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Eric Carthen

OXNARD, CA- Eric Carthen is from the Inland Empire and is a junior at California Lutheran University (CLU) in Thousand Oaks, California. He was one of the students from CLU to be honored at the Ventura County’s 29^th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Day event.  The theme for this year’s event was “Celebrating Voting & Civil Rights—Today!”  The event was held on Monday, January 19, 2015 at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center Theater in Oxnard, CA. The keynote speaker was Mr. Gerald C. Rivers who spoke on the topic of “The Voice of Dr. King.”  This event was sponsored by: Martin Luther King, Jr. Committee of Ventura County, The City of Oxnard.

(left to right) Hattie Inge, President of Rialto Black History Committee; Myron Hester Sr., Master of Ceremonies; Joanne Gilbert, Community Service Award Recipient; Elvis Brown, Minister; Sup. Gonzales, Dr. Joel McCloud, Chancellor; Valerie Singleton, Psalmist; Pastor Chuck Singleton, Community Service Award recipient; Assemblymember Cheryl Brown; Congressman Pete Aguilar; and Mike Story, City of Rialto Administrator at Rialto Black History Committee, Inc. 30th Annual Dr. MLK Luncheon.

FONTANA, CA- Residents throughout the County of San Bernardino gathered over the weekend to honor one of the most inspiring and influential activists in United States history. “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is a testament to how the strength and service of one individual can uplift a community and collectively change the world,” Supervisor Josie Gonzales stated. “I was honored to join friends and colleagues at the Rialto Black History Committee, Inland Empire Concern African American Churches, and Bethel AME Church in Fontana to celebrate the life of such a historically iconic individual.”

King High School senior Brooke Tolson with her parents Andamo and Gayla at the Posse Foundation awards event.

RIVERSIDE, CA- Brooke Tolson, a senior at Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, was awarded the highly acclaimed Posse Foundation scholarship in Los Angeles on January 7. The Posse Foundation founded in 1989 identifies the best and brightest multicultural students from public high schools with exceptional academic and leadership potential. These students are awarded a four-year full tuition scholarship to attend one of 51 top colleges and universities in the nation. The Posse model is rooted in the belief that a small diverse group of talented students, a Posse, carefully selected and trained can serve as a catalyst increased individual and community development. For 25 years, Posse has awarded $668 million scholarship awards. Over 2400 students were nominated out of Los Angeles for the 100 scholarships that were awarded.

Brooke is in the top 10 percent of her graduating class and has a 4.33 GPA. She is involved in Cheer, Link Crew, BSU, the Adventure Club, California Scholastic Federation and National Honor Society, while having perfect attendance at King High School. She is a tutor at Mathnasium and has traveled to Haiti with Vacation Bible School to teach English. Brooke will be attending Pepperdine University in the fall to study elementary education with career aspirations of becoming a teacher. Brooke is the daughter of Gayla and Andamo Tolson and the sister of Enrico and Austin Tolson.

The 35^th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast will be held this year on January 19 at the National Orange Show Valencia Room at 468 N. Arrowhead at 7:30 am. Tickets are $25.00 and may be purchased at the following sites, Ecclesia Christian Fellowship, New Hope Missionary Baptist Church and Temple missionary Baptist Church.

This year’s speaker is Assemblyman Chris Holden a bright, articulate new star who is exhibiting dynamic leadership at the state capitol on behalf of our communities. His message will address the theme of “Remembering the Past to Strengthen the Future”.

IECAAC once again is sponsoring the event, community award recipients this year are Ratibu Jacocks, Creative Business Services, “Gertrude Whetzel Award”, Carolyn Tillman,  “Public Service Award”, from the Office of County Schools,  Andre Bossieux, “Public Service Award” of Behavioral Health Services, Westside Action Group, “Community Service Award”, Jack Hill, “Patriot Award”, of Jack Hill Catering Services, Beverly Earl, “Trailblazer Award” of Catholic Charities, and Keith Lee, “Beyond the Boundaries Award”, of San Bernardino County CAO Office.

It promises to be an atmosphere of unity and enjoyment as we salute and pay tribute to an honorable individual who dedicated his life to civil justice for us all.

For further information please call the IECAAC office at 909-474-7036

By The Institute for College Access & Success

“The White House plan announced today elevates the universal need for some post-secondary education in today’s economy and the need to make college affordability a national priority.  The White House plan differs significantly from Tennessee’s and other “free community college” plans and addresses many, but not all, of those plans’ limitations.

