WSSNEWS Bloggers

“Today, You Have a Very Serious Choice to Make!”

By Lou K. Coleman

The same choice that was offered to the Israelites, in [Deuteronomy 30:11-20] is the same choice being offered to you today. The choice of life or death. I admonish you to choose life. Don’t be on the fence like the children of Israel who refused to stand for the Lord at Mount Camel until they saw the power of God. Make your stand known today by making the right choice. Choose life!

Listen, we have been told in the Word of God that there would come a time when this world, as we know it, will end. Don’t wait until it’s too late, things are about to come to a screeching halt. God said it and He is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. [Numbers 23:19]. Choose life, so that you and your descendant may live. Don’t presume on God’s goodness in sparing you or conclude that you can keep on ignoring His warnings. Because over the years, God has been speaking to you, and so far, you have turned your back on Him. But don’t keep doing it because, you don’t know when your life will end—and once it does, it will be too late. The Bible warns that there is no second chance after death! It says that “man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” [Hebrews 9:27].

Today, you have a very serious choice to make.  Choose wisely!  Because there will come a point when God gets fed up and He will not relent from His judgment. [Amos 7:1-9]. For thus saith the Lord, I will spare them no longer. I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing, and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” [Genesis 6:3-7].

“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!”

Eight Black Media Outlets Among 46 News Orgs Win Over $5 Million in Grants

By California Black Media Staff

Eight Black-owned media organizations serving African American audiences across California are among 46 ethnic media news outlets awarded over $5 million in grants by the state.

The grant program is a collaboration between the California State Library and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs. It was created to support media outlets serving communities where hate crimes are likely to happen.

The funding will also help raise awareness about a related program: the Stop the Hate campaign that the California Department of Social Services has been spearheading with an initial investment of $20 million over the last year. The campaign funds community-based organizations working to reduce hate crimes and promote intercultural and interracial cooperation and understanding.

“Crimes targeting victims because of their race or ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, gender or a disability have no place in the state of California,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The six Black-owned media organizations targeting predominantly Black audiences that received grants are: California Black Media ($400,000); The Black Voice News in Riverside County ($100,000); L.A. Focus ($96,000) in Los Angeles County; Pace News in Los Angeles County ($95,150); The Precinct Reporter in Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Orange counties ($88,000); The San Francisco Bay View ($85,000); The Sac Cultural Hub in Sacramento County ($80,000); and Indian Voices in San Diego County ($59,741).

According to the California State Library the grants will allow ethnic media outlets to hire or contract with “specialized reporters, fellowships, and internships at ethnic media outlets, news briefings and roundtables, digital and social media content, community gatherings and partnerships with grassroots organizations and Community Based Organizations.”

“We live in the state with the most racial, ethnic and cultural diversity in the United States. Yet, the deep tensions and misconceptions among us can trigger violence and rip our communities apart,” said Regina Brown Wilson, Executive Director of California Black Media (CBM).

“This funding is necessary because it equips media organizations with resources we need to educate, inform and connect the communities we serve, encouraging honest conversations, which are believe are opportunities to teach each other and learn from each other,” Wilson continued.

The grant program is a part of the Asian and Pacific Islander Equity Budget, a three-year investment of $166.5 million allocated to address the sharp increase in hate incidents.

“The California Asian American & Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus (API Caucus) and I pushed for these funds to help strengthen California’s more than 350 ethnic media outlets,” said Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco). “We’re looking forward to subsequent grant awards being even more helpful to more ethnic media outlets around the state.”

Joe Bowers, a Los Angeles County-based researcher, will be working on identifying multicultural communities vulnerable to hate crimes that Black-owned newspapers in the state serve. He says he looks forward to providing data that will be key to helping CBM’s partner publications target their audiences with information that elevates and promotes interracial and cross-cultural relationships in their communities.

“There have been a number of demographic shifts in the state. It is critical for media to understand who their audiences are, where those people live, who they live next to, and what the potential challenges and opportunities may be,” Bowers continued.

Several supporters and news publications said they are pleased with the intention of the program and support the scaling up of it over the next few years.

Most publications are expected to kick off their programs over the next month.

