Have a Happy, BIPOC Thanksgiving
By Maya Mackey
The holiday season comes with a lot of mixed emotions. Some folks are excited to visit family they haven’t seen in a while and to gorge themselves on traditional meals that only come once a year. Others dread the travel and dealing with toxic relatives. Thanksgiving carries an additional jarring experience—the cognitive dissonance of celebrating what was ultimately a genocide of America’s Indigenous people. If you’re the “woke” person in your family. I feel your pain.
While there have been attempts to right the wrongs of the past—renaming Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day for example— others have fallen short (like declaring the day after Thanksgiving, “Native American Heritage Day.” America will
Thanksgiving.
Inglewood Today News
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the city of Inglewood. Residents and friends can look forward to celebrations and free family fun all month long in preparation for the Holidays. It is truly a Season of Giving for young and old alike.
December 2, 5-8 pm
The City of Inglewood and Kia Forum will kick off the Holidays with the annual Christmas celebration, featuring Santa’s Village, a community gift-giving segment for Inglewood students 17 years old and younger.
The Kia Forum will be transformed into a magical evening of holiday cheer, complete with a snow zone, food, music, games and
prizes. You won’t want to miss the Christmas tree lighting. Each eligible recipient will receive a free holiday gift, but registration is required to participate. Be sure to register by November 30, 2024 at 6pm to secure your spot.
December 7, 10am-6pm Get into the holiday spirit at the 3rd annual WinterFest. It returns to Hollywood Park with fun-filled activities for the entire family. This year’s events include:
1. Actually give thanks (or money!) to Indigenous folks or Indigenous-led organizations. The
American Indian College Fund is a nonprofit that aims to create scholarships for
Publisher’s Message
L.A. Renters May Have a Chance to Purchase Apartment Buildings
By Willie Brown
As the American dream of homeownership continues to evade renters in California, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved a motion on Nov. 22 to give tenants the option to purchase their buildings.
The proposed policies would allow either tenants of multi-family buildings or nonprofits to make an offer to purchase a building if the property owner decides to sell.
Within the next 60 days, L.A. City departments will come up with a framework to enact the proposed policies known as the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act and the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act.
This could be the start of something
extraordinary. It would give faithful hardworking tenants a shot at home ownership that they might not otherwise have. Ever increasing home prices, and difficulty coming up with the downpayment makes it nearly impossible for some renters to purchase even a modest home in L.A.
The policy, if adopted, could
provide a ton of benefits for renters who want to provide more stability and generational wealth for their families. Specifically, it can:
• Stabilize the market and help maintain affordable rents.
• Provide families with a sense of ownership and community, especially long-term tenants.
• Encourage community investment through participation in cooperative economics.
• Give power back to the people. Hopefully the policy would set aside opportunities for those of modest means to acquire property without competition from private and corporate investors.
The National Apartment Association says allowing renters to purchase buildings would add unnecessary red tape to real estate transactions and ultimately increase the cost of housing for renters, sources say.
Obviously, more needs to be known about how the City of Los Angeles plans to make the proposed policy work for everyone. But it is certainly worth pursuing.
There are similar programs currently in place in Washington D.C., San Francisco, Chicago and Philadelphia.
Inglewood Today (https:// inglewoodtoday.com) has announced immediate internship opportunities for aspiring journalists and data/ research assistants. The 31year old media company is considering college and high school students for 3-6 month internships working hybrid 4-8 hours per week.
Journalist interns will have an opportunity to build their writing portfolios while interviewing celebrities, elected officials and other community leaders. They will also cover issues related to Inglewood and surrounding areas. Data/research assistants will work behind the scenes maintaining databases and helping to organize and launch a new blog.
Interested candidates may apply by submitting resumes to veronica@inglewoodtoday. com. If applying for the journalist internship, candidates must also submit their best 2-3 writing samples.
Gov. Newsom’s New $827.5M Homelessness Plan
Directs Funding to Counties and Cities
By
With an expansive plan to tackle homelessness across California, Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced an $827 million investment through the Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention (HHAP) program. The funds will be allocated to 37 regions, benefiting 100 cities and counties statewide, including many communities where Black Californians are disproportionately affected by housing insecurity.
This funding, announced earlier this month, aims to create permanent housing, establish shelter sites, and provide essential support services to uplift thousands of people experiencing homelessness. The announcement, delivered at the Downtown Women’s Center in Los Angeles, highlighted the state’s dedication to implementing long-term, accountable solutions.
