Troy D. Taylor

It’s a beautiful day in the I.E., and I’m glad about it! It’s ya’ girl the crazy one, Miss LUE coming at you with ‘What it Do’! Sometimes it’s hard to select whom to feature in my column due to all the talent everywhere. This week’s selection was a no brainer. I would like to introduce a hardworking man that goes by the name of Troy D. Taylor.

Troy D. Taylor is a rational and impartial individual who enjoys intellectual pursuits and prizes independence is undoubtedly designed to be an entrepreneur. Troy D. Taylor, aka DjCahoots, is a California native that is a self-taught drummer. He has spent the last ten years producing music. After successfully going through and completing an accelerated academic program, Troy proudly served his country and emerged as a leader. His all-inclusive media arts and entertainment company, Rigorous Grind, is the invention of his analytic mind.

Rigorous Grind strategically responds to all of the industry needs through comprehensive service offerings. Troy Taylor’s life experiences has made him incredibly comfortable with hard work and high standards; he is a confident and knowledgeable pioneer in a demanding and competitive market. Please check him out on Facebook under Troy D. Taylor and the awesome services he provides.

Well that’s it that’s all! Until next week ONE LOVE!

Publishers Commentary by Wallace J. Allen

Freedom does not negate physics. Newton’s law of motion says, “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction…”

I am free to say what I want and you are free to respond! I am free to vaccinate and you are free to not vaccinate. I am free to hope that my vaccination shields me from measles etc… You are free to ’dodge’ or catch the measles, etc. You are free to ’dodge’ or catch the measles.

As to the child that is too young to vaccinate and is vulnerable and dependent on others being vaccinated, the parent/guardian must take charge. Since that parent/guardian cannot take charge of who is and who is not vaccinated, they must take charge of their child. If your child’s immune system is vulnerable should you trust the probability of others being vaccinated any more than you would trust a daycare service operated by the ”Redeemed Child Molester’s Association?”

Our society does not require people to make smart decisions. We are allowed the freedom to decide for ourselves with good or bad decisions. That same freedom requires us to deal with the repercussions, as well as the rewards of our decisions.

Freedom can be confusing and frustrating, and definitely requires responsibility. When confronted with the “Jim Crow” laws of the post civil war era, an era that obviously paid no heed to political correctness, a formerly enslaved man was overheard to say “Freedom can be a ‘B-word’!”

(from left to right) Lashyra Nolen, Thomas Watkins, and Lorissa Payne

LOS ANGELES, CA- What does it take to be a leader? Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a great orator, Muhammad Ali was a fighter in and out of the ring, and aviator Bessie Coleman was as determined as they come. One thing they had in common was their affinity for leadership which was apparent at an early age.  Today, three stellar scholars from Ronald McDonald House Charities®/African American Future Achievers (RMHC/AAFA) scholarship program are emerging as young leaders in their communities and on their college campuses as well. The scholarship program is hosted locally by Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Southern California (RMHCSC) and supported by the fundraising efforts of local McDonald’s owner/operators and corporate staff.  Each of these students have drawn inspiration from leaders of the past, while they start to build their own ideas of what it takes to become a leader today.

Lashyra Nolen

LaShyra Nolen, a sophomore Health and Human Science major at Loyola Marymont University (LMU), believes being a leader means being bold and being prepared to act so the voices you serve are heard. She plans to do just that as a Clinton Global Initiative Student innovator, a program that provides support for undergraduate students who are developing new solutions to the world’s most pressing issues. Her plan is to create a five-week health program in the Riverside and San Bernardino communities that help families set healthy trends.

Nolen says the RMHC/AAFA program gave her confidence. “The fact that such an organization saw me fit to represent them showed me that I have people who believe in me,” says Nolen. “I asked myself, why can’t I be successful and do well in college too?” Doing “well” is an understatement for Nolen who serves her campus as a student senator, resident hall advisor, and member of LMU’s Belles Service Organization.

The aspiring doctor, who is from Rancho Cucamonga, says her drive and passion for her community was inspired by her mother. She received two college degrees while taking care of Nolen and her little brother as a single mother. “Everything I am doing all goes back to giving back and using my strength to help others.”

