Bakersfield News Observer 7.19.23

On the Picket Lines with Hollywood`s Actors and Writers, from LA to New York

News Observer

Racial Disparities in Melanoma Survival Rates Sound Alarm for Black Men

Newswire Senior National Correspondent

A study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (JAAD) revealed that Black men face a significantly higher risk of death from melanoma compared to other racial groups. The findings, released this week, shed new light on the urgent need to address the racial disparities in melanoma outcomes. The study analyzed a vast dataset of 205,125 male patients diagnosed with cutaneous invasive melanoma between 2004 and 2018, sourced from the National Cancer Database. Researchers said they uncovered distressing statistics. Among the various racial groups studied, Black men exhibited the lowest fiveyear survival rate at a mere 51.7%. In contrast, white men showed the highest survival rate at 75.1%. Although white men are more prone to developing melanoma, the study emphasized that Black individuals face a 26% higher risk of death than their white counterparts. According to the National Library of Medicine, cutaneous melanoma, the most aggressive and fatal form of skin cancer originating from pigment-producing cells, poses a grave threat to individuals across all races. While gender and race influence survival rates among people diagnosed with cutaneous melanoma, the specific impact of race among men remained unclear until this study. The researchers said they sought to fill the knowledge gap and shed light on race’s role in men’s melanoma outcomes. Although the study did not pinpoint the exact factors contributing to the increased mortality risk for Black men with melanoma, it did reveal that they were less likely to have private insurance coverage. Additionally, men were generally less inclined to seek medical care than women, potentially leading to delayed diagnoses and treatment. Ashley Wysong, the chair of the Department of Dermatology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and a coauthor of the study, emphasized that even after accounting for later stages of diagnosis, men still exhibited worse overall survival rates than women with melanoma. Wysong said the finding suggests the presence of unmeasured social, genetic, tumor-specific, and potentially biological factors, such as hormonal influences and variations in immune system responses to melanoma tumors. Additionally, the study highlighted the challenges individuals with darker skin tones face, as they often mistake melanoma for

The findings, released this week, shed new light on the urgent need to address the racial disparities in melanoma outcomes.

other skin conditions, leading to delays in seeking care and receiving definitive treatment. The JAAD study also found melanoma-related disparities among Black women, who demonstrated the highest percentage of tumors in the lower extremities, encompassing the legs, ankles, and feet. Wysong strongly recommended that individuals consult a board-certified dermatologist if they notice any new, bleeding, or non-healing skin lesions. She expressed

GA City Pays $600,000 to Settle White Officers ‘Race Discrimination’ Suit

COLUMBUS, Ga. (AP) –– A Georgia city is paying $600,000 to settle claims that a Black former police chief racially discriminated against two white officers by not promoting them.

Dowe and Litle alleged that former Police Chief Freddie Blackmon, who was pushed into retirement earlier this year by city officials, broke federal law when Blackmon passed over them. They also alleged that the city`s affirmative action plan, which called for employees to meet the racial makeup of the Columbus area, was “facially discriminatory.”

Dowe, president of the local chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police, had a role in Blackmon`s ouster, testifying before the Columbus City Council in 2022 that a union survey showed officers lacked confidence in Blackmon.

The city paid Blackmon $400,000 to retire. The city`s second Black chief at one point demanded $850,000 and threatening to sue the city for racial discrimination.

Columbus saw officers leave the force even as it recorded a record 70 homicides in 2021. Killings have since fallen. The department polices all of Muscogee County under Columbus’ consolidated city-county government.

The suit alleged that when Blackmon became chief in 2020, he avoided promoting five white captains into open command positions and instead changed the rules to allow him to promote lieutenants, giving him a pool with more Black people eligible for promotion.

The changes also meant that a 2018 list of people eligible to be promoted to captain, which included Dowe and Litle, expired. People seeking promotion were required to take a new test, and Dowe and Litle were classified as “highly recommended for promotion,” which under city rules meant Blackmon was supposed to promote them to captain before people with lower evaluations.

But Dowe and Litle said Blackmon, after changing the rules, promoted every eligible Black person and woman. While some white men were also promoted, Dowe and Litle said they were unfairly passed over in favor of people with less experience and worse disciplinary records.

Mayor Skip Henderson told WRBL-TV that Dowe and Litle will remain on the police force.

hope that this research will serve as a foundation for future studies to determine the root causes of the survival rate gaps and develop strategies to bridge these disparities. “We hope our research can lay the foundation for future studies to determine why there’s such a gap in survival rates and to make headway to reduce these survival rate gaps,” she told NBC News.

California NAACP Launches Employee Discrimination Hotline

Antonio Ray Harvey California Black Media

Rick L. Callender, President of the California/ Hawaii Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (CAL/HI NAACP), has announced that the organization is offering free legal advice and consultations to public and private sector employees in California who have been targets of racial harassment and discrimination in the workplace.

“It is a legal redress clinic for folks who have contacted our branch and believe they have been discriminated against because of the color of their skin or harassed because of the color of their skins,” Callender told California Black Media (CBM).

“We are providing legal service for our people because sometimes they try to get an attorney to listen to them, but the attorney will tell them they are busy. What we have is two (legal) firms that have contracted with us to allow people to come and get free advice,” he continued.

Local NAACP branches across California will have the authority to determine if a complaint is appropriate for the legal redress consultations after affected employees submit a Legal Redress Complaint Form.

However, the CAL/HI NAACP points out that completing the form does not constitute filing an official complaint with a legal authority.

According to the California Department of Industrial Relations, workplace discrimination complaints are based on race, color, ancestry, religion, age (40 and over), disability, medical condition, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, marital status, military and veteran status, or national origin (including language restrictions).

The California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) established the Discrimination Complaint Tracking System (DCTS), which enables the collection of data on complaints regarding discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and denial of reasonable accommodation in state agencies, according to its “2020 Annual Report of Discrimination Complaint Activity in California State Civil Service.”

The 27-page report stated that the five highest statewide categories of complaints in 2020 were Race, Retaliation, Disability, Sexual Harassment, and Sex/Gender.

According to the report, the categories ranked as follows: Sexual Harassment (44%), Race (23%), Sex/ Gender (16%), Disability (9%), and Sexual Orientation (7%).

On May 4, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and New York Attorney General Letitia James announced a joint investigation into allegations of employment

discrimination and a hostile work environment at the National Football League (NFL).

The NFL has offices in New York and California with more than 1,000 employees. If discrimination and harassment are taking place at these workplaces it should not be tolerated whether the complaint is lodged with the NAACP or the California Department of Justice, Bonta stated.

the horrific practice of lynching and the 1908 race riot in Springfield, Illinois. It is the nation’s oldest, largest and most widely recognized grassroots-based civil rights organization.

The NAACP has more than 500,000 members and supporters throughout the United States, serving as premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, campaigning for equal opportunity and conducting voter

The ability to have a program that intends to seek legal redress for workplace discrimination, retaliation, and harassment is an effective tool “to protect employees’

“We first received ‘Stop the Hate’ funding for the Legal Redress program in January 2023,” Callender told CBM.

“This is a necessary program, and we are looking forward to receiving more funding for legal redress in three

This California Black Media report was supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by

“By getting this behind us it allows us to focus all of our energy, all of our time and all of our attention to making Columbus the safest city,`` Henderson said. City leaders had previously called the claims “wholly without merit.”

2 Suspects in the Fatal Shooting of Rapper Young Dolph to Stand Trial in March

By ADRIAN SAINZ Associated Press MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) –– A judge on Friday set a trial date for two men charged in the killing of rapper Young Dolph in a daytime ambush at a bakery in Memphis, Tennessee.

Justin Johnson and Cornelius Smith are scheduled to stand trial March 11 in the fatal shooting of the Memphis-born rapper, Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Lee Coffee said during a hearing.

Johnson and Smith have pleaded not guilty to charges including first-degree murder in the November 2021 shooting of Young Dolph, whose real name was Adolph Thornton Jr. A motive for the killing has not been disclosed.

The 36-year-old rapper, label owner and producer was buying cookies near his boyhood home in Memphis when he was gunned down by two men who drove up to the bakery in a stolen Mercedes Benz, authorities said. The slaying rattled Memphis and shook the entertainment world.

Two other men have been charged in the killing.

Jermarcus Johnson, the half brother of Justin Johnson, pleaded guilty June 9 to three counts of accessory after the fact, and he could testify at the trial.

Jermarcus Johnson acknowledged that he helped the two suspects communicate by cellphone after the killing while they were on the run from authorities, and that he helped one of them communicate with his probation officer after the killing.

During questioning by prosecutor Paul Hagerman, he also acknowledged taking possession of car from Justin Johnson. The car was not the one tied to the killing, Hagerman said. Jermarcus Johnson also identified a photo in which Justin Johnson was wearing the same clothing as one of the two shooters accused of gunning down Young Dolph the day the rapper was killed.

After Jermarcus Johnson`s plea hearing, Hagerman said he had no role in the actual killing of Young Dolph, but that he was one of “multiple players” who did things connected to it.

