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LOS ANGELES, CA- (EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)- The Opening Premiere & Cocktail Hour of New Stage Play “Feeding A Monster” was a success as many celebrities walked the red carpet, enjoyed hosted cocktails and smooth jazz by saxophonist Cal Bennett. The premiere & cocktail hour for Feeding A Monster was held on Friday, April 20, inside the Hudson Theatre in Los Angeles. Celebrities and guests filled the theater in support of the evening’s theme “Standing with Survivors of Sexual Assault.” Those in attendance included Garrett Morris (The Jamie Foxx Show), Roger Mosley (Magnum P.I.), Glynn Turman (A Different World; House of Lies; Queen Sugar), Ralph Farquhar (Moesha; Married With Children), Rahvaunia (ABC’s For The People), Neko Sparks (The Woods), Ty Granderson Jones (ER), Judyann Elder (Family Time; Martin), John Cothran (Murder In The First), Petri Bryd (Daytime Emmy Award Show Judge Judy), Janeshia-Adams Ginyard (Black Panther), Diana Popick (All Wrong; Criminal Minds), Thomas Wright (Fruitville Station), and many others.

April being Sexual Assault Awareness month, author Veronica Loving and co-author Jazzmine Jackson are using their new stage play to help victims and survivors affected by sexual assault start the road to physical healing. The play is a genius blend of comedy tragedy and lessons they learned along the way. 

April being Sexual Assault Awareness month, author Veronica Loving and co-author Jazzmine Jackson are using their new stage play to help victims and survivors affected by sexual assault start the road to physical healing. The play is a genius blend of comedy tragedy and lessons they learned along the way.

Written by Loving, La Darrion Williams, and directed by actor Art Evans best known from the movie “Die Hard 2,” the play is based on Loving and Jackson’s memoir “Feeding A Monster.” The memoir details Loving’s 21-year marriage to her husband who was a minor-league baseball player. Their marriage took a turn when Loving learned that the man, husband, father and athlete she loved was a sexual assault predator living in her home.

The book is unlike any other book that addresses sexual assault, it follows the dramatic real-life story of authors Loving and Jackson who were victims of a predator who happened to be the husband and father of the mother and daughter duo. The book describes the abuse inflicted by the man who was to protect, love, and keep them safe. The women in this book speak candidly about their personal experience with sexual assault and other issues such as date rape and domestic violence. Cast members include actors Fayley Patrice (playing Veronica Loving), DeJuan Christopher (playing Kenneth Crockom King), Doyin Domingo (paying Jazzmine Jackson), Conisha Wade-Dorsey (playing Rhea), and Andre K. Jefferson (playing Eli).

The play is scheduled to run for one more weekend on April 27 through April 29th at the Hudson Theater, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA.

For show times and tickets, go online to HudsonTheatre.com or call 323-960-4420. You can purchase the book online at Amazon.com.

Popular airline begins non-stop service to New York in September

ONTARIO, CA- (EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)- Ontario International Airport (ONT) officials heralded news from JetBlue that the popular airline will return to ONT this fall, beginning with nonstop service to New York. JetBlue is the third carrier in recent months to announce new service at ONT, the fastest growing airport in Southern California.

“One of the biggest questions we get is when JetBlue will come to Ontario. Now we know that day is September 5,” said Alan D. Wapner, president of the Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA). “We can’t wait to welcome JetBlue, its crew members and customers. They can expect quick, easy access to our first-rate facilities and the hassle-free experience for which ONT is known.”

JetBlue will launch its new service with a daily roundtrip to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). Flight 355 will depart JFK at 7:12 p.m. local time, arriving ONT at 10:39 p.m. Red-eye service back to JFK will depart ONT at 11:59 p.m. with arrival in New York at 8:24 a.m. JetBlue will serve the non-stop route with 160-seat Airbus A320 aircraft.

OIAA CEO Mark Thorpe noted that ONT has room to grow and that there will be ample opportunity for JetBlue to initiate new routes as the airport adds services and amenities that are popular with airlines and air travelers.

“Ontario is the place to be in Southern California aviation,” Thorpe said. “Domestic and international carriers are quickly seeing the great value ONT provides for their airlines and their customers.”

JetBlue operated at ONT from July 2000 to September 2008. It suspended service as Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), the previous operator of ONT, reconsidered its approach to regional air transportation and began emphasizing growth at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The OIAA took control of ONT from LAWA on November 1, 2016.

OIAA Vice President Ron Loveridge said JetBlue’s return is testament to the tremendous growth that’s occurring throughout Inland Southern California.

