San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran Welcomes New Baby on Christmas Day

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- The City of San Bernardino is pleased to announce that Mayor Helen Tran and her family have welcomed a beautiful baby boy into the world on Christmas Day, bringing an extra dose of holiday happiness into their household. The child is the fourth for Tran and her husband Kong.

“On behalf of the City Council, the entire staff, and the residents of San Bernardino, we offer our heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to Mayor Tran and Kong on the new addition to their family,” said City Manager Charles Montoya. “I can’t think of a better Christmas present than a healthy baby.”

Tran, who was sworn into office one year ago, was still in the office working as late as Thursday, December 21.

While the Mayor and her family are thankful for the outpouring of support from the community over the past few months, they kindly request privacy as they celebrate these precious early moments with their newborn son.

Black Public Media to honor trailblazing filmmaker Sam Pollard

Veteran documentary filmmaker to receive the BPM Trailblazer Award on April 25 
(BPM) will pay tribute to veteran filmmaker Sam Pollard at its PitchBLACK Awards on Thursday, April 25. The ceremony, taking place at the Stanley H. Kantor Penthouse of Manhattan’s Lincoln Center, caps BPM’s seventh PitchBLACK Forum — the largest pitch competition of its kind in the United States for independent filmmakers and creative technologists who create Black content. PitchBLACK kicks off on Wednesday, April 24 with participants competing for awards of up to $150,000 in production and distribution awards for stories about the Black experience.
A multiple Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning producer-director-editor, Pollard is known for his work on a
plethora of important works including: Eyes On The PrizeMaynardMLK/FBI, Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power and Mr. SOUL! He also has served as an editor on Spike Lee’s ClockersMo’ Better BluesJungle Fever, Girl 6, Bamboozled and Four Little Girls. This year alone, the prolific filmmaker’s works include Carlos (Prime Video), about the famed guitarist Carlos Santana; Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes (PBS), about the legendary jazz drummer and composer, which just won a 2023 International Documentary Association (IDA) Best Music Documentary Award; and South to Black Power (HBO), about journalist and author Charles M. Blow’s call for Black people to reverse-migrate to the South as a strategy for Black Liberation.
Pollard joins the ranks of previous BPM Trailblazer Award winners: Orlando BagwellJoe Brewster, Yoruba Richen, Michèle Stephenson and Marco Williams, all fêted for their long-standing work, primarily in public media, as a producer, director, writer or editor, and for having a strong track record of mentoring the next generation of media makers.
“Sam has continuously brought to life urgent Black stories that need to be seen and studied, crafting films that preserve the history and beauty of so many aspects of American culture,” said Leslie Fields-Cruz, executive director of BPM. “He has also helped to prepare a new wave of truly talented storytellers. It’s time for all of us
to give him the flowers he deserves.”
As part of BPM’s PitchBLACK Trailblazer celebration, a select slate of Pollard’s films will be showcased in
a special film retrospective. The program features a combination of in-person and virtual screenings as well as a conversation with the filmmaker. BPM will announce details about the screening locations, dates and films included in the Sam Pollard PitchBLACK Trailblazer Retrospective in the spring.
BPM is a Harlem-based national nonprofit which funds and distributes original content, and produces
compelling work, including its signature series AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange.
PitchBLACK 2024 — which draws a who’s who of the documentary film and emerging media worlds including executives from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, PBS, Netflix, Paramount+, Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Sundance Institute, Third World Newsreel, Tribeca Film Institute, Women Make Movies and more — is sponsored by Netflix, with additional support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. For information about other sponsorship opportunities, contact DeLynda Lindsey, BPM’s grants and reports specialist, at DeLynda@blackpublicmedia.org.
To learn more about BPM, visit blackpublicmedia.org, and follow the organization and watch the events of PitchBLACK at @blackpublicmedia on Instagram and Facebook.

