Los Angeles County Imposes Third Night of Curfew

Los Angeles County will be under a countywide curfew that runs from 6 p.m. today, June 2, 2020, through 6 a.m. on Wednesday, June 3, 2020.

The curfew does not apply to individuals voting in Special Elections occurring today in the City of Commerce and in El Rancho Unified School District in Pico Rivera. In both elections, all voters were mailed ballots and the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk has one mobile vote center in each jurisdiction that has been open daily since Saturday and will be open today until 8 p.m. Poll workers are also exempt from the order.

This is the third night of a countywide curfew ordered to protect public safety. 

The County curfew applies to every municipality in Los Angeles County, but cities can implement stricter curfews based on their local needs. Please check with your local city to determine if they have implemented stricter curfews.

In addition to voters and poll workers being exempt, the countywide curfew does not apply to the following: peace officers; firefighters; National Guard or other military personnel deployed to the area; emergency medical services personnel; individuals traveling to and from work; individuals working on a public work of improvement construction project; credentialed media representatives involved in news gathering; people experiencing homelessness and without access to a viable shelter; and individuals seeking medical treatment.

The following cities have already implemented stricter curfews:

Visit lacounty.gov/emergency for the most up-to-date information.

Fitness Tips for Men Amid COVID-19

June is Men’s Health Month

By Dr. John Chang, Chief Medical Officer, UnitedHealthcare of California

June is Men’s Health Month!  This annual observance brings added significance this year given the health challenges men may face in general and specifically to COVID-19. For instance, research shows men are more likely than women to experience worse outcomes due to COVID-19, including double the risk of death.

Independent of COVID-19, men also have a lower life expectancy (76 years for men vs. 81 years for women); a lower likelihood of visits to the doctor (76% of men had seen a doctor in the last year vs. 92% of women); and a higher risk of being overweight or obese (nearly 71% for men vs. 59% for women).

With that in mind, here are tips for men and families in California to consider as we celebrate Men’s Health Month!

Be a Masked Man: While initial COVID-19 guidelines may have suggested otherwise, federal and international health authorities now recommend the use of masks when people are outside the home and unable to maintain at least six feet of distance from others. In fact, a recent study found widespread mask wearing can reduce the spread of COVID-19 by as much as 80%.  Even so, the adoption of masks remains mixed, especially among men: Just 56% of men said they had worn a mask outside the home, compared to 67% of women. Tightly fitting home-made masks, including ones of cotton or silk, may provide protection for yourself and others.     

Prevention is Important: Men are three-times more likely than women to go a year without visiting the doctor, and nearly twice as likely to be without a regular go-to physician in times of sickness. This behavior may be reinforced by COVID-19, which has prompted some people to skip medical care, including wellness visits or chronic care management. Urgent health issues, including persistent chest pains, head injuries or signs of stroke such as sudden numbness in the face arm or leg, should not be ignored. To help encourage health, now is the time to schedule an annual wellness visit with your primary care physician, providing an opportunity to detect potential health issues early. If in-person appointments may be a concern due to potential exposure to COVID-19, telehealth resources are now enabling more people to connect with a health care professional, including for urgent medical care and on-going disease management.  

Reduce Risky Behavior: Research suggests that men may take more risks than women, with this type of perilous behavior potentially manifesting itself in some unfortunate consequences. For example, men are more likely to be addicted to alcohol and tobacco than women; men are twice as likely as women to binge drink; and men use illicit drugs at more than double the rate of women. What’s more, some men may be prone to push themselves physically, such as attempting a marathon, triathlon or an extreme sport. It’s a good idea to check with your physician before you engage in any extreme sport and start a slow and steady training routine. 

