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(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)— SAN BERNARDINO, CA— Norton Elementary School sixth-grader Selina Vasquez never imagined she would one day share her love for STEM with Chinese children.

A unique summer exchange program started by Principal Elizabeth Cochrane-Benoit made it possible for Selina and about 60 fellow Norton students to spend two weeks in July immersing seven Chinese students in educational activities related to science, technology, engineering, and math, better known as STEM.

The program, thought to be the first of its kind for foreign exchange students in elementary school, is the culmination of two years of collaboration between Cochrane-Benoit and Guohai “Jack” Tang, the CEO of Chinese high-tech company Keeson Technology Corporation.

“We’re teaching the students to use 3D printers and they’re teaching us how to speak Chinese,” Selina said. “We’re excited that we might end up going to China as exchange students.”

Norton teachers and students are showcasing technology like computer-aided design and 3D printers to show the exchange students how STEM education and applied learning have transformed education at the downtown San Bernardino school.

“They’re so impressed with all that our Norton students are doing in elementary school,” Cochrane-Benoit said. “The technology our students use on a daily basis is the same technology Keeson employees are using.”

Students are also participating in daily field trips, including one to Keeson-owned company Ergomotion in Redlands, which manufactures technology for adjustable beds.

San Bernardino City Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Dale Marsden welcomed the students to Norton by greeting them in their native Mandarin through an online interpretation app.

“I’m pleased to welcome our young people from China,” Marsden said. “I’m so glad that we can participate in this exchange opportunity.”

Subheadline: Exclusive interview with director Eva Tillman and her core staff 

By Naomi K. Bonman

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)— In traditional public schools’ certain classes have been getting cut from the curriculum and others have never been offered which leaves students lacking necessary life skills to survive in the “real world”. This is where charter schools come in.  Charter schools not only provide students with the basic K-12 programs, but they also incorporate courses that will help youth become successful beyond their school endeavors.

Savant Preparatory Academy, led by Eva Tillman, Jea Brown-Reese and Jennette Balcazar, leads students to experience an enlighten that will awaken a passion for lifelong learning outside of the core subjects which include English, math and science.

“We recognize that a true experience will help children develop a sense of purpose that will be the driving force of success or the rest of their lives,” Tillman states. “And we intend to give children the space to explore their abilities that will make them great entrepreneurs and leaders.”

At Savant, they make learning enjoyable to the students to where the kids are excited to go to school each morning. I recently interviewed the core team of the academy where I was able to hear first-hand about the excitement and journey of Savant Prep.

Listen to the interview below:

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)— RIVERSIDE, CA—- The memorial services for NAACP Riverside Branch President and Community Icon, Waudieur “Woodie” Rucker Hughes, will be held on Tuesday, July 24 at 12:30 p.m. at Harvest Christian Church located at 6115 Arlington Avenue in Riverside. There will be a viewing at 11 a.m. followed by the repass immediately after the service.

Woodie peacefully made her transition on the morning of July 13. She served as the Riverside chapter’s branch president for close to 20 years. She also recently retired from the Riverside Unified School District where she served as Child Welfare Attendance Manager/District Coordinator for Homeless Education. 

“Riverside has lost a great one. Woodie was knowledgeable, dependable and steadfast in her commitment to Civil Rights and community organizing. Her leadership and strength will be missed,” said San Bernardino NAACP President A. Majadi.

The family has asked that in lieu of flowers and plants, donations should be made to the Memorial Fund at Altura Credit Union.

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)— RIVERSIDE, CA— Carolyn B. Murray, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Riverside, has been awarded the 2018 Dr. William Montague Cobb award for special achievements in public health at the local level, presented annually by the National Health Committee of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP.

The award is given to an outstanding individual in a local community “in recognition of special achievement in areas of social justice, health justice advocacy, health education, health promotion, fundraising, and research.”

Murray received the honor for her many years of research and activism addressing health disparities in the African American community. She will receive the award on July 16 at the Annual NAACP Convention in San Antonio, Texas.

“The College is thrilled to learn that our colleague Dr. Carolyn Murray has been honored with receiving this award,” said Milagros Peña, dean of the UCR College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. “The NAACP has led the nation as an organization and a voice to removing barriers, particularly for people of color, and, in doing so, holding our nation to its stated purpose of ensuring political, educational, social, and economic equality of all citizens. To have Dr. Murray’s scholarship and career be recognized by the NAACP is one of the highest recognitions one can receive in one’s career, and speaks so truly to Dr. Murray’s achievements.”

