Power ship company that cut electricity in African cities eyes expansion

A Turkish company whose floating power ships switched off the electricity supply to two of Africa’s poorest cities in recent months says it is in talks with six more countries to expand across the continent. But critics argue it only provides a short term solution to chronic underinvestment.

Karpowership, which operates floating power plants, supplies electricity to eight African countries including Ghana, Senegal, Mozambique, and Côte d’Ivoire. The company has in recent months cut off electricity in Freetown and Bissau, the capitals of Sierra Leone and Guinea Bissau, after authorities failed to pay bills reportedly totalling $40 million and $15 million respectively.

The company’s chief commercial officer, Zeynep Harezi, told Semafor Africa the company is in talks with a number of African countries as part of its expansion plans. “We are in constant communication with Tanzania, Kenya, Gabon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, [and] Liberia,” Harezi said. She added that the company expects to begin operating in South Africa in the second half of next year after winning a tender to generate 1,200 megawatts — about 2% of the country’s energy supply. Only “‘ticking the box’ activities” remain before completing the process to operate in South Africa, said Harezi.

Harezi said the company’s ships, which use natural gas to generate electricity which is then sent to the grid, offered a “permanent solution” to power problems in many African countries because they were “cleaner” than other fossil fuel energy sources. “The floating power plant ship has a psychological barrier around this being a permanent solution” because it is not on land, she said.

KNOW MORE

Sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest access to electricity in the world. Around half a billion people lack access to electricity. The failure to develop and maintain the infrastructure needed to provide reliable power has stymied the economic development of countries across the continent, including its biggest economies — Nigeria and South Africa.

Harezi said Karpowership was not put off by the failure of Sierra Leone and Guinea Bissau to pay their bills promptly and had restored power in both countries. She said the company had renegotiated its contracts with the two countries as part of an agreement under which it would supply them with less electricity, therefore incurring a lower cost.

ALEXIS’S VIEW

The impact of a private company being able to shut down the power in an African city should not be underestimated. In Guinea Bissau’s capital, the BBC reported that some public hospitals used generators to carry out surgery but lacked running water because there wasn’t enough electricity. The country’s reliance on power ships is emblematic of a broader failure in many African countries to develop or maintain power facilities.

It’s clear that some African governments have for years indulged in short term thinking, rather than the long-term capital investment that is vital for developing a country. Several energy industry insiders said power ships were only appropriate for temporary use in disasters. Reliable power is a key ingredient for economic growth. “Karpowerships and other “emergency suppliers” are a necessary evil because of chronic underinvestment in energy infrastructure,” Bright Simmons, research lead at Imani Centre for Policy in Ghana, told Semafor Africa.

The business model behind floating power ships depends on the short term planning of poor countries. Karpowership typically doesn’t provide long term infrastructure development or a cleaner energy solution than solar, wind and hydroelectric power. It’s also easy for ships to turn off the electricity and sail away if a country struggles to pay.

Governments pay a premium for the convenience of a quick solution that’s unencumbered by the time lag of several years involved in building a power plant on land. “When you pay emergency prices the cost is always higher and it’s never the best long term version of what you need,” Todd Moss, who heads global power think-tank Energy for Growth Hub, told me.

Africa clearly plays a key role in Karpowerhip’s long term strategy. “The African growth opportunity is immense,” Harezi said in our interview. The company sees a huge market on the continent, where young populations look set to drive an increased demand for power in the coming decade at a pace not seen elsewhere in the world. That, combined with the failure of many countries to develop sustainable solutions for energy generation, transmission and distribution, explain why the company is in talks to expand its client list.

In the short term, cash-strapped African countries will struggle to pay their power ship bills. That’s because weakening currencies and relatively high wholesale gas prices will make it tough to pay for an approach that treats supplying electricity like a constant emergency. It makes more sense in the long run for governments to invest heavily in renewable energy sources such as hydroelectricity and solar energy.

ROOM FOR DISAGREEMENT

Fola Fagbule, deputy director and head of financial advisory services at Africa Finance Corporation, a multilateral lender focused on infrastructure projects on the continent, disagreed with the suggestion that Karpowership’s approach offers a permanent solution to power problems.

