WSSN Stories

Lou Coleman-Yeboah

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

Sure, you did! You knew what you was about to do was wrong, but you did it anyway. So what do you mean you didn’t mean to? What kind of fool do you think God is? Do you think you can do something that he says is wrong and you won’t have consequences in your life? Scripture is clear: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows this he will also reap. Doing right is not an option in the Christian life. James says in [James 4:17] “Anyone who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, Sins. No matter what others do, you know what you have to do. You cannot afford to live the life that people are living simply because it is the acceptable thing to do. I tell you “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread””Look before you leap.”

Listen, the only way to grow is to take full responsibility for your actions. Scripture clearly shows that believers sin and must take responsibility for their own thoughts and actions. It is far better and far more biblical to say, “I sinned and I take full personal responsibility for all my thoughts, words and deeds. I cannot blame my circumstances, my friends, my loved ones, the world, my flesh, the power of sin within me, or even the devil. I must admit that I chose to sin and I confess it. I did it, no one else made it me do it. Now I must face the consequences.” 

What does this mean? It means, in the final analysis, you do right because it’s right to do right. Besides, you don’t want to mess around with God. God is a consuming fire!  “The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down and he died there beside the ark of God.” [2 Samuel 6:7].  He died, instantly. Why? Because he did wrong when he knew to do right. The Bible is full of stories like this. Remember the golden calf incident at Mt. Sinai, recorded in [Exodus 32]? Only because Moses pleaded with God to remember his covenant mercy did God decide not to destroy the entire nation of Israel after they offered unacceptable worship, [doing wrong when you know to do right], by making an image of him in the form of a cud-chewing stud. Even after Moses pleaded with God, they still didn’t get off scot free, about 3000 died and the rest was struck with a plague. When you know to do right, do it!

The underlying: A wheelbarrow doesn’t choose which direction it will go.  It moves in whatever direction the person pushing it decides is best.  A wheelbarrow doesn’t argue with the person pushing it or try to choose its own path.  A wheelbarrow simply goes where the person pushing directs. With God’s Spirit controlling us, we don’t have to try to do the right things.  We don’t have to try to obey God’s commands. We don’t have to try to guess which direction God wants us to go. [Ezekiel 36:27] says, “And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”  These verses were written to the nation of Israel, but God’s promise applies to all who claim Him as God.  The message in this verse is that God has placed His Spirit in each of His children and this Spirit will move us to do right and to obey God.  God’s Holy Spirit will guide us in the direction that God knows is best for us. And when the Spirit moves us, it is up to us to obey.  It is up to us to go in the direction in which He is moving us.  The Holy Spirit will always move us in the right direction.  He will always move us to obey God and do God’s will.  We don’t have to move ourselves [make ourselves go in the right direction].  We simply need to allow God’s Spirit to move us in the direction that God know is best for us.

“But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed.” [2Corinthians 13:7].

May God richly bless you as you read these words. It is my sincere desire that all who read them may be enriched “

And this is my prayer,” Paul wrote, “that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness.” [Philippians 1:9]

This year, Women’s History Month comes at a pivotal time – women’s voices and stories are being heard and lifted up in a way they never have before.  This opportunity should be celebrated, and gives us a chance to see history in new ways – including stories about things that impact women’s health.

Many may be surprised to know that one of the most critical health issues facing women today are menthol cigarettes.  They are a key reason why lung cancer is actually the leading cause of cancer deaths for women in the U.S.  In fact, almost twice as many women die from lung cancer than breast cancer, even though breast cancer is more prevalent.

Legendary African American singers, Mary Wells and Sarah Vaughan, had their voices silenced too early and suffered health related issues caused by smoking cigarettes. Mary developed cancer of the larynx because of her smoking habit.  She smoked two packs of cigarettes a day, lost all of her finances to expensive cancer treatments, and suffered with cancer until she died of pneumonia at age 49.

A longtime smoker, Sarah developed lung cancer and carcinoma of the joints in one hand. Sarah’s amazing contralto voice became huskier after years of smoking, and she died at the age of 66.

It’s important to understand the history behind menthol cigarettes.  They were actually created by tobacco companies specifically for women.  For decades the tobacco industry advertised and marketed them intentionally and directly to women by showing images of group fun, freedom, and glamour in their marketing.

