L.A Focus Newspaper January 2021

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Church News: Churches Can Now Hold Indoor Services, Most Won’t PAGE

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On The Money: Beyonce Hands out $5000 Grants to Homeless: Find Out How To Apply PAGE

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Upfront

Newsom’s Choice To Fill Kamala Harris’ Seat Draws Heated Response

Last month, Governor Gavin Newsom has appointed Secretary of State Alex Padilla to fill Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ Senate Seat, ending a campaign from progressives in the state to fill the seat with another Black woman. But some Angelenos believe he may have instead turned up the heat on himself and the campaign to have him recalled.

Through The Storm: An Emotional Plea To Save The Serving Spoon Raises 150K

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contents

L.A. Focus Publications

January 2021

Left:Greater Zion Church pass out toys for Project 9;Middle: Councilman Curren Price and staff celebrate the season by hosting a Toy/Food Drive.

Right: NAACP Inglewood/South Bay Chapter President Rev. Fred Shaw poses with recipients of toys purchased by Young and the Restless daytime television star Michelle Stafford and Y&R cast and crew members as donations for several community organizations and clergy.

4 Commentary

From The Editor “Don’t Count Us Out

Vaccine Plan Punishes the Poor

6 UpFront

Newsom’s Choice To Appoint Alex Padilla to Fill Kamala harris Seat Draws Heated Respone; For Mark Ridley-Thomas Success Is Not A Whole Lot of Magic, Just Hard Work; CDC Monitors New COVID Strain, Stresses Vaccine Safety

Head to Head

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What Electing Rev. Raphael Warnick Would Mean For Georgia and the U.S.

Headlines From Africa

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Money Matters California Hospitals Are Hiking Charges

By More Than Five Times Their Costs, A Dauting Burden For COVID-19 Patients

Biz News Briefs MSNBC Taps Rashida Jones to Head Cable News Network;Ebony Magazine Purchased Out of Bankruptcy;Bryon Allen TheGrio.TV

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Game Changer Peter Barker: One Man’s Mission to Solve the Homelessness Crisis in Ls Angeles

staff

Publisher/Editor-In-Chief Staff Writers Photographer Advertising

Lisa Collins Stephen Oduntan,Keith Delawder, Dianne Lugo Ian Foxx Kisha Smith

Holly Mitchell Makesthe L.A. Board of Supervisors The Fab Five

Kanye West Releases Surprise Album;Hulu Finalizes Deal To Purchase”The Unites States vs Billey Holiday;Judas and the Black Messiah Sets Release Date For Feb12

One On One Malcolm Jamal Warner

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Red Carpet Style

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Eye On Gospel

Kamala Harris

Gregory Sanders

Antioch Baptist Church of Long Beach

Chef Melissa Harvey

Loni Love

Dinner with the Mann’s; JJ Hairston Is Not Holding Back;Kanye West Named Top Gospel Artist of 2020

19 20 Church News

Through The Storm

From Panic to Action:How An Emotional Plea for Help Rallied A Local Community to Save The Serving Spoon;Raising $150,000

Houses of Worship Can Now Hold Indoor Services, Most Won’t For Now

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22 From The Pulpit of 23 In Good Taste 25 Saving Grace 26 Pastor Profile

First Lady Files Carol Howard- Southside Bethel Church

Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed State Assemblywoman as California’s next Secretary of State. She will become California’s first Black Secretary of State. "Being the first African American woman in this position will be a monumental responsibility, but I know that I am up for the challenge," Weber said.

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

L.A. Focus/January 2021

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Commentary

CHARLES R. STITH Guest Columnist

“California Vaccine Plan Punishes the Poor”

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he poor in LA county top the list in infections and are not on the list for vaccinations. What in the heck is going on?

The Governor announced the latest lockdown based on the surge in LA County. If that’s so, has anyone in the Governor’s office looked at the L.A. County COVID Webpage?

The data is unequivocally clear that the hotspots are the county’s poorest communities. The data is not collected by employment categories or employment status. It is collected and collated by city, towns, and communities.

When you look at the data, it is clear. It is crystal clear as to what the priority in terms of vaccines needs to be.

There is an emerging consensus that medical personnel and essential workers should be vaccinated first.

Okay, no argument there. After that who’s next in line?

The data (or the science) is clear about who ought to be next up. It’s the poor. That’s where the numbers are surging.

Watts, one of LA county’s poorest communities, and Beverly Hills, one of the county’s richest communities, are about the same size in terms of population. The infection rate in Watts is almost 64% higher than that in Beverly Hills. The mortality rate is about 66% higher.

I live in View Park, which is 85% African America and has an economic profile similar to Beverly Hills. It is about a third of the size of Watts, yet Watts has 12 times the infections and nearly 12 times the deaths from the coronavirus. Beverly Hills is about a third of the size of Compton, which has almost six times the number of infections and nearly seven times the number of deaths.

This disparity is also reflected in data on the predominantly Hispanic community of Boyle Heights. Beverly Hills is more than a third of the size of Boyle Heights, yet a resident of Boyle Heights is more than six times more likely to contract the virus than someone living in Beverly Hills and almost 6.5 times more likely to die.

