WSSN Stories

By Aldon Thomas Stiles | California Black Media

The Saint Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church’s Commission on Social Action held a community meeting on aging last Thursday in San Bernardino with representatives from the California Department of Aging (CDA) and the Bernardino County’s Department of Aging and Adult Services.

Held in the sanctuary, the discussion featured state representatives and Social Action commission members led by former Assemblymember and Commission Chair Cheryl Brown, who represented the 47th Assembly District in San Bernardino County from 2012 to 2016.

Brown spoke with community members and leaders from San Bernardino and Riverside counties about programs and resources available for elderly Californians and the caregivers who look after them.

“The state has set aside millions of dollars to help older Californians have a better quality of life through the master plan on aging. And caregiving is 4th of the 5 goals established in the state’s Master Plan for Aging,” Brown told California Black Media.

CDA Director Susan DeMarois also attended the meeting.

CDA administers programs that serve older adults, adults with disabilities, family caregivers, and residents in long-term care facilities throughout the State.  It has a $450 million dollar budget and according to its Strategic Plan, CDA’s first objective is to advance Gov. Gavin Newsom’s California’s Master Plan for Aging.

Newsom’s “Master Plan for Aging” was introduced as an executive order in the summer of 2019. Conceptualized as a five-point plan, its framework encompasses housing, health, equity, care giving “that works” and affording aging.

According to DeMarois each point of the governor’s master plan has its own budget and will be implemented over the next 8 years.

During the meeting — titled “Lunch, Listen and Learn” — community members expressed their concerns and suggestions specifically regarding to taking care of elderly Black people in the Inland Empire. A major theme of the discussion was ensuring familiar (traditional) modes and channels of communications were being employed to reach Black elders.

Sharon Nevins, director of San Bernardino County’s Department of Aging and Adult Services, spoke about ways in which the county has been involved in addressing those concerns.

“We have staff out there in the community, putting information in hands,” said Nevins.

Nevins emphasized the significance of Black churches and their unique influence on Black elders in California.

“We definitely reach out to the churches. We’ve always done that,” Sharon Nevins

DeMarois hailed San Bernardino as a model for the rest of the state because the city has been “meeting the needs of the whole person.”

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), California was tied with Hawaii in 2019 for the states with the nation’s highest life expectancy at an average of about 81 years.

Riverside County has a life expectancy of 80.3 years and San Bernardino county has a lower expectancy at 78.8 years.

Part of the statewide plan for addressing the Black elder community is to partner with ethnic media organizations to spread the word about the resources that are available to Californians in the advanced phase of their aging process.

DeMarois, much like Nevins, acknowledged that a large portion of the state’s plan to reach Black elders is through local churches.

“It’s multi-pronged,” said DeMarois. “We know in the Black community faith is a proven path.”

One of the organizations mentioned during the community meeting – an organization that DeMarois claims she took note of – is the Inland Empire Pastor’s Association.

DeMarois expressed the need for the state and local agencies to implement “coordinated strategies” to approach challenges facing the state’s aging population.

By Lou Yeboah

The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So, the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them. For the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.” [Genesis 6:5-13]. Then the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.  And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses’ bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs. [Revelation 14:19].

The unbelievable horror of putting off Christ! The eternal sadness of waiting one day too long is like the terror of those who missed the Ark in the days of Noah, or those who failed to escape Sodom and Gomorrah when they had the opportunity. Think of the scoffing thief who died Christless within inches of the Savior—at the very moment Jesus sacrificed Himself on an adjacent cross. Think of the multitudes at the Great White Throne Judgment who will frantically insist their names “must surely” be written somewhere in the Lamb’s Book of Life. But they will have waited too long.

Listen, the Bible warns that every human being is subject to sudden death. No one has the promise of another second, minute, day, or hour. For the Bible teaches that our days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle [Job 7:6], like flowers that quickly fade [Job 14:2], and like a mist that appears for a little time then vanishes [James 4:14]. Let today be your day of salvation! Turn now from your evil ways and deeds. For it is appointed to every man to die and then the judgment. Do not be unrepentant. Do not be stubborn.  Do not be like Felix. As Paul reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee. He turned aside from the call of God and the message of the apostle. He stifled the voice of the Holy Spirit, and answered God’s invitation with the word, “Some other time, some other day; when I have a convenient season, I will” [Acts 24:25]. That day never came. That tomorrow never came. That convenient season never arrived.  He died, they say, a suicide.  He died without God, without Christ, and without hope in the world. One day too late! God’s wrath came early!