Remember Behavioral Health: The pandemic – and associated economic challenges – may be triggering more stress and anxiety. Unfortunately, research shows that men are less likely than women to seek help, particularly for depression and other behavioral health issues. One potential barrier may be that some men might be embarrassed to ask for this type of assistance. To help with that, men may consider a virtual visit with a mental health provider via a mobile device or computer, a service that may already be available as part of their health care benefits. Virtual visits may shorten wait times for an appointment, fit schedules, and eliminate travel time and expense. And, research shows that outcomes of a virtual visit with a mental health provider may be similar to in-person sessions for multiple behavioral health issues.

Considering these tips may benefit men now and their families in the future. And by better understanding men’s specific health challenges, especially in connection to COVID-19, we can help men in California  live healthier lives.

Address Racism in San Bernardino County

What is the Purpose of this Demonstration?

The killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor are only a reminder of what we already know: structural, systemically-protected racism is alive and well. We can no longer allow public servants to ignore these atrocities committed against black people, the time to act is now! This demonstration is a call to action demanding that state and local officials address disparate impacts of structural racism as a public health crisis. This will lead to dialogue with key public servants to talk about local accountability measures for law enforcement and to call for a resolution to declare racism a public health crisis in San Bernardino County. We’re not only demanding this resolution declaring racism a public health crisis, we are also pushing for a county-wide study illuminating the public health impact of structural racism and key recommendations and strategies for a systemic response to address care needs associated with long-term effects of racism. 

What can I do?

Public Comment:Please join the community in submitting a public comment to the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors demanding that they, like many other cities, declare racism the public health crisis that it is!

The deadline to submit public comments is this Tuesday, June 2nd at  8AM

Make your voice heard
at: http://www.sbcounty.gov/cob/publiccomments/default.aspx

TO HELP SET-UP PLEASE ARRIVE at 9AM  

June 2nd at 10AM SB County Action

San Bernardino County Government Center 

385 North Arrowhead Avenue

San Bernardino, CA 92411

Are you going? 

Yes

No

Maybe

I am willing to help with:

Showing up at 9am to set up.

To help as a first-aid responder.

Monitoring & ensuring safe/social distancing is maintained.

To support with security/crowd controlLeading chant(s). 

Sent by Pastor Samuel Casey

Deadliest Season for Young People Approaches

California SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) issued a statewide call to action in combating the deadliest season for young people — the summer months. Known as the “100 deadliest days,” the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day is the season when more young people lose their lives in car crashes and other destructive decisions.

In 2018, *2476 people between the ages of 13-19 lost their lives on the nation’s roadways, and thousands more were injured. While young drivers make up **5.3% of all drivers, they represent a large percentage of all fatal crashes. The leading cause of crashes continues to be distracted driving, impaired driving, and reckless behavior. Combine these problems with inexperience and it is clear why car crashes continue to be the leading cause of death and injury for young people.

“Because of recent events, we’re reminded of the importance of public health, and public health includes traffic safety,” says Lynne Brown, California State Manager. “Our message is buckle up, every time.

Drive sober. If you feel different, you drive different. Keep your eyes on the road, hands on the wheel. Everyone’s actions impact all roadway users, every driver, passenger, and pedestrian.”

SADD encourages teens to take the lead in sharing this message. We created a complete campaign of activities, volunteer opportunities, prizes, and more to raise awareness and empower young people, even in this time of social distancing. Parents can be involved too.

Aguilar Announces $4.8 Million for Inland Empire Health Care Provider

REDLANDS, CA—– San Bernardino, CA – Today Rep. Pete Aguilar announced that SAC Health System (SACHS) has received $4.8 million in Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) grant funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to continue its work as a Teaching Health Center. The grant program, established by the Affordable Care Act, supports the expansion of community-based health care and allows regions like San Bernardino County to attract graduate medical residents to help provide primary and ambulatory care.

“SACHS plays an integral role in providing high quality health care to middle class and low-income families throughout the Inland Empire, and their physicians have been on the front lines of providing testing and treatment to help our region manage the coronavirus crisis. I’m proud to announce this funding, which will allow SACHS to continue attracting physicians to the Inland Empire, leading to better health outcomes for our underserved communities,” said Rep. Aguilar.

