SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County (CAPSBC) partnered with Assemblymember Eloise Gomez-Reyes, First 5 of San Bernardino, San Bernardino County Preschool Services Department, Golden State Opportunities, and the San Bernardino Rotary Club hosted VITA DAY 2020 on Saturday, February 29. 

VITA DAY 2020 was a day of family fun including not only free tax assistance, but also a kid zone, face painting, free tacos, a resource fair, and the opportunity for families to take photos in front of San Bernardino County Fire Department’s firetruck.

“The VITA program has long been an important component in helping families in San Bernardino County maximize their tax credits and avoid unnecessary fees at tax time, which helps them keep more of the money they earn,” said CAPSBC President and CEO Patricia Nickols-Butler. “For our VITA DAY event, we wanted to make it easy for eligible families to access free tax assistance as well as have a fun family day.”

Last year, Governor Gavin Newsome expanded the CalEITC (California Earned Income Tax Credit) and introduced the YCTC (Young Child Tax Credit), which continue to put more money back into the pockets of our families. According to the California Budget & Policy Center, the combination of federal EITC and Child Tax Credits cuts poverty directly by providing a tax refund to boost families’ incomes, and indirectly by boosting work earnings through providing an incentive to seek work. State EITCs build on the federal program to further help reduce poverty through state tax credits. On average, between 2015 and 2017, EITC and federal Child Tax Credits lifted nearly 1.3 million people in California – including 463,000 children – out of poverty each year, according to a Center on Budget and Policy Priorities analysis based on the Supplemental Poverty Measure.

Individuals and families must file their tax returns in order to find out if they are eligible for any tax credits. Tax credits are available at both the state and federal levels.

For those who were not able to attend VITA DAY, CAPSBC will continue to provide free tax assistance Monday through Friday by appointment only until Wednesday, April 15th. Those interested should call Charles Blythe at 909-723-1571. For VITA program free tax assistance in other parts of San Bernardino County, please visit irs.treasury.gov/freetaxprep to find a site near you.

Film includes tributes from tennis legend Serena Williams and Olympic Gold Medalist Swin Cash

In recognition of International Women’s Day, Secret Deodorant debuts its latest equal representation campaign, “Not The First,” spotlighting some of the most remarkable women in sports today, while paying tribute to the women who paved the way for their professional success. Starring tennis legend Serena Williams, as well as Olympic Gold Medalist and NBA New Orleans Pelicans executive Swin Cash, Secret’s “Not The First” campaign celebrates the accomplishments of trailblazing women in sports.

Secret invites women to watch “Not The First” here, join the conversation on social media (#NotTheFirst) and share a tribute to a woman who first inspired them to pursue their passion. Secret will also support a group of multicultural female influencers as they share their tributes and make a donation to an organization of their choice that works towards equality for women.

“Secret carries a strong reputation of supporting equal opportunity and representation for women,” said tennis legend Serena Williams. “It is crucial to me that I use my platform to inspire change and support all women, particularly women of color because we are often overlooked and underestimated. I am excited and honored to partner with Secret to inspire a brighter future where women no longer have to be labeled as the ‘First.'”

To further extend the conversation, Secret will release a “Not The First” campaign ad featuring Williams in the March 16 issue of TIME magazine.

Said Olympic Gold Medalist, Swin Cash, “As a woman of color, I understand the difficulties that can arise while trying to make headway in a male-dominated Sports and Media industry. Secret has a history of supporting equal opportunity for women by spotlighting and celebrating our stories, and ‘Not The First’ is no different. I am honored to pay tribute to my role models, inspire honest dialogue and motivate women to keep pushing so they aren’t the last!”

“At Secret, we are proud to continue our commitment to equal representation and to keep working until all women can live in a world where we don’t have to sweat equality,” said Sara Saunders, Associate Brand Director, Secret. “Our ‘Not The First’ partners demonstrate unwavering strength and a relentless approach to empowering women of color. We hope ‘Not The First’ will encourage all women to share their incredible tributes, to help drive change.”

