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Letter to the Editor: Was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. the Right Man At the Right Time?

By Tony Grant

Tony Grant

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

He was a man who inspired people the world over with the simplicity and profundity of his message of equal rights for all. He taught that the most immediate way to achieve this was through nonviolent civil disobedience. It was a technique perfected by the great Indian leader, Mahatma Gandhi.
For nearly two hundred years (1757-1947) India was Great Britain’s money-making machine, cash cow and goose that laid the golden egg. She derived millions of dollars yearly from her management of the country and was able to finance several of her colonial wars against other underdeveloped countries.
Utsa Patnaik, renowned, Indian economist, has stated that every year during her imperial rule, the British government siphoned off more than 25-35 percent of the Indian government’s budget which was close to $45 trillion in today’s money. The writer Paul Scott wrote a novel entitled “The Jewel in the Crown “ , noting just how important economically India was to the British empire.
It was just a few years before the rise of MLK that Mahatma Gandhi, performed one of the great political acts in history by extricating India from the clutches of Great Britain. This was done without firing a shot. It was achieved primarily through the action of nonviolent civil disobedience. This was a feat so monumental it could only be compared to the Exodus, where Moses broke the will of Ramses II and led the Israelites out of bondage from Egypt and into the arms of the promised land.
Because MLK believed and preached that all people should have equal rights, he lived most of his adult life with an assassin’s target on his back and the backs of his wife and four little children.
On December the 10, 1964, Martin Luther King was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace because of his nonviolent protest against bigotry and Jim Crow laws in America. MLK was more than an American civil rights leader; he was a leader for minority people everywhere who felt disenfranchised or oppressed by the greater body of their fellows and governments. Moreover, in every way, he was a man of the people. He marched on the streets with them, was beaten on the streets with them and was arrested and jailed with them.
In fact, he was jailed more than thirty times for civil disobedience with them. His home had been bombed and his congregation repeatedly threatened; yet, he marched on. Amidst the chaos of a typical march, he could be seen arm in arm with his fellow marchers demanding equal rights to vote, an end to a unjust war and that garbage collectors be paid a livable wage. His moral compass always pointed towards the rights of the oppressed, the down trodden and other forgotten citizens in our society.
MLK was a great American patriot because he believed in the promise of the American dream.
This is a concept shared by people the world over who would love to come to America and live the dream. But the American dream is just that, a concept, a great ideal not shared by all Americans. MLK emerged into the American consciousness in the mid 50’s and, until his assassination in 1968, preached that African-Americans and other American minority groups should be invited to the table of plenty to enjoy full participation in the dream. After all, they did participate in making the dream a material reality.
Was MLK the right man at the right time for the job? Doing the 13 years of his civil rights ministry to America, arguably, African-Americans made more progress in civil rights than in the previous 350 years combined.
As the world stood by and watched in wonder, MLK, through skillful political negotiations, organizational genius, eloquent oratorical skills, and soaring rhetoric made his messages palatable to a resistant majority. In one of his speeches, MLK reminded us: “We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.”
He was indisputably the right man, with the right message, at the right time!

Letter to the Editor: Book Completed: Mission Accomplished

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!

 

FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Increases COVID-19 Testing in Schools to Keep Students Safe and Schools Open

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.

“The World is Turning Toward a Troubling Future!”

By Lou Yeboah

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream and told the sum of the matters. Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. The first was like a lion and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it. And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.

After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.  [Daniel 7:1-8]

I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. I came near unto one of them that stood by and asked him the truth of all this. So, he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things. These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, who shall arise out of the earth.

Thus, he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak great words against the Most High and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart. [Daniel 7: 17-28].

Let the reader understand, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains . . . “for then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall.” The next three and a half years will be more terrible than anything that had ever occurred before. [Matthew 24:21].

Listen, “Prophecy” is revealed to men to change their perspective, to urge them to see things as God sees them rather than as they appear to the human eye. This is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things which must happen soon, which he sent and made known by his angel to his servant, John.

Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and keep the things that are written in it, for the time is at hand. [Revelation 1:3].

BOTTOMLINE: Testing the Test

Publisher’s Commentary by Wallace Allen

Testing The Test!

The test for COVID-19 is being suggested by some and required by some others. Various activities and events may require evidence of a negative test in order to participate or attend. Having a negative test days before the planned activity or event is often the recommended policy that represents the safe way to gather with others.