Unfortunately, it worked.  Women are nearly twice as likely as men to smoke menthol cigarettes, and more than 50% of menthol smokers are women. In California, 70% of African American adult cigarette smokers smoke menthol cigarettes compared to only 18% of white adult cigarette smokers.

Research shows that menthol cigarettes are actually worse for the user than regular cigarettes. Menthol makes it easier for smokers to inhale more deeply and allows harmful particles to settle deeper inside the lungs. By reducing airway pain and irritation, continuous menthol smoking can mask the early warning symptoms of smoking-induced respiratory problems.  Menthol smokers are also less likely to successfully quit smoking than other smokers. 

“Menthol cigarettes are one of the worst, yet not explicitly identified, causes of health problems facing women today,” said Carol McGruder, Co-Chair of the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council, a Bay Area organization that works to expose and address the inequities in tobacco use and its impact among diverse communities.  “It’s a serious problem that gets negligible attention – we need to inform women about what the tobacco industry has done to us.”

The fact that menthol cigarettes are still produced and sold is puzzling.  In 2009, the FDA banned the sale of all flavored cigarettes, except menthols – and the tobacco industry has managed to keep them legal since then. 

“For those who want to take local action, every county in California has a tobacco control coalition – people can check with their county department of health to learn when and where meetings are held, everyone is welcome.  There are also resources available for anyone who is personally affected,” said Ms. McGruder. 

Now is the time to break menthols impact on women for good.  For anyone who wants help to quit, the California Smoker’s Helpline is at www.nobutts.org or 1-800-NO-BUTTS.

By Lue Dowdy

Bringing Awareness to Domestic Violence is WHAT IT DO!

Domestic violence is a pattern of behavior which involves violence or other abuse by one person against another in a domestic setting, such as in marriage or cohabitation. This year’s event will provide information and resources for anyone in need. If your experiencing this type of behavior or know of a person that is, we encourage you to speak up and seek help.

Be a part of this epic event, a night of GIRL POWER! We are looking for a few more ladies for our $500 plus size model competition scheduled to take place Sunday, August 26.

No experience is needed, but you must pay a registration fee. Good luck to our registered beauties as they get ready to compete for the cash prize, crown, trophy, sash and more. They include: Browneisha Blackman, Chondra Smith,Essence Johnson, Jasmine Hall, Liz Brown, Lola Lestrange, Miia Carrington, Sunday DeLa Cruz and Tenisha White.

Come on out! Be a vendor, a sponsor or a volunteer! It’s not too late to participate ladies please text (909) 567-1000 or inbox us at @Lueproductions on Facebook.

 Until next week L’s!

Fifty years after the Kerner Commission criticized the news media for not sufficiently covering race issues, a new special report shows that women of color continue to be underrepresented in U.S. newsrooms and face multiple challenges in achieving equality in hiring and promotions.

The Women’s Media Center report  “The Status of Women of Color in the U.S. News Media 2018” offers a rare look at where women journalists of color are — and aren’t — in legacy print, radio, TV, and digital news. It is an important extension and extrapolation of data previously published in the Women’s Media Center’s annual “The Status of Women in the U.S. Media” study, and includes data about minority journalists released after the most recent version of that report was produced in 2017.

Women of color represent just 7.95 percent of U.S. print newsrooms overall, 12.6 percent of local TV news staff, and 6.2 percent of local radio staff, according to industry research that is based on news organizations’ replies to professional association queries.

“Whether intentional or not, it seems like there is a cap on people of color in newsrooms,” said Rummana Hussain, assistant metro editor, Chicago Sun-Times.

Among the journalism professionals offering their trenchant views in the report on what’s broken for women journalists of color, and how to repair the breach are journalist and author Dana Canedy, the first black female and youngest person to helm the Pulitzer Prize organization; such marquee broadcast news leaders as Soledad O’Brien, Ann Curry, Maria Hinojosa and Joy Reid; MacArthur “genius grant” winner Nikole Hannah-Jones; freelance journalist Jenni Monet; and women of far less fame who likewise excel in practicing their craft.

