WSSN Stories

By Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media

Last week, the Bay Area Black Housing Advisory Task Force (BABHATF) — a coalition of more than 40 groups with housing and community expertise –unveiled a $500 million plan to make housing more accessible and affordable for Black families.

BABHATF is asking the region’s leaders and residents to support the “Bay Area Regional Black Housing Fund” initiative. The organization is also calling on the Legislature to include funding for the effort in this year’s state budget.

The task force is supported by Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D-Suisun) who was sworn into office April 6 after winning a special election in the 11th Assembly District.

The investment “will help repair the injustices that have shaped the housing experiences of Black people in the Bay Area and in California,” BABHATF leaders said in a letter drafted to bring awareness to a problem that the group says is statewide.

“It will also create new opportunities to expand housing for Black people in places where they have largely been — and are still — excluded. Increasing Black homeownership will benefit our entire region,” said task force members Fred Blackwell and Melissa Jones in the letter.

“The work we do to reduce the rent burden for Black people will provide a way forward for the Bay Area overall,” the letter continued.

Blackwell is CEO of the San Francisco Foundation, a community nonprofit committed to advancing racial equity and economic inclusion. Jones is executive director of the Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative. Her work focuses on health, social inequity, and well-being.

The task force points out that there has been no regional response to California’s housing crisis’ well-documented impact on Black communities. It believes “a targeted solution” is necessary for an “issue rooted in racial injustice,” Blackwell and Jones wrote.

The California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA) reports that Black homeownership rates are the lowest among California’s ethnic groups.

The Black homeownership rate was 50.98% at its peak in 2004. Since then, the homeownership rates for Black Californians have fallen at a steeper curve than those of all other racial and ethnic groups in the state.

During the early 2000s, several mortgage lenders specifically targeted Black homebuyers offering them subprime loans. High default rates on those loans contributed to the Great Recession, which began in 2007 and lasted through 2009. As a result, the Black homeownership has dropped by more than 10% since 2004 and has yet to recover, according to CalHFA.

BABHATF illustrates how affordable housing impacts Black communities throughout the state, pointing out that there is no major ethnic group over-represented in the state’s homeless population than Black people.

Various reports state that 150,000 Californians experience homelessness on any given night and nearly 40% are Black.

“We envision a Bay Area with thriving, healthy and resilient Black communities, where all Black residents have a home. We want a region that rebuilds Black commercial districts destroyed by highway development, regains the Black homeownership losses from the racially targeted lending schemes that drove the Great Recession, and creates the affordable housing our region has failed to deliver over the last two decades,” Blackwell and Jones stated.

The task force is certain that with California’s $98 billion budget surplus, there is a historic and unprecedented opportunity to help right past wrongs and invest in Black communities and housing.

The group is calling for the Legislature to include the fund in this fiscal year’s state budget. The fund will create more affordable housing with a $500 million investment that includes:

No.1, Financial support for initiatives such as down payment assistance for low- and moderate-income Black households, preserving Black housing and neighborhoods, pre-development resources for housing development by Black-led developers, and preserving cultural districts and anchor institutions.

No. 2, Community support for strengthening smaller, Black-led community groups so they can better serve the housing needs of Black communities, plus community planning to develop ideas and blueprints for future projects.

The Black community in the Bay Area has been disadvantaged in the state’s housing market for decades because of discrimination, including redlining, unequal access to wealth and good jobs, and other systemic problems.

All of these issues have been discussed in the last 12 months during meetings conducted by the California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparations Proposals for African Americans, under Assembly Bill (AB) 3121.

BABHATF says that increased disadvantages will leave Black communities facing multiple systemic barriers leading to massive displacement in the Bay Area

“As a result, San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley each lost between 40% and 50 % of their Black residents between 1990 and 2018. In Oakland alone, more than 60,000 Black residents have left. East Palo Alto had a 66 % decrease. This is a profound loss,” Blackwell and Jones stated.

Efforts to combat housing across the state got a partial boost last week. Homeownership for low- and moderate-income moved closer to reality after the California Senate approved a plan to establish a $25 billion fund financed by voter-endorsed general obligation bonds.

Senate Bill (SB) 1457, authored by Majority Leader Emeritus Sen. Bob Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys), now goes to the Assembly for consideration. It establishes the California Family Home Construction and Homeownership Bond Act of 2022.