ABOUT SAM POLLARD & BLACK PUBLIC MEDIA (BPN)

Sam Pollard has spent more than three decades chronicling the Black experience as a feature film and television video editor, and a documentary producer/director. His first assignment as a documentary producer came in 1989 on Henry Hampton’s Blackside production, Eyes On The Prize II: America at the Racial Crossroads. His contribution to the series earned an Emmy Award. In the years since, Pollard’s prolific body of work has won multiple industry accolades including: three Primetime Emmys, two Daytime Emmys, one News & Documentary Emmy, four Peabodys — including the 2021 Career Achievement Award, a 2023 IDA Best Music Documentary award for Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes and a 1998 Oscar nomination for Four Little GirlsFour Little Girls, a feature-length documentary about the 1963 Birmingham church bombings, is just one of Pollard’s numerous collaborations with Spike Lee. In 2020, Pollard was named among Black Public Media’s prestigious list of 40 public media Game Changers in celebration of the organization’s 40th anniversary. His most recent releases, The League, about the Negro baseball league; and Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes, premiered in 2023.
Black Public Media (BPM) supports the development of visionary content creators and distributes stories about the global Black experience to inspire a more equitable and inclusive future. For more than 40 years, BPM has addressed the needs of unserved and underserved audiences. BPM continues to address historical, contemporary, and systemic challenges that traditionally impede the development and distribution of Black stories. For more information, visit blackpublicmedia.org and follow BPM on Instagram and Facebook and @BLKPublicMedia on Twitter.

Letter to the Editor: Case of Missing Mississippi Man Underscores Need for Ebony Alert in California

By Sen. Steven Bradford | Special to California Black Media Partners\

There is no greater pain than that of a mother who loses her child — or whose child goes missing.

Bettersten Wade has experienced both. Her 37-year-old son, Dexter Wade, disappeared on March 5 after visiting with her. She reported him to the police as missing the next week and began putting up fliers with his picture and going door to door to speak with neighbors.

For months, the police told her they had no information on his whereabouts, but in August, the police brought her devastating news. Her son, a Black man and father of two had been killed the very night he went missing. Police say he was struck while crossing a highway by an off-duty Jackson Police officer.

The coroner identified Wade using a prescription medicine he was carrying as he had no identification. The coroner’s office claims to have shared his identity with the police, provided them with Wade’s mother’s contact information and asked them to notify her.

The Mayor of Jackson called the almost 6-month delay a “communications failure” between the coroner and the police. The elder Wade and her attorney say the way authorities handled the death of her son is a civil rights violation and they want the federal Department of Justice to investigate.

Without the family’s knowledge or consent, the county buried him in a pauper’s grave with only a small metal sign displaying the number 672.

Although Dexter Wade was a grown man, you can draw a direct line to why California needs and will benefit from the newly signed Ebony Alert notification law which will help locate missing Black children and young women ages 12-25.

Black people make up a disproportionate percentage of all missing

persons in the United States. However, instead of receiving a greater share of the police resources to find them, Black lives get less.

When a Black person goes missing, in a sense, they vanish twice. First, they disappear from their friends and loved ones. Second, they disappear from the police detective’s workload and from the news media’s attention.

This case speaks to the insulting reality of how Black lives are not a priority when they are missing. In the Dexter Wade case, authorities were clearly not looking even as they physically held his body.

Critics of the Ebony Alert say California should not have a special alert system just for African Americans. I would argue California should not need the Ebony Alert just for African Americans.

All people should be given equal value and equal resources should be utilized to find them. But that’s not happening. So, not only does California need the Ebony Alert, but the rest of the nation does as well.


About the Author

Sen. Steven Bradford is Vice Chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus. He authored SB 673, the Ebony Alert. He represents parts

southern Los Angeles County.

City of San Bernardino Opens Long Awaited State Street Extension

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- The City of San Bernardino has opened a new, half-mile section of State Street between 16th Street and Baseline Street, improving mobility in the west side of the City. The $7.4 million extension includes four lanes of divided road, as well as new medians, sidewalks, streetlights, and storm drains.

The street was opened to traffic at 12:00 pm on Friday, December 15.

“The completion of the State Street extension marks a significant milestone in the City’s ongoing efforts to improve connectivity, accessibility, and the quality of life for our residents,” said City Manager Charles Montoya.

The State Street extension is located just south of the 210 Freeway and parallels the Lytle Creek Basin. The new street improves access to the freeway, decreases cut through traffic in neighborhoods, and provides better access for residents to Arroyo Valley High School and Anne Shirrells Park.