“This is seen as a region to invest in, and ONT plays a such a vital role in making sure that continues,” Loveridge said. “For business and leisure travelers, JetBlue’s new non-stop service to New York couldn’t come as more welcome news.”

ONT is the fastest growing airport in Southern California with passenger and cargo volumes increasing by 10% and more than 16 %, respectively, in the first three months of 2018 compared with the same period last year. ONT welcomed 4.5 million passengers in 2017, 7% more than the year before.

Frontier Airlines initiated operations at ONT last October with service to its home base in Denver, Austin and San Antonio. Flights to the Texas airports continue to Dulles International Airport outside Washington, DC, enabling ONT passengers to reach the East Coast without changing planes. In March, China Airlines began daily service to Taiwan, the first trans-oceanic service in ONT’s history.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- (EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)- The SB Pastors United will be hosting another Community Block Party on Saturday, April 28. The event will be held from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Highland Pacific Elementary School located at 3340 Pacific Street in Highland.

“We are bringing God back into our schools and community,” Reginald Young explains. “The Pastors in Unity and solidarity is taking a stance against violence on our youth and in our community. We invite the community to come out and join us.”

There will be free food, free groceries, free shoes, free clothes and free health checks. There will also be a life-saving message by Bishop Ernest Dowdy of Church of the Living God, as well as powerful gospel music, dancing and good fellowship, face painting, free prizes, much fun! 

The SB Pastors United will also be in attendance at the San Bernardino 2018 State of the City address, on Friday, April 27 at the SB International Airport. Along with two other agencies, SBPU will be recognized for making a difference in the community. 

SBPU has been devoted to making a difference in the lives of the residence in the City. You are invited to come out and see what’s going on in your city and be a part of the solution. Let us join together in unity and solitary; let’s not just talk about it but be about it.

 “It’s going to take the whole village to turn our community around.  SBPU is here to help make a difference in our community by providing “Healing, Change and Progress” to the City of San Bernardino. Good things are coming out of San Bernardino,” Young said.

Please preregister by phone, email or visit www.sbpastorsunited.org. To volunteer call (909) 353-7977.  

LOS ANGELES, CA- (EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)- Betty LaMarr, Founder and President of EmpowHer Institute, is pleased to announce an exciting partnership with B-STEM Project, a national organization that focuses on engaging young girls and women in business and STEM-related disciplines across various industries. 

On Wednesday, April 25, EmpowHer will host the Girls to Greatness Mentor to Inspire Summit.  The goal of this Summit is to motivate students by exposing them to different career opportunities in various industries. Professional women from diverse industries and companies, including Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Southern California Gas Company, United Parcel Service (UPS) and Microsoft, will serve as mentors for the day. The Summit will include a full day of activities for 300 middle and high school students including one-on-one conversations with mentors, an interactive STEM project facilitated by B-STEM, panel discussion and Mentoring Luncheon with Keynote Speaker, Los Angeles’ First Lady, Amy Elaine Wakeland.  

“We’re so excited about all the work B-STEM Project is doing. While many STEM programs focus solely on developing computer science skills, they create a gateway into the entire business of the STEM ecosystem,” said Betty LaMarr. 

“If we are to make a dent in the STEM talent gap, we need to mentor and guide young women now.  Organizations need to make it a priority to level the playing field for women and to deliver top-down support and institutional accountability,” said LaMarr.

“It’s not enough that young girls learn to code nor is it realistic that every girl has an interest in pursuing computer science related careers. However, at B-STEM Project, we believe that all girls need to understand and be confident in their knowledge of STEM disciplines to become successful in the 21st century marketplace,” said Tracie Ponder, Founder, B-STEM Project

This year’s sponsors include: JP Morgan Chase, US Bank, UPS, Microsoft, Quest Diagnostics, Lawrence Livermore, Perry Foundation, Bergman, Dacey, Goldsmith, So Cal Gas, VACO, Frontier Communications, Information Management Resources, Inc. and AMC Theaters.  For sponsorship contact Betty LaMarr, President (310) 574-9181 or info@empowher.org.  For more information on the Girls to Greatness Mentor To Inspire Summit visit our website www.girlstogreatness.org.

