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Dr. Juli Grigsby, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Haverford College, Pennsylvania (photo: Haverford College).

SAN BERNARDINO, California—On Tuesday, March 27, San Bernardino Valley College (SBVC) will host renowned anthropologist and university professor Dr. Juli Grisby for a lecture addressing a variety of pressing socio-cultural topics that may hit closer to home for some students than their traditional textbook studies. The event, which is free and open to the public, starts at 6:00 p.m. in SBVC’s Business Building, Room 100.

Originally from the Inland Empire, Dr. Grigsby is a socio-cultural anthropologist who has lectured at universities across the country on issues regarding critical race theory, feminist and queer theory, women’s health and violence, and U.S. social movements. She is also a noted photographer, and author of her current book project, “Grim Sleeper: Gender, Violence, and Reproductive Justice in Los Angeles.” She currently serves as the assistant professor of Anthropology at Haverford College in Pennsylvania.

SBVC sociology professor Anthony Blacksher said Dr. Grigsby can provide valuable insight for young scholars into the practical applications of anthropology today. “The work she is doing right now highlights the unique oppression of Black women and how that can be rendered invisible when things are seen as merely women’s issues, Black issues, or issues in our society at large,” he said. “To this point, Dr. Grigsby’s latest work connects the structural and economic conditions faced by Black women with the very real violence that is enacted upon them, politically and physically.” He hopes Dr. Grisby’s lecture will inspire more students to consider fields in the social sciences, especially anthropology.

SBVC’s Arts, Lectures & Diversity Committee is happy to announce this special event.

•••

WHAT: Guest Speaker, Dr. Juli Grigsby

WHERE: SBVC Business Building Room 100, San Bernardino Valley College, 701 S. Mount Vernon Ave., San Bernardino, CA., 92410. Free parking on campus.

WHEN: 6:00pm, Tuesday, March 27, 2018

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- Thirteen distinguished young men will be presented to society on Saturday, March 24 at the National Orange Show in San Bernardino during the Social Lites, Inc. 51st Beautillion Ball. The theme this year is, “Reflections of Our Past and Visions of Our Future.” Formal attire is required. Tickets may be purchased at the door for $50 per person. Doors will open at 6 p.m.

The Beautillion Program was started in the Inland Empire out of concern for the future and survival of young, Black men in the community in which they live and serve. High school seniors who participate in the program are known as Knights. This program is designed to help young men who are seniors in high school prepare for college through the solicitation of ads, leadership development, accountability, responsibility, etiquette, attire for all occasions, spiritual growth, public speaking and community service. The all-around Knight will be identified at the conclusion of the program as Sir Knight. Other awards are given for academics and other achievements.

For more information, please telephone chairperson, Mrs. Donna Little-James at (909) 528-9793 or co- chairperson, Mrs. Bridgette Shaw at (909) 648-6165 or publicity chairperson, Mrs. Twillea Evans-Carthen at tevanscarthen@yahoo.com.

LOS ANGELES, CA- Time for Change Foundation’s (TFCF) 2018 Advocates of the Year Award honors those individuals whose strengths and courage amplifies the voices of change and criminal justice reform in their respective communities.  This year among the advocates being honored, Ms. Kim Carter is pleased to honor Jayda Rasberry and Mianta McKnight. 

“Both of these young ladies give me so much hope,” Kim Carter, Founder of Time for Change Foundation, stated. “We know that change will only come when those most impacted by the harmful effects of mass incarceration are at the helm leading the efforts for reform.”

Jayda Rasberry is from Los Angeles. She is in her late twenties, has 5 younger siblings, and a whole host of cousins, nieces, and nephews. She was raised by her grandmother who loved her unconditionally and instilled in her what it takes to be a productive citizen. In 2006 she was sentenced to Valley State Prison for Women where she would spend six years of her life. Since her release in 2012 she has been to Sacramento to speak about medical negligence and reducing the prison population with alternatives. In 2014 she became an organizer with Dignity and Power Now. She is out 5 days a week educating community members and making them aware of what is happening behind jail walls. As a formerly incarcerated person and a queer woman of color she believes that it is important to be a voice of change in directly impacted communities. She has lived the harsh realities of what happens behind the walls of prison and strongly believes that it is her duty to fight and to be a voice for people who are incarcerated.