Another man, Hernandez Govan, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and conspiracy in the case. He is accused of arranging the killing. Govan has been released on bond.

Young Dolph was known in Memphis for his charitable works and his success as an independent musical artist and businessman. Young Dolph had been in the city to visit a sick relative and hand out Thanksgiving turkeys at a church when he was killed.

was formed in response to

After his death, Memphis named a street after him and the Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA honored him during a game. Murals of the rapper have been painted around the city and a pop-up museum featuring him was opened earlier this year. The bakery, Makeda’s Homemade Cookies, became an impromptu memorial site for the slain rapper. It was closed for months after the shooting, but has since reopened.

Biden-Harris Administration Launches $2.2 Billion Relief Initiative to Support Black Farmers

The Biden-Harris Administration has unveiled a $2.2 billion relief initiative aimed at providing support to Black farmers and other individuals who have faced discrimination within federal government lending programs.

The Inflation Reduction Act, part of Biden’s commitment to addressing historical injustices, includes a total of $5.3 billion dedicated to offering relief to tens of thousands of farmers across the country.

Of the allocated funds, $3.1 billion reportedly will be used to assist distressed borrowers in paying off their farm debts without losing their land or becoming ineligible for future assistance.

An additional $2.2 billion will be allocated specifically to farmers who have suffered discrimination through USDA farm programs. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that applications are now being accepted for the Discrimination Financial Assistance Program, which aims to provide financial aid to farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners who have experienced discrimination in USDA farm lending prior to 2021.

“The opening of the application process is an important step in delivering on our commitment to providing financial assistance to those who faced discrimination in USDA farm lending, as swiftly and efficiently as possible,”

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack emphasized.

The initiative comes after decades of Black farmers accusing the USDA of discrimination and being denied loans crucial for their livelihoods and land preservation.

A study conducted in May 2022 revealed that Black farmers had lost over $326 billion in land value throughout the 20th century. The Washington Informer reported in 2022 that researchers considered that figure to be a conservative estimate of the actual financial impact racist practices have had on Black American farmers since 1920.

Biden issued an executive order last year, instructing the USDA to establish a 15-member independent equity commission aimed at rectifying discrimination within its policies and practices concerning Black farmers.

Under the initial Build Back Better plan, the Biden administration said it wanted to allocate significant funds to support Black farmers. However, the plan was scuttled after white farmers filed lawsuits claiming that the earmarking of funds specifically for Black farmers amounted to discrimination. The legal action has resulted in the tying up of $4 billion as the administration continues to defend the action in court.

Further, a 2021 report from ProPublica also shed light on the systematic discrimination faced by Black farmers at the hands of various federal agencies, including the USDA.

The report detailed how the USDA impeded

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that applications are now being accepted for the Discrimination Financial Assistance Program, which aims to provide financial aid to farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners who have experienced discrimination in USDA farm lending prior to 2021.

Black farmers’ access to critical federal funds through discriminatory loan denials and deliberate delays in financial aid.

“If you are Black and you’re born south of the Mason-Dixon Line and you tried to farm, you’ve been

discriminated against,” Lloyd Wright, the director of the USDA Office of Civil Rights under Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, and a Black Virginia farmer, stated in the report. In an earlier interview with the Informer, John Wesley Boyd Jr., founder, and president of the National Black Farmers Association in Bakersville, Virginia, added, “The oldest occupation in this country for Black people is farming. But from slavery through Jim Crow, the USDA, and the banks – all these things put together means we are facing extinction.”

Boyd added:

“What’s troubling is when the brown bear, the black bear, and the bald eagle were facing extinction, Congress put harsh laws in place until their numbers came back up. So why can’t they do the same thing for the oldest occupation in history for Black people, which is farming?”

The White House said the launch of the $2.2 billion relief initiative represents a significant step towards rectifying the historical injustices faced by Black farmers and marks the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to addressing systemic discrimination in federal lending programs. With the Discrimination Financial Assistance Program now accepting applications, eligible farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners should now have access to needed financial assistance.

Republican State Attorneys General Warn CEOs of the Legal Consequences of Considering Race in Hiring

WI Senior Writer

Thirteen Republican state attorneys general have sent a cautionary letter to the CEOs of the 100 largest U.S. companies, highlighting the potential legal ramifications of using race as a factor in employment practices.

The letter follows the recent Supreme Court ruling striking down affirmative action in higher education.

It has stoked fears that the court’s ruling will extend to corporate America.

“Racial discrimination in employment and contracting is all too common among Fortune 100 companies and other large businesses,” the attorneys general wrote in the July 13 letter to the CEOs of Fortune 100 companies.

“In an inversion of the odious discriminatory practices of the distant past, today’s major companies adopt explicitly race-based initiatives which are similarly illegal.”

The attorneys continued, noting that “these discriminatory practices include, among other things, explicit racial quotas and preferences in hiring, recruiting, retention, promotion, and advancement.”

“They also include race-based contracting practices, such as racial preferences and quotas in selecting suppliers, providing overt preferential treatment to customers on the basis of race, and pressuring contractors to adopt the company’s racially discriminatory quotas and preferences.”

The high court’s ruling, which declared race an inadmissible factor in college admissions, could also apply to private entities, including employers.

They emphasized that treating individuals differently based on their skin color, even with benign intentions, is unlawful and wrong.

Additionally, the attorneys general suggested that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs might constitute a form of discrimination.

Already DE&I positions appear targeted.

Shortly after the Supreme Court’s decision, it was revealed three prominent studios and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had bid farewell to their top diversity executives.

The exodus of diversity executives included the departure of Disney’s chief diversity officer and senior vice president, Latondra Newton.

A veteran of six years at the company, Newton left on June 20 to pursue “other endeavors.”

Netflix’s head of inclusion strategy, Vernā Myers, was the next to announce her departure, set for September.

Additionally, Discovery removed Karen Horne from her position as SVP of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

And at the same time, the Academy bid farewell to Jeanell English, its EVP of Impact and Inclusion.

Academy CEO Bill Kramer created English’s role in July 2022.

Still, several experts noted that the Supreme Court’s ruling does not directly alter existing employer obligations or commitments to DEI.

Greg Hoff, associate counsel of the HR Policy Association, told PBS that the decision does not legally

The letter follows the recent Supreme Court ruling striking down affirmative action in higher education. It has stoked fears that the court’s ruling will extend to corporate America.

impact Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which governs employment discrimination and workplace bias.

Several experts opined that the ruling pertains specifically to higher education institutions and entities that receive federal funding rather than private employers. They emphasize that affirmative action in college admissions differs significantly from DEI efforts in workplaces, which can encompass various initiatives such as expanded outreach for diverse hires, the establishment of employee resource groups for underrepresented workers,

and the reduction of bias in hiring through practices like blind applications.

David Glasgow, executive director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging at New York University’s School of Law, said in a PBS interview that opponents of DEI have been deliberately conflating affirmative action with DEI initiatives to serve their political agendas.

Glasgow emphasized that although affirmative action in the workplace is still technically legal according to Supreme Court precedent, it is still infrequent.

He suggested that if there’s a challenge to workplace affirmative action, the current court might overturn such cases, mirroring the decision made in college admissions.

However, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) recently sent a letter to Target’s CEO, alleging that the company’s DEI program and “racial quota for hiring” were discriminatory, citing the affirmative action ruling.

The attorneys general have expressed their intent to monitor companies’ hiring practices for employees and contractors closely. They specifically called out several companies, including Airbnb, Facebook, Google, Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, and Netflix, for their programs to increase racial diversity in their workforce and supplier networks. Despite the forceful nature of the letter, only about half of the nation’s Republican attorneys general signed it, while Democrats have criticized the Supreme Court’s decision on affirmative action.

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Rev. Dr. Frederick D. Haynes III Succeeds Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. as

New President and CEO of Rainbow PUSH Coalition

National Correspondent

Tributes have continued to pour in for the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who announced on July 14 his retirement as President and CEO of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the influential civil rights organization he started decades ago to carry on the struggle for equality and justice that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. fought heroically.

The organization said Rev. Dr. Frederick D. Haynes III will succeed Jackson.

“The promise of America is that we are all created equal in the image of God and deserve to be treated equally throughout our lives. While we’ve never fully lived up to that promise, we’ve never fully walked away from it because of extraordinary leaders like Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sr.,” President Joe Biden stated.

“Throughout our decades of friendship and partnership, I’ve seen how Reverend Jackson has helped lead our nation forward through tumult and triumph.”

The President continued:

“Whether on the campaign trail, on the march for equality, or in the room advocating for what is right and just, I’ve seen him as history will remember him: a man of God and of the people; determined, strategic, and unafraid of the work to redeem the soul of our nation.”

One of Jackson’s comrade in the civil rights struggle, National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., echoed Biden’s remarks.

“On behalf of the NNPA, representing the Black Press of America, I am so pleased to issue the NNPA’s highest regards and respect to the Honorable Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr.,” Chavis remarked.

“I have known and worked with the Rev. Jackson all of my adult life as a fellow freedom fighter in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, NAACP, Rainbow PUSH, United Church of Christ Commission for Racial Justice, and the National African American Leadership Summit.”

