Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County Seeks Nominees to its Board of Directors

SAN BERNARDINO, CA – Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County (CAPSBC) is urgently seeking new members to serve on its Community Action Board (CAB). Currently, there are three vacancies in the following sectors: Public Sector, Low-Income District 1, and Low-Income District 5. All applicants requesting consideration to represent these sectors on the board must reside in San Bernardino County. Board members provide critical input, expertise and perspective to CAPSBC in the organization’s work of supporting, advocating for and empowering residents to achieve self-reliance and economic stability.

Any applicants requesting consideration to represent the vacant Low-Income District 1 on the Community Action Board must reside in the Supervisorial District 1 which includes the following cities: Adelanto, Apple Valley, Hesperia, and Victorville. Any applicants requesting consideration to represent the vacant Low-Income District 5 on the Community Action Board must reside in the Supervisorial District 5 which includes the following cities: Rialto and portions of Colton and San Bernardino. Applicants need not be low-income themselves as long as they are selected in a manner that ensures that they truly represent the poor.

Board meetings are held at 11:30 a.m. on the third Tuesday in January, March, May, July, September, and November. Meetings are typically held at CAPSBC’s Administrative Office located at 696 S. Tippecanoe Ave. in San Bernardino. However, due to the pandemic, Board meetings are temporarily being held virtually.

If you are interested in applying or nominating an individual to serve on our Board, complete the nomination form for the specific sector along with the additional required documents. All documentation must be returned to our office by mail or email as soon as possible since we have an urgent need to fill these vacancies. The following information pertains to the specific board vacancies, board job description, and the required nominee profile and nomination forms that each interested candidate must submit:

Board Member Job Description
Nomination Form for Public Sector
Nominee Profile
Eligibility Requirements for    Public Sector
Nomination Form for Low-Income Sector – District 1
Eligibility Requirements for Low-Income Sector – District 1

 

Nomination Form for Low-Income Sector – District 5
Eligibility Requirements for Low-Income Sector – District 5

We look forward to your support in assisting us to identify the best candidates to represent the low-income residents on our Board of Directors. If you have any questions or need more information, please contact Xiomara Henriquez-Ortega, Manager of Administrative Support, via email at xhenriquez@capsbc.org or call (909) 723-1525.

 

Letter to the Editor: Save time, skip the line! The DMV now offers online driver’s license testing options

By Carrie Stanton

Did you know that most DMV transactions are currently being handled online? The newest options available may allow you to complete the driver’s license knowledge test from the comfort of your home before visiting a DMV office.

If you’re renewing your license with a knowledge test requirement, or are an adult taking it for the first time, the DMV offers two resources – a remote version of the traditional knowledge test, and an interactive eLearning course. Eligible customers are prompted to choose the remote knowledge test or eLearning course after filling out the online driver’s license application and paying the fee.

Currently, the remote knowledge test is available for the nearly 2 million tests taken by Californians renewing their license each year, the more than 1.3 million tests taken by adults getting their license for the first time who also don’t have a California identification card and Californians getting a REAL ID or motorcycle license for the first time. The eLearning course is available for Californians renewing their license.

The newly offered eLearning course can be taken on a computer, laptop, tablet, or mobile device and is available 24/7. There are seven interactive modules that must be completed, including quizzes, after each module. The eLearning course takes approximately 45 minutes and is currently only available in English.

When you choose to use an online testing resource, it significantly saves time by eliminating the need to wait in line and take your test in a DMV office. Customers with a testing requirement for their license are still required to go to a DMV office after completing one of the online options to provide the required identity and residency documents, take a photo, provide a thumbprint, complete a vision screening, and be issued a licensing document.

The online knowledge test is available in 35 languages to customers who have an internet-enabled computer or laptop with a webcam. The test cannot be taken on a tablet or mobile device. Customers can begin the online exam between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding state holidays.

For identity verification and as a fraud prevention measure, online test participants are required to verify their identity and agree to be monitored throughout the exam.

The test can be attempted online twice. If a customer fails to pass the test after two tries, they will be prompted to go to a DMV office to take the test a third time.

This is just one more example of how the DMV is modernizing to add more convenient services online that used to be only available in an office. Checking things off your DMV to-do list is now a lot faster . It all starts here: dmv.ca.gov.

 

 

It’s Time to Come Out and Play!!

