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Global Black Film Festival to Feature Over 65 World Premiere Titles

The Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) announced today film nominations in its prestigious juried competition. The Pan African Film Festival is America’s largest and most prestigious Black film festival. Each year, the PAFF screens more than 200 films made by and/or about people of African descent from around the world. PAFF holds the distinction of being the largest Black History Month event in the country. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has designated PAFF as an official qualifying film festival for live-action and animation short films.  The 29th Pan African Film Festival will take place virtually from February 28 to March 14.

This year, the competitions will include over 65 World premiere titles and over 29 US premieres.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 29th Pan African Film Festival will run February 28 – March 14 on-line and on-demand only. The virtual component allows this year’s Festival to reach a global audience. More information can be found at www.paff.org. 

Best Narrative Feature Competition

Back of the Moon (South Africa)
Director: Angus Gibson

Caged Birds (US)
Director: Fredrick Leach

Poppie Nongena (South Africa)
Director: Christiaan Olwagen

Red Pill (US)
Director: Tonya Pinkins

The Fisherman’s Diary (Cameroon)
Director: Enah Johnscott

The Ghost and the House of Truth (Nigeria)
Director: Akin Omotoso

The Milkmaid (Nigeria)
Director: Desmond Ovbiagele

Best Documentary Competition

City On the Hill (US)
Director: Xavier Underwood

Disruptor Conductor (Canada, US)
Director: Sharon Lewis

Firestarter – The Story of Bangarra (Australia)
Director: Wayne Blair, Nel Minchin

Fresh Guide To Florence with Fab 5 Freddy (Italy, US, UK)
Director: David Shulman

Lake Women (Rwanda, Germany)
Director: Deve Shema

Raymond Lewis: L.A. Legend (US)
Director: Ryan Matthew Polomski, Dean Prator

Through the Night (US)
Director: Loira Limbal

Uprooted – The Journey of Jazz Dance (Canada, France, UK, US)
Director: Khadifa Wong

Best First Feature – Director Competition

Narratives

African America (South Africa, US)
Director: Muzi Mthembu

Caged Birds (US)
Director: Fredrick Leach

Executive Order (Brazil)
Director: Lázaro Ramos

Love Like Winter (US)
Director: Artel Great

Shaina (Zimbabwe, South Africa)
Director: Beautie Masvaure Alt

Documentaries

Finding Sally (Ethiopia, Canada)
Director: Tamara Dawit

Hollywood’s Architect: The Paul R. Williams Story (US)
Director: Royal Kennedy Rodgers, Kathy McCampbell Vance

Softie (Kenya, US)
Director: Sam Soko

The Letter (Kenya)
Director: Maia Lekow, Christopher King

The Patterson: Another Bronx Tale (US)
Director: Bahati Adrien Best

Who is Gatsby Randolph (US)
Director: Kobie Randolph

Best Short Narrative (Animation or Live Action)

#WeAreDyingHere (South Africa)
Director: Shane Vermooten

Antivirus (Greece)
Director: Anastasia Sima

Guillermina (Cuba)
Director: Aida Esther Bueno Sarduy

Junebug (US)
Director: Winter Dunn

Junior (US)
Director: Jehnovah Carlisle

London Arabia (UK)
Director: Daniel Jewel

Nazen (US)
Director: Shemar Yanick Jonas

Pure (US)
Director: Natalie Jasmine Harris

Sër Bi (Les Tissus Blancs) (Senegal, France)
Director: Moly Kane

Smell of Summer (US)
Director: Kris Wilson

The Cypher (US)
Director: Letia Solomon

The McHenry Trial – Don’t Judge a Kid by Their Hoodie (US)
Director: Ken Sagoes

The Power Of Hope (US)
Director: Kalia Love Jones

Till Death Do Us Part (Póki ?mier? nas nie roz??czy ) (Uganda, Poland)
Director: Dolores Vunda

Tuk-tuk (Egypt)
Director: Mohamed Kheidr

Two Single Beds (UK)
Director: William Stefan Smith

In celebration of Black History Month, TidalWave Comics is proud to announce three new graphic novel collections featuring Black politicians, musicians, and athletes at the top of their fields.

Every February for the last twelve years of producing biography comic books, we celebrate Black History Month to show our respect for the Black community’s work and sacrifices. No stranger to honoring those who shape our politics and culture, TidalWave has profiled politicians, musicians, actors, and others for more than eleven years using graphic narrative’s unique storytelling properties.

The merging of compelling text with eye-popping art appeals to people of all ages, something that’s important to publisher Darren G. Davis.

