L.A. Focus Newspaper March 2020

VOLUME XXV • ISSUE 2 • March 2020 >>

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GAME CHANGERS: West Angeles COGIC’s Game Changer For Black Men PAGE

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HOLLYWOOD BUZZ: Rihanna WOWS NAACP Image Awards With Inspiring Speech PAGE

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UPFRONT

CITING GROWING SUPPORT, TRUMP MAKES BIG PUSH FOR BLACK VOTERS In Good Taste: Nashville Hot Chicken Comes To Baldwin Plaza

If you paid attention to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech last month, there was a overt attempt to court black voters with an economic message, complete with statistics about unemployment, poverty levels, and wage growth....

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contents

L.A. Focus Publications

March2020

Left: Councilman Curren Price (Center) makes special City Council presentation to “Hair Love’ producers Matthew Cherry and Karen Rupert Toliver–Photo credit: Dedee Verdin • Middle: L-R: Peter Barker (CEO, Barker Management) presents $100,000 check to West Angeles CDC board members Belinda Allen (Executive Director), Gwen Austin, Bishop Charles Blake, Mablean Ephraim, Sheryl Harris and Dr. Desiree Tillman • Right: The Celebration of Life Service for Kobe Bean Bryant and Gianna Bryant held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

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From The Editor “Praying With Our Feet”

Commentary “Black America’s Housing Crisis: More Renters Than Homeowners”

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UpFront Memoir, Publishing Company in The Works for Colin Kaepernick, Norther California School Named After Former First Lady, 64 White Supremicists Sentenced to 820 Years in Prison

Head to Head

“Where Does Trump Stand With Black America?”

Headlines From Africa

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Money Matters Many low-income Californians don’t use credit cards. Should stores be required to accept cash?

Biz News Briefs Black Panther Costume Designer Ruth Carter Launches H&M Line, JP Morgan Chase Reaffirms Its Commitment To Build Black Wealth, LeBron James To Release His First Children’s Book

staff Publisher/Editor-In-Chief Staff Writers Production Photographer Advertising

Lisa Collins Gerald Bell, Keith DeLawder Kisha Smith, Tristin Alexandria Ian Foxx Leatha Davis

L.A. Focus–On the Word, is published monthly.

Address all correspondence to: L.A. Focus, 333 W. Florence Ave., Suite C333 Inglewood, CA 90301 • (310) 677-6011 Subscription rates $25.00 per year.

Super Saturday West Angeles COGIC’s Game Changer for Black Men

Calendar/Around LA Hollywood Buzz Rhianna Wows NAACP Image Awards With Inspiring Speech, Octavia Spencer to Star as Madam C.J. Walker, Nia Long Gets Busy

One On One Octavia Spencer Red Carpet Style Essence Annuel Women in Hollywood Luncheon

29 From The Pulpit of 30 Through The Storm 33 In Good Taste 34 Saving Grace “Just One Touch”

A Death Sentence Taught Zenay Arnold How To Live

Kim Prince & Greg Dulan’s

Joseph “Rev. Ru” Simmons

Eye On Gospel

Feature Story Making Their Mark “Sistas Doin’ It For THemselves” Film Schocase: Highlights The Workd of Black Female Directors

Game Changers

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

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Church News

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Pastor Profile

Performances from March 18th-22nd Bethany Baptist Church of West L.A. Hosts Ribbon Cutting for New School, Pastor Virgil The Music Center’s Jones Set to Release Debut Single Dorothy Chandler Pavillion 135 N. Grand Avenue Pastor Stephen W. Dyson Los Angeles, CA 90012 (213) 972-0711

First Lady Files First Lady Joanne Guevarra

honorary advisors West Angeles C.O.G.I.C. City of Refuge Greater Zion Church Family Southern Saint Paul Church Faithful Central Bible Church Mt. Moriah Baptist Church Baptist Minister’s Conference

Bishop Charles Blake Bishop Noel Jones Pastor Michael Fisher Rev. Xavier L. Thompson Bishop Kenneth C. Ulmer Pastor Emeritus Melvin Wade Pastor K.W Tulloss

Napoleon Brandford Pastor Beverly Crawford Lem Daniels Bob Blake

Siebert, Brandford, Shank & Co. Bible Enrichment Fellowship International Church Morgan Stanley Bob Blake & Associates

Cover Design: UpScale Media Group

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L.A. Focus/ March 2020

advisory board

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Commentary

CHARLENE CROWELL NNPA Newswire Contributor

“Black America’s Housing Crisis: More Renters Than Homeowners”

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o matter who you are, or where you live, there’s a central concern that links consumers all over the country: the ever-rising cost of living. For many consumers, the combined costs of housing, transportation, food, and utilities leave room for little else from take-home pay.

The nation’s median sales price of a new home last September in 2019 was $299,400, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. For renters, the cost of housing is also a serious challenge. Last June, the national average rent reached $1,405, an all-time high. But if one lives in a high-cost market like Manhattan, Boston, Los Angeles, or San Francisco, a realistic rental price is easily north of $3,000 each month.

A new report from Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) finds that the American Dream of homeownership is strained even among households with incomes most would think adequate to own a home. From 2010 to 2018, 3.2 million households with earnings higher than $75,000 represented more than three-quarters of the growth in renters in its report entitled, America’s Rental Housing 2020. “[F]rom the homeownership peak in 2004 to 2018, the number of married couples with children that owned homes fell by 2.7 million, while the number renting rose by 680,000,” states the report. “These changes have meant that families with children now make up a larger share of renter house¬holds (29%) than owner households (26%).”

To phrase it another way, America’s middle class is at risk. Consumer demographics that traditionally described homeowners, has shifted to that of renters. And in that process, the opportunity to build family wealth through homeownership has become more difficult for many – and financially out of reach for others.

“Rising rents are making it increasingly difficult for households to save for a down payment and become homeowners,” says Whitney Airgood-Obrycki, a JCHS Research Associate and lead author of the new report. “Young, college-educated households with high incomes are really driving current rental demand.”

Included among the report’s key findings: • Despite the growth in high-income white renters, renter households have become more racially and ethnically diverse since 2004, with minority households accounting for 76 percent of renter household growth through 2018; and • Income inequality among renter households has been growing. The average real income of the top fifth of renters rose more than 40 percent over the past 20 years, while that of the bottom fifth of renters fell by 6 percent; This trend of fewer homeowners has also impacted the nation’s growing homeless population. Citing that homelessness is again on the rise, the JCHS report noted that

From the Editor

after falling for six straight years, the number of people experiencing homelessness nationwide grew from 2016—2018, to 552,830. In just one year, 2018 to 2019, the percentage of America’s Black homeless grew from 40% to over half — 52%.

While some would presume that homelessness is an issue for high-cost states like California, and New York, the 2019 HUD report found significant growth in homeless residents in states like Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Virginia, and Washington as well.

According to HUD, states with the highest rates of homelessness per 10,000 people were New York (46), Hawaii (45), California (38), Oregon (38), and Washington (29), each significantly higher than the national average of 17 persons per 10,000. The District of Columbia had a homelessness rate of 94 people per 10,000.

And like the JCHS report, HUD also found disturbing data on the disproportionate number of Black people who are now homeless. Blacks were 40% of all people experiencing homelessness in 2019, and 52% of people experiencing homelessness as members of families with children. The disparities are even more alarming whenblacks comprise 13% of the nation’s population.

When four of every 10 homeless people are Black, 225,735 consumers are impacted.

The bottom line on these research reports is that Black America’s finances are fragile. With nagging disparities in income, family wealth, unemployment and more — the millions of people working multiple jobs, and/or living paycheck to paycheck, are often just one paycheck away from financial disaster.

The real question in 2020 is, ‘What will communities and the nation do about it?’

In a recent Chicago Tribune interview, Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, an assistant professor of African-American studies at Princeton University and author of the new book, “Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership said: “You don’t need a total transformation of society to create equitable housing for people,” said Taylor. “The way to get that has everything to do with connecting the energy on the ground to a different vision for our society – one that has housing justice, equity and housing security at the heart of it. The resources and the money are there, but there’s a lack of political will from the unfortunate millionaire class that dominates our politics… Given the persistence of the housing crisis in this country, we have to begin to think in different ways about producing housing that is equitable and actually affordable in the real-life, lived experiences of the people who need it.” Charlene Crowell is the Center for Responsible Lending’s communications deputy director. She can be reached at charlene.crowell@responsiblelending.org.

Money Matters continued from page 13 LISA COLLINS Publisher

“Praying With Our Feet”

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L.A. Focus/\March 2020

scaped abolitionist turned famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass is one of the best reminders of faith without works being dead. Douglass prayed for his freedom for years before acting on it. In September of 1838, Douglass–who’d worked for his master caulking ships on Maryland’s Eastern shore–borrowed the identity papers of a freed slave and boarded a train to New York City.

He would later say that praying never did any good ‘til I started praying with my feet.’

So many of us have been praying for Trump to be out of the White House. In November, we all need to start praying with our feet right down to the polls and becoming engaged in an election that could change the direction of our country.

It’s no longer good enough to complain about what’s happening when voting can change things–not just locally, but in Washington. So as you contemplate your busy schedule and ordering your priorities, keep in mind how many black people died for you to exercise the right to vote.

“Give us the ballot and we will no longer have to worry the federal government about our basic rights,” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said in his famed “Give Us The Vote” speech. He would later characterize apathy as a form of moral and political suicide.”

Barack Obama put it this way: “The fact of the matter is that far more people disenfranchise themselves than any law does by not participating, by not getting involved. We have to be vigilant in pushing back against laws that seek to disenfranchise people… But we miss the forest for the trees if we don’t also recognize that huge chunks of us, citizens, just give away our power. We’d rather complain than do something about it. We won’t vote, and then we’ll talk about the terrible political process that isn’t doing anything. And I like barber shop talk. I like grumbling and complaining…But what I know is it doesn’t get anything accomplished. The bottom line is everybody has a part to play.”

So let’s all play our parts on March 3 understanding that the power is ours to exercise.

Equally as important is taking ten minutes out of your schedule to fill out the census. Just ten minutes.

Here’s the magical part of it. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Just ten minutes to insure that you get your fair share of the $900 billion in federal resources distributed to counties across the country based on their numbers.

Each year, however, over a million people fail to get counted, and it should come as little surprise that black and brown people are the most undercounted and therefore less likely to get their fair share of resources, federal funding and polit-

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ical representation.

The 2010 census missed more than 1.5 million, with blacks disproportionately left out. As a result, those communities received less federal funding for programs like Head Start and SNAP. Just ten minutes is all it takes.

On a personal note, I experienced for myself the value of the Census when a distant cousin, who’d lived in New York City, passed. Being her only living relatives, my family traveled to New York to see that her wishes were carried out. Just one problem. She had no will.

In the state of New York that means that all of her worldly possessions were subject to the laws of intestate succession. My mother would have to prove to the courts that she was the closest living heir. In order to do that, lawyers told her she would need to produce a family tree showing both her maternal and paternal lineage and that is where the U.S. Census comes in.

The first order of business became getting U.S. Census Records. Through birth, death and property records, we were able to prove that neither her father or uncle had any other children.

Then somewhere in the process, a light went on for me and a passing curiosity became near obsession as I became curious about my grandparents on both sides and intrigued by what I could uncover about them from census records in what ultimately became a journey of self-discovery. In the course of a week, I was able to trace back five generations on my mother’s side and four on my father’s side locating birth, death and marriage documents.

By the end of the week, I’d began to wonder why the Census hadn’t expanded its questionnaire to include even more information from my ancestors so that I might have a fuller picture of who they were. In the process I had gained a whole new outlook on the Census and was grateful for those of my relatives who had taken the time to answer the questions, providing a trail I could more easily trace generations later.

Sure, the more pivotal role the Census plays is in determining how money is allocated to our communities, but when you think about the Census and whether or not you have the ten minutes it takes to fill it out, consider also those of your descendants who may–with fervor–one day take up the quest to find out more about who you were and what it could mean to them to be able to trace your steps.

Think of those ten minutes as your gift to them.

Keep the faith.

L.A. Focus/ March 2020

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UpFront

News Briefs

Citing Growing Support, Trump Makes Big Push for Black Voters

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f you paid attention to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech last month, there was a overt attempt to court black voters with an economic message, complete with statistics about unemployment, poverty levels, and wage growth.

“The unemployment rates for AfricanAmericans, Hispanic-Americans, and Asian-Americans have reached the lowest levels in history. African-American youth unemployment has reached an alltime low,” Trump said. “AfricanAmerican poverty has declined to the lowest rate ever recorded.”

He also spotlighted a single black mother, Stephanie Davis and her nineyear old daughter, Janiyah, who the president said was forced to attend lowperforming schools as a result of Pennsylvania’s governor recently vetoing school choice legislation. The president then announced that the fourth grader would receive a “Opportunity Scholarship” to attend the school of her choice.

The overtures were part of an elaborate pitch to black voters as Trump’s reelection campaign expands its efforts to beef up its black support. In November, his campaign launched the Black Voices for Trump initiative with a kickoff in Atlanta. In the months since, he has paid for ads in black newspapers around the country, bought spots on urban radio stations and employed a number of efforts to build support in black communities, including cash giveaways.

Just last month it was announced that the president’s reelection campaign will open 15 community centers in major cities across the nation–including Miami, Atlanta, Detroit, Philadelphia and Cleveland– manned by volunteers passing out literature heralding how Trump policies have benefited black Americans.

The new surge for black voters is

being driven by internal polling on the part of Trump campaign that shows the president getting a second look f r o m African Americans.

A 2020 campaign email read, “Recent polls show significant increase in support from black community”.

In fact, a RasmusssenReports poll put Trump support among black voters at 34 percent. An Emerson poll has Trump support with black voters at 35 percent and a Marist poll had Trump’s approval rating at 33 percent among non-white voters.

“Zero chance this is accurate. Zero,” tweeted CNN political commentator Ana Navarro-Cardenas. “The poll must have only been conducted in the homes of Ben Carson, Kanye, that sheriff guy with the hat and those two Cubic Zirconia & Polyester-Spandex ladies.” (referring to black social media bloggers Diamond & Silk.)

The polls are also contradicted by data from Gallup and Quinnipiac University. According to Gallup senior scientist Frank Newport, “Barring an extraordinary event that produces a surge in support for Trump nationally, history projects that his share of the black vote will be similarly low in 2020.

(That, in reference to the 8% of the black vote he captured in 2016).

Still, there is some movement

TRISTIN ALEXANDRIA Staff

upwards. Two years after being elected into office, Trump’s approval rating among black men nearly doubled after a series of tweets by Kanye West voicing his support of Trump, with a Reuter’s poll citing an increase in approval from 8.9 percent to 16.5 percent. An NAACP poll put his approval rating at 21 percent in August of 2018.

Former black GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain pointed out that if “a Republican could boost his share of the black vote to even 12 percent, it would probably lead to an electoral wipeout that would put 40 states or more in the red category”.

Citing the growing disenchantment of some blacks at the Democratic party’s not prioritizing black voter issues, some Republicans believe there’s at least some evidence the president’s policies and campaign outreach are making inroads with black voters.

“You can’t dispute the fact that African-Americans have been benefiting from President Trump’s policies,” senior Trump campaign advisor Katrina Pierson argues. “Four years ago, the president asked the black community, Alexandria continued to page 30

The CROWN Act Ignites Hair Love Across the Nation As More States Ban Discrimination Against Natural Hair ast July–thanks to the efforts of State Senator Holly Mitchell–the Crown Act, banning the discrimination against natural black hairstyles including cornrows, afros, braids, twists, and dreadlocks, was passed into law. Effective January I, the law protects employees at work and students in K-12 public schools who have natural hair.

Mitchell launched the initiative, which stands for “Creating a Respectful Open Workplace for Natural Hair” after being disturbed by the number of black girls who were getting suspended from schools because of how they wore their natural hair.

“When I began to see viral images of children being suspended from school and the New Jersey wrestler having his locs cut in the middle of a tournament, I was also reminded of the Supreme Court cases lost to employers over the years and the conversations at the salon or around the water cooler about "taking our braids down" after summer vacations because we have to go back to school or return L.A. Focus/March 2020

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to work,” Mitchell said.

New York and New Jersey followed suit, making the Crown Act law and now Washington, Colorado and Minnesota are advancing similar bills. This on the heels of the Academy Award victory to the producers of “Hair Love”, an animated short film directed by Matthew Cherry about a man who must do his daughter’s hair for the first time. “’Hair Love’ was done because we wanted to see more representation in animation, we wanted to normalize black hair and there’s a very important issue out there, the CROWN Act,” Cherry said in his acceptance speech, while urging the law’s passing in all fifty states.