 

 

Letter to the Editor: Warning about surprise fees when booking vacation trips

By Amy Davis and Andrea Slaydon

There are just weeks left in school and summer is almost here. If you’re thinking about a vacation, listen up!

Before you book anything, you might want to watch out for some hidden fees that might catch you by surprise. Vrbo, Airbnb, even Travelocity, and Expedia are now listing homes and properties for rent.

But one Mont Belvieu woman wants to warn people about what happened to her when she booked a trip for her family.

“We pitched in. We all kind of had a budget to get a huge house,” said Dayna Hickman.

It’s a summertime tradition for Dayna Hickman and her extended family to all meet up at one location to enjoy a vacation. This year, Hickman used Vrbo to book a home in the Beavers Bend area of Oklahoma.

“So, I booked it, I pressed the book. And then immediately I got an email,” Hickman explains. “The email had a whole list of different fees from what I paid on Vrbo.”

On Vrbo, the charges showed what she expected, the nightly fee plus a Vrbo fee of $581. But then her email and credit card showed an additional unexpected charge from the host of more than $1,200.

“I was absolutely shocked and Vrbo when you check, push the checkout button, it doesn’t say this is a quote, it may change. It doesn’t say you may have added fees immediately,” said Hickman.

Vrbo blames the host and the host blames Vrbo for not updating their fees.

But a consumer attorney tells KPRC 2 that Vrbo could be in violation of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act for “failing to disclose information at the time of the transaction” to induce the consumer to make a purchase that they wouldn’t have made if they had the info.

What you should know before using a third-party booking site for travel

Travel advisor Heather Keller with Perfect Landing Travel helps people plan travel experiences for other people (She puts together specific vacation packages at no charge to the customer). Keller explains that fees you were not expecting are just one of the snags you can hit booking through any third-party website.

Is it really refundable?

Keller said when it comes to using third-party sites on your own, make sure you know what the word “refundable” means.

“If it is refundable, a lot of times it’s in the form of a credit that can only be used through that website,” said Keller.

What you book may not be what you get.

“There’s no vetting, other than a technical verified address, but it’s not really a verified address, it’s verified that that address does, in fact, exist. They’re not going and looking at the pictures that are submitted and is it what that address actually is,” Keller explained.

Watch out for a sudden cancelation.

“The owner has the ability to cancel the reservation. And when they realized that rates are skyrocketing, and availability is limited, but maybe you made your reservation either a little bit lower rate. They canceled the reservation so that they can then rebook it at a higher rate for a new, new guest,” Keller said.

Back to Hickman, even though she booked a “non-refundable trip,” Vrbo did refund her money because of the confusion. And, she got the $1,200 back from the cabin booking by disputing the charge with her credit card company.

If you think any third-party booking site is in violation of the Texas Deceptive Practices Act, send a letter and let them know you plan to take them to small claims court for the violations. That will usually do the trick to getting your refund.

A good rule of thumb to protect yourself if this happens to you is to take screenshots each step of the way when you book through a third-party site. That way, if you have to contest a charge you can show exactly what you agreed to when you clicked “book.”

Vrbo statement regarding fee confusion

Vrbo did send us this statement saying they are working with the Oklahoma cabin owners, in this case, to make sure the fee pricing is accurate on both ends. They also explained the fees:

“Hosts set their own fees, which are charges beyond their average nightly rate and are used to compensate vacation rental owners and property managers for additional services or amenities.”

When asked about the surprise fees, Vrbo said:

“We know price transparency is important to travelers, so when a guest searches for a stay with specific dates – it includes the total cost, so there are no surprises before they book. To see the total prices, guests can click “View details” before completing a booking to see the total cost breakdown. Under “host fees” guests can see exactly what the host is charging additional fees for. When searching for a place to stay, guests can also use the total price search filter, which displays the total cost and includes all fees but excludes taxes.”

Vrbo also sent this guidance for hosts:

“Hosts are ultimately responsible for setting their own fees, but we advise and educate them on best practices because we know it is a better experience for the guest and could result in more bookings for the host. We encourage hosts to keep separate fees to a minimum or to consolidate those fees into their base rate. Fees aren’t a requirement either, so there are hosts who don’t charge any fees.”


Copyright 2022 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.