Tomiquia Moss, Secretary of the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency, opened the event, emphasizing the proven strategies being implemented at the local level.
“I’m often asked, ‘Do we know what to do around solving homelessness?’ The answer is yes because the folks here at the Downtown Women’s Center are doing it every single day,” Moss said. She stressed the critical role of collaboration and the new accountability measures that require cities and counties to achieve tangible outcomes.
Moss also acknowledged the complexity of the challenge in Los Angeles, where 207 people are housed daily, yet 227 people become newly homeless in the same period. “Unless we find solutions that outpace this cycle, we won’t get where we need
to be,” she stressed. Moss highlighted that this funding, paired with other resources like encampment resolution grants and ongoing community collaboration, is key to making a lasting impact.
“No one is naive about the challenges we face, not just here in Los Angeles but throughout California,” Newsom said. “The state has stepped up in ways it never has before. We are seeing progress in some areas and stubborn challenges in others. This crisis requires a crisis mindset, and people are dying on our watch. We need to address this with the urgency it demands.”
Newsom also pointed out the significance of the state’s involvement in homelessness, noting that until a few years ago, the state had not been heavily invested in addressing the issue.
The impact of this funding will be significant in Los Angeles, which will receive $164.3 million for the city’s ongoing efforts to combat homelessness. Mayor Karen Bass, who joined Newsom at the event, highlighted the collaboration between city, county, and state officials, as well as the progress her administration has made.
“The only way we can show results is through a comprehensive approach,” Bass said. “Groups like The Downtown Women’s Center work to rapidly rehouse Angelenos and provide comprehensive services. This morning, I was in the Pico-Union area for an Inside Safe operation, where we moved people from tents and RVs off the streets and into housing. We housed over 30 Angelenos today.”
Bass emphasized the need for unified efforts, adding, “We know that there are areas of dysfunction, and part of our work has been to bring every level of government together. We have to move beyond finger-pointing to real partnership.”
Newsom highlighted the need for regional collaboration: “This crisis doesn’t stop at city or county lines. It demands a coordinated, statewide effort to create real, lasting change.”
San Francisco is set to receive $43.32 million, which will be used for housing-first initiatives and comprehensive support services for the unhoused population.
Alameda County, with its $55.9 million allocation, will also focus on permanent housing solutions and strategies to address systemic causes of homelessness.
Sacramento will receive $53.21 million, which will be dedicated to developing permanent housing solutions and integrated support services to address the city’s growing homelessness crisis
The San Diego region, awarded $58.84 million, aims to expand shelter capacity and ensure long-term housing stability.
The Inland Empire, encompassing Riverside and San Bernardino counties, will receive $33.17 million to implement regional solutions, including shelter expansion and supportive services
Gustavo Velasquez, Director of the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) emphasized that the funding comes with strict accountability requirements.
“Our HCD team is honored to take on
this expanded role in identifying and supporting effective regional solutions for Californians struggling with unsheltered homelessness,” Velasquez said. “Not only will this funding provide additional resources, but with the leadership of the Legislature and the administration, this program also ensures that every dollar spent delivers meaningful outcomes, with a clear focus on reducing homelessness to create lasting change. HCD will continue to apply our strong focus on accountability to maximize this critical investment for our state.”
The HHAP grants are a crucial part of California’s $40 billion investment in tackling homelessness, complementing initiatives like Project Homekey, which has successfully created thousands of permanent housing units, and the Encampment Resolution Fund, aimed at clearing dangerous encampments while providing support services. Earlier this month, Newsom allocated $131 million specifically for encampment resolutions across the state.
Newsom and other speakers emphasized that this funding is part of a comprehensive and unified effort to make meaningful and lasting changes across the state.
Additionally, Newsom recently announced $91 million to support Native American communities through the Tribal Homekey and Tribal HHAP programs. This funding includes $71 million for 172 permanent housing units in rural areas and $20 million for culturally responsive homelessness interventions, addressing the unique challenges faced by 37 federally recognized tribes.
Joe W. Bowers Jr. | California Black Media
Area Communities
Serving Ladera, Hawthorne, Westchester, Lawndale, Gardena, Carson
TD Jakes Recovering After Health Scare
Texas megachurch
pastor Bishop T.D. Jakes is recovering from an health incident caught on video during a live church service on Sunday at the Potter’s House in Dallas.
The 67-year-old minister, author and movie mogul seemed unable to speak after beginning a prayer for his congregation.
Several people rushed to the stage to provide support after he began to tremble and shake.
