WSSN Stories

By By Troy Schulz, Zenger News

White carved out a pioneering career path that stretched from the Pentagon’s head office to Hyundai headquarters

As Hyundai North America’s first chief communications officer, Dana W. White knows what it is like to have two feet in two worlds.

“Growing up I always knew about the power of communication, the power of words,” she said, talking about her childhood in Charlottesville, Virginia. “My grandfather, who was born in 1896, founded the oldest black newspaper in the state. I used to cut ad sheets every month and write copy and process black-and-white photos [at the paper]. The entrepreneurial spirit runs deep in me and my family.”

While the weekly black newspaper, the Charlottesville-Albemarle Tribune, is gone, the family’s entrepreneurial spirit lives on. “The environment I grew up in, my family, was that there was never just a pot of gold waiting for me at the end of the tunnel,” she said. “It’s in my DNA – to make it happen for yourself.”

Dr. Ben Chavis runs the trade group for African American newspaper publishers. “The National Newspapers Publishers Association salutes Hyundai for its decision to elevate an African-American woman leader to the position of Chief Communications Officer. In this year where the focus is on the empowerment of all women, Dana White represents and embodies the best of Black America,” he told Zenger News of White.

Dana White is no relation to the Ultimate Fighting Championship president with the same name.

She studied hard in college, taking the toughest courses on purpose even if they were scheduled early in the morning and required long walks across Chicago wind-chilled campus. Those courses included learning to read, write and speak Mandarin, the mostly widely used of the Chinese-language dialects. She majored in Chinese history at the University of Chicago.

White thought hard about her choices in what to study; she didn’t just take the most popular courses or the easiest ones to earn a top grade. Of course, she said there are no “easy” courses at the University of Chicago, which competes with the Ivy League for students. “At the time, nobody was thinking about China,” she said. “Everyone was terrified that Japan was taking over the world, but no one was thinking about this country of one billion people that was just sitting there, very quiet. I wanted to make sure I’d be employable for the next 50 years, find something that was valuable for the future. So, I decided to study Mandarin.”

She applied for scholarships to study in China’s capital, Beijing, and later in South Korea’s capital, Seoul. This on-the-ground experience would later prove pivotal in her career.

“I think it’s fascinating, working as a Black American within different cultures. In fact, sometimes I think it’s an advantage as I experience my home culture differently and therefore, I think I’m much more observant and intrigued by people, their language and traditions. It’s helpful in translating best practices and communications,” she said. “Communication isn’t just about the literal words themselves, it’s about the feeling, impressions and the image you convey or defy.”

After college, she moved to Washington, DC without a job and worked as an intern and a temp to pay the bills while she applied for jobs on Capitol Hill.

The Republican committee for all GOP lawmakers, then chaired by Rep. J.C. Watts, the only Black Republican serving in Congress, was the first to call her back. She went on to take a series of jobs in government and in media, often working as the only black woman in the room. She accepted a job as deputy press secretary for the House Republican Conference, where she worked for two years until 2000.

Then she joined the public relations team at Fox News for a year in 2000. Later she worked at the Heritage Foundation, a think tank on Capitol Hill that is influential among Republicans.

“I was director of the Heritage Foundation’s roundtable for Asia-Pacific journalists, which was comprised of foreign correspondents from outlets such as The Nikkei and Asahi Shimbun and Chosun Ilbo.” she said. “I was working with more than 400 different journalists from across Asia.” Her study in Chinese language and Asian culture had made her stand out. Her careful preparation was paying off in unexpected ways. “At Heritage, I met some wonderful reporters from Taiwan, Japan and Korea. It was so beneficial when I did my first stint at the Pentagon on the China Desk, then at Nissan and now Hyundai.”

Her studies and experience soon took her back to the federal government. President George W. Bush named her Taiwan Country Director at the Defense department.

She returned to the private sector as an editor in the arts and culture section of The Wall Street Journal, the nation’s most widely read newspaper, and lived in Hong Kong.

Next, she was tapped as director of policy and strategic communications for the Renault–Nissan Alliance, a joint venture of the French and Japanese auto makers. They needed someone who understood both media and Asia, and she was one of the few that fit the bill. She soon became fluent in French and worked from Renault’s Paris headquarters. Still, she never forgot her roots, often phoning her mother—who was born and raised in a small black enclave in north Philadelphia—and then living in northern Virginia’s ever-spreading suburbs.

She returned from Paris in 2015 and started her own public relations firm 1055 Grady, named in honor of her grandfather’s address in Charlottesville, where she was first inspired to be an entrepreneur. Back in Washington, DC, she was tapped by the Trump campaign to help with their strategic communications. Shortly after Donald J. Trump was sworn in, she was asked about taking a high-profile spot back at the Pentagon. Her earlier stint at the Defense Department along with her knowledge and contacts in U.S. and foreign media perfectly positioned her to take the top spot as head of public affairs for the Defense Department. She was sworn in as Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs and Chief Pentagon Spokesperson on April 7, 2017.