“The use of power ships can’t be a long term solution,” he said. “A long term solution would have a price that declines over time because more competitive sources of power are being introduced into the grid.”

THE VIEW FROM SOUTH AFRICA

South Africa’s department of forestries, fisheries and environment late last month granted Karpowership environmental authorization for a 450-megawatt gas-fired floating power station in the northeastern port of Richards Bay, marking a crucial step since its applications have faced legal challenges from conservationists.

But the company’s plans to operate in South Africa, as part of a government strategy to ease rolling blackouts imposed by struggling power utility Eskom, have been met by opposition. “South Africa should be looking at local solutions like wind and solar, opening up the transmission grid, and investing in renewables,” Kevin Mileham, energy spokesperson for the opposition Democratic Alliance, told Semafor Africa.

— Reporting by Sam Mkokeli in Johannesburg

NOTABLE

  • Solar mini-grids are a cheap and effective way to increase electricity access, according to the World Bank. Husk Power Systems, a clean-energy company, last month announced plans to launch 500 solar mini-grids in Nigeria over the next five years after raising $103 million in equity and debt.

Dentist Duo Presented with the Chamber’s YoPros Award

Drs. Kevin and Kyle Phanord continue to serve the South Florida community

The spotlight is on dentistry excellence! The dynamic dentist duo, Drs. Kevin and Kyle Phanord, were honored with the prestigious 2023 Top 20 Under 40 YoPros Award from the Haitian American Chamber of Commerce of Florida (HACCOF). Nadia Alcide, Executive Director of HACCOF, presented the twins with the award plaque on behalf of the Chamber at their Dental Practice in North Miami.

This recognition is a testament to the Phanord twins’ exceptional dental services and unwavering commitment to patient well-being. The YoPros Award highlights outstanding young and talented Haitian-American professionals throughout Florida.

“We are truly humbled and honored to receive the HACCOF’s “Top 20 Under 40” recognition award,” said Dr. Kevin. “This recognition further motivates us to continue our mission of providing exceptional and compassionate dental to the South Florida Community and beyond,” added Dr. Kyle.

Dr. Kevin and Dr. Kyle Phanord, known on TikTok as the “Dentist Duo,” completed infant oral health evaluation and care at the University of Florida (UF) Pediatric Dental Residency Program, where they did a Pediatric Dentistry Rotation handling everything from participating in pediatric seminars, providing dental treatment to kids and observing pediatric dental care under general anesthesia in operating rooms, to participating in procedural sedation using oral and nasal agents, and providing dental treatment of specific healthcare for adults. The brothers went on to do an oral surgery rotation where they completed one-week long rotations per semester in the student oral surgery clinic at UF College of Dentistry and completed multiple simple, as well as surgical extractions and alveoloplasties.

After obtaining their Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) degree from UF, the Phanord twins joined their father, Dr. Roger Phanord, in the family-operated dental practice, Phanord & Associates, P.A., and since then, they have been committed to taking the dental practice to the next level.

To connect with Drs. Kevin and Kyle Phanord, be sure to follow them on their TikTok @DentistDuo. In addition, to stay connected with news and information about their dental practice, follow Phanord & Associates, P.A. on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – @Phanorddental.

Phanord & Associates, P.A. has been serving the community since the late 80s and provides a wide range of general dentistry services, including general & cosmetic dentistry, oral and maxillofacial surgery and more. With multilingual staff fluent in Spanish, Creole, and French, they strive to meet and exceed all dental needs.

Phanord & Associates P.A. is located at 1245 NW 119th Street in North Miami, Florida. Opening hours are Monday and Wednesday from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.

For more information, visit www.phanord.com or call 305-685-7863. At Phanord & Associates, we are changing lives, one smile at a time!

 

Rep. Aguilar Announces New Bipartisan Bill to Address Discrimination on University Campuses

SAN BERNARDINO, CA – Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA) announced at Cal State University, San Bernardino the introduction of the bipartisan Protecting Students’ Civil Rights Act to address discrimination and ensure racial equity on all college, university and trade school campuses. The legislation, co-led by Rep. Jenniffer González-Colón (R-PR), would require all Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) to designate at least one employee to ensure compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin in any program or activity that receives federal funding. Title VI coordinators would be responsible for submitting publicly accessible annual reports to the Department of Justice on any civil rights claims filed.

