Front row: Mayor Carey Davis, City of San Bernardino; Supervisor Josie Gonzales, 5th Supervisorial District; San Bernardino Councilman Fred Shorett, 4th Ward; Assemblymembers Eric Linder (R-Corona), Freddie Rodriguez (D-Pomona), Tom Lackey (R-Palmdale), Cheryl Brown (D-San Bernardino), Jose Medina (D-Riverside),Marc Steinorth (R-Rancho Cucamonga), and Jay Obernolte (R-Hesperia); Senator Mike Morrell (R-Rancho Cucamonga); San Bernardino Councilman John Valdivia, 3rd Ward; and San Bernardino Councilwoman Virginia Marquez, 1st Ward.

Back row: Robert Duarte Gutierrez, American Medical Response; Captain Jack DeJong, San Bernardino County Fire; Chief Mark Garcia, Redlands Police Department; Annemarie Teall, San Bernardino Police Dept. Dispatch Unit; Deputy Sheriff Shaun Wallen, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Dept.; Chief Jarrod Burguan, San Bernardino Police Dept.; San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon; Chief Thomas Hannemann, San Bernardino City Fire; Ryan Starling, San Bernardino City Fire; Eric Sherwin, San Bernardino County Fire; anonymous lady John Chamberlain on behalf of Kathleen Opliger, San Bernardino County Fire; and Dr. Michael Neeki, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center/San Bernardino County Department of Probation.

By Lue Dowdy

Our YOUTH IS WHAT IT DO WITH THE LUE. This Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the PAL Center come out and support our youth as they perform live! The showcase will be hosted by Comedian, Anthony Stone. The day will consist of a FREE community resource fair opened to the public. “Bring the entire family out for FUN! Until next week, L’z!

Waudier “Woodie” Rucker-Hughes accepts the Chamber’s Citizen of the Year Award from Chairman Bob Stockton and past Citizen of the Year honoree Nick Goldware. Photo credit: Michael Elderman.

By Dr. Paulette Brown-Hinds

She has spent her adult life as an advocate for “the least, the lost, and the last.” She is a champion for social justice. For many she is a beacon of hope, serving simultaneously as a guide, an access point, a connector between what is plausible and what is possible. And last week, as the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce honored her as Citizen of the Year, I joined hundreds of our fellow citizens in tribute to Waudier Rucker-Hughes, known affectionately to most of us simply as “Woodie.”

Woodie is a problem solver. She’s one of the few people I can call with a difficult issue and know she will find a resolution. She never says “no I can’t…” Probably because she grew-up hearing the phrase, “can’t is a lazy animal that doesn’t try,” an adage her parents regularly repeated during her formative years. Many of her parents’ beliefs have been “indelibly imprinted” on her brain, “Your attitude about life will determine how far you get in this life.” Those beliefs inspired her and in turn she uses them to inspire others.

As the longtime president of the Riverside Branch of the NAACP and an advocate for homeless and foster youth with the Riverside Unified School District, the work she does on behalf of others is more than just a job. Like her hero Martin Luther King, Jr. she has the drum major instinct. She is a model of love, moral excellence, and generosity. In his address to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1967, Dr. King outlined those attributes:

“We all have the drum major instinct. We all want to be important, to surpass others, to achieve distinction, to lead the parade…and the great issue of life is to harness the drum major instinct. It is a good instinct if you don’t distort it and pervert it. Don’t give it up. Keep feeling the need for being important. Keep feeling the need for being first. But I want you to be the first in love. I want you to be the first in moral excellence. I want you to be the first in generosity.”

A citizen. A beacon. A drum major. A remarkable woman and community leader. Woodie earns the “citizen of the year” moniker every year through her giving spirit, her love for others, and her understanding that excellence is not a skill, it is an attitude, which is another lesson she learned from her parents:

“Good…Better…Best…Never Let Them Rest…Until Your Good Becomes Better…And Your Better Becomes Best!”