To further punctuate the disparity, when the infection and mortality data for View Park, Beverly Hills and Bel

Air are added together and compared to the infection and mortality rates for Watts alone, the totals for Watts are significantly higher. There are more than twice the number of infections and deaths for Watts than for all three wealthier communities combined.

The number one reason why poor communities and the poor should be given priority for vaccinations is that’s where the fire is raging in terms of infection and mortality rates. Imagine if during the fire season in Southern California all of the firefighting equipment was deployed to areas that were reasonably safe from wildfires, like Watts or Compton. And areas like Mendocino County, which was at the epicenter of the largest fire in California history, were left to burn. People would be up in arms, and rightly so. It’s no less a contradiction to leave poor and working-class communities languishing instead of deploying obvious interventions in the face of this viral outbreak. The reason to target vulnerable communities is the same as dealing with wildfires. The longer we leave outbreaks, like COVID to rage out of control, the more damage that will be done at the point of the fire. So, the next stop for trucks delivering the vaccine should be Martin Luther King Hospital rather than Cedars Sinai.

From the Editor

The other side of this argument is, ignoring such communities increases the likelihood the fire will burn out of control and threaten us all. During a pandemic we ignore the poor at our peril. Viruses know no boundaries and are no respecter of race or religion, gender or generation, or class and community.

If there was ever a case when our response ought to be targeted to where the need is greatest, this is it. While this should seem obvious, when it comes to addressing the needs of the poor, any real response is more often an anomaly rather than what is done normally. Science and justice make clear where the priority ought to be.

Following the same line of reasoning, the next group, after the chronically poor and working poor, should be those that have recently joined the unemployment lines and breadlines because they’ve lost their jobs due to the current economic downturn.

Here the science is clear as well. The connection between incomes and health outcomes is indisputable.

The long lines of well-kept cars to get meals at food pantries signals something important about those joining the legions of the vulnerable. Without vaccinations, we can expect (and will see) a surge in infection and mortality rates among those recently unemployed. It’s not that viruses hate the poor, it’s that viruses love poverty.

As is so often the case when society is confronted with catastrophes of monumental proportions, the poor get shafted. This time let’s do it right. The prescription is clear: don’t give them the shaft, give them the shot.

Ambassador Charles R. Stith is currently the Executive Chairman of The Pula Group, focused on high value investment opportunities in Africa, and founder of the African Presidential Archives and Research Center of Boston University. He was appointed as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States to Tanzania by President Bill Clinton in 1998. He is the author of the soon to be published book, A View From the Other Side: Locked Down in South Africa.

LISA COLLINS Publisher

“Don’t Count Us Out”

L.A. Focus/January 2021

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uch has been said about the history Governor Gavin Newsom made with his recent appointment of Alex Padilla as the first Latinx U.S. senator in California history. Certainly, in a state whose history is inextricably woven in the legacy of its Latinx pioneers, it almost seems unbelievable that a Latinx wouldn’t have been representing this great state until now.

But I want to remind Angelenos of another historical first–when on November 8, 2016, Kamala Harris defeated Loretta Sanchez–another highly qualified Latinx – by a margin of 61.6% to 38.4% to become the first African American woman to represent the state of California.

Not much has been said about the fact that the U.S. Senate seat is not an appointed one. And that thousands of women rallied, marched and contributed to a campaign that would bring a woman of color to the Senate. It was, at that moment, the will of the people that a voice echoing our concerns and reflective of our choice would represent us in the hallowed halls of the U.S. Senate.

I was among those who voted for Kamala Harris to represent me from a perspective that mirrored my interests, both from a gender, ethnic and historical vantage point. The fact is, California–by majority–backed a woman of color.

So then, why would it not be consistent with –and respective of that choice–voiced by more than 7.5 million voters four years ago– to replace now Vice-President Elect Kamala Harris with a woman of color.

I get that it is difficult to please everyone and understand all too clearly the political ramification of such choices. What I don’t get is that with all the political force women of color have exhibited over the past decade, that we are so often cast aside in these decisions as if all too many politically motivated choices will be easily forgotten.

I fear–and am not alone in that fear–that such choices have more to do with the declining numbers of

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African Americans than our resolute political clout, even if seen ever so clearly in the November election of Joe Biden and Harris.

I am of the mind of Shirley Chisholm who once said, “At present, our country needs women’s idealism and determination, perhaps more in politics than anywhere else.”

She also pointed out that, “Defeat should not be the source of discouragement, but a stimulus to keep plotting.”

Turning to this issue, check out our cover story on a woman who happens to not only be a friend, but a gamechanger for our community. Knowing all that former Supervisor–now Councilmember–Mark RidleyThomas put into his work and the second district, it would take a formidable presence to pick up where he left off.

Holly Mitchell is that presence. But as she so aptly puts it, in our feature story beginning on page 14, it’s not enough to say you voted for her. Now you’ve got to engage with her and collectively work with her for the best outcomes in our community even in the midst of a pandemic.

Also, in this issue, be sure and check out our story on page 12 on prop 19, a new law that could negatively impact our community, and impact the transfer of generational wealth relative to the transfer of properties from parent to their children. Effective February 16, when the law is slated to take effect, the “parent to child exclusion” is off the table and properties transferred after that point will be subject to reassessment at fair market value, which in most cases will be five to seven times (or more) what their parents were paying.