“SAC Health System has benefitted from Teaching Health Center grant funding continuously since July 2013. In the first few years, the funding was at real risk, so I traveled to Washington to meet Rep. Aguilar in his congressional office in 2015.  He listened patiently, asked clarifying questions, and has been a faithful supporter ever since. We have now received over $25 million in total, which has supported the education of 74 primary care doctors to date at SACHS. This funding is truly making a difference for our clinic and for our community,” said Kevin Shannon, MD, MPH, Associate Professor, LLU School of Medicine and Principal Investigator for the SACHS THC Program.

“When the COVID-19 outbreak started, I never could have predicted how it would change our daily lives. I was asked to be a part of the COVID-19 screening clinic and initially was hesitant. I was worried about being exposed to someone and possibly exposing my wife. But with further prayer and consideration, this is exactly the type of thing I wanted to be a part of. Meeting current needs of the local community, being able to give accurate information, and reassure and pray with the people we see is exactly what I want to,” said Dr. Eric Steele, who came to SACHS through the THC program. Dr. Steele is one of nine SACHS physicians assisting with COVID-19 testing.

Rep. Aguilar serves as Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, the committee responsible for allocating federal funds to agencies like HRSA.

Volunteers Needed for High Desert Drive Thru Free Family Support Day

HIGH DESERT, CA—– In light of COVID-19 and to support our community we would like to thank you for supporting the “Pull Up and Pick Up”.

Thank you for everyone that registered for the “Pull Up and Pick Up” Drive Thru Free Family Support Day for over 500 Families. The event is going to be a huge success and registration was at Capacity in 24 hours.

We are now in need of volunteers for the next event on Saturday, June 6 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Excelsior Charter School located at 18422 Bear Valley Road, Victorville, CA 92395.

If you would like to volunteer, please contact Yoselyn Aldama at (909) 723-1543

Travel Industry Inching Back

Via CBS News

The sight is quite jarring: Four-hundred passenger planes that would normally be zipping through the skies are now parked in the California desert, row after row, with thousands more grounded elsewhere.

Last year, the AAA said 43 million Americans went somewhere on Memorial Day weekend.  This year, the AAA isn’t even making a guess as to how many people will hit the road, but they’re expecting it to be an all-time low.

Travel will bounce back, but for now it’s just inching back, and your experience won’t be nearly the same as before.

Let’s start with your hotel.

Travelers who check back in will have a much different stay, said Hilton CEO Chris Nassetta. “You’ll go to your room with your digital key. You won’t have to touch anything other than your phone. You’ll open your room with your phone.”

And the room you open will have been cleaned like never before: Masked housekeepers will pay special attention to things like light switches and TV remotes, and when they’re done, they’ll put a seal on the door.

“When a housekeeper is done cleaning the room, we will seal it, and you will be the first one in it,” Nasetta said. “And we will not come in it until you leave or until you ask us to come back in it.”

Hilton Hotels

And now, to the skies:

Air travel has dropped by as much as 90 percent, United Airlines is now flying fewer passengers per day than it has pilots.  But for those who are flying, the experience is different, and not necessarily in a good way.

Food service aboard is mostly gone, and if you’ve got to go, one European airline, Ryanair, is making passengers raise their hands for permission to use the lavatories.

That’s not the case for U.S. carriers – yet – but there’s an entirely new disinfecting program.

And no mixed drinks, according to Oscar Munoz, executive chairman of United.

CBS News travel editor Peter Greenberg asked Munoz, “I’m assuming no more pillows on the planes for a while? No more blankets on the planes for a while?”

“Yeah, things of that nature, right? You saw that after 9/11, right? We took out cutlery. And then, you know, things eventually come back. I think once again, in this particular case, once a vaccine is discovered, hopefully, you know, sort of the nervousness dissipates and we can get back to something that’s back to the old normal. But things will definitely change.”