LOS ANGELES, CA—- You’re invited to be our guests at “JOY ALL DAY” presented by BET on Saturday, July 2nd at the Orpheum Theatre in New Orleans! This star-studded event kicks off at 8:30 am where the party begins when you step on site. Doors officially open at 9:00 am followed by a motivational fitness and dance party led by Tai Beauchamp, Kym Whitley and Tina Lifford.  Get ready to grow beyond your limiting beliefs, discover your innate power and align with your authentic self.

Pampering experiences, including aromatherapy and mini facials, will be provided by MELE and Sienna Naturals.

For the afternoon, the party continues at 12:30 pm once you step on site. Doors reopen at 1:00 pm, when the “Play All Day” Party gets started with beats from DJ Spinderella! You can engage with your favorite BET and BET+ stars – the cast of Sistas and The Ms. Pat Show, as they will be in the building for a meet and greet, exclusive conversations, and more. Come and get your fun on in our “Play” areas which includes Rise-n-Fly Spades and Bid Whist, Rubik’s Cubes, Connect 4, Jenga, prizes and more!

So, Slay and Play with BET…All for FREE!

RSVP NOW

Rancho Cucamonga native serves aboard USS Harry S. Truman

MEDITERRANEAN SEA—-Aviation Ordnanceman Airman Temani Wallace, left, from Houston, and Aviation Ordnanceman 3rd Class Marvin Barrett, from Rancho Cucamonga, California, move food in the hangar bay of USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), during a replenishment-at-sea with USNS Supply (T-AOE 6) and USNS Robert E. Peary (T-AKE 5), June 17, 2022. The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe area of operations, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet to defend U.S., allied and partner interests.

Media Personality, Best Selling Author and Award-winning Civil Rights Attorney Areva Martin Always Has Something to Talk About: Roe v. Wade Statement

LOS ANGELES, CA— Areva Martin is one of the nation’s leading voices in media, covering topics such as law, race, politics, pop culture, celebrity, and breaking news! She has a unique way of blending her outstanding legal expertise with her passion for promoting inclusion, diversity, and equality within ALL environments!

A Harvard University law graduate, Martin releases a statement about the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade:

Statement by Areva Martin:

The aftershocks of today’s SCOTUS opinion overturning Roe vs. Wade are already rippling across the country, as many states have trigger laws withdrawing the established right to abortion. This devastating decision is happening despite that documented fact that a majority of this country — Democrats and Republicans alike — support the abortion and understand it as a fundamental right.

Black and brown women in this country have always struggled with obstacles to equality and with the bitter reality that, as citizens, we are “lesser than.” And, as always, Black and brown women and those struggling to get by financially will be hit hardest by the ruling.

As a lawyer deeply engaged with civil rights issue, I am appalled at a ruling that claims, at its core, the justification that the right to abortion is not specifically enumerated in the constitution. The Constitution is silent on countless other rights we rely on every day in this country; it’s [saying] that a woman’s right to abortion is the one the Court has chosen to decimate today.

The concurring opinion of Justice Thomas should be a wake-up call to everyone. Thomas calls out the rights to same-sex marriage and contraceptives as examples of others that are not enumerated in the constitution. He is laying out the game plan of the right. We should consider ourselves forewarned.

Dr. Willie Morrow, Black Media Pioneer and Creator of the “Afro-Pick,” Passes at 82

By Edward Henderson | California Black Media

Dr. Willie Morrow, publisher emeritus of the San Diego Monitor and creator of one of the most well-known symbols of Black pride, the Afro Pick, passed away at his home surrounded by family on Wednesday, June 22.

Morrow is also the creator of “California Curl,” a once-popular hair texturizer many call the forerunner to the Jheri Curl.

Born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to a family of sharecroppers, Morrow taught himself the basics of barbering and chemistry, tools that served as the foundation to his hair care empire.

From the 1960’s to the mid-1990’s, Dr. Morrow set up his headquarters at 4165 Market Street in San Diego. The two-story building housed his barbershop, salon and publication company where he printed the San Diego Monitor newspaper and operated a San Diego’s 92.5 FM radio station

“There was no voice other than the radio at the time,” said Morrow in a 2017 interview with San Diego Voice and Viewpoint newspaper. “When we first started throwing the paper, we would have mountains of them, about 15 or 20 thousand. We would throw them in every home and church in the community. Then we married the print and radio components together (with 92.5). It became the most powerful tool in the Black community.”

