New HIT Strategies poll shows that even older Black voters, typically stalwart supporters of Democratic party candidates, are falling off

a HIT Strategies feature

President Joe Biden’s job performance approval numbers continue to decline among Black voters, including now older Black voters, a traditionally stalwart constituency primarily responsible for his presidential win.

By Aldon Thomas | California Black Media

Voting rights was the central theme at a virtual breakfast the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) held Jan. 12 to celebrate the sacrifices and impact of Martin Luther King Jr. on American life and politics.

“It is not enough to evoke Dr. King’s name on his birthday, post on social media and then take the day off,” said Sen. Steve Bradford (D-Inglewood), CLBC chair, reminding the audience of King’s activism and how his efforts led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Bradford said there are forces still attacking the rights of some Americans to vote, and more work needs to be done to make sure the voices of all Americans are heard and that all voters have access to the ballot box.

“His birthday should be about a day on, a day of activity in our community, of activism and continuing to push for real change in this country,” he continued.

California Secretary of State Shirley Weber, who is a former chair of the CLBC, said “the crisis of democracy is center stage, we are still fighting for our fundamental rights.”

“In 1965, we secured [the vote] and now we find ourselves debating the same issue over again and with great concern about the fact that we are faced with the rolling back of what we had thought was just old stuff that people would never go back to,” said Weber.

A day before the CLBC breakfast, President Biden and Vice President Harris visited Atlanta to emphasize the importance of protecting voting rights. Although, the House of Representatives voted a day later to pass the Freedom to Vote: John Lewis Act, the legislation is in jeopardy of not passing in the U.S. Senate as two Democratic Senators — Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Krysten Sinema (D-AZ) — refuse to change the rules allowing a minority of senators to block legislation.

Weber said there are about 400 bills making their way through state legislatures across the country that are attempting to restrict voting rights.

“Here we are now in this century, in this timeframe, in 2022, and we are talking about something that took place in 1965 in terms of the Voting Rights Act,” said Weber. “Dr. King told us, ‘I see governors with the words of interposition and nullification dripping from their lips.’ In other words, ‘I see Jim Crow laws. I see governors trying to overturn federal law with regards to what is right and what is just in this country.’”

Civil rights activist and friend of Dr. King, Rev. James Lawson, also spoke at the virtual breakfast and encouraged Black leaders to fight for their communities.

“Black elected officials must support the community of Black people all around the country, organizing continuous campaigns,” said Lawson who shared intimate details of his work with Dr. King and how much King’s ideas, strategizing and activism secured the human rights of all Americans.

During a press call on the same day, Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement Cedric Richmond spoke about the historical weight of the current voting rights standoff among lawmakers in Washington.

“Our democracy has faced defining moments many times in our history and this is one of those,” said Richmond. “This will be a question of what side you want to be on.”

Lawson called for community leaders to “dismantle plantation capitalism” and praised the work of other Black leaders that led to civil rights legislation during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s.

“The greatest use of law and nonviolent tactic was the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Many movements were in it, and we must not forget Little Rock Nine, Jackie Robinson’s desegregation of baseball and so on. It helped the Black community come together,” said Lawson.

By Tanu Henry | California Black Media

The California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) has thrown its support behind one of its own.

Last week, Sen. Steve Bradford (D-Gardena) announced that the group of African American state legislators will endorse Sen. Sydney Kamlager (D-Los Angeles) to succeed U.S. Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA-37) in Congress.

Bass, who has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2011, announced in September that she is not seeking re-election to Congress to run for mayor of Los Angeles.

“Sydney Kamlager has spent her career prioritizing equity and access for Californians,” Bradford said, praising his colleague, who is also vice-chair of the CLBC.

Bradford and Kamlager are the only two Black lawmakers serving in the California Senate. The other nine members of the CLBC are all members of the Assembly.

“She has a distinguished legislative record on criminal justice reform, health care equity, environmental protections, and affordable housing,” Bradford continued, explaining the CLBC’s decision to support Kamlager.

For months now, people in California political circles have been speculating that Kamlager, 49, would enter the race to succeed Bass, but, until last week, she had neither denied nor confirmed the buzz around her candidacy.