Like other airlines, United already has systems in place to make flying safer – better cleaning of seat-backs and tray tables, and things like electrostatic sprayers to disinfect every nook and cranny.

Sanitizing a passenger plane between flights. | UNITED

But social distancing is pretty much impossible on a plane, and United was called out a few weeks ago when a passenger tweeted a photo of a packed flight:

Greenberg asked, “You had a flight recently that, you know, went viral with somebody claiming that, ‘My God, there was no social distancing at all.’ What have you done about that?”

“We are gonna let you know, if you’re flying on us, a day or two in advance, ‘Hey, by the way, Peter, the flight that you’re on seems to be over X-percent full’ – 65%, 70%, we’ll figure out a number. ‘If you’re uncomfortable with that, there’s a flight leaving three hours later that, you know, has a lot of capacity.’ And so, if you’re uncomfortable and your plans allow that flexibility, that’s what we’ve sort of pivoted to, to ensure that you have that.”

Besides being less crowded, your upcoming flight may also be cheaper. You can find a lot of bargain fares right now. But since some airlines are losing $100 million a day, you can also expect fewer flights, and more turbulence ahead.

Munoz said, “For now, again, the operative term is to let’s get through this crisis for the time being, and, you know, say a prayer or whatever it is that we do to make sure that not just our industry but that the world writ large becomes a healthier place.”

And when an entire industry has basically been grounded, there’s no place to go but up.

A Crisis on Two Fronts: Black Immigrants Face COVID-19 in California and Back Home

By Manny Otiko?| California Black Media  

California is home to an estimated 11 million immigrants and many of them are Black — from Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe and other parts of the world.  

According to the Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI) at USC, immigrants make up 6.5 percent of California’s Black population. That figure has doubled since 1980.? 

From Silicon Valley engineers and Hollywood celebrities to medical professionals, small storefront owners, ride share drivers and hotel housekeepers, Black immigrants are as diverse as the general population in California.  

They live in small clusters in inland valley towns and in larger ethnic enclaves in San Diego, San Francisco and Los Angeles — or they blend into suburban communities across the state, according to data collected by California Black Media to support its Census 2020 awareness mapping.  

But many Black immigrants have been uniquely affected by the coronavirus crisis. Like all Californians, they are dealing with the dangers of the disease and the economic and social uncertainties it has caused across the Golden State. At the same time, they are worried about how the global pandemic is affecting relatives back in their homelands.  

Across the United States and in California, large numbers of immigrants work in the healthcare field. Many more are other essential workers, toughing it out on the frontlines working in the service industry or in medical, transportation and sanitation jobs.? 

In California, 35% of all healthcare professionals are immigrants, according to the Migration Policy Institute.  

Mawata Kamara, who is originally from the West African country Liberia, works as an emergency room nurse in San Leandro, a suburb east of the San Francisco Bay in Alameda County. She said that her hospital currently sees about two to three COVID-19 patients a day.? 

According to Kamara, she gets confused trying to keep up with the government’s guidance regarding  the pandemic. For example, she’s currently reusing N95 masks, which used to be forbidden, she says. She also gets a stream of emails with constant updates — sometimes conflicting news — about the virus itself, safety changes or how to treat the disease.? 

“The general feeling of unpreparedness is everywhere,” said Kamara. 

As an African immigrant, Kamara says she sees the unique challenges that Black people, both immigrants and American-born Blacks, face in dealing with COVID-19. One of the reasons the disease has affected the Black community is because many people live in multi-generational families, Kamara says. This makes it very difficult to self-quarantine. Kamara said one of her African co-workers faced this situation when she contracted the disease and didn’t want to take it back home where she lived with several relatives.? 

“Self-quarantine is a luxury most people can’t afford,” she said. 

Kamara has taken to changing her clothes in the garage and cleaning her shoes before she enters the home she shares with her daughter.? 