And now, Happy New Year. I’m praying that this new year will bring as much joy and happiness as it does hope and promise, with vaccinations on the horizon. And this month as we celebrate a man who had a dream, it is time for us to dream anew…to set those goals high and then to

step out and make them happen.

Some years ago, there was a study done on a class of graduating seniors who were asked to write out their goals.

Just 10% of them actually f o l l o w e d through and listed them on paper.

Ten years later they interviewed the same people and the students who’d written out their goals earned an average of 500% more than the 90% who didn’t write down their goals. The motto being that people who didn’t set goals end up working for people that did.”

Leadership works in concert with people striving to make a difference. It requires action. It requires thought.

What you can do and what you will not do starts and stops with you. For as technologically advanced as we are, we remain human beings whose choices determine our individual outcomes.

I’ll close with one of my favorite Bible scriptures from Ephesians 3:16-19: "I pray that out of his glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge–that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Keep the faith.

UpFront

News Briefs

Newsom’s Choice To Appoint Alex Padilla to Fill Kamala Harris’ Seat Draws Heated Response

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ov. Gavin Newsom has appointed Secretary of State Alex Padilla to fill Vice Presidentelect Kamala Harris’ Senate Seat, ending a campaign from progressives in the state to fill the seat with another Black woman. But some Angelenos believe he may have instead turned up the heat on himself and the campaign to have him recalled.

Black organizers had urged Newsom to appoint Representative Barbara Lee or Congresswoman Karen Bass to the Senate hoping to replace Harris, the only Black woman in the Senate, with another.

“Thanks to Governor Gavin Newsom, African American women are no longer represented in the United States Senate, what else can go wrong in 2020? It's a terribly insensitive decision that will not be well received by African Americans voters in California and African American women nationwide.

Many people believe the Governor will pay a political price for this insensitive decision,” said Kerman Maddox, a political consultant.

His warning –and anger– was echoed by others.

“This is a slap in the face to California. Karen Bass was the most qualified person for that seat. I haven’t seen black people this mad since Hahn fired Bernie Parks–a move that cost him his political career,” said K.W Tulloss, President of the Baptist Minister’s Association. “Black people never forgot it and it seems that folks are even madder this time. In fact, some in the community are so mad that they’re asking where to sign up for the recall.”

“Kamala Harris’ seat got stolen,” said William Smart, President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. “The thief is Gavin Newsom.

There must be ramifications for his

Secretary of State Alex Padilla

actions. I’m joining the recall effort.”

For one anonymous donor, the answer was cutting his financial support to the Democratic party.

“There are multiple Latinos in the Senate, but the Democratic party has no Black female senators. I won’t give any more money to the California State Democratic party until that changes. As to the governor, he just lost us. No democrat wins nationally without black votes.”

Critics of the move recognize that Padilla’s appointment is a historic one, as he will become the first Latino representing California in the Senate. Similar to Harris, he’s the son of immigrants (his parents are from Mexico), but the outrage following Newsom’s announcement had little to do with Padilla or his accomplishments.

“We recognize the accomplishments of Secretary of State Padilla and we will actively engage with his office to elevate the voices of Black women across the state and nation, but Black women deserved more from the Governor today,”

CDC Monitors New COVID Strain, Stresses Vaccine Safety

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L.A. Focus/January 2021

he U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is monitoring a new strain of the coronavirus in the United Kingdom.

The agency is in constant communication with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Dr. Jeffrey E. Hall, the CDC’s COVID-19 Chief Health Equity Officer, said during a live interview with the National Newspaper Publishers Association.

Dr. Hall noted that the CDC and state and local health departments are continually monitoring and studying the virus spreading in the United States to detect any changes quickly.

“We just put up a website about the new variant, and it lays out the full story,” Dr. Hall remarked.

“One thing to note about the conversation about mutation, everyone tends to be frightened by that … those things tend to plant these concepts of what happens in nature that could lead to negative outcomes, but this is a situation when it comes to virality, that science, mutation is part of what is expected where that process is concerned. Because of the profile of COVID-19, people are understandably concerned. But our agency is watching this intently.”

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Dr. Hall, who holds degrees in epidemiology, general sociology, and psychology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, previously served as a Lead Behavioral Scientist in the Surveillance Branch of the Division of Violence Prevention of CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.

His professional interests include developmental epidemiology and social psychology applications within violence prevention, structural and environmental methods for reducing violence-related health disparities, and community-based models for violence surveillance, research, and prevention.

A medical sociologist by training, Dr. Hall’s work has focused on topics across the life span, including infant homicide, youth, young adult violence, and elder abuse.

As an African American, Dr. Hall said he understands the Black community’s hesitation about the new vaccines approved to fight the virus.

“To be able to heal and progress and really approach this opportunity from an informed position, we have to take into account all the things that might influence people,” Dr. Hall surmised.

“We can’t dismiss the importance of

DIANNE LUGO Staff

shared Rachel Brashier, President of the Black Women’s Democratic Club.