 

Letter to the Editor: Bad Blood, Sad Memories the Tuskegee Experiment and COVID-19 Connection

By Eric Patterson

The Tuskegee Experiment is often cited by some African Americans, as a reason to be hesitant about the COVID-19 vaccine. But the record needs to be set straight.

My grandfather’s name was Doll Brown – an unusual handle for sure, but that wasn’t his given birth name. Granddaddy was born in 1904 to a family with four girls. Everybody said he was so pretty “he looked like a doll the girls could play with.” So that’s what folks started calling him, Doll. The name and his good looks stuck with him well into adulthood. That’s when he made “Doll Brown” his legal government name, the name on his driver’s license as well as his death certificate.

By the 1930s, when Granddaddy was in his prime, approximately one out of every 10 Americans was suffering from syphilis, according to an article by John H. Stokes. The illness was called “The 3rd Great Plague” due to its significant effect on the worldwide population. That ratio was even higher in the rural south, where Granddaddy was reared. Then, in 1932, the U.S. Public Health Service, Syphilis Study was initiated in Tuskegee, Alabama (misleadingly remembered as “The Tuskegee Experiment”). The government came to town to study (experiment on) Negroes who had contracted this fast-spreading disease. Good looking, ladies’ man, Doll Brown, was one of them. The men were promised prime treatment and healthcare to further study and help eradicate this plague they called “Bad Blood.” The study included men with and without syphilis. None were treated. All were given placebos.

Doll Brown, 1904 -1976

Elsewhere in the world, Stokes’ article states that “the effective use of penicillin was discovered and in 1943 the first patient was treated.” Within 12 months, over 10,000 early syphilis patients had been treated. The widespread use of penicillin was a major force behind historic decreases in reported syphilis cases. There was a 95 percent reduction in new UK syphilis cases between 1946 and 1955. Physicians ascribed this decrease to the direct effect of penicillin’s curative powers. Swift proactive implementation of this new medical treatment made all the difference. Meanwhile, Negroes involved in the government study in Tuskegee would go untreated for another thirty years. Additionally, their names were placed on a national “Do not treat” list, and they were denied military service and job opportunities. Families were devastated. Granddaddy ultimately died from gangrene.Granddaddy’s story is why I got involved in California’s “Vaccinate All 58” initiative. I recognize the global importance of setting the record straight concerning the so-called, “Tuskegee Experiment.” When African Americans today cite that study as justification for not receiving the potentially lifesaving COVID-19 vaccine, I’m baffled and perturbed. The quote “my people perish for lack of knowledge” still rings true today. My family, friends and their families have lived with the specter of that shocking study for over 90 years. We only wish that granddaddy and other victims would have, could have “taken the shot.” Unfortunately, they were denied that opportunity. Not making treatment available to those Negro men was the core of the government’s racist conspiracy. These men weren’t injected with anything.

And here we are today, the ill-fated “Tuskegee Experiment” still victimizing African Americans, ironically, for an entirely different reason. This time, we are our own worst enemies.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has disproportionally impacted Black lives, loud speaking, ill-informed individuals have emerged, claiming that the government is attempting to perpetrate another “Tuskegee Experiment” on our community. The scariest thing about that argument is that many of these people are highly intelligent, educated professionals who sound like they know what they’re talking about. It’s said that “everybody’s ignorant, just on different subjects.” Sadly, this group’s unhealthy, aggressive ignorance is killing our people due to the blinding influence they wield over the naive.

Historically, vaccinations and new medicines have been proven safe and effective. This explains why Negroes in Tuskegee’s Jim Crow South, weren’t offered the effective, healing benefits of penicillin, the newly discovered medical remedy at the time.

When the COVID-19 vaccine became available, it was initially administered to medical first responders. Once it was made widely available in our community, non-Black outsiders aggressively filled up appointment slots and steadily raised their community’s vaccination rates, while Black vaccination rates lagged behind. Something for naysayers to ponder.
During this current COVID-19 pandemic, if we fail to respond to the urgent call to help ourselves by getting vaccinated, instead relying on harmful misinformation, then the legacy of the dreaded “Tuskegee Experiment” will claim countless more Black lives – all of which should matter.