Chavis continued: “Rev. Jackson’s transformative ‘Run Jesse Run’ presidential campaigns in the 1980s irreversibly changed America for the better.

“The Black Press resolutely salutes Jesse Jackson’s outstanding national and global leadership, and we pledge to keep fighting for freedom, justice, equality, and equity.”

Jackson, a renowned figure in the fight for civil rights, founded PUSH (People United to Save Humanity) in 1971 and established the National Rainbow Coalition in 1984.

In 1996, the two organizations merged to form the powerful and influential Rainbow PUSH Coalition. Organization officials said Dr. Haynes, a Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, Inc. co-chair, has exemplified the same passion and commitment to global racial justice that characterizes Jackson’s legacy.

As a co-founder of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference (SDPC), Inc., Haynes has been a guiding force for over two decades, upholding the mission and ministry of the organization.

“This nation has entered a new era of struggle against racial injustices, hate speech, new forms of institutional oppression against the poor, people of color, and those marginalized due to religion or sexual orientation,” said Dr. Iva Carruthers, general secretary, and co-founder of the SDPC. Bishop Leah Daughtry, co-chair of the SDPC,

highlighted the necessity for collaboration between national and local organizations during what he called critical times.

“Collaboration between national and local organizations is ever more needed at this time,” he said in a news release.

According to his official biography, Jackson was born on October 8, 1941, in Greenville, South Carolina. He graduated from the public schools in Greenville and then enrolled in the University of Illinois on a football scholarship.

Jackson later transferred to North Carolina A&T State University and graduated in 1964. He began his theological studies at Chicago Theological Seminary but, according to his bio, deferred his studies when he started working full-time in the Civil Rights Movement with Dr. King.

Ordained by Rev. Clay Evans on June 30, 1968, Jackson received his Master of Divinity degree from Chicago Theological Seminary in 2000. For his work in human and civil rights and nonviolent social change, Jackson has received over 40 honorary

doctorate degrees and frequently lectures at major colleges and universities, including Howard, Yale, Princeton, Morehouse, Harvard, Columbia, Stanford and Hampton.

He was made an Honorary Fellow of Regents Park College at Oxford University in the UK in November 2007 and received an Honorary Fellowship from Edge Hill University in Liverpool, England.

In March 2010, Jackson earned induction into England’s prestigious Cambridge Union Society.

In April 2010, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.

In October 1997, President Bill Clinton appointed Jackson as Special Envoy of the President and Secretary of State for the Promotion of Democracy in Africa.

“Jill and I are grateful to Rev. Jackson for his lifetime of dedicated service and extend our appreciation to the entire Jackson family,” Biden added.

“We look forward to working with the Rainbow PUSH Coalition as he hands the torch to the next generation of leadership, just as we will continue to cherish the counsel and wisdom that we draw from him.”

Former `Jesus Christ Superstar` Actor with Oath Keepers Ties Acquitted of All Charges in Jan. 6 Riot

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) –– A former "Jesus Christ Superstar" actor was acquitted Wednesday of conspiring with members of the far-right Oath Keepers extremist group to obstruct Congress in the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack.

James Beeks –– a Florida resident who was playing Judas in the traveling production of the musical when he was arrested –– was cleared of conspiracy to obstruct Congress` certification of the 2020 election and civil disorder after a trial in federal court. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta convicted Beeks` co- defendant, Ohio resident Donovan Crowl, of the same charges after hearing evidence without a jury.

The Beeks acquittal is a rare loss for the Justice Department in the massive Jan. 6 prosecution, which has led to the arrest of more than 1,000 people across the U.S. Beeks is only the second Jan. 6 defendant to be acquitted of all charges after a trial. Beeks represented himself at trial, though he was assisted by a lawyer who served as stand-by counsel and delivered his closing argument.

Approximately 100 others have been found guilty of at least one count after a trial decided by a jury or judge, and more than 600 have pleaded guilty.

The trial for Beeks and Crowl was what`s called a "stipulated bench trial," which means the judge decided the case based on a set of facts that both sides agreed to before the trial started. Such trials allow defendants to admit to certain facts while maintaining a right to appeal any conviction.

Prosecutors had previously charged Beeks with other lower-level offenses –– including illegally entering the Capitol –– but agreed to only go to trial on the two felony offenses and dismiss the remaining counts.

It`s the latest trial involving associates of the Oath Keepers, who have been charged in the most serious cases stemming from the riot. Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes was sentenced in May to 18 years in prison on seditious conspiracy and other charges for what prosecutors described as a weekslong plot to keep former President Donald Trump in power after he lost the 2020 election.

Prosecutors say Beeks and Crowl were part of a group of Oath Keepers wearing paramilitary gear who stormed the Capitol alongside the mob of Trump supporters. Beeks

joined the Oath Keepers in December 2020 and drove to Washington from Florida before meeting up with a group of extremists ahead of the riot, prosecutors said.

Beeks, who was also a Michael Jackson impersonator, wore a jacket from Jackson's "Bad" World Tour along with a helmet and was carrying a homemade shield during the riot, according to court papers.

Mehta said Beeks –– unlike other Oath Keepers charged with riot-related crimes –– didn't post any messages on social media or exchange text messages with other extremists that could establish what his "state of mind" was leading up to the Capitol riot. The judge also cited a lack of evidence about what Beeks did inside the Capitol that could support a conviction for interfering with police.

"His actions must rise and fall on their own,” the judge said.

Beeks was arrested in November 2021 while he was traveling in Milwaukee with the "Jesus Christ Superstar” tour. He told reporters after the verdict that it "feels like a huge burden" has been lifted of his shoulders.

Beeks acknowledged that he joined the Oath Keepers through the group's website but said he never met or communicated with any of his alleged co-conspirators before Jan. 6. He said never knew of any plan to attack the Capitol and mistakenly believed the Oath Keepers "were the good guys."

"I met up with the wrong people," he said. "I lost my whole career. (Jan. 6) is like a scarlet letter."

Crowl was part of the Ohio State Regular Militia led by Jessica Watkins, who was acquitted of seditious conspiracy but convicted of other serious charges in the trial alongside Rhodes. In December 2022, Crowl sent a message in a group chat that included Watkins that said "law abiding citizens are fix`n to 'act out of character'...

Time for talk`in is over."

Crowl's attorney, Carmen Hernandez, said her client was exercising his First Amendment free speech rights on Jan. 6 without any intent to obstruct Congress from certifying President Joe Biden`s 2020 electoral victory.

"His conduct was no different than that of many Americans who've gone to Congress to peacefully protest and have not been charged with felonies," Hernandez wrote in an email.

Jury Decides 2014 Document Found in Aretha Franklin`s Couch is a Valid Will

Associated Press

PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) –– A document handwritten by singer Aretha Franklin and found in her couch after her 2018 death is a valid Michigan will, a jury said Tuesday, a critical turn in a dispute that has turned her sons against each other.

It's a victory for Kecalf Franklin and Edward Franklin whose lawyers had argued that papers dated 2014 should override a 2010 will that was discovered around the same time in a locked cabinet at the Queen of Soul's home in suburban Detroit.

The jury deliberated less than an hour after a brief trial that started Monday. After the verdict was read, Aretha Franklin`s grandchildren stepped forward from the first row to hug Kecalf and Edward.

"I`m very, very happy. I just wanted my mother`s wishes to be adhered to," Kecalf Franklin said. "We just want to exhale right now. It`s been a long five years for my family, my children."

Aretha Franklin was a global star for decades, known

especially for hits like "Think," "I Say a Little Prayer" and "Respect." She did not leave behind a formal, typewritten will when she died five years ago at age 76.

But documents, with scribbles and hard-to-decipher passages, emerged in 2019 when a niece scoured the home for records.

In closing arguments, lawyers for Kecalf and Edward Franklin said the fact that the 2014 papers were found in a notebook in couch cushions did not make them less significant.

``You can take your will and leave it on the kitchen counter. It's still your will," Charles McKelvie told the jury.

Another lawyer, Craig Smith, pointed to the first line of the document, which was displayed on four large posters in front of the jury.

"Says right here: 'This is my will.' She's speaking from the grave, folks," Smith said of Franklin.

Kecalf and Edward had teamed up against brother Ted White II, who favored the 2010 will. White's attorney, Kurt Olson, noted the earlier will was under lock and key. He said it was much more important than papers found

in a couch.

"We were here to see what the jury would rule. We`ll live with it," Olson said after the verdict.

The jury found that the 2014 version was signed by Aretha Franklin, who put a smiley face in the letter 'A.`

Olson said there still could be discussions with the judge over whether some provisions of the 2010 will should be fulfilled.

Franklin's estate managers have been paying bills, settling millions in tax debts and generating income through music royalties and other intellectual property. The will dispute, however, has been unfinished business. There are differences between the 2010 and 2014 versions, though they both appear to indicate that Franklin's four sons would share income from music and copyrights.

But under the 2014 will, Kecalf Franklin and grandchildren would get his mother's main home in Bloomfield Hills, which was valued at $1.1 million when she died but is worth much more today.