It was also the same day the U.S. sent cruise missiles to strike Syria in response to its chemical-weapons attacks. Nearly one year to the day, she would go before the world to brief the U.S. strikes on Syria in response to another chemical attack. She became the first black person to hold that prestigious post.

She reported directly to then-Defense Secretary James Mattis. When he resigned in 2018, she followed the same day. “I left DoD alongside Mattis because I believe in his integrity,” she said.

Mattis differed with President Trump on matters ranging from pulling troops out of Syria and Afghanistan to withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal.

Now Dana White runs North American communications for Hyundai Motor Company, a South Korean car maker that builds more than half of its vehicles at its plant in Alabama and employs some 25,000 people in the United States. She joined the Zenger News advisory board in 2019.

White sees herself as a cross-cultural bridge.  At Hyundai Motor North America, she is the Chief Communications Officer—a first for Korean automaker in the U.S. She oversees communications for Hyundai Motor North America headquarters and all of Hyundai’s North America Affiliates including Canada and Mexico, Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, Glovis (Hyundai’s Logistics Operations), Mobis (Hyundai Parts Operations), Hyundai Capital and the Washington, DC Office. White also has strategic oversight of Hyundai’s luxury automotive brand Genesis, the first SUV for the industry’s newest luxury brand.

“When I joined Hyundai a year ago, I knew I needed someone who understood decision making at the highest levels, storytelling and how to work across cultures seamlessly to deliver results. So, I called Dana,” said Jose Munoz, Global COO of Hyundai Motor Company and Pres. & CEO of Hyundai Motor North America. “It’s rare to find one person with all the skills, talents and experiences that she has. And she has proven track record of success. In few short months, Dana has already made a big difference in how we operate, communicate and tell the Hyundai story.”

Ultimately for White, she said her passions are education, excellence and empowerment. “I can still hear my grandfather’s gruff voice saying, ‘Mouse, I want you to be a smart little girl. Learn everything you can.’ I think about everything he survived, all the limits placed on his life and how if he could see me now—a man who proud to put pictures of my nursery school graduation in the paper—I know he’d say…’So, Mouse…what’s next?’”

Her father, Sherman R. White, graduated from Charlottesville’s segregated schools was also plaintiff in the desegregation of Charlottesville schools.  He attended Howard University at 16 years-old and later pledged the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.  At Howard, he met her and married her mother Agnes Cross, who was from Philadelphia. Her father was an AME minister and her mother one the first blacks to secure a civil service job in the state of Pennsylvania.

Her cousin Cheryl was the President of the local Williamsburg chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha. In high school, Dana was awarded a merit scholarship from the University of Virginia Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta. And her older brother is a graduate of Hampton University

“The thing about me is that I’m propelled by history and obsessed with the future. I’m passionate about ideas and a mission. I want to see people move forward—know their past and explore their future,” she said. “It’s in my family—this spirit of perseverance. I feel like they handed me a baton. They ran hard and ran fast. They carried the baton as far as they could go. Now, it’s my turn to run faster and farther and pass the baton to the next generation. I say, ‘When you stand on the shoulders of slaves, there’s no slouching.’”

By Lou Yeboah

The noon whistle has been sounding since Christ came to earth. Don’t ignore the sound of the siren. It is significant.   Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand! Don’t be another Agrippa who said to Paul, “You almost persuaded me to become a Christian” [Acts 26:28]; or Felix who after hearing Paul reason of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, trembled and answered, go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.” [Acts 24:24-25]. Don’t you do it! Don’t let death come knocking on your door before you realize what time of day it is? How will you escape if you ignore God’s salvation? [Hebrews 2:3].  How will you escape His wrath? [John 3:36]; His condemnation? [John 3:18] His word of banishment? [Matthew 26:41]. The answer: You will not!

I want you to know that in the days just prior to the Babylonian Captivity; the Lord, through the prophet Jeremiah pleaded with Judah to repent. [Jeremiah 6:16]. But they said…No! What tragedy became their portion because of it.  Don’t wait until it is too late! The Lord’s people in ancient times reached a point where it was too late! The Lord had been warning Judah, through the prophets, for years that they needed to repent and amend their ways; but they arrogantly ignored God. God’s long-suffering finally ran out; the Lord had done all He could for them. “He sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no remedy.” Don’t wait until its too late! God brought a terrible judgment against Judah for their obstinate: [2 Chronicles 36:15-20]. 

God extended them an opportunity for salvation. They stubbornly refused and kept up their idolatry. God sent judgment—Babylon laid siege to Jerusalem. Still they thought they would be rescued. They thought Jerusalem will never be destroyed. They were told by false prophets that deliverance would come by summertime, and certainly in time for Fall harvest. Boy was they wrong. Repentance did not come. Rescue did not come. They finally realized too late that they had been wrong. What a grief it was to realize their punishment was set and there would be no salvation now.  Don’t make the same mistake! Don’t wait until it’s too late! For as [2 Peter 3:9] reminds us, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.  Because unless the Lord comes first, what is said of Adam will be said of us, “…and he died” [Genesis 5:5].