Dedicated to the memory of Granddaddy,
Doll Brown, 1904 -1976
Tuskegee, Alabama

Eric Patterson is a Free Mason who holds a BS Degree in Sociology and an MBA in Logistics and Supply Chain Management. A former Captain in the 82nd Airborne Division, he served eight years in the army with separate tours of duty in both Iraq and Afghanistan

 

Letter to the Editor: NAACP Saints or Sinner Image Awards: Lil Nas X Nomination

By Dr. Keith Magee 

What is it about this 22-year-old music star, whose career has seen a vertiginous rise over the last few years, that has some people so very upset that he has been nominated for an NAACP Image Awards?  It has come to my attention that his inclusion among the nominees at this prestigious celebration of Black excellence has reignited outrage about Lil Nas X’s body of work in a certain portion of our community.

On Saturday February 26, the ceremony is scheduled to grace our screens again. This year the Grammy-award winning rapper Lil Nas X has been nominated in three categories – Entertainer of the Year, Outstanding Male Artist, and Outstanding Hip Hop/Rap Song.

Lil Nas X, born Montero Lamar Hill, who publicly declared his homosexuality in 2019, clearly takes some delight in hitting a nerve. His music videos feature scenes that some have found shocking, often depicting an array of gyrating, naked or semi-naked male dancers. One scene in the video for “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” shows the singer defiantly pole-dancing his way to hell, where he performs a lap dance for Satan, then kills him and steals his horns before sprouting his own wings. Cue furious backlash, accusations of “devil worshipping,” and demands that Black pastors voice their disapproval to “protect our children.”

Instead of reacting to these award nominations with anger, it might be more helpful for us to wonder why Lil Nas X chooses to use such imagery in his videos. He has described how difficult he found it, as a teenager, to reconcile his queer identity with what he heard in church about homosexuality being a vile sin and all gay people being destined to spend eternity in hell. Same gender loving young Black people like him often find themselves demonized by the very Christian pastors and brothers and sisters who should be embracing them understanding that the primary mission of Jesus was the promise of eternal life through the sacrifice of love.

I cannot speak for Lil Nas X, but I think it’s a fair assumption that the depiction of his descent into hell in the “Montero” video is meant to represent his frustration at being told he would never be allowed to enter heaven. The fact that he is shown seducing the devil in order to murder him surely suggests the singer feels he has had to defeat his own demons – those negative messages planted in his brain by the church – in order to liberate himself from fear and prejudice and be comfortable in his own skin as a gay Black man.

Isn’t the truly shocking thing here is that some of our young people are growing up not only having to deal with racial inequality and hatred but also being made to feel that they don’t even belong in certain Black churches because of their sexuality? That they are supposedly so unlovable in the eyes of God that they can never be welcomed into the kingdom of heaven? That they are destined to burn in hell as a punishment simply for being themselves? Now, as a Black pastor myself, this harmful treatment of children is something I would be happy to protest about.

I’ll be honest, I won’t be letting my 7-year-old son watch Lil Nas X’s “Montero” video, because the sexual imagery it includes is clearly not appropriate for young children. I won’t be letting my little boy watch any of Megan Thee Stallion’s extremely raunchy videos either, and she is also nominated for the 2022 NAACP Image Entertainer of the Year award. (Although, after centuries of the hyper-sexualization of Black bodies by others, part of me cannot help but admire young Black performers who are now seizing control of how their bodies and their sexuality are portrayed.) I certainly don’t allow my son to listen to rap songs that appear to glamorize violence, misogyny, or drugs, indeed I pray for a world in which no Black music stars feel the need to write such lyrics. I wish I didn’t have to work quite so hard to shield my child from what I see as unsuitable material. But I accept that, as a father, protecting him is my job. One day my boy will be old enough to decide for himself, and if, among the messages I don’t much like, he also hears some messages about racial equality, female empowerment, body positivity, and the acceptance of homosexuality and gender difference, then I’ll see that as a bonus.

Let’s be clear here – the NAACP’s role is not to parent our children or to sanitize pop culture in order to avoid shocking a particular demographic. Nor is it to police adherence to a conservative version of Christianity or any other religion. The NAACP operates under the same separation of church and state as the rest of American society. Like us all, they cannot oppose any individual’s right under the First Amendment to free speech – and that extends to song lyrics.