Thomas Watkins

Thomas Watkins was selected as a RMHC/AAFA recipient in 2013 and has since partnered with RMHCSC to talk with students about reaching their goals and the importance of pursuing college. A Corona native majoring in Hotel and Restaurant Management at California Polytechnic State University in Pomona, Watkins believes a leader has to know how to command attention through communication. “A leader could be anyone, from any walk of life,” says Watkins. “They could talk to the CEO of a company, and also connect with a kindergartener with no problem.”

As an aspiring restauranteur, Watkins hopes to continue connecting with his community. He believes food is the one thing that can put a smile on anyone’s face. “I want to help my community by creating programs that teach kids how to cook as an outlet for them,” he says.

Lorissa Payne

Biola University student, Lorissa Payne, began thinking of ways she could become a leader in high school. The freshman English major noticed she had the gift of writing and challenged herself by taking advanced placement classes which led her to be selected to the Torrey Honors Institute at Biola. The institute spurs students to take a deeper dive into Western literature and aims to build strong, Christian leaders.

“Writing is a primary form of communication and if students can’t express themselves through writing, it is a detriment to one’s future,” says Payne. She aspires to work in education and believes leadership is all about leading by example. “When others see a living example of a leader, it allows them to think they can succeed too,” she says.  She calls former United States Secretary of State Condeleeza Rice her living example. “Reading her biography in high school made me realize we were raised similarly, says Payne. “Her story showed me when people utilize their gifts to help others; they can go much further in life.”

Nolen, Watkins, and Payne are just a few of the 109 students identified each year through the RMHCSC scholarship program. Since 1990, RMHCSC has awarded more than $4.5 million in scholarship funds to local students. It allows students the opportunity to think about their future, makes college attainable and helps students inspire others.  Scholarships are awarded through four programs, including: RMHC /AAFA, RMHC/Asian Pacific American Students Increasing Achievement (ASIA), RMHC/Hispanic American Commitment to Educational Resources (HACER) and RMHC/Scholars.

For more than 35 years, RMHCSC has been committed to providing comfort, care and support to children and families in Southern California.  RMHCSC is dedicated to creating a community where children and their families embrace life and healing with a sense of hope, enthusiasm, courage and joy by operating six Ronald McDonald Houses, Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times, two Ronald McDonald Family Rooms and a Community Grants Board. This year, another 109 student scholars and future leaders from across Southern California will be celebrated during the annual RMHCSC scholarship luncheon that will take place in May.

Community members signing up for affordable health care (Photo by Naomi K. Bonman).

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- In an effort to get citizens enrolled in a healthcare plan by the February 15, 2015 deadline, the San Bernardino Boys and Girls Club opened up their doors on Monday, February 2 to host an open enrollment workshop with Covered California. The workshop was held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and guests were able to learn about their healthcare options through a presentation which answered any concerns or questions that they had.

“We are happy to host Covered California, and to provide such a wonderful opportunity to individuals and families in the local community.” Dr. Lolita Lyles, Director of the Operations at the Boys and Girls Club of San Bernardino, stated. “It is essential that members of the economically challenged communities, like San Bernardino, have greater access to affordable health coverage. Our organization promotes healthy lifestyles, and we are happy to take the lead in assisting to improve access to quality coverage, and to improving overall health outcomes in our community.”

Quiana Lewis

(Quiana Lewis joined the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in 2014 as a program associate, working to build a Culture of Health by helping all American residents attain stable, affordable health coverage.)

By Quiana Lewis

I am one of the more than 22,000 alumni whose careers have been shaped and lives changed by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Summer Medical and Dental Education Program (SMDEP).

For me, medicine was a logical decision: my academic performance in science was good, I liked interacting with people, and I didn’t want to be a lawyer.

Clearly, my perceptions of medicine and careers in health were limited.

Then came my SMDEP summer at UCLA, one of the most transformative experiences of my college education. A pipeline program for students who typically are underrepresented in health care fields, SMDEP exposed me to the study and practice of medicine and dentistry that enriched my understanding for both fields. I shadowed physicians, received enrichment in core science subjects, and learned how to excel in medical and dental school. I also received hands-on laboratory experience to create dental models and conducted health screenings at community fairs.