“I was a reluctant reader as a kid,” said Davis. “But comic books drew me in. There’s something magical about the combination of words and pictures working together that appealed to me.”

That appeal is something adults, and kids enjoy. “Comics like this are collectible memorabilia,” said Davis, “but we also want them to be a great read about the people who are shaping our country’s politics and culture.”

The graphic novel collections explore the lives of real people who achieved fame and are considered at the top of their chosen fields.

The first collection, out on February 10, “Black History Leaders: Volume 2: Nelson Mandela, Michelle Obama, Kamala Harris, and Tyler Perry,” is a study in active, social leadership. Also available is “Black History Leaders: Volume 1 ” featuring: Oprah, Barak Obama, Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice. 

“What I love about working with TidalWave is that we focus on the real lives of our subjects. We don’t get mired down in conjecture. We strive for unbiased storytelling. Don’t think of this as a political book. Think of it as a profile of people who are influential in our political system.” Said writer Michael Frizell, whose work is featured in the section on Vice President Kamala Harris.

Chosen for their undeniable influence on the music scene, the second collection, “Black History Leaders: Music: Beyonce, Drake, Nikki Minaj, and Prince,” looks at leadership’s creative side. This collection is set for release on February 17.

“As a kid, I couldn’t get enough of Prince’s music,” said writer Frizell. “Sure, Michael Jackson sold more copies during that time, but Prince changed the way we listen to music. His combination of funk and rock was infectious. It was his innuendo-laden lyrics that got me in trouble with my parents as a kid.”

And finally, on February 24, “Black History Leaders: Athletes: LeBron James, Jackie Robinson, Russell Wilson, and Tiger Woods” explores the lives of people who pushed themselves to their physical limits and led their respective sports to fame. The cover was drawn by famed comic book artist Joe Phillips.

Upcoming comic book biography titles in 2021 featuring other African Americans include Stacey Abrams, Angela Davis, Amanda Gorman and a tribute to Herman Cain. 

The biography comic format allows TidalWave writers to delve into newsworthy figures’ history and explore what shaped them. Several media outlets, including CNN, FOX News, “The Today Show,” and Time and People magazines, have featured the company’s line of biographical comic books.

The “Female Force: Oprah Winfrey” comic book is displayed in the Smithsonian Museum.  Our titles also can be seen as part of the “Black History 101: Mobile Museum”.

Print copies of the comics are available on Amazon. Digital versions are available from iTunes, Kindle, Nook, ComiXology, Kobo, and wherever e-books are sold.

The latest biography graphic novels join TidalWave’s ever-growing library of more than 200 comic book biographies. Previous titles have profiled Barack Obama, Selena Gomez, Condoleezza Rice, George Bush, Cher, Marco Rubio, and Elizabeth Warren.

Please feel free to use the cover images and credit TidalWave Productions.  To download the covers, click here: http://bit.ly/3taevnI

Review copies in PDF form and interview opportunities are available upon request.

For more information about the company, visit www.tidalwavecomics.com

SOLICITATIONS

Black History Leaders: Volume 2: Nelson Mandela, Michelle Obama, Kamala Harris, and Tyler Perry

Writers: Robert Schnakenberg, Clay Griffith, Michael L. Frizell, C.R. Ward

Artists: Azim Akberali, Patricio Carbajal, Pablo Martinena, Juan Burgos, Steven Wilcox

Release Date: 2/10/2021

Print Price – $19.99

Digital Price: $11.99

ISBN: 9781954044425

The impact of the leadership demonstrated by Kamala Harris, Tyler Perry, Nelson Mandela, and Michelle Obama cannot be overstated. 

As the first woman to hold the office of Vice President of the United States, Kamala Devi Harris, lawyer, prosecutor, and former attorney general, has devoted herself to bettering her constituents’ lives while focusing on social issues that help minorities women.

Tyler Perry is known for wearing many different hats and wigs, such as actor, director, screenwriter, playwright, producer, author, and now comic book character. His inspiring life story has had dramatic highs and lows that have launched him to superstardom.

Nelson Mandela of South Africa is one of the most important figures of the last century. He symbolizes the struggle against racial and political oppression and serves as a model for sustaining that struggle with grace and decency.

From humble beginnings in Chicago, Michelle Obama rose to become an outspoken advocate, trailblazing First Lady, and international style icon.

Their stories inspire generations and shape our culture. Celebrate Black History Month by exploring the lives of those who made history.