“There are so many micro-aggressions that come with being a journalist and female and not White,” according to Soledad O’Brien, founder and CEO, Starfish Media Group. “If you spend too much time seeing yourself — in terms of how they see you — as only those things, you will lose your mind. Because there are just a lot of slights.”

The report comes at a time when the nation’s population is changing rapidly. The U.S. Census projects that Blacks, Asians, Hispanics, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders, and those who are multi-racial will be the majority of the population by 2050.

“Women are more than half the U.S. population, and people of color nearly 40 percent,” said Julie Burton, president of the Women’s Media Center.  “But you wouldn’t know this from our media — because U.S. media does not look like, sound like, or reflect the diversity and experience of more than half the population.”

While acknowledging their successes, the women journalists of color say systemic racism, the old boys’ network, and gender bias, among other obstacles, are some of the reasons newsrooms are slow to change.

“Many, many talented women of color are rising through the ranks, as they have since the late ’60s and ’70s,” said Ann Curry, executive producer, reporter, host, We’ll Meet Again on PBS. “One of the most significant reasons they fail is that men tend to groom men.”

News staffs that reflect our nation’s racial, ethnic, and gender diversity are intrinsic to creating a credible media and to the nation’s democracy, said Gloria Steinem, WMC co-founder.

“Missing women of color in the newsrooms of this country is an injustice in itself, and an injustice to every American reader and viewer who is deprived of great stories and a full range of facts,” Steinem said. “Inclusiveness in the newsroom means inclusiveness in the news. Racism and sexism put blinders on everyone.”

“Women of color represent a substantial proportion of the population, and yet their stories are too rarely told and their voices too infrequently heard on most media platforms,” said Maya Harris, WMC co-chair. “The perspectives and findings this Women’s Media Center report offers not only illuminate this lost opportunity, but also help to identify what we must do to work toward a more inclusive democracy.”

Said Pat Mitchell, WMC board co-chair: “Fifty years after the Kerner Commission report, women of color are still battling systemic racism and sexism in the news media.  It is imperative that Black, Asian, Hispanic, and Native women be more visible and powerful in media. The Women’s Media Center won’t rest until our newsrooms are inclusive, representative, and equal.”

The report, compiled and written by journalist and custom content producer Katti Gray and edited by Cristal Williams Chancellor, WMC’s director of communications, offers solutions to editors, producers, publishers, and other news executives, including the need to intentionally search for talented women of color, increased accountability and transparency by news organizations, and innovative recruitment and hiring strategies. Both Gray and Williams Chancellor are veteran, award-winning journalists.

 “I don’t believe in embarrassing and shaming people, but I do believe in giving them actual solutions, people they can hire tomorrow,” said Benét Wilson, founder and editor-in-chief of Aviation Queen LLC and vice president of the Online News Association. “We don’t want to hear the excuses anymore.”

The industry studies on gender and race used in the report were released last year by the American Society of News Editors and the Radio Television Digital News Association.

The Women’s Media Center, co-founded by Jane Fonda, Robin Morgan, and Steinem, works to make women visible and powerful in the media. We do so by promoting women as decision makers and as subjects in media; training women to be media ready and media savvy; researching and exposing sexism and racism in media; and creating original online and on-air journalism.

For more information, contact Williams Chancellor at cristal@womensmediacenter.com or 202-270-8539.

The full report is available here.

The infographic is available here.

Lou Coleman-Yeboah

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

Is that right? Are you sure that’s what you want to do? Because flirting with sin is flirting with death. That’s right! You flirt with sin, you flirt with death. [Romans 6:23]. The rule is simple: If you play with fire, you will get burned. If you think you can sin to your heart’s content without repercussions, and if you think you can go out and break the commandments of God over and over because you’re an exception to the rule, then you are deceiving yourself. God will not be mocked! If you compromise His rules, you will suffer horribly for it. Be forewarned reader!

Sin kills and destroys everything it touches. [Romans 6:13]. This is the purpose behind everything Satan does. Jesus said, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” [John 10:10]. Be not deceived! You can’t dabble in sin without being swept away. You can’t gargle with toxins without ingesting poison. Sin will cause you to hook, line, and sinker. Do not underestimate the seriousness of sin! Sin is divisive, deceptive, destructive and deadly. Sin Thrills…then it Kills. Sin Fascinates…then it Assassinates. Sin always destroys lives, both for time and eternity. Do not flirt with it, and do not dabble in it!