Are you listening?! Don’t wait until it is too late. When the door is shut, you won’t have another opportunity! [Revelation 22:17]: “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And let him that hearth say, ‘Come.’ And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”

I tell you, there are some of you who are on the verge of being one day too late with God. You are acting like Israel and putting off repentance. You can’t wait until after death to repent of your sins. The day after Death is one day too late! The day after the Rapture is one day too late. The Rapture is a true event and a soon event. The day after the Holy Spirit stops dealing with you is one day too late. “Wherefore as the Holy Spirit saith, Today if ye will hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion.” [Hebrew 3:15.  “For My spirit shall not always strive with man, says the Lord!” [Genesis 6:3].

“Harvest is past, summer is ended, and you are not saved.” [Jeremiah 8:20].  May the Lord have mercy on your soul!

By Tanu Henry | California Black Media  

About 41 weeks into her pregnancy now, California Board of Equalization (BOE) memberMalia Cohen, who is the state’s only African American woman constitutional officer, is preparing to give birth on September 3.   

Motherhood will be a new role for Cohen, a veteran leader and elected official, who served two terms on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, and now administers California’s $70 billion property tax system as a member of the BOE, representing 10 million people in 23 counties. 

Although Cohen could not host the fancy themed baby shower she had once imagined because of the COVID-19 pandemic, on Father’s Day Cohen hosted a “gender” reveal on Zoom instead.   

Before that virtual event, Cohen and her best friend mailed party poppers to her close friends and family members, including her mother, mother-in-law and sister. On the video call, her loved ones chanted a countdown with Cohen and her husband before the couple announced that they are having a girl to a Zoom room of cheering loved ones and streaming popper confetti.   She has assembled a “birth team” for her delivery, too. It is scheduled to happen at the San Francisco Birth Center.  

“The birth center allows me to deliver with a team of trained midwives, a Black pediatrician and my birth team, who are my mother, my husband, my sister and my doula,” said Cohen. It’s a professional emotional support system. They will all be around me when I’m laboring.”  

Cohen says being allowed to have other close relatives in the delivery room besides her husband was one reason for choosing a birth center over a traditional hospital.  Another was safety. An uptick in coronavirus cases in California over the summer sealed that decision.  

In addition to planning her birth, working out to stay in shape, and meditating to keep her stress low, Cohen has managed to balance her BOE responsibilities with keeping public speaking commitments and staying involved in state policymaking. She has worked with the governor’s office to get several executive orders in place to provide relief for taxpayers.  

She also watches and has called into legislative committee hearings to testify on various issues, and she has written letters to support or oppose a number of bills.  Cohen lent her voice in support of ACA 5, authored by Assemblymember Shirley Weber (D-San Diego), that would repeal Proposition 209, and bring affirmative action back to California’s public agencies.  ACA 5 is now on the November ballot as Proposition 16, and Cohen is campaigning hard for its passage. 

“I’ve had to rely on technology to get things done,” says Cohen whose home office, she says, has been upgraded with a ring light for Zoom or Microsoft Team calls, two laptops, a scanner-slash-printer and the “fastest internet speed possible” to make her telecommuting seamless.  

“These coronavirus times are sure different,” says Cohen, recalling the rush to jump on the train to Sacramento and attend government meetings in person. 

“I really miss reaching out and working to solve problems face to face,” she says, citing another impact of the pandemic. Cohen says, overall, she has managed to keep her life and responsibilities in order.   But there are times when those cravings hit, Cohen says. “They are not so manageable.” 

“For the most part – I’ll say 85-90% of the time – I’ve been conscious and healthy. But there is that 10 or 15 % when I have to have Doritos or Oreo Cookies. My mom makes the Rice Krispies treats for me,” Cohen laughed.  “Yes, my mom is my enabler.”  

At work, Cohen says right now one of her main priorities at the BOE is working on providing safe remote hearing for the Assessment Appeals Boards. That body resolves property value disputes between taxpayers and assessors who appraise properties.  

“How do we take things we use to do in-person and bring them online?” She asked. “That way, we are protecting due process. We are protecting the integrity of sensitive documents. We are protecting the health and safety of the petitioner and of our staff.” 

Because of the pandemic, Cohen says the BOE has had to make major adjustments. “To use the expression,” she explains, “we are building the plane while we’re flying.” 

Away from work, Cohen says watching George Floyd’s murder on TV and seeing reports about Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery murders, as well as following the protests across America and the world, have taken a toll on her.  

“You begin to wonder: What kind of world am I bringing a baby girl into?  There are days when I watched the protests and I just sat on the couch crying, just weeping,” says Cohen, who was able to get out to speak at one Black Lives Matter protest in San Francisco. “I wanted to march, too, but I realize that I had to protect myself and my baby.”  