Murray joined UCR in 1980. Broadly, her research covers ethnicity, race, and health. She has published extensively on doctor-patient interactions, how culture is a factor in health, how racism and mental health are linked, the psychology of health disparities among African Americans, gender disparities in physician-patient communication among African American patients in primary care, and how mental health disparities in the African American population in California can be addressed and eliminated.

Murray’s research interests include the dynamics of the African American family. Specifically, she conducts developmental research on the socialization practices used by African American families. She also studies the processes by which African American children are prepared to participate successfully in society at large.

She is the founder and executive director of the University STEM Academy, a program housed in the UCR psychology building, that teaches children to be health ambassadors. Aimed mostly at African American students in grades six through nine, the academy, which is home also to a mini medical school, creates a healthy and active learning environment to increase participants’ academic skills and performance, and develop their leadership skills.

Murray has published research papers in several leading peer-reviewed journals and authored numerous book chapters in a variety of scholarly texts. Currently, she is writing a lay book for African American parents on how to advocate on behalf of their children within the educational system.

She has won numerous awards and honors, including the Distinguished Teaching Award from UCR, the Riverside Countywide YWCA “Woman of Achievement Award in Education,” the UCR Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research, and the Association of Black Psychologists Distinguished Psychologist Award. She is the recipient also of the NAACP Riverside Branch’s Roy Wilkins Award, UCR’s Outstanding Black Faculty of the Year, and the UCR Graduate Division’s Award for Commitment to Graduate Diversity.

“I am deeply honored to receive this award from the NAACP,” Murray said. “It gives me a solid platform to bring the public’s attention to the dire state of health in the African American community and beyond. I would like to thank the local NAACP branch for its ardent support in helping address this issue. Life expectancy has decreased two years in a row for Americans, a grave concern that is largely unreported. This award will serve as a reminder that my crusade against health disparities, particularly in the African American community, must continue. Our work is far from done.”

William Montague Cobb, for whom the award is named, was a pioneering 20th-century physical anthropologist. Born in 1904, he was the first African American to earn a doctorate in anthropology. He also earned a doctor of medicine degree from Howard University Medical School. He was a scholar on the concept of race and its negative impact on communities of color. He served as president of the NAACP from 1976 to 1982. He died in 1990.

By Manny Otiko | California Black Media

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)—— The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office has become embroiled in a scandal that is symptomatic of the political problems facing this country. Over the weekend it was revealed that Michael Selyem, a gang prosecutor, made hateful comments about former first lady Michelle Obama and Rep. Maxine Waters.

“Being a loud-mouthed c#nt in the ghetto you would think someone would have shot this bitch by now …” said Selyem, in a post referring to Waters.

He also posted a picture of Michelle Obama holding an altered sign that read “Trump touched my penis.”

Waters has engaged in a verbal battle with President Donald Trump. She said she is determined to see him impeached. Trump has responded by referring to Waters as “a low-IQ individual.”

Waters has also come under fire from her own party for saying that Trump administration officials should be confronted in public for working with a president she sees as a criminal. But Waters was backed by the Congressional Black Caucus and a Twitter hashtag #standwithmaxine, created by the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP)/ Black Women’s Roundtable (BWR.)

However, pushback against Trump administration officials is already happening. White House staffers Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Senior Advisor Stephen Miller have both been confronted in public. Sanders was asked to leave the Red Hen restaurant in Virginia. Miller was cursed at by a Washington, D.C. bartender while picking up an order of sushi.)

However, Selyem’s comments about Michelle Obama are curious. The Obama family has been out of the White House for two years. But when President Barack Obama was head of the government, there was a lot of hate directed at him and his wife from right-wing sources. One of the slurs claimed Michelle Obama was born a man and transitioned to a woman. (Selyem is a Trump supporter.)

But there’s another problem with Selyem’s comments. Apart from being unprofessional, they may also call into question his objectivity in the courtroom. Selyem is a gang prosecutor and he mainly went after Latino gangs. But his social media posts show him making racist comments. One of his posts read “Mexican word of the day: Hide.”

Selyem’s comments have been criticized by African-American political activist Najee Ali, a Los Angeles-based community activist. Ali held a press conference in San Bernardino on Monday.