Does a negative result from a COVID-19 test truly indicate the COVID-19 status of the person who took the test?

Should we consider the recent exposure that occurred too recently for the test to detect or exposure any time after the test?

Thinking it through seems to suggest that the only thing that the test can really determine is if someone were negative at the time of the test, which is not an indication of their immediate, and certainly not their long-term status, such as one day later.

Taking the vaccine has become a social argument that is now documenting strong results for the vaccinated; however, the unvaccinated have among them some that take the efficiency gaps in bureaucratic policy, logic and procedures as reason to fight the shot.

If we were all tested daily, we would find people that test positive today who tested negative yesterday.

Insisting that taking the test is a truly relevant procedure feeds that skepticism. The energy and resources used on testing are probably better used elsewhere.

Experian Contributes $375,000 to Four Multicultural Organizations Serving the African American Community

The New Year brings strong support for underserved communities during the pandemic.

COSTA MESA, Calif. (January XX, 2022) – Leading information services company Experian announced today a $375,000 contribution to four nonprofit organizations that directly support African American communities, as they emerge from challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. These donations will help organizations with operating expenses, and allow for the development of new programs and initiatives.

“Nonprofits have been a critical resource for underserved communities and continue to be resilient in the face of the health and financial crises caused by the pandemic,” said Abigail Lovell, senior vice president of corporate social responsibility for Experian. “In addition to our work together and reaching out with the message of financial inclusion for all, this is an opportunity to provide real support with their general operating expenses. We hope the funds will enable them to strengthen their impact in the communities that need help the most and lessen the wealth gap in society.”

Experian has contributed to the following four nonprofit organizations:

  • United Negro College Fund (UNCF) – UNCF’s mission is to build a robust and nationally-recognized pipeline of under-represented students who, because of UNCF support, become highly-qualified college graduates and to ensure that UNCF’s network of member institutions is a respected model of best practices in moving students to and through college.
  • National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) Fund – The NNPA Fund promotes scholastic and professional initiatives designed to honor the historic mission of the Black Press: to explore and celebrate black culture, fill the void in news coverage of the Black experience, and provide compelling content that educates, engages, inspires and empowers consumers.
  • California Black Media (CBM) – CBM exists to facilitate communication between the Black community, media, grassroots organizations, and policy makers by providing fact-based reporting to a network of over 21 Black media outlets on leading public policy issues.
  • The LAGRANT Foundation (TLF) – TLF’s mission is to increase the number of ethnic minorities in the fields of advertising, marketing, and public relations by providing scholarships, career and professional development workshops, mentorships, and internships/entry-level positions to African American/Black, Alaska Native/Native American, Asian American/Pacific Islander and Hispanic/Latino undergraduate and graduate students.

Experian’s contribution will support the development of a new financial literacy program by The LAGRANT Foundation. The TLF-created program will provide ethnic minority college and university students, as well as young professionals, seeking careers in the fields of advertising, marketing and public relations with the knowledge, guidance and resources needed to become financially literate while gaining an understanding of proper credit card use and financial planning.

Investing in underserved communities is a key pillar of Experian’s Corporate Social Responsibility program, which is committed to investing time, resources and partnerships to create a better tomorrow by helping millions gain access to essential everyday services, facilitating inclusion and diversity, and managing Experian’s environmental footprint responsibly.

# # #

About Experian

Experian is the world’s leading global information services company. During life’s big moments – from buying a home or a car, to sending a child to college, to growing a business by connecting with new customers – we empower consumers and our clients to manage their data with confidence. We help individuals to take financial control and access financial services, businesses to make smarter decisions and thrive, lenders to lend more responsibly, and organizations to prevent identity fraud and crime.

We have 20,000 people operating across 44 countries and every day we’re investing in new technologies, talented people, and innovation to help all our clients maximize every opportunity. We are listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and are a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.

Learn more at www.experianplc.com or visit our global content hub at our global news blog for the latest news and insights from the Group.