The unexpected lessons from the program, however, were the ones that stuck with me most.

The core science classes were structured using case-based learning methods. This was a departure from the didactic way I was used to learning science. The curriculum used patient case studies to teach biology, anatomy, and physiology. The lessons were investigative in nature and discussion-based. We discussed not only patients’ medical issues, but also the socioeconomic factors affecting them. This piqued my interest. Until then, I had not thought deeply about the impact of systems on the health of individuals. Throughout that summer, I read books and journal articles about the social determinants of health, medical anthropology, and epidemiology. The more I read, the more questions I posed, and the more I realized this was the career path for me.

After SMDEP, I continued to explore the vast world of public health at school and in subsequent summer programs. I graduated from Fisk University, and went on to obtain a master’s degree in public health from Yale University. Since graduate school, I have worked in state and local health departments, community organizations, and health consulting firms.

My public health journey has come full circle. I discovered my passion for population health with the help of RWJF, by way of SMDEP. Now, as an RWJF employee, I work with the Foundation to build a Culture of Health across the nation.

Without SMDEP, I might never have discovered my passion.

SMDEP is currently recruiting for its 2015 summer program through March 1, at 12 sites across the country, including Case Western Reserve University, Columbia University, Duke University, Howard University, Rutgers University, University of Texas, UCLA, University of Louisville, University of Nebraska, University of Virginia, University of Washington, and Yale University.

For more information, visit http://smdep.org/apply-to-smdep/

Los Angeles-based online jewelry company nu day jewelry co. is hosting their 1st Annual True Love Valentine’s Day Contest this year that exclusively benefits military couples! Couples can enter to win a piece of jewelry (of their choice) for their loved one worth up to $500!!! 

Artistic Director Jelon Vieira infuses Afro-Brazilian movement, contemporary dance and Capoiera

Three performances only!  February 6-7, 2015

BEVERLY HILLS, CA- Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts (“The Wallis”) will bring DanceBrazil (Jelon Vieira, Artistic Director), an Afro-Brazilian dance group, to the Greater Los Angeles Area for three performances only, February 6-7, 2015, in the Bram Goldsmith Theater. The program includes the West Coast premieres of Gueto, choreographed by Vieira to music of Marcos Carvalho, and Búzios, choreographed by Guilherme Durarte to music of Leo Jesus.  The program also features Viera’s 2013 Fé do Sertão, also set to music by Carvalho.  The company will also conduct masterclasses in Afro-Brazilian movement (February 5) and Capoeira (February 7).

For over 30 years, New York City-based DanceBrazil has thrilled audiences across the United States and throughout the world with its dazzling artistry, which is inspired by the cultural tapestry of Brazil. Whether in the streets or on stage in the most prestigious theaters, the dancers of DanceBrazil never fail to enthrall audiences with the company’s unique fusion of Afro-Brazilian movement, contemporary dance and Capoeira, the traditional dance form that had its origins from African slaves from Angola and Mozambique and evolved in colonial Brazil. Afro-Brazilians represent the largest ethnic group in Brazil, approximately 49.6%, and are the largest Black population outside of Africa.

DanceBrazil will premiere two pieces new to Los Angeles audiences: Gueto (“Ghetto”), a testimony to the abiding vitality and humanity that sustain the people living in the many marginalized, disenfranchised communities in Brazil and around the world, and Búzios, which explores the role that “jogo de búzios,” an enigmatic and mystical game of divination, plays in everyday life in Brazil.

The company will round out its program with its 2013 dance Fé do Sertão. Sertão, a largely rural area of Northeastern Brazil is known for its extremely arid climate and brief growing season, which has also helped foster its strong faith and the close-knit communities that support one another through many lean months of the year. Viera’s piece honors that community with a dance that fetes the esteemed Festival of São João, which celebrates the end of the rainy season and the annual corn harvest.