Join the “Not The First” Conversation

• Watch “Not The First” HERE
• Join the conversation and share a “first” tribute on Instagram (@SecretDeodorant) and Twitter (@SecretDeodorant)
• Tag a “first” woman who inspired you
• Follow the conversation: #NotTheFirst #ASNS #IWD

By SixFootah The Poet

I am a mother and a daughter, and I will not be silent because my pain can be someone else’s voice.  The makers of menthol cigarettes have taken my heart, and ripped it out, with no remorse.  They are the creators of a cancer-causing, lung-collapsing, aging-in-a-box of a disease that is a cancer in a stick that caused my mother to get hooked. It’s funny how they say cancer doesn’t kill, all so they can make a dollar bill.  But they created her lover, and since she got in bed with it, her life has been over.

My mother was raised by loving parents in an affluent home. I need you to understand that my mother was not a smoker.  But when she began working at a See’s Candy store in one of Oakland’s wealthiest neighborhoods, she was the first African American manager ever to work there and during their 15-minute breaks, some of the Caucasian women would smoke.  One of them handed her one and it was history, she was addicted.  My mother said that if she had known all about the side effects of smoking and the damage that it can cause she would have never started smoking. She wishes she would have known ahead of time.

My mother raised us in Oakland.  While I was growing up, she tried to quit smoking several times, but she was never successful.  Looking back, we remember she spent so much time smoking that we would have to wait to be around her or figure out another way to breathe. She would go through two packs a day and put the cigarettes before a bill. But little did we know that the menthol in cigarettes makes them easier to start, harder to quit and more damaging.

Thanks to menthol cigarettes, I have been losing my mother a little at a time for years.  My mother became sick on December 26, 2013, spending her life in and out of hospitals and care facilities due to the damage menthol cigarettes had done to her.  Two strokes and two heart attacks, I knew my mother and our lives would never be the same. I spent many nights beside her hospital bed where I cried, all because the tobacco industry lied.

It’s funny that they say tobacco doesn’t kill and it is our freewill, but in my neighborhood I seem to find more marketing toward my kind where it seems like there are 10 times more signs.  The Tobacco Industry has been advertising menthol cigarettes to our community for decades stacking the deck against us, making sure the menthol playing field isn’t level or fair.

I wish my story was unique, but I know it’s not. In California, more than half of African American smokers use menthol cigarettes, but less than one in five Caucasian smokers use them.  That’s not an accident.  The Tobacco Industry has altered people’s way of thinking, that they need menthol cigarettes as a coping mechanism for life.  And it’s why our community bears the greatest mortality due to tobacco.

But I won’t let her story, my story, our story, stay quiet. 

On November 2, 2019, my family and I lost our beloved mother.  She passed away after suffering serious and debilitating health issues from smoking menthol cigarettes for most of her life.  I’ve lost time with my mother, space with my mother, and memories with my mother.

But my mother was a fighter, and because of her, so am I.  With my mother’s blessing, over the past few years I began to educate and speak up for my people. Through my poetry, that I perform throughout my community, including at the Black Repertory Theater in Berkeley, I want people to know what menthol cigarettes have taken from me — my biggest supporter, holidays, birthdays, too many things for me to even count.  All gone. 

But the one thing they can’t take is my voice, and I will continue to use it until no more of our families bear this loss.   To hear more about our story, please visit www.wearenotprofit.org. 

By Jennifer Queen, Resource Fellow, Recreation and Tourism

It has been said that Black history is simply the missing pages of world history. Nothing could be truer. The Triple Nickles African American paratrooper unit left their mark, not only in Black history but, ultimately, in the history of the Army, the Forest Service and our great country.

On Feb. 29, the Triple Nickles will be awarded the Buffalo Soldiers Medal of Valor. The medal was created in Louisville, Kentucky, in 2014 by John Taylor Jr., a veteran and Buffalo Soldiers camp director. It was created to honor African Americans, living and deceased. The medal is presented and housed annually in Washington, D.C., at the African American Civil War Museum.

The 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion was a pioneering paratrooper unit of the United States Army. Instated in 1943 during World War II, the unit was given the unprecedented and undeniably dangerous job of jumping into forests that were set on fire by the nation’s enemy at war. The unit was nicknamed the Triple Nickles because of its numerical designation and because 17 of the original 20-member “colored test platoon” came from the 92nd Infantry Division, or Buffalo Division. Hence, the nickname Buffalo Nickles, symbolized by three buffalo nickels joined in a triangle. The unit’s 75-year legacy intersects with USDA Forest Service history in a very special way.