 

The First Black-Owned Car Company Was C. R. Patterson and Sons

Charles Patterson freed himself from slavery and built C.R. Patterson and Sons from the ground up

R. Patterson and Sons may not be a familiar name to many, but this small automobile manufacturer is the first and only African American-owned car company. Charles Richard Patterson was born enslaved on a Virginia plantation in 1833. Twenty-eight years later, in 1861, Charles escaped the plantation and traveled to Greenfield, Ohio, to begin a new life. In 1873, he partnered with carriage manufacturer J.P. Lowe and began the successful business of manufacturing horse carriages. Charles then bought out Lowe’s shares of the business and re-established the company as C. R. Patterson and Sons in 1893, with his oldest son, Frederick, taking on more of an ownership role.

In 1910, Charles Richard Patterson died and left the business to Frederick, who quickly began converting the company into an automobile manufacturer. The hard work of shifting the scope of the business culminated in the introduction of the Patterson-Greenfield automobile in 1915. It was sold for $685 and featured a four-cylinder Continental engine that competed with Ford’s Model T.

Unfortunately, like many smaller automobile manufacturers of this time, C. R. Patterson and Sons could neither match the speed of Ford’s manufacturing nor its economies of scale. This led to another strategy change for C.R. Patterson and Sons, which started creating trucks and buses using Ford and General Motors chassis for the next several years. In 1939 after the Great Depression, C. R. Patterson and Sons was forced to close its doors for the last time.

Although the story of C. R. Patterson and Sons is not widely known, it was a multi-generational success story, securing Charles’ and Frederick’s place in the automotive history books. Unfortunately, the Smithsonian reports, there aren’t any known Patterson-Greenfield automobiles that have survived to 2020, as it was estimated that only around 150 were ever built, but the Greenfield Historical Society does have a C. R. Patterson buggy which looks to be kept in great condition. You can learn more about the business and these inspiring individuals by checking out the National Museum of African American History and Culture and The Smithsonian or by checking out the book “The C. R. Patterson and Sons Company: Black Pioneers in the Vehicle Building Industry, 1865-1939”.

“Never Would Have Made It Without You [Lord]!”

By Lou Yeboah

As I reflect back over my life, I am reminded that, “I never could have made it without the Lord. I would have lost it all, but now I see how He was there for me.” [Marvin Sapp – Never Would Have Made It – “Emphasis Mine”].

You see, “I could have been dead and gone but [He] saw differently. [He] decided to save me… from the bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you Jesus. Thank you for delivering me; for setting me free, for saving me, for washing me clean, for loving me.” [Grateful – Hezekiah Walker].

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You preserve my life; You stretch out Your hands against the wrath of my enemies, and Your right hand delivers me. I give You thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing Your praise; I bow down toward Your holy temple and give thanks to Your name for Your steadfast love and Your faithfulness. [Psalms 138:1-8].

It fills me with humble gratitude and overwhelming awe. Thank you! [Psalm 77:11–12].

Way Maker, Miracle Worker, Promise Keeper, Light in the Darkness, My God, that is Who You are. [REVERE, Darlene Zschech & William McDowell Lyrics].

“Oh, get the shackles off my feet, so I can dance. I just want to praise You” [Mary Mary – Shackles [Praise You].

This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad! Amen

I tell you, when we look at our life from where we came from to where we are today, we should be giving thanks to the Lord, proclaiming aloud “look where God has brought us from.” It is His grace and mercy that has carried us through. Like David, God has taken us from the pasture [2021] to the palace [2022]. It’s not just where we made it. It’s how we made it. A remarkable journey that reminds us that we never would have made it without the Lord. [2 Samuel 7].

By no stretch of the imagination, the past two years have been an easy time. The pandemic has forever changed our world and yet here we are thanking God for the brand-new year. We would not have made it, to where we have made it, without a way maker.

Just imagine what would happen if God did not intervene on our behalf? “If the Lord had not been on our side when men attacked us, when their anger flared against us, they would have swallowed us alive; the flood would have engulfed us, the torrent would have swept over us, the raging waters would have swept us away.” Praise be to the Lord, who has not let us be torn by their teeth. We have escaped like a bird out of the fowler’s snare; the snare has been broken, and we have escaped. [Psalms 124:1-7].

“I will always thank the Lord; I will never stop praising Him. I will praise Him for what He has done; may all who are oppressed listen and be glad! Proclaim with me the Lord’s greatness; let us praise His name together! I prayed to the Lord, and He answered me; He freed me from all my fears. [Psalms 34:1-7].

Praise our God, O peoples, let the sound of His praise be heard; He has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping [ Psalms 66].

“Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples!” [1 Chronicles 16:8].