“For over 20 years, this project has been a priority for San Bernardino residents on the West Side,” added Montoya. “We are thrilled to complete this project and see that vision become a reality. It looks beautiful.”

The $7.4 million project was approved by the City Council in August 2022 using Regional Circulation System funds. Work on the project by contractor Riverside Construction Company began in October 2022.

In the coming months, San Bernardino Public Works will add irrigation and landscaping to beautify the roadway. Plans are also underway to build a median between 16th Street and Hanford Street.

San Bernardino’s Blair Park to become a Dodger “Dreamfield”

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— The Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation along with the San Manuel Mission Band of Indians joined the City of San Bernardino on December 14 for a groundbreaking ceremony to kick off construction of three new Dodger Dreamfields at the City’s Blair Park. Also in attendance were Dodger outfielder Jonny Deluca and third base coach Dino Ebel.

The fields at Blair Park represent the 61st, 62nd, and 63rd baseball and softball fields built or refurbished by the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation since 2003.

“Everyone deserves a space to play,” said Nicole Whiteman, CEO of the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to bring this vital resource to San Bernardino, a city with such great history.”

The $1.7 million investment will support youth baseball and softball with three refurbished fields at Blair Park. Refurbishments will include new playing surfaces and grass, enclosed fields, upgraded dugouts, upgraded irrigation systems, new pitching mounds, bullpens and LED scoreboards resembling Dodger Stadium. The project is expected to be completed by June 2024.

“This investment is not merely about refurbishing fields. It is about investing in our future,” said San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran. “Much like Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels learned to play football on the fields of San Bernardino, tomorrow’s Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Shohei Ohtani can get their start on the fields we will be improving.”

Dodgers third base coach Dino Ebel, who attended San Bernardino Valley College and coached the San Bernardino Spirit minor league team, was happy to be back in San Bernardino. “This is a dream come true for the neighborhood and especially the kids,” Ebel said. “I am so excited to be a part of this.”

The project was made possible by a nearly $1.3 million grant from lead partner, the San Manuel Mission Band of Indians. This is the largest gift for a Dodgers Dreamfield project to date. Additional project sponsors include Security Benefit, LA84 Foundation and the Helen and Will Webster Foundation.

Assemblymember Chris Holden Donates Over 150 Pairs of Children’s Shoes During His Last Holiday Party and Shoe Drive as Assemblyman

PASADENA, CA— Assemblymember Chris Holden hosted his Annual Shoe Drive with key community partner, Shoes That Fit, to provide new athletic shoes to school aged children in need. The shoe drive took place at his District Office on December 13, 2023, from 6-8pm and featured the La Cañada High School string quartet, light refreshments including delicious pastries from Vrej, the 41st District Small Business of The Year recipient, and updates on legislative successes and goals for the upcoming session.

“A good reliable pair of shoes can take you far in life and each year we get to show kids just how much this community cares about them and their fundamental well-being,” said Assemblymember Chris Holden. “It is always a pleasure to come together with Shoes That Fit and ensure that when our kids step out into the world that they are able to put their best foot forward.”

Shoes That Fit, based in Claremont California, has raised over 2.3 million pairs of new shoes to date to help school aged children and young adults build their confidence and self-esteem. Over the years, thanks to participation from the community, Assemblymember Holden’s shoe drive has collected over 1,000 pairs of shoes for Shoes That Fit.

 

“Dismantling Racism and Disrupting Inequality”: Six Questions for the California/Hawaii NAACP Conference

By Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media

Ida B. Wells-Barnett (1862–1931), a Black investigative journalist, women’s rights activist, and civil rights advocate, is renowned for her campaign against lynching. Wells-Barnett was instrumental in shaping public opinion against lynching through her newspaper editorials, pamphlets, clubs, and lecture tours across the northern United States. Wells held the position of secretary in the Afro-American Council, where she led its anti-lynching bureau. Her efforts paved the way for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s (NAACP) anti-lynching campaign.

Following the racial violence of the 1908 Springfield massacre in Illinois, the NAACP was founded on Feb. 12, 1909. The organization was established by over 60 founding members, including Wells-Barnett, W. E. B. Du Bois, Mary McLeod Bethune, William Bulkley, the Rev. Francis Grimke, and Mary Church Terrell, among others.