Black History Leaders: Music: Beyonce, Drake, Nikki Minaj, and Prince

Writers: Michael L. Frizell, C.W. Cooke, Marc Shapiro, Michael Troy

Artists: Marcelo Salaza, Angel Bernuy, Keith Quinn

Release Date: 2/17/2021

Print Price – $19.99

Digital Price: $11.99

ISBN: 9781954044449

Drake, Nicki Minaj, Prince, and Beyoncé changed what music means.

He made a name for himself as an actor, portraying wheelchair-bound Jimmy Brooks Degrassi: The Next Generation, but when Aubrey Graham went by his middle name, Drake, he rocketed to stardom with a sound unlike any before him.

From her humble beginnings in Jamaica to her childhood in Queens, New York, to her spotlight alongside high-profile personalities on the American Idol judge’s panel, hip hop star Nicki Minaj came to conquer the music scene. She succeeded.

So much has been left unsaid about the passing of legendary music innovator Prince Rogers Nelson. Prince, a prolific musician from Minneapolis, started a musical revolution with the hits “1999,” “Little Red Corvette,” “When Doves Cry,” “Purple Rain,” “Batdance,” and more, challenging even the “King of Pop,” Michael Jackson, for chart supremacy during the 1980s.

She might not be a superhero, but judging by all the things she’s done, you’d be hard-pressed not to think she is. She’s amazing, fierce, and always striving to be the best. All the single ladies know that Beyoncé is one of the world’s hottest musicians, if not the hottest.

Explore the lives of those who made us stand up and take notice during Black History Month.

Black History Leaders: Athletes: LeBron James, Jackie Robinson, Russell Wilson, and Tiger Woods

Writers: C.W. Cooke, Scott Davis, Michael L. Frizell, Robert Schnakenberg

Artists: Marcelo Salaza, Angel Bernuy, Keith Quinn

Release Date: 2/24/2021

Print Price – $19.99

Digital Price: $11.99

ISBN: 9781954044432

Jackie Robinson, Lebron James, Tiger Woods, Russell Wilson have all held the title of “greatest player of all-time” in their respective sports. How did they get there? And what influence have they had on our culture?

The first African-American to play major league baseball, Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color line and played a role in the Civil Rights Movement.

Now the holder of three NBA championships, four MVP awards, two Olympic gold medals, and much more, LeBron James’ fame has afforded him the ability to use his numerous endorsements to start companies, participate in social activism, and donate to worthwhile causes.

By far, Tiger Woods is the most famous golfer of all time who’s TGR Foundation delivers unique and empowering educational opportunities that lead to personal and professional excellence.

Expectations and the pressure following them could break lesser men. Fortunately for Seattle Seahawks fans, Russell Wilson manages to withstand success and defeat with grace and aplomb.

Read their exciting stories in Celebration of Black History Month!

About TidalWave Comics

TidalWave is a multifaceted multimedia production company with the mission of delivering dynamic storytelling in various forms by developing graphic and literary fiction and nonfiction, audio, film, and more. The company’s wide range of diverse titles delights readers through its creative and innovative storytelling in high-quality print and electronic formats.

TidalWave delivers a multimedia experience unparalleled in the burgeoning graphic fiction and nonfiction marketplace. Dynamic storytelling, coupled with groundbreaking art, provides an experience like no other. Stories are told through multiple platforms and genres, gracing the pages of graphic novels, novelizations, engaging audio dramas, and cutting-edge film projects. Diversity defines TidalWave’s offerings in the burgeoning pop-culture marketplace through its use of fresh voices and innovative storytellers.

As one of the top independent publishers of comic books and graphic novels, TidalWave unites cutting-edge art and engaging stories produced by the publishing industry’s most exciting artists and writers. Its extensive catalog of comic book titles includes the bestsellers “10th Muse” and “The Legend of Isis,” complemented by a line of young adult books and audiobooks.

TidalWave’s publishing partnerships include entertainment icon William Shatner (“TekWar Chronicles”), legendary filmmaker Ray Harryhausen (“Wrath of the Titans,” “Sinbad: Rogue of Mars,” “Jason and the Argonauts” and more), novelists S.E. Hinton (“The Puppy Sister”) and William F. Nolan (“Logan’s Run”), and celebrated actors Vincent Price (“Vincent Price Presents”), Dirk Benedict of the original “Battlestar Galactica” (“Dirk Benedict in the 25^th Century”) and Adam West of 1966’s “Batman” fame (“The Mis-Adventures of Adam West”). TidalWave also publishes a highly successful line of biographical comics under the titles “Orbit,” “Fame,” “Beyond,” “Tribute,” “Female Force,” and “Political Power.”