For, “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his passions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” [Lamentations 3:22-23].

Count Your Blessings, Name Them One by One!

The Promise of a New Year Renews Assemblymember Holden’s Commitment to Upward Mobility

SACRAMENTO, CA—- Assemblymember Chris Holden hit the ground running in 2022 and recommitted to improving upward mobility for people of color by introducing AB 1604, after Governor Newsom’s veto of his Upward Mobility Act of 2021, AB 105. This legislation will be reintroduced and is the first of its kind in the nation – to promote upward mobility for people of color in California’s civil services system and require diversity on state boards and commissions.

“California has led the nation on other social justice and equity issues and now is another chance to continue that legacy,” said Assemblymember Chris Holden. “My goal is to promote transparency and accountability with this bill – both in government and private workplaces as we saw with AB 979. I am hopeful for what we can accomplish together this year.”

AB 1604 gives the Reparations Task Force more accurate data to utilize in its deliberations. Additionally, the bill requires that SPB establish a process that includes diversity and best practices in each aspect of the design, announcement, and administration of examinations for the establishment of employment lists.

By July 1, 2023, the Department of Human Resources shall develop model upward mobility goals to include race, gender, and LGBTQ as factors to the extent permissible under state and federal equal protection laws. The goals will be based on department workforce analysis and shall post the model goals on its internet website.

“I will work with my colleagues in the Legislature to improve California leadership and uphold equal opportunities for workplace growth,” said Holden.  “The promise of doing the right thing remains, and I am more committed than ever to creating more inclusive workplace environments and remove barriers that hinder qualified individuals to move up within their department simply based on the color of their skin.”

“An Exceptional Man”: Black Leaders Remember the Life and Work of Willard H. Murray

By Tanu Henry | California Black Media

Black leaders in California are remembering the life and accomplishments of Willard H. Murray Jr., an engineer and United States Air Force vet, elected to the California Assembly in 1988. He served in the State Legislature for eight years until he termed out in 1996.

Murray died on Dec. 20 of natural causes. He was 91.

“It is with heavy hearts that we bid farewell to our former Chair and colleague, the Honorable Willard H. Murray, Jr., who passed away yesterday afternoon,” read a statement the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) released the same day. “Willard Murray, Jr. was an exceptional man and public servant.”

In the Assembly, Murray represented California’s 52nd Assembly District in Southern California.

Murray and his son, Kevin Murray made history as the first father-and-son duo to serve in the Assembly simultaneously.

The younger Murray represented the 47th Assembly district which covered a part of Los Angeles. Later, he won the 26th Senate district seat based in Culver City.

Murray worked in government for more than 25 years at various levels. Before he was elected to the Assembly, he worked for former California Lieutenant Governor and U.S. Congressman Mervyn Dymally (D-CA-31). In addition to serving as an adviser to the California Senate Democratic Caucus, Murray also served on the staffs of former Los Angeles Mayor Sam Yorty and two former Los Angeles City Councilmembers, Robert Farrell and Billy Mills.

In the Assembly, he chaired the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on State Administration and served on a number of other committees. A civil rights activist in the 1960s, Murray’s political and legislative priorities included education, criminal justice, economic development and healthcare.

In 1998, Murray was also elected to serve on the board of the Water Replenishment District (WRD) of Southern California. He also served on the board of Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the largest water public agency in the United States.

“Willard had a long, distinguished career as a leader and public servant in our state. He was giant in the water industry and a champion for the districts he served,” Dale Hunter, Executive Director of the California African American Water Education Foundation (CAAWEF), told California Black Media.

Hunter said Murray introduced African American professionals, including himself, to the water industry, teaching them the ins and outs, mentoring them, and guiding them so that they moved ahead in their careers.

“Willard truly made a difference,” Hunter continued. “He was not afraid of diving into policy and making changes that needed to happen. I’m thankful for his contributions and saddened by him leaving us. I’m also grateful for his teaching. I definitely would not be where I am if it were not for his influence.”

Murray earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Northridge State, a Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School, and MBA from Loyola Marymount University.

In 1956, he married Barbara Farris Murray. The couple had two children, Kevin and Melinda, who are both attorneys.

 “We mourn with the friends and loved ones of Willard H. Murray, Jr. and celebrate his life and tremendous legacy as a public servant,” the CLBC statement continued. “May he rest in peace.”

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