“Yes, the rumors are true. I know, some think it’s the worst kept secret, but I felt it would be presumptuous to make a final decision before the lines of the district were finalized and wanted to make sure this was the right decision for me and my family,” she tweeted last week.

“I waited until the lines of District 37 were finalized before I officially launched my campaign for U.S. Congress,” she said in a statement.

In a special election last March, two-thirds of the voters in California’s 30^th Senate District in Los Angeles County elected Kamlager to represent them in the upper house of the State Legislature.

Before that, Kamlager served in the State Assembly for three years, representing the 54^th District, which includes Baldwin Hills and Ladera Heights. A former District Director for former California State Sen. Holly Mitchell, who she succeeded, Kamlager was also a member of the Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees from 2015 to 2018 and served as its President.

The Democratic Primary will be held on June 7. Kamlager faces two challengers: Culver City Vice Mayor Daniel Lee and Jamaal Gulledge, a UCLA staffer.

Bradford credits Kamlager for introducing several “landmark” criminal justice reform and anti-discrimination bills that have now become law in the state.

“Our state is fortunate to have such a qualified candidate who stands up for working families and small businesses,” he said.

By Antonio? ?Ray? ?Harvey? ? |? ? California? ?Black? ?Media?

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and Assemblymember James C. Ramos (D-Highland) want Californians to have a better understanding of the history and culture of California’s Native American people.

At the State Capitol last week, Thurmond joined Ramos, the only Native American serving in the Legislature as the lawmaker announced that he will introduce a bill encouraging school districts to collaborate with local tribes to increase knowledge about California Native Americans in their communities.

Ramos, who is the first American Indian ever to be elected to the Legislature, cited a similar effort being made in Washington State.

“When Washington state revamped its Native American curriculum, it began by initiating a relationship between the tribes and schools. Its state’s curriculum, entitled ‘Since Time Immemorial,’ has made a positive difference for students. We can’t reverse 171 years of falsehood and mythology overnight, but we can start,” Ramos said.

Thurmond said he is excited about the initiative and honored to be working along with Ramos to integrate Native American studies into California public education.

“We have the opportunity right now to counter the actions of those who continue to teach harmful and stereotypical messages and create an environment where all students learn about and benefit from the rich history and culture of California’s first People,” said Thurmond.

Ramos said a deeper understanding of Native American people and their sovereignty would help to get rid of enduring racist stereotypes and misperceptions stuck in the imaginations of some Californians.

Last fall, a teacher in the Riverside Unified School District (RUSD) in Southern California was placed on leave after a student shared a video of her mocking Native Americans while teaching math to students.

In the video, which was shared many times across the internet, the teacher was wearing a headdress made of paper feathers while explaining a math assignment. The student who captured the moment identifies as Native American.

“So few people understand the diversity of California’s first people,” Ramos stated. “They speak different languages, use different musical instruments, practice different customs and traditions. Few know many tribes were wiped out or almost eliminated during the 1800s.”

More than 40,000 students are enrolled in RUSD schools. About 80% of the district’s students identify as Black, Latino or another ethnic minority, and 46% of them are economically disadvantaged, according to U.S News and World Report.

 “These behaviors are completely unacceptable and an offensive depiction of the vast and expansive Native American cultures and practices,” the school district said in a statement. “We are deeply committed to implementing inclusive practices and policies that honor the rich diversity of our district and the greater region. We will be working with our students, families, staff, and community to regain your trust”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, over 630,000 people identify as American Indian and Alaska Native in California.

In combination with another race, the number of Native Americans increases to about 1.4 million people. Altogether, they make up 3.6% of all Californians, as compared to 1.9% ten years ago, the 2020 census reported.

Ramos said the legislation he plans to introduce will be the first step toward increasing student knowledge about the indigenous tribes residing in the state.

“We are fine-tuning language in the bill and will introduce it soon,” said Ramos. “If we don’t do a better job at encouraging our schools and tribes to work together, we’ll see more classroom episodes such as the one we saw last October.”

By SUNITA SOHRABJI/EMS Contributing Editor

Vaccines and boosters are essential tools for Black family caregivers, as California battles the rising numbers of Covid-19 infections due to the spread of the Omicron variant.