Artistic Director Jelon Vieira – one of the staunchest proponents of Capoeira, a Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics and music – founded DanceBrazil in 1977. Initially formed from grassroots workshops at the Clark Center for the Arts in New York City, Vieira and Loremil Machado were among the first artists to bring traditional Afro-Brazilian dance to the United States. Alvin Ailey, who would join his board of directors in 1980, was the one who suggested the name and in its early days helped focus the objectives of the company.

For 38 years, Vieira has led the company in breathtaking performances for audiences in Europe, Asia and the United States, as well as in his home country of Brazil. In 2008, he was awarded one of 11 National Heritage Fellowships, the United States’ highest honor for those in the folk and traditional arts.

The New York Times said, “the performers of DanceBrazil exist in a ravishing, hard-working paradise … what matters here above all is the gorgeously full physicality of movement, allied to music.  The beauty and style of these dancers is already a treat to the senses.  Legs maintain powerful extensions like searchlights.  The pliancy of those torsos is often breathtaking — not just in the way backs tip so powerfully and freely this way and that, but also in the ways that shoulders or stomach muscles contract and pulsate rhythmically.  The dancers glow enthusiastically as they let rip at highest energy.”

DanceBrazil is also offering student masterclasses with a limited number of places held for the public.   On February 5 at 6pm, an Afro-Brazilian Class (all ages welcome) is based on the traditional and contemporary dances developed in the northeastern state of Bahia. The movements are based on the gesture of the Orixás dance, the energetic Maculele and the beautiful samba de roda and other influences from the folkloric dances in the region of Bahia. The class will be accompanied by live drumming.

On February 7 at 11 am, a Capoeira class (all ages welcome) will concentrate on the Afro-Brazilian art form which combines fight, dance, rhythm and movement.  Capoeira was originally developed by Africans brought to Brazil as slaves in the 1500s. The class will introduce basic movements (ginga) with emphasis on the roda (circular formation) – where the dialogue between players takes place and becomes a conversation through movement which can take on many shades of meaning.  Students will be introduced to the instruments used in Capoeira (berimbaus, pandeiros and atabaque) and songs that are sung in the roda. For more information that celebrates the Afro-Brazilian culture, visit afro-brazilian.com.

Tickets are available at www.thewallis.org or by calling 310-746-4000 or in person at The Wallis Ticket Services located at 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90210.

Clive Davis (Photo Source: Google Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA- Award-winning record producer and renowned music business executive Clive Davis will be honored with the prestigious Vanguard Award at THE 46^th NAACP IMAGE AWARDS, broadcast live from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, Friday, Feb. 6 (9:00-11:00 p.m. ET live/PT tape-delayed) on TV ONE.

The NAACP Vanguard Award is presented to a person whose groundbreaking work increases understanding and awareness of racial and social issues. Previous honorees include Wyclef Jean, Tyler Perry, Russell Simmons, Aretha Franklin, Stanley Kramer, Steven Spielberg, and George Lucas.

“The NAACP is proud to honor Clive Davis this year’s Vanguard Award for his continued contributions of exceptional work to the music industry,” said NAACP President and CEO Cornell William Brooks. “His meticulous work ethic, extraordinary vision, and tireless dedication have built a prolific career that sets a remarkable example for so many who dream of following in his footsteps.”

Clive Davis’s devotion to the music industry has resulted in working closely with a large list of landmark artists through his tenures at Columbia, Arista and J Records. From early signings with Janis Joplin, Bruce Springsteen, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Chicago, Aerosmith, Billy Joel and Earth, Wind & Fire, to Patti Smith, The Grateful Dead, Santana, Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson, and many others, Davis has made a profound impact on popular culture. Clive Davis, is currently the Chief Creative Officer of Sony Music Entertainment. He has won five GRAMMYS and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer. Davis’s autobiography “The Soundtrack Of My Life,” published by Simon & Shuster in 2013, became a New York Times bestseller. The Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYU is continuing to extend his legacy and looking to the future of the music business.