By Mark Kennedy | Associated Press

Cicely Tyson, the pioneering Black actor who gained an Oscar nomination for her role as the sharecropper’s wife in “Sounder,” won a Tony Award in 2013 at age 88 and touched TV viewers’ hearts in “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman,” succumbed on Thursday, January 28 at the age of 96.

Tyson’s death was announced by her family, via her manager Larry Thompson, who did not immediately provide additional details.

“With heavy heart, the family of Miss Cicely Tyson announces her peaceful transition this afternoon. At this time, please allow the family their privacy,” according to a statement issued through Thompson.

A one-time model, Tyson began her screen career with bit parts but gained fame in the early 1970s when Black women were finally starting to get starring roles. Tyson refused to take parts simply for the paycheck, remaining choosey.

“I’m very selective as I’ve been my whole career about what I do. Unfortunately, I’m not the kind of person who works only for money. It has to have some real substance for me to do it,” she told The Associated Press in 2013.

Tributes from Broadway and Hollywood poured in, including from Broadway star Tracie Thomas, who thanked her for paving the way. “A queen and a trailblazer indeed,” she wrote on Twitter. Former co-star Marlee Matlin wrote: “She was a consummate pro and all class.” Director Kenny Leon added: “God bless the greatest and the tallest tree.”

Tyson’s memoir, “Just As I Am,” was published this week.

Besides her Oscar nomination, she won two Emmys for playing the 110-year-old former slave in the 1974 television drama “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman.” A new generation of moviegoers saw her in the 2011 hit “The Help.”

In 2018, she was given an honorary Oscar statuette at the annual Governors Awards. “I come from lowly status. I grew up in an area that was called the slums at the time,” Tyson said at the time. “I still cannot imagine that I have met with presidents, kings, queens. How did I get here? I marvel at it.”

Writing in “Blacks in American Film and Television,” Donald Bogle described Tyson as “a striking figure: slender and intense with near-perfect bone structure, magnificent smooth skin, dark penetrating eyes, and a regal air that made her seem a woman of convictions and commitment. (Audiences) sensed… her power and range.”

“Sounder,” based on the William H. Hunter novel, was the film that confirmed her stardom in 1972. Tyson was cast as the Depression-era loving wife of a sharecropper (Paul Winfield) who is confined in jail for stealing a piece of meat for his family. She is forced to care for their children and attend to the crops.

The New York Times reviewer wrote: “She passes all of her easy beauty by to give us, at long last, some sense of the profound beauty of millions of Black women.”

Her performance evoked rave reviews, and Tyson won an Academy Award nomination as best actress of 1972.

In an interview on the Turner Classic Movies cable channel, she recalled that she had been asked to test for a smaller role in the film and said she wanted to play the mother, Rebecca. She was told, “You’re too young, you’re too pretty, you’re too sexy, you’re too this, you’re too that, and I said, `I am an actress.’”

In 2013, at the age of 88, Tyson won the Tony for best leading actress in a play for the revival of Horton Foote’s “The Trip to Bountiful.” It was the actor’s first time back on Broadway in three decades and she refused to turn meekly away when the teleprompter told to finish her acceptance speech.

“`Please wrap it up,’ it says. Well, that’s exactly what you did with me: You wrapped me up in your arms after 30 years,” she told the crowd. She had prepared no speech (“I think it’s presumptuous,” she told the AP later. “I burned up half my time wondering what I was going to say.”)

She reprised her winning role in the play for a Lifetime Television movie, which was screened at the White House. She returned to Broadway in 2015 opposite James Earl Jones for a revival of “The Gin Game.”

Her fame transcended all media. Wendell Pierce took to Twitter to praise Tyson as an actor “who captured the power and grace of Black women in America” and Gabrielle Union said “we have lost a visionary, a leader, a lover an author, an icon and one of the most talented actresses the world has ever seen.” Neil deGrasse Tyson called her “a force of nature unto herself” and Shonda Rhimes said “her power and grace will be with us forever.”

In the 1974 television drama “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman,” based on a novel by Ernest J. Gaines, Tyson is seen aging from a young woman in slavery to a 110-year-old who campaigned for the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

In the touching climax, she laboriously walks up to a “whites only” water fountain and takes a drink as white officers look on.

“It’s important that they see and hear history from Miss Jane’s point of view,” Tyson told The New York Times. “And I think they will be more ready to accept it from her than from someone younger”

New Yorker film critic Pauline Kael offered her praise: “She’s an actress, all right, and as tough-minded and honorable in her methods as any we’ve got.”

At the Emmy Awards, “Pittman” won multiple awards, including two honors for Tyson, best lead actress in a drama and best actress in a special.

