magnet programs for 350 learners.

The academy, named for civil rights activist and labor leader Dolores Huerta, will serve students in kindergarten through third grade in 2016-17, and add fourth grade in 2017-18 and fifth grade in 2018-19.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the highly anticipated opening featured school and District officials, community members, parents, and students dressed in blue and white school colors.

“This school is truly a dream come true,” Principal Maribel Lopez-Tyus said. “It is the result of what we can accomplish as a community when we come together and demand the best for our children. This is an exciting time for Fontana.”

High demand for enrollment led Fontana Unified officials to select students through a random drawing that included 600 applicants.

The academy’s vision was a collaborative effort, with a council of 15 to 20 parents helping to develop the school’s beliefs, logo and vision, which is “Academic excellence and global compassion through innovative and multilingual education.” The academy’s international flair will be on display in the school’s foyer later this year when flags from multiple countries will hang to acknowledge the diverse heritage of the students.

The academy’s dual-language classrooms include a mix of native English and Spanish speakers so students can learn from each another.

Dual-language students receive 90 percent of their instruction in Spanish and 10 percent in English in kindergarten and first grade. As they progress through the grades, the percentage of English instruction grows until lessons balance equally between English and Spanish in fifth grade.

The Pre-International program will provide K-5 students with a challenging course of study to prepare them for enrollment in high school IB programs, which feature college-level coursework. Fontana Unified offers an IB program at Jurupa Hills High School.

“The international program here at the academy will put our students on an advanced track to achieving their academic goals,” FUSD Co-Interim Superintendent Randal Bassett said. “The bright and talented students of this school are our true dignitaries. They will be building our future.”

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

Is that right? If I didn’t know a fool, I know one now. How you gonna know more than your Maker fool? God knew you before you were formed in your mother’s womb [Jeremiah 1:5]. I tell you only a fool would deign to say, “I know what is best for me.” In fact, that would be downright rude, and would showcase how arrogance begets stupidity. This is the most basic message of Wisdom: Never “backseat drive” someone who clearly knows you better than you know yourself, and wants to help you. I should just end this message right here!  You know nothing! It is only in God that you live and have your being!

The nerve of the self-serving and foolish thinking of prevailing culture today sending a loud and audacious message to God: “I know better. Thanks, but no thanks. I’ll take it from here.” You know nothing! God knows best!

People today tend to think that they are the ones in charge of their lives. They call the shots. They make the decisions. And God is left out of the picture.  Let no one deceive himself. God is the Lord of your life. He is the one who gives your life. He is the one who directs your life. And He is the one who determines when your life is over. Don’t get it twisted!  You would do good to remember what [1 Corinthians 3:18] says, “if any man among you think that he is wise in this age let him become foolish that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God.

You know, there are two contrasts in life – the foolish man and the wise man.  The foolish man is someone who thinks they know everything. You can’t tell them nothing!  They will not listen to reason. Just “unteachable.”  Try to show them their waywardness only creates an enemy!  But the wise man – while the fool persists in his foolishness, the wise man will listen when he is confronted with the truth and he will adjust his life accordingly. He has a “teachable” spirit! He realizes his own limitations and shortcoming and grasps every opportunity to develop his life into one that is more pleasing to the Lord.

What a difference! The fool says, “I can take care of myself; I can figure out my own life. I don’t need others telling me what to do.” By contrast, the attitude of the wise man is: “I’m always open to the input and advice of those older/wiser/more experienced than I am.” And that is why, as another proverb says, the wise become even wiser. Don’t be a self-centered fool by ignoring wise and helpful input from others. Don’t be a fool, taking pride in what you perceive as your intelligence and wisdom. Such wisdom “is foolishness in God’s sight”. By contrast, trust the Lord, learn His wisdom from the Scriptures of the Bible, acknowledge Him and His ways, and you will be a truly wise man or woman. You think you know better than God…. You know nothing!

By Mildred Henry

I read the headlines in total disbelief!

A professed leader in the Black Lives Matter  (BLM) movement reportedly said,  “I ain’t voting until Black Lives Matter“.  I cannot believe that any informed,  self-respecting African American will openly proclaim that he or she will not vote! This is a gross indignity because of the sacrifices and lives lost by our predecessors in order to gain the right to vote.  This misguided individual tramples on the graves of Sojourner Truth; Fannie Lou Hamer; the Mississippi Freedom Riders; Barbara Jordan, Dr. Martin Luther King, and the sacred graveyard list goes on and on.

Supporters of the “I ain’t voting” cognitive dissonance trample on the grave of my mother who was told she would lose her teaching job if she joined the NAACP and conducted a voter registration drive. She joined, became a lifetime NAACP member, and the family survived. 

We survived in spite of the racists who burned our family cotton gin (3 times) and general store to the ground.  Our family provided merchandise, and rides for neighbors to go to town, to register, to vote, to shop, and to conduct business. Comradery existed whereby you picked up and provided a ride to someone walking by the side of the road.   

 We survived in spite of the fact that schools for Black children were closed 3 and 4 months of the school year to work in the cotton fields. We survived  in spite of having to walk 10 miles to school while school buses for white children threw dust up in our faces.  We survived many adversities in order to be where we are today.  I WILL vote.  