The BWDC had partnered with Black Women for Wellness Advocacy Project, and Black Women Organized for Political Action to speak out and send a message to Gov. Newsom to pick a Black woman to replace Harris. After Senator Dianne Feinstein announced having reached out to Newsom to let him know about her support of Padilla, the BWDC and other Black leaders urged Feinstein to give up her own seat.

They also launched a social media campaign to garner support that has now concluded.

“The first thing that came to mind after I read [the news] was Malcolm X’s quote saying the most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. The most neglected and the most unprotected is the Black woman and so I do think that there should be ramifications because we’re never getting our due respect,” added Brashier.

Some like political consultant and fundraiser Lena Kennedy, believe it was a missed opportunity for Newsom.

“I think the Governor missed an opportunity to create equity in the U.S. Senate and to do what is just and right in the black community and he needs to be held accountable, especially in light of where the country is right now in terms of social awareness and justice. Where is his awareness? The black community supported him. It would have been just and fair for him to be cognizant of that,” argued Kennedy, founder of Women in Leadership, Vital Voices. “We–as a community– need to re-evaluate where we put our trust and faith.”

Despite anger from their supporters, Reps. Lee and Bass extended their congratulations to Padilla.

“Today, our state gains yet another Newsom’s choice continued to page 24

STACY BROWN NNPA Newswire the Tuskegee Experiment, the Cincinnati Radiation Experiment, and we know the Henrietta Lacks story.”

Each of those medical experiments went awry.In Lacks’ case, doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore gave Lacks’ cancerous cell samples to a researcher without her knowledge or consent.

Lacks’ cells turned out to have an extraordinary capacity to survive and reproduce.

Today, work done with what is now referred to as HeLa cells have been involved in critical discoveries in many fields, including cancer and infectious disease. One of their most recent applications has been in research for COVID-19 vaccines.

Lacks’ family has never been compensated and are barely recognized for her immense contribution.

“These stories often pop up as African Americans,” Dr. Hall said. “When new social injustices arrive, it can call our faith into question. But, for us to potentially benefit from opportunities for health, we have to lay it all out on the table and talk it through and look at what’s represented in opportunities like flu vaccination, COVID opportunities, and preventive services.”

Two Officers Involved in the Death of Breonna Taylor Have Been Fired Two of the officers involved in the death of Breonna Taylor have been fired.

Detective Joshua Jaynes and Officer Myles Cosgrove were terminated by Police Chief Yvette Gentry, ABC News announced. The two were able to appeal and argue against their firings at a termination hearing that was not open to the public.

Taylor died on March 13 when Louisville Metro Police barged into the home of Taylor and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker with a noknock warrant. Walker, a registered gun owner, fired a shot towards their bedroom door after hearing them enter. Taylor was hit five times after police responded with gunfire.

Cosgrove fired 16 rounds into their home and was determined to have fired the fatal shot.

Jaynes was not present at the raid but was the officer who sought the warrant that sent police to Taylor’s home. Investigators believe he lied about how he gathered some information about Taylor in the warrant, violating department procedures.

The two officers join Officer Brett Hanikson, who was fired in June, but Hanikson remains the only officer charged in the incident.

Sergeant Johnathan Mattingly, also present for Taylor’s death, remains employed by the department.

Union Representing Hundreds of Los Angeles County Prosecutors Files Lawsuit Against George Gascon

Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon

Los Angeles’ newest District Attorney is receiving strong pushback on the sweeping new changes he announced on his first day in office. The Association of Deputy District Attorneys (ADDA), the union that represents nearly 1,000 Los Angeles County prosecutors, filed a lawsuit against District Attorney George Gascon on Wednesday, Dec. 30, saying that the new D.A’s directives that prohibited sentence enhancement, including enhancements for prior strikes, defy state law.

The ADDA hopes that a judge will grant an injunction that would label the orders “invalid and illegal.” They are also hoping the injunction would temporarily bar Gascon and his administration from enforcing the directives.

The union argues that under California’s three strike law and other California laws, prosecutors are obligated to seek longer sentences for defendants with previous convictions. Prosecutors are obligated to evaluate each case on its own, not apply a blanket policy to all criminal filings, they say.

ADDA’s lawyer Eric M. George argued that the dramatic changes made by Gascon have forced prosecutors to violate their oaths of office and ethical duties.

“Los Angeles County prosecutors have been placed in an impossible position. Do we follow our legal and ethical responsibilities and risk getting disciplined, even fired, by our new boss? Or do we follow his policy directives and risk losing our California State Bar Cards and, by extension, our ability to practice law anywhere in the state? We’re asking a court to answer those questions,” said ADDA Vice President Eric Siddall.

UpFront For Mark Ridley-Thomas, Success Is Not A Whole Lot of Magic, Just Hard Work

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o matter how demanding the job, former Supervisor and now recently elected Tenth District Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas has but one working philosophy: “when you show up, you do have to have the capacity to show out.”

And when you look at his accomplishments over the past 12 years as Supervisor of the second district, from the MLK Hospital and the Crenshaw to LAX rail line to Measure H and homelessness–he certainly has proven his ability not just to show up but to show out.

That, he says, has pretty much been the arc of his three decades of public service.

“It’s been quite an honor to use my abilities, my sensibilities to represent our communities. I transitioned from the board of supervisors on a very high note with a body of work that I’m very proud of,” says Ridley-Thomas of his tenure as supervisor in the second district, home to the largest population of AfricanAmericans in L.A. County.