“In particular, low-income students could benefit from the White House proposal because it is not a “last-dollar” scholarship like the Tennessee Promise, which only helps students who don’t already get enough aid to cover tuition. This is a critically important distinction because, given the relatively low income of community college students and the relatively low tuition charges at community colleges, last-dollar scholarships rarely benefit community college students with the greatest need and rather benefit those with the least need.  Instead, the White House plan provides greatly needed additional federal funding to states that make key reforms, including not charging tuition or fees at community colleges. The proposal is aimed squarely at stopping state divestment from public colleges, which is crucial to making college more affordable.

“Still, making community college tuition free for all students regardless of their income neither  focuses resources on the students who need aid the most, nor addresses the bulk of the costs of attending community college since tuition charges comprise only one-fifth of the cost of attendance. Consider California community colleges, which have the lowest tuition in the nation plus waivers for low-income students; application rates for federal aid are notoriously low, part-time enrollment rates are sky high, and too many students still can’t afford to stay in school and graduate.

“This Administration has rightly made college affordability a top priority, from increasing need-based Pell Grants to making student loan payments more manageable, and we look forward to continuing to work with the Administration and Congress to increase college access and success for students who need help the most.”

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Via Highland Desert Inland Valley News

Crouch, sometimes called “the father of modern gospel music,” led the choirs that sang on such hits as Michael Jackson’s Man in the Mirror and Madonna’s Like a Prayer. As a songwriter, he wrote several gospel favorites, most notably The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power, My Tribute (To God Be the Glory) and Soon and Very Soon, a song sung at Jackson’s public memorial service.

A San Francisco native who grew up in the Church of God in Christ, Crouch wrote his first gospel tune at age 14. By 1960, he had formed the Church of God in Christ Singers, a group that featured Billy Preston on keyboards.

He started another group, Andraé Crouch & the Disciples, in 1965, eventually signing to a contemporary Christian label, Light Records. Crouch brought a contemporary pop and R&B melodic sensibility to gospel, making him uniquely suited to appeal to both black and white audiences during the early days of the countercultural “Jesus movement” and also bringing him attention beyond the church.

Elvis Presley recorded Crouch’s I’ve Got Confidence for his 1972 gospel album He Touched Me, and Paul Simon recorded his Jesus Is the Answer on 1974’s Paul Simon in Concert: Live Rhymin’. Crouch also became the go-to vocal arranger for Los Angeles recording sessions that needed a gospel sound, working not only with Jackson and Madonna but also Elton John, Quincy Jones, The Commodores, Diana Ross and Ringo Starr.

Crouch’s gospel albums often featured guests from the R&B and jazz worlds, including Stevie Wonder, El DeBarge, Wilton Felder and Earth, Wind & Fire’s Philip Bailey. Chaka Khan, Sheila E. and vocal group Take 6 appeared on his most recent album, 2011’s The Journey.

His recordings brought him seven Grammys, and Crouch also received an Academy Award nomination for his arranging work on the 1985 film The Color Purple.

Throughout his life, Crouch struggled with dyslexia, sometimes memorizing words by the shapes of their combination of letters. He often drew simple pictures to help him comprehend words and write songs.

Crouch’s sister, Sandra Crouch, served as his spokeswoman, and the siblings were pastors at the New Christ Memorial Church in San Fernando, Calif., carrying on a work begun by their parents.

Crouch survived multiple bouts with cancer and also suffered from diabetes. In early December, Crouch was hospitalized with pneumonia and congestive heart failure, forcing the cancelation of his Let the Church Say Amen Celebration tour, which had been scheduled to begin Dec. 6 in Philadelphia. He was re-admitted to the hospital Saturday with what his sister characterized in a statement as “serious health complications.”

Alejandre taking Administration of Oath led by Mr Mark Sumpter, President, S B County Board of Education
(Photo by John Coleman)

SAN BERNARDINO, CA-Ted Alejandre took the oath of office becoming San Bernardino County’s 34^th superintendent during a ceremony today at the National Orange Show. Alejandre pledged to form a team among educators, stakeholders, community members and education partners to further academic opportunities for the more than 411,000 students who attend public school in San Bernardino County.

“Together, we will transform lives through education in our county,” Alejandre said.