Cherry was accompanied on stage by a black student in Texas who was suspended because his high school claimed that his dreadlocks violated its dress code.

Now ironically, Texas is among nearly two dozen states considering the legislation or some version thereof, while some local municipalities like Cincinnati have passed it as well.

Trump Administration Cuts Food Stamps For 700,000 Americans

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he Trump Administration has finalized implementation of new work requirement rules that would cut food stamp benefits for 700,000 Americans. The average food stamp payout is $36 per month. Though the Trump Administration estimates that under 700,000 people will be impacted by their policy changes, the Urban Institute estimates that the new Trump Administration rule changes will cause 3.7 million poor people to lose food stamps.

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and Brandon Lipps, the deputy undersecretary for the USDA’s Food Nutrition and Consumer Services, spoke with reporters for under 20 minutes regarding the changes. The rule changes will take effect on April 1, 2020.

The work requirement rule change will cause hundreds of thousands of people to lose access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP. There are over 40 million people in the U.S. living in poverty – 1 of every 7 Trump continued to page 30

Memoir, Publishing Company In The Works for Colin Kaepernick Audible, the nation’s largest seller of audiobooks, has announced an exclusive pact with former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick that is reported to include exclusive rights to the audio version of his memoir as well as original audio projects for Audible that focus on amplifying the voices of authors, creators and other public figures.

“My protest was the culmination of years of thought and experiences, of learning and unlearning. I want to tell the story of my evolution, and the events that led me to protest systemic oppression, in hopes that it will inspire others to rise in action,” Kaepernick said in a statement.

The memoir will be self published through his recently established Kaepernick Publishing.

“Kaepernick Publishing was founded to create opportunities for Black and Brown writers, authors, and creators to control their narratives and retain ownership”, Kaepernick wrote in a statement posted on his social media.

Northern California School Named After Former First Lady Michelle Obama Seems Michelle Obama’s support of children’s educational and health issues has hit home with one Northern California school. Last week, the Wilson Elementary School in Richmond, California got a new name– Michelle Obama Elementary School.

“We have the opportunity to have a beautiful new school named after a person who really represents our diversity and values,” Principal Claudia Velez said in a statement.

“Our school is diverse, modern and innovative, and the things that the kids will be doing will prepare them for a very strong and successful future in whatever career they choose.”

The renaming was the result of a unanimous vote by members of the West Contra Costa Unified School District board after being proposed by the school’s PTA. It is the second school in the state to take the name of former First Lady Michelle Obama. The first is located in Panorama City.

4 White Supremacists Sentenced to 820 Years in Federal Prison In what is believed to be the largest mass prosecution of white supremacists in the U.S., 64 white supremacists have been sentenced to a combined total of 820 years after being charged with offenses ranging from threats to physical assaults.

Most of those charged were members of such organizations as the Aryan Brotherhood and Dirty White Boys and were also involved in drug trafficking and gun violations, having amassed a combined 587 prior convictions.

“Not only do white supremacist gangs endorse repugnant ideologies, they also facilitate a violent drug and gun trade, putting our citizens in grave danger,” U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox said in a press release.

According to Uniform Crime Reporting statistics published annually by the FBI, 2018 saw the number of hate crimes rise to its highest level in 16 years. The majority of hate crimes in America are perpetrated based on racial animus. Of those incidents, almost half are directed towards African Americans.

HeadToHead Where Does Trump Stand With The Black America?

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he disproportionate number On questions of religion and moraliPresident of African American special ty, blacks poll far more like Trump is guests hosted by President Republicans than Democrats.

Paving The Donald Trump at the State of the One example: Per Pew Research, Way— Union address made clear how very Republicans 55% of blacks say belief in God is serious he is about courting the supMust Follow necessary to be moral. This comport of this community.

Up With Black pared with 26% of all Democrats The question, of course, is whether and 46% of all Republicans.

Voters meaningful change in how African The real departure of blacks from Americans vote is possible or is just wishful Republicans is on thinking by Republicans. questions touching on Since 1964, Democrats have picked up an fairness and inequaliaverage of 90% of the black vote in every ty. presidential election, and Republicans have According to Gallup, picked up an average of 10%.

57% of Democrats feel Have the Democrats served the black com- the country is divided munity so well that they deserve such dis- into "haves and "haveproportionate support? nots." Twenty-four perI say no way. cent of Republicans Star Parker The Council of Economic Advisers published believe this, but 70% of a paper a few weeks ago titled "The Blue- blacks do.

Collar Labor Boom Reduces Inequality."

And, per Pew, 39% of whites compared with It highlights the incredible economic 66% of blacks say economic inequality is a achievements among lower-income families major problem in the country. And 48% of during the Trump administration. whites compared with 74% of blacks say gov"(A)verage wage growth for African ernment should be doing more to solve probAmericans has outpaced wage growth for lems. white Americans," it says.

President Trump ticked through much of Per the data reported, "Nearly 2.5 million the good economic news for low-income people were lifted out of poverty in 2017 and Americans in his State of the Union address.

2018, and the poverty rates for African Then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped up Americans and Hispanics both fell in 2018, the speech. And Michigan Gov. Gretchen reaching new historic lows."

Whitmer, in the Democratic reply to the We're seeing historic increases in net worth State of the Union, called President Trump among the bottom 50% of households. "dishonest."

Employment has surged, and unemploy- Democrats will deny what is happening. ment has reached all-time lows.

They know that black voters have been lisIn other words, we've got real evidence that tening to their big-government-dependence what I have been talking about for 20 years message for half a century. And the results is true. That is, the path to opportunity and have been dismal. achievement for low-income Americans is Republicans have already got black voters the same for everyone else: more individual on board with them regarding the imporfreedom. tance of religion, faith and morality.

How do Republicans translate this into But they've got a big job to change black attivotes? tudes about reliance on big government.

In my organization, Center for Urban Republicans need to get into the trenches Renewal and Education, we've been looking and present the case for freedom. The at recent polling data to see what it tells us advantage they have is truth and plenty of about why African Americans vote over- glowing data from the last three years. whelmingly for Democratic candidates every President Trump's outreach to African presidential election.

Americans in the State of the Union was a One thing that jumps out from the data is great start. In addition to highlighting the how different black voters are from typical great economic news, he showcased educaDemocrats. tion opportunity scholarships, opportunity Per Gallup, 49% of all Democrats define zones and criminal justice reform. themselves as liberal. Only 28% of blacks do. President Trump is laying the groundwork

he Trump administration phrase “President Trump got it works overtime to keep Donald Trump done” shows up more than twice as Black people from attain- Wants You To large as any other displayed text Forget His ing political and economic freeduring the 30 seconds of air. dom. Yet the president’s reelection Racist Policies Typical Trump. All about himself. campaign called a clever play on Sure, he granted Johnson clemenSuper Bowl Sunday with an ad that sells cy. Yet Trump rarely and barely ever uses Trump as a compassionate, conservative his executive power to support Black peofighter for justice. ple who seek opportunities for a better life, In the campaign’s sec- regardless of whether or not they’ve been ond ad spot for the incarcerated.

Super Bowl, Trump’s Days before the big game, the Trump campaign features the administration kicked off Black History story of Alice Marie Month by expanding its immigration ban Johnson, a 64-year-old to include Eritrea and Nigeria, the most grandmother granted populous nation in Africa. In addition, peoclemency after getting ple from Sudan and Tanzania will become a life sentence and ineligible for the diversity visa program.

Derrick Clifton serving more than 20 Trump’s immigration restrictions date years in prison for a back to the first weeks of his presidency, nonviolent drug offense. The ad uses emo- targeting predominantly Muslim, African tional footage from the moment of her and Latin American countries – “sh*thole release, where Johnson is surrounded by countries” as he calls them – despite court family while tearfully thanking Trump. challenges and swift rebukes from several But this ad isn’t really about uplifting civil rights groups.

Johnson. Instead, Trump’s Super Bowl ad The timing of the Super Bowl ad featuring exploits her case to mislead voters and Johnson, arguably functioned to deflate claim credit for criminal justice reform backlash from the NFL’s controversies on work that he didn’t do. It’s an act of politi- race issues, and divert attention away cal trickery that’s more insidious and from charges of racism tied to new immiharmful than it may seem on the surface gration restrictions for four African counTrump leveraged the popularity of Super tries.

Bowl commercial breaks to place himself The spot also landed, along with the game on a pedestal for doing the bare minimum itself, on the eve of the first 2020 presidento support Black lives. Johnson’s story tial primary contest in Iowa, and afforded arguably wouldn’t have landed on his the campaign an opportunity to drive radar, had it not been for months of lobby- home a narrative that Trump and his voting efforts led by celebrities like Kim ing base can weaponize against valid criKardashian West. She’s not mentioned tiques of his racism. once in the ad, nor are the actions of other It’s the advertising equivalent of the “I’m influencers and lawmakers. not racist, I have Black friends” or “I tried to help Black people” excuses that some Kardashian amassed a legal team to help white people use to defend themselves make a case for Johnson’s clemency, and when challenged about racial prejudice. used her celebrity to persuade Trump, cul- A number of the Democratic candidates’ minating in the June 2018 prison release. platforms include criminal justice reforms During that same period, members of that go many steps further than the presiCongress introduced the First Step Act, a dent likely ever would, despite what his bill that underwent several bipartisan Super Bowl ad suggests. revisions, before Trump ever came around Even with the absence of visible, Black to supporting any reforms. His change of resistance at the Super Bowl this year, the heart, in large part, can be directly attrib- two halftime show headliners managed to uted to Kardashian West’s work. use their platform to challenge Trump on “Politicians talk about criminal justice justice issues that affect Black and Brown reform” appears on screen at the ad’s people from Latin American countries. halfway mark. And directly after, the The halftime performance featuring

Star Parker continued to page 30

Derrick Clifton continued to page 30

Headlines From Africa

Botswana: The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Botswana Development Corporation (BDC) have signed a line of credit totalling $80-million to help scale up key investments in the Southern African country.

Burundi: Burundi legislators passed a law declaring outgoing President Pierre Nkurunziza "supreme guide for patriotism". As such, Nkurunziza will be consulted "on questions about safeguarding national independence, strengthening patriotism and on national unity. He will also preside over a "national patriotism day" to be held every July.

Ethiopia: Ethiopia’s parliament has passed a law imposing jail terms for people whose internet posts stir unrest, a move the government says is needed to prevent violence ahead of elections.

Ghana: The cedi, Ghana’s currency, has been hailed as the best-performing currency in the world in 2020 as investors fall over their feet to buy into the nation’s $3 billion Eurobond issue.

Lesotho: Lesotho’s prime minister failed to show up in court to be charged with murder in the killing of his estranged wife, and police said he might have gone to neighboring South Africa for an undisclosed ailment. Prime Minister Thomas Thabane's current wife, Maesaiah, also has been charged with murder in the 2017 death of Lipolelo Thabane.

Liberia: Over the next three years, the Liberia Employment and Entrepreneurship Program funded by France, is expected to provide 11,000 Liberian youth between the ages of 18-35 and most impacted by unemployment, with market driven skills and employment opportunities.

A look at current news from the continent of Africa Mozambique: Over 100,000 have been displaced and at least 700 died in the majority-Christian country since 2017, as the spread of radical Islamic extremism in Africa begins to plague the continent’s southeast.

Rwanda: The mysterious death of a famed gospel singer, Kizito Mihigo, in Rwandan police custody has sparked fresh questions from international human-rights groups, intensifying the pressure on leaders to take action.

Senegal: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo dubbed Senegal as “an anchor of democracy and linchpin of security for West Africa”, adding that the U.S. regarded the country as a critical ally in U.S. efforts to advance peace and security in West Africa and worldwide.

South Africa: South African labor unions have rejected a government proposal to review planned increases for civil servants days before they were due to be implemented.

Uganda: With support from the Global Partnership for Education and the World Bank, the government of Uganda has developed a policy to promote special needs and inclusive education to give every child an equal chance to an education. Approximately 2.5 million children in Uganda live with some form of disability, hindering their access to education, health and employment and realising their full potential.

Zambia: Churches in Zambia have called on citizens to act to lower the country's divorce rate. Infidelity, drunkenness, gender-based violence, difficulty conceiving, weight gain, and lack of access to marriage counselling were among key factors cited by the more than 20,000 couples who divorced last year.

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LISA COLLINS & GERALD BELL Staff

Pictured in Reel (top to bottom): Gina Prince-Blythewood, Lacey Duke, Julie Dash, Dee Rees, Stella Meghie, Kasi Lemmons, Debbie Allen and Ava DuVernay

n 2017, filmmaker Dee Rees made history as the first black woman to be nominated in the Best Adapted Screenplay category for her 2017 feature film, Mudbound–which garnered three other Oscar nominations.

Her latest directorial effort, “The Last Thing He Wanted” stars Anne Hathaway, Ben Affleck and Rosie Perez.

Gina Prince-Bythewood’s 30year career spans film and TV and includes such titles as “Love & Basketball”, “The Secret Life of Bees”, the hit series, Girlfriends and an upcoming action fantasy starring Charlize Theron and Kiki Layne. Kasi Lemmons, who directed the Oscar nominated film, “Harriet”, first earned critical acclaim for her 1997 directorial debut, “Eve’s Bayou”.

Then there’s Ava DuVernay, who in 2014 became the first black woman to be nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Director for her work on Selma and the first black female director to have her film [Selma] nominated for the Academy Award for best picture; and whose Netflix miniseries “When They See Us” earned 16 Emmy Award nominations. In 2018, Duvernay signed a $100 million multi-year, multi-genre deal with Warner Bros TV. That same year, With A Wrinkle In Time, DuVernay became the first black female director whose movie earned more than $100 million domestically.

In January, at the Sundance Film Festival all of the directing prizes went to three black women–Garrett Bradley, Radha Blank and Maimouna Doucoure´.

Sounds impressive, right.

Ironically enough, despite the impressive gains, black female directors are among the most underrepresented in the film industry. According to the Director’s Guild of America, women make up 17.1% of its members, but of those, only 4.5% are black.

Fact is, out of 1,300 top-grossing films from 2007-

L.A. Focus/March 2020

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2019, only 12.6% of those films were directed by men of color, and women of color directed less than 1% of films.

White women made up 3.9%, while white men directed 82.5%. And in its 92 years, just five women–all white– have been nominated for the best director category at the Academy Awards.

It is statistics like those that inspired Sandra EversManley to launch the “Sisters Doing It For Themselves Film Showcase”, which is now in its 27th year.

“I started this program due to the lack of black women directors in Hollywood. Fortunately, we see some gains, but it’s still not where it should be,” said Evers-Manly of the showcase that will run take place on Saturday, March 28 at the Pacific Design Center. “This was our way of trying to contribute and highlight the work of outstanding black female directors out there.”

Evers-Manly’s love of film as a small child who loved to watch television and movies, but was struck by some of what she saw – or rather, who she didn’t see. In all of her beloved programing Sandra didn’t see anyone who looked like her.

“I would always ask my mother, ‘Why don’t you see us on TV? My mother finally said, ‘Change it.’ And EverManly–who hails from a family legacy of change and whose cousin was slain civil rights leader, Medgar Evers– set out to do just that.

“While most came to Hollywood to be actors and actresses, my mission to bring about more diversity in front of and behind the scenes. In particular behind, because if we get people who look like us behind the scenes helping to drive those decisions and becoming those directors and writers, we will see ourselves.”

While drawn to the industry, Evers-Manly had no interest in acting. Instead she rose through the ranks in the aerospace industry to be one of its most influential players as Vice President or Global Corporate Responsibility at Northrop Grumman, one of the world's largest weapons manufacturers and military technology providers.

“Now,” says Evers-Manly, “I’m at a place in my life where I’ve worked and been successful and decided it’s

not enough to just talk about it and complain, you’ve got to put dollars behind it.”

So in 1991, she founded the Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center (BHERC) and in the more than two decades since, the nonprofit public benefit group has been dedicated to advocating, educating, researching, developing, and preserving the history and future of blacks in film and TV while also supporting the early work of student filmmakers that have gone on to become blockbuster directors like Gina PrinceBythewood, Dee Rees and Black Panther director Ryan Coogler.

Thus far, the organization has provided more than $4 million in scholarships as well as film equipment.

One of its early scholarships went to David Massey, who credits the financial and moral support he received from BHERC for putting him in the position to be the first African American in the history of the Academy Awards to be nominated for an Oscar in the short film branch.