“People ask me what I prefer doing — film, stage, television? I say, ‘I would have done “Jane Pittman” in the basement or in a storefront.’ It’s the role that determines where I go,” she told the AP.

Tyson made her movie debut in the late 1950s with small roles in such films as “Odds Against Tomorrow,” “The Last Angry Man,” and “The Comedians.” She played the romantic interest to Sammy Davis Jr.’s jazz musician in “A Man Called Adam.”

She gained wider notice with a recurring role in the 1963 drama series “East Side, West Side,” which starred George C. Scott as a social worker. Tyson played his secretary, making her the first Black woman to have a continuing role in a dramatic television series.

She played a role in the 1968 drama “The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter” that was hailed by a reviewer as “an absolute embodiment of the slogan ‘Black is beautiful.’” In “Roots,” the 1977 miniseries that became one of the biggest events in TV history, she played Binta, mother of the protagonist, Kunta Kinte, played by LeVar Burton.

She also appeared on Broadway in the 1960s in “The Cool World,” “Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright” and other plays. Off-Broadway, she appeared with such future stars as Maya Angelou, Godfrey Cambridge and James Earl Jones in a 1961 production of French playwright Jean Genet’s “The Blacks.”

She won a Drama Desk award in 1962 for a role in the off-Broadway “Moon on a Rainbow Shawl.”

After her “Sounder” and “Miss Jane Pittman” successes, Tyson continued to seek TV roles that had messages, and she succeeded with “Roots” and “King” (about Martin Luther King) and “The Rosa Parks Story.”

She complained to an interviewer: “We Black actresses have played so many prostitutes and drug addicts and house maids, always negative. I won’t play that kind of characterless role any more, even if I have to go back to starving.”

She continued with such films as “The Blue Bird,” “Concorde — Airport ’79,” “Fried Green Tomatoes,” “The Grass Harp” and Tyler Perry’s “Diary of a Mad Black Woman.”

She won a supporting actress Emmy in 1994 for “Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All.” She was nominated for Emmys several other times, including for “Roots,” “King,” “The Marva Collins Story” “Sweet Justice” and “A Lesson Before Dying.”

In recent years, she was part of a panel discussion for “Cherish the Day,” an eight-episode OWN anthology series created and produced by Ava DuVernay. She played the mother of Viola Davis on the long-running “How to Get Away with Murder.”

Tyson’s parents moved from the island of Nevis in the Caribbean to New York, where Cicely (her name was spelled early on as Cecily and Sicely) was born in 1924, the youngest of three children. When her parents separated, her mother went on welfare. At 9 Cicely sold shopping bags on the streets of East Harlem.

When she graduated from high school, she found work as a secretary at the Red Cross. Her striking looks prompted friends to advise her to take up modeling and that led to acting schools, theater, movies and television.

“My mother told me I could no longer live in her house because I was determined to be an actress,” she told an interviewer in 1990. “I said `OK,’ and I moved out.”

Tyson was married once, to jazz great Miles Davis. The wedding was held in 1981 at Bill Cosby’s home in Massachusetts, attended by show business notables. They divorced in 1988.

Tyson was never hard to spot. She tried to say no to wearing a terrifically large hat to Aretha Franklin’s 2018 funeral, only to be overruled by her designer. The hat would become a viral highlight.

“I never thought in my career that I would be upstaged by a hat! And I did not want to wear it,” Tyson said later. “I said, ‘I can’t wear that hat, I will be blocking the view of the people behind me, they won’t be able to see and they’ll call me all kinds of names.’ He just looked at me and said, ‘Put the hat on.’”

She came around, telling the AP she thought of the hat as homage to Franklin’s appearance at Obama’s inauguration.

AP National Writer Hillel Italie contributed to this report.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— Berdoo is a powerful new film that follows the challenging lives of students in the San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD). It is a film that shares the stories of multiple students and their moving struggles surrounding school.

Berdoo ’s official, virtual premiere is Friday, January 29 at 5:30 p.m. The online watch party will include a live question-and-answer session and will include a special message from both SBCUSD and the creator of Berdoo.

Whether you live in San Bernardino or not, we invite everyone to view this documentary that paints a moving picture of struggle, perseverance, and hope. And, most importantly, Berdoo will give you a closer glimpse at some of the special people in SBCUSD who have dedicated their careers to education and their lives to making Berdoo, as we lovingly know this city, a better place for children.

The film was available for viewing on YouTube over the holidays and was viewed over 7,000 times. It has received an incredible response from the community and local organizations.