At a time when the Army traditionally relegated Black service members to menial jobs, the Triple Nickles succeeded in becoming the nation’s first Black parachute infantry test platoon, company and battalion.

Major James C. Queen—my grandfather—dedicated his life to fighting forest fires as a 555 paratrooper during the war. While serving, he was stationed at Fort Bragg, Fort Benning and other bases, where he underwent extensive training despite the many forms of discrimination that often hindered Black soldiers from advancing through the ranks. Despite the roadblocks, in 1994 Queen went on to become the first African American inductee into the Ranger Hall of Fame for his leadership during the Korean War.

A Washington, D.C., native, and the son of a secretary and a factory worker, Queen entered the army at the age of 18 with only a high school education. Nicknamed “Big Jim” for his towering 6’5″ height, he enrolled in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, where he earned the rank of junior colonel for Washington, D.C., by the time he graduated high school.

After retiring from the army in 1964, Queen went on to become assistant principal of H.D. Woodson High School in Washington, D.C., and later began writing the history of the first Black airborne company to fight in Korea—the 2nd ranger infantry.

“War Department studies indicated that they didn’t believe Black troops could become paratroopers, Queen said. “Just like they didn’t believe Black soldiers could become airmen…they just didn’t think we could do it.”

My grandfather lived a life colored with dignity, perseverance, love and determination in service to family and country. His body now rests next to my grandmother, Phyllis Queen, in Arlington National Cemetery, where he was buried with full military honors. Major Queen, like innumerable other paratroopers of color, proudly served his country and carried out tremendously dangerous work without the full respect, resources and support given to other troops. Many of their contributions to American infrastructure are still yet to be fully told.

The Triple Nickles was a skilled mix of former university students, top-notch professional athletes and veteran non-commissioned officers. Unlike other divisions of the army, the Triple Nickles did not deploy overseas during World War II. Instead, in 1945, the unit was secretly assigned to a series of firefighting missions in the Pacific Northwest Region. This special assignment, called Operation Firefly, saw the Triple Nickles transferred to Pendleton, Oregon. While there, the unit was trained by the Forest Service to become the first military smokejumpers in U.S. history.

That spring, the Triple Nickles parachuted into U.S. forests to battle wildfires that were set ablaze by incendiary balloons the Japanese were delivering across the Pacific Ocean. The Triple Nickles went on to operate in all the northwestern states. When the battalion was finally deactivated in 1947, their impact was undeniable.

That impact is recognized in the Forest Service Headquarters in Washington, D.C., with a conference room in their name located in the building’s promenade. Photos and descriptions of the men from the first iteration of the company adorn the walls. One paratrooper, the late Richard Williams, whose photo also hangs in the conference room, will be honored this year with a post office named after him in Columbus, Georgia. The commemoration is scheduled for March 18.

Resources:

Smokejumpers: 80 Years of Wildland Firefighting

The US Army’s First, Last and only all Black Rangers by Edward L. Posey

The Ranger Hall of Fame— http://www.nationalrgrassociation.com/ranger-hall-of-fame-1/ 

To learn more about the history of the Triple Nickles:  http://triplenickle.com/history.htm

More about the legendary capture of hill 581: When Men Don’t Panic

An online guide to provide Black women with the information and inspiration they need to vote, volunteer, give, and believe that they can make a difference this primary and election season

As Black women in South Carolina head to the polls on February 29, BlackHer, a media and membership company created by and for Black women, released The Black Woman’s Guide to the 2020 Elections, a primer to demystify the electoral process and provide Black women with the information and inspiration they need to vote in the presidential primaries and election. 

Full Guide:https://blackher.us/the-black-womans-guide-to-the-2020-election/

“Black women are some of the most reliable voters and a critical progressive voting bloc,” said Jocelyn Harmon, co-founder and editor of BlackHer. “Unfortunately, our contributions, especially to the Democratic party, often go unnoticed. We wanted to create a resource that provides Black women with the information we need to exercise our political power and elevate our political leadership.”

The online guide offers clear, accessible guidance to Black women on voting, volunteering, and giving to political campaigns and candidates this election season. It provides links to key voter resources to help Black women:

• Verify their voter registration;
• Find their polling place; and, 
• Register to vote. 

It also underscores key issues that are at stake in this election including:

• Ending voter suppression; 
• Expanding affordable healthcare; and, 
• Reforming the criminal justice system.