Its historical roots may go deep, but the NAACP is also – happily – adept at moving with the times. It can see the considerable value in nominating high-flyers like Lil Nas X – it’s good PR to embrace the stars that today’s Black youths idolize. What does it matter if the great civil rights organization occasionally hitches a ride on the coattails of young Black stars’ success? The NAACP is perfectly aware, I’m sure, that it can only have a positive impact on America if it continues to mean something to every generation. Our young people are our future. If the NAACP fails to reflect their idea of Black culture, engage with them, and galvanize them to continue the fight for Black people’s advancement, then where will we be?

Goodness knows we have some fights on our hands right now – against attacks on our voting rights, gerrymandering, police brutality, attempts to deny our painful history and prevent our children from learning about how we overcame oppression. Is this really the moment to be bickering amongst ourselves instead of uniting in our collective struggle, along with our allies, against racial injustice?

On Saturday evening, I for one will be enjoying the 53rd annual NAACP Image Awards’ festival of amazing Black talent without reservation, and I wish all the nominees in every category the very best of luck.


Keith Magee is Senior Fellow and Visiting Professor of Practice in Cultural Justice at UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, a Fellow at UCL Centre on U.S. Politics, and Professor of Practice in Social Justice at Newcastle University. He serves as Commissioner on United States – United Kingdom Fulbright Commission and was appointed to the Mayor of London’s Commission on Diversity in the Public Realm. He is the author of Prophetic Justice: Race, Religion and Politics, January 2021

 

Reparations Task Force: January Mtg Will Discuss Public “Listening Sessions”

By Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media

To ensure Black communities across the state voice their thoughts and concerns and provide input, the California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparations Proposals for African Americans is partnering with six “anchor organizations” to host public listening sessions.

Each organization will help the task force hear various perspectives of Black Californians as it assesses the state’s involvement in slavery and Jim Crow discrimination. The committee expects that process to inform the work they do when developing recommendations for compensating African Americans for past and ongoing race-based injustices.

The Coalition For A Just and Equitable California (CJEC) is one of the host organizations. A state-wide network of organizations, associations, and individuals united to push reparations for the descendants of enslaved men and women, the CJEC will participate in 12 sessions involving Black Californians from different social and economic backgrounds.

 “We’ve been at this since 2019. We worked hard for this assignment and it’s really a testament of waking up, networking, and organizing Black folks around the state,” Chris Lodgson, a founding member of CJEC, told California Black Media.

“What we are expected to do as part of that process is produce at least two listening sessions and the task force will support them. These sessions will allow Black Californians to think about what reparations should look like and how it should be implemented,” Lodgson continued.

Along with CJEC, the Black Equity Collective, Afrikan Black Coalition, Black Power Network, Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (COPE), and Othering and Belonging Institute are the anchor organizations helping to plan the sessions.

 

Lodgson said CJEC will “coordinate” with the other five anchor organizations to prevent “doubling efforts” and provide a cross-section of opportunities and ideas from the sessions.

 

“At least two Task Force members are expected to attend each listening session,” Lodgson said.

“We really want to talk to people in our community that get overlooked the most,” Lodgson said. “People who are unhoused, formerly incarcerated, from the foster care system, street organizations, et cetera, are the people we want to hear from. Their thoughts matter, too.”

At its first two-day meeting of 2022 on Thursday, Jan. 27, and Friday, Jan. 28, task force members will explain in more detail the rationale and process of the listening sessions. The virtual meetings will begin at 9:00 a.m. both days.

During the upcoming meetings, task force member Dr. Cheryl Grills will highlight the task force’s “Community Engagement Plan, providing more information about the listening sessions.

The meeting will also feature testimony from experts during the “Discrimination in Technology,” “Community Eligibility,” and “Public Health” segments on Jan. 27.

During the task force’s second meeting last July, Grills introduced the idea of the listening sessions.

Black communities in the southern, northern, and central parts of the state (where many Black farmers reside) are expected to be involved in the process.

“Black folks exist in an ecosystem and the system includes a diverse, cultural base of people, social class, education levels, etc.,” Grills said. “So how do we make sure that those people, who are a part of the ecosystem, are impacted? They need to be at the table.”