About Berdoo

Named for the moniker that locals use to refer to their city, Berdoo was inspired by research conducted at the Loma Linda University School of Public Health. The creator of the film, Nishita Matangi, and her team collaborated with the San Bernardino City Unified School District to look into the barriers to attendance among high school students in the school district. While gathering data, through interviews and focus groups, they heard the stories of resilience in both the students and the community as a whole. These stories weren’t reflected by the data and headlines they saw while conducting background research on San Bernardino. They knew the stories needed to be shared and conversations about a film began.

Matangi pitched Berdoo for a project in a program she was attending at Harvard Medical School called Media and Medicine. She then continued the production as part of the practicum requirements for her master’s degree in Public Health at LLUSPH. It was important to her to create a space for the community to share their own stories, so she made sure everyone involved in the project (from the crew to the interviewees) were from San Bernardino.

The film seeks to highlight some of the struggles students face while growing up in San Bernardino, but showcase the programs and people from the school district that are trying to address those struggles. It also highlights the resilience of the community and the people that are a part of it. Throughout the years, and no matter the economic situation, the San Bernardino City Unified School District has continued to be a resource for the community. Approximately two thirds of the San Bernardino population is impacted by the school district in one way or another.

Why Berdoo :

“I was inspired by the people and their intriguing experiences and realized my initial negative introduction through data and articles didn’t reflect the true sense of the community. It was important to me that this story be told by people from Berdoo, from the crew to the interviewees,” said Matangi.

Every person has a story that deals with barriers within this community. Take the story of Minessotta Vikings running back Alexander Mattison, whose family didn’t always have a place to call home, and who saw friends struggle to keep up with school while working and helping raise their siblings. He found hope through his family, friends, and the teachers that invested in him; teachers like Mr. Hinkleman, who invested in Alex on the field, in the classroom, and beyond.

Watch the premiere at https://www.facebook.com/BerdooFilm/

What you can do to help:

The most impactful way anyone can help out Berdoo is by sharing the content and supporting the Patreon.

• Visit our website at https://berdoofilm.com to watch the trailer and learn more about the project and how to get involved.
• Join our Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/berdoofilm
• Donate or volunteer your time by visiting https://makinghope.org/berdoo/

Producer Bio:

Nishita Matangi has her Masters in Public Health and runs her own health communications consulting business She takes on projects like Berdoo to create platforms for community voices and to make public health information accessible and relatable. While researching chronic absenteeism among San Bernardino City Unified School District high school students, the stories she and her team heard during focus groups and interviews inspired her to share the stories of resilience in the community. She pitched the idea for Berdoo for a post-graduate program, “Media and Medicine” at Harvard Medical School. Over a year later, she hopes the film will shed a positive light on the resilient community.

The Board of Supervisors today announced that all San Bernardino County residents ages 65 and over are now eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19.  

“We know that our seniors are the most vulnerable to serious illness and death if they contract COVID-19 and we want to get them vaccinated as quickly as possible,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman
Curt Hagman. “We ask the community for patience as we continue to receive doses from the State of California to serve our senior population and as we continue to vaccinate health care workers.”

Vaccine supplies from the State are scarce, so appointments are limited. County residents 65 and over can make appointments through https://sbcovid19.com/vaccine/. Seniors can also sign up for email and text notifications to receive alerts about vaccination opportunities and other vaccination news through the “65+ Vaccine Notification Sign Up” link at https://sbcovid19.com/vaccine/.

Those who need assistance with appointments or signing up for notifications can call the COVID-19 hotline from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at (909) 387-3911.

Also coming soon to accommodate all vaccination tiers, especially those individuals 65 and older, are a variety of new options for county residents to receive the vaccine to compliment the sites already in place.  These include mobile vaccination units to serve residents with travel challenges, including seniors and residents in the most remote areas of the 20,000-square-mile county, community-based vaccination sites similar to the many county testing sites, through partnerships with local clinics and healthcare providers. In addition, a super-site for vaccinations will be announced soon.

Vaccinations for County residents 65 and over are available within Phase 1A of the Vaccination Roadmap, which includes all front-line health care workers. Appointments are available with equal priority to both populations.

Civil rights advocates celebrate early executive actions as important victories

WASHINGTON – The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights released the following statement ahead of the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, celebrating the historic change in leadership and the early important victories coming through executive actions in the first 10 days of the new administration.

“With an immense sigh of relief, we celebrate the historic inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris,” said Wade Henderson, interim president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. “This consequential moment sparks tremendous hope for a stronger, brighter future where we unite, build back better, and find solutions to the very serious challenges we face. As we close a dark, deadly chapter in our nation’s history where we pushed back against relentless attacks on civil and human rights, we look ahead to collaborating with the Biden-Harris administration to undo the atrocities we have all endured and create a more just and equitable future.”