Cohen says a source of stress that has always been in the back of her mind is looking honestly at how the country cares for Black women.  

“There is a disparity between Black women and White Women. Less Black women carry their babies full term,” Cohen pointed out.  Through it all, Cohen says she stays positive and remembers all the things she can be thankful for like being able to take naps when she gets overwhelmed by sleepiness or not having to commute from her home in San Francisco to weekly meetings in Sacramento.  

Then there’s the inspiration of Kamala Harris. Cohen says she been a supporter of the former California Attorney General since she was a DA in San Francisco. Cohen served on the city’s Board of Supervisors and worked with Harris on more than one occasion. Cohen says that Harris’ selection to run as Vice President “Is but one more step in a long road towards justice and representation for African Americans.” 

For now, Cohen says she is preparing to go into labor and for all the joys and challenges that are bound to follow.  

“I can’t wait to pour into her everything that I’ve learned, my understanding of the world,” says Cohen.

“Pouring into her curiosity; a respect for other people and cultures; a desire to travel; and resiliency. Our daughter will inherit the world we will make better through our struggles and our commitment to justice.” 

As we ended our interview, Cohen added, “Every day I have a smile on my face and joy in my heart when I think of her.  I can’t wait for her to be born!” 

By Erik Cork

Rest In Power, Young King CHAD BOZEMAN.  You were just coming into your own.  You were generally regarded as “The Next Denzel” with no other contenders to this elite super-star throne.

Born in South Carolina in 1976, YOUR NAME meant BOX OFFICE to Hollywood executives who picked YOU to portray historic icons like Jackie Robinson, Thurgood Marshall and James Brown.  However, when CHAD BOZEMAN played King T’Challa in the blockbuster BLACK PANTHER, your talented name became the talk of the town.

Your fans NEVER KNEW you had been fighting cancer for the past 4 YEARS.  Everyone is now in SHOCK!!  Your close family, your colleagues and your peers are shedding inconsolable tears because 43 years old seems WAY TOO YOUNG to die.  Not many folks who might live to see 100 will achieve YOUR admirable accomplishments – no matter how much or how hard they might try.

CHAD BOZEMAN – you exuded class and dignity.  You were an elite actor who studied & perfected your craft.  You were serious.  You were skilled.  You were sincere.  You loved to smile.  You loved to laugh.

Colon cancer canceled your future performances in SUPER HERO FILMS that made Black people proud.  Grown folks showed up in record numbers to theaters wearing dashikis to represent WAKANDA and Black Pride OUT LOUD.

The acting crowd in Heaven will welcome your brilliance like we gaze at a SHOOTING STAR.  They will not do lines from any of your billion-dollar grossing movies.  It must be royal welcoming already, so far…

Regardless of who you are, you must ADMIT actor Chad Bozeman was 100 percent LEGIT.  He was a polished professional ironically ahead of his time – because TIME and LONGEVITY was not on his resume – even though iconic “King T’Challa” will LIVE FOREVER in our hearts and mind.

WAKANDA FOREVER – but more importantly, how will you wake up and LIVE YOUR LIFE tomorrow?  Chad Bozeman is receiving TRIBUTES because he lived out his dream in the midst of secret chemo treatments and private sorrow.

Rest In Peace, Young Warrior Prince.  You had the whole world absolutely CONVINCED you were invincible as the The Black Panther.  You were a COMET whose light was bright and very condensed as YOU, Idris Elba and Jamie Foxx were the 1, 2 or 3 ANSWER in a very short window of Black box office fame.  And just like Jackie Robinson, Thurgood Marshall, James Brown & King T’Challa – young CHAD BOZEMAN – the world will always remember YOUR NAME!

By Quinci LeGardye | California Black Media  

In the Aug. 16 premiere of the HBO show “Lovecraft Country,” created by Misha Green and based on the novel of the same name by Matt Ruff, the main characters drive past a sign that reads “[N-word]s, don’t let the sun set on you here. Understand?” Towns that banned African Americans in the mid-20th century would, either formally or informally, put up intimidating signs like that at the town limits to remind Blacks passing through that they were not welcome.   

These places, known commonly as “sundown towns,” existed across the nation. Many of them were here in California, too.   

The memory of sundown towns re-entered our collective cultural conscience recently as incidents of police brutality have pushed people to speak out against racism. The book “Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism,” written by sociologist James W. Loewen, was originally published in 2005. In the preface of the re-printed 2018 edition, Loewen noted that while sundown towns are on the decline, some former sundown towns have shifted from overt to systemic racism through policies such as “Driving While Black policing.” He cites the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., as an example.  

There is widespread misconception that sundown towns were mostly concentrated in the Deep South and Midwest, as depicted in Lovecraft Country’s first episode of the series, which was set along the highway route from Chicago to Massachusetts.   