“I don’t think anyone wants to go to work and bring it back home,” said Kamara. 

Kamara is also concerned about her native country, Liberia, which has been affected by the disease. The country currently has more than 210 COVID-19 infections. About half the patients have survived. Twenty people have died from the disease.? 

Liberia, which has a underdeveloped healthcare system, was devastated by the Ebola pandemic which started in 2014 and resulted in more than 11,000 deaths. Kamara has advised family members who were visiting the country to return to the United States so they can have access to better quality health care.? 

Although coping with the challenges of COVID-19 is grueling for Black immigrants in California like Kamara who are naturalized citizens or have Green Cards, it is even more difficult for those who are undocumented. They did not qualify for the federal $1,200 stimulus payments the federal government has been sending out.  

There are an estimated two million undocumented immigrants in California.  

Earlier this month, Gov. Newsom announced a new $75 million California state program that will provide disaster relief to undocumented immigrants in payments of up to $1,000 per household. The program will begin on Monday May 25, and the money will be awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis. See the list below for organizations that will be distributing the money.  

In Los Angeles, Lyndon Johnson is publisher of CaribPress, a publication that covers West Indian news and events in Southern California, around the United States and in the Caribbean. He is originally from Jamaica. Johnson said the disease presents a unique danger to people from his country because many of them also work in the healthcare field.  

Johnson says some of them are his family members.?“One of my sisters is scared to go to work,” he said.   

Johnson said he recently participated in a Zoom meeting with members of the Jamaican diaspora who connected to talk about how COVID-19 is affecting them.? 

The island of Jamaica has also changed its rules to deal with the disease. Jamaica currently has more than 500 infections and nine deaths. Johnson said people coming in from certain countries are automatically quarantined.  

The Jamaican economy, Johnson says, relies heavily on tourism, but COVID-19 has brought travel to his home country to a halt. According to the Caribbean Journal, Jamaica earned some  $3.3 billion in 2018 from tourism.  

Johnson said the Caribbean Comedy Series, one of the largest West Indian cultural events held in the Los Angeles area, had to be canceled this year. It was supposed to be held in March.  

Many Caribbean community organizations in California and around the country organize annual health missions, where they return home and perform healthcare checkups. Those have all been canceled as well, said Johnson.? 

In San Diego, Chuol Tut, executive director of the South Sudanese Community Center in San Diego, said there are about 4,000 Sudanese (from both South Sudan and North Sudan) living in the San Diego area. He said they are attracted to the area because of the climate, which is similar to their homeland.?? 

South Sudan is the world’s youngest country. It gained its independence in 2011 after years of conflict with Sudan, a country that is 97 percent Muslim. South Sudan is predominantly Christian.? 

Tut said the community has been impacted by the coronavirus outbreak because many of them work in front-line jobs such as drivers, healthcare, casinos and housekeeping. Currently, many of them are out of work.? 

Tut said the center, located in East San Diego, is assisting some of them apply for unemployment benefits because some of them struggle with speaking English.? 

“We try to help them as much as we can,” he said.? 

COVID-19 has also affected the nation of South Sudan. According to Tut, there are currently more than 230 cases and one fatality. Also, the country is a major trading hub with a lot of visitors coming in from neighboring countries such as Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia. Now the government has established a quarantine zone that stops anyone from coming into the East African county.  

Back on the frontlines of the crisis in California, Kamara says she believes we are not over the worse of the pandemic.  

That’s why she is discouraged by protestors who are demanding businesses reopen. Kamara said too many Americans don’t realize the dangers of  COVID-19 because of misinformation.  

“Until that’s addressed, people won’t take it seriously,” she said.? 