Mianta McKnight is a formerly incarcerated juvenile offender tried as an adult who is passionate about incarcerated women. She knows firsthand what the prion experience is like since she served 18 years and 1 day on a 15 year to life sentence and essentially grew up within the prison industrial complex. As a fellow for Justice Now and activist for social change, she is dedicated to challenging inhumane conditions and being a voice for those who are unable to speak for themselves. She attends SFSU and is majoring in dance, which she plans to use to work along with holistic medicine to promote longevity, self-awareness, and self-care.

Other Honorees include: Dr. Carolyn Eggleston with the Community Education Champion Award, Jordyn Rivera with the Humanitarian Award, Bobby Barzi with the “Ramos Family Spirit of Compassion” Award, Virginia Blumenthal with the Women’s Empowerment Award, Dr. Harvey Nurick with the Dynamic Duo Award, Cedar House with the Community Champion Award, and Mitla Café with the Unsung Hero Award.

Time for Change Foundation’s 16th Year Anniversary Gala will take place on Friday, April 13^th , at the Doubletree Hotel by Hilton in Ontario, CA from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. To support TFCF’s efforts to help homeless women and children become self-sufficient, thriving members of society you can become a sponsor, purchase an ad in the event program book or purchase a Gala ticket.  To purchase tickets for the event or to become a sponsor and increase your business’ visibility in the community, please visit our website www.TimeForChangeFoundation.org or contact Vanessa Perez at (909) 886-2994 or by email at vperez@timeforchangefoundation.org.

Time for Change Foundation empowers disenfranchised, low-income individuals and families by building leadership through evidence-based programs and housing to create self-sufficiency and thriving communities. We accept all forms of donations. To see how you can help make a difference visit us on the web at www.TimeForChangeFoundation.org.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- Dr. Brian Haynes, Vice President of Student Affairs at California State University San Bernardino spent the afternoon on Sunday, March 11, at the San Bernardino Boys and Girls Club dialoguing with the Social Lites, Inc. Beautillion Knights and participants of the Beautillion program on the value of education, his personal journey in going to college and how higher education opened doors of opportunities for him. 

Haynes encouraged students to pay attention to deadlines in submitting applications for admission to desired colleges and/or universities, filing for financial aid, living on campus at a minimum for the first year of college and getting involved with the University/College of choice clubs and organizations. Haynes is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. which focuses on education, community service and brotherhood.

The 51st Beautillion program will commence on March 24, 2018 at the National Orange Show in San Bernardino. For more information, please telephone chairperson, Mrs. Donna Little-James at 909-528-9793 or co-chairperson, Mrs. Bridgette Shaw at (909) 648-6165 or publicity chairperson, Mrs. Twillea Evans-Carthen at tevanscarthen@yahoo.com.

Fifty years after the Kerner Commission criticized the news media for not sufficiently covering race issues, a new special report shows that women of color continue to be underrepresented in U.S. newsrooms and face multiple challenges in achieving equality in hiring and promotions.

The Women’s Media Center report  “The Status of Women of Color in the U.S. News Media 2018” offers a rare look at where women journalists of color are — and aren’t — in legacy print, radio, TV, and digital news. It is an important extension and extrapolation of data previously published in the Women’s Media Center’s annual “The Status of Women in the U.S. Media” study, and includes data about minority journalists released after the most recent version of that report was produced in 2017.

Women of color represent just 7.95 percent of U.S. print newsrooms overall, 12.6 percent of local TV news staff, and 6.2 percent of local radio staff, according to industry research that is based on news organizations’ replies to professional association queries.

“Whether intentional or not, it seems like there is a cap on people of color in newsrooms,” said Rummana Hussain, assistant metro editor, Chicago Sun-Times.