By Dee Hunter, Urban News Service

Planned reforms to federal drug and sentencing laws that imprisoned many African-Americans have become locked up by election-year politics.

“The cost of incarceration and a growing awareness of the problems with mandatory minimum sentences have created a diverse coalition calling for reforms,” said Kevin Ring, of Families Against Mandatory Minimums.

Senator Cory Booker (D-New Jersey). Photo by Joe Ruffin

Reform supporters span civil rights advocates, law enforcement organizations, numerous federal judges, conservative groups and even Republican stalwarts, the Koch Brothers. Eighty percent of American voters support ending mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses, according to a February Pew Charitable Trusts poll.

President Obama has made this issue a priority. He issued an executive order in January to prohibit solitary confinement of juveniles. He discussed criminal justice reform in his latest State of the Union address, and pardoned 95 federal inmates at Christmas. He also became the first president to visit a federal prison.

Several relevant bills enjoy broad bipartisan support in Congress. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015 by a 15-5 vote last October.

Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) introduced this legislation, which enjoys 28 Senate co-sponsors. “Our sentencing bill is a compromise that shows that senators from both sides of the aisle can come together to address a serious problem in a reasonable and responsible way,” Grassley said.

Traditional crime fighters and criminal-justice reformers debate whether drug offenders are violent. Thirty-five percent of drug offenders in federal prison had minimal criminal histories and no previous imprisonment, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. However, BJS also reports that 25 percent of drug offenders also used weapons in their most recent offenses.

Senator Ted Cruz (R – Texas) voted against the bill. As amended, it provides “leniency for violent criminals who use guns and gives lighter sentences to criminals already serving time,” he said before the Judiciary Committee.

“That claim is false and does not factually line up with the reality of who is behind bars in our federal prisons,” said Senator Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) in response to critics who say the bill would free violent criminals. “Each case must also go before a federal judge, with the prosecutor present for an independent judicial review.”

Grassley’s measure addresses several stringent sentencing provisions that have helped swell the federal prison population over the past 30 years. It would repeal the “three strikes” law that requires a mandatory life sentence without parole for anyone with a third conviction on drug or violent-felony charges. Instead, the bill creates a mandatory 25-year sentence.

This legislation retroactively applies a 2010 sentencing-reform provision that reduced the disparity between crack and powder cocaine penalties. This change alone would let about 6,500 prisoners petition the courts for release or reduced sentences. Grassley’s bill also includes juvenile-justice reforms and language to help former prisoners transition back into society.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), facing pressure from tough-on-crime Republicans, has not said whether he will allow a vote on Grassley’s proposal. “Our system of justice is not broken,” former U.S. attorney general John Ashcroft wrote last month in a letter to McConnell, signed by 40 high-ranking former law-enforcement officials. “Mandatory minimums have caused a dramatic reduction in crime.”

Reform advocates do not consider Grassley’s legislation the major overhaul of mandatory-minimum sentences for which they long have fought, saying his bill does not go far enough.

“It’s a Goldilocks reform bill. It’s not too much. It’s not too little. But it’s better than nothing,” said Nkechi Taifa of the Open Society Policy Center. “There was a time when this looked like a slam dunk…It was the right issue at the right time. Now it is not so clear.”

This bill only applies to the federal justice system, where about 200,000 inmates are held. This is just 8 percent of the 2.5 million Americans confined to state prisons and local jails.

While the Senate’s path remains clouded, the measure has a brighter future in the House. Legislators and reform advocates consider Speaker Paul Ryan (R- Wisconsin) an ally in overhauling sentencing and drug laws. Ryan said he supports all the measures that have cleared the House Judiciary Committee. “We will schedule floor time for them,” Ryan told journalists at a recent Capitol press briefing.

Until then, reformers sound as impatient as ever.

“All there has been is talk, and more talk,” said civil rights leader Barbara Arwine. “Action is long overdue. Mass incarceration threatens many of the gains we fought for in the Civil Rights Movement. It’s time for a vote.”

