SAN BERNARDINO, CA- Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes hosted a Non-Profit of the Year Award Ceremony on Thursday, October 26th in Rialto, CA to honor and celebrate the Non-Profit of the Year nominees from her district. The ceremony was held at the Rialto Community Resource Center in the City of Rialto, which operates as a co-working space for community based organizations in the Inland Empire.

In total, 19 Non-Profits were nominated from throughout the community for the Non-Profit of the Year award, which recognizes local non-profits for accomplishments in their respective service sectors and for their dedication to improving the lives of others in the 47th Assembly District. Nominees came from a variety of different service organizations ranging from veteran services, mental health advocacy and environmental justice.

“Our community would not be the same without the hard work and dedication of our non-profit sector,” said Assemblymember Reyes. “Our non-profits in San Bernardino County only receive approximately $3 per capita compared to the statewide average of $119 per capita. We must do more to support our community based organizations, so they can provide the essential services our population needs.”

Among the awardees was United Nations of Consciousness who was recognized earlier this year as the Non-Profit of the Year for the 47^thAssembly District. United Nations of Consciousness operates at the Anne Shirrells Park Community Center in San Bernardino, providing afterschool programs, advocacy for youth of color and male mentoring services to name a few.

Non-Profit of the Year Nominees for the 47^th District:

Bloomington Community Health Center

Cedar House Life Change Center

Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice

LightHouse Social Service Center

Center of Employment Training

Fontana Resources at Work, Industrial Support Systems

Fontana Veterans Resource Center

Honor Flight – Inland Empire

Friends of Blue Mountain

Mental Health Systems

Pathways From Boys To Men

The Brightest Star Foundation

National Council of Negro Women, Inc.

Rialto Family Health Services

San Bernardino Community Service Center, Inc.

Rescue A Generation

African American Health Coalition

Project Fighting Chance

United Nations of Consciousness

LOS ANGELES – The Metrolink regional rail system today marked a quarter century of transforming Southern California in a unique ceremony where riders joined regional officials in focusing on the future of mobility in Southern California.

“With roadways congested and at capacity, the future of mobility lies in public transportation,” said Metrolink Board Chair Andrew Kotyuk, a San Jacinto Councilman. Kotyuk noted that for many Southern California residents, Metrolink is the only stress-free alternative to slogging through traffic.

Metrolink, which covers a 538-mile swath through six counties, acts as a relief valve taking pressure off Southland freeways. Each weekday Metrolink riders travel more than 1.3 million miles, enough to journey to the moon at least five times. Metrolink service removes 8.7 million car trips annually. And that’s good for traffic and air quality.

In the past 25 years an additional 2.7 million tons of additional carbon dioxide would have been emitted if it wasn’t for Metrolink taking cars off the road.

“For 25 years, Metrolink has eased our commutes, connected our communities, and helped bring Southern Californians closer together,” said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Chair of the Metro Board. “Now, it’s time for us to build on the progress of the last generation – with a new era of bold investment that will bring a wealth of new transportation options to our region.”

At the ceremony dignitaries lauded Metrolink for its national leadership role in advancing safety and green technology.

It was the first commuter rail agency in the United States to install and operate Positive train control (PTC) during regular service on all hosted lines. This GPS-based safety technology, introduced in 2015, can stop a train and prevent train-to-train collisions and derailments caused by speeding and unauthorized train movement.

Metrolink also was the first major commuter rail agency in the nation to purchase new Tier 4 clean air operating locomotives that produce less emissions, generate more horsepower and are safer than older diesel models. Tier 4 locomotives will reduce PM and NOx emissions by up to 85 percent over standard diesel engines. When all 40 of these Tier 4 locomotives are in service it will be equivalent to reducing the annual emissions of 31,320 vehicles.

And Metrolink helps drive the economy. Its staff dispatches nearly 50 million pounds of freight each year on Metrolink owned track used by BNSF and Union Pacific.

Passenger fares and fees paid by the railroads cover 44 percent of Metrolink operating costs, the highest of any Southland public transit agency.

But Metrolink is more than statistics, more than just powerful locomotives and steel track. Metrolink Chair Kotyuk pointed out that for 25 years Metrolink has knitted together dozens of far-flung communities in the sprawling Southern California region from Lancaster and Ventura to Irvine, Los Angeles, Anaheim, Riverside, San Bernardino and Oceanside.