Among the journalism professionals offering their trenchant views in the report on what’s broken for women journalists of color, and how to repair the breach are journalist and author Dana Canedy, the first black female and youngest person to helm the Pulitzer Prize organization; such marquee broadcast news leaders as Soledad O’Brien, Ann Curry, Maria Hinojosa and Joy Reid; MacArthur “genius grant” winner Nikole Hannah-Jones; freelance journalist Jenni Monet; and women of far less fame who likewise excel in practicing their craft.

“There are so many micro-aggressions that come with being a journalist and female and not White,” according to Soledad O’Brien, founder and CEO, Starfish Media Group. “If you spend too much time seeing yourself — in terms of how they see you — as only those things, you will lose your mind. Because there are just a lot of slights.”

The report comes at a time when the nation’s population is changing rapidly. The U.S. Census projects that Blacks, Asians, Hispanics, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders, and those who are multi-racial will be the majority of the population by 2050.

“Women are more than half the U.S. population, and people of color nearly 40 percent,” said Julie Burton, president of the Women’s Media Center.  “But you wouldn’t know this from our media — because U.S. media does not look like, sound like, or reflect the diversity and experience of more than half the population.”

While acknowledging their successes, the women journalists of color say systemic racism, the old boys’ network, and gender bias, among other obstacles, are some of the reasons newsrooms are slow to change.

“Many, many talented women of color are rising through the ranks, as they have since the late ’60s and ’70s,” said Ann Curry, executive producer, reporter, host, We’ll Meet Again on PBS. “One of the most significant reasons they fail is that men tend to groom men.”

News staffs that reflect our nation’s racial, ethnic, and gender diversity are intrinsic to creating a credible media and to the nation’s democracy, said Gloria Steinem, WMC co-founder.

“Missing women of color in the newsrooms of this country is an injustice in itself, and an injustice to every American reader and viewer who is deprived of great stories and a full range of facts,” Steinem said. “Inclusiveness in the newsroom means inclusiveness in the news. Racism and sexism put blinders on everyone.”

“Women of color represent a substantial proportion of the population, and yet their stories are too rarely told and their voices too infrequently heard on most media platforms,” said Maya Harris, WMC co-chair. “The perspectives and findings this Women’s Media Center report offers not only illuminate this lost opportunity, but also help to identify what we must do to work toward a more inclusive democracy.”

Said Pat Mitchell, WMC board co-chair: “Fifty years after the Kerner Commission report, women of color are still battling systemic racism and sexism in the news media.  It is imperative that Black, Asian, Hispanic, and Native women be more visible and powerful in media. The Women’s Media Center won’t rest until our newsrooms are inclusive, representative, and equal.”

The report, compiled and written by journalist and custom content producer Katti Gray and edited by Cristal Williams Chancellor, WMC’s director of communications, offers solutions to editors, producers, publishers, and other news executives, including the need to intentionally search for talented women of color, increased accountability and transparency by news organizations, and innovative recruitment and hiring strategies. Both Gray and Williams Chancellor are veteran, award-winning journalists.

 “I don’t believe in embarrassing and shaming people, but I do believe in giving them actual solutions, people they can hire tomorrow,” said Benét Wilson, founder and editor-in-chief of Aviation Queen LLC and vice president of the Online News Association. “We don’t want to hear the excuses anymore.”

The industry studies on gender and race used in the report were released last year by the American Society of News Editors and the Radio Television Digital News Association.

The Women’s Media Center, co-founded by Jane Fonda, Robin Morgan, and Steinem, works to make women visible and powerful in the media. We do so by promoting women as decision makers and as subjects in media; training women to be media ready and media savvy; researching and exposing sexism and racism in media; and creating original online and on-air journalism.

For more information, contact Williams Chancellor at cristal@womensmediacenter.com or 202-270-8539.

The full report is available here.

The infographic is available here.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes hosted a Woman of the Year luncheon last weekend to honor and celebrate the 2018 Woman of the Year finalist from her district. The luncheon was held at the Don Day Neighborhood Center in Fontana.