Incoming White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain recently released a memo outlining executive actions that President Biden will take within the first 10 days of the new administration, starting on day one. These executive actions focus on four areas, including the COVID-19 crisis, the resulting economic crisis, the climate crisis, and the racial equity crisis.

“These executive actions will make an immediate impact in the lives of so many people in desperate need of help,” continued Henderson. “Reversing Trump’s deeply discriminatory Muslim ban, addressing the COVID-19 crisis, preventing evictions and foreclosures, and advancing equity and support for communities of color and other underserved communities are significant early actions that represent an important first step in charting a new direction for our country. We urged the Biden-Harris administration to take these early actions and look forward to working with them in continuing to advance the civil and human rights coalition’s priorities.”

The White House released an early calendar with actions through the end of January that will focus on several of the civil and human rights coalition’s other priority executive actions. These include rescinding Trump’s executive order banning diversity training and directing agencies to take action to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility; rescinding Trump’s executive order on excluding non-citizens from the census and presidential memorandum on undocumented immigrants and apportionment; directing agencies to preserve and fortify DACA in advance of legislative efforts to codify the program; rescinding Trump’s executive order on immigration enforcement to impose a moratorium on removals; and many other priorities.

In December, The Leadership Conference released a list of priority initiatives for the Biden-Harris administration and the 117th Congress. The coalition priorities, available here, outline the current state of civil rights and offer recommendations that represent a path forward.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 220 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

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By Manny Otiko | California Black Media

This Wednesday, when Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor swears in former California Sen. Kamala Harris as vice president, she will make history for several reasons. Harris – who was born in Oakland and spent part of her childhood in Berkeley — will become the first woman and the first person both of Black and Asian descent to assume the second-highest political office in the United States.

“With just a few days left, I am anticipating seeing Kamala raise her hand and take the oath to become the most powerful woman in American history. I am so honored. She is ready and able. And she is a sister, a good friend and an inspiration to so many people here in California and to so many more Americans,” said Amelia Ashley-Ward, the publisher of the San Francisco Sun Reporter, the city’s largest and oldest African American newspaper.

Ward, who has been friends with Harris for decades now, says it seems “like yesterday” when Harris began running for district attorney 18 years ago. At that time, people in San Francisco told her to drop out because she was not prepared.

“It was unheard of in this city for a Black woman to challenge the status quo and win. She did it and remained true to who she is,” said Ward. “From district attorney to attorney general to United States senator, to running for the presidency, then becoming vice president. I will be watching, inspired, and in tears, with a heart full of joy.”

As Harris, who has represented California in the Senate for four years now, prepares to ascend to the vice presidency, she enters the White House at a time when the country is fraught with division and uncertainty. A raging pandemic has been sending shocks through the economy over the past 11 months. And the country is unsettled in the throes of an ongoing reckoning on race expressed partially by riots that erupted last summer after a Minnesota police officer violently killed George Floyd, an unarmed Black man. On top of those crises, far right-wing groups, which have been resurging across the country for more than a decade now, have been organizing protests with threats of violence opposing the election of Vice President-elect Joe Biden and Harris.

On Jan. 6, a violent mob of President Donald Trump’s supporters, including some trained military personnel and law enforcement officers, stormed the U.S. Capitol.

The violent riot resulted in five deaths, including the murder of a police officer, the evacuation of members of the U.S. Congress and significant damage to the historic building.

As a result of the mayhem at the site where Biden and Harris will be sworn in, the inauguration is being held under tight security. Some 20,000 national guard troops have descended on Washington, D.C., to harden the city and the Capitol building against potential attacks. Much of the National Mall will be closed on Inauguration Day. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has told people to stay away from the inauguration because of COVID-19. She also asked federal authorities to cancel demonstration permits for security reasons.

Harris, who has said she supports having the swearing-in ceremony outside of the Capitol despite security concerns, says Americans should not be defeated by the people who attacked the building that symbolizes American democracy around the world.

“No matter what challenges we face, democracy will always win,” Harris tweeted last week.

This year’s scaled-back inauguration will be broadcast on TV and online and includes a number of events leading up to the main ceremony, including a virtual “We The People” concert hosted by actors Keegan-Michael Key and Debra Messing that was held Sunday night. On Martin Luther King Day, a “National Day of Service” featuring speakers and encouraging people to volunteer across America was held. On the day before Harris and Biden are sworn in, a lighting ceremony is being held in Washington, D.C., and across the country to honor Americans who have died of COVID-19.