The most obvious of which is the Martin Luther King medical campus.

Once dubbed “killer King” the hospital was closed in 2007, but what has transformed in its place is a state-of-the-art facility, with the first of its kind behavioral health center, a recuperative care center, psychiatric urgent care center, a family wellness center, 70 sub-specialties and a model of healthcare delivery that he says he’s told is “second only in terms of emergency room admissions to CedarsSinai.”

Of course, he doesn’t mention MLK Hospital without including the Charles R Drew University of medicine and science.

“It is in my view, the most endowed campus providing safety net services in the entirety of the County of Los Angeles,” Ridley-Thomas says of the campus that has added more residency programs in the areas of psychiatry, family medicine and obstetrics. “And when we talk about the transformation of the campus, we’re also talking about jobs, good jobs. We are in excess of a billion dollars of investment in the MLK medical campus and the adjacent affordable housing projects, a new library and the Rosa Parks transit center.

A community that has been deserving and now is getting things delivered.”

For Ridley-Thomas, it is a testament to what can be done if one is willing to work.

“Not a whole lot of magic involved. This is about being focused on delivering serv-

ices,” Ridley-Thomas said. “It is about determination. It’s about equity. I’ve learned all those things and new in this past 12 years and it has equipped me to be a better public servant.”

Being a better servant has meant bringing visionary change to South Los Angeles. Change that has included nearly 6,000 affordable housing units–either completed or underway, an expansion of parks–including an extensive renovation of the 104-acre Magic Johnson Park and transforming the 178-acre Victoria Golf Course into a recreation center with the involvement of Tiger Woods, and in partnership with Metro a transportation boarding school in the heart of South Central that will afford some of the county’s most marginalized youth with the opportunity for careers in the global transportation industry.

Given his recognition of public service as a calling, terming out of the L.A. County Supervisors only fueled his passions to continue to advocate on behalf of others.

“I do this because it provides a level of fulfillment,” Ridley-Thomas reflects. “And because being elected ten consecutive times to four different seats suggest that there are constituencies who believed that I can do what I say I will do.”

For all of his accomplishments, which include the 1992 founding of the Annual Empowerment Congress and the 2002 founding of AAVREP (African American Voter Rep) which has registered over 200,000 new voters, the path to his recent

CHEZ HADLEY Staff

victory in the L.A. City Council’s 10th district did not come as easily as some would have thought. He credits part of that to the anti-incumbency fervor sweeping across America “It ended up as decisively, as one could have hoped. 61 to 39 is obviously not close,” says Ridley-Thomas. “But to get there, it took a lot of skill and fundraising.

It took people believing in my candidacy as distinguished from the opponent in the race who just didn’t have the capacity or the ability to persuade by virtue of what she hadn’t accomplished and what I have been able to accomplish. The thing that made it difficult is the level of anti-incumbency fervor that has been a big challenge for incumbents during the last few election cycles.”

That he is a bridge builder helped to overcome any ambivalence voters had towards incumbents.

“There’s no secret I’ve invested in communities across the board,” Ridley-Thomas states. “The objective of those in the primary, and then in the general was to diminish the import of the historic value and contribution of the African American electorate. It became very important to take a stand on behalf of the African American community, not at the expense of the Korean community, the Latino community, the Chinese American community, the Filipino community, the white community, or the Jewish community, all of which are represented in the 10th district.”

Ridley Thomas continued to page 24

L.A. Focus/January 2021

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HeadToHead What Electing Rev. Raphael Warnock Would Mean For Georgia and the U.S

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n Jan. 5, Georgia voters Georgians without health care. will decide the runoff for Both, lavishly supported by oil Georgia runoff their two U.S. Senate and gas interests, refuse to conelection a seats. Their votes will determine sider climate change a major ‘microcosm of whether Republicans retain con- America’s strug- threat. Ms. Loeffler, the cotrol of the Senate or whether owner of the Atlanta Dream, a gle’ Democrats gain a 50-50 tie, with women’s professional basketball Vice President Kamala Harris the tie- team, loudly denounced support given to breaking vote. The race is a microcosm of the Black Lives Matter movement, leading America’s struggle to find a way forward her players to wear T-shirts saying Vote and of Georgia and the South’s struggle to Warnock. Neither Mr. build a new South.

Perdue nor Ms. The two Democratic challengers reflect Loeffler bother to the new age still waiting to be born. Rev. offer a serious agenda Raphael Warnock, senior pastor at to address the probAtlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, the lems that Georgians congregation led by the late Rev. Martin face. They joined Luther King Jr., is a distinguished heir to Republican leader the King tradition. Thirty-three-year-old Mitch McConnell in Jon Ossoff, educated at Georgetown and blocking the rescue Jesse Jackson the London School of Economics, was born act in the midst of the and raised in Atlanta, interned for the late pandemic.