And I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!” [Revelation 8:13]. Don’t wait until it’s too late! Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand!

Publisher’s Commentary by Wallace J. Allen, IV

A surveillance video depicting the July 16th shooting of 23-year-old Robert Adams, shows a plain looking dark colored auto driving onto a parking lot… Simultaneously a man with something in his hand begins walking towards the car but suddenly turns and quickly takes off running away towards some cars parked near a wall… As he is running away, two men exit the car, one starts shooting… The man running falls to the ground.

I am told by authorities that the men in the dark colored auto were police investigating an illegal gambling site and that the man shot was working as illegal security for the illicit operation… And that he was running to a place of shelter from where he could shoot at the police… So the officer felt threatened and began firing… Robert Adams died with multiple bullet wounds in the back.

Police say the object in Robert’s hand was a gun… Robert’s mother says that she was on the phone with Robert when he was shot… She says that she heard the gunshots that took her son’s life! Was the object in his hand a gun or a phone?

The video, as I see it, does not look like a police operation… The car the police are in does not appear to be a police car nor do the men in the car look like police! The only thing that identifies this as a police operation is the police explanation of what my eyes see! My eyes, without the police voice-over description, see two men jumping from an auto and after two or three steps, one immediately starts shooting at a fleeing man!

I was enticed to be influenced by negative statements about Robert’s past. Enticed to believe that he was a ‘bad dude’ that deserved to be shot. My logic injects, if Robert was all that they say he was, why did they not arrest him sooner… Why wait for fate to put Robert on the table… Wait for fate to bring this ‘bad dude’ to them during a police operation that the police say was based on investigating illegal gambling? That means that the police did not go to that site with Robert Adams as their subject of attention! If Robert was not their reason for being there, it appears that the description of Robert as a ‘bad dude’ is a convenient after-thought to justify the killing!

The video content does not look like a police operation… It looks more like a low budget film depicting a gangland hit job!

Does police policy identify everyone that has a gun in their possession as someone police officers can shoot with indemnity? There are many people who have the right to carry a gun! How does the police policy deal with that? If officers have clearance to shoot because they feel threatened by someone that appears to have a gun, how does the public deal with that? Is it policy to shoot people because they run from people with guns who don’t look like police? If police are threatened enough by people with guns to shoot them, surely, we can understand why people are threatened enough by people with guns to run from them!

If the San Bernardino Police Department policy allows for officers to wear unofficial looking uniforms and drive plain looking autos to go out to investigate, but, end up shooting first and figuring out why later, the City is going to both, go broke from being sued and go to hell for being the devil!

Robert Adams was a Black Man, loved by his family and respected by his friends… And, even the police who ended his life, point out that he had a job!

Netflix recently announced that Grammy-nominated, Oscar and Golden Globe award-winning actor and comedian Mo’Nique will film her first Netflix original stand-up comedy special this year in Atlanta.

Mo’Nique said, “Hey y’all it’s your girl Mo’Nique and I’m excited to say that I’ll be shooting my first Netflix special; in addition to reuniting with my friend, Director Lee Daniels on the Netflix film The Deliverance. You won’t want to miss either of them, so stay tuned! Thank you all and I love y’all to life!”

Additional details about Mo’Nique’s stand-up special will be shared later this year.

As previously announced, Mo’Nique is also set to star in the Netflix film The Deliverance from Lee Daniels.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – (July 18, 2022) – Teens from around the country are trying to put their best foot forward in hopes of being among the 100 students selected for the 2023 Disney Dreamers Academy. Applications are now underway for the inspiring and transformational mentorship program at Walt Disney World Resort for Black teens and students from underrepresented communities.

The application process for the 16th annual program, set for March 23-26, 2023, runs through October at www.DisneyDreamersAcademy.com. The 100 teen participants receive an all-expense-paid trip along with one parent or guardian to Walt Disney World Resort in Florida to experience a combination of inspiration, education and fun at The Most Magical Place on Earth.

The program is an important part of Disney’s commitment to supporting diverse communities by encouraging the next generation of Black students to think big, so they can relentlessly pursue their dreams and make a difference in the lives of others.

“We’re excited to find the next group of Disney Dreamers and welcome them to Walt Disney World Resort for an experience they won’t soon forget,” said Tracey D. Powell, Disney Signature Experiences vice president?and Disney Dreamers Academy executive champion. “If there is a teen in your life who has a dream, I would highly encourage them to apply. Taking a first step towards your dream is a hugely powerful moment. And, for those who are selected, the experience can be life changing.”