“Selyem’s public comments are hateful and could be interpreted as a call to violence against Congressmember Waters. Law enforcement personnel and officers of the court system should not incite violence,” said Ali. “How can a public prosecutor, who publicly espouses such views be trusted to impartially administer justice.”

Terrence Stone, a gang intervention expert who works in San Bernardino, said that these kinds of comments make it difficult for young people to trust the legal system.

“I’m appalled and it’s disgusting,” he said. “These are people who are in charge of giving us a fair trial.”

According to a spokesperson for the San Bernardino County DA’s office, Selyem’s comments have been under investigation since late June. And he has been placed on leave until the investigation is finished.

Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable President Earl Ofari Hutchinson takes the matter even more seriously. He called for Selyem to be charged with a federal crime.

“In this volatile climate such a threat poses a grave danger to Waters. The shooting of an Arizona congresswoman and the recent physical confrontations with government officials in public places underscore that grave threat,” said Hutchinson. “The law is clear on public threats to federal officials, it is a crime. The U.S. attorney must take action against Selyem for his violation of federal law in calling for the attack on Waters.”

Photo Credit: Robert A. Whitehead/CSUSB

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)— SAN BERNARDINO, CA— Cal State San Bernardino said goodbye on to its first Coyotes Rising cohort after the students’ visit to the university from June 24 to June 26. The summer overnight stay program is for high achieving African American students. One of its goals is to increase the number of underrepresented students at CSUSB through effective collaboration with on-campus and off-campus constituencies.

By Naomi K. Bonman

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)— It has been seven months since marijuana has become legalized in California, as well as a few other states. Since it has been legal many have been joyous, while others have still been skeptical and have continued to raise questions and concerns. This is why it is important to have forums to accommodate people into better understanding the science and benefits behind cannabis. 

On Wednesday, June 27 at WeWork Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, modern-day political voice, cultural and legal expert, Dr. Christopher Metzler, participated in a one-on-one “Politics of Cannabis” discussion with Black Hollywood Live Executive Producer, Derrial Christon. Throughout the question and answer session they chatted on the medical, recreational and statutory components of cannabis. 

“[Tonight] is going to be a really good event,” Christon states on what attendees were in for. “Obviously the cannabis industry is booming and growing in several different markets It’s a money maker so people are now realizing that they need to label it differently than how it has been looked at before.”

The event was presented by Wise Owl Media Group and Jade Umbrella, and was very well attended. Attendees were able to mingle and network with each other, as well as partaking in sampling of Cannabis and hemp-infused food and drink supplements. 

“The people that are the closet to me are people in my family,” Dr. Metzler explains on what inspired him to get into the cannabis industry. “When I see family and friends suffering from illnesses and I see medication that is given to them that is not really helping but making the situation worst, I then have to look at what is freely available and what are the alternatives. I’ve done that and so I’m very very passionate about this topic.” 

In addition to educating the guests about Cannabis, the founders of MelixMJ also introduced their DNA kit. The Cannabis DNA report tests how genes influence Cannabis on one’s health through a saliva collection kit. Based upon individual results, certain products may be better tolerated or more effective for specific conditions. Genes help to determine how our bodies process and rest on cannabinoids and terpenes (different compounds in cannabis). This test is revolutionary for prescription of the right strain and right dose for flower, concentrates, edibles, topical, and THC to CBD ratios based upon one’s unique genetic expression.

This is just the first of many events that Dr.Metzler plans on doing. He will be rolling out more sessions across the country to start educating people about the benefits, science and how people can become more involved in the industry. 

If you missed the Los Angeles event, you can check out the interview below:

Stay connected @DrChrisMetzler on Twitter/Facebook/Twitter.

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)—RIVERSIDE, CA— The California Red Tails/Black Pilots of America hosted an Open House at the Riverside Municipal Airport on Saturday, June 23. The purpose of the open house was to refresh community awareness of the role and continuing involvement of Black pilots in the history of aviation in America.  

The event offered special guests and the community-at-large the opportunity to increase awareness of a range of aviation career fields, experience, education, training requirements and opportunities to network with private and commercial pilots, air traffic controllers and aviation mechanics.

Special guest of honor, Tuskegee Airman, Harlan Q Leonard, Lt Col., was present and consented to requests of persons honored to be photographed with him.

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)— PACIFIC OCEAN— Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Airman Darion Payne, from San Bernardino, California, is selected as the Sailor of the Day aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). John C. Stennis is underway preparing for its next scheduled deployment.