Rep. John Lewis and served as a national Neither Ms. Loeffler nor Mr. Perdue security staffer to Rep. Hank Johnson. He have a clue or a care for working for poor has been CEO of Insight TWI, a London people in Georgia. So how do they hope to based documentary maker that focuses on get elected? Both have adopted the same detailing corruption in foreign countries. strategy: echo Donald Trump’s divisive Both Reverend Warnock and Mr. Ossoff race-based populism and benefit from syshave put forth a moderate platform for tematic suppression of the vote. They’ve change. Both support immediate action to booked nearly $200 million in vicious forestall an economic collapse as the pan- attack ads against their opponents, paintdemic spikes. Without assistance, states ing them as a threat to all things and localities will be forced to cut services American. Mr. Perdue falsely paints Mr. and lay off employees like teachers and Ossoff as a “radical socialist.” In a classic firefighters. anti-Semitic trope, Mr. Perdue’s campaign Both Reverend Warnock and Mr. Ossoff released an ad that lengthened Mr. Ossoff support strengthening the Affordable Care nose. Ms. Loeffler paints Reverend Act, by adding a public option and reduc- Warnock as a “radical” who will “change ing prescription drug prices, but oppose this country forever,” nonsensically proMedicare for All. Both call for bold action moting herself as the “firewall in stopping to deal with the reality of catastrophic cli- socialism in America.” In her stump mate change, but oppose the Green New speech, in less than 45 seconds, she wildly Deal. Both are for lifting the minimum links the distinguished minister to wage, and for assistance to small business- Obama’s minister Rev. Wright, Fidel es.

Castro, George Soros, and Rep. Alexandria Their Republican opponents are the sit- Ocasio-Cortez. ting senators – Kelly Loeffler and David Ms. Loeffler and Mr. Perdue won’t Perdue. Both are multimillionaires. Both admit that Joe Biden won the presidential were charged with insider trading, selling election, nor that he won Georgia. stocks after receiving private briefings on Adopting Donald Trump’s baseless claims the threat posed by the pandemic. Both of fraud, they wrote a joint letter calling dubiously claimed that their advisers for the resignation of the Georgia secremade the trades without their knowledge. tary of state, a conservative Republican Both tout themselves as Donald Trump supporter of Donald Trump. He scorned supporters. They oppose the Affordable the demand as “laughable.”

Care Act, and support alternatives that What isn’t laughable is the long lines would leave hundreds of thousands of Jesse Jackson continued to page 28

Headlines From Africa Botswana: Botswana is setting up special courts dedicated to gender-based violence (GBV) to protect women, children and other vulnerable groups after advocates warned the Covid lockdown was exacerbating high rates of GBV. Central African Republic: After a week of turbulence and an attempted coup, the seizure of the nation’s fourth largest town and military assistance from Russia and Rwanda, voting is underway. The frontrunner is incumbent president Faustin Archange Touadera.

Ethiopia: Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is sending more troops to secure the region bordering Sudan as contests over land and resources in Benishangul-Gumuz have spurred ethnic violence. Ethiopia's military killed at least 42 people allegedly responsible for massacring over 100 civilians a day earlier, according to local officials.

Ghana: Ghana’s main opposition party won the remaining seat to be counted in the nation’s legislative elections, creating a hung parliament that is predicted to complicate President Akufo-Addo’s efforts to act decisively to restore an economy hurt by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Lesotho: First Lady Masekoalane Majoro is advocating that the government unite in fighting early childhood and forced marriages and donated 300 dignity kits to vulnerable girls and young women to improve hygiene to maintain their dignity during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mali: Children in Mali suffered a sharp increase in grave violations, particularly linked to the worsening security situation throughout Central Mali—the deadliest region in the country for civilians as the population finds itself trapped between armed groups, self-defence groups and even national or international security forces, as well as local inter-communal conflicts.

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hat would our nation Freedom House in Washington, Raphael look like if every day, D.C., which annually rates 210 Warnock Will every American – of nations around the world as being Take Georgia every background and "free," "partly free" or "not free." ethnicity – were to wake up and America in Israel is the only nation in the with the conviction that they Wrong Direction Middle East rated "free." are 100% responsible for the cirBut Warnock and his colleagues cumstances of their lives? ignore oppression throughout the region No blame, no victimhood, no excuses and only choose to attack the one country saying that what is happening to them is that is free. because of someone This freedom is enjoyed not only by the else.

Jewish citizens of Israel but also by the It touches, I nearly 2 million Arab citizens of the counbelieve, the heart of try. In my first visit to Israel, I couldn't Christianity. help but notice the amazing diversity, with At any given Jews from all over the world – white, moment, you may not brown and black. have control of what is Regarding the situation in the West outside of you. But you Bank and Gaza, where Palestinian Arabs Star Parker have control over what live, their absence of freedom and prosperis inside of you. Change what is inside first, ity is their own choosing. They control their and then you will change what is outside. future, not Israel. Rather than aspiring to We have faith in a loving God who build better lives for their citizens, they wants us to take responsibility, and when choose regimes that set a priority to there is failure, there is forgiveness and destroy Israel. another chance.