The guide highlights Black women incumbents running for reelection and candidates running for Congress in 2020. And includes inspirational quotes from current and legendary Black women in politics including: Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American female elected to Congress, Lori Lightfoot, the first African-American mayor of Chicago, and Ayanna Pressley, the freshman Congresswoman from Massachusetts.

The authors cite and link Black women to key organizations like Black Futures Lab, BlackPAC, Black Voters Matter Fund, Higher Heights for America, and the Black Women’s Roundtable that are advancing Black women’s political power.

“Black women understand the importance of being at the table each election season. Together, we have the power to elect a new president, politicians who will actually represent our interests, and create progressive change.” said Angela Dorn, co-founder of BlackHer.

By Tanu Henry | California Black Media 

Imagine applying for a job online.

But instead of a hiring manager or some pre-screening software reviewing your application and pushing it along — or eliminating it — based on personal biases or other random criteria a company sets up, a smart computer program that is “agnostic” does the filtering, determining   whether you are a good fit for the job or not.

Relying only on your qualifications and experience, the program does not consider factors like your name, your zip code, social connections or where you went to school in the screening process.

Sounds too futuristic? Well, the future may be right now — at least in California.

On Friday, lawmakers in California introduced SB 1241 or the Talent Equity for Competitive Hiring (TECH) Act. The bill sets a new legal high bar against discrimination in hiring by writing clear guidelines for employers to follow that allow them to modernize their recruiting processes using technological tools that reduce bias, leading to a more diverse workforce.

Sen. Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) introduced the legislation in the Senate. Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-South Los Angeles), Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Gardena), and Assemblymember Mike A. Gipson (D-Carson) are co-authors.

“California has a growing opportunity gap that leaves many families and communities in our state behind,” said Gonzalez after she introduced the bill in Long Beach along with leaders from community based organizations and social justice groups. “Hiring discrimination plays a significant role in our current inequality. The TECH Act will help ensure access to jobs that offer competitive wages and upward mobility for all our residents.”

The TECH Act states “assessment technologies will be considered in compliance with anti-discrimination rules if: 1) they are pre-tested for bias before being deployed and found not likely to have an adverse impact on the basis of gender, race or ethnicity; 2) outcomes are reviewed annually and show no adverse impact or an improvement of hiring among underrepresented groups; and 3) their use is discontinued if a post-deployment review indicates adverse impact.”

Last September, the California Assembly voted unanimously to pass ACR 125, also known as the Fair Hiring Resolution. ACR 125 was a call to action for the state’s lawmakers to pass legislation that tackles implicit racial and social biases in corporate hiring by creating clear rules of the road for how employers can use these smart technologies.

Five months later, their motion has become a reality.

 “Innovative technologies for hiring and promotion, including artificial intelligence and algorithm-based technologies, have the potential to reduce bias and discrimination in hiring and promotion based on protected characteristics, such as socioeconomic status or status as a formerly incarcerated person,” the resolution read.

“At the same time, these technologies can help employers reach larger and more diverse pools of qualified talent and better identify candidates with the right skills and abilities to succeed,” it went on to make the case for the merits of the legislation.

Jones-Sawyer and Gonzalez introduced the resolution in August last year. It was co-authored by Assemblymember Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Los Angeles), Assemblymember Chris Holden (D-Pasadena), and Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Silicon Valley).

“California is one of the most diverse states in the nation. Our diversity is our strength, but corporate executive offices and boardrooms across our state frequently fail to reflect the same diversity,” Jones-Sawyer points out.

  “Just look at San Francisco’s Silicon Valley high tech sector as an example,” he explained.  “Women make up just 36.7 percent of the workforce; 3.3 percent of the workforce is Black; and only 6.6 percent is Hispanic. That’s unacceptable.”

The TECH Act builds on a series of laws California has passed in recent years to fight discrimination in hiring, such as “ban the box” legislation prohibiting employers from asking about an applicant’s criminal history before giving a conditional job offer, according to Jones-Sawyer.

“Frida Polli is a co-founder at Pymetrics, a company that makes neuroscience games using artificial intelligence that are designed to eliminate the biases in hiring the resolution intends to prevent.