Becoming vice president of the United States is the culmination of a long political journey for Harris, whose father immigrated from Jamaica. Her mother, who is now deceased, was an immigrant from India. After completing two terms as district attorney of San Francisco in 2011, Harris was elected California attorney general in 2010, becoming the first African American and first woman to serve in the role. Harris was also the first person of South Asian descent to be elected to the United States Senate when she was sworn in as the junior United States Senator for California in 2017. At the time, she also made history as the second African American woman to serve in the Senate after Carol Moseley Braun, who represented Illinois from 1993 to 1999.

In the U.S. Senate, Harris served on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, the Select Committee on Intelligence, the Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on the Budget.

Harris is married to attorney Doug Emhoff, who is based in the Los Angeles area and will become a law professor at Georgetown University when he moves to Washington with Harris this week. Emhoff, who is Jewish, has two children from a previous marriage.

Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA-37), who was chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) until this month, looked at Harris’s record. She said Harris has “fought long and hard on behalf of Californians everywhere both in Washington, D.C. and Sacramento.”

Harris was a member of the CBC until Monday afternoon when she turned in her letter of resignation to Gov. Newsom.

“Congratulations on becoming this nation’s first woman of color to be elected to serve as vice president,” Bass said in a statement. “Your tenacious pursuit of justice and relentless advocacy for the people is exactly what this country needs right now. California is better because of your work as attorney general and stronger because of your work as a senator. Now, all Americans will benefit from your work as vice president. We know you will make us proud as you always have.”

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- On Monday, January 18 at 9 a.m. the Inland Empire African American Churches –IECAAC will celebrate the 41st Annual Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr. Prayer Breakfast. This year they will continue the tradition of the dreamer, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through a virtual celebration. This year’s theme is “Embracing the Dream” found in Ecclesiastes 3:5.

The keynote speaker this year is Dr. Bishop Kenneth Ulmer. The event will be hosted by inspirational comedian, Lester Barrie. There will be a special performance by Stellar and Grammy Award Nominee, Brent Jones, and other guest performances. There will also be an award presentation for those individuals that excelled and showed concern and commitment helping to others.

To register for the event and receive access information, please visit: bit.ly/mlkcelebration2021. Or visit IECAAC website at www.iecaac.org.

The Inland Empire Concerned African American Churches thank you in advance for the prayers and support. If you have any questions, please call at 909-494-7036. At the conclusion of the event the MLK prayer breakfast committee will proceed to the MLK Jr. statue to lay the honorary wreath. It’s a day on, not a day off.  Please wear a mask, and social distance. Amen!

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— The Southern California Black Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with Youth Build Inland Empire will be hosting a COVID friendly SB MLK Day Celebration Parade on Monday, January 18. There will be no getting out of vehicles as people follow each other along the route. The meeting time will be between 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the ride out time will start at 1:15 p.m. Everyone will meet at Ann Shirrell Park located at 1367 N California Street in San Bernardino.

The Route is as follows:

1.         Right on 15th street

2.         Right on Pennsylvania Street

3.         Left on Magnolia Street

4.         Left on Western Street

5.         Right on Evans Street

6.         Left on Western Street

7.         Right on 16th Street

8.         Right on Arrowhead Street

9.         Right on 3rd Street

Ending – San Bernardino Civic Center (parking on Court Street)

Cars park in parking structure! Awards will be handed out in front of the Martin Luther King Statue.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— The Southern California Black Chamber of Commerce will be hosting their virtual MLK Extravaganza Celebration on Monday, January 18 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The event will consist of storytellers, performers, and panels. This year’s theme is, “Facing Adversity During the Storm”.

Storytellers include: Author Margaret Hill; Mr. Empire Talks Back, Wallace Allen; and Community Activist, Rikkie Van Johnson. The performers and entertainment of the event are Maurice Howard, Rev. Broncia Martindale, JD Musgrove, Valerie Green, Lil Reggie, Lue Dowdy, Dunamis L1019, Aisha and Stephen, the San Bernardino Pacesetters and Deeveatva and Company. The panelists include Gwen Rodgers-Dowdy, President for San Bernardino City Unified District Board of Education; Dann Tillman, Board Member or San Bernardino City Unified District Board of Education; Pastor Joshua Beckley, Ecclesia Christian Fellowship; Councilwoman Kimberly Calvin-Johnson 6^th Ward; Councilman Damon Alexander 7^th Ward; Councilman Ben Reynoso 5^th Ward.

There will be a special performance by Actor Leonard Thomas. You can catch the festivities live on Facebook at: https://fb.watch/2Ui4mbMtBg/