“That support continues after all these years with our latest partnership–a PBS special "Not All Lost" that aired on KVIE Sacramento this past February spotlighting three outstanding and inspirational young people who have excelled beyond the odds,” Massey said. “BHERC and its Films With a Purpose are sponsors of the special that is expected to be picked up nationally.”

Along with supporting young artists and professionals in the industry, BHERC hosts four annual film festivals that spotlight the work of black filmmakers. Held annually in March as a part of Woman’s History Month, “Sistas Are Doin’ It for Themselves” is their longest running film fest/showcase.

The event, which has gained a reputation for being one of the most inspiring events in the black entertainment community, features shorts films and documentaries from emerging black women writers and directors. Past “Sista” filmmakers and participants have included Prince- Bythewood, Kasi Lemmons (Eve’s Bayou), Yvette Freeman, Dianne Houston (the first black female to be nominated for an Academy Award in

Upcoming & Current Projects Debbie Allen: “Grey’s Anatomy” Chinonye Chukwe: “Clemency” (Streaming on demand) Julie Dash: Angela Davis biopic

L-R: Critically acclaimed black director Neema Barnette with Sandra Evers-Manly at BHERC function; Director/filmmaker Gina Prince-Bythewood poses with Sandra Evers-Manly.

the Short Film category), and the Oscar-nominated Dee Rees (Mudbound).

“We actually started “Sistas Doin’ it For Themselves” before we actually started the organization,” notes EversManly. “We felt there was a need to begin to provide a forum for black women filmmakers to tell their stories.”

It is a sentiment shared by many “We’ve always been at square one. We’ve never reached square two–and I think it’s a systemic problem,” Stella Meghie, who wrote and directed “The Photograph” told Fast Company. “The studios have to step up and give more writers and directors of color a shot to tell different stories.

The journalists have to step up. They’ve got to interview these female directors for their movies and not just to discuss how they didn’t get an Oscar nomination. Every single industry that is involved in filmmaking needs to step up and do their part to open the doors.”

them get that visibility through some of the funding we’re providing to help them complete their projects or do full projects.”

That’s something Gina Prince-Blythwood knows firsthand.

“BHERC–under the leadership of Sandra Evers-Manly and John Forbes has been key supporters of many of our projects over the years. They launched successful grassroots nationwide call-to-action campaigns for "Shots Fired " and "Beyond the Lights" and they have consistently demonstrated the power we have collectively as a community to get the word out and ratings up considering there is often very little marketing support.”

For emerging directors like Nicole Thompson, the showcase is a lifeline.

“The Black Hollywood Education Resource Center has been one of the instrumental organizations to support my

Ava Duvernay: “When They See Us” (Netflix) Upcoming: “DMZ” (2020);“The New Gods”, “Battle of Versailles” Sanaa Hamri: “Empire” Kasi Lemmons: “Harriet” (In Theatres) “Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker” (March 2020)

From Black Female Directors Melina Matsoukas: “Queen & Slim” (Streaming on demand) Stella Meghie: “The Photograph” (In Theaters) Gina PrinceBythewood: “The Old Guard” Dee Rees: “The Last Thing He Wanted” (Streaming on Netflix) Christine Swanson: “The Clark Sisters: The First Ladies of Gospel” (April on Lifetime)

BHERC Spotlight: “Veils” March 13-14 Nate Holden Performing Arts Center

I started this program due to the lack of black women directors in Hollywood. We see some gains, but it’s still not where it should be...This was our way of trying to contribute and highlight the work of outstanding black female directors out there.

“Harriet” director Kasi Lemmons says she’s been in the business for a long time waiting for a big movement.

“Maybe we have to consciously do more to be part of the revolution,” Lemmons observed. “My way to be part of the revolution was to stay working, to teach the next generation of filmmakers, teach and mentor. I don't know what more has to be done to shake it up."

No one has been doing more to advance that revolution than Ava DuVernay.

“Ava has been awesome,” Evers-Manly said. “She’s been a leader in creating opportunities with her series and it has helped launch the careers of a number of black female directors and that’s what it’s going to take. Then, if you just take a look at what’s happening on OWN, you have to be proud of what you see there.

“We’re a non-profit, so we’re not at that level. We’re there to help that young college student. That young independent filmmaker. Last week we had a production company to reach out to us to say they were looking for a certain kind of talent, so on occasions we are in position to refer talent.

“One of the things I’m most proud of is that when you see the Gina Princes, the Ava Duvernays, the Dee Rees, these filmmakers are more vocal. You can clearly see that they’re being very deliberate about how they’re helping to being talent and tell stories. I think Hollywood still has a long way to go when it comes to black images, to black talent behind the scenes.

“When it comes to black stories, we’re on this rollercoaster,” she continued. “It goes up. It goes down, but it hasn’t been steady from a sustainability aspect. One year you may see four or five nominated for an Oscar or whatever and the next year we’re right back to where we were.

While our funding is small scale for short films and documentaries, we can see that there is a pipeline of young female black directors out there and our goal is to help

career as an independent filmmaker and emerging director,” said Thompson whose film “Blackbird” about a woman who wanted to be a pilot–received funding from BHERC. “We like to see films that speak to our hearts, our souls,” Evers-Manly explains. “Films that challenge us, help educate us. Those films where filmmakers really want to help bring about change and help send a message.”

Films, she says, like Just Mercy, which while boasting two of the biggest names in film–Jamie Foxx and Michael B. Jordan–wasn’t as commercially successful as she feels it should have been.

“Just Mercy should have been a huge hit in our community. It had two black producers behind that film. It dealt with who I believe is one of the great minds in America– Bryan Stevenson. We should have been at that box office, so it’s just not about an Oscar. It’s about us doing what we need to do to support our filmmakers. We have to be out there advocating for those films.”

To that end, Evers-Manly launched “The First Weekend Club”, which not only urges blacks to go out and support films in the first days of its release, but also sponsors up to 1,000 youth to go to movies like “Just Mercy” and “Harriet” on opening weekends.

“We all have a role to play and that’s why we want to partner with any and everybody to expose our talent,” Evers-Manly declares. “When you see the Gina’s and Ryan’s of the world as well as the number of individuals who are working in the industry who started out with internships BHERC advocated for–than you know you are doing the right thing”.

For more information about BHERC, to join the First Weekend Club or find out more about the “Sistas Are Doin’ It For Themselves Film Festival” and find out how you can support diverse filmmaking, visit www.bherc.org.

“ “An emotional historical pageant of grief and resilience, Veils pays tribute to women veiled in mourning, with a focus on Black lives lost in bloodshed during the sixties Civil Rights Movement. Longtime Restoration Stage collaborators Steven A. Butler, Jr. (playwright) and Courtney BakerOliver (director) along with Justin Thompson (musical director) and an outstanding cast of nine singer-actors have created an exquisitely beautiful experience of enduring sorrow, honor, and healing.”

Those words by John Stoltenberg (of DC Metro) are part of just one of the many outstanding reviews “Veils” has received since launching in Washington D.C. and catching the eye of Sandra Evers-Manly, who was so impressed that she wanted to bring the production to Los Angeles for a limited run.

“After seeing the play I felt I had an obligation to support them,”Evers-Manly said.. “Just for them to come up with this story of these women who had to wear veils due to the history of our struggles and their family members who had to pay the ultimate sacrifice from the mother of Emmett Till to the mother of Trayvon Martin. I want my nieces and nephews to see that.

“I want people who don’t look like me to understand the price our people have paid for me to be able to sit where I am and to do what I do. We’re hoping that the Los Angeles community will come out and support it.”

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tÜ~í=vçì=kÉÉÇ=qç=håçï=^Äçìí=`çêçå~îáêìë While the immediate risk to the general public in Los Angeles County is low, health officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have issued a strong warning about the coronavirus, which has spread like wildfire around the world, killing 2,810 as the number of confirmed cases worldwide topped 80,000.

Health officials had hoped to prevent community spread in the United States, but following community transmissions in Italy, Iran and South Korea, they now believe the virus may not be able to be contained at the border and that Americans should prepare for a "significant disruption."

Already businesses across the country are cancelling conferences in the wake of the coronavirus spread as White House officials continue to maintain that there is no reason for panic. Health officials, however, state “It’s not so much a question of if this will happen anymore but rather more a question of exactly when this will happen and how many people in this country will have severe illness.”

At press, 28 people had tested positive for the coronavirus in California,

with 8,400 currently being monitored. At risk groups include infants, people over 55 and those with pre-existing medical conditions and other chronic illnesses. In 75 percent of cases, the researchers discovered patients had also developed bilateral pneumonia — an infection of both lungs.

With officials fearing that the outbreak has all of the earmarks of becoming a pandemic, the CDC is advising Americans to be prepared. That means–in addition to the protections outlined below–people should have a supply of food staples, medications, essential household supplies, pet supplies and should keep their gas tanks full.

Keep in mind that one should have that anyway ahead of any emergency like earthquakes. Also remember that over 60,000 people die of flu or flu-like illnesses every year (that’s 168 deaths per day). So experts also advise keeping our heads, at least for now, and practicing common sense strategies (i.e. move away from someone coughing; washing hand thoroughly and often which can reduce the risk of transmission by 30-50 percent) understanding that the risk to most Americans remains low. =

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MoneyMatters Many low-income Californians don’t use credit cards.

Should stores be required to accept cash?

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ast May, Burger Patch first opened its doors in midtown Sacramento with a sign that said, “No Cash Accepted.”

The owners of the organic and vegan burger joint were worried that a cash register might invite theft. But customers kept showing up with only cash. Sometimes the cashiers would accept it, working around the digital system; other times, they’d simply give the customer a free meal. About a month in, Burger Patch changed course, deciding to install a cash register after all.

“We want to be able to have everyone come and eat here no matter what,” said Zia Simmons, who has worked at the restaurant since it opened. “We don’t want to ever have to be like, well if you don’t have a card, you can’t eat here.”

A small, but growing number of businesses are no longer accepting cash. Owners say that accepting only credit cards, debit cards or digital wallets like Apple Pay is more efficient and lowers the risk of being robbed. But the cash-free trend has raised concerns that such shops exclude customers who rely exclusively on cash. Sen. Jerry Hill, a Democrat from San Mateo, says this amounts to discrimination against people without credit cards or bank accounts, who tend to be low-income.

“I don’t think it’s intentionally discrimination. But that’s in fact what they’re doing,” Hill said. Cashless stores “may be the thing of the future, (but) it’s not there yet.”

That’s why Hill introduced a bill to require that all brickand-mortar businesses in California accept cash. If passed, California would become the third state, after Massachusetts and New Jersey, to ban cashless businesses before they become widespread. San Francisco, Philadelphia and New York City have passed similar ordinances.

California residents with limited resources are far more likely to use cash. While 7.4% of California households do not have banks, the rate among households earning less than $15,000 per year is 27.3%, according to a 2017 survey by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

People of color, immigrants and disabled people are also more likely to be excluded by a cashless economy. In California, 20.5% of black households and 14.5% of Hispanic households do not use banks, according to survey data. The rate is 24.8% among households that speak only Spanish at home and 20.7% among adults with disabilities. Single mothers lack access to bank accounts at a rate more than twice that of single fathers.

“When retailers don’t accept cash, they’re effectively locking out workers in low-wage jobs, communities of color and our homeless neighbors,” Andrea Zinder, president of United

On the Money JACKIE BOTTS

Bloomberg Sets New Records In Campaign Spending

CalMatters

Food and Commercial Workers Western States Council, which has endorsed the bill, said in a statement.

People between the ages of 25 and 44 pay with cash less often than people who are older or younger –about one-fifth of the time, compared with one-third, according to a 2019 study by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.

Under the proposed law, cashless transactions would be legal, but if a business turns away a customer who only has cash, it could face a civil penalty between $25 and $500.

Online retailers would be excluded, as would car rental businesses.

No groups have filed opposition against the bill yet, but Hill expects that retailers may put up a fight.

Around 10% of the nearly 100,000 businesses that use Square, a financial check-out service, are cashless, according to a recent national study from the company.

California Retailers Association has not yet taken a position on the bill, said President and CEO Rachel Michelin. An uptick in retail theft has spurred some smaller retailers to turn towards electronic payments to avoid keeping cash behind the counter. She said the bill might be “premature” given that she hasn’t observed a widespread trend in stores going cashless, other than in more techy areas like Silicon Valley.

Hill said the issue came on his radar when he walked into a restaurant in San Mateo last year.

“I saw there’s a sign there that said ‘we don’t accept cash.’

That kind of shocked me and surprised me,” Hill said. “That seemed almost like they were discriminating against those who did not have the ability to pay an electronic transaction, and for me that raised a flag.”

The store was Sweetgreen, a build-your-own salad eatery with a sleek tech aesthetic, where a typical bowl costs upwards of $10. The chain phased out cash transactions in 2017 but reversed course last year.

“Going cashless... had the unintended consequence of excluding those who prefer to pay or can only pay with cash,” the company explained in a blog post last April. “To accomplish our mission, everyone in the community needs to have access to real food.”

Amazon’s cashier-less automated convenience store, called Amazon Go, also decided to phase in the ability to take cash after facing backlash.

To Hill, that’s evidence that companies can transition back “without great difficulty.”

“I don’t know if (this bill) is as big of a deal for (retailers) as those who are now discriminated against because they cannot pay with cash,” Hill said.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock you’ve heard about all the money former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is spending in the 2020 race for the Democratic nomination. Some argue that he is trying to buy the nomination. So just how much money is he spending?

According to Advertising Analytics, the Bloomberg campaign recently became the highest spending campaign in history.

He launched his campaign by spending $35 million –or $3,000 every single minute–on television on television ads.

Prior to Bloomberg’s run, Barack Obama spent a record $338.3 million on traditional media. Last month, Bloomberg surpassed that as he tallied upwards of $350 million with no end in sight.

Since launching his campaign, Bloomberg has spent over $4 million a day on TV and radio ads alone. By contrast, Trump spent just $60.5 of his own money in his 2016 White House bid. Or put this way: the 2016 Democratic primary resulted in about $445 million spent by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, as well as their allied super PACs and other groups.

Fundraising efforts for Trump’s 2020 bid brought in $60.5 million in January bumping his cash reserves up to more than $200 million and while Bloomberg has concentrated his efforts in Super Tuesday states, the commitment to buy time is expected to continue as he has spent millions more on a campaign staff that numbers upwards of 2,000 .

Bloomberg insists he is not trying to buy the election, but there is one thing he wants to prove: that his vast resources and centrist positions make him the best chance at evicting Trump from the White House.

"Mike is the only candidate with the record and resources to build the national infrastructure Democrats need to beat Donald Trump," his campaign manager Kevin Sheekey said.

Biz News Briefs Through a new partnership with H&M, Oscar winning costume designer Ruth Carter is set to debut her first fashion. The streetwear collection inspired by unity features tops, hoodies, shorts and joggers embellished with edgy graphics and bold color blocking ranging in price from $12.99 to $39.99.

"When I was working on the many Spike Lee films, I got the nickname, 'Ruthless' by other key crew who would say, 'Hey Ruthless!' I like to think it's because I worked so hard behind the scenes designing looks and running the streets of New York to gather materials and get hundreds of actors in costume, helping the actors connect to characters through fashion," said Carter, who became the first black woman to win an Oscar last year for the designs she did on Black Panther.

"This collection was created in that spirit and it serves to empower anyone with an inner creative who is passion-

Black Panther Costume Designer Ruth Carter Launches H&M Line

ate about nurturing their voice and determined to share their story–their art. It is to inspire a new generation, who need to project a personal expression of inclusion and who want to do it authentically in a way that vibes with their creative self, so I want to encourage them to 'Trust Their Voice.'"

JP Morgan Chase Reaffirms Its Commitment To Build Black Wealth One year after launching the Advancing Black Pathways (ABP) program, JPMorgan Chase is reaffirming its commitment with an additional $5 million to help more black Americans achieve sustained economic success focusing on three key areas: wealth creation, educational outcomes and career success. According to Prosperity Now, if the current trends persist, the median wealth of black Americans will fall to $0 by 20531. In addition, despite accounting for nearly 13% of the U.S. population2, black people occupy less than 8% of the nation’s white-collar jobs3. The educational achievement gap is significant as well. Only 46% of black college students complete fouryear degree programs within six years, compared to 69% of white students and 77% of Asian American students4.

“JPMorgan Chase formed Advancing Black Pathways over a year ago to invest in black individuals, families

and businesses in an effort to help more African Americans fully participate in our growing economy,” said Thasunda Brown Duckett, CEO of Chase Consumer Banking and executive sponsor of ABP. “We’re proud of the progress we’ve made through Advancing Black Pathways (ABP) to hire more black talent, invest in black owned-businesses and help black Americans of all wealth levels achieve their long-term financial goals. We look forward to building on these efforts for years to come,” Duckett said.