Undocumented Black immigrants who want to apply for California’s coronavirus emergency assistance program should contact the following groups representing their area: 

Northern California: 

California Human Development Corporation 

(707) 228-1338 www.californiahumandevelopment.org/ 

Covering Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Napa, Nevada, Pleasure, Plumas, 

 Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma Tehama, Trinity 

Bay Area: 

Catholic Charities of California 

Alameda and Contra Costa: www.cceb.org 

Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo: www.catholiccharitiessf.org/ Santa Clara: www.catholiccharitiesscc.org/ 

Central Coast: 

Mixteco / Indígena Community Organizing Project (MICOP) www.mixteco.org/drai/3 

Santa Barbara: (805) 519-7776 

Ventura: (805) 519-7774 

Community Action Board Santa Cruz 

(800) 228-6820 www.cabinc.org/ 

Covering Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz 

Central Valley: 

United Farm Workers Foundation (UFWF) 

(877) 527-6660 www.ufwfoundation.org 

Covering Ash, Kern, Kings, Wood, Merced, Tulare and Mono 

California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation (CRLAF) 

(877) 557-0521 www.crlaf.org/drai 

Covering Mariposa, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tuolumne Yolo and Yuba 

 Los Angeles and Orange County: 

Asian Americans Advancing Justice 

(213) 241-8880 www.advancingjustice-la.org 

Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) 

(213) 201-8700 www.chirla.org 

Los Angeles Central American Resource Center (CARECEN) (213) 315-2659 www.carecen-la.org/ 

Inland Empire: 

San Bernardino Community Service Center 

(888) 444-0170, (909) 521-7535 www.sbcscinc.org Covering Inyo, Riverside, San Bernardino 

TODEC Legal Center Perris 

(888) 863-3291 www.TODEC.org 

Covering Inyo, Riverside, San Bernardino 

San Diego and Imperial County 

Jewish Family Service of San Diego Imperial County: 760-206-3242 San Diego County: 858-206-8281 

African American Organizations Call for Riverside County Supervisors to Form Taskforce to Save Black Lives

RIVERSIDE, CA—- Leading black organizations sent letters requesting for the Riverside County Board of Supervisors to create an African American Fatality Taskforce. Participating organizations include:

  • Riverside NAACP
  • Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (COPE)
  • Riverside County Black Chamber of Commerce
  • 100 Black Men of the Inland Empire
  • Coalition for Black Health and Wellness
  • The Black Collective
  • The Black Student Advocate

The letters state “we are calling the Riverside County Board of Supervisors to establish a county African American Fatality Taskforce to propose recommendations to you on addressing the mortality rate and addressing the historic underlined conditions that are contributing to it. The county is in the position to finally bring justice to this community. We ask that you please act now.”

The African American community has historically been marginalized and oppressed since the founding of this nation and county. Due to these historical atrocities, the African American community has biological, social, and emotional adverse outcomes that is being passed from one generation to another. Covid-19 has only magnified the systemic inequalities that persist in the United States and Riverside County. And nonwhite Americans, especially African Americans, have been hit hard on nearly every front.

African Americans are dying at disproportionately higher rates compared to all other ethnicities. As of last week, 16,329 black Americans are known to have died due to Covid-19, according to an analysis from the American Public Media (APM) Research Lab. That’s out of approximately 61,000 deaths for which race and ethnicity data was available. About 75,000 people total had lost their lives to the coronavirus at the time of the analysis, a number that has risen to more than 77,000. African Americans make up about 13% of the US population, according to the Census Bureau, but 27% of known Covid-19 deaths.

In Riverside County we are seeing the same disproportionate fatality rates as we are seeing throughout the nation.

Blacks, Don’t Fall for the President’s “Rope-A-Dope” on Churches Reopening

Special to California Black Media Partners | Hardy Brown, Publisher Emeritus, Black Voice News and co-founder of California Black Media 

Pres. Trump is tempting Christians to crowd into churches, implying your God will protect you. You have been pent up for three months now and you deserve to be free. This is a free country.  

The President boasts that we had one of the greatest economies the world has ever seen before COVID-19, so you should deny the fact that the virus is threatening your life and get out, cut loose, sing, pray, shout and hug your friends. Your God will protect you. 