Church representatives referred to the incident as a “slight health incident,” but no details have been given about what might have caused the emergency.
There is speculation that Jakes may have suffered a stroke, but that could not be confirmed.
Jakes’ daughter, Sarah Jakes
“Obviously today could’ve been a tragic day, but it wasn’t by the
video. “He’s strong. We really can’t thank you enough for your prayers for all your kind words.”
mercy of god by the grace of God, the bishop is doing well, recovering, under well medical care,” son-in-law Toure Roberts said in an Instagram
Roberts, and her husband Toure Roberts said in an Instagram video:
Inglewood Today News
Sports & Entertainment
Kendrick’s GNX Is a Prelude to his Next Cultural Crusade
By Maya Mackey
Kendrick is mad. Kendrick is selfrighteous, and simultaneously not that self-aware, but inevitably still one of the last remaining defenders and orators of Black American culture in the Hip Hop landscape. In his own words, “[He’s] what the culture (is) feeling,” because he’s lived the culture. He actually started from the bottom. He doesn’t have to pretend. Still, GNX is more of the same (disgust for Drake and current rap culture in general). It leaves me wondering, if he’s the great Messiah of Hip-Hop, where is he leading us to? Cause rap beef can’t be it forever.
As an interesting side note, it was announced this week that Drake has filed a lawsuit against United Music Group and Spotify, claiming that Payola (the process in which a record label or artist will pay radio stations and streaming platforms to advance their music) is the culprit behind the success of Kendrick’s Not Like Us. The scathing anthem catapulted Lamar back into the limelight after a brief hiatus following his last album, Mr.Morale and the Big Steppers. This further proves Kendrick’s point. The Canadian (Drake) is definitely “not like us.”
(Note: Some fans feel as though the Easter eggs in the snippet video that announced his surprise project mean this is a mixtape and an album is soon to follow. I agree with this theory and will be referring to GNX as a mixtape whereas other publications may refer to it as an album.)
It’s evident by the mixtape opener, Whacked Out Murals, that Kendrick is mad, but takes his hate in stride: “I’ll kill ‘em all before I let ‘em kill my joy.” He also details how, when it comes to Drake or anyone else that he’s fallen out with, forgiveness is not his thing. “Before I take a truce, I’ll take ‘em to hell with me,” he says He also sounds apathetic and bitter in a way we’ve never heard before. In Man at the Garden, he bemoans about his worth, “I deserve it all!” He laments that people don’t seem to recognize or agree with that notion. He’s disappointed in Wayne. He’s disappointed in Snoop. In case it was ever unclear before, Kendrick is letting it be known with no uncertainty, that he feels it is his calling to preserve Hip Hop ethics— authenticity, loyalty and respect to the Ogs—and to remain a “real n*gga” despite all odds. What’s haunting is that his commitment to do the above has him chasing his own tail in self-
righteousness.
Drake fans (and folks in the middle who didn’t pick a side between both Hip Hop juggernauts) were unfortunately right. Mr.Morale lowkey sees himself as a messiah even though he claims he’s not our savior on his last full album. Kendrick attempts to drop bars of wisdom onto young men on this mixtape, but it falls flat. He warns that “you better off to have one woman, everything tricky now,” as if remaining faithful to a woman is some profound nugget of wisdom. I guess maybe it is for men without strong father figures, but that’s some pretty elementary stuff for someone who simultaneously says he’s “here to guide you” on the same track. He also earnestly considers himself a gentleman (bless his heart) because he actually believes this to be true of himself, despite over a decade of the same misogyny and unfaithfulness found in the music of other male rappers.
But despite his egregiousness and audacity, he’s still the top dawg (no pun intended) putting on for L.A., for the Black American community and Hip Hop at large. Disgusted by the faking and shenanigans of certain players in the space, he’s committed to authenticity above all. Whereas
Drake and Snoop cosigned on using artificial intelligence to generate and produce a post-humous Tupac on Taylor Made, one of many disses toward Lamar in the spring time, Kendrick instead samples a real Tupac Song (Made N----s) to help him illustrate his current existential dilemma. They (Kendrick and fellow rappers) are not the same.
The mixtape as a whole honors California, with an emphasis on L.A. of course, with its signature West Coast beats, mostly produced by Jack Antanoff and Sounwave. He’s also unabashed to use exclusively L.A. lingo like “squabble up”, dismissing transplants who say they “hate L.A. but don’t travel past the 10 (freeway),” and honoring our robust Chicano community by sampling Deyra Bererra’s Mariachi-styled vocals (in Spanish of course) on three tracks. Every rapper will claim they love their city, but have we ever seen a rapper actually prove it to the level Kendrick has? I ain’t seen it!