In 2005, for example, Israel unilaterally Too many in our country are paying a withdrew its presence from Gaza. The great price by listening to politicians on the Palestinian regime there was free to start left who are telling them the opposite. building a nation. Rather than doing this, Consider the black Rev. Dr. Raphael it started lobbing missiles into Israel. The Warnock, who is now running as a Palestinian Authority prime minister Democrat in one of the U.S. Senate runoff announced, "We are telling the entire elections in Georgia. world: today Gaza and tomorrow Warnock is a poster child of the left, Jerusalem." which embraces the view that the world is Israeli settlers who were displaced unfair, controlled by racists and when Israel withdrew moved inland, startexploiters. ed irrigating the desert with desalinized And for some reason, Warnock, like so water and, within five years, were exportmany of this point of view, chooses to zero ing $50 million worth of organic potatoes, in on Israel, the very model of success carrots and peppers a year. through personal responsibility, as a probI wrote about it then, quoting the late lem rather than a solution.

Art Linkletter, television personality and Just last year, after visiting Israel, he outspoken Christian, who observed, affixed his signature to a Group Pilgrimage "Things turn out best for people that make Statement on Israel and Palestine. the best of the way things turn out."

That statement identifies Israel as an I said then that Linkletter's observation "oppressive" regime, accuses Israel of seg- captured why Israel has grown and prosregation, speaks of militarization "reminis- pered and why Palestinians have lancent of the military occupation of Namibia guished. The same is true in America. by apartheid South Africa" and of "excesThis Christmas, let's choose freedom sive use of force" by Israel in Gaza. and personal responsibility.

These total distortions of the truth in Star Parker is president of the Center for service of a left-wing political agenda Urban Renewal and Education and host of should be a wake-up call for those thinking the new weekly news talk show "Cure of casting their vote for this individual.

America with Star Parker." To find out Regarding the reality of Israel, we can more about Star Parker, visit www.creturn to the nonpartisan organization ators.com.

A look at current news from the continent of Africa Niger: The December 27election marked what was Niger’s first-ever peaceful handover of power between presidents, despite a bloody jihadist insurgency. President Mahamadou Issoufou’s hand-picked successor, Mohamed Bazoum, led with 39.33 percent of the vote—not enough to avoid a run-off in February with former president Mahamane Ousmane, who previously served from 1999-2009.

Nigeria: The Africa Centers for Disease Control reported another new variant of coronavirus. While differing from that found in the UK, it is not believed to be more contagious.

Rwanda: The Government's commitment to eradicate malnutrition and stunting is paying off as the percentage of stunted children under the age of five dropped from 38 percent to 33 percent over the past five years. Officials hope to get it down to 19 percent in 2024 with the provision of safe drinking water, food security, immunisation, and other programs.

Senegal: In a new deal worth over $1 billion, the international port operator, DP World, is set to build a new 1,500-acre deep-water port in Senegal’s capital Dakar. The deal includes plans for a terming constructed to handle the world’s biggest container ships and an “economic zone” to attract foreign capital.

Sierra Leone: Marriages of underage girls are on the rise as the coronavirus pandemic deepens poverty in countries like Sierra Leone. The United Nations estimates that hardships resulting from COVID-19 will drive 13 million more girls to marry before the age of 18.

South Africa: South Africa's cricketers expressed their "ongoing commitment" to supporting the Black Lives Matter movement after their players raised their fists before their first Test against Sri Lanka.

Sudan: The U.S. has lifted Sudan’s state sponsor of terrorism designation. The move comes after a settlement requiring Sudan to pay $335 million for victims of the 1998 twin bombings against the US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya.

UpFront CHEZ HADLEY

California Rings In A New Slate of Laws for 2021

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ut with the old, in the with new– laws, that is. With the dropping of the ball in Times Square, the New Year rings in a new slate of laws and as with most years, many of them are fueled by the previous years’ headlines.

Not surprisingly, many of the 320 laws Governor Gavin Newsom signed were inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Employers can now be fined for failure to provide written notice –within 24 hours– to workers who may have been exposed to someone testing positive for Coronavirus and hospitals are required to maintain a three-month stockpile of personal protective equipment (PPE).

A bill prohibiting the use of choke holds and another requiring that no later than the close of 2021, corporate board of directors for publicly owned companies need to have a minimum of one director from an underrepresented community reflect the wave of protests surrounding police violence and racial equity that swept the nation last summer. And still another new law establishes a task force to recommend if and how reparations could be paid out and to whom.

Due to California’s wildfires, insurers must now notify policyholders if their offer to renew a policy reduces fire coverage and get it acknowledged in writing.

In response to the Central Park woman who falsely accused a black man of threatening her, anyone who makes a 911 call to threaten or harass someone based on factors including race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation can be fined.

their sick days at their sole discretion.

Businesses cannot deny an employee's use of their sick days for whatever reason the employee deems necessary.

•Those working for app-based companies like Uber and DoorDash may now be eligible for a guaranteed wage along with limited number of health and other benefits.

Criminal Justice

In what will be good news for California workers, the state’s minimum wage increases to $14 per hour for businesses employing 26 or more people, and $13 per hour for businesses that have 25 or fewer employees. Here are just some of the other laws that will be on the books–and enforceable– in 2021.

Workplace •Companies with as few as five employees are required to provide up to 12 workweeks of unpaid, job-protected leave to their employees for such life events as serious health problems, birth of a child, and military active duty. They must, however, have been employed for more than 12 months, and for more than 1,250 hours during the previous 12-month period.