Since 2008, Disney Dreamers Academy has inspired more than 1,400 students from across the country who were selected from thousands of applicants who submitted written essays about their personal stories and dreams for the future.

During the four-day event, the students interact with community and business leaders, Disney cast members, celebrities and other special guests while participating in sessions teaching valuable life tools such as leadership skills, effective communication techniques and networking strategies. Past celebrity participants have included stars from the big screen and television, noted sports figures, popular musicians as well as personalities and cast members from across the Disney family, including “Good Morning America,” ESPN, Disney Channel and the TV series “black-ish” and “grown-ish.”

The students also take part in career workshops covering a variety of disciplines aligned with the students’ dreams. These workshops introduce the Disney Dreamers to diverse career paths within business, entertainment and sciences, including career opportunities within The Walt Disney Company.

After taking part in the academy, graduates have gone on to become doctors, nurses, engineers, pilots, journalists and more, and some have transitioned into mentors to the Disney Dreamers who followed them.

For more information, visit DisneyDreamersAcademy.com, or follow on social media at Facebook.com/DisneyDreamersAcademy, Twitter.com/DreamersAcademy and Instagram.com/disneydreamersacademy/

By Lou Yeboah

“I’m telling you right now! You have taken my forbearance for granted and have ignored my warnings. I gave a command: I said, “If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, that I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit. I told you, your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land. I told you, I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down, and no one will make you afraid. I told you, I will remove wild beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country. I told you, you will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you. I told you, I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you. I will put my dwelling place among you, and I will not abhor you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. For I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high, but yet instill, you have taken my forbearance for granted and have ignored my warning. I tell you; it’s going down!”

I am going to bring on you sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever that will destroy your sight and sap your strength. I am going to set my face against you so that you will be defeated by your enemies; those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even when no one is pursuing you. I am going to punish you for your sins seven times over. I am going to break down your stubborn pride and make the sky above you like iron and the ground beneath you like bronze. Your strength will be spent in vain because your soil will not yield its crops, nor will the trees of your land yield their fruit. I am going to send wild animals against you, and they will rob you of your children, destroy your cattle and make you so few in number that your roads will be deserted.

And if in spite of this you still do not listen to me but continue to be hostile toward me, then in my anger I will be hostile towards you. I am going to bring the sword on you to avenge the breaking of the covenant. When you withdraw into your cities, I am going to send a plague among you, and you will be given into enemy hands. When I cut off your supply of bread, ten women will be able to bake your bread in one oven, and they will dole out the bread by weight. You will eat, but you will not be satisfied. You will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters. I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars and pile your dead bodies on the lifeless forms of your idols, and I will abhor you. I will turn your cities into ruins and lay waste your sanctuaries, and I will take no delight in the pleasing aroma of your offerings. I myself will lay waste the land, so that your enemies who live there will be appalled. I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out my sword and pursue you. Your land will be laid waste, and your cities will lie in ruins.

But if you will confess your sins and the sins of your ancestors—their unfaithfulness and their hostility toward Me, which made Me hostile toward them so that I sent them into the land of their enemies—I will remember My covenant with Jacob and My covenant with Isaac and My covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. For I am the Lord their God, and for their sake I will remember the covenant with your ancestors whom I brought out of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God. [Leviticus 26:3-46] Return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning; and rend your hearts, for I am gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and I will relent over disaster. [Joel 2:12-17]. For the times of this ignorance, I winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent [Acts 17:30]. Once My wrath begins, it will not end until it has accomplished its purpose. [Jeremiah 30:24]. Repent before it is too late! “For in the time of My favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you. Now is the time of My favor, Now is the day of salvation.” [2 Corinthians 6:2]. Don’t wait until it is too late! If you do, you will see My power and might. I will bring terror to you. You will not escape My wrath and judgment. I will use My wind, water, and fire to open your eyes. You will see the truth. You will understand your error when you see the destruction and hear the war drums. You will know I AM THE LORD. I will make everything desolate. You will fall on your knees and beg for mercy. Repent or Perish, Now! “For in one hour is thy judgment come.” [Revelation 18:10]. It’s Going Down!

ATLANTA, GA— chromatic black™ launches Season Two of the Ida B. Wells Fund and calls for entries in short filmmaking and two new categories – visual arts and creative placemaking. This season, the fund expands to offer awards ranging from $1,000 to $25,000 in three categories—short-form filmmaking, creative placemaking and visual arts.

Ida B Wells Fund competition is open to storytellers whose original work explores the spirit of exploration and deepens our collective literacy.   Here are key dates for the fund.