But similar numbers of sundown towns existed in the West as well, including in California up until the mid-20th century. The national sundown town database on Loewen’s website lists 112 possible sundown towns in California. These towns are categorized on the website as either possible, probable, or surely, as it is difficult to categorize “sundown towns” because of varying degrees of explicitness in their approaches to discouraging African American and other non-White visitors.   

California cities classified as “surely” sundown towns on Loewen’s website include Brea, Chico, Culver City, El Segundo, Fresno, Glendale, Hawthorne, La Jolla, Palmdale, San Marino and Taft. Cities that are now majority Black and Brown, including Compton and Inglewood in Southern California, previously barred Black residents. The list also includes some entire counties as surely sundown in the past.  Evidence listed on Loewen’s website includes census records and anecdotes submitted by citizens or discovered through research.

The anecdotes listed include alleged cross burnings and other threats towards Black homeowners, and alleged expulsions of entire ethnic groups. Though many sundown towns have strong oral histories, with residents and locals confirming their existence, sundown ordinances were usually not part of a city’s records.  

Loewen wrote, “I read at least 300 local histories — some of them elaborate coffee table books — about towns whose sundown histories I had confirmed via detailed oral histories, but only about 1 percent of these mentioned their town’s racial policies. In conversation, however, the authors of these commemorative histories were often more forthcoming, showing that they knew about the policy but didn’t care to disclose it in print.”  

In her book Wandering in Strange Lands, author Morgan Jerkins spoke with a woman named Rachelle, who shared her memories of sundown towns in Los Angeles County.

“I can remember when a black person had better not go to Glendale or Culver City and be there after five o’clock.”  In addition to African Americans, other ethnic groups were also excluded from cities.

In 1885, about 320 Chinese Americans were expelled from Eureka, Calif., after a Chinese man accidentally shot a city councilman. According to an article in the North Coast Journal, multiple towns around Eureka followed suit, and Chinese Americans were expelled from an estimated 40 communities in Northern California in 1885 and 1886.  

According to the Chapter 14 of Loewen’s book, “Sundown Towns Today,” California has integrated its communities more than other states with historic sundown towns, with many cities eliminating discriminatory laws and removing warning signs.  

In 2017, the National League of Cities (NLC) announced a collaboration with the Center for Social Inclusion to help local government officials advance racial equity in their cities. The mission of NLC’s Race Equity and Leadership Initiative is to “strengthen the knowledge and capacity of local elected officials to eliminate racial disparities, heal racial tensions and build more equitable communities,” according to their website.  

However, racial animosity still exists as shown by the multiple Black Lives Matter protests that have occurred in the state since May. In a time of civil unrest and calls for revolution, history is revealing and asserting itself.  

“Sundown towns have never gone away,” wrote Jerkins in a recent article. 

“As long as Black people have stories of what has happened to them or others for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and as long as White people terrorize Black people who move into their neighborhoods, or create laws to restrict them from living there in the first place, sundown towns will always be a part of the fabric of American culture.” 

By Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media 

The clock was ticking as California Gov. Gavin Newsom and lawmakers circled up to cut a deal to save the state from the wave of evictions they expect would happen when the state’s moratorium on evictions ends this week. 

This past weekend, Gov. Newsom, Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego), and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) reached agreement on Assembly Bill (AB) 3088. 

AB 3088 bill would enact the COVID-19 “Small Landlord and Homeowner Relief Act of 2020 (called the “Homeowner Act” for short). It would prevent mass evictions of California tenants who have not been able to pay their rents since March due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. 

“The agreement protects California renters with COVID-related economic hardship by eliminating the possibility of eviction from March 2020 through Jan. 31, 2021, so long as the tenant makes certain declarations and partial payments going forward. Tenants are still responsible for repaying unpaid rent eventually, but it can never be the basis of an eviction,” Newsom said in a written statement. 

AB 3088 is co-authored by Assemblymembers David Chiu (D-San Francisco) and Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) along with Senators Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) and Anna Caballero (D-Salinas). 

The governor said the agreement also protects small property owners from foreclosures by expanding the Homeowner Bill of Rights to cover adjustments like some mortgage forbearances on all properties from single-family homes up to four units owned by small landlords. 

Over 2.8 million Californians were unemployed in June and about 1 million renter households in the state have experienced a job loss as a result of the economic impacts of COVID-19, according to the Terner Center for Housing Innovation (TCHI). 

According to TenantsTogether.org, more than 16 million people in California are renters, and 64% of California’s estimated 2.3 million African American population are people who pay to occupy housing they do not own, whether it’s an apartment or house. 

Gov. Newsom first issued an executive order on March 27 banning the enforcement of evictions for renters affected by COVID-19, and then extended that moratorium in early July until this week’s deadline. It prohibited landlords from removing tenants for non-payment of rent and halted evictions by law enforcement or courts. Proceedings to remove people who owe back rent are scheduled to resume Sept. 2. 