“University campuses are meant to be places of diversity and acceptance, where students from all backgrounds can pursue knowledge and personal growth,” said Rep. Aguilar. “In order for our students to receive the best quality education our universities have to offer, they must feel safe and accepted on their campuses. I’m proud to introduce the Protecting Students’ Civil Rights Act to ensure that any instances of race-based harassment or discrimination on college campuses are addressed quickly and effectively.”

“Over the last decades our nation has taken monumental steps to combat discrimination, including within our colleges and universities, but work remains to be done. I’m proud to support the Protecting Students’ Civil Rights Act to require institutions of higher education to designate one employee to coordinate compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, and national origin in programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance. This will ensure college campuses have the necessary processes in place to guarantee students, regardless of their background, can pursue their education free from discrimination and harassment,” said Rep. González-Colón.

Both the National Education Association and the California Community College Chancellor’s Office have endorsed theProtecting Students’ Civil Rights Act. 

“Every student – no matter their race, place, or background – deserves to learn free of harassment and discrimination. But sadly, in too many colleges and institutions of higher education students have been left to defend themselves in the face of discrimination. That is why the National Education Association applauds Rep. Pete Aguilar for introducing the Protecting Students’ Civil Rights Act, which would help safeguard the civil rights of all students, ensuring that campuses remain places of learning with no room of harassment and discrimination,” saidMarc Egan, Director of Government Relations of National Education Association.

“The California Community Colleges is devoted to building equity and to the protection of our students’ civil rights as they pursue their academic and career goals. Ensuring our campuses are free from discrimination and harassment is fundamental to the California Community Colleges and our Vision 2030, a framework centered on equity and the success of our students. On behalf of the California Community Colleges and our 1.8 million students, we are proud to support this effort to combat discrimination based on race, color, or national origin.  We are grateful to Rep. Aguilar for protecting our students,” said David O’Brien, Vice Chancellor of Government Relations of California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office.

Reps. Aguilar and González-Colón previously introduced theProtecting Students’ Civil Rights Act in the 117th Congress.

Rep. Aguilar serves as Chair of the House Democratic Caucus and is a member of the House Committee on Appropriations.

 

 

SBCUSD Class Of 2023 Earned More Than $9 Million In Scholarships

By Mauricio Arellano, Superintendent | San Bernardino City Unified School District

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— As San Bernardino City Unified School District’s (SBCUSD’s) Superintendent, I am in a constant state of awe that I have found myself in the same place where my educational journey began as a student, and later as a teacher, then a principal, and later as a director.

Reflecting on my own experience, it was SBCUSD teachers who saw that a kid from San Bernardino had brilliance and could shine, and I believe our teachers are uncovering the brilliance in our students day in and day out.

If I would have been able to tell my younger self about all the places I would go, I don’t think I would have believed any of it back then. Despite my own reluctance to believe in myself, I hope that this isn’t the case for the students in our District today.

My hope is that our students dare to dream and do the impossible simply because they can. One of our District priorities is to help our students unlock their potential and ensure that once they graduate, they can successfully enter college or career.

One of the lesser-known ways that SBCUSD supports students is through its efforts to help graduates find scholarships to help fund their post-high school educational dreams. As a student, I was fortunate enough to receive a multitude of scholarships, which helped me afford college.

In part due to two non-profit organizations that coordinate and fund scholarships specifically for SBCUSD students—the San Bernardino Community Scholarship Association and the Making Hope Happen Foundation—and dedicated Scholarship Counselors at each high school, SBCUSD provides a huge advantage to our graduates compared to many other California schools, including local charter and private schools, by offering more than 375 scholarships exclusively for SBCUSD graduates and assistance in helping students apply for other, non-exclusive scholarships and grants.

According to ThinkImpact and Education Data Initiative, only about 7% of students will receive a college/post-secondary education scholarship or grant. Of those, 16% will receive a state-funded scholarship/grant and 27% will receive federal aid in the form of a Pell Grant. Only about 3% of public school students receive private scholarships, usually averaging about $3,463.

