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(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)—ALEXANDRIA, VA— In celebration of its 25^th anniversary, Islamic Relief USA (IRUSA), a nonprofit humanitarian and advocacy organization, has awarded a $25,000 “Silver Anniversary” grant to two Redlands-based agencies – Building Resilient Communities (BRC) and Redlands Area Interfaith Council (RAIC) – to help develop a new platform for emergency management.  

The two organizations will work together on the Emergency Preparedness and Response Collaborative project. For the project, the organizations will partner with the Redlands Emergency Management and Human Relations Commission to give different faith groups (Muslims, Catholics, Mormons, Christians, among others) the opportunity to work together. The ultimate goal of the project is to provide toolkits and train 45 volunteers from the various RAIC member agencies to become cultural liaisons who will work with first responders and establish an emotional and spiritual care team.

“Building Resilient Communities (BRC) was established to help community and faith-based organizations prepare for that inevitable moment when they are called upon to build, repair and restore their community,” said Debra J. Williams, president of Building Resilient Communities. “This project is a wonderful opportunity for the entire faith community to come together to learn and collaborate for a common cause.  The relationships built through this project will go far beyond preparing for a disaster.  Building Resilient Communities is proud to be a part of such an important endeavor and we truly thank Islamic Relief USA for recognizing the value of our project.”

“This Islamic Relief USA grant will allow Building Resilient Communities, Redlands Area Interfaith Council, the City of Redlands Emergency Management and other groups to collaborate on providing disaster preparedness and response services that incorporate and respect cultural and religious norms,” said Dr. Shaheen Zakaria, M.D., vice president of the Redlands Area Interfaith Council (RAIC) and a commissioner of the Redlands Human Relations Commission. “An intricate tapestry of individual values, norms and culture tie every community together. To understand their culture is to understand them. This will be a great way forward towards understanding and building bridges among various community groups in Redlands”.

The “Silver Anniversary Community Bridge-Building” program is an initiative designed to bridge the differences that frequently divide communities – such as religion, race, or political opinion. The grant announcement generated 175 formal inquiries from organizations working in 36 states and the territory of Puerto Rico. That response demonstrates that people all across America are interested in finding common bonds and are committed to a common mission for the sake of their communities. 

“The tremendous response from grassroots, community-based and national organizations shows that people who on the surface have little in common can come together to make the world a better place – a place where there’s more unity, more sensitivity, and an endless amount of potential and promise,” said Anne Wilson, director of programs for IRUSA.

Inland Empire Company Taking Applications 500 Jobs!

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)—SAN BERNARDINO, CA— An Inland Empire based security company is planning to hire 500 people to serve as security at two large upcoming events in Coachella Valley.

According to Diligent Security Services CEO, Garran Smith, they are presently taking applications for events scheduled in April.

“We are paying $15 per hour for workers who have Guard Cards and $12 for those who don’t. We provide transportation, daily meals and we pay weekly. The minimum age is 18 and everyone needs Government ID!” Smith stated. 

Over the next month, Diligent Security Services, will hold recruitment events locations nationwide. Several upcoming events include:  February 13 and February 27 at America’s Job Center of California Job Fair located at 658 E. Brier Drive in San Bernardino 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The application is available online at www.diligentsecurityservices.com/apply.  You may also call (909) 900-7113 (909) 900-6517.   

By Hector Hernandez Jr.

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— SAN BERNARDINO, CA— San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools Ted Alejandre and San Bernardino County Board of Education celebrated the opening of their new administrative headquarters, named after San Bernardino educator Dorothy Inghram, on Monday, February 4.

Many in attendance remarked that opening the center, named after California’s first African-American superintendent of schools, was a fitting opening to Black History Month.

The Dorothy Inghram Learning Center, 670 E. Carnegie Drive, San Bernardino, is filled with the latest in audio-visual technology houses County Schools superintendent’s offices, the board of education chambers and offices, the county school’s cyber-security career program and the county’s Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) administration.

According to Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Richard De Nava, once the property was purchased in June 2017 the 18-month remodeling the new facilities was a complex project with a tight timeline.

Each of the project’s goals was met in time thanks to the combined efforts of several departments and partners working as a team, he said.

One of the main goals of moving to new facilities was to enable County Schools to make state-of-the-art facilities and programs available to students of all of the county’s 33 school districts whether their home districts can afford or support those type of advanced programs or not, according to County Board of Education President Hardy Brown II.

Prior to cutting the ribbon, a video as well as several guest speakers including former Assemblywoman Cheryl Brown and San Bernardino City Unified School District Board Member Margaret Hill shared the history of Inghram.

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Longtime friends and former students remembered Inghram, who died in 2012 at the age of 106, as a supremely generous woman who believed every kid had potential and who greatly valued reading and libraries. These traits led the city of San Bernardino to name a city library after her in 1977.

Hill, a Highland resident, befriended Ingrham through bowling and the decades-long friendship was further cemented by a shared passion for education.

In a life full of momentous firsts, Inghram was one of the first students to graduate from San Bernardino Valley College (she wrote the school’s alma mater), one of the first African-American students to graduate from the University of Redlands.

She then became the county’s first African-American teacher, served as principal and then superintendent of the one-school Mill Street School District in San Bernardino. She became the state’s first African-American superintendent in 1953.

“She thought children had to have a future and wanted the library to stay open so the children of the community could have a place to go to dream and find out about the world around them,” said Cheryl Brown.