Responding to thousands of comments from tenants who fear homelessness to small landlords who face losing their livelihoods or fear bankruptcy, the Judicial Council and California Chief 

Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye provided more time for the governor and the legislature to develop and enact policy that would give affected Californians a lifeline. Their intervention could prevent the state’s homelessness crisis from getting even worse and save the real estate investment business from crashing. 

Toyin Dawodu, a property owner in Southern California, says his livelihood is being threatened by a renter who has “become a nuisance.” 

The occupant in Dawodu’s four-bedroom home in Riverside County’s Cathedral City has not paid rent since November 2019, he told California Black Media (CBM). But Dawodu says he has been making mortgage payments and home association fees, totaling north of $2,500 each month, for nearly a year now. 

The renter was already living in the home when he purchased the property, according to Dawodu. After becoming the owner, he says he gave the person a legal 60-day notice to vacate the home on Jan. 25 of this year. But then the COVID-19 pandemic worsened in the United States about a month later. Since the governor signed the moratorium on evictions, Dawodu said he has still met his mortgage obligations, but he has not been able to evict the tenant. 

Dawodu says any state legislation or federal order that protects renters has to include relief for landlords as well, arguing that people who rent houses help to strengthen local economies and ease the shortage of affordable housing in the state. 

He told CBM the governor’s current executive order lumps all delinquent tenants into the same category with people who cannot afford to pay their rents due to the COVID-19 crisis. 

Dawodu says he understands the dilemmas the coronavirus has caused and the disadvantaged people it affects. But his life and the well-being of this family have been altered, too. He doesn’t get funds to cover his expenses, he said. 

“From my point of view, if the government wants to help people who cannot afford rent or are affected by COVID-19, commission immediately the reimbursement of landlords for the exact amount, and then they can pay the note for the tenant,” Dawodu said. “But right now, they are trying to create a law where the landlord is being asked to pay the note for years until the tenant can pay the landlord back, which is grossly unfair.” 

The new bill, AB 3088, is a renegotiation of an older bill, AB 1436, which was viewed as an option for tenants to bypass paying rent payments without valid proof of being affected by COVID-19. AB 1436 would have also allowed renters to withhold payments until 2022, the California Apartment Association (CAA) asserted. 

The CAA is the nation’s largest statewide trade group representing owners, investors, developers, managers, and suppliers of rental homes and apartment communities. CAA worked with lawmakers to draw up AB 3088. 

“We applaud the Legislature and governor for advancing legislation with protections for tenants truly harmed by COVID while ensuring that owners can evict nuisance tenants and residents who can afford to pay rent but choose to game the system instead,” said Tom Bannon, Chief Executive Officer of the CAA. “We will continue to work on proposals to help housing providers recoup lost rent in the near term. More must be done to help our mom-and-pop landlords.”

By Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 793 into law on Aug. 28. The legislation is one of the country’s strongest restrictions on flavored tobacco.  The bill makes it a crime for any retailer or individual to sell a flavored tobacco product or any tobacco product flavor enhancer in the state. Violation will be punishable by a fine of $250 for each infraction. The law goes into effect Jan. 1, 2021. ? 

“I have been expressive in terms of my absolute condemnation of this tobacco industry that continues to find ways to target our youth,” Newsom said before signing the bill.

“And it will be a point of deep pride and personal privilege — as a father of four and as someone who’s had many, many family members die at the hands of the tobacco industry — to sign that bill. I can’t be more explicit. I can’t wait until it becomes law in the state of California.”?  

SB 793 breaks “Big Tobacco’s death grip,” on longtime users hooked on nicotine, said Sen. Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo), who is the author of the bill. He said that the addition of fruit and other alluring flavors to the products are tactics tobacco manufacturers are using to entice a new generation of smokers — the youth.?  

“The action by Gov. Newsom and by the California Legislature this week is a huge win for our kids and the health of our communities,” Hill said in a written statement. “SB 793 will save lives.”  

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 7 out of 10 African American youth between ages 12 and 17 who smoke prefer menthol cigarettes. In addition, African American adults have the highest percentage of menthol cigarette use compared to other racial and ethnic groups, the CDC says.  

Assemblywoman Shirley Weber (D-San Diego), chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), agrees with proponents of the bill and condemns notions that menthol-flavored cigarettes are strictly associated with the Black community.?  

“I too rise in support of SB 793. I am insulted that the tobacco industry would make an effort to have us believe that mentholated cigarettes are a part of Black culture,” she said. “Someone wants to save us and our children and finally focus on African Americans.” 

Some individuals and organizations opposed to the bill say they are concerned about the bill’s narrow focus. While menthol cigarettes are included in the ban, shisha tobacco — used in hookah water pipes, premium tobacco, and loose-leaf tobacco — is exempted. ? 

The Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP) and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement (NOBLE) say the bill is discriminatory because merchants will continue to sell some other adult tobacco products that are not popular among African Americans and other minorities. ? In addition, other opponents of SB 793 say the new law could possibly start a new wave of illegal activities, such as the underground sales of the banned products out of “backpacks or the trunk of a car,” said representatives of Consumer Advocates for Smoke-Free Alternative Association (CASAA). ? 

“While activists are claiming victory, California residents already know that the foundation of an informal nicotine market is already in place,” CASAA said in a written statement after Newsom signed the bill. “It is not beyond the realm of possibilities that young people, those whom this legislation is supposed to protect, will now have more access to products intended for people who smoke.” 

By Quinci LeGardye | California Black Media 

On Aug. 28, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a new framework for re-opening businesses in California counties shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The state will move away from the previous “watch list” system and use a new four-tiered classification system to determine which counties can open. 

At the Aug. 28 press conference, Gov. Newsom said, “We wanted to make adjustments based upon the input we received from county health officers, input we received from experts, our own experience here in the state of California, to adjust the frameworks from the old monitoring list to a more dynamic list that we hope is not only more dynamic, but is much more simple to understand. Stringent, though, nonetheless in terms of its application but statewide in terms of its consequence.” 

The tiers are color-coded: yellow for minimal COVID-19 spread, orange for moderate spread, red for substantial spread, and purple for widespread COVID-19 transmission. Nearly all businesses in yellow counties are allowed to reopen indoor operations, as long as face-covering and physical distancing requirements are followed. In purple counties, nearly all businesses have to close or severely limit indoor operations. 

According to the state COVID website, as of Aug. 30, the majority of counties in the state are widespread or purple. 

Within the new system, the color of the county is determined by the number of new daily coronavirus cases and the testing positivity rate. Counties that are considered widespread or purple have more than 7 daily new cases per 100,000 residents or a higher than 8% positivity rate among those tested. 

Most business in widespread counties are allowed to remain open as long as they are outdoor only, including restaurants, movie theaters, gyms and places of worship. Bars and schools must remain closed, and non-essential offices must operate remotely. 

Rob Lapsley, president of the California Business Roundtable, released a statement responding to the state’s new COVID-19 reopening framework. 

“Unfortunately, [Gov. Newsom] has also sent a long term signal to the business community that they will likely not be able to operate at a sustainable level until spring 2021 at the earliest. As the rest of the country begins on a path to economic recovery, we are gravely concerned that California will see a wave of permanent job loss, especially since the Legislature has not passed any policies that will help businesses adapt to this ‘new normal,’” the statement read. 

According to the state website, COVID-19 data is reviewed weekly with tiers updated on Tuesdays. To move to a less restrictive tier, the county has to meet that tier’s requirements for two consecutive weeks. If a county’s new daily cases or testing positivity rate increases for two consecutive weeks, it will move to a more restrictive tier.

By Tanu Henry | California Black Media 

Through all the chaos of the COVID-19 crisis, Wendy Raquel Robinson says she has managed to hold it all together. The actress, known for her roles in several films and television shows, says she has several reasons to be grateful, too. 

Among them is the return of “The Game.” On Aug. 15, Netflix began streaming the popular comedy-drama, which debuted in 2006 and aired on the CW until 2009. In 2011, BET began developing and airing the show until its series finale in 2015. Robinson played Tasha Mack in the series, the confident, funny and straight-shooting mother of the show’s star Malik Wright, who actor Hosea Chancez played. 

“I’m thankful for so much — so much to appreciate even in the midst of this pandemic,” she told California Black Media. 

Robinson, who lives in Southern California, says she understands how unexpected events can upend your entire life. In 2007, she lost everything in a tragic fire that engulfed her Pasadena home and burned it to the ground. 

“I get home. I’m met by the Red Cross, fire trucks. It was a power outage. After the power came back, it sent an electric surge to my house and two other houses. That ignited the fire that burned our houses,” she remembers that painful experience. 

Even more distressing than the destruction, Robinson says, was what she had to go through during the aftermath. A swarm of insensitive adjusters showed up at the scene of the disaster, scrambling to put in bids to help her with her insurance claim. She had to call the police. 

The city of Pasadena also did not take responsibility for the fire and, although it took her three years to rebuild, she was only insured for one year. Also, Robinson says she only received an insurance payment that equaled one third of the value of the property she lost. 

“It destroyed so many things I cherished. It uprooted my entire life. I lost my dog and I lost her car. Photos. Archival items from my career. Some of those things you cannot replace,” she said. 

Robinson says that’s why having a plan for when disaster strikes is always a good way to protect yourself and your family. 

“We have to make sure all of us — and everyone we love — are prepared for emergencies,” she said. 

That’s why Robinson has lent her image, voice and likeness to a statewide emergency preparedness awareness campaign called Listos, which means ready in Spanish. 

