Stacia and Ariana Pierce

Stacia and Ariana Pierce, mother-daughter duo, have created a national platform that fosters creativity, independence, and inner beauty through the mother daughter relationship.

From building her self-worth to teaching her how to take ownership of her dreams, moms carry a heavy yet powerful weight on their shoulders. Stacia Pierce understands these challenges firsthand as a mom and mentor, and is an expert at giving moms the tools and attitude needed to become a role model for success.

Stacia Pierce has built a name for herself as an award-winning life coach, motivational speaker, and entrepreneur. She helps her clients unlock their full potential by empowering them to take responsibility for their lives and meet each challenge head-on. Her seminars, inspirational materials, 21 books, and coaching program have assisted hundreds of thousands in their pursuit of happiness.

Ariana Pierce is more than just Stacia’s daughter – she’s a fierce go-getter with a passion for entrepreneurship. She provides a bird’s eye view into the struggles of the millennial daughter, where the need for independence is often at odds with a desire for reassurance and guidance.

With the love and support of her own mother, Ariana is making her mark on the beauty world. At the age of 25, she has already launched a fashion and beauty blog that attracts over 100,000 visitors weekly, the Superstar Nail Lacquer product line, an online accessory company called Style Shoppe, and a collection of marketing courses for enhancing one’s online influence.

Creating a fulfilling mother daughter relationship takes two, and Stacia and Ariana are a success story that’s ready to be shared with the world. Follow the duo at arianapierce.com and lifecoach2women.com.

Varsity Brands wanted to find one athletic team that shows respect and graciousness to opposing teams and school groups. The San Bernardino High School Varsity Basketball Team demonstrates the utmost sportsmanship by raising community pride; the team regularly volunteers at homeless shelters, elementary schools, and throughout the school. On game days, the team dresses in suits, demonstrating good sportsmanship off the court, to empower school spirit and character. Before games, they show respect to visiting teams by greeting them and welcoming them to campus. For more information or to download the Varsity Bands 2016 booklet, please visit www.varsitybrands.com/home.

Kiyah Rose Charles

By Delilah Allen

“During my travels I’d like to work with people who need my help due to their lack of  knowledge of the English language or income, I just want to be remembered as someone who helped and has done something great with her life.”

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

“What have you done for Me lately?” Jesus asks.  Fed the hungry?  Visited the sick? Entertained strangers? Nope! So why you bothering Me? What you want from Me? You want me to give you what you want, but you don’t want to do what I command you to do? Forget about it! If you can’t keep My Commandments, should I let you inquire of me at all?” (Ezekiel 14:3). I think not! Too busy pursuing temporal (temporary) rather than eternal things. Don’t you know that only those things that relate to Me, done My way, will count in Heaven! “If you love me, you will obey what I command. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He is the one that gets My blessings.

Bottom-line: As Christians, we need to put God first in our lives. If you’re doing that, God does hear your prayers, and he answers them. Jesus said, “If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given to you” (John 15:7). We must belong to God before we can communicate with him. “He who belongs to God hears what He says” (John 8:47).  The wonderful truth is, God blesses those who walk in faithfulness – He shows favor to those who favor Him. Many, however, don’t have a clue that Jesus Christ is calling their life.

What has happened? Self-interest has replaced God’s interests! Consider your ways!” “Wake up – think about what you’re doing!” You know in the book of Haggai: When the people put God’s interests first, He provided their food and shelter. Indeed, they were cared for by Him in every way: Their vineyards grew, their grapes were heavy. They slept peacefully at night, and their children danced in the streets. None of their enemies prevailed against them. It was a marvelous time of God’s blessing. But then the people became absorbed with their own interests!

Today, so many “Christians” are concerned about their own careers and families – too busy with their own interests!  So wrapped up in making money; trying to improve their life-style. Suddenly, their interests have over-whelmed the interests of God. God says you will pay a high price for putting self-interests first! (Haggai 1:6-9). “Running after material things – houses, land, money – which take up all your time and energy! God says, when you were consumed with doing [His] work, you had joy and satisfaction. But now you are empty, disillusioned, unsatisfied. And no matter what you do, nothing will ever satisfy you!”

So what does the Lord require of you? [Acts 9:6]: The Lord’s answer is “Arise, and go…” For God has not saved you to be idle–to watch others serve while you do nothing.  I suggest you read the book of Haggai. It is a marvelous lesson on how to get and keep the blessing and favor of the Lord. In utter simplicity the prophet Haggai outlines how God’s children can live and walk under God’s continual blessing and favor. Yet Haggai also shows the causes and reasons why people lose God’s blessing – and what they must do to come back into His favor!