About 500 community members, family, staff and dignitaries attended the oath of office ceremony. Alejandre was sworn into office by Mark Sumpter, president of the County Board of Education. Starting his career with the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools office in 2008 as the assistant superintendent of Business Services, Alejandre brings more than 25 years of experience in public education to his new role as county superintendent. Alejandre is the first-ever Hispanic to serve in the position. Alejandre, who is a native of San Bernardino County, has worked in the Rialto, San Bernardino and Yucaipa-Calimesa school districts as a teacher, principal and administrator, prior to his stint with County Schools.

Hakim Hazim

“Justice is nothing more than the advantage of the stronger.” -Thrasymachus

 By Hakim Hazim

The grand jury decisions in Ferguson and New York should not surprise us. Justice is in the eyes of the beholder and the criminal justice system is not blind. It derives its power from the larger societal framework that simply has many preconceived ideas about Black males. We must work relentlessly to change this and hold the system accountable. We must also support the people who are doing that and exercise patience in the process. Keep in mind the two chief law enforcement officers in this nation are Black: Barack Obama and Eric Holder, and racial tensions are at an all time high. To their credit they are doing quite a bit, but they face an uphill struggle. We should follow their lead on criminal justice reform and we should do everything we can for the young Black men around us before and after tragedy strikes. We should also consistently deplore what we are doing to one another; it’s senseless not too. All of these things reinforce the notion, “Black Blood is cheap.”

Current law enforcement approaches toward us as a people and the tacit societal approval behind it must change. Society inherently nurtures the belief that justice is nothing more than the interest and the sustained advantage of the stronger, and it has played out that way for centuries. The rationale is, “If they did things the right way, they would get what I have and so would their children.”  Such self-righteousness obscures reality.  The fact is people do all they can to give their descendants an advantage in the system and they tilt the scales to their advantage. It’s true with race, power and wealth and gender. It’s simply a human trait of passing the best of your efforts, lessons and acquisitions to your children, but you also pass your biases on as well.

When we first arrived, justice was never considered for us as a people. It was an elusive concept for which we prayed, fought, bled and died for. To this very day, she seems a distant stranger to many of our people still in terms of access, resources, familial ties and fair treatment in terms of the criminal justice system. Although all black people have felt the sting of injustice, poor black folks feel it the most. Having little to bargain with or offer they are viewed as inferior, unworthy and an unnecessary, troublesome burden by many—even middle class and upper class blacks. Our inner cities are filled with Black-on-Black crime, fatherlessness and substandard schools. This fertile ground of dysfunction produces young men who think that they or their peers have little value. Feeling powerless, they prey on one another and lash out at the larger system. This crab in a bucket mentality is celebrated in the music of popular culture. The sad fact is this, many of us have not learn to value one another the way we should and King’s Dream falls on deaf ears to many of the younger generation.

Let’s face the facts: statistics show young people who do well often succeed because of the systems and programs that strengthen them. Things like a solid family structure and access to education, faith-based organizations, mentoring agencies, activity, athletic and interest development organizations and employment services, give young people a fighting chance. If not, their doomed from the womb. The deaths of so many young black males or own the hands of many. The Black-on- Black gang wars, stand your ground advocates and law enforcement officers have all contributed to this. Passivity is not an option. Let your voice be heard, or remain entrenched in hypocrisy. The choice is yours.

Hakim Hazim is the founder of Relevant Now and co-founder of Freedom Squared. He is a nationally recognized expert in decision analysis, criminality and security.

The 1st place winner of The PAL Center 4th Annual Christmas Tree Essay Giveaway Contest, Joanna Ballesteros along with CEO, Dwaine Radden. Previously, before the picture was taken and winners were announced, Dwaine Radden gave an amazing speech with the closing statement, “We are very proud of you all. All essays were very wonderful and I just want to encourage each one of you to keep up the good work. I’m very grateful to have a group of students like this who seems to know so much about the true meaning of Christmas. We at The PAL Center love each and every one of you.”

Christmas isn’t just about presents or just a day to celebrate, but spending time with family and friends. Having laughs and memories; I love spending time with my family especially my nieces and nephews. Also the smell of Christmas, the pine cones, food and coldness.

Most importantly it gives us the opportunity to cherish relatives. When it’s Christmas it reminds me of my mother, stressing while keeping a smile on her face, her warm hugs and sweet laughter. Now when it’s this time of year I wrap myself and keep warm with my nieces and nephews.

Even if there’s nothing to give it’s being thankful for what you have. Not only is it just a present opening day it’s also an eye opening day. The day the Lord, Jesus Christ birth is celebrated. Even though you do get presents still thank the people who got you something.