Lebron James To Release His First Children’s Book As part of a two-book contract, LeBron James has signed a deal with Harper Collins to release his first children’s book, entitled “I Promise”. “I can’t wait for everyone to read this, share this, feel empowered, and strive for greatness the same way my kids from Akron do every day,” James posted on social media.

"The philanthropy work that LeBron James does off the court, including the education that he's providing to the students at the I PROMISE School is remarkable," HarperCollins Children's Books president Suzanne Murphy said in the release. "With a universal message that encourages everyone to always strive for greatness, I PROMISE will resonate with students and readers everywhere."

Game Changers Super Saturday: West Angeles COGIC’s Game Changer for Black Men entoring has long been a focus within the African American community. While a significant number of agencies across the nation has recognized the need to provide more mentoring to boys and young men of color, Bishop Charles Blake, Elder Darrin McAllister and the Brotherhood Organization of West Angeles Church of God in Christ are expanding the paths to success through their Super Saturday and summer internship program.

Pointing to a lack of guidance, support and exposure to healthy role models — the program exists to address these and several other factors contributing to a generational divide between well-established men of color and African American male youth coming after them. “If you look at other cultures, they bring a level of support around their young men to help them achieve a certain level of success,” said McAllister, who’s been co-leading the three-year old program. “We are changing the narrative for our young men because many of them don’t know the story of how a successful black man arrives at a certain place.”

When African Americans are successful in profession-

M

al sports and entertainment it normally translates to high visibility. Although that reality is not viewed as negative, part of the goal of Super Saturday is to elevate black men who are achieving current success in a wide range of other professions such as finance, education, business ownership, and law.

What McAllister and others are purporting in this new narrative is that the successful black man is (or at least should be) willing to assume responsibility for taking care of the next generation of young black men to ensure that they will become leaders in their family, profession and community.

“It’s not just about how much can they earn or sell—they can learn that on the streets,” McAllister argues. “It’s how can I bring this next little young brother along and set him up for success for the next ten, twenty or thirty years, and for the longterm.”

The program is designed to ultimately identify young men between the ages of 14 to 22 who demonstrate a readiness for next level achievement. Through an application and screening process, young men are matched with a mentor in their select field who meets with them three to five hours a week during the summer. In addition, the young men will undergo a weekly summer enrichment program that includes a S.T.E.M. education component.

“The mentorship that is offered actually gives you a blueprint for success or a GPS (Global Positioning System) that allows you to get directions to where you’re trying to go,” says Super Saturday host,

This is an opportunity to receive content that will change the very trajectory of your life. If we as men can lock arms and stand strong and use resistance as a level of growth, I believe we will see an impact.

Romell Witherspoon. “It offers perspective that allows you to glean from those who have been there done that so you can walk in those same steps and God willing see the same results.”

This year, Super Saturday will again welcome Earvin Magic Johnson to speak to the delegation and provide insight on the kind of work ethic he acquired as a child and how that led to the levels of success he has known most of his life.

The full-day event offer a lineup of motivational speakers, moderated discussions and specialized presentations that deal with transitional career paths, multi-skill set development, personal financial planning and money management, overcoming challenges and conflicts to move to success,

and keeping up with relevant technology.

Included in the lineup is, Princeton Parker, spokesperson for the Disney Dreamers Academy. Also, Witherspoon, who is an actor, motivational speaker and the Chaplain for the Los Angeles Lakers will speak to the group as well.

“This is an opportunity to receive content that will change the very trajectory of your life,” Witherspoon insist. “If we as men can lock arms and stand strong and use resistance as a level of growth, I believe we will see an impact.”

Added to the motivational talks and presentations, Super Saturday will provide training on how to put together a solid resume, building skills that are transferable and usable on multiple levels, and networking opportunities.

According to McAllister, Super Saturday and the summer mentoring program was originally envisioned by Bishop Blake who believes young men in the community should have greater access to those who have gone before them no matter conditions they are growing up in.

“Unfortunately, our media and our society have the tendency to focus on all the negative things that are happening in the African American community,” McAllister asserts. “But they won’t report that a Magic Johnson, who gets paid large fees to speak to major corporations, is coming back to the community to speak to our young men and to instill in them the seeds of greatness…that narrative is changing too.”

Super Saturday details are available at Westa.org

L.A. Focus/ March 2020

15

Congratulations L.A. Focus on 25 years of dedication!

Apostle Beverly “Bam” Crawford

Newport Beach Marriott Hotel and Spa Register Now! • www.thecompanyinternational.com

Eye On Gospel Jacky Clark Chisholm Teams With Mary J. Blige on New Single Two-time GRAMMY® Award winner Jacky ClarkChisholm of the legendary Clark Sisters has released a new digital single "Feel Good" featuring GRAMMY® and Golden Globe winning and Oscar nominated singer-songwriter, actress Mary J. Blige.

Produced by GRAMMY® Award winning producer Dominicke A. Polk, “Feel Good” is an urban-flavored uptempo track which offers a spiced-up fun rap cameo bonus track featuring emerging Inglewood, CA multi-talented rapper and entertainer Tia P. Chisholm is a solo gospel artist, businesswoman, educator, evangelist, and member of multiple GRAMMY® Award-winning legendary group, The Clark Sisters. With 16 albums, millions of sales to their credit and considered pioneers of contemporary gospel music for their crossover mainstream appeal and classic performances of "Is My Living In Vain? and "You Brought the Sunshine," The Clark Sisters are

the highest-selling female gospel group in history.

For honoring their accomplishments in marrying traditional and gospel roots, a new biopic for Lifetime Television is set to premiere the highly anticipated The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel Sunday, April 12 at 8pm, which is executive produced by Blige, Queen Latifah, and Missy Elliott.

Chisholm earned an associate of Science degree in nursing, bachelor’s degree in Family Life Education and is a formidable leader in business. Chisholm, a former spokesperson for the American Diabetes Association, serves now as Supervisor of Women for the Dominican Republic 2nd Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction, Church of God in Christ Inc., former National Youth Choir Coordinator of the Church of God in Christ Inc. for over 16 years, and was a motivational speaker for fundraisers such as H.O.P.E. South Africa in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Kurt Carr Releases Star Studded Video Gospel recording artist Kurt Carr has released the official music video for his star-studded hit single “Bless Somebody Else”. Following its premiere on BET Gospel, the video from the legendary maestro continues to showcase his musical influence and share the message of encouragement and showing love in blessing others. Fueled by his opening line “When we use our lives to bless others, it makes the world a better place” — Kurt Carr brings together The Kurt Carr Singers and a star lineup of inspirational and R&B powerhouses.

Blessing his song with their own vocal

harmonies, the multi-generational powerful talents gracing the “Bless Somebody Else” video include Erica Campbell, Faith Evans, Fred Hammond, Jekalyn Carr, John P. Kee, Keke Wyatt, Miles Caton, Bishop Paul S. Morton, Roosevelt Griffin, Smokie Norful, Wess Morgan, and Yolanda Adams. The upbeat track is the featured title from Bless Somebody Else — the latest hit album from the prolific two-time GRAMMY® nominated, trailblazing artist, songwriter, and producer.

Briefly: Grammy® Award and NAACP Image® Award Winners David and Tamela Mann are back on screen.

They are set to star in “Tyler Perry’s Assisted Living,” where they reprise their roles as “Mr. Brown” and “Cora," The sitcom is set to premiere on BET in summer 2020.

Tamela’s RIAA Gold-selling album, Best Days, featuring the RIAA Certified Platinum Billboard No. 1 radio hit, “Take Me to The King,” recently received Billboard’s Gospel Album of the Decade (2010 -2019) honor. Tamela set a historic personal and industry record as the first gospel lead artist in Billboard gospel radio chart history to score three consecutive No. 1’s from an album with Best Days…And returning to BET Network’s for season 10 is America’s most inspirational singing competition, “Sunday Best.” The well-established gospel show welcomes back Grammy Award®-winning music legend Kirk Franklin as host. Returning for the second consecutive year as judges are gospel songstress and host of "Get Up Mornings," Erica Campbell, and Grammy-Award® nominated artists Kelly Price and Jonathan McReynolds...Finally, Grammy nominated gospel recording artist Todd Dulaney celebrated the release of his latest EP, “Back To The Book” last month. Three of the songs were extracted directly from scripture. Says Dulaney, “This next wave of music from me will be what I’m remembered for.” The entire live album, “Anthems and Glory, will be released this fall.

Calendar of events

Thursday, March 5 In Concert: Yolanda Adams 8PM • $72-$222 Walt Disney Concert Hall 111 South Grand Avenue www.laphil.com

Saturday, March Vocalist/Composer Imani Uzuri’s Revolutionary Choir Salon A freedom and protest teach-in of historical and new songs of resistance and resilience Also: California Bound: Slavery on the New Frontier, 1848 - 1865 Free •(Parking = $12) • 2-3PM California African American Museum 600 State Drive Contact: (213) 7447432

www.caamuseum.org Discussion: Take Action to Prevent Colon Cancer Exhibits, resources, giveaways and a walk through an inflatable colon 9:30AM-12:30PM • Free Pico Branch Library 2201 Pico Blvd Santa Monica Must sign up in advance Contact: (800) 516-5323 “Hamilton” Star Leslie Odom Jr. Sings Standards 9PM • $17.50 The El Rey Theatre 5515 Wilshire Blvd Info: (323) 936-6400 Theelrey.com 3rd Annual Int’l Women of Power Luncheon Hosted by Loni Love Honorees include Lisa Leslie and Tyra Banks 11am — 3:30pm • $150 Arbat Banquet Hall 711 So. San Fernando Bl Burbank Eventbrite.com 35th Annual Prayer & Scholarship Breakfast

Ministers’ Wives & Widows of Inglewood & Vicinity Guest Speaker: First Lady Dr. Sandra Tunstill, Trinity Baptist Ch 8:30AM — Noon •. $40 Proud Bird 11022 Aviation Blvd www.inglewoodmwmw.org

Sunday, March 8 Salsa with Debbie Allen, Lyrik Cruz & Live Band Free • Noon — 2pm Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts 9390 N. Santa Monica Bl Info: (310) 746-4000 www.thewallis.org Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower 8PM • $49 - 99 Royce Hall 10745 Dickson Court Tickets: (310) 825-2101 Roycehall.org

Blvd Compton Contact: (310) 637-0202 www.lalawlibrary.org

Wednesday, March 11 5th AME District MidYear Convocation (Thru Saturday) LAX Hilton Hotel 5711 W. Century Blvd Info: (323) 735-1251 “Sweat The Technique: The Politics and Poetics of Hip-Hop Tyree Boyd-Pates discusses Hip-Hop’s role in contemporary activism with critic, journalist, and activist Bakari Kitwana; and rapper

Rakim Free (Parking = $12) • 7-9PM • RSVP required CAAM Museum 600 State Drive Contact: (213) 744-7432 www.caamuseum.org

Thursday, March 12 In Conversation: Terrence Blanchard Grammy-winning trumpeter/composer discusses his legendary career • Free •(Parking = $12) • 79PM CAAM Museum 600 State Drive Contact: (213) 744-7432 www.caamuseum.org

Tuesday, March 10 Class–Separation & Divorce (Register online) 1:00 — 1:45pm • Free Compton Public Library 240 West Compton

Workshop: Quarterly Lending (Learn about lending

EVENT SPOTLIGHT Friday, March 13 On Stage: Veils–The Musical (Through March 14 Check prices/showtimes Nate Holden Performing Arts Center 4708 W. Washington Blvd (323) 857-4656 www.bherc.com

L.A. Focus/March 2020

Regina King was red carpet favorite on the Oscar’s red carpet in this Versace gown.

18

t theart a tal swee to a is s. eatz Zazie B e Spirit Award th

ther Carolyn, wife Byron Allen with Mo Olivia, Chloe, and Jennifer, and children ren’s Hospital L.A. ild Ch g tin Lucas suppor

Robin Rob erts dress at th stuns in a midnig h e 92nd A nnual Osc t blue sequin ars Cerem ony.

Black Chyna channels Maleficent at the Oscars.

Storm Reid, Janelle Monae, and Lizzo pose with NAACP Image Awards President’s Award Winner Rihanna at last months ceremony held in Pasedena

and underwriting requirements) 6:00pm—8:00pm • Free Vermont Slauson Economic Development Corp 1130 W. Slauson Avenue Info: (323) 753-2335 www.vsedc.org

Friday, March 13 In Concert: Sinbad $38-58 • 8pm The Saban 8440 Wilshire Blvd Tickets: (888) 645-5006 wheremusicmeetsthesoul.com In Concert: Aaron Neville $38-68 • 9pm The Canyon at the Rose 245 E. Green Street Pasadena Tickets: (888) 645-5006 wheremusicmeetsthesoul.com

Saturday, March 14 “My Brother’s Keeper” Youth Summit Workshops emphasizing career readiness and opportunities, social justice, mental wellbeing and educational excellence Hosted by Culver City Unified School District 8:30AM — 2:30PM • Free

Culver City Senior Center 4095 Overland Avenue Info: (310) 253-5648

Tickets: (888) 810-8871 Pechanga.com

Wednesday, March 18 In Concert: Miki Howard (Thru Sunday, March 15) Check for prices/showtimes Catalina Bar & Grill 6725 Sunset Blvd Contact: (323) 466-2210 www.catalinajazzclub.com 2020 Jr. Clippers Youth Basketball Clinic Saturdays 10AM — 2PM • Free • Lincoln Park 3501 Valley Blvd Info: (213) 819-0289 www.laclippersyouthbasketball.com

Sunday, March 15 In Concert: Jonathan McReynolds 7pm • $20-75 Troubadour 9081 Santa Monica Blvd Contact: (310) 276-1158 www.troubadour.com

Alvin Ailey Dance Theater (Thru March 22) Call for times/ticket info Dorothy Chandler Pavilion 135 N. Grand Avenue Musiccenter.org In Conversation: Dr. Angela Davis 8PM • $10 Walt Disney Concert Hall 111 South Grand Avenue www.laphil.com Lecture: “With Dignity: The Discovery of African Sexuality 5:30 — 6:45PM • Free Trinity Baptist Church 2040 West Jefferson Blvd Info: (323) 735-0044

Thursday, March 19 In Concert: Ladysmith Black Mambazo 8PM • $28+ Royce Hall, UCLA 10745 Dickson Court Info: (310) 825-2101 Roycehall.org

Saint Mark AME Church Chili Cookoff Sample chili entries $0-18 • 1PM — 5PM Saint Mark AME Church 12923 So. Avalon Blvd Info: (310) 329-3443 In Concert: The Stylistics and Peaches & Herb $28-88 • 8pm The Saban 8440 Wilshire Blvd Beverly Hills Tickets: (888) 645-5006 wheremusicmeetsthesoul.com

Friday, March 27 In Concert: Motown Legends Starring Mary Wilson of the Supremes, The Original Vandellas and The Contours $40-75 • 8PM Cerritos Center 18000 Park Plaza Drive Cerritos 90703 Info: (562) 916-8501 Cerritoscenter.com In Concert: Rhonda Ross (Thru Saturday) 8:30PM • $25 - $35 Catalina Bar & Grill 6725 Sunset Blvd Contact: (323) 466-2210

www.catalinajazzclub.com In Concert: Stonebwoy– Africa’s Dancehall & Reggae King 9PM • $20 — 100 Los Globos 3040 Sunset Blvd Info: (323) 666-6669 www.clublosglobos.com

Saturday, March 28 In Concert: Chaka Khan 8PM • $89+ Pechanga Resort & Casino 45000 Pechanga Parkway Temecula 92592 Tickets: (888) 810-8871 Pechanga.com Black Business Association’s 2020 Salute to Black Women Business Conference, Awards Luncheon 8:30am—3pm • $50+ Renaissance Los Angeles Airport Hotel 9620 Airport Blvd Contact: (323) 291-9334 www.bbala.org

around los angeles In Concert: Pitbull 8PM • $89+ Pechanga Resort & Casino 45000 Pechanga Parkway Temecula 92592

Saturday, March 21

Angela Bassett looks fierce in an emerald gown at a recent awards outing. s his win at the Jaimie Foxx celebrate rgan Freeman.