The Colton-Redlands-Yucaipa (CRY-ROP) was one of four agencies selected nationwide to participate in the Youth Action Council on Transition (YouthACT), a national initiative designed to get more youth with disabilities to partner with advocates and organizations to improve their opportunities for disabled young adults. Pictured from left are Fernando Olivarez, Nicole Drazin and Branley Acevedo who represented the agency in Washington, D.C. recently.

The Colton-Redlands-Yucaipa Regional Occupational Program (CRY-ROP) was one of four agencies nationwide selected by the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth  to participate in the Youth Action Council on Transition (YouthACT).  YouthACT is a national initiative designed to get more youth with disabilities to partner with advocates and organizations to improve opportunities for disabled young adults.  The initiative is led by the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability (NCWD/Youth). Program funding was provided by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP).

The San Bernardino County Workforce Development Board (WDB) is a nationally recognized leader in workforce issues, and is often used as a model for other boards across the country.  CRY-ROP, one of the San Bernardino County WDB youth service providers, now joins the national ranks on the youth perspective, serving as a testament to how the Workforce Development Board’s funded youth employment programs are making a positive impact on the lives of at-risk youth.

CRY-ROP’s YouthACT team is working with teams across the nation to discuss and plan leadership, advocacy and transitional strategies for young adults.

“I am proud to be named the adult partner for the YouthACT team out of Colton-Redlands-Yucaipa ROP.  The partnerships between youth and adults that the program creates are powerful forces,” said Nicole Drazin, placement specialist.  “As we collaborate, we are creating a new energy in our communities that will pave the way to better opportunities for transitioning youth.”

The Workforce Development Board is making efforts to gain input from youth about what they need during their transitioning years.  This input helps provide the right opportunities, services, and support for this population.

YouthACT aims to increase positive youth-adult partnerships where young people and adults work together, share information and learn from each other. All individuals in the partnership have the opportunity to engage in planning, decision-making, and action consistent with their own interests and skills.

“It’s imperative for us to point youth in the right direction to succeed in life during their transitional years,” said James Ramos, Chairman of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors.  “Colton Redlands Yucaipa ROP is a voice for our San Bernardino County youth community and their needs will be heard at the federal level.”

In 2016, the YouthACT team and peer leaders from CRY-ROP’s WDD-funded employment program will be making presentations at community and school organizations on how students with disabilities can advocate for themselves and their families, and identify short and long term plans to support personal and career goals.

“We are very proud that one of our youth service providers was selected as one of four national cohorts to be the voice for YouthACT.  This is a testament to the high caliber of our Workforce Development Board funded youth programs,” said Workforce Development Executive Director Sandy Harmsen.

Attorney Zulu Ali (PRNewsFoto/Law Office of Zulu Ali)

RIVERSIDE, CA- Attorney Zulu Ali of the Law Offices of Zulu Ali in Riverside, California has been named Top 10 Best Lawyers by the American Institute of Criminal Law Attorneys. The American Institute of Criminal Attorneys is an invitation only legal organization recognizing excellence of practitioners in the field. Each lawyer must be formally nominated, have attained the highest degree of professional achievement in his or her field, and have an impeccable client satisfaction rating.

Attorney Zulu Ali, a native of Shelbyville, Tennessee, is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, who served with the Marine Security Forces. After graduating from the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy, Attorney Ali served as a sworn police officer with the City of Shelbyville, City of Lewisburg, and Vanderbilt Police Departments, respectively.

Attorney Ali earned a Juris Doctorate (law degree) from Trinity International University Law School and a liberal arts degree with an emphasis in African Studies from Regents College through a consortium with Tennessee State University.

Attorney Ali has been admitted to the California State Bar; United States District Courts for the districts of Central California, Southern California, Northern California, and Colorado; United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth, Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Circuits; and the United States Supreme Court.