If SB 1457 is adopted by voters on the November 2022 ballot, it will authorize the $25 billion bond fund to finance homeownership opportunities and promote new home construction.

Hertzberg stated that “the underlying problem is simple: A lack of supply” and says his plan “tackles this problem head on.”

“California policymakers have a responsibility to create more opportunities for first-time or left-behind homebuyers,” Hertzberg said. “Purchasing a home, attaining a middle-class lifestyle and building generational wealth cannot be accomplished without addressing the severe lack of housing production that is fueling the state’s homeownership crisis.”

By Edward Henderson | California Black Media

Black women leaders in California want to raise COVID vaccine awareness among young people across the state as the number of infections creep back up.

Last week, Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA), a statewide political advocacy organization, hosted a town hall meeting via Zoom organized to engage youth through their Young Enough to Know Campaign.

The effort is aimed at educating young people and their families about the importance of being vaccinated to protect themselves against Covid-19.

Vashone Huff, co-director of BWOPA’s Black & Vaxxed campaign, opened the town hall with a welcome message and stated the purpose of the gathering.

“We are focusing and engaging elementary, middle school, high school and college students in conversation and highlighting the voices and lives of those that are not too young to know about the impacts of Covid as well as the actions they can take to advocate and protect themselves and their families,” said Huff.

In East Oakland Council District 7, for example, there have been 1.3 million cases of COVID among youth ages 5-17. Less than 25% of youth in that age range are fully vaccinated.

Experts say there are many factors that contribute to this number including the short time the vaccine has been available for youth.

Last week, 19 California counties were recategorized as “medium risk” from “low risk,” based on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) three-level ranking system for tracking COVID hospitalization rates. Thirty-three of California’s 58 counties are now ranked in the “medium risk” category, accounting for more than 75 % of the state’s population, according to numbers compiled by the California Department of Public Health.

BWOPA says that is one reason the organization is working to encourage Black and Brown communities to fight the stigma surrounding the vaccine and encourage youth to become fully vaccinated.

At the beginning of the event, Huff introduced the hosts of the town hall: Lady Ray of iHeart Radio and Tyler Baty, a 7th grade student and athlete at St. Leo the Great Catholic School in Oakland.

Baty, an accomplished student athlete and orator said it is important for kids his age to remain safe and continue to wear masks in public places. He also shared that many of his friends had come down with COVID and wants more youth and their parents to take the vaccine seriously.

BWOPA wants young people to know that that children ages 5-11 are eligible for the Pfizer vaccine, and kids 12 and older are now eligible for boosters.

Patricia-Blue Pharr, 11, shared her experience contracting COVID while at a summer camp last year. Pharr said she began to feel sick shortly after she arrived at the camp and had to return home.

“It just comes to show that Covid can spread really quickly. That’s why you have to be very careful,” said Pharr. “I had a lot of doctor’s appointments and had to stay home and not have contact with anybody. Anytime I wanted to eat, I had to take it to my room and eat it by myself. I couldn’t even sit on my porch which was really upsetting.”

Angela Sou, Program Manager for the Youth Engagement Program of the state’s Vaccinate All 58 Campaign, followed Pharr and shared her support for BWOPA and its efforts.

Vaccinate All 58 partners with BWOPA to providing funding for outreach and engagement within communities disproportionately affected by barriers to healthcare and information.

“These projects nurture a culture of trust, engagement, buy in and civic engagement. We want to make the conversations surrounding COVID-19 more accessible and collaborative,” said Sou.

According to BWOPA, hospitalizations due to COVID-19 are eleven times higher in unvaccinated children than fully vaccinated ones. Across the United States, ICU COVID hospitalizations for children are on par with the numbers for adults.

Oakland City Councilmember Treva Reid (District 7) also spoke at the town hall, offering encouragement to the youth attending and sharing a message to the people as they prepare for a safe summer.

“As people are going back to their daily activities people are not wearing masks,” said Reid. “Be sure to get involved in these conversations and influencing people in your family and communities. You are young enough to know, you are young enough to advocate as we all work to come through Covid and love each other through it all.”

Other speakers included Dr. Norlisa Cooper of BWOPA, Jessica King and Aldane Waters, who helped produce a public service announcement (PSA) aimed towards youth and their parents about the importance of wearing masks, staying socially distant and becoming fully vaccinated.