Grills was appointed to the National African American Reparations Commission (NAARC) earlier this month. She is a professor of Psychology at Loyola Marymount University, former national President of the Association of Black Psychologists, and founder/director of a non-profit program evaluation organization called Imoyase Community Support Services.

NAARC is comprised of a distinguished assembly of activists, scholars, civil rights, human rights, labor, and faith leaders. The organization devised a 10-Point Reparations Program to serve as a guide and frame of reference for the growing reparations movement in the country.

“Dr. Grills has been amazing. She’s has done a great job in leading our community engagement effort,” Lodgson said. “She’s been largely responsible for looking for groups to be anchor organizations, bringing together resources, and facilitating the conversations.”

On Friday, Jan. 28, the California Task Force will hear testimonies from experts discussing mental health and physical health.

California’s Assembly Bill (AB) 3121, titled “The Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans,” created a nine-member commission to investigate race-based inequity in education, labor, wealth, housing, taxation and more. The commission is also charged with analyzing the state’s involvement in slavery, segregation, and the historic denial of Black citizens’ constitutional rights.

Current California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber authored the bill when she was a member of the State Assembly and chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus.

AB 3121 requires the task force to submit its recommendations to the legislature no later than 2023.

The January 2022 meeting will be the first of six meeting this year. The public is encouraged to join the meeting at https://primetime.bluejeans.com/a2m/live-event/ccajafkq

 

COVID Winter Surge Brings New Challenges for Elder and Youth Health Care

By Aldon Thomas | California Black Media

The COVID-19 winter surge has impacted different age groups in different ways, as caretakers struggle to take care of the elderly during this pandemic and parents remain wary of their children returning to in-person classes.

“It’s been here but it’s been everywhere for like the last 14 days,” said Los Angeles County resident Clarence Johnson whose wife, Tanesha Johnson, decided to shut down their daycare last year.

Across the United States, 1,099 children under 18 have died from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In California, the state Department of Public Health reports that 47 children have died of the disease.

This past December saw a four-fold increase of children admitted to hospital over the past year, according to the African American Wellness Project.

Tanesha Johnson, owner and director of the Sunshine Academy Childcare Center in Inglewood, made the choice to close her daycare after reflecting on her own concerns as a parent.

“When I started seeing how fast the COVID-19 virus began to spread, I had to now think as a mother and not just as a business owner,” said Johnson. “I said, ‘okay, if I did not own a daycare, would I feel comfortable sending my children to school at this time,’ and the answer was no.”

Johnson said she is still cautious about her children returning to school and hopes that kids will be required to test before returning.

Both the federal and state governments have been pushing for more tests in schools, with Gov. Gavin Newsom announcing each student in public school will get two at-home COVID-19 tests.

The Biden administration announced that they will be implementing initiatives that will increase the number of tests in schools by 10 million per month.

“These additional tests will help schools safely remain open and implement screening testing and test to stay programs. With the additional ten million tests per month, we will make available to schools more than double the volume of testing that took place in schools across the nation in November 2021,” read the press release from the White House.

In the US, only 27% of parents of 5- to 11-year-olds are in favor of vaccinating their children, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) survey.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a number of challenges for the country’s aging population as well, particularly for African Americans and other minorities.

Only 7% of people ages 65 and older who received a booster shot are Black.

Earlier this month, retired Assemblymember Cheryl R. Brown (D-San Bernardino), who is a member of the California Commission on Aging, hosted a news briefing with journalists featuring caregivers discussing the difficulties of taking care of aging adults in the state. The virtual conversation was organized by St. Paul AME Church in San Bernardino, Black Voice News in Riverside and Ethnic Media Services.

According to Donna Benton, Research Professor of Gerontology at USC, caretakers of aging Californians, including family members, have also been impacted.

“The majority of care, elder care in our state, is done by family members,” she said. “We are an essential part of the healthcare system.”

Benton, who is also director of the USC Family Caregiver Support Center and the Los Angeles Caregiver Resource Center, said there are nearly 4.5 million family caregivers in California.

One caretaker, Ruth Rembert, who lives in the Inland Empire, talked about tending to her ill husband and how the pandemic puts him at greater risk.

“His immune system was compromised,” she said. “He has two strikes against him, number one is his age and also his medical issues.”

She also emphasized her support for more people being immunized.