Compare that to the 1,351 SBCUSD Class of 2023 May/June graduates who collectively earned more than $9 million in scholarships and grants, including military enlistment bonuses. That equated to just over 42% of all SBCUSD May/June 2023 graduates, including adult graduates of Inland Career Education Center (ICEC) and continuation high school graduates from San Andreas and Sierra High Schools.

And in case you thought that $9 million was just a fluke, you would be wrong. I was pleased to learn that SBCUSD’s Class of 2022 and Class of 2021 each earned more than $11 million in scholarships and grants.

Indian Springs High School’s 334 graduates from the Class of 2023 earned the most scholarship dollars this past school year. Graduates earned a total of $1,850,882 in scholarships and grants, which includes military scholarships and enlistment bonuses.

The oldest SBCUSD high school and my alma mater—San Bernardino High School—graduated 291 students who earned the second-highest total of scholarship and grant dollars of any SBCUSD school at $1,601,214.

A full 100% of Middle College High School‘s 48 graduates earned scholarships totaling $810,000.

Cajon High School’s 613 Class of 2023 graduates, which also included International Baccalaureate (IB) students, earned $804,811 in scholarships and grants. Another SBCUSD IB school, Arroyo Valley High School, proudly graduated 665 students who pulled in a total $1,302,000 in scholarships and grants.

Of Pacific High School’s 202 Class of 2023 graduates, 77% received a combined total of $1,285,969 in scholarships and grants. Almost 75% of San Gorgonio High School‘s Class of 2023 secured $1,500,000 in scholarships and grants, including $450,2000 from an Air Force Academy scholarship and enlistment bonuses.

SBCUSD’s continuation high schools also boasted scholarship and grant recipients, with 20 San Andreas High School and 24 Sierra High School graduates in the Class of 2023 earning $24,525 and $20,925, respectively.

Eight of ICEC’s 179 adult high school diploma and GED graduates earned a combined $13,354 in scholarships and grants.

San Bernardino Community Scholarship Association’s 87 donors were responsible for awarding 248 scholarships to SBCUSD’s Class of 2023 totaling $261,705. SBCUSD graduates are exclusively eligible to receive these scholarships. Each scholarship has unique requirements, but because there are so many different scholarships, the odds are that most graduates will qualify for at least one if not more. And new scholarships are constantly being established through the Association.

The Making Hope Happen Foundation, a non-profit supporting the District’s educational mission, awarded $3,000 mentor-supported college scholarships to 128 SBCUSD graduates this  year, for a total of $384,000. What makes these scholarships unique is that in addition to money, scholarship recipients are paired with a mentor, who is an upperclassman in college and also an SBCUSD alum, to help guide them through the college experience, helping them register for classes and navigate this new phase of their lives.

The bottom line is that San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) graduates are almost six times more likely to be awarded scholarships and grants for post-secondary education, and the average amount they receive is almost double the average across the nation. And it’s not too late for local high school students to take advantage of these resources by enrolling in SBCUSD via the District’s enrollment webpage at https://www.sbcusd.com/departments/student-services-division/enrollment-placement-services or by calling (909) 889-7576.

For more information or to donate to the Making Hope Happen Foundation, visit https://makinghope.org/ or contact CEO Niki Dettman at (909) 245-1452 or niki.dettman@makinghope.org. To create your own scholarship or donate to one of the many existing Association-managed scholarships, contact the San Bernardino Community Scholarship Association at sbcsa@sbcusd.k12.ca.us or call (909) 381-1250.

 

 

 

Letter to the Editor: New Tool Highlights Value of Age-Old Resource to Address Mental Health Crisis

Amid what experts call a global mental health crisis, a new article series has been released highlighting the Bible’s role in promoting mental wellness.

“Mental Health — Help From the Bible,” available free of charge both in print and on Jehovah’s Witnesses’ official website, jw.org, encourages readers to seek assistance with mental health concerns and outlines how guidance found in Scripture can help in practical ways. The lead article in the series, “A Worldwide Mental Health Crisis,” not only documents contributing factors but also defines what a mental disorder is and what it is not.