“Before we release the technology, we look at the outcomes and audit it. And we go through the audit,” she told California Black Media. “We are giving an objective data point or an objective score for employers. It is mitigating the human biases of employers. All of us are biased. The way a lot of these tools work are customized for each role. We have employees working with each of our clients. It is not a one-size-fits-all solution.”

According to Pymetrics, the company’s AI  tools is based on decades of research and technology developed by the global neuroscience community.

“They are widely considered the gold-standard of neuroscience research, and measure established building blocks of cognitive and emotional functioning, akin to the DNA of cognition and personality,” the company website reads.

Jones-Sawyer says he realizes that there will be kinks to work out in what the law legislates but he hope this technology can be used everywhere, starting with large companies in the state.

“At the beginning we will have to prove the technology,” Jones-Sawyer concedes. “We will have to offer it and hope their some companies are willing to take a chance. If we mandate it, it could sabotage us before we get out of the gate. We will have to be sure there is not government overreach with this.”

California has some of the strongest legal employee protections in the country. But even with the existing state and federal laws that prohibit discrimination in hiring and firing, Black and Latino workers still face significant discrimination in hiring, according to a 2017 Harvard Business Review report.

The study found that employers called back White applicants 36 percent more times than they did Black applicants with identical resumes. For Latinx applicants, that differential was  24 percent. It also found that the standardized tests some employers use to screen potential employees “have been proven to identify qualified candidates, but leads to biased outcomes.”

In another study conducted in 2012, researchers switched the names on women resumes to male names. The swap improved ratings from professors who were reviewing the resumes to select candidates  for STEM research positions.

“This is an amazing, amazing initiative,” says Rhonda Gregory, co-founder of the National Diversity Coalition, a non-profit social justice organization that supports the legislation. “I think it needs to be sooner than later. I’m all for it. For me, this is so compelling. You look at a person’s name or gender or area where they are from and people tend to say “oh no” I don’t want to deal with that.”

LOS ANGELES, CA—- Los Angeles City Councilman President Emeritus Herb Wesson announced the winners of the John Singleton Short Film Competition during a private reception at the Pan African Film Festival (PAFF). In conjunction with PAFF and the city’s embRACE LA initiative, the film competition pays tribute to the critically-acclaimed film director John Singleton. Singleton is known for such classic movies as BOYZ N THE HOOD, POETIC JUSTICE and BABY BOY. For helming BOYZ N THE HOOD, he became the first African American and the youngest person to be nominated for Best Director in 1992.

And the winners are:

• Jennifer J. Scott  and Brandon Hammond – filmmakersof AMARU. 
• Chelsea Hicks and Mitchell Branden Rogers – filmmakers of CONTRABAN.
• Kemiyondo Coutinho and York Walker – filmmakers THE SÉANCE

The three winners were awarded $20,000 each for the production and completion of a live-action narrative short film. Under the leadership of President Emeritus Wesson Jr., theembRACE L.A. is an initiative aimed at unifying Angelenos and empowering communities through a citywide conversation about race and racism, challenging and changing inequities. Launched by Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson and Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell the initiative seeks to foster understanding, healing and growth throughout L.A. 

The winners were announced on Monday, February 17, 2020 during the Pan African Film Festival. (Understandably, in light of the news of the sudden death of co-founder Ja’Net Dubois , the release of the winners for the John Singleton Short Film Competition was delayed.) The private reception was held at the 2020 Lounge (formerly Mexicano Restaurant) | a pop-up lounge at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza.

However, only 29.7 percent of working-age African Americans with disabilities are employed

As we celebrate Black History Month, which takes place every February, RespectAbility recognizes the contributions made and the important presence of African Americans to the United States. It is important to note this includes more than 5.4 million African Americans living with a disability in the U.S., 3.2 million of whom are working-age African Americans with disabilities. Therefore, we would like to reflect on the realities and challenges that continue to shape the lives of African Americans with disabilities.

New statistics released by the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire show that the employment rate for African Americans with disabilities has continued to grow even as other part of the disability community have lost economic ground. In 2018, the disability employment rate of working-age African Americans with disabilities increased to 29.7 percent compared to 28.6 percent in 2017. While that is an improvement, it lags far behind the 74.4 percent of working-age African Americans without disabilities who have jobs. Indeed, national statistics show that only 37.6 percent of working age people with disabilities overall have jobs compared to 77.8 percent of working-age people without disabilities. Fully 32.3 percent of African Americans with disabilities live in poverty, compared to just 22.4 percent of African Americans without disabilities.