The diverse riders that take Metrolink to work, school or to explore Southern California, are a family who bond over long distances. The average Metrolink commuter travels 36 miles one way and crosses county lines.

They share a common frustration with driving in traffic and are thankful for the Metrolink alternative.

“When I look out the window to the right and see the 10 Freeway, I’m so glad not to be one of those stuck in traffic,” said Hasan Ikhrata, executive director of the Southern California Association of Governments, a sentiment expressed by a fellow Metrolink rider, Steve Dooner, who recently started taking Metrolink from Moorpark to work in Burbank after tiring of stop-and-go traffic driving the I-5.

“I now come home relaxed,” Dooner said with a smile.

 

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- “Black Minds Matter,” an eight-week public course designed to increase the national consciousness on issues facing African-American boys and men in education, will be held by Cal State San Bernardino’s Black Faculty, Staff and Student Association.

The public course, which started Monday, October 23, from 4:20 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., and will be held at the same time on subsequent Mondays through December 11 in the Santos Manuel Student Union Theater, draws parallels between issues faced by black males in society and ways that black minds are engaged in the classroom.

“Through this lens, we will engage research on black students in education (from preschool to doctoral education), emphasizing strategies and practices that can support their success,” said Kathryn Ervin, a CSUSB professor of theater arts. “Like the Black Lives movement, the course provides an affirmative statement that Black minds do matter.”

Ervin added the “Black Minds Matter” course encourages educators to see their classrooms, offices, schoolyards and campuses as sites for civil resistance.

The course will employ the three tenets of the Black Lives movement: loving engagement, collective value and restorative justice, all of which are the framework for enhancing outcomes for black boys and men in education.

Visit the Black Minds Matter website at jlukewood.com/portfolio/black-minds-matter to learn more.

By Charlene Muhammad, California Black Media

Equitable education is a top priority for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), which re-emphasized its call for a moratorium on charter school expansion during its California Hawaii 30th Annual State Convention at the LAX Marriott Hotel in Los Angeles October 26 to October 29.

The NAACP contends that charter schools divert already-limited funds from public schools, without the same levels of oversight, civil rights protections, and transparency.  It wants stronger oversight in governance and practice in the system.

In California, of the 175,000 Black students who took the math test for 2017, six percent exceeded state standards, 13 percent met standards, 25 percent ‘nearly’ met standards, and 56 percent did not, according to the California Department of Education.

In English/Language Arts, 44 percent of the 175,000 Blacks tested did not meet state standards, while 25 percent nearly passed, 22 percent passed, and 9 percent exceeded them.

During an invitation-only stakeholders meeting on Oct. 26, CBM sought new NAACP President Derrick Johnson’s thoughts on calling for a moratorium on charter schools, when some families are finding success in these schools.

While not all traditional schools are failing, Black children are suffering greatly in traditional schools, not just from a lack of education, but from criminalization through various disciplinary measures (such as random backpack searches, suspensions, and expulsions), CBM noted.

“The NAACP will continue to advocate for quality education for our children.  We began to notice a trend with charter schools.  We’re clear that anytime you put a profit motive behind the delivery of education there are individuals who would put profit above people,” Johnson replied.

As a result, he said the organization’s position is clear.  It is calling for a moratorium on charter schools, because of the privatization of schools and the lack of transparency in their operations.

Particularly, Johnson said, the NAACP is looking at the impact of how charters operate across the country, which varies under state laws.

“You have scenarios like in Detroit, where the authorizing board, you have 16 of them.  There is no standardization.  There is no transparency in their governance.  And in some cases, we found that schools would open up, receive resources, and close, and parents are left holding the bag,” Johnson stated.

He said that level of instability is found in the majority of Black, Latino and poor neighborhoods.

Johnson said there might be some best practices across the country with charter schools, and the NAACP knows there is not a perfect system with public schools.

That said, it has long advocated for quality education in the public school sector, but the 15-year emergence of the privatization of education is also a problem, he stated.

“We will not be consistent with our mission if we didn’t speak out as strongly against what’s taking place in the privatization process of delivering education in the same vein that we have historically spoken out against the lack of quality in the public setting. That’s why we’ve taken the position that we’ve taken,” Johnson stated.

Rev. K.W. Tulloss, president of the National Action Network Los Angeles Chapter agrees with the NAACP that equity in the overall funding of students per pupil is a worthy fight.