Black people were castigated, tortured, lynched and suffered terrible deaths for just expressing the desire to vote.  It was through the power of the vote that we defeated segregationists George Wallace of Alabama, and Governors Lester Maddox and Orville Faubus of Arkansas.  If one of the reported leaders of the BLM is an attorney, as reported, he should be well aware of the court battles of Attorney and Chief Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood Marshall. As an Arkansan, I watched Attorney Thurgood Marshall and local attorneys like Attorney George Howard, engage in battle on behalf of the Little Rock Nine students’ effort to get an education at Central High School.  Mrs. Daisy Bates and the State Press Newspaper (distributed by my mother) espoused the power of the vote to change the segregationist structure in Arkansas. These students (and many others)  endured insults, life threats, personal danger, and loss of life to get a competitive education and learn that using the word “Ain’t” was not acceptable in the competitive corporate world.  We fought for a competitive education and the right to vote in order to right the wrongs.  I WILL vote!

Rhetoric is cheap. BLM threatens to give the presidency to Donald Trump. Why? I am amazed at how gullible some people are to the unfounded promises uttered by this individual. He promises jobs but he makes products abroad and sells them to consumers in America. How will providing jobs abroad “make America great”?  He can begin by bringing those jobs to America, and assure that ”Made in America” is on all of his products.  As a businessman, carefully scrutinize his business record and his tax return (which he refuses to release).

He speaks of diversity but uses the terminology “my African-American“ which to me equates to the slogan, “My Nigger,” so frequently used in my youth. 

Donald Trump uses negative slogans, personal insults, and exhibits totally unprofessional, crass behavior, unrepresentative of the values taught us as children.  How could any self-respecting African-American, knowledgeable of our ancestral history, threaten to vote for a self-aggrandizement individual who exhibits such unethical behavior?  We should not jump from the frying pan into the fire.  This is not a game of marbles between children. This is a serious world event which will impact the future of every human being on this earth, especially those of minority ethnic background.

I ask those who thought the Democratic inclusion of mothers of slain Black men was just “political theater”, what did the Republicans do to indicate the importance of this issue?  How did they show the seriousness of the Black Lives Matter movement?  News reports indicate “BLM Threatens to Hand Trump the Presidency”.   Why?  What has he done to earn it? This is not a TV show. This is survival.   I sincerely hope that self-grandiose individuals will not be successful in spewing their venom and preying on the sensibilities of the uninformed.

I WILL vote, and I urge every eligible voter to become adequately informed, VOTE, and Don’t Forget The Bridges That Brought Us Over!

By Luis Vasquez-Ajmac, Urban News Service

While the national conversation on police and race seems like a black-and-white issue, many Latinos say they also feel mistreated by cops.

“I grew up in East L.A., in an economically depressed neighborhood,” said Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna, the first Latino to lead the Los Angeles area’s second largest law-enforcement agency. “I did not have the most positive contact with the police or the people around me. I very much understand the concerns.”

Many Latinos report abusive experiences and negative opinions toward police, similar to those that numerous African-Americans have expressed nationwide, according to a survey by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. 

“Excessive police use was a huge issue for the Hispanic-American community,” said Jennifer Benz, AP-NORC’s deputy director. Beyond answering this study’s specific questions, some respondents volunteered that “they or someone in their family was harshly treated by the police at far higher levels than whites,” Benz said.

This is not just a white-and-black issue, according to Benz. “Across the country, roughly four in 10 Americans believe the reason for police violence is overall problems with race relations in our society,” she said. “Three-quarters of Americans think it would be more effective to have diverse police forces nationwide.”

AP-NORC polled 1,200 white, black and Latino Americans on these topics in July 2015.
Law enforcement “has a lot of work to do, to continue the dialogue and talk about the excessive use of force,” said LAPD Captain Tina Nieto, incoming president of the Hispanic American Police Command Officers Association.

The L.A. native echoes those who advocate closing racial disparities by recruiting and hiring more people of color. “It’s very important to make an attempt to have a police force that reflects the community that you are servicing,” Nieto said. “I believe when your police force reflects the community, there are better outcomes.” 
Bryan Stevenson, executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, said that where officers reside affects these matters. “We need officers to live in the communities where they police,” he said. “When they live outside the cities that employ them and commute in from neighborhoods that have very different, less diverse demographics, problems are aggravated.”  

The Manhattan Institute’s Heather McDonald disagrees.

“This is an irrelevant consideration. It’s the classic Black Lives narrative that embraces the white cop/black victim line-up,” said the author of the new book, “The War on Cops.”

“The Justice Department came out with a report last year in Philadelphia. It found that black and Hispanic officers were far more likely than white officers to shoot an unarmed black suspect. I think the inquiry of an officer’s skin color is largely a side show,” she said.

Rene Galindo, a telecom network engineer for 2talk, grew up as a Mexican-American in South Central L.A. He said there are two systems of law: one for whites and another for people of color.

“You thought it was normal for cops to stop you for no reason, check your personal property under no suspicion at all,” Galindo said. “I’ve been held for no apparent reason, just for walking home from a friend’s place at night.”  Nieto, however, said police do not confront people willy-nilly. “I know we are not just stopping you because we want to stop you,” she said. “We are way too busy in the city of L.A. Citizens can always request a supervisor to the scene if you believe officers are doing something they are not supposed to do.” 

“Many people of color do not see cops as protectors, but we see the opposite,” said Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers union, which represents thousands of Mexican-American agricultural laborers. “They harass, intimidate and brutalize people of color and kill.” 

White Americans have it different, some say.

“In most situations, white people are not presumed dangerous or guilty,” said the Equal Justice Initiative’s Stevenson. “Because most police officers are white, this means that white people face a different level of threat and risk when they encounter the police.” 

Despite racial gaps in perceptions of law enforcement, most Americans say they want more diverse police forces to ease ethnic tensions.

“It’s not surprising for those of us aware of how the Latino community across the country has been treated by police,” said Thomas A. Saenz, president of the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. “We need to recruit a more diverse police force.”