The NAACP Image Awards celebrates the accomplishment of people of color in the fields of television, music, literature and film and also honors individuals or groups who promote social justice through creative endeavors. Winners will be voted upon by NAACP members and announced when the envelopes are opened on Thursday, February 5 during the Awards Ceremony for non-televised categories. The remaining categories will be announced LIVE on stage during the two-hour star-studded TV One telecast on Friday, February 6 (9:00 – 11:00 p.m. ET/PT tape-delated). The telecast will also include a one-hour pre-show airing live from the red carpet (8:00 – 9:00 p.m. ET/PT tape-delayed).

The 46TH NAACP Image Awards are sponsored by: AT&T, Bank of America, FedEx, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Gilead Sciences, Hyundai Motor America, Southwest Airlines and Wells Fargo.

For all information and latest news, please visit the official NAACP Image Awards website at http://www.naacpimageawards.net.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- February is going to be a busy month for local music lovers in the Inland Empire as the San Bernardino Symphony will be offering three consecutive days of uniquely American fare as part of their current season themes, “By Request: The Music You Want to Hear.”

The first notes will sound less than four weeks away on the evening of February 5 at a special event to honor local arts and education supporters, Assemblywoman Cheryl Brown and Mr. Hardy Brown, Sr.  Attendees will sample local restaurant fare and enjoy the smooth sounds of the Cal State San Bernardino Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Symphony Board Member Dr. Bob Knop.

“The Browns have actively supported the region for many years, setting the consummate example of selfless and focused community service,” said Symphony conductor Frank Fetta. “To be able to set aside an evening to say thank you to these pillars of the community is a true privilege.”

The following morning, Maestro Fetta will lift his baton for back-to-back student concerts as the Symphony performs “Musical Genius in America” including Ragtime selections from Scott Joplin, a medley of tunes from Duke Ellington, and William Grant Still’s Afro-American Symphony. This free student concert came out of a series of conversations with the San Bernardino City Unified School District as the two organizations sought to build an academically meaningful musical experience for the annual school event.

Said Symphony Executive Director Dr. Anne Viricel, “We felt this set of selections would both support and broaden the multi-cultural emphasis in the classroom during Black History Month.” As in years past, the schools will also be provided with corresponding teaching materials developed in line with California’s new Common Core standards. Students will learn about the composers, the historical context of each piece, and the contributions of American musicians to the various genres of orchestral music, as well as the historical venue.

Then, the evening of Saturday, February 7, the community will once again return to the California Theatre for the full presentation of Musical Genius in America, which will also include Gershwin’s iconic Rhapsody in Blue interpreted by gifted pianist Yana Reznik.

The young Russian-born classical pianist has performed as a soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Toyota Concert Series at Disney Hall, was the winner of the 2010 Artists International Competition, and gave a sold-out recital at her Carnegie Hall Debut in New York in 2004. As the only classically endorsed pianist for Roland Corporation US, Reznik has presented the World Premier concert of V-Piano Grand at Zipper Hall (Los Angeles) and Lincoln Center (New York). In addition to her solo appearances with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, San Bernardino Symphony, Redlands Bowl Orchestra, the World Youth Symphony Orchestra, University of Southern California Symphony Orchestra and Concert Symphony Orchestra, the Torrance Symphony Orchestra and the Stanford Wind Ensemble, she has performed at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, Santiago’s Gabriela Mistral and the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, the Zipper, Thayer and Steinway Halls in Los Angeles, and has as well been presented by the Jacaranda, Los Angeles Bach Festival, the Maestro Foundation, Laguna Beach Live, Sundays Live at Four (KUSC), the Sunset Series in Los Gatos, Classical Underground, the Colburn Chamber Music Series, the Huntington Arts Festival in New York, Classical Music Encounters of Orange County and the Western Society of Chamber Music. In 2008, as a Founder and Artistic Director of the Southern California Brahms Festival, Reznik performed the complete piano chamber works of Johannes Brahms. An active collaborator, she is a regular guest artist with the Gold Coast Chamber Players in San Francisco, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber orchestra, and the San Francisco Symphony, Opera and Ballet.

The presenting sponsor for these concerts is the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians.

“This wonderful organization never fails to support activities that benefit the vitality of our community and we are so thankful to have them as part of our Symphony family,” added Viricel.