“The Bible is not a medical guidebook, but its enduring principles are as powerful today as they ever were,” said Robert Hendriks, U.S. spokesperson for the organization. “This special series provides comfort and strategies based on those principles. We are thrilled to provide such a powerful resource to the world” Houstonian Chelsea Hart, 29, recalls giving little thought to her mental health during the pandemic. It wasn’t until COVID-19 restrictions had lifted in her area that she began to realize something was wrong.

“Everything around me was getting back to normal, but I wasn’t,” said Hart. “I had always been a really outgoing person, but I didn’t want to go anywhere or see anyone. I hardly recognized myself — I felt so numb.”

Hart’s experience is echoed by millions worldwide. The World Health Organization’s 2022 report on global mental health — the largest report of its kind since the turn of the century — found that during the first year of the pandemic alone, anxiety and depression rates rose 25%. The same report called the global response to mental health needs “insufficient and inadequate,” noting that many people who have a mental disorder have no access to care – numbering into the hundreds of millions worldwide

Since her diagnosis with depression last year, Hart has sought medical treatment, but she says tips from “Mental Health — Help From the Bible” are making a difference, too.

“When I experience intrusive thoughts and feelings of worthlessness, I fight negative thoughts with positive ones,” she said. “I remind myself that God loves and values me.”

Hart’s husband, Jonah, 30, found the article’s “How to Help Those With Mental Health Challenges” section especially useful.

“When Chelsea first began having issues with her mental health, I didn’t know how to help her,” he said. “I was impatient at times, and I even blamed myself for not being able to do more. The article has helped me be the patient, supportive partner she needs.”

Mental Health — Help From the Bible” is available free of charge and without a subscription on jw.org.

Reports Cast Shadows on the Economic Picture for Black Californians

By Lila Brown | California Black Media
Recent studies suggest that the economic picture for Black Californians is not looking rosy.

Increasingly, the state is becoming more unaffordable for African Americans, leading many families to relocate to less expensive places both within and outside of the borders of the Golden state.

“After pandemic-era declines, California’s poverty rate is on the rise. Expansions to safety net programs during the pandemic reduced poverty substantially, but these expansions had mostly expired by the end of 2022,” reads a report published by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) on October 24.

For Black Californians, the poverty rate at 13.6% is more than double the percentage of African Americans living in California, which currently stands at about 5.8% of the state’s population of nearly 40 million.

“While economic growth throughout 2022 countered some of these program losses — by boosting family resources from work — the state’s overall poverty rate increased from 11.7% in fall 2021 to 13.2% in early 2023,” the PPIC report continued.

The unemployment numbers for Black Californians also remain high – and continue to climb.
According to the Economic Policy Institute, the unemployment rate for Black Californians stands at 7.4%, which is higher than the 4.5% unemployment rate for all racial groups in the state for Q2 2023.

This is also higher than the national rate of 5.8%.

In California, the Black-White unemployment rate ratio is at 1.9 to 1.

The national Black-White unemployment ratio remained at 2-to-1 in the second quarter of 2023, maintaining the historic trend of Black workers being twice as likely to be unemployed as White workers. There’s nowhere in the country where the unemployment numbers for Black and White workers are equal.

For September, the California Employment Development Department (EDD) reported that unemployment is on the rise. The state’s unemployment rate crept up to 4.7%, an increase of 144,000 people. It is the second highest unemployment rate of any state. The labor force – Californians working or looking for work – also shrank.

Between 2021 to 2022, the overall poverty rate in California rose from 11.0% to 16.4%. This increase can be linked to the high costs of living, inflation, and the end of pandemic-era supports, such as the expanded federal Child Tax Credit and other welfare benefits. While financial assistance cut the poverty rate for Black Californians by three-quarters to 9.5% in 2021, it lessened poverty for Black Californians by well under half the following year, contributing to a near doubling of their poverty rate to 18.6%.

The California Budget Center checking the pulse of households from US Census data showed that more than half (54%) of Black Californians reported facing difficulty paying for essential needs like food and housing.

Los Angeles County (15.5%) and San Diego County (15.0%) had the highest poverty rates. The Central Valley and Sierra region had the lowest (10.7%), largely due to lower housing costs.

In China last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom highlighted the strength of California’s economy, the fifth largest in the world, and President Joe Biden released his Bidenomics report in June highlighting the achievements of his Invest in America plan.