EmpowHer Institute 

EmpowHer Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2003. EmpowHer Institute’s mission is to empower marginalized girls and young women by giving them the skills necessary through education, training, and mentorship to enable them to become confident, college and career ready. To learn more about EmpowHer Institute, visit our website www.empowher.org. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

B-STEM Project
B-STEM Project is designed to educate young girls and women about the disciplines of science, technology, engineering and math in business and everyday life. We take an interdisciplinary approach by integrating STEM into a cohesive learning paradigm based on real world application in all professional industries. To learn more about B-STEM, visit our website www.bstemproject.org or email info@bstemproject.org.  B-STEM is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

By Manny Otiko | California Black Media

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)- Legislators and education advocates came together at a press conference Wednesday, April 11, to show support for a bill that they believe will help fix how education is funded for one of the lowest performing subgroups. Advocates say there was a flaw in the five-year-old law that overhauled how education funding is appropriated to school districts through the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF).

Assembly Bill 2635, authored by Assemblywomen Shirley Weber, would target $350 million towards struggling school districts. Many of these districts educate California’s black student population which has historically failed to meet grade-level proficiency in math and reading and perform right above special education students.

According to a press statement, AB 2635 drives equitable funding for California’s lowest-performing subgroup to students not currently receiving funding under LCFF. Additionally, this bill demands greater accountability from both school district and charter school recipients of these supplemental funds over the education outcomes of the lowest performing subgroup.

“We cannot look the other way anymore. African-American kids in California persistently fall behind academically,” said Weber. “And this problem is not limited to low-income students either. Parents have been patiently waiting for something to change, but it has not. Providing additional resources for the lowest-performing students is now no longer an option, but a necessity.”

 Data provided by the California Charter Schools Association (CCSA) and presented to the California Legislative Black Caucus shows the majority of African-American students performed well below state standards. Legislation signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2013 allows school districts to direct increased funding to failing students in four categories.

“About 260,000 (76 percent) receive a supplement under LCFF because they are low income, foster children or homeless, or English learners,” according to the California Department of Education web site.

Under AB 2635, districts could see possible increases: Los Angeles Unified would receive $50 million, Oakland Unified $12.6 million, Long Beach Unified $10.6 million, Pasadena Unified $7 million, San Francisco Unified $6.2 million, Sacramento City Unified $5.3 million, and Inglewood Unified $4.8 million, according to the press release.

“Our students are the most likely to be disciplined and suspended than any other student as shown in various studies linking to implicit biases and damaging stereotypes,” said Sen. Steve Bradford, vice chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, “because of this, and their lack of access to the adequate school resources, the future for our next generation looks grim, unless we take meaningful action. We cannot allow African American students to be left behind any longer.”

Students marched in front of CTA to support AB 2635

 Young people have joined the fight to improve the education system.  Students recently took to the front of the California Teachers Association in Sacramento chanting “schools not prisons,” “support AB 2635” and “don’t watch us fail.”

 “We’re here telling them (CTA) to be in support of AB 2635, and don’t watch us fail” said Nailah Dubose, a ninth-grade student at Fortune High School.

CTA sent a letter to Weber, the author of AB 2635, expressing their shared goal for the bill, but highlighting concerns and marked it as a bill CTA will “watch”.

 In the letter CTA wrote:

“We share the goals of this legislation—to provide additional resources to school districts to help close the achievement gap for our lowest performing students. However, we are concerned that as currently drafted, AB 2635 will not meaningfully increase resources to serve our lowest performing students and may have unintended consequences.”

However, speaking at a press conference Margret Fortune, president and CEO of Fortune School, called for unity among the education community. She noted that the California Charter Schools Association is often on opposite sides of policy debates and acknowledged California School Board Association’s support for this legislation. Fortune invited all of the education coalition community to join in supporting students that were left out of the LCFF funding.

“The students in the most need are the ones that equity demands that we give support. Isn’t that the reason the Local Control Formula Funding was created in the first place?” Asked Fortune.

AB 2635 passed out of the Assembly Education committee and now heads to assembly appropriation.

Link to full press conference

Student protest CTA video link

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- (EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)- Dozens of community organizers and volunteers are gearing up for the inception of a community space that will provide effective, supportive resources to low income residents.

The co-operative, located at 802 N. E Street, is the only of its kind in the Inland region. A community kickoff will take place on Friday, April 20 to introduce residents to the community service model that utilizes shared governance to resolve social, economic and cultural issues.

Organizations working out of the center are not offering “charity” or “pity” to residents, but instead looking to empower fellow residents living near or in poverty.

“We’re here in this space to be responsive for our community’s needs” said Mary Valdemar, Co-founder of the Chicano Indigenous Community for Culturally Conscious Advocacy and Action (Ch.I.C.C.C.A.A.). “Whether its jobs, education, immigration, or environmental justice, we’re looking for local, grassroots solutions.”