In the 70s, as his popularity grew within the beauty industry, the Department of Defense enlisted Morrow to teach and cut hair on military bases and in war zones, which led to him writing several hair styling and barbering technique books.

In 2016, the Museum at California Center for the Arts in Escondido curated an exhibit honoring Dr. Morrow and his accomplishments. The exhibit featured more than 250 objects, from paintings to vintage hair styling equipment. Most of the objects were part of Morrow’s own private collection.

The exhibit also included a diorama of Morrow’s Market Street barbershop, featuring the barber chair he used for years. The red velvet chair hosted local Black leaders including the first Black judge in San Diego County, Judge Earl Gilliam, and even basketball hall of famer Michael Jordan as customers.

Following his death, Morrow’s daughter, Cheryl Morrow, will now take over the newspaper and oversee her father’s California Curl Company.

“He had the foresight not just to create the style but the service so it can enrich an industry,” said Morrow to ABC 10 News in San Diego. “Prior to 1962, you couldn’t buy a comb exclusively for your cultural affinity,” says Morrow. “While that whole era was going on, San Diego Black panthers had the best afros.”

Assemblymember Akilah Weber (D-San Diego) tweeted about the impact Morrow had on the city he called home.

“Our community is rocked by the news of the passing of Dr. Willie Morrow. He was a true San Diego success story; having built several businesses from hair care products to publishing. His legacy as an entrepreneur and community educator will continue to touch and inspire many.”

Shane Harris, a San Diego-based activist and founder of the People’s Association of Justice Advocates, expressed his grief about Morrow’s death.

“Lost for words. To a man I called Dad, mentor, and confidant. Rest in Peace. Dr. Willie Morrow was one of a kind and was an innovator. San Diego has lost a tremendous leader. The creator of the California Curl and so much more has now left his earthen vessel,” he tweeted.

 

Democratic Socialists Host Rally for Abortion Rights in Downtown Riverside

RIVERSIDE, CA— The Inland Empire chapter of Democratic Socialists of America held a rally Saturday calling for “free abortion, on demand, without apology” in response to the Supreme Court decision overturning landmark abortion rights case Roe v. Wade.

Over 100 people attended the event, which began at Riverside’s Cesar Chavez Memorial. Organizer Angel Huipo said, “The Supreme Court has violated the will of the people and 50 years of precedent. We will not stand by and watch our rights be stripped from us. Stand up, fight back!”

IE DSA co-chair Anabel Nevarez spoke as well stating that, “The Democrats are worse than useless,” Nevarez said. “I am not here to tell you to vote more or vote harder. This June election, we saw lower voter turnout from Democrats in general. Why is that? Because in the 2 years Biden and Democrats in Congress have been in power, little has been done by the Democrats to address the needs of working-class people.”

Member Ren Miles concurred. “The Democratic party is just as complicit as the Republican party through their inaction. For those who blamed the people and told them to vote. We voted. We voted for Democratic leadership as the lesser of two evils. Evil is still evil, and they did nothing to stop this.”

Following speeches, the crowd marched through downtown Riverside. Chants included, “They say no choice! We say pro-choice!” and “Voting blue is not enough! Democrats, we call your bluff!”

The rally followed a Planned Parenthood vigil on Friday which drew several hundred people and numerous similar events across the country.

 

Save Our Water Garden Day at Akoma Unity Center

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—(June 27, 2022) – Akoma Unity Center in partnership with California’s Save Our Water (SOW) program recently hosted a day of gardening and fun at Anne Sherrills Community Garden. Families harvested produce and increased their water conservation knowledge with free resources and giveaways.

The SOW program aims to remind Californians that now is the time to make active changes to save water, starting in our yards and gardens. Current severe drought conditions have called for an increase in water conservation efforts inside and outside of homes. This partnership was designed to share the most effective ways to reduce water use and encourage everyone to help save California’s water.

Community organizations such as People’s Collective for Environmental Justice, City of San Bernardino Water Department, California Alliance for Community Composting, and California Department of Water Resources came out to teach families how to conserve water in their households, care for their plants, and provided resources to help households navigate water conservation.