[Matthew 5: 29-30] says, “If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.”

I tell you Satan always tries to minimize the serious nature of sin, so that we excuse it as no big deal, tolerate it as normal, or even re-package it as a good thing. The Devil is a liar! Sin is SINFUL and EXCEEDLING so! Sin appears attractive, but is hideously ugly. Sin appears to be right when it is wrong. Sin appears to bring life when it brings death. Sin appears to be so insignificant when it is so major. Do not be deceived! The wages of sin is death!

Listen, you get one chance to live your life; and then the judgment. If you do not make some radical decisions now, and set your face like flint to walk another way. If you go on yielding to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life as your way of life, you will get just what sin warrant ? Death! Do not be misled – you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. [Galatians 6:7-8].

“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God! Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortions, shall inherit the kingdom of God…” [1Corinthians 6: 9-10].

God’s warning is clear. If you compromise His rules, you will suffer horribly for it. Be like Joseph who when Potiphar’s wife grabbed hold of his coat and said, “Make love to me!” Joseph ran out of the house, leaving his coat there in her hands. He ran as far and as fast as he could. He knew that there would be hell to pay with God and men. He knew he would be burned if he stayed, so he ran from the fire [Genesis 39:12]. He evacuated the building as fast as he could, closing doors and windows behind him as he left… I tell you, the wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way…” [Proverbs 14:8].

As long as it is called ‘today,’ [be sure] that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin… for was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? [Hebrews 3:13-18].

“Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (Romans 6:1].

By Ronda Racha Penrice, Urban News Service

“Black cinema” and “blockbuster” are suddenly becoming synonymous. “Black Panther” is already nearing a billion dollars in global box office receipts and Jordan Peele just became the first African-American to win an Oscar for best original screenplay for his surprise 2017 racially-tinged hit “Get Out.” And on March 9, Disney will release its highly anticipated film, “A Wrinkle in Time,” a $100 million film with a black female director and young black female star.

Unlike “Black Panther” or “Get Out,” “Wrinkle” is a mainstream movie with an intentionally African American face. Madeleine L’Engle’s 1962 science fantasy novel of the same title, from which it is adapted, centers on a middle school-aged white girl, Meg Murray, who is battling with self-esteem issues. Through the help of three celestial guides – Mrs. Which, Mrs. Whatsit and Mrs. Who – she tries to find her missing scientist father, whom she mourns desperately, by traveling through other worlds with her brother Charles Wallace and her friend Calvin.

On the big screen, Meg is an African American girl, with Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling portraying the guides.

Cynthia Renee Frazier

By Lue Dowdy

What up, its ya girl LUE and I’d like to congratulate Cynthia Renee Frazier for being recognized as a finalist for Woman of the Year. In honor of Women’s History Month, Assemblymember Eloise Gomez Reyes hosted a luncheon honoring amazing women of the Inland Empire. Ms. Frazier was honored for her dedication and activism in the community.

I use this column to highlight upcoming artists and entertainment happenings within the Inland Empire and beyond. I do my best to give advice as well. We are living in a techy world. This is an era where technology plays a part of everyday living. Social media is a must when it comes to promoting your brand. Cynthia has a way of making technology fun and rewarding. If you’re an artist, club owner, community agency or a business, tap into Cynthia for media tools and tips. I love and admire this Queen. We need more Tech Divas like her.

While most young ladies in their twenties were experiencing an identity crises or partying all night, Cynthia began her journey for adding tremendous value to humanity. She didn’t know it then, but when she became a peer adviser and mentor in community college, she was paving the way for what would become her life’s work and her legacy. She is very proud to be the first in her immediate family to graduate from college. Some of her finest moments in life are being among the youngest to have been elected to office, serving as vice president to one of the largest Girl Scout Councils, developing the first onsite learning center for a publicly traded corporation and becoming a grandmother.

Besides running her own company, Cynthia coaches small business startups and provides social media training for her clients and members of the Alliance. Reach out to Cynthia to learn how you can benefit from her vast business growth knowledge base.