The older will said Kecalf, 53, and Edward Franklin,

64, "must take business classes and get a certificate or a degree" to benefit from the estate. That provision is not in the 2014 version.

White, who played guitar with Aretha Franklin, testified against the 2014 will, saying his mother typically would get important documents done "conventionally and legally" and with assistance from an attorney. He did not immediately comment after the verdict.

The sharpest remarks of the trial came from Smith, who represented Edward Franklin. He told the jury White "wants to disinherit his two brothers. Teddy wants it all."

Kecalf Franklin sat near White during the trial but they did not appear to speak to each other.

"I love my brother with all my heart," Kecalf said outside court when asked if there was a rift.

Aretha Franklin had a fourth son, Clarence Franklin. He lives under guardianship in an assisted living center and did not participate in the trial.

On the Picket Lines with Hollywood`s Actors and Writers, from LA to New York

LOS ANGELES (AP) –– It`s a "Strike Girl Summer."

So read a picket sign as the sidewalks of Hollywood and midtown Manhattan teemed with actors on Day 1 of their strike, protesting alongside the writers who have been at it since May.

Together, the two guilds have ground the entertainment industry to a halt. On both coasts, though, there was a buoyant mood in the air as picket lines were reinvigorated by the support of some of the 65,000 actors who comprise SAG-AFTRA (98% of members voted to approve a strike back in June). This is Hollywood`s biggest labor fight in six decades, and the first dual strike since 1960, reigniting the fervor against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers just as a historic heat wave hits Southern California.

Outside the Warner Bros. studios in Burbank, California, throngs of protesters chanted: "Fists up, curtains down, LA is a union town." Food trucks flanking organizers` tents served churros, boba tea and cold lemonade to protesters baking in the midday heat that reached 98 degrees Fahrenheit (36.7 Celsius).

But the oppressive sun didn`t dampen the mood. Demonstrators spritzed each other with water and danced to reggaeton music as passersby in cars honked in support of signs like: "Honk if your boss is overpaid."

Parents on the picket line hoisted their children over their shoulders and pushed toddlers in strollers, high-fiving one another with signs that reflected defiant lyrics from Olivia Rodrigo`s new single, "Vampire," and were packing "Big Strike Energy."

"The jig is up,`` said Fran Drescher, president of SAGAFTRA and once the titular star of "The Nanny" at SAG`s

conference Thursday. "The entire business model has been changed by streaming, digital, A.I. If we don't stand tall right now, we're all going to be in trouble."

"If you are gaining momentum like we are 70-odd days into a strike, you are going to win," Conover said.

"You know, the companies` strategy with the writers guild when we go on strike is to starve us out and wait, not even talk to us for months because they expect us to bleed support. Yet, look at this __ our picket lines are more full than ever and now have another union on strike with us."

SAG and WGA last went on simultaneous strikes

more than six decades ago.

"What we won in 1960 was our health and pension plans, and the existence of residuals," Conover said. Now, executives "are facing the fact that not only are they getting no new scripts, they cannot shoot anything until they come back and make a fair deal, not with one union but with both unions."

Zora Bikangaga, also a member of both guilds, called Friday`s picket "invigorating," and a testament to how the issues writers are facing are "pervasive across the entire industry."

While the industry`s business model has undergone major changes in the decades since the last strike, actors say their rates and contracts haven`t evolved to match inflation and other changes.

"They use the gig economy as a way to say, 'This is how you can be more independent,' when in fact what it does is diminish the value and strength of organized labor," said actor Ron Song, who appeared on Amazon Freevee`s "Jury Duty," which was nominated this week for four Emmys.

Former co-stars and acquaintances alike reunited at demonstrations. Some hadn`t seen each other since the coronavirus pandemic started more than three years ago.

The first full day of the dual strike was marked by high energy __ joy and unity mixed with anger and frustration. For actor Stacey Travis, who has actively been involved in SAG-AFTRA for years, the decision to strike was not taken lightly.

"It feels extraordinary and it feels sad," she said of the moment. "It's very difficult on everyone, so we've always taken it incredibly seriously. So it's only when we're backed up against the wall and we have no options that we find ourselves here."

"It's all of it for me,`` said actor Peter Carellini about the reason for striking. ``It's A.I. It's residuals. It's the fact that Bob Chapek, Bob Iger, David Zaslav are making untold millions in bonuses while writers and actors are going to the Emmys with negative bank accounts."

“I met up with the wrong people,” he said. “I lost my whole career. (Jan. 6) is like a scarlet letter.”

press

Feds: Bank of America Violated Consumer Protection Rules By Double Charging Customers

NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

Federal authorities announced on Tuesday, July 11, that Bank of America violated numerous consumer financial protection rules by double-charging customers, not distributing credit card rewards, and creating fraudulent accounts.

As a result, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) fined Bank of America $90 million and compelled the institution to pay more than $100 million to customers.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency fined Bank of America $60 million.

Some of the accusations are reminiscent of the Wells Fargo debacle from a decade ago, which involved the creation of millions of unauthorized consumer bank accounts.

“Bank of America wrongfully withheld credit card rewards, double-dipped on fees, and opened accounts without consent,” stated CFPB Director Rohit Chopra.

In addition to being illegal, the methods also damaged credibility with the public, regulators stated.

The CFPB vowed to end the banking practices nationwide.

The bank boasts 68 million customers, making it the second largest in the country.

Following the CFPB investigation, Bank of America was found to have “harmed hundreds of thousands of consumers over a period of several years and across multiple product lines and services,” regulators asserted.

Customers were charged “tens of millions of dollars in fees on resubmitted transactions,” after the bank allowed consumers to be “repeatedly charged” $35 each time a transaction was resubmitted after being declined due to insufficient funds.

This happened even if the third-party merchant resubmitted the charge to the customer’s account after the

first attempt was refused. If the customer’s account has insufficient funds or an overdraft, they were charged an additional $35. The bank’s statements were vague about the possibility of several fees arising from a single transaction, regulators stated.

“Clients had no way of knowing if or when a merchant would resubmit a transaction to the bank for payment, making it unreasonable for them to avoid being charged multiple times for the same transaction,” investigators stated.

The CFPB also claimed that the bank improperly withheld bonuses from tens of thousands of clients despite having made special offers of cash and points when signing up new credit card customers.

The agency also claimed that beginning in 2012, bank workers “illegally applied for and enrolled consumers in credit card accounts without consumers’ knowledge or authorization” to meet now-defunct sales-based incentive goals and raise their ratings.

As a result, clients were penalized with unauthorized fees, saw negative marks on their credit reports, and had to take extra steps to rectify the bank’s mistakes after it used or obtained their credit reports without their permission.

For those infractions, Bank of America must pay over $250 million to government authorities and affected consumers. This isn’t the first time the bank has faced penalties from the government.

The CFPB also ordered the bank to pay $727 million to settle consumer complaints over unfair credit card practices in 2014.

Further, Bank of America was fined $10 million for wrongful garnishments last year and another $225 million for “botched disbursement of state unemployment benefits at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Fierce Advocate for Black Press and Social Justice, Charles W. “Chuck” Cherry II, Dies at 66

Correspondent

Charles W. “Chuck” Cherry II, a prominent figure in the fight for social justice and a staunch supporter of the Black Press, has died.

According to the Daytona Times, the retired attorney and publisher of the Daytona Times and the Florida Courier passed away on Saturday, July 15, at the age of 66.

The newspaper called Cherry an influential voice in the community, who dedicated decades to running the editorial operations of the papers before retiring in 2020.

“Charles was not only a good person, but an individual who fought hard to bring truth to light about any situation,” said NNPA Chair Bobby Henry, the publisher of the Westside Gazette in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

“Charles was also a dear fraternity brother,” Henry related.

“He truly spoke truth to power without any hesitation. He was a lover and faithful soldier of the Black Press. Indeed, he was a soldier without a sword.”

NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., said the entire association of Black publishers were saddened by Cherry’s death.

“On behalf of the NNPA, we express our profound sympathy and condolences to the family of one of the NNPA’s stellar publishers and leaders, Charles W. Cherry II,” Chavis stated.

retired

“Attorney Cherry was a fearless person and a renowned freedom fighting publisher,” Chavis added.

The Daytona Times noted that Cherry also counted as an accomplished author, speaker, radio broadcaster, and strategic business planning consultant.

In 2019, Cherry founded 623 Management, Inc., a company focused on developing and disseminating messaging to Black America, with a particular emphasis on understanding and reaching Florida’s Black population through a comprehensive marketing strategy, the newspaper reported. He was a sought-after speaker on Black history and civil rights, both in Daytona Beach and beyond.

Born on August 6, 1956, in Daytona Beach, Charles W. Cherry II was the son of Julia T. Cherry and Charles W. Cherry Sr., the founder of the Daytona Times and Florida Courier newspapers. His father was also a past president of the Florida NAACP and a former Daytona Beach city commissioner.

Chuck Cherry graduated from Seabreeze High School in Daytona Beach and went on to receive his B.A. degree in journalism from Morehouse College in 1978.

During his time at Morehouse, he followed in his father’s footsteps by pledging Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.