In 2007, inspired by civil rights attorneys Charles Hamilton Houston, Thurgood Marshall, and Avon Williams, Jr., who used the law and courts as a vehicle to make change and protect all people against injustice, Attorney Zulu Ali opened the Law Offices of Zulu Ali with a focus on representing persons accused of crimes and seeking criminal justice, immigrants, victims of discrimination, and persons seeking civil justice. Attorney Ali and his law firm take on extremely difficult cases and matters that provide an opportunity to make changes in the law, through the courts, when the law is unjust.

Attorney Ali serves as Director of the American Committee for United Nations Oversight, an advocacy group lobbying the United Nations for police reform; Director of the Stop and Frisk Academy, which trains at risk youth and others to deal with police encounters; Director of the Southern California Veterans Legal Clinic, a legal clinic offering no cost and low cost legal services to military veterans; and a member of the National Conference of Black Lawyers. Attorney Ali was Honored Top 100 Lawyers by the National Black Lawyers-Top 100.

Attorney Ali resides in Southern California with his wife (Charito) of 30 years. Their four adult children, Christine, Whitney, Ashley, and Lynda; and two grandchildren, Amayah and Tye, also reside in Southern California.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- BLU Educational Foundation (BLU) is inviting the community to join them as they celebrate Women’s History Month with a neighborhood screening of the award-winning provocative news documentary, The Souls of Black Girls.  The screening, which will be held Thursday, March 24 is free to attend and will include a post-screening panel discussion with thought leaders from the Inland Empire Region.

Produced by rising filmmaker Daphne Valerius, the documentary raises the question of whether or not women of color may be suffering from a self-image disorder as a result of trying to attain the standards of beauty that are celebrated in media images. The candid piece features interviews with young women discussing their self-image as well as social commentary from Rapper/Political Activist Chuck D, Actresses Regina King and Jada Pinkett Smith, PBS Washington Week Moderator Gwen Ifill and Cultural Critic Michaela Angela Davis, among others.

The screening will be held in the Library Viewing Room of San Bernardino Valley College located at 701 South Mt. Vernon Ave. A pre-screening reception featuring spoken-word performances given by students who work closely with Dina Walker, founder of BLU, will begin at 5:40 p.m. The screening will start at 6 p.m. Seating is limited.  Reservations may be secured online at Eventbrite. Questions about the screening may be directed to OneNation Media Services at (909) 657.0578.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- On Tuesday, April 5 to Thursday, April 7 at 7 p.m., New Hope Baptist Church will be holding its annual spring revival. The theme this year is entitled, “God’s Called, God’s Sent and God’s Righteous(ness).-Isaiah 6:8 and Romans 10:9-15.”

Dr Jerry M. Carter, Jr., Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Morristown, New Jersey, will be the guest evangelist. Guest lecturers include: Dr Warren Stewart, Pastor of First Institutional Baptist Church in Phoenix, AZ and Dr. Frederick Fairley, SR., Pastor of Berean Bible Church, in Phoenix, AZ. This will be a revival you will want to come and invite your neighbors and friends. Let their prayers during their 21-day fast be for a spirit-field, renewing and restoring, worship service each night of our revival.

The public is invited. The church is located at 1575 W. 17^th Street in San Bernardino. Please call (909) 887-2526.

Submitted by Stephanie Liggins with the assistance and information corrections and additions of Betty Hempstead.

The Ricks family historian has blessed New Hope Missionary Baptist Church the past several years with mementos of several generations of her family.  Annually, the Mission Department has a Black History Display which highlights contributions and accomplishments of our people.  Sister Betty Newbern-Hempstead has a quarter of the room to display the relics of her family history.

Raised by her maternal aunt, Rebecca Ricks-Winston, and her husband L. J. Winston (whom she called Mama and Daddy), she has collected many things that belonged to her mother, aunt and uncle – things many would have long since thrown away and forgotten.