Visit blackandvaxxed.org to learn more about BWOPA’s efforts to raise awareness.

By Alton Thomas Stiles | California Black Media Partners

As the costs of goods surge nationwide along with gas prices, Gov. Gavin Newsom is committing $18.1 billion in “inflation relief” to Californians through the California Blueprint, his mid-year revised budget proposal.

The White House is also taking steps to ease the pinch from inflation Americans across the country are experiencing.

“Global inflation, the war in Ukraine driving up costs, climate change impacts – everyone is feeling the weight. So, we’re putting $18.1 billion on the table to help lower costs for Californians – tax refunds, [money] for healthcare, rent, utility bills, public transit [and] more,” Newsom tweeted.

California’s economy is the largest in the United States and is currently experiencing a budget surplus of close to $100 billion, according to the governor’s office.

“Backed by a robust surplus and grounded in our unshakable values, we’re paving the California Way forward to prosperity and progress for all,” said Newsom recently, referring to investments the state is making in financial relief efforts, including an increase to the minimum wage, rental and utility bill assistance, tax refunds, health care subsidies, and more.

As Newsom and federal government officials announce relief packages to tackle inflation, they are taking the opportunity to criticize their colleagues across the aisle.

“While gridlock persists in Congress and Right-wing fanatics turn statehouses across the country into laboratories of hate and oppression, here in California, we’re putting in the work to grow our economy and implement real, inclusive policy change to create a brighter future for all,” said Newsom.

President Joe Biden also urged Republicans in Congress to cooperate with Democrats on their inflation efforts.

“I encourage Congressional Republicans to join us in our efforts to lower prices for families across the country, by making more in America, strengthening our supply chains, and cutting energy and prescription drug costs,” Biden tweeted recently.

The federal government’s plan for offsetting the impact of inflation includes giving Medicare the power to negotiate prices for prescription drugs and bringing food prices down in grocery stores by “bringing more competition to those markets,” according to Sameera Fazili, Director of the White House National Economic Council.

Fazili told California Black Media (CBM) about some of the unique challenges facing communities of color as the prices of goods and services skyrocket nationwide.

One such challenge is childcare, which is essential for many parents of color as they are less likely to work remotely.

“Often times, the amount that you spend on childcare may be as much as what you bring in from going to work,” said Fazili.

The White House has also received commitments from large internet providers to lower the cost of internet access for lower income households. such as Verizon, for example, has committed to dropping monthly payments for highspeed service by $10.

Housing is another challenge for Black Americans, Fazili told CBM.

“We don’t have enough affordable housing in this country,” said Fazili.

Fazili said the federal government cannot directly lower or raise the price of gas because gas is traded on the global market.

United States Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm told CBM that the increases in gas prices are due, in part, to U.S. sanctions on Russian oil because of the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

Granholm says since the European Union is following the U.S. with sanctions on Russia, there might be additional challenges around the corner.

“We’re going to see more volatility, more increase,” said Granholm.

To combat this, the federal government plans to tap into the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve in the Gulf of Mexico, which Granholm called the “biggest tool we have” against rising gas prices.

On the state level, Granholm praised California’s approach to combating these prices.

“Some states are providing direct payments to people — I know Gov. Newsom has looked at that – to try to alleviate this huge impact on people’s wallets,” said Granholm.

Fazili says she is optimistic. When the economy begins to recover from hardships it is currently experiencing, the financial outlook for Blacks will begin to improve as the equity and relief programs the Biden administration is implementing take effect.

BOULDER, CO — Evo Hemp is thrilled to announce “Dirty Words,” a new podcast produced in conjunction with the 40 Acre Cooperative that provides a platform for diverse voices and stories from the frontlines of our food and plant medicine systems. The mission is to show what is possible and what is necessary to create equitable access to food and plant medicine. Evo Hemp has also launched a campaign to connect BIPOC farmers with manufacturers and consumers to create solutions toward agricultural equity. If a BIPOC farmer would like to be included on the BIPOC FARMS MAP or a manufacturer looking to source from BIPOC farms, please reach out to customerservice@evohemp.com or visit https://evohemp.com/bipoc-farms-map.