I urge you – become faithful once more, putting God’s interests first and seeking Him with all your heart.         Hallelujah!

Author Margaret Hill will have a book signing at Barnes & Noble, Citrus Plaza, 27460 Lugonia Avenue, Redlands, on Saturday, May 7, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.  Her book, “From Sharecropping to Non-Stopping” is about her life as the daughter of sharecroppers in the state of Virginia.  She is currently the school board president for the San Bernardino City Unified School District.

RUBIDOUX, CA- If you have been looking for a church or home or a new place of worship, Higher Ground Church of Christ is inviting all to come out and worship with them. They’re mission is to lead souls to Christ. They hold Sunday School at 10 a.m. with worship starting at 12 p.m. For those that cannot make it on Sunday, there is noon day prayer at 12:01 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Bible Study is held at 7 p.m.

Higher Ground also loves to give back to the community. They have an Outreach program every third Saturday of the month where community members can receive prayer, sing songs of praise to the Lord,  get food, and receive information on how to get clothe, free phones, health plans, check-ups, temporary housing, drug abuse counseling, battered women shelters, and a host of other things.

Those that would like to volunteer for these events on a Saturday are encouraged to come at 9 a.m. The food distribution starts at 11 a.m. If you are in need or know someone who is, please come see them or have those come.

The church is located at 5339 Jurupa Blvd. in Rubidoux, CA.

By Naomi K. Bonman

Taylor Jackson with her coaches, Coach Brody (left) and Coach Krystal (right).

RIALTO, CA- With the school year coming to an end in just a mere few weeks, high school seniors from across the Inland have been accepting admissions into the top colleges of their choice. Athletes have also been signing agreements to continue to their passion for sports while in pursuing their higher educational degree.

Carter High School senior, Taylor Jackson, was among the group of athletic students who signed her agreement with Jackson State University where she will be playing volleyball and majoring in Biology.

We wish Taylor much success on her next journey as she steps onto the path of her future career.

By Lue Dowdy

Rapper, Yungan of 4ETE is What it Do With The LUE this Week!!! I totally love the way this dude rocks the MIC. Yungan, whose real name is Eric Taylor, was born in South Central of Los Angeles, California and currently resides in the Inland Empire. Yungan was inspired to write at the age of 12 and began his start in the rap game at the age of 18. Not boxing himself in, he started to explore other fields of the entertainment game such as acting, writing, producing, and modeling.     Currently under the management of 4everthugging Entertainment, Yungan is also a member of the management’s company group called Stoney Gang. Stoney Gang consists of four other talented solo artists.

Yungan has performed at several events and concerts throughout Southern California. His goal is to go international with it. The streets encouraged him to make money but music encouraged him to make HITS, stay out of the way, and not become a statistic. “I have little brothers and family that is depending on me,” says Yungan.

Recently he dropped his new project titled “Parties & Problems, Volume 1.”  Expect to see amazing things from this artist. You can catch this cutie pie performing live this weekend and on air at Mix & Mingle R&B King and Queen on Saturday, May 7at the American Legion Post 710 in San Bernardino; at the Red Cup Edition on Sunday, May 8 at the 420 Night Club in Ontario, and don’t forget to tune in to “Listening With LUE Radio Show” this  Sunday, May 8 on KCAA 1050 A.M. at 6:00 pm to hear Yungan. His other projects include STONEY California Hear me out vol. 1, 4ever LA vol. 1, and Red. Cup vol. 1.

Until next week peeps. L’z!

Submitted by Carl Dameron

On December 1st, 1955, after a long day at work, a courageous black woman by the name of Rosa Parks boldly challenged then-widely accepted Jim Crow laws, also known as enforced racial segregation, by refusing to give up her “colored” seat to a white individual on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama.

This one act of bravery led to the Montgomery bus boycott, an event that triggered what historians now refer to as the beginning of the civil rights movements in America, and that earned Parks the title of “the first lady of civil rights.”

Parks’ challenge to segregation on buses brought about the end of institutionalized segregation in the South. In March 2006, in honor of Parks’ trailblazing role in advancing civil rights, the California State Senate and Assembly designated the California Transportation Building in downtown San Bernardino as the Rosa Parks Memorial Building.

The memorial will include a life-sized bronze statue of Parks, which will be placed in front of the building. The statue will be created by renowned local artist Patrick Jewett and the project is proudly sponsored by the San Bernardino Black Culture Foundation.