The Anne Shirrells Community Garden has become a unique space in which elders, youth, and young adults find common ground in caring and growing for nutritious vegetables, fruits, and herbs to feed families while inspiring a passion for sustainability and teaching the vital importance of taking care of mother earth and ultimately community.

“The community garden has been a source of intergenerational healing and knowledge sharing. We are extremely thankful for the youth, master gardeners and composters, and neighbors that have committed the time and effort to help grow and sustain the garden,” said Kimberly Calvin, executive director of Akoma Unity Center. “Over 55 families came out to help harvest, takehome fresh produce including zucchinis, carrots, strawberries, collard greens, squash, jalapenos, eggplants. In addition to receiving household water conservation items to help us all work towards sustainably saving water!”

Akoma Unity Center hosts garden work days every Saturday from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm. Families interested in volunteering can visit www.Akomaunitycenter.org or follow their Instagram, @Akomaunitycenter.

For more water conservation resources and tips, visit saveourwater.com and follow @Saveourwater on Instagram and Facebook.

Juneteenth ’22: California Legislature Recognizes Reparations Task Force

By Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media Partners

Several members of the California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparations Proposals for African Americans received a standing ovation from constituents of the State Legislature last week for their work over the last 12 months.

During the opening of legislative sessions at the State Capitol in Sacramento on June 16, members of the Senate and Assembly participated in the gesture that coincided with the kickoff of the state’s official Juneteenth 2022 commemorations.

“The task force, without a doubt, is probably one of the most important task forces not only in the state, but this nation, dealing with the horrors of slavery,” said Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Gardena), chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC). “This task force is a reflection of California’s leadership and progressive nature that made a commitment to help bridge racial division and advance equity.”

Bradford, who was appointed to the task force by Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, made his remarks on the Senate floor after fellow task force panelist Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles) delivered similar comments in the Assembly chambers.

Seven of the nine task force members and staff from the California Department of Justice (DOJ) were recognized at the event.

Task force members attending the ceremony were chairperson Kamilah V. Moore, a Los Angeles-based attorney, reparations scholar and activist; vice-chair Dr. Amos Brown, a civil rights leader and respected Bay Area pastor whose journey to leadership started under the tutelage of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr in the 1960s; Dr. Cheryl Grills, a professor at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles; Lisa Holder, a nationally recognized trial attorney.

Attorney Don Tamaki, Esq., an attorney best known for his role in the Supreme Court case of Korematsu v. the United States and the only non-Black member of the panel, was also in attendance.

Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon met briefly with the panel.

Task force members Monica Montgomery Steppe, a San Diego Councilmember and Dr. Jovan Scott Lewis, chair of the Department of Geography at the University of California Berkeley, could not make the trip due to prior commitments.

Several members of the CLBC attended the function, which coincided with the passage of resolution in recognition of the Juneteenth holiday in the Assembly.

Assemblymembers Chris Holden (D-Pasadena), Mia Bonta (D-Alameda), Jim Cooper (D-Elk Grove), Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City), Akila Weber (D-La Mesa), Mike Gipson (D-Carson) and CLBC vice-chair Sen. Sydney Kamlager (D-Los Angeles) showed up to support the task force members’ efforts.

The Task Force first convened on June 1, 2021, to conduct an examination of the lasting consequences of discrimination against freed slaves and their descendants.

Under Assembly Bill (AB) 3121, authored by then-Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, who is currently Secretary of State of California, the nine-member panel is charged with making recommendations for how the state can compensate Black Californians who are descendants of enslaved African Americans.

On June 1, the task force released its first interim report, a 483-page document compiled by the California Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Enforcement Section.

“The information in the interim report reveals uncovered facts about incidents that disproportionately and negatively affected Black Californians in California for 170-plus years and the country for the last 400 years,” Grills said.

“Until we have a reckoning with the truth, we cannot understand who we are as a nation. When we then begin to have that kind of reckoning, I think the specific manifestation of the harm will be easier to deal with and we will actually have an opportunity for transformative change,” Grills continued.

Over the next 12 months, Moore told California Black Media (CBM) that the task force will focus on bringing increased awareness for the interim report, community engagement, and formulating a framework of how California should compensate around 2 to 2.6 million Black Californians.

“It’s important that the California legislature understand how important this effort is,” Moore told CBM. “This past year we’ve been working incredibly hard. The next (12 months) I categorized it as the development stage where the nine-member task force has substantive and intentional conversations about what reparations should look like.”