“Our goal is to bring about change,” said Evo Hemp Co-Founder Ari Sherman. “The pandemic has brought the many racial inequities in our healthcare and food systems to the forefront, and this is a moment to ignite a cultural conversation around this public health crisis.”

Over the past 100 years BIPOC farmers in the United States have lost roughly $326 billion worth of acreage. In 1910, Black farmers owned more than 16 million acres of land. In 2017, that figure was just 4.7 million acres, about 0.5% of all farmland. According to experts, the land loss was due to discriminatory USDA lending policies and forced sales of co-owned land called heirs’ property.

“By bringing Black farmers to parity on a per-farm revenue and profit basis, there is $5 billion in economic value that can be created,” said Jourdan Samel, Co-Founder of Evo Hemp. “Increasing business participation for Black farmers could create ladders of opportunity for the 66,000 Black workers employed in the agriculture sector and beyond.”

Public and private programs exist today to support Black farmers, but they vary in maturity and reach. For example, many private programs are in pilot stages and have yet to achieve their full potential scale and scope. Further, many public programs have faced challenges to scale due to historical distrust of farming support and lack of awareness among the Black farming community.

“We want people to be aware that because of the color of your skin, there are disparities in your ability to cultivate and access food and plant medicine,” said Sherman. “We hope that our podcast and the BIPOC Farms Map will positively affect people, impact communities, and make change that will help us become a better society.”
About 40-Acre Cooperative: 40-Acre Cooperative is an agricultural company focused on addressing equity gaps within agriculture. The co-op provides technical assistance, and marketing support that supports Black, Indigenous, and other marginalized communities. https://www.fortyacre.coop/

About Evo Hemp: Evo Hemp has established a supply chain of USA-grown hemp in order to rebuild America’s agricultural system. With the help of retail partners, Evo Hemp has been able to create countless opportunities for small family farmers, while providing consumers with organic, USA-grown hemp products. https://evohemp.com/

By Lou Yeboah

You see, God began human history with a warning. He told Adam and Eve that if they ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they would surely die. [Genesis 2:17]. The soul that sins shall die [Ezekiel 18:20]. There are consequences to pay when one does not heed the warnings of God. If you continue to disobey and live in sin, God’s anger will descend on you like King Manasseh. Don’t take God’s grace for granted. Repent before it is too late!

“A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.” [Proverbs 22:3]. How long will you simple ones love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge?” [Proverbs 1:22]. “How long will you keep ignoring the warning signs and live for your own ways and desires as if there are no consequences for doing so?” Proverbs 14:12; 16:25 reminds us that, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” God’s warnings always precede God’s judgment!

Case in point, before the tragedy that befell the house of Eli, the death of his two sons and his own death, God had warned about the sin of Eli’s sons and his failure to discipline them. He warned of the impending judgment. “Then the LORD said to Samuel, ‘I am about to do a shocking thing in Israel. I am going to carry out all my threats against Eli and his family. I have warned him continually that judgment is coming for his family, because his sons are blaspheming God and he hasn’t disciplined them. So, I have vowed that the sins of Eli and his sons will never be forgiven by sacrifices or offerings” [1 Samuel 3:11-14]. Why? Because they had squandered the opportunities, to repent. God’s warnings always precedes His judgment.

The angels who came to execute God’s judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah told Lot, “‘Run for your lives!’ the angels warned. ‘Do not stop anywhere in the valley. And don’t look back! Escape to the mountains, or you will die.’” [Genesis 19:17]. But Lot’s wife didn’t heed their warning. She looked back. Therefore, God’s judgment came upon her. She became a pillar of salt [Genesis 19:26]. I tell you, there are consequences to pay when one does not heed the warnings of God!

Be like the people of Nineveh who repented and believe that God will do what He said he would do. Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes”

The king took Jonah’s message very seriously and caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, “Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?” [Jonah 3:5-9].

“When God saw that they had put a stop to their evil ways, he had mercy on them and didn’t carry out the destruction he had threatened” [Jonah 3:10]. God’s warning always comes before His judgment. Your response to His warnings determines what happens to you. As Daniel told King Nebuchadnezzar [Daniel 4:27] please listen to me. Stop sinning and do what is right. God’s warning comes before His Judgment. [Ezekiel 18:20].