In total, fifty-two women were nominated from the community for the 2018 Woman of the Year award which recognizes local women for accomplishments in their respective fields and for their dedication to improving the lives of others in conjunction with Women’s History Month.

Nominees came from a variety of different backgrounds ranging from educators and community advocates to county employees, students, business owners and heads of local non-profits.

“In the current political climate it is more important than ever to lift up the amazing women in our community. These women exemplify courage, dedication and determination to build a better quality of life for our community, and to face the challenges that are put in front of them,” said Assemblymember Reyes.

On Monday, March 12 Assemblymember Reyes honored one of the 24 finalists as the 2018 47th Assembly District Woman of the Year. The award was be presented to the Woman of the Year at the State Capitol.

The 2018 Woman of the Year Finalist for the 47th District included: Ana Carlos – Bloomington; Yesenia Gonzalez – Bloomington; Jessica Sutorus – Colton; Neli Gutierrez – Colton; Nina Torres – Colton; Victoria Mendoza – Colton; Lori Sanchez – Colton; Gloria Martinez – Fontana; Tamika Casey – Fontana; Mary Sandoval – Fontana; Denise Ferris – Grand Terrace; Rose Keller – Grand Terrace; Arlene Garcia – Muscoy; Suzanne Schaeffer – Muscoy; Lea Michelle Cash – Rialto; Joshlyn Earls – Rialto; Abigail Medina – San Bernardino; Cynthia Frazier – San Bernardino; Diana Z. Rodriguez – San Bernardino; Dr. Deanna Stover – San Bernardino; Dr. Jean Peacock – San Bernardino; Gigi Hanna – San Bernardino; Lieutenant Shelisa Williams – San Bernardino; and Tamara Ellison – San Bernardino.

CARSON, CA- Newly established non-profit, Majestic Hearts, announces its existence. On Saturday, February 24, at Cal State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH). Majestic Hearts is an organization for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, whose mission is to convert victims into survivors. The purpose of the event was to raise funds for its shelter and counseling programs.

The launch event introduced Majestic Hearts to close friends, family and the public. The celebration opened with live performances from Saxophonist Keschia Potter, who’s performed alongside celebrities like Beyoncé, Jennifer Hudson and Lady Gaga, to name a few. She and her band set the tone for the event playing music from Potter’s newly released album “Rebirth of the Soul.”

Hosted by comedienne Chelley Chelle of LesTalk Radio, the event took on a humorous turn as Chelley Chelle lightened the seriousness of the topic with her comedy performance. Poetess/artist Estee “E dot” Marie delivered two spoken word pieces, “Love Is” and “Beautifully Made.” Both poems spoke to the subjects of domestic violence, sexual assault, self-worth, royalty and love.

Stephanie Charles

By Naomi K. Bonman

To kick off Women’s History Month, I did an exclusive interview with a rising actress. Ms. Stephanie Charles is an actress and producer. She has been acting for a decade since childhood, but she is known for her roles in Adulterers (2015), Instant Mom (2013) and NCIS (2003). Her most current role is playing Nyla in Tyler Perry’s latest series The Paynes, which is a spin off of House of Paynes.

Ms. Charles chatted with me about her inspirations in getting into acting, her current role in “The Paynes” and her next career moves. This rising star is definitely on the move.

FedEx Airbus Captain and Line Check Airman Tahirah Lamont Brown

By Jason Douglas

FedEx Airbus Captain and Line Check Airman Tahirah Lamont Brown recalls her very first time in the cockpit in 1992—a momentous occasion for any pilot, but especially for an African American woman entering an industry dominated by men. Brown later became the first African American woman pilot for FedEx, and shares how hard work, creativity, determination and mentors helped her build her “office in the sky.”

When did you decide you wanted to be a pilot, and what about flying intrigued you?

I decided to be a pilot in high school. At that time I had only flown twice in my life, but the more I learned about aviation, the more fascinated I became. I enjoy traveling, meeting new people and learning about different cultures. Aviation matched my personality. It was an epiphany for me. I decided this is what I want to do, and God put people in my path along the way that helped me achieve my goal.