Cherry continued his education at the University of Florida, earning both an M.B.A. and J.D. in 1982.

“His involvement at Morehouse included serving as president of its Interfraternity Council, Basileus of the Psi Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, a Student Government Association representative, and a four-year track letterman in the high jump,” the newspaper reported.

After being admitted to the Florida Bar in December 1983, Cherry worked as a former Fort Lauderdale city and South Florida state prosecutor, practicing law for 21 years.

However, upon the passing of his father, Charles W. Cherry Sr., he returned to journalism and newspaper publishing as his primary occupation.

Cherry served as general counsel to the Housing Authority of the City of Fort Lauderdale for over a decade and held the role of general manager for the family-owned radio station WPUL-AM.

Additionally, he hosted the station’s popular “Free Your Mind” radio show.

His influential column, “Straight, No Chaser,” was a weekly staple in the Florida Courier, earning Cherry numerous Florida and national awards.

In 1994, he authored and published “Excellence Without Excuse: The Black Student’s Guide to Academic Excellence,” which has been widely used as a textbook in college-preparation classes and seminars.

He also co-wrote “Fighting through the Fear” in 2016 with his Morehouse College roommate and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity brother, C. David Moody Jr. of Atlanta. Cherry is survived by his two children, Chayla Cherry, a recent graduate of Spelman College and a recipient of a Master’s in Global Affairs at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, and Charles W. Cherry III, a student at Morehouse College.

He is also survived by his former wife, Lisa Rogers Cherry of Fort Lauderdale, his brother Dr. Glenn Cherry (Dr. Valerie Cherry) of Tampa, his sister Cassandra Cherry Kittles (Willie Kittles) of Daytona Beach, his nephew Jamal Cherry (Dr. Sierra Cherry) of Houston, Texas, his greatniece Mila Cherry of Houston, and other relatives. He was preceded in death by his father, Charles W. Cherry Sr., his mother, Julia Mae Troutman Cherry, and a daughter, Chip Happy Cherry. Click here to read more about Cherry in the Daytona Times.

Unveiling the Nightly Revolution: Over One-Third of Americans Seek Solace in ‘Sleep Divorce’

While the American divorce rate remains high, another type of marital separation continues to increase in the bedroom.

In a world where restful slumber is a prized luxury, an intriguing trend is quietly gaining momentum among weary Americans.

Tired of blanket bandits, restless bedmates, and thunderous snorers disrupting their nocturnal peace, more individuals are switching to the radical solution known as “sleep divorce.”

The phenomenon, revealed by a new survey conducted by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), highlights a fascinating shift in sleeping habits, as more than one-third of participants admitted to occasionally or consistently retreating to a separate room to salvage their precious sleep.

A new study that included more than 2,000 adults unveiled intriguing gender disparities, with men emerging as the primary proponents of this novel practice.

Astonishingly, nearly half of the male participants (45%) confessed to occasionally or consistently seeking refuge in alternative sleeping quarters, compared to a modest one-fourth (25%) of their female counterparts.

The rationale behind this slumber separation goes beyond mere personal comfort; it delves into the intricate web of relationships, said Dr. Seema Khosla, a notable pulmonologist and spokesperson for the AASM.

Khosla elucidated the intricate connection between sleep quality, emotional well-being, and interpersonal dynamics.

“We know that poor sleep can worsen your mood, and those who are sleep deprived are more likely to argue with their partners,” Khosla explained.

“There may be some resentment toward the person causing the sleep disruption, which can negatively impact relationships. Getting a good night’s sleep is important for both health and happiness, so it’s no surprise that some

couples choose to sleep apart for their overall well-being.”

Indeed, the ripple effect of sleep deprivation extends far beyond the confines of the bedroom.

Research revealed that individuals enduring consistent sleep disturbances within their relationships are more prone to conflicts with their partners.

Further, researchers found that sleep deprivation diminishes empathetic accuracy, impairing the ability to comprehend and interpret their loved one’s emotions effectively.

The survey illuminated fascinating insights into the demographics of sleep divorces.

A striking 43% of millennials acknowledged occasionally or consistently migrating to separate sleeping quarters, followed by 33% of Generation X individuals.

Surprisingly, 28% of Generation Z representatives and 22% of baby boomers also embraced the unconventional sleep practice.

Although “sleep divorce” may evoke harsh connotations, it embodies a prioritization of sleep and a quest for nocturnal tranquility, Khosla asserted.

The doctor dispelled any misunderstandings surrounding the terminology.

“However, if it is one partner’s loud snoring that is leading to separate sleep spaces, then you should encourage that partner to talk to a doctor about obstructive sleep apnea. This applies to both men and women who may snore,” Khosla stated.

Indeed, loud and persistent snoring is not merely a bothersome annoyance; it often signifies a prevalent sleep disorder known as sleep apnea.

While not every snorer suffers from the condition, snoring is a vital warning sign that should not be taken lightly, experts suggested.

Medical experts said snoring becomes a pronounced indication of potential sleep apnea when accompanied by choking, gasping, or intervals of breathless silence during sleep. Beyond the disruptive nighttime noises, sleep apnea

manifests through telltale symptoms.

Fatigue, daytime sleepiness, unrefreshing slumber, persistent headaches upon awakening, nocturnal awakenings to use the bathroom, difficulty concentrating, memory impairment, diminished libido, irritability, and

drowsiness during sedentary activities such as watching television or driving are all commonly associated with this sleep disorder.

Excessive body weight is also a critical risk factor for sleep apnea, researchers stated.

switching to the radical solution known as “sleep divorce.”

Once a Safe Haven for Escaped Slaves, Small Arkansas Town Suffers Water Crisis Amidst Heatwave

During the Civil War in 1863, Helena, Arkansas, located in the South and under Union occupation, provided refuge to runaway slaves, becoming a safe haven for them.

The city also served as a training ground for various regiments comprised of colored soldiers.

In the 1940s and 1950s, Helena transformed into a thriving blues community, flourishing as a bustling port town along the Mississippi River.

According to the city’s official website, musicians from all corners of the South would make a stop in Helena, contributing to its vibrant music scene.

To this day, Helena remains the proud host of the nation’s longest-running blues radio show, King Biscuit Time.

The show played a crucial role in launching the careers of numerous renowned musicians.

Presently known as Helena-West-Helena, the city serves as the county seat for Phillips County and is home to a population of slightly over 9,000 people, predominantly African Americans.

And typical of Black communities across the country, Helena-West Helena has its share of problems that arise from discrimination.

Today, as blistering heat beats down on Helena, the city faces a water crisis and meaningful state, and federal aid has remained elusive.

As the city braces for more scorching temperatures, the mercury expected to reach a sweltering 98 degrees next week, it has grappled with a dire water shortage for the past three weeks.

Aid has been slow to arrive, leaving the community to rely on bottled water for their daily needs.

The root cause of Helena-West Helena’s water woes lies in its aging infrastructure, with pipes dating back at least 60 years, which have been bursting throughout the city.

Mayor Christopher Franklin expressed his concerns in an NBC News interview.

“Some of the problems are about infrastructure being neglected over the years. It’s just been a systemic failure,” Franklin said.

The crisis reached its tipping point on June 25 when a major water line broke, causing the city’s computer operating system that runs the water plant to fail automatically.

As a result, the predominantly Black community endured a grueling 20-hour period without water in scorching temperatures of up to 97 degrees.

Since then, the city has been under a boil water alert, which remains in effect due to leaks sprouting from various compromised parts of the infrastructure.

According to NBC News, city officials estimate that the cost of repairing the antiquated piping system ranges from $1 million to $10 million.

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued a $100,000 loan to help address the leaks in the primary water system, but Franklin and his chief of staff, James Valley, deemed it insufficient to resolve the issue.

Although water service had been partially restored, low pressure and new leaks persist.

Franklin has tirelessly sought aid from state and

federal authorities but claims that his pleas have fallen on deaf ears.

Speaking truth to power, Franklin also wasn’t afraid to express his frustration.

“In America, where people have the right to good, quality drinking water, the federal government should be running aid to provide that,” he told NBC.

“Instead, there’s no sense of urgency for us. I mean, why would it be? We’re Black. There’s no urgency until they want our vote. And that’s what’s happening here. What else are we left to think?”

The mayor called upon Arkansas’ two Republican senators, Tom Cotton and John Boozman, both of whom failed to provide a satisfactory response to the crisis.

While Cotton sent an aide to assess the situation, Boozman is scheduled to send one soon.

However, Franklin stressed that what his city truly needs is immediate access to resources and a comprehensive solution, not just visits from representatives.

Acknowledging the assistance provided by entities such as the Arkansas National Guard, the Red Cross, Walmart, and Dollar General in offering support and bottled water, Franklin said he worried that if those organizations are the sole sources of help, the city will face a long, scorching summer.

He others have questioned why substantive and timely aid has been slow to materialize, citing similar delays experienced in other predominate African American communities like Flint, Michigan, and Jackson, Mississippi.

In his seven months as mayor, Franklin said he has focused on revitalizing the city by demolishing 90 abandoned homes to eliminate blight and attract residents back to the area.