Ø  The Short Film Fund applications will support five Black filmmakers with $15,000 each (a total of $75.000).  Short form film applications open on July 16, 2022.  Deadline for submission is August 27, 2022.  Short Film winners will be announced on September 23, 2022.

Ø  The Visual Art Fund will support 12 visual artists at $1000 each (a total of $12,000).  Visual arts applications launch on July 21, 2022. Deadline for submission is August 31, 2022.  Visual arts winners will be announced on September 23, 2022.

Ø  The Creative Placemaking Fund will support four creative placemakers at $25,000.  Creative placemaking making applications open on October 1.  The deadline for submission is December 1. Winners will be announced on February 14th, 2022.

The Ida B. Wells Fund partners with artist – activists across a spectrum of creative disciplines.  This year, the fund has two new developments – a new curatorial leadership of chromatic black™’s Artistic Director, Jessica Green and three categories—short-form filmmaking, creative placemaking and visual arts.

“We are equity architects. We are building cultural power by partnering with dope artists, creative teams and communities. For impact investors, we tie up the messy middle  connecting folks to the next wave of Black smarts, creativity, vision, grit, and determination” says Angela Harmon, co-founder and an Emmy-nominated storyteller, filmmaker, and creative director chromatic black™.

Ida B. Wells Fund Short Film Competition

The award recipients will be chosen by an interdisciplinary panel composed of expert curators, filmmakers, producers, other arts professionals, scholars, and winners from last year in a thorough, multi-step review process.

“Ida B Wells Fund enables filmmakers to take disruptive risks with new original works,” says Aunjanue Ellis, Oscar Nominee, Actress, and Writer.

The fund will invest in five projects that critique dominant social and historical narratives and embody artistic attributes: commitment, communal meaning, disruption, cultural integrity, emotional experience, risk-taking, coherence, openness, stickiness, and resourcefulness.

Winners of last year’s film fund at $10,000 each include Lamard W Cher-Aime’s “Captain Zero: The Animated Series” which speaks to the importance of mental health awareness in the Black communities and Christine Swanson’s “Sunflower: The Fannie Lou Hamer Story” staring Academy Award nominee Aunjanue Ellis.

Ida B. Wells Fund Expands to Include Visual and Creative Placemaking

In addition, the Ida B. Wells Fund will expand to visual arts and creative placemaking.

“Not only are artists producers of aesthetic objects and creators of experiences, they help to make places healthier, more equitable, and sustainable,” said Artistic Director, Jessica Green. The expansion of the fund to include creative placemaking is an acknowledgment of creativity as a radical act of resistance.”

Black placemaking is a reclamation of space rooted in remembrance. The fund acknowledges this praxis of remembrance, reclamation, and renewal as a creative act of resistance. The fund will partner with cultural bearers fortifying our participation in the public commons.

Visit the Ida B Wells Fund  to apply and for additional updates.

LOS ANGELES, CA— The University of California Board of Regents today (July 20) appointed University of California, Los Angeles doctoral student Merhawi Tesfai to be the 2023-24 student regent.

Tesfai is the 49th student regent, a position established in 1975. He will serve as the student regent-designate for the coming year, able to participate in all deliberations, and will have voting privileges when his one-year term as a regent begins in July 2023.

Currently, Tesfai is a doctoral student in social welfare at UCLA, where he earned dual master’s degrees in social welfare and public policy. He also received his bachelor’s degree at UCLA in African American Studies, and his associate degree for transfer from Los Angeles City College.

Born in Eritrea, Tesfai immigrated to the U.S. as a child and is a first-generation, non-traditional transfer student. Tesfai has a background in counseling and uses his own experience to engage in outreach to assist community college students in navigating the transfer process. He also encourages students from underrepresented communities to apply to graduate school.

“UC offers incredible opportunities for learning, research and economic mobility to countless students from California and beyond. I am grateful for this opportunity to bring my experiences as a first-generation, non-traditional student to be one of two representatives of the student voice to the Board of Regents and advocate for our priorities and needs,” said Tesfai. “There is much work ahead for the University to provide critical academic resources and necessary support to ensure students have the tools for success. I cannot wait to get started in this important work.”

Panels appointed by the UC campus student body presidents and the UC Student Association and UC Graduate and Professional Council reviewed the applications for the student regent position and interviewed semifinalists. A special committee of the Regents interviewed the finalists and nominated Tesfai.

You may find more information about the Board of Regents’ policy on appointing a student regent here.