Though his own children attend a charter school, Tulloss advocates for a cap, because he feels the Black community is too flooded with the sites.  He said he is also against a two-tier system that pits charter vs. traditional, because every child matters.

“I don’t particularly agree with the NAACP stance in trying to point out the discrepancies of charter schools, because, when you do that, you talk about my children who attend charter schools.  As a parent, I chose charter schools, because there’s not a one-size-fits-all system,” Tulloss said.

“My child, I feel, is doing a great job in a charter school, Watts Learning Center, which is 70 percent African American students there,” he added.

On the political front, CBM also asked Johnson how he thinks the NAACP’s switch from a 501(c)(3) non-partisan status to a 501(c)(4), allowing it to lobby or campaign politically, may impact its ability to not fall prey to the highest bidder.

He replied the NAACP is a membership-based advocacy organization, with strength in its local units across the country.

They are already 501(c)(4), which means very few restrictions on policies, positions, how they inform the community, and political advocacy around certain measures, Johnson said.

“The NAACP also has an internal policy that we don’t endorse political parties or individual candidates,” he said.   But the national office has been restricted and limited on the type of support it could give to state conferences on certain ballot positions.

“In order for us to have consistency, we’re creating a (c)(4) so we’ll have better alignment with our local units as they advocate for public policy, but we will retain our (c)(3) at the same time,” Johnson concluded.

By Joseph Hammond , Urban News Service

Most Americans had not heard of Rep. Frederika Wilson until she accused President Trump of making insensitive remarks in a condolence call to the widow of an American soldier killed in Niger.

But her connection to the military’s often secretive work in work in Niger came as little surprise to intelligence officers who know the Florida Congresswoman as a long-time supporter of U.S. counter-terrorism missions in Africa. Since her election to the House in 2010, Wilson has become one of the staunchest advocates for U.S. support in the fight against the jihadist group Boko Haram.

In an exclusive interview with the Urban News Service days before the attack in Niger, she said she is especially concerned about the threats Boko Haram and other terrorist groups could pose to America’s homeland.  “What you are going to see is little black boys in communities that Boko Haram will [target by] sending people in to change the trajectory of what’s happening in our inner cities and they too will become terrorists,” she said.

African security has long been an issue for the congresswoman. Wilson was part of the first congressional delegation to go into another African country, Nigeria, after Boko Haram abducted 276 girls in 2014 from a school in the town of Chibok, stirring international outrage and inspiring the social media hashtag #bringbackourgirls. Boko Haram has released many of the girls, but 113 remain missing.

In a Facebook posting following the death of four Americans soldiers in Niger at the hands of Islamic terrorist on Oct. 3., Wilson framed their losses as part of a larger struggle against Boko Haram and Da’esh (ISIS) in Africa. She also noted that she had sponsored a successful piece of legislation which directs the United States to aid Nigeria and its neighboring countries, including Niger, in developing a five-year strategy to fight Boko Haram.

Although that legislation did not call for a direct role for American troops. She has outlined financial moves and controversial arms sales as moves the Trump administration could take to help Nigeria.

“We have money in our banks that was confiscated from Nigeria – its dirty money and it’s now up to us to return the money to the Nigerian government so they can use the money to help international displaced people,” she said. “There are thousands of them who have been rooted from their homes because of Boko Haram.”

Like insurgencies around the world, Boko Haram’s ability to launch raids in one country and seek safety in another has made the group especially difficult to confront. Wilson stressed that U.S. must make sure “that the Multinational Joint Task Forces that we put in place is working with Chad, Niger and Nigeria and make sure it’s working and make sure they can cross boundary lines to chase Boko Haram.”

The congresswoman has also supported the controversial sale of warplanes to Nigeria a stance that contrasted sharply with some in her own party.

Nigeria has long sought to purchase a dozen Super Tucano A-29 aircraft for its use in its campaign against Boko Haram. The propeller plane is produced by Brazil and the United States and is designed for counter-insurgency operations and aerial reconnaissance.

The Obama administration initially approved a sale of the aircraft to Nigeria, but put it hold in January after the Nigerian air force mistakenly bombed a refugee camp along the Nigerian-Cameroonian frontier that killed 115 people and 100 people injured.  The Trump administration approved the sale this summer.

The sale has proved controversy for other reasons. Two Senators Corey Booker (D- New Jersey) and Rand Paul of Kentucky (R-Nigeria) have also opposed over the concerns regarding the Nigerian government’s violent treatment of its Shia Muslim minority.