To reach out to Cynthia directly, email her at TechDivasUncorked@gmail.com. Be sure and connect with Cynthia online at her Facebook page.

Until next week peeps! L’s!

Lou Coleman-Yeboah

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

We ain’t even three months into the New Year, and you doing the same thing that God delivered you from last year. Why? After all the pleading you did? “Lord, please, if you get me out of this mess, I promise I want do it again!” “Lord, please, please forgive me Lord, I’m sorry!”? “Please Lord, help me, I promise I’ll serve you for the rest of my days!”? “Please Lord!” [Psalms 107:18-19] Miss Me with that!

You come weeping buckets of tears, and then you go and do the same thing you did before. You kept repenting and repenting, but somehow, you can’t get beyond, the repenting stage. Let me tell you something. Repentance is not you asking God to forgive you of your sins while you continue to live in your sins. Repentance carries with it the idea of changing?changing your mind, changing your heart, changing your attitude, changing your ways; a complete change of direction. You remind me of King Saul. Poor Saul never learned. He apologized and was sorry many times, but he never really repented, he never turned and went the other way. Saul would break down and weep before the prophet Samuel, but he didn’t weep because he was repentant; he wept because he was sorry he was about to lose the kingdom. He didn’t really confess and forsake his sin, the evil root beneath the outer show. Now King David, although he also committed great sins, after God forgave him, he became a man after God’s own heart. He deeply loved God, and he really wanted to glorify God and please Him. Exemplary of true repentance?not just being sorry, but having a complete change of mind and heart and direction—a whole new man, a new personality, a new creature in Christ Jesus—born again! Only God can do it, but we must put forth the effort of a believing will. 

I tell you, you can’t keep on living the same way. You can’t travel the same path anymore. You can’t go back and be a slave of mammon and serve God. It’s impossible; Jesus said, “You’ll either “love the one and hate the other, or hold to the one and despise the other.” Just as the Lord issued a call through Joshua, all those centuries ago, for His people to make of their minds as to whom they would serve, so He issues the same call to you on this day. Choose Whom this day you are going to serve. It’s time to make up your mind! And, it is! You need to contemplate all the Lord has done for you! Remember where He found you. What He did for you. How He has blessed you. How He has worked on your behalf time and again. How He has answered prayer and met needs. Remember His power in your life. In everything you faced, He was there to help you and to see you through. You need to contemplate the fact that you have much today that you simply DO NOT deserve! God has been so good to you. In light of these truths, I wonder why you seem to have a hard time just simply loving and serving Him as you should. Of course, this is nothing new! Israel was guilty of walking out on God even when He had been so good to them [Jeremiah 2:5-19].

Listen, Joshua’s command to the people was three-fold. They were commanded to “fear“ God; clean up their lives, and to serve the Lord. This would put them in a position to put God back in the forefront of their lives. If they serve Him, He will bless them, but if they renege on their end of the agreement, there will be a high price to pay. While God is a God of love, grace and mercy; He is also still a holy and righteous God. He will not tolerate sin in the lives of His children! There is a terribly high price to pay for disobedience and you better understand today that you will reap exactly what you sow [Galatians. 6:7].

If the Lord be God then serve Him. If He isn’t, then go ahead and serve whatever has your heart. Whatever you do, stop trying to have the best of both worlds! I tell you, it’s time to make up your mind! Today may be the last time you hear God’s voice. After today, God may give you over to sexual impurity, to shameful desires, or to a depraved mind. After today, God may take away His hand and let you find what it is that you think you want.

“If you go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment” [Hebrews 10:26-27].

“I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you, but if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life that both thou and thy seed may live” [Deuteronomy 30:15-20].

Zachary Toliver

By Zachary Toliver

Somewhere along the line, while getting through this thing called life, I came across these words by the late, great Maya Angelou and turned them into a personal mantra: “I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.”

I’ve relied heavily on this quote for personal development. It’s helped me choose where to spend my money and how to treat other human beings, and yes, practicing these words has a lot to do with why I’m vegan. Once I understood that just like humans, chickens, pigs, cows and all other animals feel pain, experience fear and value their own lives, I banned dead animal parts from my life. I knew better, so—for animals—I did better.