The NAACP’s principal objective is to secure political, educational, social, and economic equality for minority groups in the United States and eradicate race prejudice. As a service organization, it aims to remove all barriers of racial discrimination through democratic processes.

The NAACP is America’s oldest and largest civil rights organization and today comprises a network of over 2,200 affiliates spanning all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Japan, and Germany. Headquartered in Baltimore, its membership exceeds 500,000.

The NAACP California-Hawaii State Conference, with its 72 branches and youth units, is actively engaged across both states to promote racial justice and equality.

Rick L. Callender serves as the President of the NAACP’s California/Hawaii State Conference. He also is a member of the National NAACP Board of Directors.

California Black Media spoke with Callender about the work his conference is doing and how it impacts the lives of Black Californians.

What does your organization do to improve the lives of Black people in California?

We’re committed to dismantling racism and disrupting inequality to create a society where all people can truly be free. Our efforts encompass active civic engagement, systematically fostering racial equity, and championing policies and institutions that urgently address the specific needs of Black communities, who bear the brunt of race- based discrimination.

What was your greatest success over the course of the last year?

The NAACP CA/HI State Conference’s greatest success has been sticking to our long-lived goal of fighting for justice and prioritizing our community ’s needs. In the past year, we notched up some significant victories with Gov. Newsom signing three of our priority bills into law, namely Assembly Bill (AB) 1327, Senate Bill (SB) 673, and Assembly Bill 1165.

AB 1327 addresses a standing problem that many California high school student-athletes of color have dealt with: racism during high school sporting contests. The bill mandates the California Department of Education, in collaboration with relevant community organizations, to create a standardized form for recording hate violence and hazing incidents at high school sporting events, with results to be posted on their website.

SB 673, authored by Sen. Steve Bradford (D-Inglewood) guarantees that Black children and young Black women will receive the attention and protection they need when they are reported missing.

AB 1165, authored by Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D- Sacramento) addresses racism on school campuses by encouraging schools to implement a restorative justice practice when a student has perpetrated racist bullying, harassment, or intimidation.

In your view, what is the biggest challenge Black Californians face?

The NAACP CA/HI State Conference is on a mission for total racial equity, delving into realms like health, housing, education, economic development, criminal justice, and environmental wellbeing. We’re tackling every area that affects the lives of Black Californians. Each of these areas presents its own significant challenges, with Black and Brown communities often bearing the brunt of these hardships.

What was your organization’s biggest challenge?

Just like all non-profits, funding the efforts are always at the forefront. Secondly, generating a base of trained and engaged volunteers is something that also creates a challenge.

Does your organization support or plan to get involved in the push for reparations in California?

We are and have been at the forefront in the battle for reparations at the national, state and local levels. NAACP San Francisco President, the Rev. Amos Brown, is also at the forefront of the reparations movement in California, not just as a participant but as a key player. From his seat on the California Reparations Task Force to ongoing discussions, he remains a steadfast advocate, actively shaping the dialogue around reparations. The State NAACP will continue to support the ongoing fight for reparations, and we are looking forward and hopeful for the

Task Force’s recommendation of a California American Freedmen Affairs Agency coming to fruition.

How can more Californians of all backgrounds get involved in the work you’re doing?

Join the NAACP to get involved with activists and organizers in your local NAACP branch and stand tall against injustice, dismantle systemic racism, and be the answer the call for equality.

From school desegregation, fair housing, employment and voter registration to health and equal economic opportunity, the NAACP is working successfully with allies of all races, playing a significant role in establishing legal precedents in order to improve the quality of life of America’s downtrodden. For more information, visit the

NAACP California Hawaii State Conference

“A Line from a Negro Spiritual Says It Well!”

By Lou K. Coleman

“Everybody talkin’ ’bout heaven ain’t goin’ there.” O my Lord!

[I Corinthians 6:9-11] says, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.” [Revelation 9:21; Revelation 21:27; Revelation 22:15; Galatians 5:19-21].