“We are concerned that the decision to proceed with this sale will empower the government to backtrack even further on its commitments to human rights, accountability, and upholding international humanitarian law,” the two senators wrote in a joint letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in June.

Asked about her sale of the warplanes Wilson put the issue in the context of the corruption in the former administration of President “Goodluck” Jonathan Taylor. He was defeated in 2015 elections by the current president, Muhammadu Buhari, a former military strongman who has made defeating Boko Haram a priority. Wilson expressed confidence that Bukhari had addressed corruption and other concerns that had plagued the sale in the past. 

“It takes a while for them to get the planes and it will take a while for Nigerian soldiers to be properly trained,” she said, [but} we should see that very soon in Nigeria.”

 Bukhari is potentially open to military assistance from the U.S., which then President Taylor halted in 2014. Nigeria, however, was not listed on a list of countries where U.S. forces are deployed in a letter the Trump Administration sent to congress this summer.

Under Bukhari, the Nigerian military in concert with its regional allies has put Boko Haram on the defensive in Nigeria. Boko Haram first emerged in 2002 amongst disaffected members of the Kanuri tribe.  Ironically the place where Boko Haram may have its best chance to regain the initiative is in Niger.

The recent withdrawal of Chadian forces from Niger could mean that Boko Haram could potentially form a tactical alliance.  Niger is the only country in Africa where Boko Haram, Da’esh and Al-Qaeda have all launched attacks.

It remains unclear if members of Al-Qaeda, Da’esh (ISIS), or another terrorist group operating in Niger were responsible for the attack.

A Pentagon statement linked the attack to Al-Qaeda. As of press-time, no terrorist group has taken responsibility for the deadly October 4^th attack.

By Lue Dowdy

Looking for the Next Plus Size/BBW Queen is WHAT IT DO!
Who will be crowned our 2018 Plus Size/BBW Queen? LUE Productions 2nd
annual BBW (Big Beautiful Women) Model Competition and Fashion Show will be a must attend event. It will be a night of girl power at its finest! The winner will walk away with the following: $500 cash, a crown, a trophy, a photoshoot opportunity, a magazine/newspaper feature, hosting gigs, and exposure and promo for one year or more.

If you want to compete, please register today! Registration is $50 before January 1, $100 after February 1, and $150 after April 1. The requirements to compete include: Must be a size 14 and up, must be 18 years and older, must be willing to participate in all activities surrounding the promotion and success of the event, and must register no later than May 1.

You can register in person or by texting (909) 567-1000, (909) 556-7637, or (714) 833-3196. Once we receive your registration fee, our application will be emailed to you requesting the following: 2 head shots and 1 full body shot.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—Television and Film and can seem like reality, although most of the time its fiction, but just imagine if what was depicted on television happened in real life. This is the synopsis behind the upcoming film, “Full Method” written, produced, and directed by San Bernardino native Katz Carter.

“Full Method” tells the story about two friends who are preparing to play a serial killer for a new television drama series, but end up accidently becoming killers themselves. The film was inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s, ‘Rope’ from playwright Patrick Hamilton.

This upcoming Suspense-Thriller will feature an award-winning cast which includes: Aiden Davari (Matthew Campbell), Shane Cervantes (Frank Genger), Cara Kluver (Liz Riley), Caroline Lee Sanchez (Caroline Prescott), and Terri J. Freedman (Janet Witt).

The film is currently in pre-production mode and in the process of accumulating all the funds necessary to make it a success.  There is currently a GoFund me page set up, so if you love a great, juicy thriller and love supporting local talent, please don’t hesitate to donate at www.gofundme.com/KatzCarter1st.

Katz started acting at a young age trying to follow in his father’s footsteps, doing community theater. In high school, he realized he can make a living from his love of movies and started considering camera work. In college when everyone else around him was acting, he figured someone had to write and direct so that everyone else can act, and that is what started his 15-year journey into the life of filmmaking. He developed a real love for directing and left acting behind to pursue a career in directing and producing.

RIVERSIDE, CA- Extraordinary leaders will be recognized and awarded at the Theta Pi Sigma (TPS) Inland Empire alumnae chapter observance of the 95th Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. Founders’ Day on Sunday, Nov. 12, 2 p.m., at the Moreno Valley Conference & Recreation Center in Moreno Valley.