Mo th wi s ard Aw e Imag

4th Annual Natural Hair Show 1PM — 4PM • $10-25 Dollarhide Center

301 N. Tamarind Avenue Compton naturalwecommunity.com Sistas Are Doin' It For Themselves 27th Annual Film Festival 7PM • $25 Pacific Design Center 8687 Melrose Ave. West Hollywood, CA www.bherc.org

Sunday, March 29 iHeart Radio Music Awards Hosted by Usher Featuring Lizzo, Justin Beiber, Halsey and more 5PM • $75 - $250 Shrine Auditorium 665 West Jefferson Blvd Tickets: (213) 748-5116 iheart.com

Thursday, April 2 A Conversation With Former First Lady Michelle Obama 8PM • $79- $499 Honda Center 2695 E. Katella Anaheim www.hondacenter.com

at the NAACP Cynthia Erivo is all-smiles na, CA. ede Pas in Image Awards

Janelle Monae serves bold looks at the NAACP Image Award s.

19

INSIDE HO L LY W OOD

by Guest Columnist Dwight Brown An Old Concept Isn’t Getting A Noteworthy Update The Invisible Man is a mainstay in the movie world, with origins dating back to the 1897 novel by H.G. Wells. A scientist with a focus on optics finds a way to change human refractive matter into thin air. He disappears, can’t reverse the process and causes mayhem.

The setup for this suspense/scifi/thriller is pretty good. When it magnifies the main character’s psychological torture, it excels. Cecilia has severe mental problems that only Diazepam, a powerful benzodiazepine drug that affects chemicals in the brain, can stabilize. She’s a vulnerable protagonist haunted and hunted, you have to feel for her. Adrian is a narcissistic, sadis-

Aldis Hodge comes undone in The Invisble Man.

tic, domineering and sociopathic scientist. Can’t think of a more worthy antagonist. The film falters when it ventures into sci-fi,. The effects that make Adrian invisible are never seen in a transitional phase. We have an inkling, and of course the film’s title is

a dead giveaway. But real evidence only shows up deep into the footage.

We have to deal with an invisible man who is not all that interesting to watch (footprints) or follow (we’ve never seen the origin of his metamorphosis). And we never get to know him, witness his high-tech skills or uncover his motivation.

Dyer is solid as the helpful sister.

Storm Reid excels as the friendly daughter. Aldis Hodge is building quite the resume: Straight Outta Compton, Clemency, Hidden Figures.

He’s becoming that go-to actor with an everyman quality that never gets tired.

You can’t buy that. You have it or you don’t.

Alabama If the weakest part of a suspense/sci- Hometown: Montgomery, Kill To Time A Break: Big fi/thriller is the science fiction elements, we’re all in a world of trouble. Upcoming Project: Onward

Q&A

Octavia Spencer

DUE IN THEATERS THIS MONTH

HOLLYWOOD BUZZ

The Banker March 6 Rihanna Wows NAACP Image Awards With Inspiring Speech

Rihanna brought the house down with her speech at the NAACP Image Awards after receiving the “Entertainer of the Year Award” for her groundbreaking career as an artist, musician and humanitarian.

"My part is a very small part of the work that's being done in this world, and the work that has yet to be done," the 32-year old singer/businesswoman said.

“I’m lucky I was able to start the Clara Lionel Foundation in 2012. And if there’s anything that I’ve learned, it’s that we can only fix this world together. We can’t do it divided. I cannot emphasize that enough. We can’t let the desensitivity seep in. The, ‘If it’s your problem, then it’s not mine; it’s a woman’s problem; it’s a black people problem; it’s a poor people problem.’”

“I mean, how many of us in this room have colleagues and partners and friends from other races, sexes, religions? Show of hands. Well, they want to break bread with you, right? They like you? Well, then this is their problem too. So when we’re marching and protesting and posting about the Michael Brown Jr.s and Atatiana Jeffersons of the world, tell your friends to pull up.”

"Imagine” she concluded, “what we can do together.”

The Barbados native’s Savage X Fenty lingerie brand generates an estimated annual revenue of $150 million and is expected to hit $325 billion by 2025. Her Fenty makeup collection netted upwards of $500 million in 2018 and is valued at more than $3

My Spy Friday 13

Bull March 20

billion.

Octavia Spencer to Star as Madam C.J. Walker Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer stars as Madam C.J. Walker, the trailblazing African American haircare entrepreneur who was America’s first female self-made millionaire in a four-part limited series on Netflix set for released on March 20. The series, titled “Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker”, was inspired by the book, On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C. J. Walker, written by Walker’s great-great-granddaughter A’Lelia Bundles.

The four-part limited series also stars Blair Underwood as her husband C.J. Walker, Tiffany Haddish as her daughter Lelia, Carmen Ejogo as Walker’s business rival Addie Munroe, Garrett Morris as Walker’s father-in-law, Kevin Carroll as her longtime lawyer Freeman Ransom and Bill Bellamy as Ransom’s cousin Sweetness.

It is a story of a women who against all odds, overcame postslavery racial and gender biases, personal betrayals, and business rivalries to build a ground-breaking brand that revolutionized black haircare, as she simultaneously fought for social change.

Nia Long Gets Busy Netflix has scored another coup picking up a feature-length documentary on the life of Nipsey Hussle. The film is said to have commanded in the high eight figures and will be put out by

Emperor March 27 DuVernay’s ARRAY, a media and arts collective, and Hussle’s Marathon Films. Reports are that Nipsey’s estate sought out DuVernay for the documentary and will be featured…

Nia Long has been quite busy these days both in front of and behind the camera. The actress will not only star in, but is set to exec produce “Dreams of The Moon”, based on the true story of an African-American teenage girl who dreams of becoming an astronaut in her small mining town. Shooting on the film is set to begin next month in South Africa. She’s also gearing up for the release of her next film “The Banker”–also starring Samuel Jackson and Anthony Mackie–that will bow in theaters later this month.

Long recently wrapped production– opposite Omar Epps and Stephen Bishop– on Fatal Affair for Netflix in which she plays a woman who is trying to mend her marriage after a short-lived encounter with an old friend who turns out to be dangerous and unstable….Kevin Hart will reteam with Malcolm D. Lee (“Night School”) for an action comedy in a collaboration with his Hartbeat Productiosns and Will Packer Productions….In the works at Paramount is a biopic of Sammy Davis Jr. based partly on the famed singer’s 1965 memoir, “Yes I Can: The Story of Sammy Davis Jr.”…In casting news, actress Ryan Michelle Bathe (wife of actor Sterling K. Brown) has landed a recurring role opposite Simon Missick in the CBS courthouse series, All Rise. Bathe will play Rachel Audubon, a brilliant, take-no-prisoners litigation attorney.

The youngest of seven children, Octavia Spencer, did not pursue her interest in acting until she pursued a more practical profession at the encouragment of her Mother.

She decided to study both English and Theater Arts at Auburn University. After her graduation Spencer began working behind the camera as a casting assistant. In 1994 Spencer got her big break while helping as a casting assistant on the movie A Time To Kill when Director Joel Schumacher asked her to audition. Octavia Spencer not only secured the role acting alongside Samuel L. Jackson but she also made a big impression on fellow costar Sandra Bullock who cast her in her own short film.

Spencer went on to win her first Oscar for her role in the film The Help starring Viola Davis and Emma Stone.

Octavia Spencer has cemented her place in Hollywood by going on to be nominated for yet another Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Guillermo Del Toro’s Oscar Winning film The Shape of Water.

What has this experience been like working on an animated role with Pixar?

Pixar has a wonderful track record. They know how to tell a story that has a wonderful impact and also provide a lot of entertainment and adventure. And I’m happy that I get to be a part of this one Do you enjoy working on more family geared content?

You know what I like about movies that the whole family can enjoy? The whole family can accompany you and have an enjoyable moment and I love that I get to be a part of this.

Do you find it fufilling to do content entire families can enjoy that have wholesome messages?

Oh there is nothing better especially when you know that you’re taking people out of whatever is going on in their personal life. To have a moment of escapism with you. There is nothing more powerful and wonderful.

What’s your advice to young people who want to be where you are?

What people need to remember is that you can’t just give up on your dreams you need to fight hard for them even if it takes you 20 years to see them realized.

You’ve had friendships that last longer than most in Hollywood. What’s your favorite part about the close group of friends you have in this industry?

When you have your tribe of people you realize that the ups outweigh the downs. And they’re my tribe.

Speaking of your tribe. I know you are close friends with Melissa McCarthy. I heard you both may have a project that you created together coming out soon?

We wrote and and Melissa McCarthy produced and Melissa stars in a movie called Thunder Force about two women (Melissa and I) that happened to be our age that are superheroes. So that’ll be coming out this year.

21

RedCarpet Style

JANELLE MONAE Brings to life old Hollywood with this chic ensemble.

KERRY WASHINGTON Brings edge to mod shapes in this detailed halter dress.

Essence’s Annual Women in Hollywood Luncheon shines the spotlight on black women in Hollywood who are owning their own narratives. This year’s honorees included Neicy Nash and Melina Matsoukas. Here were some of the standouts on the red carpet.

ELLA BALINSKA Looks classy in an elegant two piece shorts set..

GINA TORREZ Pairs a silk white midi with red accesories.

ANGELA RYE Looks comfortable and chic in a long sleeve wrap.

ChurchNews Bethany Baptist Church of West L.A. Hosts Ribbon Cutting for New School ity officials, school leaders and Bethany Baptist Church of West L.A. officials were on hand last month for a ribbon cutting and celebration for the brand-new school building for Stella Middle Charter Academy in Baldwin Village.

The Stella Middle Charter Academy–a tuition-free charter public school that serves ~500 students in grades 5 through 8 –was the joint vision of organizer Pastor Rocelia Johnson over three decades ago, who retired in 2009, leaving the vision for current pastor L.A. Kessee to see through.

“He envisioned a school for youngsters in the Baldwin Village area to be able to come and learn and have a safe place for recreation, so this is a dream come true. A testimony to me that I did stay true to the vision of Pastor Johnson.”

The partnership between the church and Bright Star began when a representative of the charter school stuck a business card in the door.

“I almost threw it away, but something compelled me to reach out and call the man who said they were interested in acquiring our property and that money was no object. I thanked him and said we weren’t interested. He then asked if we would consider a land lease.”

After thinking about it and consulting with church elders–who came to see it as a way of having their cake and eating it too–the church set up a meeting to discuss how to move forward.

“It is a lease, but we have shared usage of the facility after six o’clock in the evening.”

Pastor L.A. Kessee believes the school is not only an example of joint partnership with the community, but as a creative model for sustainability for churches in South Los Angeles and its surrounding communities.

“It’s an excellent model especially for churches that have property and are community minded and an excellent resource for creative financing and capital generation for the long term, insuring the viability of the church.”

Like all Bright Star schools, Stella Middle Charter Academy seeks to provide students with rigorous academics, inclusive education, social-emotional support and rich life opportunities beyond the classroom.

“The historical role of African American congregations has been to focus on education and I see this as a contemporary extension of what churches have done for a very long time,” observed Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. “It is the first way in which African Americans were educated historically so I think it’s completely appropriate that we co-locate this educational facility on the campus of a religious institution. A shout out to the people of Bethany for doing such a marvelous job.

“The more educational options and opportunities we have in our communities the better we will be. This is a bright star.”

C

Pastor Virgil Jones Set to Release Debut Single

L.A. Focus/March 2020

The idea of releasing an uptempo CD Christians could dance and party to wasn’t a thought for Pastor Virgil Jones until last summer, when at a block party he realized a void in uptempo beats for Christians.

“I was at a 4thof July block party and when the DJ was playing, a lot of people who go to church were out there on the street,” Jones recalled. “The challenge that I had was that the lyrics were so raunchy, but I realized the people aren’t listening to the lyrics. They’re listening to the beat and having a good time. So I thought why is it that we can’t get beats like this that believers can enjoy and it’s because they’re not out there.”

So Jones, who pastors Calvary Baptist Church in the Ladera Heights section of Los Angeles, went into the studio and recorded an uptempo track fusing highenergy and funky beats with Christian lyrics and his own expression of hip hop.

“I decided to do my own music mix and if I’m the

24

Church Newscontinued to page 30

Agape Church of Los Angeles Worship Center Consolidated Plaza: 3725 Don Felipe Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90008 Corprate Office: 4602 Crenshaw Blvd, Suite 2A, Los Angeles, CA 90043 (323) 295-5571 www.agapela.org Bishop Craig A. Worsham, Founder & Senior Pastor Sunday School: 10:00am Morning Worship: 11:00am Loving, Lifting & Liberating Humanity Through The Word Bethel Missionary Baptist Church of South L.A. 10905 S. Compton Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90059 (323) 566.5286 Pastor Reginald A. Pope Sunday School: 9:30am Morning Worship: 8am • 11am Children’s Church: 11am (2nd/4th Sundays) Evangelism Training/Bible Study/Independent Prayer: (Mon): 7:29pm Mobile Prayer/Bible Study: (Wed) 11am Book by Book Bible Study (Wed.): 6:30pm

Bethesda Temple Apostolic Faith 4909 Crenshaw Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90043 (323) 299-2591 • thevoice4904@att.net Pastor Kyron S. Shorter Sunday Morning Prayer: 9:00am Sunday School: 9:30am Morning Worship: 11:00am Children’s Church: 11:00am Sunday Evening Service: 6:00pm

Bryant Temple AME Church 2525 W. Vernon Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90008 (323) 293-6201 • F: (323) 293-0082 Pastor Dwaine Jackson Sunday School: 8:15am Morning Worship: 9:15 am Bible Study (Tues): Noon Pastor’s Bible Study( Tues): 6:00pm

First AME Church (FAME) 2270 South Harvard Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90018 (323) 735-1251 • F: (323) 735-3353 • www.famechurch.org Pastor J. Edgar Boyd, Senior Pastor/CEO Sunday School: 10:00am Worship: 8:00am, 10:00am, Noon Teen Church (2nd Sundays):Noon,Allen House Wed. Prayer Service: Noon Wed. Bible Study: 7:00pm Radio: 10:30am on KJLH-102.3FM First AME is the oldest Black Church in the City God’s Faithful Disciple of Jesus Christ / Prayer Clinic & Deliverance Ministry P.O. Box 561368, Los Angeles,CA 90056 (323)293-7566 • www.gfdjc.org• gfdjc@att.net Ruby Cottle, Ph.D., Pastor & Teacher Service Time Every Friday: 7:00pm -9:30pm We meet at this location: St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church 3901 West Adams Blvd, LA, CA 90018 Watch Dr. Cottle on HBN TV on Wed’s 7:30am Channel 20 Dish & DirectTV,Channel 3 U-Verse Prophetess June Morgan / Assistant Pastor

Grant AME Church 10435 S. Central Avenue • Los Angeles, CA 90002 (323) 564-1151 • F: (323) 564-5027 Rev. Dr. J. Arthur Rumph, Senior Pastor Reappointed to Grant AME Church Los Angeles Rev. Dr. James A. Rumph

Sunday School: 8am Worship: 9:30am Wed. Bible Study: 11:30am •6pm

Grace Temple Baptist Church 7017 South Gramercy Place, Los Angeles, CA 90047 (323) 971-8192 Rev. Rodney Howard Sunday L.I.F.E Group: 8:30am Sunday Worship Service: 9:30am Wednesday Intercessory Prayer: 6:30pm Wednesday Night Bible Study: 7:00pm E-Mail: gtbcla@gmail.com

Calvary Baptist Church 4911 W. 59th Street,Los Angeles, CA,90056 (323)298-1605•F: (310) 568-8430 • calvarybaptistla.org Rev. Dr. Virgil V. Jones Sunday Prayer: 8:30am Sunday School: 9:30am Sunday Worship: 11:00am Wednesday Bible Study: 12:00pm & 7:00pm We are the Church on the Hill where the Light Shines Bright!