The White House reports that under the Biden-Harris Administration, Black Americans have experienced their lowest unemployment rate on record and the highest employment rate since November 2000. The participation of Black workers in the labor force has also reached its highest level since August 2008. There has been reduction in the Black child poverty rate by greater than 12%, impacting over 200,000 children, through the Thrifty Food Plan.

Most reports point to signs that the nation is currently at pre-pandemic levels and California has recovered its pandemic-induced job losses in June 2022, according to the latest California Labor Market Review released in August. However, those numbers indicating the state economy is strong and stabilizing contrast with the harsh realities confronting many Black Californians struggling every day to make ends meet.

A study by the Urban Institute released in September shines light on the complex challenges Black Californians face as more of them make the decision to relocate to less expensive areas in the state, mostly driven by a combination of economic factors like housing unaffordability, rolling layoffs, rising inflation, an increase in renter evictions and stagnant salaries.

The report indicates that, “Over the last decade, several factors have contributed to many Black residents relocating from urban epicenters to the suburbs of metropolitan areas and to smaller, less dense, less populous cities.”

“This has been the reality of many Black Californians: as the Black populations of San Francisco and Alameda counties drop, those of Contra Costa and Sacramento rise. As Los Angeles sees its share of Black residents decline, neighboring Riverside and San Bernardino shares increase,” that report further highlights.

Lisa D. Cook, Governor of the Federal Reserve Board, says unemployment lies at the root of all America’s social problems and pushing for maximum employment for all Americans is the solution to minimizing poverty. Cook made the point while accepting the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies’ Louis E. Martin Award on Oct. 18 in Washington, D.C.

“Maximum employment boosts long-run economic potential. It means that a vital resource is being used productively. A strong labor market increases labor force participation and the willingness of firms to recruit and upgrade the skills of workers,” cook stated. She explained that the Full Employment and Balanced Growth Act of 1978, also known as the Humphrey-Hawkins Act, set economic priorities for the federal government centered on promoting good-paying jobs for all Americans.

“Maximum employment also promotes business investment that boosts productivity and long-run economic potential. And the full participation of all segments of society should be expected to result in more ideas, including more diverse ideas, more invention, and more innovation,” Cook concluded.

Governor Newsom Signs Assemblymember Chris Holden’s Youth Mental Health Services Legislation

SACRAMENTO, CA – This month, Assemblymember Chris Holden’s legislation, Assembly Bill 289, Youth Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), which will include youth or youth mental health organizations in the list of stakeholder counties must confer with when developing their three year expenditure plans under the Mental Health Services Act, was signed into law by Governor Newsom.

“When we are making decisions for the future generation of Californians, it is critical that their voice and perspectives are heard,” said Assemblymember Chris Holden. “Listening and providing quality care that is youth informed helps the adults of tomorrow, today.”

Under the MHSA, it falls to our counties to develop their three-year expenditure plans with local stakeholders, including adults and seniors with severe mental illnesses, their families, service providers, and law enforcement among many others. This partnership between counties, constituents, and stakeholders ensures that the expenditure plan is a well-rounded, all-inclusive response to their community’s behavioral health needs.

This bill would require stakeholders to include sufficient participation of individuals representing diverse viewpoints, including youth representatives from historically marginalized communities, representatives from organizations specializing in working with underserved racially and ethnically diverse communities, and representatives from LGBTQ+ communities. By requiring counties to consult with additional stakeholders, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

“How we respond to the mental health crisis today, will shape who our society becomes in the future. Our kids need us to drive solutions and this week, with the Governor’s signing, we are well on our way,” said Holden.

“You Better Think, Long and Hard About the Decision You Are Making!”

By Lou K Coleman
Because choosing not to heed God’s warnings is rebelliousness and idolatry. Think long and hard about the decision you are making, because if you keep on ignoring the Lord and His warnings, you will soon find out the consequences of such and it ain’t gonna be nice.