Up-coming Concerts

April 11, two Symphony musicians – Concert Master Todor Pelev and First Chair Cellist Ana Maria Maldonado – will team up to play Brahms’ Concerto for Violin and Violincello. The evening’s concert, “Beethoven, Brahms & Bartholdy” will also include Beethoven’s Egmont Overture and Mendelssohn-Bartholdy’s Symphony No. 3, The Scottish Symphony. This event will also include an exhibition of artwork by gifted local students based upon their interpretations of the pieces to be played.

Wrapping an amazing season will be the “Triumphant Season Finale” on May 23.  The concert will include Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, and Strauss’ Horn Concerto No. 1 featuring Icelandic horn soloist Joseph Ognibene. An internationally-known recording artist, Ognibene originally hails from Claremont and has been principal horn of the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra since 1981.

“We are thrilled to provide this outstanding season full of beautiful music and exciting surprises,” added Maestro Fetta, “and we invite the community to come and enjoy all their San Bernardino Symphony has to offer.”

Tickets and Venue Information

All regular season concerts will be performed at the historic California Theatre, 562 W. 4^th Street, San Bernardino.  Both season and individual tickets may be purchased by calling (909) 381-5388 or visiting the Symphony box office at 198 N. Arrowhead Ave., San Bernardino. General admission tickets are also securely available on line at www.sanbernardinosymphony.org, and with limited availability at the theater box office the evening of each event. (Students: $11; General: $20, $35, $45, $55.)

Drs. Ed McField (left) and Sherma Charlemagne-Badal.

LOMA LINDA, CA- Loma Linda University School of Public Health (LLUSPH) received a $1.158 million award from the County of San Bernardino to implement an 18-month initiative to improve health equity by increasing access to health care.

The project, titled “San Bernardino County MediCal Outreach, Retention, and Enrollment” (SBC-MORE for short), was developed and proposed by Sherma Charlemagne-Badal, PhD, assistant professor at LLUSPH, who will serve as principal investigator/project director, and Edward McField, PhD, associate professor at LLUSPH, who will serve as co-investigator/project associate director.

“We can all agree that San Bernardino County can be ‘MORE,’ and with this in mind, we have selected a name and a corresponding acronym which aptly conveys our expectations for our county,” says Charlemagne-Badal, who also serves as special advisor for health equity at LLUSPH.

On Jan. 6, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors approved the award, which aims to improve health equity in the region by increasing access to health care among underserved and low-enrollment populations.

The target population includes persons with mental health disorder needs, persons with substance use disorder needs, individuals who are homeless, young men of color, families with mixed immigration status, persons with limited English proficiency, and individuals who are in county jail, in state prison, on state parole, on county probation, or under post-release community supervision.

Students and faculty will actively engage the community utilizing principles of community-based participatory research while partnering with local community organizations such as 2-1-1 United Way, the African American Health Coalition, Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement and El Sol Neighborhood Educational Center.

McField shares that, “while the focus is on outreach and enrollment efforts, the project will explore individual-level factors as well as systems or policy-level factors that influence behaviors associated with health choices, including factors influencing decision to enroll into health plans — an increasingly critical issue particularly in the context of the Affordable Care Act.”

Another unique feature is the collaboration with a historical coalition of San Bernardino County departments and agencies, including the Department of Public Health, Department of Behavioral Health, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Probation Department, Sheriff’s Department, and Transitional Assistance Department.

SBC-MORE was developed in the context of the reorganization of LLUSPH into multi-disciplinary academic centers focused on regional and global health equity. Charlemagne-Badal and McField are affiliated with the Center for Leadership in Health Systems, but SBC-MORE was designed to involve at least two LLUSPH centers, as Samuel Soret, PhD, executive director of the school’s Center for Community Resilience, will have a role for program evaluation.

“We are very proud of the outstanding team and the equally outstanding proposal,” says Anthony J. Zuccarelli, PhD, associate vice president for research affairs.

SBC-MORE stems from the commitment of Loma Linda University Health to build sustainable community partnerships and actively promote health and wellness.