“It seemed like after naming a building after her, the only thing missing was a statue of her,” Jewett said of why he took it upon himself to approach the state about creating the work of art. “And if not me, who?”

Jewett said he hopes that once the statue is in place it will give people a sense of empowerment in the ability to bring about change.

Plans for the statue have been underway for about three years and fundraising goals to turn an artistic dream into an enduring reality have nearly been reached.

The community at large is invited to top off the efforts by contributing to the project that will honor this American hero. The total amount needed is $15,000 to complete the statue. Tax-deductible donations may be to: The Rosa Parks Sculpture, C/O San Bernardino Black Culture Foundation, P. O. Box 7288, San Bernardino, CA. 92411-0288

Donor names will appear on a plaque near the sculpture. The Black Culture Foundation is a non- profit 501c3 charitable organization.

“By adorning our public buildings and parks with artistic monuments we can inspire a sense of appreciation and history in the hearts and minds of our fellow Americans,” said Jewett.

For more information on the project, contact Patrick Jewett at (909) 856-5487.

Submitted on Behalf of Terrance Stone

In honor of William Henry Jacocks, a longtime Rialto resident and active community member who with his wife, former Assemblywoman Wilmer Amina Carter, founded the Inland Area Kwanzaa Group, “The Fellas” dedicated their last Man Mob of the year to his memory. The Man Mob is a group of men from the local Inland Empire community who are interested in engaging and supporting the students at our schools.  Some are fathers, entrepreneurs, educators, college alumni, community and civic leaders, business owners, fraternity members, ministry groups, retirees, and current college students.  The me, show up to local schools, give hi-fives, tell the students to have a good day, encourage them to study hard, and let them know that they are supported by their community.  The goals are twofold: encourage and motivate students to succeed, and show them examples of positive, professional men of color.

The Man Mob is not just for students—it is for parents, teachers, school administrators and staff as well.  Indeed, before we visit a school we try to identify a teacher who has positively impacted children the most.  Once we get a consensus, we try and give that teacher a gift (e.g., certificate, hat, thank you card) to recognize their hard work, diligence and commitment to our students.  We work with superintendents, principals, district administrators, and school board members to plan and coordinate our meetings.  We invite them and let them know that we are coming to have a fun, safe, and joyful experience.

Lesford Duncan, a Child Abuse Prevention Coordinator for the San Bernardino County Children’s Network, was the first to propose the Man Mob idea in the fall of 2015.  Mr. Duncan saw a post on social media wherein a well-dressed group of African American fathers in Atlanta were hi-fiving elementary students who were entering the school building.  He suggested that the Fellas coordinate something similar here in the San Bernardino area.  It was then that several members of The Fellas (Jonathan Buffong, Terrance Stone, Hardy Brown, Ed Brantley, Keith Hosea, Joseph Williams, Alex Avila, Mars Serna, and Dr. Wil Greer, Charles Brown) organized the first Man Mob, which took place on August 17^th, 2015, at Del Vallejo Middle School in San Bernardino.

The experience was so positive that they decided to do it again at more schools.  Since then, The Fellasgroup has held a Man Mob during every month of the 2016-2017 school year, and we are inspired by the rise of additional groups.  Mars Serna and the Emerging Men of Fontana, Frank Kelley and the PACK Coalition Man Mob of the High Desert, and Corey Jackson of Moreno Valley have all held fantastic events, and fully represent the Man Mob spirit.  We are hopeful that the ongoing encouragement, across cities and schools, will have a ripple effect on children’s confidence, school engagement, and achievement.

The success of the initial Man Mob led to requests from a number of school leaders and teachers to come out and visit their school.  We knew early on that we would need a strategy for choosing schools that could most benefit from a Man Mob.  We also wanted to get organized, and make best use of our busy participants’ time and energy.  To do this, The Fellas came together and looked at school data from across the Inland Empire.  They identified schools with some of the greatest numbers of low-income and African American students, had several discussions, and added a sample of the schools to our 2015-2016 calendar.  Though the Fellas  have tried to stay true to our initial selections, we added some schools and a university along the way to be as responsive to demand as our time would allow. “The Fellas wanted to give tribute to the late Ratibu Jacocks, because we knew that this is something that he would proud of, matter fact, he would probably be the first person in front of the line giving a hi five!” Jonathan Buffong. Another program that is honoring the namesake of Ratibu is the Ratibu Shadidi Literacy Program. Dr. Wil Greer, Assistant Professor Educational Leadership & Technology at CSUSB has designed this opportunity to help African American boys in grades K-5 read at or above grade level. Please contact wgreer@csusb.edu for morning information.