Grace United Methodist Church 4112 West Slauson Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90043 (323) 294-6653 • F: (323) 294-8753 • graceumc1@earthlink.net Rev. Dr. Cedrick Bridgeforth, Pastor • www.graceumcla.com Early Morning Worship: 7:45am Sunday School (all ages) : 9:45am Morning Worship: 10:45am Tues. Mobile Prayer: 6:15am Wed. Bible Study: Noon Follow us on Facebook

Christ The Good Shepherd Episcopal Church 3303 W. Vernon Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90008 (323) 295-4139 • F: (323) 295-4681 Rev. Edith Oloimooja Sunday School: 10:00am Early Worship: 8:00am Morning Worship: 10:00am Mon. Centering Prayer/Meditation: 6:30pm Mon. Overeaters Anonymous: 7:00pm Wed. Bible Study & Eucharist: 7:00pm Wed. Alcoholic Anonymous: 7:00pm E: cgshepherd4041@sbcglobal.net

Greater Ebenezer Baptist Church 5300 S. Denker Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90062 (323) 759-4996 Rev. DeNon Porter

Congregational Church of Christian Fellowship 2085 S. Hobart Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90018 Phone: (323) 731-8869 • F: (323) 731-0851 www.christianfellowshipla.org Pastor James K. McKnight Sun. Early Worship: 8:00am Prayer Meeting: 10:30am Morning Worship: 11:00am Wed. Afternoon Bible Study: 1:00pm Wed. Prayer Meeting: 6:00pm Wed. Evening Bible Study: 7:00pm View Pastor McKnight’s Sermons on YouTube

Holman United Methodist Church 3320 W. Adams Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90018 (323) 703-5868 • www.holmanumc.com Email: holman@holmanumc.com Rev. Paul A. Hill, Interim Senior Pastor Sunday Morning Worship: 8:00am & 11:00am Sunday Radio: KJLH 102.3FM at 11:00am Sunday School: 9:30am (Children/Youth) & 9:45am (Adult) Bible Study: Every Thursday 12:00pm

Crenshaw Christian Center 7901 South Vermont, Los Angeles, CA 90044 (323) 758-3777 • F: (323)565-4231 • www.faithdome.org Pastor Frederick K. Price, Jr.

Israel Missionary Baptist Church - A Holy Spirit Filled Church 4501 South Compton Ave, Los Angeles,CA 90011 Church/Fax: (323) 233-3295 or 3296 Website: www.Israelmbc.com • Email: israelmbc@yahoo.com

Sunday Service: 9:45am Bible Study (Tue): 11:00am & 7:30pm Tue. Night Children’s Ministry: 7:30pm Tue. Night Bible Study (Teens): 7:30pm Alcohol & Drug Abuse Program (Wed): 7:30pm

Early Worship: 8am Sunday School: 9:30am Mid-Morning Worship: 11am Radio-KALI 900AM: Sun. 11-Noon, 7-8pm KTYM 1460AM Sundays: 5:30pm Bible Study (Tues, Wed & Thurs): 7pm

Rev. Rodney J. Howard, Sr. Sunday School: 10:00am Morning Worship: 11:30am Sunset Service: 5:00pm Communion Every First Sunday First Sunday Men In Prayer: 8:30 am Pastor’s Bible Study Tuesdays: 7:30pm

McCarty Memorial Christian Church 4103 W. Adams Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90018 (323) 731-4131 • www.mccartychurch.org Senior Pastor Edward Anderson Sunday Worship: 10:45am Sunday School: 9:30am Bible Study: Tues Noon

Mount Moriah Baptist Church of Los Angeles, Inc. 4269 South Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA 90037 (323) 846-1950 •Fax: (323) 846-1964

Paradise Baptist Church 5100 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90037 (323) 231-4366 Pastor Darryl Barnes Adult Life Sunday School Study: 8am Sunday Worship Servie: 9:30am P3 - Pray, Praise & Partake (Fri before 1st Sunday) Mission Bible Study(Wed): 12:00pm Women’s Bible Study(Thurs.): 7:00pm New Life Bible Study(Sat.): 9:00am

Park Windsor Baptist Church 1842 W. 108th St. Los Angeles, CA 90047 (323) 756-3966 • RevTerrellTaylor@sbcglobal.net Rev. Terrell Taylor

Reverend Johnteris Tate-Pastor Sunday Church School: 8:00am Worship Service: 9:15am Baptist Training Union: 7:00am Tues. Bible Study/Prayer:Noon & 7:00pm

Morning Worship: 8:00am & 11:00am Bible Study Wednesday: Noon & 7:00pm Communion: 1st Sunday at 8:00am & 11:00am

Southern Saint Paul Church 4678 West Adams Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90016 (323) 731-2703 • smbc@smbcla.org Rev. Xavier L. Thompson, Senior Pastor/Teacher Corporate Prayer: 8:30am L.I.F.E. Groups: 9:45am Morning Worship Service: 11:15am Baptism & Communion (First Sunday): 4:00pm Pastoral Bible Study (PBS)Wednesdays:7:00pm North Campus: Worship Service: 8:00am 11137 Herrick Av • Pacoima 91331 (818) 899-8031 st.paul@smbcla.org •“Loving People Making Disciples” St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church 5017 S. Compton Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90011 (323) 231-1040 • stmarkmbcofla.org Reverend Dr. Lovely Haynes, Pastor Sunday Morning Worship: 8:00am & 11:00am Sunday School: 9:30am Mon-Wed Corporate Prayer: 6:00 - 6:55 pm Monday Night Bible Study: 7:00pm Wednesday Noon Prayer: 12 Noon Wed. Exposition of Sunday School Lesson: 7:00pm

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For information, call 310.677.6011 Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church 3669 W. 54th St. Los Angeles, CA 90043 • (323) 291-1121 F: (323) 291-1133 • office@sinai.church • www.sinai.church George E. Hurtt, Pastor-Teacher Sunday Worship: 8:00am, 11:30am Discipleship Groups (Sun): 9:45am Noonday Bible Study(Tue): 12:00pm Tuesday Night in the Truth: 7:15pm Radio: KKLA 99.5 FM (Sat): 9:00pm Our Goal: To glorify God by winning more Christians and developing better Christians (Matt. 28:18-20) Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church 1300 E. 50th Street Los Angeles, CA 90011 (323) 235-2103 • F: (323) 235-3177 • www.mtzionla.org Dr. Edward V. Hill, II, Pastor Sunday Intercessory Prayer: 9:15am Morning Worship: 9:30am Children’s Church: 9:30am Sunday School: 11:30am Baptism: 2nd Sun. & Lord’s Supper: 1st. Sun. Tues. Pastor’s Bible Study: 6:30pm Wed. Noon-day Prayer: Noon

Sunday Early Morning Worship: 8:00am Sunday School: 9:30 am Morning Worship: 11:00am Tuesday Prayer and Bible Band: 11:00am Wednesday Bible Study: 7:30pm Wednesday in the Word: 7:30pm

Sundays: Morning Worship: 8:00am & 11:00am Wednesday Bible Study & Mid Week Worship: Noon & 7:00pm Prayer Meeting: 6:30pm

St. Matthew Tabernacle of Praise “The S.T.O.P.” 1740 West 59th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90047 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 56608, Los Angeles, CA 90056 (323) 291-1115 • F: (323) 293-0471 Rev. C.Barry Greene, Pastor Sunday Worship Service: 8:00am PrayerLine: (Tuesday & Wednesday): 6:00am WordLine (Tuesday): 7:00pm ( (712) 775-7031 Access Code: 814352108) E: thechurchstop@yahoo.com pastorcbgreene@aol.com

Pleasant Hill Baptist Church 2009 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90062 (323) 293-6448 • F: (323) 293-6605 • email:phbcoffice@yahoo.com www.pleasanthillbconline.com Bishop Sylvester Washington Sunday School: 8:30am - 9:30am Sunday Morning Worship: 10:00am Tuesday Night Evangelism Classes:6:30pm Corporate Prayer 3rd Wed. monthly:7:00pm 1st Sun. Holy Communion 10:00am Worship

Praises of Zion Baptist Church (“Praise City”) 8222 So. San Pedro Street, Los Angeles, CA 90003 (323) 750-1033 • F: (323) 750-6458 Dr. J. Benjamin Hardwick, Sr. Pastor Early Morning Worship: 6:45am Educational Hour: 9:15am Mid-Morning Worship: 10:45am Wed. Bible Study: Noon & 7:00pm Sunday Morning Broadcast: 5:30am Live Streaming Sundays: 12:00pm http://www.pozlive.com

The Potter’s House at One LA 614 N. La Brea Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90036 (818) 763-4521 • www.tphla.org Sr. Pastor Toure’ Roberts Sunday Worship: 9:00am, 11:15am & 1:00pm Thursday Midweek Service: 8pm Watch Live: http://tphla.org/watch-live/

Trinity Baptist Church 2040 West Jefferson Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90018 (323) 735-0044 • F: (323) 735-0219 Rev. Alvin Tunstill, Jr Sunday Worship: 7:30 & 10:30am Sunday Church School: 9:00am Radio Broadcast KJLH FM: 9:00am Wed. Prayer & Bible Study: Noon-7:00pm www.trinitybaptistchurchofla.org

L.A. Focus/ March 2020

New Antioch Church of God in Christ 7826 So. Vermont Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90044 (323) 778-7965 Elder Jeffrey M. Lewis

People’s Independent Church of Christ 5856 West Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90043 • (323) 296-5776

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Victory Baptist Church 4802 South McKinley Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90056 (323) 231-2424• Pastor Dr. W. Edward Jenkins Sunday School: 10:45 am Morning Worship: 9:00am Bible Study Wednesday:Noon Radio Sundays: KPRO 1570AM: 9:00pm

Weller Street Baptist Church 129 S. Gless St, Los Angeles, CA 90033 (323) 261-0949 • F: (323)264-6601 • www.wellerstreetlive.com Pastor K.W. Tulloss Sunday School: 8:00am Sunday Morning Worship: 9:00am Tues. Bible Study: 6:45pm www.wellerstreetlive.com “We have not walked this way before” Joshua 3:1-6

West Angeles Church of God In Christ 3045 Crenshaw Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90016 (323) 733-8300 Bishop Charles E. Blake Sunday School: 8:00am & 10:30am Early Worship: 8:00am Morning Worship: 11:00am Evening Worship (North Campus): 7:00pm Wed. Mid-Week Worship: 7:00pm Sun. Radio Broadcast KJLH 102.3FM: 10am www.westa.tv

Lifeline Fellowship Christian Center In Altadena 2556 N. Lake Ave., Altadena, CA 91001 (626) 797-3585 • F: (626) 797-3233 • www.lifelinefcc.org Bishop Charles D. Dorsey

Greater Zion Church Family 2408 North Wilmington Avenue, Compton, CA 90222 (310) 639-5535 • (Tues - Thurs 10am -4pm) Dr. Michael J. Fisher, Senior Pastor

Sunday School: 9:00am Early Worship (Glory Prayer): 8:00am Morning Worship: 10:30am Evening Worship (1st & 2nd Sun.): 5:00pm Wed. Bible Study: 7:00pm

Peace Apostolic Church 21224 Figueroa Street, Carson, CA 90745 (310) 212-5673 Suff. Bishop Howard A. Swancy

In Carson

Sunday School: 10:00am Morning Worship: 11:45am Evening Worship: 6:30pm Wed. Noon Day Bible Class: 12:30pm Wed. Bible Class: 7:30pm Citizens of Zion Missionary Baptist Church In Compton 12930 No. Lime Ave., Compton, CA 90221 (310) 638-0536 • F: (323) 636-2080 • www.citizensofzion.org Rev. Bobby Newman, Jr., Senior Pastor; Rev. B.T. Newman, Pastor (Pastor Emeritus)

Sunday Worship: 8:00am|10:45am| 5:00pm Wednesday Bible Study: 12pm|7:00pm FB: GreaterZion IG: GZCFamily www.gzcf.us

Holy Chapel Missionary Baptist Church In Compton 1016 E. Rosecrans Avenue, Compton, CA 90220 (310) 537-3149 • F: (310) 537-3149 Rev. Dr. George L. Thomas Sunday School: 9:45am & 10:15am Early Morning Worship: 7:30am Mid-Morning Worship: 11:15am New Members’ Class: 9:45am Holy-Communion (1st Sunday): 7:30 & 11:15am Mid-Week Prayer & Bible Study (Wed)- 7:00pm Broadcast (KALI 900AM - Sunday): 2:00pm3:00pm Love and Unity Christian Fellowship 1840 S. Wilmington Ave, (P.O. Box 5449), Compton 90224 (310) 604-5900, www.loveandunity.org Apostle Ronald C. Hill, Sr. Founder and Pastor Sunday Worship: 8:00am & 11:30am Sunday Evening Worship: 6:30pm Bible Studies: Wed. 7:30pm & Sat. 9am Prayer w/Apostle: Tue - Fri: 9am Food for Your Soul TV Ministry- 6:30am Impact Network Television: Mon-Fri 6:30am KJLH 102.3 Sundays: 9pm

Sunday School: 9:00am Morning Service: 10:45am Wed. Mid-Week Bible Study: 7:00pm

Pastor Profile: Stephen W. Dyson Church: Maranatha Community Church How Long at Church: Over 40 years.

Hometown: Denver, Colorado Family: Wife Reatha of 48 years, two adult sons

This April, Maranatha will celebrate its 40th anniversary, were you there from the beginning?

Yeah. It was at the Airport Park Hotel.

What initially drew you to Maranatha?

[Earth Wind & Fire lead vocalist] Philip Bailey, who's also my best friend. He called me over to his house and we sat down and talked. I thought I was saved, but I wasn't so I rededicated my life to the Lord and I got a tape of Billy (founding pastor Billy Ingram) from Philip on that day. I listened to it on the way home and for the first time life, I understood the Word and I knew from that point on that I needed to just learn the Word in the manner in which he was teaching it.

What do you think has kept the church over the last 40 years?

The love of the people for one another and the Word of God. How did you evolve onto the ministry staff?

Actually, that was just by the grace of God. I did not want anything to do with ministry stuff or anything like that when I first came to Maranatha, because of my upbringing growing up in a Baptist church in Denver, Colorado.

It soured me.

Soured you in what way?

I didn't like church. I didn't understand a lot of the preaching and the things that were going on...

L.A. Focus/March 2020

But you came to became the pastor...

It was a journey. I remember when I first started going, I stayed in the back, out of the limelight. I'm hearing the Word. I understand Billy's teaching and what's going on, but I really wanted to just stay back on the limelight. And then I had come to California because I wanted to sing with James Cleveland's choir, but after one rehearsal I knew that was not for me. So I just started livimg according to the Word.

The Lord had told me, "You need to be with this man and you need to support him." Eventually, I went from being a member to joining the choir and from there, being one of the first deacons the church had

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and from there Billy appointed myself and another gentleman, associate pastors.

Were you in that position when he passed away in 2011?

Yes, I was the assistant pastor at that time and at that time the church was being asked to move for the first time. It was a funny story. One of my main functions was to attend those city planning meetings. In January of that year, they informed us that we were going to have to move and I remember Billy had plans of taking a sabbatical, but he wasn't going to do it right away. It was just kind of eerie that he’d say, " I'm going to be taking this sabbatical soon’, and then in March, he passes away. And the thing about was that on February 24th I had my second heart attack. I was recuperating from my heart attack when I got the news that he had passed.

That must have been a very difficult time for you.

It was one of the most difficult times in my whole life. I will never forget Dr. George Moore, he was one of Billy's mentors, and he told me, "Steven, I want to warn you. It's not going to be like you think it's going to be," and I naively I said, "Dr. Moore, these people know me. They love me." These were people that I married, whose funeral services I did, who I visited in the hospital, and cried with them. And they all just turned on me.

So in that transition and in the move a new location, you lost a lot of membership?

Yeah. One of the things that was for certain was that a lot of people were following Billy As you once did…

Yeah. But I realized every time he said, I'm not going to be here forever, what he was really trying to tell the church. But his death caused a lot of people to leave.

So tell me a little bit about where the church is now.

Ironically, we are again going through the same process we went through in 2011. One of the things about that is that God has prepared us for it. We had leave King Boulevard and it was just a political situation at the time that caused us to have to leave.

You rented a Seventh Day Adventist Church for 10 years before the Redondo Blvd location that due to Metro, you now have to leave?

I walked into that place and it was a total mess. It hadn't been used for over 25 years, but there was something about it that gave me peace. We got the building itself since 2012, and we actually moved in a year later because we had to just refurbish the building.

All that and then you have to move again?

All of a sudden, Metro says we're going to need your building and the building next to you and the building next to them. We're going to demolish them and use them for parking. So we began that battle. We did receive some financial compensation from Metro, which will allow us to look for a place, but one of the main problems now is when we were in that first building, we were leasing and we were leasing that building at $35 cent a square foot.

There's no place in the greater Los Angeles area that you will find a building for $35 cents a square foot. Prices have quadrupled and then in the Inglewood area to buy something, the prices are grossly over because of the stadium.

So we're still diligently looking and trusting God. I thank God for the Hispanic ministry that came along and offered to partner with us and let us move in with them.

What has this 40-year journey with Maranatha taught you?

To trust God. What do you think the legacy of Maranatha is and will be moving f o r ward?

People w h o k n o w Christ and want to make Him known, who love one another.