Receiving Sigma Gamma Rho’s coveted Beacon of Enduring Light Award is the 12^th Riverside County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Judy D. White. Heralded by the community as a “history maker and stereotype breaker,” Dr. White describes herself as a servant leader and has added value to every position that she has ever held.

As a past educator, teacher, principal, assistant superintendent, deputy superintendent in San Bernardino City Schools and Superintendent of Moreno Valley Unified School District, Dr. White is known for increasing graduation rates, empowering students through internships and facilitating a citywide adopt a school process.

According to TPS President Deborah Moore, annual award recipients are not lightly selected. “Our Beacon of Enduring Light Award recipients,” explains Moore, “are men and women whose achievements meet the requirement of proven sustainable impact that will be felt for generations to come.”

In addition to the honored, the event will feature Gwendolyn Lorraine Dowdy-Rodgers, San Bernardino City Unified‘s board of education member, as the keynote speaker for the event’s theme “Spiritual Fitness: Fit to Serve.”

Also, being honored as community Torchbearers are impactful leaders representing each of the five historically African American fraternities: Kevin Hall, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.; Dr. Mel Palmar, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.; Vice Admiral USN (ret) Edward Moore, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc.; Danny Tillman, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc.; and Damarea Parker, Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc.

Tickets are $55 each for the Founders’ Day observance and can be purchased through Eventbrite.com by entering “Theta Pi Sigma Chapter Founders’ Day”; by contacting the chapter at thetapisigma1922@yahoo.com or 951.777.4148; or by contacting any of the chapter members directly. Proceeds will help fund scholarships for Inland Empire youth and other community support efforts. Donations can be made via Eventbrite as well for those unable to attend.

The festive event will also feature the inspirational sounds of songstress Tahera Christy and praise dancer Meosha McAfee.

Lou Coleman-Yeboah

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

[Boo] your homie, let me in.   I don’t know any [Boo]. Man it’s me, let me in. I tell you, you better not open that door. You better let [Boo] stay where [Boo] is… On the outs. You see, [Boo] ain’t really [Boo]. [Boo] is Satan himself in disguise. He ain’t your homie and he show ain’t your friend. If you let [Boo] in, make no mistake about it, you will pay the piper. You better take heed to what [Ephesians 4:27] and [1 Peter 5:8] says, “Do not give Satan a foothold. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” If you open that door, you can be assured that once he enters and establishes his ground, he will build a fortress of lies around himself to protect and maintain his presence and control. Satan wants nothing more than to enter certain areas of your life so he can gain a stronghold. He’ll try anything to throw you off center, distract you from your focus, and render you ineffective for the Kingdom of God. Don’t be deceived: the devil will never come to benefit you! He will never come to bless you or to give you life, he comes to kill, steal and destroy. He is good for nothing but always up to something. Don’t let the devil in, and don’t give him a key! Don’t do it! Keep his behind on the outs!

Don’t be like David. The devil came knocking, and David opened the door.  It was as if he turned the light on, opened the door, shook the dust off the welcome mat and asked him to come in. You and I never have to fall prey to the devil! If we can shut every door, close every window, and seal every place in our lives through which the enemy would try to access us, we can prevent him from getting in.  You see when the devil came knocking during Jesus 40 days of fasting, Jesus didn’t open any doors. In fact, he slammed them shut [Luke 4].

I tell you following in the footsteps of Jesus, we must refuse to make deals with Satan, no matter how attractive the trinkets. We must refuse to be a commodity that is for sale to the highest bidder. We must refuse Satan’s insistence to relax in the passenger seat of our life. For me, I want no part of Satan’s negotiations, and I don’t need any arbitration either. We are not friends. We are and forever will be enemies. And, I am okay with that. Don’t open that door! Decide and Conquer [Revelation 3:7-13]. That’s it and that’s all!

On Tuesday, October 24, the world lost another great music legend. Fats Domino departed the earth, but his musical attributes will live on for decades.

In honor of his life, filmmaker Joe Lauaro’s 2016 documentary “American Masters: Fats Domino and the Birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll” is currently streaming on the American Masters website located at pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters.

The films digs into how Fats Domino’s brand of New Orleans rhythm and blues became rock ‘n’ roll. As popular in the 1950s as Elvis Presley, Domino suffered degradations in the pre-Civil Rights South and aided integration through his influential music. A production of HISTORIC MUSIC LIBRARY. 

Check local listings for encore broadcasts nationwide on PBS.