At a community conversation with ethnic media organized by Saint Paul AME Church in San Bernardino, Black Voice News, and California Black Media, community leaders and Black family caregivers discussed the importance of vaccines in helping keep themselves safe and able to care for their families, especially at a time when Omicron is increasing their sense of fatigue and isolation.

The conversation, which drew over 60 reporters and community members, was also live streamed on social media and cohosted by the California Department of Aging. Cheryl Brown, a member of the state’s Commission on Aging, moderated the discussion.

Speakers asked that family caregivers receive priority for vaccines, boosters, test appointments and home-testing kits, and personal protective equipment.

Family caregivers have not been considered essential workers, and therefore were ineligible to be first in line when Covid vaccines appeared on the scene in early 2021, said Dr. Donna Benton, Research Associate Professor of Gerontology at the University of Southern California’s Leonard Davis School of Gerontology.

Benton also serves as director of the USC Family Caregiver Support Center and the Los Angeles Caregiver Resource Center. “Vaccines are a key weapon against the ravages of this virus,” she stated.

“Vaccines are a key weapon against the ravages of this virus,” she stated.

USC’s survey of local caregivers found that of the 60 percent who had jobs outside of the home, 30% had dropped out of the formal work force in order to care for their families – a factor that increased their isolation. Dropouts were primarily women, noted Benton.

There are more than 4.5 million family caregivers in California alone, but Benton said they are largely invisible in the broader healthcare system.

“Caregivers are saying ‘we want the masks.’ We need PPE. We need to be prioritized for boosters, and also for testing,’” she said. She noted the near-impossibility of getting a home testing kit or an appointment for a Covid test.

The Biden Administration announced Jan. 13 that it was purchasing an additional 500,000 million home testing kits. Benton expressed her hope that family caregivers would be a priority for distribution of those additional supplies.  The administration plans to distribute 1 billion home testing kits in total.

Benton also spoke of the need to expand at-home vaccines and booster services, noting that it is difficult to get home-bound people, especially those with dementia into a car and out to a vaccination site. “There are not enough healthcare workers going door to door,” she said.

Ruth Rembert shared her personal story of serving as the sole caregiver to her husband, who has multiple myeloma — the cancer that killed former Secretary of State Colin Powell last year. Because of his hugely compromised immune system, even a cold can have huge health consequences, she said, adding that she is letting no one come into the house for fear of even minor infections.

“I won’t  allow anybody to come in my house who has not been vaccinated, and even then, I insist they wear a mask. People don’t realize the danger they put you in when they don’t get vaccinated, or when they’re not masked, said Rembert, noting there was a lot of misinformation spreading about the continued need to wear a mask indoors in congregate settings, even if fully vaccinated.

“I heard people say, I don’t want to put that in my body. I say: ‘you have two choices. You can either choose to have this vaccine in your vein, or you can choose to have formaldehyde in your veins, because that’s how serious it is.’”

Rev. Noella Buchanan, Caregiver Coordinator for the Southern California Conference African Methodist Episcopal Church Ministerial Alliance and a retired pastor, has been the caregiver for her mother-in-law, her sister-in-law, her mother and then her husband. She is now the primary caregiver for her cousin who is over a hundred years of age.

Buchanan noted that Black people have throughout history been used for spurious medical testing, including the Tuskegee Experiment, and therefore have an inherent fear of getting vaccinated. “Many people believe their faith will carry them through. But we are seeing so many loved ones die when they haven’t taken the shots.”

Like Benton, Buchanan advocated for health care workers to deliver vaccines at home. “Elderly people can’t stand in line for two to three hours.”

She noted that vaccines and home testing kits can be delivered via houses of faith. “People trust their churches.”

22 year old rapper Kennedy King shared a rap that won her first place in a contest organized by Saint Paul’s AME Church in San Bernardino, California. King and her family have all suffered through Covid; she fears for her grandparents getting infected, noting the consequences would be much higher.

King noted that her generation gets most of their news from social media, and raps are an important tool in spreading the word about the effectiveness of vaccines.

“Music is very relevant to young people’s lives; we communicate a lot through music,” she said, before performing her prize-winning rap.