Photos by John Coleman, Community Photographer

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(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)—SAN BERNARDINO, CA—   The San Bernardino Public Library will be hosting a film festival in celebration of Black History Month in February.  These screenings will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 3 PM in the Bing Wong Auditorium at the Feldheym Central Library, 555 W. 6^th Street.

The series includes films that cover a wide range of stories and cultures. Due to our public performance license, we are unable to list the titles of the movies. 

• Tuesday, Feb. 5: A young girl from South Los Angeles tries to make it to the National Spelling Bee. Starring Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne.
• Thursday, Feb. 7: The story of a team of female African-American mathematicians who served a vital role at NASA during the early years of the U.S. space program. Starring Taraji P. Henson and Octavia Spencer.
• Tuesday, Feb. 19: A chronicle of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s campaign to secure equal voting rights via an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965. Starring David Oyelowo and Carmen Ejogo.
• Thursday, Feb. 21: A working class African-American father tries to raise his family in the 1950’s, while coming to terms with the events of his life. Starring Denzel Washington and Viola Davis.
• Tuesday, Feb. 26: A passionate coach helps inner-city kids overcome the racist attitudes around them and become Philadelphia’s first African-American swim team. Starring Terrence Howard and Bernie Mac.
• Thursday, Feb. 28: The heir to the hidden but advanced kingdom of Wakanda must step forward to lead his people into a new future. Starring Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o.

These films are free and open to the public. For more information call the library at 909-381-8235 or visit or visit www.sbpl.org,https://twitter.com/SBCityLibrary, or https://www.facebook.com/SBPLfriends/

EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN) —RIVERSIDE, CA— “It Still Takes A Village” after 40 Years of Unity. That is the theme for this year’s kick-off reception for Riverside Black History Month hosted by the Adrian Dell and Carmen Roberts Foundation. The reception will be held on Saturday, February 2, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Central Middle School located at 4795 Magnolia Avenue in Riverside.

There will be food and entertainment at the reception. Succeeding the reception will be the Black History Parade and Expo on Saturday, February 9 at 10 a.m. The Parade will begin at Riverside City College and will finish in front of the City Hall in Downtown Riverside, where the expo will also be held.

Sponsors for this year’s festivities include: City of Riverside, Riverside City College, Riverside Unified School District, Raceway Ford, Precinct Reporter, NAACP, Riverside Police Department, County of Riverside, BURRTEC and Adrian Dell and Carmen Roberts Foundation.

For more information, please visit www.adcrfoundation.org. 

26th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Walk-A-Thon: “Walking for Peace and Justice”

Join us on January 21st as we pay tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.! This year our theme is ‘Walking for Peace and Justice’. Our 5K walk will start at Stratton Center and end at the RCC Digital Library with a stop at the Martin Luther King Jr. statue on Main Street.  Free shuttle services back to Stratton Center will be available every half hour beginning at 11 am.

Registration will begin at 7:30 AM at Stratton Center. The Walk will begin promptly at 10 AM at the entrance of the Center. Free shuttle service back to Stratton Center will be available every half hour beginning at 11 AM.

After the walk join us for a short program (honoring local honorees), booths, entertainment, performances and a contest for the organization with the most number of walkers.

This years Honorees are:

• Assembly Member Sabrina Cervantes
• Judge Irma Poole-Ashberry
• Congressman Mark Takano
• Justice Richard Fields

Proceeds from the Walk-A-Thon will benefit the Riverside African-American Historical Society to support:

The Civil Rights Institute, Clarke & Grier College Scholarships and for the maintenance and upkeep of the Martin Luther King Jr. statue. Click here to register.

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to work as a social worker? How about a teacher or maybe a negotiator? How about all three jobs at the same time?

The District invites community members and business leaders to experience the rewards and challenges of leading a public school by participating in Principal for a Day on Thursday, March 14. Since its launch more than two decades ago as a collaboration between the District and the San Bernardino Area Chamber of Commerce, the Principal for a Day program has hosted hundreds of private and public sector professionals.

Participants spend nearly half a day leading a District school alongside the actual principal. Besides a brief gathering first thing in the morning and an afternoon review, little else is scripted. A typical day for a guest principal may include greeting students, meeting teachers, and eating lunch in the cafeteria.

“As a principal, no two school days are alike,” said Hunt Elementary School Principal Kristin Kolling. “Today, I may spend half the day visiting classrooms and training teachers. Tomorrow, we could have a fire drill at the same time I’m comforting a kindergartner whose dog passed away. And then, on my way to a parent meeting, I’ll be summoned to mediate a disagreement between fourth graders. Still, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

If you’re interested in serving as a Principal for a Day, please complete an application at www.sbcusd.com/pfad or call the Communications Department at (909) 381-1250. Applications must be submitted by February 1.

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— LOMA LINDA, CA— Approximately 200 motorcyclists and enthusiasts alike came out to support Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital at the 26^th annual Quaid Harley-Davidson Toy Run on Sunday, December 16. The event was held to benefit the kids at Children’s Hospital, providing funding, toys and holiday cheer.

Participants in the ride and attendees donated thousands of new toys, enough to fill a small trailer. All proceeds — including registration fees — were given to Children’s Hospital. Many patients and their families attended the event and were greeted by the enthusiastic bikers.

Dealer owner Glenn Quaid spoke on how some of the best people he knew were found on the backs of bikes.

“We take care of our children,” Quaid said. “We take care of our community.”

Loma Linda Fire Department also attended with a classic fire truck for photo ops, before leading riders through the streets of Loma Linda toward Children’s Hospital.

Photo Caption: Children at the event were able to choose from a trailer filled with new, unwrapped toys. 

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