The kickoff will feature live performances from local artists and musicians. Organizations are also hosting a community potluck with the community. Students organizing walkouts across the region are expected to also be in attendance.

The following groups are located at the center: Chicano Indigenous Community for Culturally Conscious Advocacy and Action (Ch.I.C.C.A.A.A.), Sierra Club My Generation Campaign, Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice, Inland Regional Equality Network, the Indigenous Defense and Resistance Movement, Progressive Alliance of the Inland Empire, Village and Child Co-Op, Mother Earth Co-Op, San Bernardino Valley College LGBTQ+Pride, San Bernardino Valley College Progressives, Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (M.E.Ch.A.) de San Bernardino Valley College, I.E. Hack Lab, and Team Abigail.

Date: April 20, 2018

Time: 4:20 p.m.

Location: 802 N. ‘E’ Street, San Bernardino, CA, 92410

For more information on the kickoff, contact the core team at chicccaa@gmail.com.

San Bernardino Valley College holds first-ever CyberTech Girls Workshop getting girls more involved with technology on Saturday, April 21

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- (EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)- Sixty middle and high school girls from San Bernardino and Riverside counties are scheduled to participate in the first CyberTech Girls workshop on Saturday, April 21 at San Bernardino Valley College.

The students represent more than 25 schools and 14 districts in the two-county region. At the conference, they will learn about crime scene investigations, how to build a computer and work on constructing a website.

The event is organized by San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools’ (SBCSS) CyberSB and San Bernardino Valley College. Participating schools and districts include: Alta Loma: Vineyard Junior High; Central: Ruth Musser Middle; Chaffey: Alta Loma High; Colony High; Etiwanda High; Ontario High; Rancho Cucamonga High; Colton Joint Unified: Joe Baca Middle; Etiwanda: Day Creek Intermediate, Lightfoot Elementary; Summit Intermediate; Hesperia Unified: Sultana High; Ontario-Montclair; Redlands Unified: Beattie Middle; Clement Middle; Cope Middle; Moore Middle; Redlands High; Redlands East Valley High; Rialto Unified: Kolb Middle; SBCSS; Upland Unified: Foothill Knolls Elementary; Upland High; Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified: Dunlap Elementary, Inland Leaders Charter; Park View Middle.

L/R: Mr. Gilbert D. Brown, Western Province Polemarch; Ms. Joyce Smith, President, Social Lites, Inc.; Dr. Samuel Gibbs, Chairman

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- (EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)- Congratulations to Social Lites, Inc. for being awarded the “Johnnie L. Cochran Award” and a $500 donation from Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. at the fraternity’s Public Meeting on Friday, April 13 at the Ontario Airport Hotel and Conference Center. 

Social Lites, Inc. have been in the Inland Empire for sixty-one years and has given to many worthwhile community need and presented over a million dollars scholarships and awards to deserving young men who have participated in the annual Beautillion Scholarship Program.

The 52nd Beautillion Program will start in Fall 2018. For more information visit www.sociallitesinc.net.

Lynette Davis

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- On Saturday, April 21, Lynette Davis will present, ‘It’s Time to Tell Your Story’, a FREE 90-minute interactive workshop to help individuals who desire to tell their (nonfiction) stories. 

This free workshop will take place from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in Kellogg Room B of the Norman Feldheym Central Library, located at 555 West 6th Street in San Bernardino. There will be light refreshments, a drawing for Amazon and Starbuck gift cards, and Davis will give away two copies of her memoir, Even Rain Is Just Water.  

Many people have a desire to write a book—tell their story, but they don’t know how or where to start. The primary goal of the presentation is to help individuals, who want to tell their story, to begin writing.

“Memoir,” explains Davis “is autobiographical but it is not an autobiography. There’s a distinct difference between memoir and autobiography.”

The workshop will discuss the differences between memoir and autobiography, strategies for retrieving memories, the two most important elements of memoir, the actual process of writing, and includes a Q&A session. 

For more information on the workshop contact lynettedaviswrites@gmail.com or follow Davis on Twitter @wewalkbyfaith88 or Instagram @Lynettewrites. To contact the library call (909) 381-8235.

HIGH DESERT, CA- High Desert Charitable organization strives to assist homeless residents with providing warm crocheted and knitted hats, caps, scarves etc. for warmth during the cold nights.  Your assistance with providing a financial donation and/or yarn in an effort to complete the projects is very much appreciated and will serve many individuals and families in need. Kindly contact Bonita Merrill via email singerforlife777@gmail.com for more details on how you can help.