He said he sees this as an opportunity to replace the aging water lines that lie beneath those houses. However, the water crisis has not been the only challenge for Franklin.

Since defeating a white incumbent in the mayoral race, Franklin said he’s encountered racism, including death threats, property intrusions, and social media attacks. “I’m not arguing about a football game. I’m arguing about the quality of life for Black people and all the people in this inner city,” Franklin stated.

California Black Media Political Playback: News You Might Have Missed

California Black Media

Your roundup of stories you might have missed last week.

Karim Webb Elected to Serve as President of Board of Airport Commissioners

On July 13, the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners (BOAC) unanimously elected Karim Webb as the group’s President.

Webb is an Entrepreneurial Activist and CEO of 4thMVMT, a Los Angeles-based firm that partners with individuals from underserved communities to own and operate competitive retail businesses.

“It is an incredible honor to serve as President of Board of Airport Commissioners,” said Webb. “An extraordinarily talented group of Commissioners have been assembled to ensure the benefits of Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) are realized equitably across our region.

“Collectively, we’ll work to support the LAWA team complete the transformation of LAX while centering the interests of all Angelinos in all we do,” said Webb, who is the son of Reggie Webb, a philanthropist and owner of McDonald’s franchises in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass congratulated Webb on his election to BOAC President.

“I am confident that LAWA will continue to innovate and grow its impact in the region under the leadership of President Karim Webb and Vice President Matt M. Johnson.”

Bass also congratulated Courtney La Bau and Victor Narro on their appointments as new commissioners of BOAC.

L.A. City Councilmember Curren Price Says Charges Are “Unwarranted” as He Makes First Court Appearance

On July 13, embattled Los Angeles City Councilmember Curren Price made his first court appearance since L.A. County Dist. Atty. George Gascón filed charges against him last month.

Gascón is charging Price with receiving nearly $34,000 in medical benefits for his current wife, Del Richardson Price, between 2013 and 2017 while he was still married to his former wife. Prosecutors also allege that Price made

several false statements on forms, including misstating his wife’s income.

Price, 72, who continues to serve his district on the city council, did not speak to reporters at the hearing but released a statement afterward.

“We believe that the charges filed by the D.A.’s office are completely unwarranted and that the facts will bear this out,” Price said. “I have always conducted myself, in and out of the public eye, with integrity and professionalism.”

If convicted, Price could face 8 to 10 years in prison.

Gov. Newsom Signs Legislation to Speed Up Infrastructure Projects

Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an infrastructure package aimed at accelerating construction on projects that will help California meet its 2035 clean energy goals.

The recently approved state budget allocates $180 billion towards related infrastructure development. It is estimated that these projects could create up to 400,000 jobs, according to the Governor’s office.

“For decades, infrastructure projects critical to our future have stalled because of a pervasive mindset of ‘no,’” said Newsom in a press release. “With this legislation, California is saying ‘yes’ to building the clean energy, safe drinking water and transportation projects we need to deliver on our world-leading climate action. Now it’s time to roll up our sleeves and build California’s future.”

Newsom also signed components of the 2023-24 state budget agreement, which includes $37.8 billion in total budgetary reserves. This represents the largest figure in state history.

In Annual “Top States for Business” Report, California Gets “F” for Cost of Living and Business Friendliness

Every year CNBC releases a “Top States for Business” ranking. The network evaluated all 50 states on 86 metrics across 10 broad categories of competitiveness. Each category was weighted based on how frequently states used it as a selling point to attract potential residents and businesses. The metrics were scored on a scale of 2,500 points and the states with the highest scores made the list.

California gained top rankings in ‘Access to Capital’ and ‘Technology & Innovation’. However, the state received F rankings in ‘Business Friendliness’ and ‘Cost of Living’. Overall, California ranked number 25 in the study.

“Our overall ranking should come as no surprise to the governor and Legislature, who continue to push higher taxes, fees, and expensive regulations onto businesses,” said Rob Lapsley, president of the California Business

Roundtable.

“The governor and Legislature’s policies continue to give clear signals that California is not a friendly place to expand or grow jobs,” Lapsley added.

State Board of Education Votes Unanimously to Adopt Math Framework for California Public Schools

On July 12, the California State Board of Education unanimously passed a new framework for Math instruction.

The nearly 1,000-page document calls for significant changes in instruction, emphasizing approaches that engage students through problem-solving, creating context and relating the subject to their daily lives.

Proponents of the new approach say that the goal is to build a conceptual understanding of the subject matter before introducing the math procedures and algorithms that have traditionally been taught first. The changes to the mathematical framework in response to declining math test scores, which are largely

attributed to outdated textbooks and students struggling to recover from the pandemic and readjust to in-person learning.

Only 33% of students met or exceeded mathematics proficiency standards in 2022.

“The framework’s focus on fundamental concepts, open-ended tasks, justice, student inquiry, reasoning and justification aligns with effective mathematics teaching practices,” state board member Gabriela Orozco-Gonzalez told edsource.org.

U.S. Small Business Administration Gives L.A.-Based Black-Owned Fintech Firm SBA Preferred Lender Status Last week, Lendistry, a Los Angeles-based fintech firm that administered COVID-19 state grants to small businesses in California, announced that it has been granted Preferred Lender status by the Small Business Administration (SBA).

The Preferred Lender Program grants SBA lenders the ability to underwrite and approve SBA loans independently without waiting for the SBA to review them, resulting in faster and more flexible decisions for customers, according to a Lendistry press release.

“In a time when stricter lending rules are slowing the flow of capital to businesses and households, we’re determined to keep expanding financing opportunities,” says Everett K. Sands, CEO of Lendistry. “Technology is the key to equitable lending.”

Derek Smith Joins California African American Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors

The California African American Chamber of Commerce (CAACC) has unanimously added Derek Smith to its Board of Directors. Smith is the founder and managing member of Marinship Development Interest, a California African American Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) leading heavy building and construction innovation for civil and energy infrastructure projects.

CAACC Chairman Timothy Alan Simon, announced that Smith’s experience, leadership skills, resourcefulness, professional achievements, and ability to approach strategic solutions will prove useful to CAACC’s leadership team and objectives.

Smith said he will help the largest African American, statewide-business organization expand exponentially, increase its professional capacity and enhance its image. He will operate as CAACC’s “spokesperson” and is looking forward to elevating the profile of the organization in California and throughout the country.

Divided, Assembly Committee Advances GOP Child Sex Bill After Public Outrage, Gov. Intervention

Antonio Ray Harvey

California Black Media

Tensions mounted in Sacramento when the California Assembly Public Safety Committee – including three members of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) -- blocked a bill proposing increased criminal penalties for repeat offenders involved in sex trafficking children.

Senate Bill (SB) 14 proposes adding sex trafficking of minors to the list of “serious” crimes under California’s Three Strikes law, which increases prison sentences to 25 years for defendants convicted of previous felonies.

Under the provisions of SB 14, if a defendant is charged with a “violent sex crime, “plea bargaining is prohibited unless there is insufficient evidence to prove the people’s case, or testimony of a material witness cannot be obtained.”

The bill’s author, Sen. Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield), said the need for SB 14 is obvious.

“Trafficking of children is a growing tragedy that disproportionately targets minority girls, and California is a hotbed because of our lenient penalties,” Grove said during the Public Safety Committee’s SB 14 hearing.

Public Safety Committee Chair Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles) was among several Democrats who did not vote for the bill when it came before the committee on July 11. Many of these Democrats are vocal opponents of the over-incarceration of Black men, women and children in California.

“SB14 makes no new corrective actions or enhancements to laws already in place,” Jones-Sawyer said in a statement after the committee’s “no” vote.

Opponents of SB 14 argue that while the bill may seem like a tough and reasonable measure to prevent heinous sexual crimes against vulnerable children, hidden are the bill’s harmful side effects. They claim the bill is ineffective as a deterrent to sex trafficking and its penalties would destabilize minority communities, particularly Black and low-income families. Additionally, they argue that the bill would have adverse effects on victims of sexual crimes, contribute to recidivism, and perpetuate the poverty-toprison pipeline.

Some members of the Assembly Public Safety Committee also support refocusing California’s criminal justice system from punishing felons to rehabilitating them as a means to reduce repeat offenses and address prison overpopulation as mandated by the U.S. Supreme Court.

“Longer sentences don’t actually stop things from

happening,” said Assembly Majority Leader and CLBC member Isaac Bryan (D-Ladera Heights). “All they do is increase our investment in systems of harm and subjugation.”

On July 13, Bryan supported his argument tweeting, “The people most vulnerable to being charged with trafficking are the victims of trafficking themselves. Charges are used to leverage their cooperation in prosecution and their survivor status is erased with many currently incarcerated in both youth and adult prisons.”

Critics of SB 14, also point out that Black offenders are “heavily overrepresented” among people serving sentences with “third-strike enhancements, according to a 2022 California Policy Lab study, “Three Strikes In California.”

The evening after the vote, Grove held a press

conference expressing her frustration with her Democratic colleagues but declaring her willingness to work with them to pass the bill.