While African Americans with disabilities continue to face significant barriers to employment, nationwide they are making some progress. Comparing the 2018 data to the 2017 data reveals that nationally, 16,749 African Americans with disabilities gained jobs. Across the entire disability community, there were only 29,000 new jobs in 2018. Furthermore, in the year prior, 7500 African Americans with disabilities lost jobs while people with disabilities of other racial backgrounds gained jobs, making the increase in 2018 particularly noteworthy.

“As a black woman with a disability, ableism, sexism and racism are nothing new to my daily experiences,” said Tatiana Lee, a Hollywood Inclusionist with RespectAbility. Lee is a black woman who uses a wheelchair as a result of Spina Bifida “This increase in jobs can be attributed to our ability to innovate as a result of being doubly marginalized. A lot of people assume, because of a lack of access, that we are not educated and therefore cannot be an asset. But African Americans with disabilities often become even greater assets.”

For many of the 1,113,944 black students (K-12) with disabilities in America today, the deck is stacked against them as they are in dramatically under-resourced schools. Thus, nonvisible disabilities such as ADHD and dyslexia frequently are not diagnosed and students do not get the supports they need to achieve. Frustrated, they can act out and become suspended or drop out. African-American students with disabilities are disproportionately impacted by suspension in schools, with more than one-in-four boys of color with disabilities — and nearly one-in-five girls of color with disabilities — receiving an out-of-school suspension.
Statistics show that unmet disability needs are a critical factor for many justice-involved youths. Researchers have found that one-third of incarcerated youth need special education services and that in some cases, up to 70 percent of justice-involved youth disclosed a learning disability. As documented by the National Council on Disability, fully “85 percent of youth in juvenile detention facilities have disabilities that make them eligible for special education services, yet only 37 percent receive these services while in school.” Youth of color, including English Language Learners (ELLs), are disproportionality trapped in the school-to-prison pipeline.

Overall, only 65 percent of students with disabilities graduate high school compared to 84 percent of students without disabilities. However, only 57 percent of black students with disabilities graduate high school compared to 74.6 percent of black students without disabilities.

Some celebrities and business leaders are using their voice to share their stories, educating people about both visible and non-visible disabilities. They are defying the statistics and have remained highly successful with their disabilities. These role models make a big difference in setting high expectations for youth with disabilities. People with disabilities of all backgrounds can be amongst the highest achievers on earth. Harriet Tubman had Epilepsy, actress Halle Berry lives with diabetes, business leader and Shark Tank superstar Daymond John is dyslexic and Stevie Wonder is blind. Each of them is a positive role model for success. They are perfect candidates for RespectAbility’s #RespectTheAbility campaign, which is shining a light on individuals with disabilities who are succeeding in their chosen careers. View more:

• Muhammad Ali—Dyslexic Role Model Fought in the Ring and for Racial and Social Justice
• Maya Angelou, Legendary Poet and Civil Rights Activist Who Had Disability, Inspires Generations
• Halle Berry: Living with Disability While Taking a Stand against Domestic Violence
• Olympic & Disability Champion Simone Biles Makes History While Mesmerizing Many
• Lois Curtis: One Woman with Disabilities Fight for Freedom For All
• Missy ‘Misdemeanor’ Elliott ‘Works it,’ Serves as Role Model for Young Women with Disabilities
• Deafblind Lawyer Haben Girma Advocates for Disability Rights
• Whoopi Goldberg: Talented Actress, Comedienne and Talk Show Host Lives with Dyslexia
• First Female Deaf African American Lawyer Claudia Gordon, Anti-Discrimination Advocate
• Daymond John: Clothing Entrepreneur and “Shark Tank” Star with Dyslexia
• Actress with Cerebral Palsy Diana Elizabeth Jordan is Veteran of 17 Shows, Shorts and Movies
• Solange Knowles: Role Model for African American Performers with Disabilities
• Clarence Page Credits ADHD with Making Him a Better Journalist
• Harriet Tubman, Legendary Poet and Civil Rights Activist with Epilepsy, Inspires Generations

Our nation’s economy is strongest when it is inclusive of the value that diverse talent brings to the workplace. These celebrities are making a difference in how audiences perceive disability. Moreover, companies including Bank of America, Coca-Cola, E.Y., J.P. Morgan Chase and others exemplify these values and have specific programs to hire, cultivate and promote people with disabilities. What these businesses have found is that employees with disabilities are loyal, successful and help them make more money.