Listen, [Jeremiah 30:4-10] warns that just ahead is the time of Jacob’s Trouble, a time so disastrous that no other period in mankind’s history can equal it. [Parallels to Matthew 24:15-31; Luke 21 and Mark 13]. We ain’t seen nothing yet. Wars will be fought on a scale never seen before, and weapons of mass destruction. You best take God’s warnings seriously. Because right now, is the day of salvation. Right now, is God’s grace being offered to you again. Remember, God issued a Final Invitation before the flood. “Come into the Ark”. Grace offered prior to judgment. [Matthew 11:28-30]. Don’t wait until its too late! Think Long and Hard
About the Decision You Are Making.

They despised the longsuffering of God. They said, “Here has Noah been telling us for one hundred and twenty years that a flood is coming, where is it?”

They mocked him, believing it was impossible that God would bring down floods to destroy the world. They refused to believe, and so not one of them accepted God’s warning.

At that time, the door of the ark was sealed shut, and apart from the eight people of Noah’s family who survived, everyone else, all those who had defied God were swept away by the floods— all life outside the ark perished. They had missed their chance to be saved by God.

Don’t you do it! Think long and hard about the decision you are making because as [Proverbs 14:12; 16:25] reminds us, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”

Bullying in California: In Some School Districts, Black Students Are Being Targeted by Their Latino Peers

By Edward Henderson | California Black Media
On February 16, 2022, a Black student in the Santa Barbara Unified School District was assaulted by Latino students. His attackers called him the n-word and kneeled on his neck while repeatedly, chanting the name “George Floyd.” A district-wide acknowledgment of the hate crime was not sent out until Feb. 22, of that year.
Despite the psychological trauma this student experienced, the school did little to provide him with mental health support. This is despite Assembly Bill (AB) 1145, the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act, a state law that provides specific instructions for schools to follow in such incidents.

Connie Alexander-Boaitey, President of the Santa Barbara branch of the NAACP, says against African Americans are often minimized in her city due to their representation as the smallest demographic group.

“Oh, there’s “not that many,’” Alexander-Boaitey says, referring to a common response when hate crimes are reported or when people complain about racism. “But ‘not that many’ are still being harmed.

Alexander-Boaitey was speaking during a news briefing hosted by Ethnic Media Services on Oct. 27 on school bullying. She was joined on the panel by Becky L. Monroe, the Deputy Director of Strategic Initiatives and External Affairs at the California Civil Rights Department (CRD); Dashka Slater, an award-winning journalist and author who has written books about children who are victims of bullying; Mina Fedor, a young AAPI activist who was honored by President Biden for her efforts to address racism, Xenophobia, and hate in her community; and Barbra Risling, another young activist and member of the Hoopa Valley Tribe as well as a Descendant of the Karuk and Yurok Tribes.

Alexander-Boaitey says the hate crimes and hate incidents, including bullying and cyberbullying, affecting children are all connected to “generational pain” for Black Americans.

Among schoolchildren, “It’s the pervasive calling of the n-word to Black, African American students by young Latino students,” she said. “It’s every day. Its weekly.”

Another Black family in Santa Barbara now walks their child to school to protect her from bullying classmates. And one has pulled their daughter out of the school system completely, opting for home schooling.

To address the problem, the Santa Barbara Unified School District commissioned a survey titled “2023 Anti-Blackness and Racial Climate Assessment and Analysis” that proposed a set of recommendations for addressing the problem.

The hate incidents targeting African American children are not confined to Santa Barbara but are increasing across California, according to the NAACP. These incidents, often involving physical violence and verbal abuse, are more frequent as Black families relocate to predominantly Latino neighborhoods.

In Santa Barbara, African Americans make up only 2% of the population but they account for the most victims of bullying and hate crimes in the area. At 47.5%, Latinos make up the majority of Santa Barbara’s population followed by Whites at 43.5%. According to the local NAACP branch, most of the perpetrators of the bullying and hate crimes are Latino children.

Alexander-Boaitey says she believes the hate incidents are rooted in historic racism and connected to a general desire to make Black people invisible.

“That somehow or another in an effort to move towards more White- facing or White upstanding, one group has said this group doesn’t need to be here so we can be more approximate to what is White. That’s what’s really happening in our schools,” says Alexander-Boaitey.