“We have to get into young people’s heads that if you don’t care about yourself enough to get a vaccine, care about the elders around you,” said King.

By Lou Yeboah

God did not just let them go into sin. He sent messenger after messenger, prophet after prophet, judge after judge, king after king—and they never listened. God had compassion on them and wanted to save them, but they were not willing. [2 Chronicles 36:15].

God’s people were very busy making money, accumulating things, and practicing their religion. But God was also very busy—sending famines, droughts, blights, locusts, epidemics, warfare, and possibly earthquakes in judgment for their unrighteousness [Amos 4:6-11]. He hoped that they would heed these “minor” warnings before He sent the rod of His anger against them [Isaiah 10:5]. But they would not heed, so this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “The day of joy will soon be the season of mourning in your Nation.” [Ezekiel 3:26-27] I have called over and over for my people to repent, yet the words of my prophets have been as dust in the wind, for they will not repent.

The days of luxury and ease are ending, for the invasion of your Nation, will bring death, destruction fire and fear. You will see horror that will cause your heart to faint with fear unless you take shelter in My truth. Repent and again I say REPENT!!!

For, the whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end. For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it” [Jeremiah 4:27-28; Ezekiel 24:14].

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore, be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and will dine with him, and he with Me. He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. [Revelation 3:14-22].

“You have rejected me, declares the LORD. You keep on backsliding, so I will reach out and destroy you; I am tired of holding back. I will destroy my people since they return not from their ways. I will bring bereavement and destruction on my people, for they have not changed their ways. [Jeremiah 15:6,7].

You have been found guilty. You have been given a warning to Repent. Is there anything you would like to say before sentencing?

By Tony Grant

Tony Grant

Was he the right man at the right time with the right message for America? I believe he was!

By Mildred Henry

Maria says in the musical, The Sound of Music, “When the Lord closes a door, He opens a window”.  The window opened and, yippee! my book is finished!

The book, “From the Ashes I Rise, dare to do the Impossible”, by Dr. Mildred Dalton Hampton-Henry will be uploaded on Amazon the week of January 10, 2022 and available for purchase thereafter. You can purchase and the book will be mailed to you.  My birthday is February 4th.  What a birthday present – to have my book published!

Thank You for continually asking me, “How is the book coming?”  You “kept my feet to the fire” and the book is completed.

The title “From the Ashes I Rise” refers to the Dalton Farm in Arkansas, which was burned by the Ku Klux Klan, but from those ashes I rose and determined to “Dare to do the Impossible” in California.

Thank you for your motivating encouragement and together we did it!  Be informed and enjoy!

Since day one, the Biden-Harris Administration has taken every step available to keep schools safely open for full-time, in-person instruction. These efforts have resulted in 96% of schools open in-person in January 2022, up from 46% of schools in January 2021. Students have sacrificed so much over the course of the pandemic, and the President has been clear in his words and his actions that his Administration will do all that it can to keep schools safely open for all students.

Today the Biden-Harris Administration is doubling down on our commitment to keeping all schools safely open for full-time in-person learning by taking new action to increase access to COVID-19 testing in schools. Through these new initiatives, the Administration will increase the number of COVID-19 tests available to schools by 10 million per month. These additional tests will help schools safely remain open and implement screening testing and test to stay programs. With the additional ten million tests per month, we will make available to schools more than double the volume of testing that took place in schools across the nation in November 2021 (the most recent data available).

We know how to keep students and staff safely in school—including through vaccinations and boosters, implementing universal indoor masking, maintaining physical distancing, improving ventilation, and performing COVID-19 screening testing. Over the past year, the Biden-Harris Administration has provided historic funding and extensive resources to states and school districts across the country to make sure schools reopen and remain open – including $130 billion in the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief fund to safely reopen schools and address students’ academic and mental health needs, and $10 billion in the Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) cooperative agreement to support COVID-19 testing for students and staff.

Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is increasing COVID-19 testing for schools by:

• Sending 5 Million No-Cost Point-of-Care Tests Per Month to Schools. The Administration will distribute 5 million free, rapid tests to schools each month to help K-12 schools stay open and to implement and sustain screening testing and test to stay programs in accordance with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This new allocation builds on the CDC Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) program, which distributed $10 billion in resources to states to support COVID-19 testing in schools. CDC will work with states who can submit requests to receive additional tests for high-need school districts that can put these tests immediately to use. After states submit initial requests, the first shipments will be delivered later this month.
• Providing 5 Million Additional Lab-Based PCR Tests for Free to Schools Per Month: The Administration is making available lab capacity to support an additional 5 million PCR tests per month for schools to perform individual and pooled testing in classrooms nationwide. The additional testing will be delivered through the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Operation Expanded Testing (ET) program, funded by the American Rescue Plan to provide free PCR testing at schools nationwide. Three federally funded regional providers offer testing materials, supplies, and lab results and reporting at no direct cost to recipients through four regional hubs. Schools can immediately gain access to this free lab-based testing.
• Deploying Federal Surge Testing Units to Support Free Testing Access for Students, School Staff, and Families at Community Testing Sites. HHS and FEMA are working with state, territorial, and tribal partners to address testing needs in communities and stand up federal testing sites. These surge testing sites are focused on ensuring hardest-hit and highest-risk communities have equitable access to free and convenient testing. Effective immediately, as the agencies review state, territorial, and tribal requests, they will consider how these sites can support the safe operations of K-12 schools. Opportunities to support K-12 schools may include locating federal testing units on or near school grounds; establishing specific operating hours for students, their families, and school staff; or dedicating a specific portion of daily testing to school communities. By incorporating school needs, state leaders can more effectively build school testing into their requests and planning while surge test sites continue to provide robust access to communities with greatest need.
• Connecting Schools with COVID-19 Testing Providers to Set Up School Testing Programs using American Rescue Plan Funds. In addition to $10 billion for states to set up K-12 testing programs in the ELC program, the American Rescue Plan included $130 billion in the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief fund to safely reopen schools, which may be used to support school-based COVID-19 testing. To support schools that want to set up COVID-19 testing programs, the Department of Education (ED) and CDC will work with states and outside organizations to help schools make connections to testing providers that are available in their state. This includes connecting local school districts with the testing providers contracted by their states to set up COVID-19 testing in school using ELC funding. While programs vary by state, these arrangements allow schools to access testing resources quickly and coordinated with statewide activities, including accessing test supply and administration. Schools should contact their jurisdiction to join existing state efforts funded by ELC. CDC and ED will also engage schools to help them learn how to set up testing programs and how they can use their American Rescue Plan funds to support them
• New Training, Resources, and Materials for Implementing Test to Stay in Schools. Last month, CDC released guidance on “test to stay,” an approach that allows students to remain safely in the classroom during their quarantine period as long as they wear masks and test at least two times in the seven days following an exposure. Test to stay programs are an effective approach for identifying and containing infection at school, and help enable schools to minimize and avoid interruptions to in-person instruction. Later this week, CDC will release additional materials for schools on how to implement test to stay programs, including a school checklist and frequently asked questions and answers. Additionally, ED and CDC will continue to provide additional opportunities for states and school districts to learn about test to stay and how to effectively implement test to stay approaches in school.

The actions announced today build on more than $10 billion in investments that the Biden-Harris Administration has made in setting up testing programs in K-12 schools. School districts can also take advantage of the below resources immediately, as outlined in a letter Secretary Cardona is sending this week to school officials demonstrating available resources to support COVID-19 testing and urging them to get started today. Supports also include:

• Free Community COVID-19 Testing Sites. Schools may consider referring students, teachers, and staff to community-based testing sites that are supported by federal funding. HHS continues to work with pharmacies and retail companies to accelerate testing for more Americans in communities across the country.

Full Reimbursement for COVID-19 Testing Programs. FEMA’s Public Assistance Program continues to provide federal funding to states, tribal nations, territories and localities to support COVID-19 testing. This includes testing needed to safely open and operate public facilities, including K-12 schools. 100% reimbursement is available for schools and localities to set up diagnostic and screening testing programs. This provides an important way for communities to expand upon federal surge testing sites by providing resources for state and local leaders to open and operate additional testing sites in partnership with schools.