However, a Democratic staffer close to the Safety Committee’s review of SB 14 who asked to remain anonymous, revealed to California Black Media that Grove was not willing to accept amendments to the bill.

After the Public Safety Committee vote, Gov. Gavin Newsom and newly elected Assembly Speaker, Robert Rivas (D-Hollister), intervened. According to Grove, the Governor contacted her to express his disappointment with the committee’s failure to pass the bill and offered to help see the legislation through the process.

Before the Assembly held a special hearing on SB14 on July 13, Newsom and Rivas both urged Jones-Sawyer to

work on a resolution with Grove. On June 12, Jones-Sawyer agreed to meet with Grove. The next day, he announced that the Public Safety committee would reconsider the bill, even though Assembly Democrats had blocked a full floor vote on it. However, Jones-Sawyer cautioned that the bill needed to be amended, which Grove indicated in her press conference was not an option.

“Human trafficking is a serious crime. But SB14 needs to be fixed. It could charge trafficking victims and children with a felony. We are going to improve this bill and provide justice for victims,” Jones-Sawyer tweeted on July 13.

The same day, the Assembly Public Safety Committee reconsidered SB 14 and advanced it with a 6-0 vote.

“Today is a victory for every survivor. However, the battle is not over. SB 14 must still go through the Assembly Appropriations Committee when legislators return from summer recess,” Grove said as she celebrated the committee’s approval.

Jones-Sawyer voted “yes” on SB 14 the second time around, along with Republican committee members Tom Lackey (R-Palmdale) and Juan Alanis (R-Modesto). Three Democrats, Liz Ortega (D-San Leandro), Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Santa Monica) and Miguel Santiago (D-Inglewood) also voted to pass SB 14 out of the committee.

CLBC members on the committee, Bryan and Mia Bonta (D-Alameda) abstained from voting for the bill.

During the hearing on July 11, Grove referenced California’s Ebony Alert law, introduced by CLBC Vice Chair Steven Bradford (D-Gardena), which increases resources to locate missing Black youth and women.

“The coalition to Abolish Slavery and Human Trafficking in Los Angeles, California Noted that 50% of their domestic trafficking clients are Black and over 90% of women in their emergency shelters program are Black,” Grove stated.

April Grayson, a formerly incarcerated woman and human trafficking survivor, sees the problem differently.

Grayson reminded the Assembly that human trafficking is already a crime on the books in California punishable by as much as 15 years to life during the hearing.

“I have to remind the authors in this committee that this bill will actively harm any survivors of human trafficking -- especially, the Black, Brown, Native, poor, LGBTQ women, and trans survivors who are already the least likely to see justice,” Grayson said.

Illinois City Begins Paying Reparations to Black Americans

Reparations have finally arrived for some Black Americans.

The city of Evanston, Illinois, began its historic reparations program by providing compensation to its many of its Black residents.

Checks and vouchers in the amount of $25,000 have been sent this week to eligible residents, a move that backs up the city’s 2019 promise to pay as much as $10 million over the next decade in reparations.

Approved in March 2021, the program targets Black residents who resided in Evanston between 1919 and 1969 or experienced housing discrimination due to the city’s policies. It’s a similar program which officials in San Francisco currently are grappling with, as that California city also considers reparations by the harms suffered by Black residents denied fair housing, job and educational opportunities, and other hardships that were unfairly inflicted upon African American communities. One Evanston recipient, Louis Weathers, an 88-yearold retired postal worker and Korean War veteran, shared his personal experience with racial prejudice during his interview with the Wall Street Journal.

He recounted his time at an integrated junior high school, where a white teacher consistently marginalized Black students.

He explained that the teacher would purposely ignore their raised hands to undermine their capabilities.

“We got onto that, though. When we didn’t know the answer, we raised our hands,” Weathers recounted.

Weathers counted among the first to receive a $25,000 check from the city. He told the newspaper that he gave his reparations check to his son to reduce debt and make upgrades on his home.

The payments, which can be received as vouchers or cash, are funded through taxes on marijuana and real-estate transfers.

While Evanston has begun making reparation payments, similar proposals at the national level have faced challenges.

Although a federal bill calling for a national reparations task force has been introduced annually since 1989, it has yet to be voted on in Congress. Evanston’s mayor, Daniel Biss, said his city remains committed to change.

“Our job here is just to move forward and to continue being that example, to continue illustrating that a small municipality can make real tangible progress,” he stated.

Safeguarding Charitable Medicines Programs in America

All Americans should have equal access to high quality healthcare.  As our nation steadily emerges out of the awful debilitating aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of communities of color, and in particular the African American community, are all facing lingering challenges and prolonged difficulties in having access to affordable and quality healthcare.

The United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has many important and life-saving public health related programs that are structured and funded to ensure access to the best of healthcare offerings including the provision of affordable pharmaceuticals with respect to the most vulnerable and underserved communities across the nation.

One of those important governmental healthcare programs is known as the Charitable Medicines Program (340B). The 340B program began in the early 1990s when Congress wanted to require pharmaceutical manufacturers, as a condition of benefiting from government programs, to donate at low or no cost prescription drugs to charitable hospitals. These hospitals, overwhelmingly located in underserved urban and rural communities with patients of all races and ethnicities, were in turn expected to use these discount price medicines to serve patients who otherwise could not afford these drugs.

Today, Americans are facing unprecedented times. We are rebuilding our economy from a global pandemic. But there is another epidemic in this country (Entities putting profits over people) which must be addressed, and it must be addressed now. It’s one of the few things reasonable Americans on all sides of the political spectrum can agree on these days. Where it happens, there ought to be robust, bipartisan reform efforts to fix it. When it happens inside the context of a government program meant to help the poorest among us, it should mean robust oversight from the Congress and the Administration. That’s exactly what’s

going on now with the charitable medicines program known as “340B.”

For a while, the program worked as intended. The average discount on a 340B drug is nearly 60%, and for many drugs it’s much more than that. But over time, greed has cropped up and made a mockery of the program resulting in practices which furthers health inequities in our nation.

The definition of a “charitable hospital” was never welldefined in law, and today 57% of all hospitals participate in the drug discount program. They are happy to accept the cheaper medicines, but where do they end up? Out of the nearly 13,000 hospitals and community pharmacies

participating in the 340B program today, fully six in ten are in middle class and affluent areas, not the poorer zip codes the program is meant to serve. How is this possible? How has a program Congress created to get Big PhRMA to give affordable drugs to charitable hospitals gone so far off the rails? The answer is that no one is minding the store in Washington. There are zero requirements for hospitals to use the cost savings from 340B to help needy patients, and there isn’t any rule requiring these hospitals to let patients know they are eligible for these drugs. In addition, stand-alone hospitals are now the exception compared to the rule of a broad hospital network with facilities in diverse income areas. A hospital or clinic that qualifies for the discounted drugs in this program might be one of dozens of health care centers in a network conglomerate. As a result, the drug price reductions are eagerly gobbled up and the drugs fed into the larger system. To put a fine point on it, medicines intended for poor urban and rural areas are being re-routed and sold at full price to insured patients in more affluent areas. That’s the definition of health inequity.

The definition of a “charitable hospital” was never well-defined in law, and today 57% of all hospitals participate in the drug discount program. They are happy to accept the cheaper medicines, but where do they end up? Out of the nearly 13,000 hospitals and community pharmacies participating in the 340B program today, fully six in ten are in middle class and affluent areas, not the poorer zip codes the program is meant to serve.

This is not a mere theoretical concern. Last year, the New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/24/ health/bon-secours-mercy-health-profit-poorneighborhood.html broke a story that Bon Secours, a hospital network in the Richmond, VA area, was accepting 340B discount drugs at Richmond Community Hospital, not telling local patients they were eligible for these free-toinexpensive medicines, and selling the drugs for full price to patients in more affluent hospitals in their network. This led Richmond mayor Levar Stoney to send a letter to Bon Secours, charging them with using “loopholes [to increase] profit margins for the hospital system while they have reduced services in one of our predominantly Black communities.” Notably, Mayor Stoney also called on the Biden Administration to increase oversight of the 340B program: “I request for your administration to urgently investigate

the effectiveness and unintended consequences of 340B–not only regarding Bon Secours in the City of Richmond, but in other localities across the country.”

Untold stories like this exist in communities across the country. But the fact is the hospital lobbyists have influenced Congressional and Administration oversight officials from both political parties for decades. Every Congressman has a hospital in their district, and the 340b program must be used by the hospitals as Congress mandated.

That’s why I was proud to hear about a panel earlier this year organized by the Rev. Al Sharpton on this topic where he stated, “This affects everybody. If you are having people abuse government funds that should be reinvested, this is not a right-wing or left-wing issue.”

The executive branch runs the 340B program out of the Health Resources and Services Administration, a branch of the Department of Health and Human Services. HRSA, as it’s known, makes determinations of what entities are covered by the program, and they have been very generous over the years. According to the Government Accountability Office, the number of hospitals and clinics HRSA has approved has increased from fewer than 10,000 in 2010 to nearly 13,000 today–an increase of 30 percent in a little over a decade.