According to Dashka Slater, author of ‘Accountable: The True Story of a Racist Social Media Account and the Teenagers Whose Lives It Changed’, three in four American young people ages 15 to 25 have run into extremist content online. One in four students between the ages of four and 18 have seen hate or words or symbols written in their schools. About 1.3 million students were bullied because of some aspect of their identity during the 2018-2019 school year, according to a US Government Accountability Office report on schools. Half of those children were targeted because of their race.

“Some forms of bullying are in fact acts of hate,” said Monroe. “Some acts of hate are crimes, while others are violations of civil rights laws. Some may be lawful but incredibly harmful, nonetheless. We must recognize the civil rights issues at the heart of this discussion around bullying.”

Monroe also spoke about the state law requiring schools to provide all students with a safe environment free of harassment.

“Schools have a legal obligation to ensure that students are not denied opportunities, treated differently, discriminated against, or harassed because of their race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, or disability,” she said.

“Students who are doing the bullying are following the lead of a biased peer and imitating things that they see on social media,” said Slater. “We also see kids of color who are harassed for their identity and harassing somebody else for their identity. Studies show that kids who are the bully and bullied are the ones who have the longest lasting effects afterward.”

Studies have also shown that students who perpetuate racially motivated bullying onto their fellow classmates don’t necessarily ascribe to racist ideologies but have simply fallen into the trap of influence from outside sources online or mirroring behavior from their parents or guardians at home.

Alexander-Boaitey says Black and Latino leaders and residents from the area have not formally met yet to resolve tensions brewing between their communities.

“I know this is where the struggle really is,” she added. “How do we have leaders from the Black, Latino, and Hispanic communities sit down and have our own conversations? What makes it not happen is erasure culture that says we don’t need to talk about it, or it was a single incident.”

Some parents of California students are pushing back against ethnic studies requirements brought to schools to combat hate and ignorance.

“Parents are trying to take their kids out of the classes,” Alexander-Boaitey continued. “The bill (Assembly Bill (AB)101) does not go deep enough to fight against it. We need to start this at TK. We are way too late by the time we get to high school for this.”

Monroe says the state provides various resources and care coordination for victims of hate crimes or hate incidents.

To report hate incidents or crimes in California, victims or witnesses can file them online here. They can also call 833-8-NO-HATE; (833) 866- 4283 Monday – Friday from 9:00 am – 6:00 pm. If outside of those hours, they can leave a voicemail, or you can call 211 to report hate and seek support.

This California Black Media report was supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library.

“California Draining”: Stanford Report Explores Why More Californians Are Moving to Texas and Arizona Than Ever Before

By Tanu Henry, Antonio Ray Harvey and Joe W. Bowers Jr. | California Black Media
From the Gold Rush of the 1800s to the iconic unofficial state song “California Dreaming,’” the Golden State has built an enviable reputation. It has become known around the world as a destination for fortune seekers, economic opportunities, and a laidback West Coast lifestyle made more desirable by pleasant weather and a picturesque natural landscape that incorporates breathtaking scenes — from the Pacific coast cliffs and glistening inland lakes to snow-capped mountains and lush forests housing the earth’s oldest tree species.

However, over the last few years, that perception of California’s exceptional desirability is being challenged as the state loses population to Arizona and Texas at higher levels than ever before, including a greater share of college graduates and residents at all income levels, according to a report dubbed “California Draining”, released by the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR).
“California lost a net of 407,000 residents to other states between July 2021 and July 2022, including a greater share of those with a college degree and residents at all income levels than in the past,” the report reads.

The state’s high cost of living has spurred many businesses and residents to exit, posing serious consequences for the state’s job market and fiscal outlook. California is still the largest state with more than 39 million residents as of 2022, constituting 11.7 % of the U.S. population, according to SIEPR’s report.

From 1959 to 2022, California’s average rate of population growth was 1.52 percent, but since 2000, it has been consistently below that number. The state even experienced negative growth in 2021 and 2022.

Among recent movers, Black residents make up about 12% of people exiting the state, a significant number in a state where the total Black population hovers around 5.7 %.

The report states that two-thirds of those who moved said that politics was not a factor in their decision, but the population loss has political consequences: California lost a congressional seat after the 2020 census.

SIEPR draws from an original survey of residents in California, Arizona and Texas conducted jointly by researchers at Stanford University, Arizona State University, and the University of Houston.