“This pandemic has definitely been a challenge for me and for my husband,” she said. “We all wish this would be over, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to be anytime soon unless we take seriously the importance of vaccinations.”

The Rev. Noella Buchanan, Caregiver Coordinator for the Southern California Conference of the African Methodist Church Ministerial Alliance, said most elderly African Americans are people of faith and that plays a role in the way they approach their health care.

“We need to share with them that if God has opened up a way for someone to come up with a vaccine, we need to trust. And part of our trust comes from what we are seeing. We are seeing loved one die. And the loved ones that are dying are the one that have not taken the shot,” she said.

California Black Media’s coverage of COVID-19 is supported by the California Health Care Foundation.

 

Letter to the Editor: Was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. the Right Man At the Right Time?

By Tony Grant

Tony Grant

Was he the right man at the right time with the right message for America? I believe he was!

He was a man who inspired people the world over with the simplicity and profundity of his message of equal rights for all. He taught that the most immediate way to achieve this was through nonviolent civil disobedience. It was a technique perfected by the great Indian leader, Mahatma Gandhi.
For nearly two hundred years (1757-1947) India was Great Britain’s money-making machine, cash cow and goose that laid the golden egg. She derived millions of dollars yearly from her management of the country and was able to finance several of her colonial wars against other underdeveloped countries.
Utsa Patnaik, renowned, Indian economist, has stated that every year during her imperial rule, the British government siphoned off more than 25-35 percent of the Indian government’s budget which was close to $45 trillion in today’s money. The writer Paul Scott wrote a novel entitled “The Jewel in the Crown “ , noting just how important economically India was to the British empire.
It was just a few years before the rise of MLK that Mahatma Gandhi, performed one of the great political acts in history by extricating India from the clutches of Great Britain. This was done without firing a shot. It was achieved primarily through the action of nonviolent civil disobedience. This was a feat so monumental it could only be compared to the Exodus, where Moses broke the will of Ramses II and led the Israelites out of bondage from Egypt and into the arms of the promised land.
Because MLK believed and preached that all people should have equal rights, he lived most of his adult life with an assassin’s target on his back and the backs of his wife and four little children.
On December the 10, 1964, Martin Luther King was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace because of his nonviolent protest against bigotry and Jim Crow laws in America. MLK was more than an American civil rights leader; he was a leader for minority people everywhere who felt disenfranchised or oppressed by the greater body of their fellows and governments. Moreover, in every way, he was a man of the people. He marched on the streets with them, was beaten on the streets with them and was arrested and jailed with them.
In fact, he was jailed more than thirty times for civil disobedience with them. His home had been bombed and his congregation repeatedly threatened; yet, he marched on. Amidst the chaos of a typical march, he could be seen arm in arm with his fellow marchers demanding equal rights to vote, an end to a unjust war and that garbage collectors be paid a livable wage. His moral compass always pointed towards the rights of the oppressed, the down trodden and other forgotten citizens in our society.
MLK was a great American patriot because he believed in the promise of the American dream.
This is a concept shared by people the world over who would love to come to America and live the dream. But the American dream is just that, a concept, a great ideal not shared by all Americans. MLK emerged into the American consciousness in the mid 50’s and, until his assassination in 1968, preached that African-Americans and other American minority groups should be invited to the table of plenty to enjoy full participation in the dream. After all, they did participate in making the dream a material reality.
Was MLK the right man at the right time for the job? Doing the 13 years of his civil rights ministry to America, arguably, African-Americans made more progress in civil rights than in the previous 350 years combined.
As the world stood by and watched in wonder, MLK, through skillful political negotiations, organizational genius, eloquent oratorical skills, and soaring rhetoric made his messages palatable to a resistant majority. In one of his speeches, MLK reminded us: “We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.”
He was indisputably the right man, with the right message, at the right time!

“When I Look Back Over My Life…!”

By Lou Yeboah

And think about all the events in my life up unto the present time, the good as well as the bad, the bitter, and the sweet, my soul cries Abba, Father. Looking back upon those days I see now that the chief comfort of my soul was you Oh, Lord. In my time of doubt, it was Your assurance. In my time of darkness, it was Your light. In my time of confusion, it was Your instructions. Man’s opinion meant nothing to me because man could not help me. It was You and You alone Oh, God.