In her collection are Western Union telegrams delivering bad news reading, “Your father died suddenly.”  Another read, “Your mother died yesterday.  Funeral on Thursday.”  If the younger generation never understood why Western Union was dreaded, these notices clearly reveal the reason. There is also a receipt for funeral expenses from 1928 for her uncle’s brother in Detroit.  One could still afford to die back then and be properly buried for under $300.  Certainly, the price might have been considered high then, but looking back and comparing, there is no way that it could have been as exorbitant as the cost is today.

Also among her collection are original N.A.A.C.P. membership cards from 1923.  Her beloved uncle, known as Happy Winston in the city of Decatur, Illinois, was very active in the organization and often served as President of the Decatur Branch – so much so that his activities were often published in the Crisis Magazine. In her archive of pictures is three year old Betty with her Uncle Happy Winston among the officers and delegates’ First Annual Conference of Branches of Illinois N.A.A.C.P. Meeting at Springfield, Illinois (1934) where the organization began. Yes, she is the only child in the picture, but somehow she is not out of place.

One of the most interesting items in the collection is the high school diploma from “The Colored High School of Tuscumbia, Alabama.”  Her Aunt Rebecca was able to leave “the country” and stay with a relative in the town of Tuscumbia and graduate from the high school in 1910.  That was an extraordinary opportunity during a time in history when many of our people could not attend school at all– especially not high school. In 1921, the name of the high school was changed to Trenholm High School.  One of her school mates was Harper Councill Trenholm who went on to become the fifth president of what was then called Alabama State University – now known as H. Councill Trenholm State Community College at Montgomery, Alabama.

At eighty-five years young, Sister Hempstead has stories of historical events, ways of life and relics that helped shape the way we live and operate today.  There was an old toaster, a popcorn popper, a bottle capper, a Remington watch and a grooming kit unlike I have ever seen. But more pertinent than the artifacts, are the people of yesterday that opened a  door for our present opportunities.  We must learn of them.  We must know who they are and we must know who we are.  Next year, when New Hope’s Mission Ministry has the Black History Display, make your way to see it and be enlightened and inspired– and ask Sister Hempstead to tell you a bit about her family.

Donovan Ferguson

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- “Young Men of Valor from Vision to Reality” is the theme of the 2015/2016 “Knights of the Beautillion Candidacy.’’  Three young men from Inland Empire schools are vying for the title of “Sir Knight 2016.’’

The three senior high school students are  Elijah Little, Redlands East Valley High School in Redlands; Donovan Ferguson, Grand Terrance High School in Grand Terrance; and Royce Rogers, San Bernardino High School in San Bernardino.  These young men are currently canvassing the community for businesses and individuals who will support their efforts to become “Sir Knight 2016.”

Elijah Little

The Beautillion Scholarship Foundation Program has been sponsored by the Social-Lites of San Bernardino for 49 years.  The Beautillion Scholarship program provides an opportunity for outstanding college-bound young men to participate in a series of leadership and organizational activities that prepare them to challenge their future success.  The participants have also been exposed to a variety of community, charitable, and social events that began in October 2015 and will conclude at the Beautillion Scholarship Foundation Ball on Saturday, April 2, 2016.

The college-bound participants will be awarded scholarships and other prizes during the presentation of which they will be escorted by their “fair-maidens and their Pages and Squires,” which are the future

Royce Rodgers

“Knights of the Beautillion Scholarship Foundation Program.”

The 2016 Beautillion Chairwoman, Mrs. Edyie Tillie-Wade, and Mrs. Brenda Daniels, Co-Chair, has announced the this year’s Beautillion Scholarship Ball will be held at the National Orange Show in San Bernardino.

The Social-Lites Inc. are also seeking all Beautillion Alumni and participants from prior years to attend the event this year.  For more information, and to obtain invitations to the Scholarship Ball contact Mrs. Bettye Brewster Social Lites President at (951) 204-0022 or Joyce Smith- Social Lites Vice President at (909) 534-2929.