As in [Proverbs chapter 30 verse 12] it says, “There is a kind of generation who is pure in their own eyes, yet not washed from their filthiness,” “They have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge.” [Romans 10:2]. I tell you, “Everybody talkin’ ‘bout heaven ain’t goin’ there.”

The Word of God is quite clear that many will be excluded from Heaven. [Matthew 7:13-14]. Jesus warned, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” [Matthew 7:21-23]. Your soul is being weighed in the balances. Mene, Mene,Tekel, Peres [Daniel 5:7]. Depart from Me, ye that work iniquity. [Matthew 7:21-23].

Everybody talkin’ ‘bout heaven ain’t goin’ there.” Oh my Lord!

 

Ephesians New Testament Church Hosts Winter Revival 2023

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— Ephesians New Testament Church will host “2 Days of Refreshment and Renewal” from Wednesday, December 27, 2023, and Thursday, December 28, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. nightly. There will be great preaching, music, and praise. The revival will be held at Ephesians New Testament Worship Center located at 9161 Sierra Avenue, Suite #110, Fontana, California.

The Speaker will be Dr. Raymond W. Turner of Temple Missionary Baptist Church in San Bernardino, California.

Come be blessed and get ready for the New Year! For additional information please contact Ephesians New Testament Church office (909) 823-2310.

The MAJOR. Hope Foundation Brings a MAJOR. Day of Hope to Los Angeles

Free Gas, Free Groceries, Free Socks, Footwear Community Cleanup Projects

INGLEWOOD, CA— Random “Drops of Hope” throughout L.A. County, including free grocery purchases, free gas purchases, free donations of socks and footwear as well as volunteer opportunities for community cleanup and city beautification projects. The day of service will end with a LIVE in person activation including media, Red Carpet, a one-on-one conversation with Founder MAJOR. and a sneak peak of the MAJOR. HOPE Experience at local community shop; Hilltop 4427 W. Slauson Avenue in Los Angeles, CA 90043 on Thursday, December 28, 2023, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

WHO:
HOPE FOUNDATION founder, Grammy nominated musician, actor, artist, and “Hope Dealer” MAJOR. Featuring a live performance from his MAJOR. HOPE band.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjrxiTgdHRQ – https://www.majorhopefoundation.org/major-hope-experience

Mexican American TV personality (I Love Jenni, Rica, Famosa, Latina) author (My Broken Pieces), businesswoman (former CEO Jenni Rivera Enterprises) and Christian minister Rosie Rivera.
https://www.sistersamalia.com/

Tween philanthropist Khloe Thompson founder of Khloe Kares, a nonprofit organization that distributes “Kare Bags” filled with toiletries and necessities to Los Angeles’ homeless community.
https://www.pointsoflight.org/bushawards-2019-khloe-thompson/

WHEN:
December 28, 2023
Times: 10:00am – 2:00pm – Random Drops of Hope throughout LA County.
To commence in East LA.
– Exclusive Media Participation available, ride along with MAJOR. via HOPE  Sprinter
Times: 6:00pm – Red Carpet, LIVE MAJOR. Hope Experience

WHERE:
East LA – Free Groceries – Together with TV Personality Rosie Rivera
Superior Market
3600 E Cesar Chavez Ave, Los
Angeles, CA 90063

DTLA – Free Socks & Footwear – Together with Youth Activist Khloe Thompson

Beverly Hills – Hope Drops –  Together with multiple celebrities
427 N Crescent Dr,
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Hollywood Ca – City Clean Up
(Location TBD)

South LA – Free Gas + Free Groceries
Carson

ABOUT MAJOR. HOPE FOUNDATION & A MAJOR. DAY OF HOPE:
MAJOR.HOPE INC. is a social action initiative founded by GRAMMY nominated artist, actor, and humanitarian – Major. Commonly referred to as the “hope dealer,” MAJOR. has established MAJOR.HOPE INC. (501c3) as a foundational vehicle to creatively amplify hope in a world triggered by perpetual trial and tragedy. MAJOR. endeavors to fulfill this charge through entertainment, civic engagement, community development, youth enrichment, philanthropy, and many more fun, unique, creative means.
https://www.nowthatsmajor.com/
https://www.majorhopefoundation.org