Y o u

The City of Refuge 14527 S. San Pedro Street, Gardena, CA 90248 (310) 516-1433 Bishop Noel Jones

In Gardena

Morning Worship: 8:00am & 11:00am Evening Worship: 6:00pm Bible Study (Wed): Noon & 7:00pm BET/Fresh Oil (Wed): 7:00am

Atherton Baptist Church 2627 W. 116th Street Hawthorne,CA 90250 (323) 757-3113 • www.athertonbc.org F: 323-757-8772 • athertonbaptist@sbcglobal.net Pastor Larry Weaver

In Hawthorne

Sunday Morning Worship: 8:00am & 11:00 am Sunday Bible Enrichment Class: 9:45am Mon.-Thurs. Bible Study: 7:00pm Wednesday Bible Study: 12:30pm & 7:00pm

Victory Institutional Baptist Church 4712 West El Segundo Blvd., Hawthorne, CA 90250 (310) 263-7073 • www.vibconline.com Pastor Richard Williams, III Sunday Morning Worship: 9:00am Sunday Evening Worship: 6:00pm Wed. Mid-Week Worship: 7:00pm Bible Study Tuesday: Noon & 7:00pm

Bible Enrichment Fellowship International In Inglewood 400 E. Kelso, Inglewood, CA 90301 (310) 330-4700 • www.bamcm.org Dr. Beverly “BAM” Crawford Morning Worship: 9:30am Tues. Bible Study: 7:30pm Wed. Mid-Week Prayer: 5am, Noon & 7:00pm Wednesday Pathway: 7:00pm Thurs Bible Study: 10:00am Sat Marriage & Family Prayer: 7:30am

Blessed Family Covenant Church 325 North Hillcrest Blvd, Inglewood, CA, 90301 (310)-674-0303 • F: (310)-674-0303 • blessedfamilycovenant.org Rev. Wendy Howlett Sunday School: 8:30am Morning Worship: 9:30am Wed. Prayer & Bible Study: 7:00pm

Church of God Center of Hope 9550 Crenshaw Blvd., Inglewood, CA 90305 (323) 757-1804 www.go2Hope.com Pastor Geremy L. Dixon Morning Worship: 8:00am & 11:00am Wed. Mid-Week Service: Noon Wed. Teaching Ministry: 7:00pm 1st Sunday Communion 5th Sunday Baptism

First Lady Files Joanne Guevarra New Dawn Christian Village “If anybody tells you being a Pastor’s wife is easy it’s not. It’s just like everything else. God gives us the grace to do what He’s called us to do so I find joy in that,” says Joann Guerrera, First Lady of New Dawn Christian Village.

“The biggest thing with becoming First Lady is the pressure of “I’m not the preacher, I’m married to the preacher” and feeling that burden or stress,” says Guevara. “Because for the most part I’ve been a background person– aiding, supporting, and counselling and things like that.”

The biggest challenge for Guevara–whose husband Pastor Erwin Guevara took over leadership of New Dawn Christian Village following the passing of the late Frank Wilson– was being in front of people.

“As with anything else you take on, you feel that you can’t fill the shoes, but the Lord gives us the grace to fulfill what he’s called us to do. So just having faith in that alone.”

The Jersey City native– who was saved at an early age–met her husband in a young adult Christian group and they have been married over 22 years.

“I wear a lot of hats,” says Guevara, who works full-time in the travel industry. “I was in charge of the women’s ministry, but I’m trying to take myself out of that and allow others to come up that have a passion and run with it. I’m also head of the intercessory. Sometimes we have our other groups that we do our teaching groups and I’m part of that as well and sometimes it’s just whatever is needed with us working as a team to get the job done.”

L.A. Focus/ March 2020

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Crusade Christian Faith Center 801 S. La Brea Avenue, Inglewood, CA 90301 (310) 330-8535 Bishop Virgil D. Patterson Sr.

Wed. Mid-Week Service: 7:00pm Sunday School: 9:00am Sunday Worship: 10:30am

Faithful Central Bible Church 321 N. Eucalyptus Ave. Inglewood, CA 90301 (310) 330-8000 • F: (310) 330-8035 Bishop Kenneth C. Ulmer, Ph.D. Senior Pastor/Teacher Services at The Tabernacle: Sunday Services: 7:00am, 9:30am & 11:45am Wed. Mid-Week Service: 7:00pm The Tabernacle is located at 321 N. Eucalyptus Ave., Inglewood www.faithfulcentral.com

New Mount Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church 434 S. Grevillea, Inglewood CA 90301 (310) 673-6250 Office • (310) 673-2153 Rev. Dr. Phillip A. Lewis, D. D., D. Th., Senior Pastor Early Worship: 8:00am Sunday School: 9:30am Morning Worship: 11:00am Mid-Week Bible Study (Wednesday): 7:00pm Afternoon Bible Study (Thursday): 1:00pm

True Friendship Missionary Baptist Church 7901 South Van Ness Ave. Inglewood, CA 90305 (323) 750-7304 Rev. James A. Perkins Sunday School: 9:30am Early Worship: 8am Morning Worship: 10:45am Bible Adventure Hour (Tues): 6pm Bible Study (Tues): 7pm Bible Study (Thurs): Noon

In St. Stephen Missionary Baptist Church 1720 N. Walnut Avenue, La Puente, CA 91744 (626) 918-3225 • F: (626) 918-3265 Pastor Tony Dockery

La Puente

Family of Faith Christian Center 345 E. Carson Street, Long Beach, CA 90807 (562) 595-1222 • F: (562) 595-1444 Bishop Sherman A. Gordon, E.D. Min Sunday School: 8:00 am Morning Worship: 9:00 am

Sunday School: 9:30 AM Early Worship: 8:00 AM Morning Worship: 11:00 AM Spanish Service: 9:30AM Bible Study: Every Wednesday 7:00 PM www.stsbc.org

Antioch Church of Long Beach Mailing address P.O. Box 2291, Long Beach, CA 90801 website:www.antiochlb.com

In Long Beach

Pastor Wayne Chaney Jr. Sunday Worship Services: 10:00am Long Beach Poly High School 1600 Atlantic Avenue Long Beach, Ca 90813

Gospel Memorial Church of God In Christ 1480 Atlantic Ave. Long Beach, CA 90813 (562) 599-7389 • F: 562-599-5779 • gospelmemorial@aol.com Bishop Joe L. Ealy Sunday School: 9:30am Sunday Worship: 11:00am Evening Worship: 6:30pm Wed. Intercessory Prayer: 7:00pm Wed. Pastoral teaching adults: 7:30pm Wed. Youth Ministry Boot-Camp; Youth Bible Study: 7:00pm & Choir Rehearsal: 7:30pm Grant AME Church of Long Beach 1129 Alamitos Ave. Long Beach, CA 90813 • (562) 437-1567 grantamelb@aol.com • www.grantamelb.org Rev. Michael W. Eagle, Sr.

Christ Second Baptist Church 1471 Martin Luther King, Jr., Ave. Long Beach, CA 90813 (562) 599-3421 • Fax: (562) 599-6175 • www.csbclb.org Rev. Welton Pleasant II, Senior Pastor

Sun. Worship Experience: 10:45am 3rd Sun. Healing & Annointing: 10:45am Wed. Bible Study: Noon & 6pm Mothers of Murdered Youth & Children Were all receive a little attention, affection and love.

Sunday School: 8:30am Sunday Worship Service: 9:40am Wed. Bible Study: 7:00pm Wed Youth & Young Adult Ministry: 7:00pm

Christian’s Community Center of Los Angeles 3960 E. Gilman Street,Long Beach, CA 90815 (562) 597-3252 Senior Pastor Thom Washington Sunday Morning Prayer 8:00am New Member’s Class 9:00am Sunday Bible Class 9:30am Sunday Morning Worship 11:00am Sunday Afternoon Services 4:00pm (2nd & 4th Sunday) WednesdayPrayer 6:00pm Bible Study Wednesday 7:00pm

New Philadelphia A.M.E. Church 6380 S. Orange Avenue, Long Beach, Ca 90805 (562)422-9300•F: (562) 422-9400 Pastor Darryl E. Walker, Senior Pastor Worship: 9:00am —1st & 5th Sunday Sunday School/New Member Classes: 8:00am 2nd thru 4th Sunday Worship:7:30 am &10:00am•Sunday School New Member Classes: 9:00am Sunday worship services streamed live on the web Pastor’s Bible Study: Wednesday Eve 7:00pm Mid-Week Bible Study: Thursday 12:00 noon www.nuphilly.org

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Send your resume to:lafocus@aol.com

From the Pulpit of: Greater Emmanuel Temple Today, I want to just briefly talk on a topic called Just One Touch. It has been said that nonverbal communication accounts for 60% to 70% of human communication. It's the smile. It's our frown. I know I'm in trouble when I say something to my wife and her eyes roll.

And if we'd be honest, some of us have asked God in time, "Why me? Which brings me to the main text in the book of Mark, chapter 5:25. This is a familiar passage of scripture. In Mark 5:25 and it says that there was a woman in the crowd who had suffered for 12 years with constant bleeding. It said she had gone to many doctors and over the years had spent everything she had.

Somebody in here understands that spending all you had to try to pay your way out of a situation. And it said, in fact, she had gotten worse.

The woman according to the text had an incurable condition, which could have been a uterine issue or disorder of some sort, but whatever it may have been, she was considered ritually unclean.

She was considered so unclean that she was excluded from social contact. Whoever she touched would have been considered dirty. She couldn't lay in any bed because whatever bed she laid in was dirty. They said the grass even walked on was considered dirty. And imagine she has this condition for 12 years.

Can you imagine sitting with an issue for 12 years–being slave to a condition.

You tried everything and everything seems to fail, but I love the next verse. In verse 27, it says, "She had heard about Jesus."

Now, it matters how you think. Don't be thinking like you thought last year expecting new results this year. You have to change your thinking. The Bible says, "For she thought to herself, if I could just get... if I could just get through that crowd and touch His robe, I know I'm going to be healed." If I can just get to Jesus. I don't care what they say, if I can just get to Jesus.

So she came up behind Him through the crowd and she touched His robe."

In reality, Jesus had been going places

Greater Emmanuel Temple 3740 E. Imperial Highway, Lynwood, CA 90262 (424) 296-0400 •www.greateremmanuel.org

“

All it takes is one touch of the Master’s hand — one touch of the Master’s robe.

All it takes is being in His presence beause in His presence there is the fullness of joy. And it didn’t take three, five, 10 encounters. It took a woman with a desperate condition and a made up mind.

”

and touching and healing people. She really wanted Jesus to touch her because if she touched Him, people would look at it and say, "Now Jesus is unclean," but there are some things that can't get dirty.

At the end of the day, she didn't know Jesus. She didn't know Him yet. She’d just heard about Jesus. But before she met Jesus, Jesus already knew her.

You’ve got to understand, Jesus at the time was delivering house calls because if you read earlier in the chapter, a man by the name of Jarius came to Him. And Jarius said, " My daughter is sick and I need you to come to my house because she's in a bed and she's dying." And they say her daughter might've been around 12 years old.

So Jesus is on His way with Jarius to his house. Well, while He was going one way, there was a woman who had been suffering for 12 years with her own issue coming the other way.

We find out that this woman who was desperate knew that she could not let this moment pass her by. Let me stop right

In Lynwood

Pastor Nissan Stewart Sunday Morning Worship: 11:00am Wednesday Prayer: 6:30pm Mid-Week Refuel/Bible Study: 7:00pm (Wednesday) Follow us: @GETFamilyNow The Greater Emmanuel Temple App Available in App Store Second Baptist Church In Monrovia 925 S. Shamrock Ave., P.O. Box 478, Monrovia,Ca 91017•(626)358-2136•(626) 303-2477 Fax Church Office: Tue-Thur 9am -5pm e-mail:sbcmon925@gmail.com • www.sbcmonrovia.org Pastor Christopher A. Bourne, Sr. Sunday School: 9:45am-10:30am Sunday Worship Service:10:45am Prayer/Bible Study Wed.:10:45am & 6:45

Walking In The Spirit Ministries In Double Tree (Sonoma Grill) 13111 Sycamore Drive, Norwalk CA 90650 (213) 248-6343 P.O Box 1597 Norwalk CA,90651 Tim & Leshia Brooks

Norwalk

Morning Worship: 11:00am Services Held Every 2nd & 4th Sunday and Free Breakfast Is Served Bible Study: 8:30am (Every 5th Friday)

“Just One Touch”

there. I don't know who's going through something but don't let the moment of knowing God pass you by.

I've got to get there. Whatever it takes, I've got to get to Him. I don't care who's in the way, I'm coming through like Walter Payton. I don't care, because I cannot miss this moment.

So this woman, despite all the rules and all the regulations reached out by faith.

I'm not a woman. I don't understand women issues, but I hear about them and how tough they are. But this woman, suffering with an extended issue says, "I got to use my faith and put it into action." She was sick and tired, like my daddy used to say, of being sick and tired.

Sometimes you have to exercise your faith with expectations, amen, that God is going to work out a miracle on your behalf.

And the scripture continues on the read at verse 29 it says, immediately the bleeding stopped.

Then Verse 30 says Jesus realized healing power had gone out from Him without His permission. So he turned around in the crowd and says, ‘who touched my robe?

His disciples say, ‘Look at this crowd passing around you. How can you ask who touched me? We’ve got to get to Jarius's house. It doesn't matter who touched you." says, Jesus "Oh, it matters touched who me."

Let me tell you, every time you reach out to Jesus, it matters. The scripture says He kept on looking around to see who had done it.

And then the frightened woman, because she knew she stepped out of order, trembling at the realization of what happened, fell to her knees in front of Him and told Him what she had done. And He said to her, daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace.

This is why I like the New Living Translation because it says, He says,

Morning Star Christian Church In Pasadena 980 Rio Grande Street, Pasadena, CA 91104 *Mailing Address: 1416 N. Mentor Ave. Pasadena, 91104 (626) 794-4875 • F: (626) 794-7815 Pastor W. Harrison Trotter and First Lady Ranza Trotter Sunday School: 8:30am Sunday Worship: 10:00am Bible Study Wednesday: 7:00pm Intercessory Prayer (Fourth Wed.): 7:00pm Christians Uniting To Make A Difference -Eph. :13 First African Methodist Episcopal Church, Pasadena 1700 N. Raymond Ave, Pas, CA 91103•(626) 798-0503 admin@famepasadena.org•www.famepasadena.org Rev. Dr. Larry E. Campbell Sunday Worship Service: 8:00 am - 11:00am Church School: 10:00am Wed’s: • Sunrise Prayer Service: 5:30am • Hour of Power Bible Study: 10:30am • Sunset Prayer Service: 6:00pm •Evening Bible Study: 7:00pm Third Saturday Bible Study: 10:00am Children Ch 1st, 2nd, 4th Sun: 8 & 11:00am First AME Church Santa Monica In Santa Monica 1823 Michigan Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90404 (310) 450-0331•Email: choffice19@aol.com Rev. Carolyn Baskin-Bell, Pastor Sunday School: 9:30am Worship Service: 11:00am Wednesday Bible Study & Prayer: 12 noon Thursday Bible Study & Prayer: 6 pm

“The Church In The Heart Of The Community with The Community at Heart”

"Your suffering is over."

I don't know who that's for today, but when you reach out to touch church Jesus Christ, I'm here to tell you, with a clear heart, your suffering is over.

Now, this is a miracle with no words.

Sometimes you may not have the energy to say what you need to say, but if you can just press through the crowd. I don't care who's looking or talking about you, if you can just get to Jesus and touch Him by any means necessary, your suffering will be over.

All it takes is one touch of the master's hand–one touch of the master's robe. All it takes is being in His presence because in His presence there is the fullness of joy.

And it didn't take three, five, 10 encounters. It took a woman with a desperate condition and a made-up mind.

When you give your life to Jesus and you trust it, He'll change your life with one touch. He'll change your mind with one touch. All you’ve got to do is and believe h a v e faith.