His attempt to persuade “the saved” among us to just get out and go back to their beloved churches carries more weight for African Americans.   

Trump knows that Coronavirus/COVID-19, “Rona” as it is called in the hood, is killing more Blacks than any other race of people.  

Across the United States, Black Americans represent nearly 13% of the total population, but African Americans living in counties where the Black population ranges between 13% and 85%, account for more than half of all COVID-19 infections, and they make up almost  60% of deaths. Those numbers were released earlier this month by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, Georgetown University, the University of Mississippi, and Emory University.  

Here in California, Black COVID-19 patients are 2.7 times more likely to be hospitalized than their Non-Hispanic, White counterparts, and they “tend to arrive at healthcare facilities sicker and with more severe symptoms,” according to a study released just last week by Sutter Health, a non-profit healthcare network based in Sacramento.  

Knowing that Blacks are at a higher risk of dying and getting hospitalized from COVID-19, what should we make of the President’s push to get us back into our churches? 

At best, we might assume that the President is trying to till the ground in preparation for a grassroots religious uprising against popular Democratic governors like Newsom and Cuomo across the country who have become models, for many Americans, of efficient leadership in response to the coronavirus crisis. So far, President Trump’s instigation and dog whistling against state-imposed shutdowns have taken root across the country mostly among White hard-Right wing groups. 

Earlier this month, about 1,200 pastors, mostly White, in California vowed legal action against the state and told the governor they would open up their churches on Pentecost Sunday, which is May 31, with or without the governor’s blessing or approval.  

But Black clergy and Civil Rights organizations are putting up a wall of resistance, remaining cautious about the reopening of churches, businesses, and public spaces, considering the havoc COVID-19 is wreaking in our communities.  

“I’m appealing to all my men and women of faith to reject that because, clearly, we are not in the position to safely tell congregants of any faith to come in person and worship without risking their lives and risking their health,” said the Rev. Al Sharpton, President an CEO of National Action Network. “We’ve already seen churches that have prematurely opened up and people got have gotten sick and some have even died.” 

Fortunately, this past Friday, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Gov Newsom’s ban on in-person church services, after President Trump reclassified churches as essential last week.  

Several other Black members of the clergy have echoed Sharpton’s position against reopening.  

In the worst-case scenario, African Americans might assume Trump is hoping to reduce the Black voting population of seniors by using “Rona” to do his dirty work, allowing him to escape the blame. This may seem cynical to some, but it is not a far-fetched notion among African Americans watching how callously so many are approaching a return to business as usual without factoring how this disease is impacting Blacks of all ages.  

We love religion and we tap into our Christian faith for so much of the power that takes us through life’s challenges from day to day. So I liken Trump’s proposition to a famous story of seduction in the Bible: What Satan was doing to Jesus after Jesus had fasted for forty days all alone in the wilderness.  

Like the frustration we’re feeling under this shelter in place order, Satan knew Jesus was lonely and hungry and wanted to be around people because that was His main reason for being on earth as a human.  

So don’t fall for the President’s “Rope-A-Dope” stay home for just a little longer until we figure out that its safer for us.  

The only way Black people should go back to church like the President is suggesting is if they see the Blood of the Lamb painted over the door and they personally hear God speak loud and clear, “you will be safe in this church building.” Otherwise, they should stay home and wait for COVID-19 (the death angel) to pass us by. 

My friends, this is what the angels will do for you if you believe, keep the faith and trust in HIS WORD. My family’s pastor, the late Rev. William Jacks at St. Paul AME in San Bernardino, taught me that when our son was lying in the hospital bed in an induced coma for 19 days. Friends were advising me to go home get some sleep, and Rev. Jacks said to me, “follow Jesus, He will provide everything you need in times like these.” 

And he sure did. Our son miraculously pulled through and survived that ordeal, as we stood by his side, praying, and knowing that we would get to the other side of that crisis, together, as family.