Kendrick Lamar continues to be a complicated, messy and brilliant man who’s darn near willing to die for Black Culture and preserving its authenticity. We love him for it, as we anxiously await Act III!
Blacks Feel Erased by Santa Barbara’s Changing Demographics; Latinos Express Similar Fears
By Ethnic Media Services Staff
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – In Santa Barbara, a coastal city of about 89,000 residents, the Black population has dwindled from a peak of 3.27% in 1970 to about 1.37% in 2024.
In 2022, Healing Justice Santa Barbara, a nonprofit, and Page & Turnbull, an architecture firm, produced “Santa Barbara African American and Black Historic Context Statement,” a survey of how and where Black people have lived in Santa Barbara from the Spanish colonies to recent times. The report, commissioned by the city, is meant to aid in preserving Santa Barbara’s
White kids subject their kids to racist bullying. However, recently, more recent incidents seem to involve racism coming from Latino kids. Ironically, they explain, many of these “Black” kids being bullied are mixed race: Black and Mexican.
Bianca Duran’s two oldest children, a son, 14, and daughter, 13, look like their Black father. “Kids just coming out and saying the N-word and calling my daughter a monkey and saying you look like an ape,” said Duran. “Why is your hair like that and why are you dark?”
Duran, who is Mexican American, tells her children they are beautiful and to not engage with the cruelty, but it’s hard, she says.
immigrated to Santa Barbara with his mother and brother from Mexico when he was four. Now 35, he came up in the public schools and knows the Santa Barbara Mexican and Mexican American communities from many perspectives.
“If you look at graduation rates, if you look at college attainment, if you take it a step further and look at who’s going where, Latinos are still at the bottom,” said Gaona-Macedo.
According to SBUSD’s 2023 “Student Outcomes Report,” high school graduation rates for Black students were 81.8% in 2020-2021 and 100% in 2021-2022, with 75% meeting requirements for UC and CSU in 2021-2022. Latino high
But many of those residents have sold their houses or have been priced out of rentals.
Duran said her children are amazed when she tells them how well Blacks and Mexicans used to get along.
“That’s how it was. That is why there are so many mixed kids now. We were all together and having fun,” she said.
Sims-Moten noted that children today know little of the city’s history or even America’s history of antiBlack racism.
“It’s important to maintain that history of how we become because when community spreads out or it’s disconnected, then our children that are coming up don’t really
Black history.
According to the report, “the slow progress toward greater racial equality and continuing lack of job and housing opportunities led many young Black people to leave Santa Barbara in the late 1960s and 1970s.
“While Santa Barbara’s overall population increased in the 1970s, the city’s African American and Black population decreased by 20% from 2,294 in 1970 to 1,833 in 1980, the first time the community’s numbers had dropped since the 1890s,” the report continues.
In several interviews, longtime Santa Barbarans bemoaned the impacts of gentrification and the gradual “erasure” of a Black presence in the city.
Wendy Sims-Moten’s fatherin-law was born in Santa Barbara in 1914 and once owned a refuse business. “But time and money and bigger resources pushed them to the side,” she said. “A lot of things that were here -- small businesses that were owned by African Americans, even Latinos -- they are gone.
Sims-Moten, the president of the Santa Barbara Unified School District, is only the second Black person elected to that board in 53 years. Black children make up .07% of SBUSD students.
Parents upset by anti-Black racism in the school district say that some
Leeandra Shalhoob and Shevon Hoover are among other SBUSD parents of mixed Black and Mexican American children. Whether the SBUSD counts these students as mixed race (2.5% of school population) or Black/African American (0.7%), they are micro minorities in a “majority minority” (61% Hispanic/Latino), school district. About 31% of district students are White.
These parents, as well as Latino and Black community leaders, acknowledge anti-Black racism in Latino culture.
“I won’t speak for everyone’s family or upbringing, but I know that where I grew up, there was a lot of anti-Blackness in the Latino community,” said Gabe Escobedo, vice president of the SBUSD School Board.
Connie Alexander works with schoolchildren of all races at Gateway Educational Services, the academic support nonprofit she and Audrey Gamble co-founded 15 years ago. “Way too much of the N-word is being used by Latino youth,” said Alexander, who is also president of the Santa Barbara NAACP. “Why are they using the N-word?... I really don’t know. And why it’s so painful: their perception is that the Black children are on the bottom.”