Greater Morning Star Missionary Baptist 1973 Seventeenth St., Santa Monica, CA 90404 (310) 450-1168 • Pastor Study:(310) 450-4880 (City by the Sea) Pastor Michael Larry, Jr. Senior Pastor Sunday School: 9:00am New Member Class: 9:45 - 10:15am Children Church.: 11:15am Wed: Mid-week Bible Worship: 7:00pm 1st Sunday Communion Trusting God to Transform the Creature, the Church and the Community, Romans 12:2 Arise Christian Center In Westchester 6949 La Tijera Blvd. Suite C,Westchester, CA,90045 (310)568-8445•F: (310) 568-8430 • Arisechristiancenter.com Pastor Ron Taylor Morning Worship: 9:00am & 11:15am Bible Study Wednesday: 7:00pm Intercessory Prayer Tuesday : 7:00pm Intercessory Prayer Sunday: 8am - 8:45am Thursday:11:30am-12:30pm First United Methodist Church Compton 1025 S. Long Beach Blvd• Compton, CA 90221 (310) 639-0775 • Fax: (310) 639-1161 Dr. Arnetha E. Inge, Pastor Sunday School: 8:30am -9:30am Sunday Morning Worship: 10:00 - 11:45am TONGAN Worship: 1pm( 2nd & 3rd Sunday Wed. Prayer&Bible Study: 7:30am &6:30pm

Through the Storm

enay Arnold didn’t know just how much of a fighter she was until at the age of 32, shortly after her husband walked out on her, she was faced with a diagnosis that would forever alter the course of her life–and would, doctors predicted, kill her within seven years or less.

It all started with numbness in her hands & feet, aching in her joints and fatigue.

“I did not understand what was happening to me,” Arnold recounts. “My best recourse was to keep working long hard hours and praising God because the hours that I did not spend at work were spent at Church. I just thought I was tired and needed some rest. Doing all that I was doing was helping me keep a clear mind, but my body began to refuse my minds command to keep going!

“I woke up one morning and my body refused to move, I had to be rushed to the hospital. My body was frozen but the pain was absolutely real and unbearable. The doctors were asking me so many questions I had no answers to and after hours of testing the results changed the world that I had once had control of. I was forced into a place of not knowing my next move.

The test results: five Auto Immune Diseases had taken my body hostage. One of the more ferocious diseases was LUPUS. Mind you at the moment I did not understand the severity of what I was dealing with; or what was dealing with me. Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Sjogren Syndrome, Mix Connective Tissue and Raynauds.

“I was told that I only had a certain amount of time left before the illnesses would overtake me so I just actually went into survival mode. I didn’t think about my future. I was thinking about just living day to day. I was really sick.”

The Lupus Foundation of America estimates that 1.5 million Americans and Although lupus can strike men and women of all ages, 90 percent of individuals diagnosed with the disease are women between the ages of 15-44. A chronic, autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body (skin, joints, and/or organs inside the body), Lupus is two to three times more prevalent among women of color and is marked by flares that can range from a rash or muscle pain to kidney disease and or failure requiring hospitalization.

Arnold’s chronic pain and flares from her Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Sjogren Syndrome, Mix Connective Tissue Disease and Raynaud's Syndrome

Z

30

“

I constantly instill in women: just because you got diagnosed with a death sentence does not mean you have to die

”

were at times debilitating.

“I went to church,” Arnold says. “My pastor prayed for me daily on top of me spending time with God. When I was sick and stuck in bed, unable to function, I had a lot of quality time with God. Instead of letting the depression try to defeat me, I just kept focus on God. ‘This is gonna pass, I’m gonna get better. ’She believes she is still alive - having beaten the odds - because of her familial support and God. “God, prayer, my family...I wouldn't be here if it wasn’t for all of them, including my doctors. I have a great team of doctors of both Western and alternative [medicine]. I’m truly blessed. Along with my will to live, those are the reasons why I’m still here.”

That and her passion to help others diagnosed with Lupus through the “We Win Foundation” she started with her actress sister, Tichina Arnold (“Survivor’s Remorse”, “Top Five”, “Everybody Hates Chris” and “Martin”).

“We Win was born in the middle of my pain,” Arnold recalls.

“They initially gave me five to seven years to basically live. On the seventh year, I never forget, I didn’t even realize that time had passed. Tichina and I were talking, I was like ‘oh my god, I can't believe I lived passed what they said!’

“I said, I have to do something. Once I thought about it, I prayed about it, I went To Tichina. She was like okay, give me my marching orders,’ and we started the We Win Foundation.”

Having outlived her original prognosis, Arnold now works hard to take care of herself, maintain her relationship and faith, and chan-

nels her drive to live into creating a resource for other women facing a new autoimmune diagnosis.

“Our mission is to restore strength hope and comfort to sufferers and their caregivers. We suffer but our caregivers, they suffer taking care of us. They sacrifice as well. We want to make sure we help all people. We have several programs that we do.”

We Win offers classes and programs like LupieYoga yoga designed to help restore and comfort the body after a Lupus flare-up - and a program called The Selfish Project, in which patients are instructed to focus on taking care of themselves.

“We neglect ourselves because we’re so busy trying to not focus on the disease and yet we’re doing damage in the long term by not resting,” Arnold says.

Arnold’s says her lowest time - the period in which sufferers need the most help - came after her diagnoses.

Now, Arnold uses her own inspiring story to inspire the women she meets through We Win. “We’re being effective. I look forward to us growing and doing much more. Going globally. This disease is not just here in the United States. It’s everywhere.

“If I can help just one person that means a lot to me, so if I can help 200 people I’m just ecstatic. We’re trying to get grants.”

When it comes to dealing with a diagnoses like Arnold’s, she gives simple but sound advice - never quit.

“Do not give up,” she says. “Do not lose hope.

If you have no hope, there’s nothing else. I literally just concentrate on ‘don’t give up.’

“I’m not a quitter. I know that this will pass. I constantly instill in women: just because you got diagnosed with a death sentence doesn’t mean you have to die.”

For more information on Zenay Arnold’s foundation check out www.wewinfoundation.org.

Clifton continued from page 7 Shakira and Jennifer Lopez included a symbolic display of children in cages, a nod to the tens of thousands of migrants jailed or confined in camps, subjected to lifethreatening conditions, along with parents separated from their children at the border with Mexico– a direct result of the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy. Lopez also donned a two-sided, feathered cape with the Puerto Rican flag and U.S. flag, which could be interpreted as both a celebration of her heritage and a reminder of how the Trump administration has spent more than two years hampering aid to an American territory ravaged by multiple natural disasters.

Trump’s Super Bowl ad touts how “thousands of families are being reunited” because he eventually signed off on the First Step Act. All the while, his administration’s immigration policies at the southern border continue to rip families apart.

The lagging efforts to help rebuild infrastructure in Puerto Rico adds insult to injury as displaced families and thousands of others still struggle to access basic necessities. During his 2016 campaign, Trump tried to drum up support from African-American voters by asking one simple question: “What do you have to lose?” Four years later and reality still bites. “Make America Great Again” has since morphed into “Keep America Great.”

Black people – and millions more who struggle amid Trump’s attacks on people of color and the impoverished – have a lot at stake. Exploiting one Black woman’s pain with a high-priced, primetime ad shows just how far Trump’s campaign will stretch the truth to convince Americans that the president and his policies aren’t racist.

Yes, we’re happy Ms. Johnson’s painful imprisonment is over.

But the whole truth about Trump and his policies still hurts.

Parker continued from page 7

Trump continued from page 6

Church News continued from page 24

for a sea change in African American politics. Republicans need to follow up.

population. In the U.S., 27 percent of African Americans live in poverty and 46 percent of African American children (under age 6) live in poverty, compared to 14.5 percent of white children.

“We’re taking action to reform our SNAP program in order to restore the dignity of work to a sizable segment of our population and be respectful of the taxpayers who fund the program. Americans are generous people who believe it is their responsibility to help their fellow citizens when they encounter a difficult stretch. That’s the commitment behind SNAP, but, like other welfare programs, it was never intended to be a way of life,” Secretary Perdue told reporters.

“Trump has called people liars and maniacs, caged children, and cut food stamps, and tried to take away health insurance and let people die. But Republicans are outraged that a law professor used his son’s name in an analogy?,” wrote Rev. Dr. William Barber referring to an exchange at a Dec. 4th impeachment hearing and food stamp cuts. Barber has been focused on a new age “poor people’s campaign” mirrored on the efforts of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the 1960s.

“This is cruel and disgraceful. Donald Trump will happily give millions of dollars in tax breaks to his billionaire buddies– but he’s making it harder for struggling families to be able to eat. I’ll reverse this shameful policy,” wrote 2020 presidential candidate and U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

only one who enjoys it, I’ll pay for it,” Jones continued.

What he discovered in his initial market testing was that people liked it. The result is “Living For My Savior”, a track now available online.

“The church heard it for the first time and they were surprised,” Jones said.

“Some of them said, ‘I didn’t know you had that in you’. Then, more importantly, they wanted to know where they could buy it, and it seems like it’s going to generate enough revenue for me to finish the album, which is “You’re Invited” It’s about being invited to Jesus…invited to church. It’s a standard evangelistic invitation.”

He hopes to have that album out later this year.

Alexandria continued from page 6 ‘What do you have to lose;’ now we are thinking, ‘Imagine what we stand to gain!’”

“Trump is the wedding crasher,” John Burnett, a strategic GOP advisor and an African-American Republican, told InsideSources. And while Democrats have a longtime relationship with AfricanAmerican voters, Burnett says “they never really sealed the deal. Now Trump has shown up at the ceremony and he’s telling us, ‘You can do better!’”

The Congressional Black Caucus balks at the idea that Trump is good for black America.

“The list of regressive and racist policies proposed by Donald Trump’s administration is long and sad,” the CBC wrote in a statement. “To add insult to injury, we have to hear him and his supporters tout the lowest black unemployment rate in history even though he inherited President Barack Obama’s economy and has never championed a single policy or program for black people.

“They also fail to acknowledge that the black unemployment rate remains almost twice that of our white counterparts in the midst of a growing racial wealth divide. The strongest stock market in history means nothing to you if you’re working two or three jobs at today’s minimum wage and still can’t make ends meet.”

Black Americans, for the most part, are not buying in to Trump’s latest campaign initiative as 85 percent of black voters said in a new Hill-HarrisX poll that they would choose any Democratic presidential candidate over Trump.

Money Matters continued from page 13 Jackie Botts is a reporter at CalMatters.

This article is part of The California Divide, a collaboration among newsrooms examining income inequity and economic survival in California.

Pastor Profile continued from page 26 seem to have a steady following…almost like a family. Did I read that right?

Yes. Many of those people have been with us for over 30 years. That's a testament to the Word, to God and to the church.

What do you think the next 40 years are going to look like for Maranatha?

I believe Maranatha is going to continue. I believe we're going to grow. Actually, we're growing now know, which is just phenomenal. We have new people come every week and we have people who are staying. The plan is to use all of technology to reach the masses, to take the gospel outside of the four walls of the church because the people are equipped now to do that. And we've been doing that, and I just believe that Maranatha is going to be one of the places where people can come and feel the love when they walk in the door and to know about Christ when they walk out.

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SavingGrace Joseph “Rev Run” Simmons

L

L.A. Focus/March2020

ove is elusive. For some it can be a constant chase-- a fleeting cycle of desire and pain repeated over and over in the pursuit of unreal expectations. But love is also much more than immediate satisfaction, it’s a bond that creates safety and inspires faith that provides the wealth of abundance and happiness for which our souls yearn. In our fast-paced internet age, where a generation of young people are struggling to figure out how to create true, lasting happiness, role models such as Joseph “Rev Run” Simmions and his family are ever more important for providing a blueprint of how to create and sustain a satisfying relationship.

While most undoubtedly know him as the front-man of the groundbreaking Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame hip-hop group Run-D.M.C., for over fifteen years Simmons and his family have been using their personal brand as a vision to share the values that keep their tight-knit family unit together and thriving. Now Rev Run, along with his wife Justine Simmons, have released their new book, “Old School Love: And Why It Works” to share some of the timeless secrets that have made their bond last, for better or worse.

While the Simmons family have been in the spotlight for years now with several reality T.V. shows-- starting with six seasons of the popular Run’s House in 2005-according to Simmons, the motivation to do a book came from popular demand.

“People have been asking us for the longest [time] to do a book,” says Simmons. “We wanted to be very transparent and give people as much help as we could as to the dynamics of why we're here, and how we arrived at this place together. The only way to do that is to go as deep as we could into ourselves, to pour it out to you.”

In the book, as in all aspects of life, Simmons relies on leading by example as a pillar of how to inspire others.

“Do as we do, not what we say,” Simmons says. “That's what was so good about our reality shows. Michael Jordan never told people, ‘Here's how to dunk the ball.’

He just dunked, and (the late) Kobe [Bryant] became inspired. You can feel our truth, and it's been inspiring.”

Though the Simmons family is now a well known lifestyle brand, Simmons has always put family first and has used their spotlight as a tool for teaching rather than shameless exposure.

“We never leaned too hard on making [our family] a brand,” says Simmons. “It was always a tool to help.

Run's House wasn't about trying to sell clothing or sell jewelry, or to sell anything. We were trying to convey a message of family, of love and of being connected. That's all it was ever about. We never tried to turn it into a booming business.”

In fact, according to Simmons, he has personally shied away from focusing on business and other endeavors that would take away from his dedication to his family.

“I put a little bit into business, but I think I put more into my family than I do into chasing business deals, my ego, and trying to be the top entrepreneur, or the top rapper, or top anything anymore,” says Simmons. “I can see the pitfalls coming towards me, and I’ve watched it too much. I can just feel that if I put too much energy in another direction it will hurt my family. My intuition knows best.”

34

“A lot of people are selfish instead of selfless. You've got to be more selfless and less selfish. You've got to meet in the middle. It's all about giving. It’s all about forgiving and giving and respect.

Period.”

As described in Old School Love, Rev Run and Justine Simmons apply this same full focused approach to their twenty-six year marriage-- where the word ‘divorce’ is not even a part of their vocabulary.

“We don't even bring [divorce] up in conversation,” says Simmons. “We've been very fortunate to not have had to experience that. We've been very blessed in that area of marriage, so I don't want to take all the credit.

We're going to give it to God, but we conduct ourselves with a lot of love and with a lot of respect for one another.

“When you have that respect, you're not going to do something so hurtful to get to that place. The thing that breaks up relationships is the lack of respect. That's it. If I think I'm about to do something that is going to make her very mad, I don't do it. I do annoying husband stuff, like put my clothes on the floor and little stuff that she can get over, but I try my best not to do anything that is extremely hard to forgive.”

And as for forgiveness, it’s the bedrock of the success in their relationship.

“We forgive a lot,” Simmons says. “A lot of people are selfish instead of selfless. You've got to be more selfless and less selfish. You've got to meet in the middle. It's all about giving. It’s all about forgiving and giving and respect. Period.”

Though the couple admits they argue often, it’s the way they handle their disputes that allows them to reconcile with grace-- even if it’s not immediate. “[We argue] all the time, like an old couple does,” says Simmons. “One of my favorite memes is an old couple sitting in the rain, pissed off, but the gentleman is still holding the umbrella over her head. The meaning is, ‘I’m mad, but I’m not going to let the rain get on you.’”

It’s this tolerance for each other that has allowed the Simmons family to stay close through hardships and some difficult moments. One of these moments occured in 2013 when Simmons’ daughter Vanessa announced her unplanned pregnancy with her boyfriend Michael Wayans, the son of actor Damon Wayans.

“People around me were very shocked because when my daughter Vanessa first got pregnant,” says Simmons. “Everybody thought all these things about how I would react, because it feels like I’m such a disciplinary type of figure. But I’m actually loose on people, because I don't want the same reaction to my mistakes.

“I go hard to make life better if I can, but I don't judge. I’ve let many of my children walk through whatever they had to walk through until they figured it out. The Bible says, ‘Teach your child, and they should go when they get

older and they won't depart from it." I’m a firm believer in that. Let them learn and let them figure out their life for themselves.”

As he so often does, Simmons was able to turn that moment into a teachable lesson and see it for the blessing that it was. And as for his advice for those who are single and searching for the right person to be with, Simmons advises to keep it simple and let people reveal their true selves.

“Go where you're celebrated, not where you're tolerated,” says Simmons. “Go where you're adored, not where you're ignored. If the person is not answering the phone, not answering your texts and they're playing little games and you can feel it, be ready for the red flags. People will show you who they really are. Believe them.”

According to Simmons, one of his greatest callings in life is to inspire those around him with messages of love and fulfilment. “I believe I’m here to inspire people,” says Simmons. “I inspire through music, and I think I inspire through my marriage.”

But what inspires Simmons more than anything else is his devout faith in the miracle of the Lord’s blessing.

“I believe that you do the best you can; you push, and then you hope for serendipity and [God’s] grace. You want that favor. I read a quote that once said, ‘I don't believe in miracles, I depend on them.’ I love that quote.

“Justine had a friend years ago and she used to just say, ‘Jus, He did it again!’ I thought it was so cute, that used to always touch me and tickle me. God really likes to come and play with us, talk with us, help us, encourage us. I know that faith without works is dead. But works without faith is also dead.”