And while HRSA is supposed to collect information and conduct audits on 340B covered entities, they simply don’t have the manpower to do so. The little number of questions they do raise are answered and accepted, because there is no real oversight possible. There are only the staff resources to facilitate drug discounts to hospitals.

What’s urgently needed is a combination of Congressional hearings and a more inquisitorial HRSA. Until that happens, low income patients across America will be the excuse giant hospital chains use to get drugs at a discount rate and sell them at full price to more affluent patients.

Hollywood Under Fire:

Antonio Ray Harvey

California Black Media

Film studios in Hollywood took a one-two punch last week after actors announced they were joining the ongoing writers’ strike and as legislators in Sacramento questioned their commitment to Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI).

On July 13, California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) members Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles) and Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood) led a group of lawmakers led a news conference at the State Capitol to express their concerns over various news reports of abrupt departures of Black women leaving high-profile careers in Hollywood after the state recently approved $1.6 billion in tax credits for the industry.

The press conference was held the same day the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), the union representing Hollywood actors, joined striking Writers Guild of America (WGA) members in the biggest labor dispute the American entertainment industry has seen in 63 years.

In recent weeks, several Black women who were executives leading Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives at major entertainment companies have left their positions.  “We are here today, calling on industry executives to meet with the state legislative Black caucus and leaders in the coming weeks to explain what is behind this erasure,” Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles) said at the press briefing.

“(We want them to) provide the evidence of how diversity, inclusion and the progress made will continue to move forward given the lack of leadership and gravitas at the forefront of those proposals,” added Smallwood-

Cuevas.

Netflix’s vice president, inclusion strategy, Vernā Myers; Disney’s LaTondra Newton, chief diversity officer and senior vice president; Joanna Abeyie, the British Broadcasting Company’s (BBC) creative diversity director; and Warner Bros executive, Terra Potts, executive vice president of worldwide marketing, have all moved on.

In addition, Warner Bros. Discovery’s DEI specialist Karen Horne and Jeanell English, executive VP of impact and inclusion at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences left their DEI roles.

The lawmakers say more Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) could join the mass exodus.

Lawmakers at the press conference said the departure of DEI specialists from major Hollywood companies gives the impression that creating an inclusive culture in the American film industry is not a priority for a sector that has a well-documented history of discrimination and exclusion.

“As Vice Chair of the Asian and Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus, we are proud to stand in solidarity with the Black Caucus,” Sen.David Min said. “I don’t want to accuse anybody of anything, but it certainly looks suspicious when in a short timeframe after we pass the $1.6-billion tax credit was signed into law that we see a number of leading African American female Hollywood executives let go.”

Senate Bill (SB) 485, introduced last year by Sen. Anthony Portantino (D- La Cañada Flintridge), provides $1.65 billion in tax credits, or $330 million annually, in financial support for film and television makers and other media content creators. The California Film and Television Production Tax Credit Program was scheduled to sunset on June 30, 2025.

State lawmakers are now asking for meetings and

are now looking for ways to hold television and film studios executives accountable for benefitting from state investment that essentially helped create DEI programs.

SB 485 was created after a series of production companies opted to leave California for states that offered larger tax incentive programs. The bill was amended to reflect California’s diverse population.

“I was highly offended to see the industry’s response to a $1.6 billion tax subsidy by quietly eliminating Black women from executive positions with a number of studios,” said McKinnor. “Many of these women were involved in their studios’ diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, which raises a serious question about their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in the film industry.”

SB 485 states that “This bill, for credit allocations made on or after July 1, 2023, would revise the definition of qualified motion picture for purposes of the credit to require an applicant to provide a diversity workplan that includes goals that are broadly reflective of California’s population.  On July 10, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed SB 132 to extend the state’s $330 million-a-year Film and TV Tax Credit Program an additional five years through fiscal 2030-31.  The Governor’s office put out a statement that SB 132 builds “upon a strong track record of success” and “whose productions have generated more than $23 billion” for the economy.

More than 178,000 cast and crew have been supported by the program. The new budget will create the state’s fourth-generation film/TV tax credit program – known as “Program 4.0.”

“The California Film and Television Tax Credit program has led to the creation of hundreds of thousands of high paying union jobs, it’s supported countless local

businesses, and pumped billions of dollars into the state’s economy,” said Charles Rivkin, Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association. “The 4.0 version of the program, signed into law by Governor Newsom, will build on that success by creating new commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion and establishing a pilot program on production safety, among other provisions.”

McKinnor said, “While the California film tax credit 4.0 proposal builds upon previous work to solidify California as the entertainment capital of the world, it does not include requirements to increase diversity of its belowthe-line hiring.

“The California film tax credit 4.0 only requires a good-faith effort. California, that’s not good enough,” McKinnor continued.  “We should all expect more from an industry receiving $1.6 billion in subsidies from California taxpayers.”  Smallwood-Cuevas, McKinnor, and other members of the California legislature want to make amendments to SB 132 that will keep DEI programs intact.

They expect to sit down with members of the film and television industry, union representatives, and Gov. Newsom to get clarity of the entertainment business’ efforts to promote and stabilize DEI initiatives.

“We want progress towards real inclusion and equity in this industry and we want to make sure that our tax dollars are not in any way involved in this erasure,” SmallwoodCuevas said. “We hope that these conversations will lead to a commitment and level of trust that will allow us to continue to move forward and expand our investment in this important industry.”

Heat Ready CA Campaign Launched to Protect Communities From Extreme Heat

On July 11, Governor Gavin Newsom launched Heat Ready CA, one of the nation’s first statewide multi-ethnic awareness and education campaigns designed to keep Californians safe during extreme heat.

Heat Ready CA is a public awareness and outreach campaign led by the Governor’s Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications (OCPSC), a newly established office that manages the state’s highestpriority public engagement efforts. Through integrated outreach, advertising, social media, and influencer engagement, the campaign is meeting people where they are through a culturally responsive approach. Heat Ready CA is engaging trusted messengers including multiethnic community-based organizations, ethnic media, meteorologists, and other partners statewide.

Heat is one of the deadliest forms of climate-driven extreme weather and this campaign is to help protect communities from that extreme heat. Heat Ready CA is a two-year $20 million campaign that will focus on heat-sensitive groups at the highest risk, including those 65 years of age or older, workers, and individuals with chronic illness, disabilities, or who are pregnant.

“The impacts of climate change have never been more clear – the hots continue to get hotter in our state and across the West putting millions of Californians at risk,” said Governor Newsom. “California is launching Heat Ready CA as another tool in the state’s arsenal to protect people from extreme heat. We’re asking everyone to stay alert to changing weather and take the necessary steps to keep themselves and their families safer from deadly heatwaves.”

The campaign is part of Governor Newsom’s Extreme Heat Action Plan, which is backed by more than $400 million to guide the state’s response to heatwaves. This ensures California is reaching vulnerable communities, protecting frontline workers, and helping communities stand up cooling centers.

The launch of Heat Ready CA cae as much of California and the southwestern United States is expected to experience extreme heat that the National Weather Service has said will rival some of the worst heat waves this area has ever seen. In Kern County, Bakersfield is expected to experience triple-digit temperatures reaching up to 116 degrees Fahrenheit.

“Heat-related illnesses such as dehydration, heat

exhaustion, and heat stroke, as well as respiratory problems, are among the potentially dangerous effects of extreme heat,” said California Health and Human Services Secretary Doctor Mark Ghaly.

On Tuesday, California also moved into Phase II of it’s Extreme Temperature Response Plan today, which calls for increased coordination among state agencies and local partners. Excessive heat watches and warnings are in effect across the southern half of the state, with additional watches, warnings, and advisories possible farther north, including the San Joaquin Valley.

“As with earthquakes, floods, or other natural weather events, Californians can better protect themselves and others with a few simple tips,” Ghaly continued.

Californians are encouraged to follow these tips to stay safe during extreme heat events:

Stay cool. Close shades, windows, and blinds. Set air conditioners between 75 and 80 degrees. If airconditioning isn’t available, find a local cooling center or other air-conditioned public space (libraries, shopping malls, community centers, etc.). Try to stay indoors and wear loose, light-colored, lightweight clothing. While spending time in the water is refreshing on hot summer days, many California rivers are running faster, while lakes are deeper and colder than they’ve been in recent years. This makes them more dangerous than normal, even for strong swimmers.

Stay hydrated. Drink at least 2 cups of water every hour even if you’re not feeling thirsty. Avoid alcoholic or caffeinated drinks.

Look after each other. Check-in on friends and family, especially elderly relatives or neighbors. Call 911 if there are signs of high fever (103°F or higher) or in case of other emergencies.

“Scientists project that all of California will be impacted in the years and decades to come by higher average temperatures and more frequent and lifethreatening heat waves, disproportionately impacting the most vulnerable communities,” stated the Office of Governor Newsom in a press release.

Californians can learn more about these heat projections and what they mean for their community by using the California Heat Assessment Tool. Californians can find their community’s heat risk level by using the National Weather Service’s HeatRisk Prototype or by following local weather forecasts. Californians can find their local cooling centers here.