God did not just let them go into sin. He sent messenger after messenger, prophet after prophet, judge after judge, king after king—and they never listened. Even though God had compassion on them and wanted to save them from this, they were not willing. [2 Chronicles 36:15].
“Prepare to meet your God, O Israel!” [Amos 4:12].

SAN BERNARDINO, CA — As the Apostle Peter warned, for if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly [2 Peter 2:4-5] killing every man, woman and child who spurned and ignored his warning, what do you think will happen if we continue to ignore His warnings? We too will experience the utter wrath of God. [Romans 11:21]. Isaiah warned the people that they must be in tune with God’s timing and not presume that they would always have the ear of the Lord. His words, “Seek the Lord while he may be found,” stressed the urgency of the time of decision. [Isaiah 55:6-9]

“We’ve Been Warned” encourages its reader to repent while it is still daybreak. Get your copy today online $10.00 for Book; $5.00 for eBook at:

Dorrance Publishing Bookstore- https://bookstore.dorrancepublishing.com

ISBN: 978-1-6393-7282-9

Barnes and Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com

Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/books

Publisher – Dorrance Publishing Company

Author: Lou K Coleman-Yeboah

By Dr. Oliver Brooks | Special to California Black Media Partners

In 1992, the federal government enacted the 340B Drug Discount Program. It afforded community health centers (CHCs) the ability to provide pharmacy services to their patients, a service that many CHCs did not have the resources to provide otherwise.

The program protects safety-net providers, including CHCs, from escalating drug prices, allowing us to purchase drugs at a discounted rate from manufacturers and pass those discounts directly to the patient. This program is presently under threat.

That is why I support Dr. Richard Pan’s Senate Bill (SB) 939. This bill, currently being reviewed by the Senate Committee on Health, would prohibit discriminatory actions by drug manufacturers and administrators when providing 340B drugs to health centers and the patients they serve.

It provides important consumer protections that are necessary to protect 340B savings and ensure that the savings remain with health centers and their communities, creating greater access to health care and equity for all.

The 340B Program also allows safety-net providers the ability to accrue savings that must be reinvested directly into patient care and services. Thus, the program enables covered entities to stretch scarce federal resources as far as possible, reaching more eligible patients and providing more comprehensive services.

For 30 years CHCs have used those savings to provide free medications to patients experiencing homelessness, free transportation vouchers, free nutrition classes, and hire provider types (like community health workers) who are not billable within Medi-Cal.

Today, there are over 1,300 health centers in California that provide care to 7.2 million people – that’s one in every five Californians and one in three Medi-Cal patients.

Additionally, 68% of CHC patients are from BIPOC communities. CHCs are often the only source of primary and preventative care for California’s most diverse communities, including those experiencing homelessness, immigrants, and agricultural workers.
Anyone who walks into our health centers today can access a variety of services from primary care to dental to behavioral health care and a variety of wraparound services, regardless of whether they have health insurance, or an ability to pay for care. A large part of why we’re able to offer those services is thanks to savings we receive from the 340B program.

In recent years the 340B program has been under assault by pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), drug manufacturers, and others within big Pharma.

Through the expansion of the Affordable Care Act & Medi-Cal, more low-income patients can access healthcare in California, meaning more are also able to access medications, causing the 340B program to expand. Given this fact, manufacturers have put practices in place that limit patient access to 340B priced drugs while PBMs focus on trying to take 340B savings away from CHCs, and out of the local communities that need them, threatening patient access to critical medicines made available through the program.

Health centers were born out of the Civil Rights movement to ensure that all communities, particularly communities of color, would have access to high-quality care that is provided in a culturally and linguistically appropriate manner. This program has allowed covered entities, including CHCs, to contract with local pharmacies so that our patients can access low-cost medications in a convenient manner. The continual acts of greed by pharmaceutical companies and PBMs threatens equity and access that CHCs were designed to create.

Community health centers around the country are sounding the alarm over Rx drugs manufacturers’ attacks on the federal 340B program. Since 2019, 21 states have passed laws addressing PBM discrimination against 340B covered entities.

It’s time for California, the policy trendsetter, to become the next state to protect the 340B program so it can operate as intended.

That is why Dr. Richard Pan’s SB 939 is so important and why I so fervently speak in favor of this legislation.

About the Author

Dr. Brooks is Chief Medical Officer and past Chief of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine at Watts Healthcare Corporation in Los Angeles, California (CA)