“Emergency preparedness is not government’s responsibility alone. Solutions can’t be top-down – they have to come from the bottom up,” said Gov. Newsom Aug. 20 when he announced the state’s $50 million investment in the campaign. 

“We need more focus on building resiliency within California’s most vulnerable communities for the destructive and deadly wildfires ahead,” the governor continued. “We’re empowering non-profit organizations and emergency responders to work together to prepare for emergencies because California is at its best when we look out for each other.” 

An ad featuring Robinson has been published in African American-owned newspapers across the state and she has recorded public service announcements for radio stations serving Black listeners in the Los Angeles area, where the largest number of African Americans in California live. 

Robinson’s voice and likeness will also appear in an animated video that will be published on internet and social media platforms targeting African Americans around the state. 

“It can be devastating,” said Robinson who has won NAACP Image Awards 11 times for her acting roles. 

Robinson, who was born in Los Angeles and earned her bachelor’s degree at Howard University in Washington, D.C., has taken on several television and film roles. One of her most well-known characters is Regina “Piggy” Brier, the principal of the fictional Booker T. Washington High School on the WB sitcom “The Steve Harvey Show.” 

“Now, I realize that taking steps to prepare for a disaster, natural or otherwise, that might happen to you — and, yes, it does traumatize you — is not only smart. It is necessary.” 

Listos provides 5 steps to help Californians prepare for emergencies. They are: make a plan; pack a go-bag with things you need; build a “stay box” for when you can’t leave; and help friends and neighbors get ready.” 

Besides the media public awareness campaign, some community-based organizations will lead efforts to reach out to African Americans centered in three disaster-prone areas of the state where Californians with some of the lowest average household incomes live: Alameda, San Francisco and San Bernardino counties. The community-based partner organizations are: Building Resilient Communities (San Bernardino County); Community Health Action Network (San Bernardino County); the French American Church for the New Covenant (Alameda County); Ivoire Alliance (Alameda County); and Mother Brown’s Kitchen (San Francisco). 

Last week, Gov. Newsom also announced the appointment of Karen Baker, 57, as his Senior Advisor for Disaster Volunteering and Preparedness at the Office of Emergency Services. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger first appointed her to become the country’s first Secretary of Service and Volunteering in 2008. 

“We know that people who are socially isolated or live in poverty, have language barriers, or other access or functional needs challenges, need to be the top priority for preparedness campaigns,” Baker said. “Taking care of each other, showing courage when it matters most, is what we do in California.”

??”Sister Bey” as she was affectionately called by many, was born and raised in Philadelphia. She was an only child and her mother passed when Sister Bey was only 2 years old. She was raised by her father and paternal Aunt. Sister Bey was a bright child and always a fast learner.

She attended South Philadelphia High School and later completed basic Nurse’s Training. She had two daughters as a teen mother and was married for a short while, yet remained determined to follow her dreams.

One of Sister Bey’s deepest passions was her love of music. She was a talented vocalist and pianist and toured for several years during the 1950’s along the East Coast and Canada. Jazz music was close to her heart and she truly admired the esteemed vocalist, Sarah Vaughn.

 A pivotal turning point took place in Sister Bey’s life in the late 1950’s when she was introduced to the teachings of the great Moorish leader and teacher, Noble Drew Ali. Once Sister Bey embarked on her life course as a Moor, she never looked back. As an adherent of these teachings, she advanced to many levels of knowledge, wisdom and trainings, even unto the coveted title of Governess. Sister Bey is credited with “nationalizing” many newcomers to the Moorish teachings and truly lived the faith admirably.

Sister Bey was a woman of many gifts and talents; she had a keen mind and intellect and was one who won almost every debate she ever took on! She was a splendid cook and her culinary talents were known and appreciated by many. However, in the mid 1980’s she was fortunately blessed with the opportunity to acquire WPEB Community Radio Station. Once again Sister Bey had something into which she could channel her enormous passion and undaunting spirit.

She served as executive director of the station for over 18 incredible years and provided entree and training for many in the field of radio broadcasting and communications. WPEB Radio was a perfect vehicle for Sister Bey to maximize and further develop her many talents. She was an excellent broadcaster, strategist and marketing analyst and one of her favorite programs that she developed was “The Widow”.

Sister Bey was acknowledged throughout the Delaware Valley in her time, as a memorable female leader in the field of radio broadcasting and communications.

During the later years of her retirement, Sister Bey had some health concerns which increased over time but she never let those health issues deter her strong spirit. She did her best to enjoy the good things in life and pursued what she valued: remaining socially conscious and active, enjoying recreation at Atlantic City and Philadelphia area casinos where she was very “lucky”, attending gospel and other music events, dinners with close friends and associates and always making time for her greatest love; studying and pursuing more knowledge, wisdom and understanding.Sister Bey’s life motto was: “Uplifting fallen humanity through communications, the key to unity”.  

She will be lovingly remembered in the community, friends, family, two daughters, and six grandchildren.