“I say a prayer every night, whatever I do, I’ll get it right. With no regrets, no guilt or shame, no not this time once I surrender, I won’t dare look back, cause if I do, I’ll get off track… Prepare my mind, prepare my heart for whatever comes… I feel like I’m so blessed. With You in control, I can’t go wrong. You showed me Your Grace, now my life’s renewed and I thank You, Yes, I thank You. So, I’ll tell anyone who’ll listen. I’ll testify about how good You are to me. The fact that You would show somebody so broke down, so-much-mercy, use me as You will, I’ll pay the price cause You made the ultimate sacrifice. It’s all because of You, that I even have life, and I’ll give my love, as a tribute, to how great You are…” [I’m Gonna Be Ready – Yolanda Adams].

All my days He had sought me, now I began to seek Him. He had called me, now I began to call upon Him, yet I thought He would never hear me. I had truly become the beggar. I wept till I had no more tears; prayed till I had no more words. Sought for advice and comfort but none could help me. Then one night by my bed side as I lay under the burden of my guilty conscience, He suddenly revealed Himself to my heart. I saw all my sin taken away in His blood. For the first time in my life, I knew the Lord, He was in Heaven, and I was on Earth, yet He had made Himself known to me through His cleansing power.

I tell you the Love of God is Unmerited. [Deuteronomy 7:7-8]. The Love of God is Eternal. [Jeremiah 31:3]. The Love of God is Universal. [John 3:16; 1st Timothy 2:4]. The Love of God is Unlimited. [Ephesians 2:4-5]. The Love of God is Immutable. [James 1:17] and He wants to bestow His love upon you. “Come to the feast.” The lamb is slain. The wine is poured. Forgiveness of sins, life and salvation is offered freely to you. God asks for the honor of your presence at the banquet of His love. He will compel you, lavish His gifts upon you, put the wedding suit on you, seat you at His table and feed you. Come. Come Now! “Come to the banquet, come to the feast. Eat the bread of life! Share in the singing, share in the joy. Drink the cup of love!”

“All things are ready,” Come, for the door is open wide… He waits to welcome thee; Delay not while this day is thine, tomorrow may never be. Leave every care and worldly strife; Come, feast upon the love of God, And drink everlasting life.” [Come To The Feast Lyrics & Chords By Charles H. Gabriel & William A. Ogden].

And “The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.” [Revelation 22:17].

Oh, When I Look Back Over My Life – My Soul Cries Abba, Father!

Ready to Travel? Get the REAL ID!

By Carrie Stanton

The holidays are here, and families are excited to get together and celebrate for the first time in over a year. Amid the pandemic, we’ve missed far too many Sunday and holiday dinners that have been a tradition for many families for generations. For our community, family dinner is about creating memories. For those families who will be traveling this holiday season, I encourage you to consider adding a REAL ID upgrade to your checklist when making your travel plans.

The California DMV suggests changing your driver’s license or identification card to a REAL ID as federal laws will soon make it necessary to have either a passport, REAL ID, or other federally accepted forms of ID to board local flights and enter federal buildings.

While getting a REAL ID isn’t required, it does make it easier to continue using your driver’s license to board a local flight or visit loved ones on military bases. To help make this change, the California DMV is offering free upgrades to people who renewed their license or ID card between March 2020 and July 2021 from now until Dec. 31, 2021.

Protecting the health, safety and security of our communities is what’s important and the REAL ID provides an extra layer of protection when traveling. Applying is easy and can be started safely online at CaliforniaREALID.org. Complete your application, upload the required forms, and plan your DMV office visit to finish. Don’t forget your documents and confirmation code– they will be needed for your visit.

Whether you are applying for a first-time California driver’s license or identification card or are up for renewal, a REAL ID may be the best option, especially if you plan to travel soon. Get back to creating those memories with your family. With shorter wait periods and an easy application process, now is the perfect time to start your REAL ID application so you’re ready to go when the time is right.

As we continue to recover from the pandemic, many things in our lives are changing. In our community, many have started businesses, changed their lifestyles for the better and found new passions in life. Whatever is helping you get through these rough times is also playing a part in figuring out our new normal. Make the REAL ID part of that new normal.