By Lou Yeboah

Well, ain’t no need of wondering… I’ll tell you why… It’s too Dangers to avoid!  Besides the Bible says Jesus is our example in all things. Jesus preaching ministry began with a single line: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” [Matthew 4:17]. For three and a half years of public Ministry, Jesus never stopped preaching repentance. [Matthew 9:13]. All that Jesus taught related to repentance and the Kingdom in one way or another. Even in the last message He gave to the church, it was a message of repentance.

I want you to know that a message on “Sin, Hell and Repentance is a Signpost.” It is an opportunity for you to consider where you are going and to change direction if necessary. While the words Hell, Sin and Repentance may have been dropped out of some pulpits, they have not dropped out of the Word of God. All preachers should preach repentance. Ministers who avoid the subject of repentance are denying and defying Jesus. I am only a messenger commissioned to convey a message from God.  Don’t hate the messenger. Whether the opportunity seems to be favorable or unfavorable. Whether it is convenient or inconvenient, whether it is welcome or unwelcome, as a messenger of God I am to show people in what way their lives are wrong. And convince them, rebuking and correcting, warning and urging and encouraging them, being persistent and inexhaustible in patience and teaching [2 Timothy 4:2]. For He said to me, “daughter of man, I have made thee a watchman…: therefore hear the Word at My mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die, and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity, but thou hast delivered thy soul [Ezekiel 3:17-21]. I tell you, ain’t no need of wondering.

The message in the mouth of every biblical messenger was repentance. Every prophet was preaching the same message: “Repent!” Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Isaiah and Joel preached it: “Repent!”  Scripture commands it [Ephesians 5:11].  The question is will you take heed? For the times of ignorance God overlooked; neglected us, gave no revelation, and sent no messengers, nor messages to instruct us, nor to show us our follies and mistakes. He left us to our own stupidity and ignorance: but now He commandeth all men everywhere to repent. That is, he hath given orders, that the doctrine of repentance, as well as remission of sins, should be preached to all nations. [Acts 17:30-31]. As Proverbs 8:32-36 says, “Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.” For as many as the Lord loves, He rebuke and chastise; be zealous therefore, and repent.” [Revelation 3:19]. “For if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. [1 John 1:9].  A message on “Sin, Hell and Repentance is a signpost, behold it!

“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 30:19]

Black futures depend on well-resourced schools and thriving communities

To have a truly prosperous future for California, our Black students and communities must thrive. The Schools & Communities First initiative is a once in a generation opportunity to help address structural inequities that have plagued communities throughout the state for decades.

Black and other communities of color have been hit the hardest by decades of disinvestment from schools and local services, all while corporations have exploited property tax loopholes to avoid paying their fair share. These communities in particular stand to gain by reclaiming $12 billion every year for our classrooms and neighborhoods.

In honor of Black History and Black Futures month, the 100+ Black Leaders for Schools & Communities First is comprised of some of the state’s most prominent and important Black figures, including educators, clergy, youth activists, small business entrepreneurs, non-profit directors, workplace leaders, philanthropists, and elected officials. Black futures depend on reclaiming the resources we all need to thrive, and to build a future for California that we can all be proud of.

“Right now, our schools and local communities face structural roadblocks to delivering on the promise of a world-class education and safe, healthy neighborhoods – corporations have avoided paying their fair share for years while school funding has fallen farther and farther behind. The Schools & Communities First initiative would reclaim $12 billion every year for our schools and local communities by closing corporate property tax loopholes.” – Tony Thurmond, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction

“We’ve made a lot of progress in our city, but there’s still much more work to be done. We can’t afford to continue allowing corporations to avoid paying their fair share while our students and neighborhoods struggle to get by.” – Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs

“I’ve seen firsthand the devastating impact 40 years of disinvestment has had on communities of color and our schools. Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (COPE) was founded for a very specific reason: to leverage the strength of religious leaders to protect and revitalize our communities that we live, work, and worship in. That’s why our organization supports Schools & Communities First.” – Pastor Samuel Casey, Founder and Executive Director of Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (COPE)