Eder Goana-Macedo, executive director of the Santa Barbara Fund,
school graduation rates rose from 88% in 2020-2021 to 93.8% in 20212022 with 47.5% meeting UC and CSU requirements in 2021-2022.
“There have been a lot of issues around racism in the schools. It’s not new,” Gaona-Macedo said. “You know, I went to the school where the White kids would pick on the Latino kids.”
Gaona-Macedo said he was offering context, not excuses, for the tensions between Latino and Black students. “So, there’s a lot of hate, and it stems from a long history in Santa Barbara between the haves and the have -nots,” he added.
The Santa Barbara Latino population, which has always been many times larger than the Black cohort, is also shrinking due to skyrocketing housing costs. Both groups are struggling to hang on in the city.
“There’s countless [Latino] families in Santa Barbara where they share a household between multiple families just to make ends meet,” Gaona-Macedo said, adding, “And then you also have the undocumented factor.”
Hoover, Shalhoob and Duran blame the demographic changes wrought by gentrification for eroding cross-cultural camaraderie. In their 30’s and 40’s now, they recalled when Blacks and Mexican Americans used to hang out together.
understand and they may be called words that go back in slavery,” Sims-Moten said. “They don’t really understand it because the history of that has been erased because that’s not a comfortable conversation. I think erasure is a huge thing here. We don’t have those hard conversations.”
Gaona-Macedo believes families have a critical role to play, too.
“I think that’s going to take building a strong allyship between both communities. And I think we’ve started – Connie’s [Alexander] amazing to work with. So is Audrey and the Healing Justice organization among others,” he said. “We do need to look at how racism is rooted in some of our culture…. And as a community, we need to find ways to fight that culture.”
Pilar Marrero contributed reporting to this story.
This resource is supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library in partnership with the California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to CA vs Hate.
Continued from page 1: Inglewood Holiday...
•Art Delectables Cookie Decorating & Hot Chocolate Pavilion
•Special offerings from Cinépolis, Cosm, Iconix Fitness, JD Sports and the grand opening of The Meeting Spot
•Lovejoy Foundation Pet Rescue from 11 am to 4 pm
•The Black Santa Inaugural Celebrity Pickleball Tournament from 4 to 6pm
December 8, 12-3 pm
The Crenshaw Imperial Plaza is the
Continued from page 1: Have a Happy...
Native Americans to receive a college education. There is also the Native Americans Rights Fund and Americans for Indian Opportunity, which support Native American sovereignty and protection of land and culture.
2. Consider starting the family meal with a land acknowledgement. Wherever you eat your meal this Thursday was once a tribal land robust and thriving with Native Americans. We can hold a moment of silence for the loss of their people before expressing gratitude for the current blessings and provision in our own lives.
3. Get involved with a Land
place to be!
The plaza will become a Winter Wonderland with free snow sledding, snow play and a real snowman.
Holiday ornament decoration, kids’ crafts, photos with Santa, raffle prizes, and free giveaways will add to the family fun.
RSVP now to save your spot at https://www.eventbrite. com/e/a-winter-wonderland-ininglewood-for-family-fun-tickets-
969061899227?aff=erelexpmlt.
December 14, 5-9pm
Join Inglewood’s 1st District Councilwoman Gloria Gray for a Christmas Toy Drive and Adult Holiday Party at Martin’s Event Center, 3215 Manchester Blvd. There will be plenty of food, live entertainment, and door prizes. Evening attire required, along with an unwrapped toy or gift card valued at $25.
Register to attend at https:// lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/ buaW3AC/DIChristmas2024. RSVP at 310-412-8602 or 310-330-5330.
December 19, 5-8pm
The City of Inglewood and District 1 will host a holiday toy drive at the ICOP Community Center, 2901 W Manchester. Come and share some holiday cheer with your neighbors. Enjoy live music and refreshments.
Back Movement. The Land Back Movement for Native Americans is similar to the movement for reparations for African Descendants of Slaves (Black Americans). The tenets of The Land Back Movement are to help Indigenous people’s get their land back and to be trusted and appointed as leaders to help repair our relationship to earth and improve our environmental habits.
However you celebrate this Thursday, remember that
solidarity is the way forward to the America we actually want to live in. While White Americans need to be doing all the work frankly of honoring and restoring dignity and political power back to Native Americans, we as BIPOC individuals (that’s Black, Indigenous, and other “people of color”) need to apply pressure on White people to truly deal with the sins of this nation and to make room for everyone to achieve that American Dream.