Video link of Sen. Steven Bradford and Dr. Cheryl Grills at the state capitol in Sacramento:  .California Task Force For Reparations at State Capitol 6.16.2022

 

 

LIL BABY CROWNED ASCAP SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR FOR 2ND CONSECUTIVE YEAR AT 35th ANNUAL ASCAP RHYTHM & SOUL MUSIC AWARDS

NEW YORK, NY— ASCAP reveals the chart-topping winners of its 35th annual ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards, taking place today through June 24 on @ASCAP and @ASCAPUrban’s social media channels. Celebrating the songwriters and publishers behind this year’s biggest hits in hip-hop, R&B and gospel, ASCAP’s prestigious Rhythm & Soul Music Awards return in a virtual format, with posts and original videos spotlighting each winner over four days. Fans all over the world can participate by tuning in to @ASCAPUrban on Instagram and @ASCAP on Instagram & Twitter, and using the hashtag #ASCAPAwards.

Rapper Lil Baby has continued his meteoric rise to success, capturing ASCAP Songwriter of the Year for the second year in a row. The prolific, Grammy Award-winning songwriter and artist had a hand in penning several chart-topping hits including “Every Chance I Get,” “Girls Want Girls,” “On Me,” “Rags2Riches 2” and “Wants and Needs.” Fans have been eagerly awaiting the solo follow-up to his four-time certified platinum sophomore album My Turn, which is slated to arrive this summer.

The R&B/Hip-Hop and Rap Song of the Year award is presented to ASCAP songwriters Orville “Buggs Can Can” Hall and Phillip Triggerman Price A.K.A. The Showboys, Dion “Devious” NormanTre? Samuels and Dave Welcome for their work on “Go Crazy,” performed by Chris Brown and Young Thug. The hit song broke the record for the most weeks at #1 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, and dominated both pop and hip-hop radio.

The Gospel Song of the Year goes to co-writers Johntá Austin and Jeremy “TryBishop” Hicks for “Speak to Me,” performed by Koryn Hawthorne. “Speak to Me” scored Hawthorne her second #1 single on Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart.

Sony Music Publishing scored their third win in an extremely successful year, earning the ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Publisher of the Year award, following their ASCAP Awards for Pop Music Publisher of the Year and Latin Music Publisher of the Year.

On June 24 at 3PM ET, the ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Awards wrap up with “Deconstructed: Ashanti Breaks Down Her Hits,” a special ASCAP Experience conversation featuring multiplatinum singer and songwriter Ashanti. She will speak with VIBE Editor-in-Chief Datwon Thomas about the 20-year anniversary of her history-making debut album, Ashanti, and delve into the creation of some of her all-time greatest hits. In addition to the Grammy she won for the album, Ashanti has won numerous Billboard and American Music Awards and is a Guinness World Record holder. The event will be broadcast from ASCAP’s YouTube channelMore information is available at www.ascapexperience.com.

Other expected highlights this week include videos from award winners Felisha King Harvey, Brian Warfield and production duo Blaq Tuxedo (Darius and Dominique Logan), breaking down their winning songs in a special Rhythm & Soul Awards edition of ASCAP Urban’s “Deconstructed” series.

A complete list of winners can be found at: http://www.ascap.com/rsawards22.


About ASCAP

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) is a professional membership organization of songwriters, composers and music publishers of every kind of music. ASCAP’s mission is to license and promote the music of its members and foreign affiliates, obtain fair compensation for the public performance of their works and to distribute the royalties that it collects based upon those performances. ASCAP members write the world’s best-loved music and ASCAP has pioneered the efficient licensing of that music to hundreds of thousands of enterprises who use it to add value to their business – from bars, restaurants and retail, to radio, TV and cable, to Internet, mobile services and more. The ASCAP license offers an efficient solution for businesses to legally perform ASCAP music while respecting the right of songwriters and composers to be paid fairly. With more than 850,000 members representing more than 16 million copyrighted works, ASCAP is the worldwide leader in performance royalties, service and advocacy for songwriters and composers, and the only American performing rights organization (PRO) owned and governed by its writer and publisher members. Learn more and stay in touch at www.ascap.com, on Twitter and Instagram @ASCAP and on Facebook