•Certain professionals – such as musicians, writers, and a host of others are exempted from AB 5, a law signed last year that requiring the reclassification of many contractors to employees.

•Employees now have the power to use

•Law enforcement agency will be required to maintain a policy that provides guidelines on the use of force, utilizing de-escalation techniques and other alternatives to force whenever possible, specific guidelines for the application of deadly force, and factors for evaluating and reviewing all use of force incidents. Agencies are also required to make those policies available to the public.

•Inmates who work in the state's fire camps (and were not convicted of violent felonies or sex offenses) now have the opportunity to clear their records upon release and may have the possibility of finding work in a professional capacity as firefighters.

•Youths up to age 17 can’t be questioned by police or waive their rights until they have a chance to consult with an attorney.

Defendants no longer have to prove “intentional discrimination” in challenging charges or convictions based on race, ethnicity or national origin.

•Women being held in jail or prison who are pregnant –or believe they might be pregnant –are required to have access to

Staff a pregnancy test and other pregnancyrelated services.

•Good Samaritans are exempted from civil and criminal liability when rescuing an endangered child under six in the event of property damage.

•In a law prompted by the death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, a first responder or law enforcement officer who takes photos of the dead at the scene of a fatality for any other reason than the official investigation can be charged with a misdemeanor.

•A sentence of probation for a misdemeanor will be limited to a maximum of one year, and probation for a felony will be limited to two years.

•California must automatically clear records for arrests that did not result in conviction after the statute of limitations has passed, and those around probation and jail once the sentence is completed.

Individuals arrested or convicted after Jan. 1, 2021 qualify.

•Felons now have the right to vote upon completion of their sentences.

Education •Students enrolling in Cal State campuses this fall will be required to take an ethnic studies course (focusing in on Native Americans, Latino Americans, Asian Americans and or African Americans) in order to graduate.

•Companies providing student loans must New laws continued to page 24

Money Matters California Hospitals Are Hiking Charges By More Than Five Times Their Costs, A Daunting Burden For Covid-19 Patients DIANNE LUGO Staff

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OVID-19 is currently killing at least one American every minute of a day. Some Americans may remain reluctant to seek treatment despite the rising death toll thanks to treatment costs, at least according to a new study from National Nurses United.

According to a Commonwealth Fund survey cited by NNU, 68 percent of respondents said that “potential outof-pocket costs would be very or somewhat important in their decision to seek care if they had symptoms of the coronavirus.”

That’s because back in June a study by FAIR health found that uninsured COVID-19 patients were likely to pay $45,000.

If they had major complications that inpatient stay could cost as much as $74,000, however.

Insured patients, FAIR Health estimated, would still have to pay a portion of a $21,000 to $38,000 bill.

Overall, according to the median charge amount shown in the report, a COVID-19 patient could find themselves footing a bill for $45,683 if they’re 51 to 60 years old or $34,662 for those in the 23 to 30 age bracket.

These high hospitalization bills are just a part of a larger trend of rising health care costs. In California, the NNU report found that the state’s hospitals are just as guilty of hiking charges with some California hospitals charging patients more than five times their cost.

Across the United States hospitals charge an average of $417 for every $100 of their costs, double what hospitals charged 20 years ago. That average is $506 for every $100

when looking at California’s average.

“Nurses see the direct consequence of skyrocketing costs,” said NNU and California Nurses Association President Zenei Cortez, RN. “We see the patients and families who are unable to afford the high prices, who skip needed medical care, even lifesaving treatment, due to the high costs, or endure financial ruin due to the high prices.”

The study places the blame on increased hospital mergers and large systems’ acquisitions. A more concentrated market, the study emphasizes, facilitates a hospital’s ability to demand higher payments from insurance companies.

In Northern California for example, with a more concentrated marker than S o u t h e r n California, hospital prices were 70 percent higher for inpatient care and 17 to 55 percent higher for outpatient care when compared to S o u t h e r n California.

At Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital the facility fees have nearly doubled over the last 10 years. A trip to its emergency room in 2010 would cost between $287 to $6,118. In 2019, an emergency room visit cost as much as $11,958, double the average at other San Francisco hospitals.

Unfortunately, the increased burden on patients in California and across the country means that when surveyed, 78 percent of adults say they have avoided hospital visits and 51 percent say they have skipped medical care thanks to costs. In 2019, 137.1 million people in the United States were struggling with medical debt.

On the Money Beyoncé Will Donate $500,000 to Families Facing Eviction

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hen the pandemic began Beyoncé’s charitable foundation BeyGOOD helped small businesses by providing $10,000 grants to 250 small businesses in addition to providing water, food, supplies, COVID-19 testing and mental health support to communities in need.

Now, BeyGOOD has announced that the foundation will now help families facing eviction.

“Beyoncé is continuing her heart of support and helping where needed most. Phase Two of the BeyGOOD Impact Fund will now help those impacted by the housing crisis,” read the statement released by the organization. “The housing moratorium is set to end on December 26th, resulting in mortgage foreclosures and rental evictions. Many families are impacted, due to the pandemic that resulted in job loss, sickness and overall economy downturn.”

Families will be able to submit necessary paperwork to the NAACP alongside an online application that opens Jan. 7. 100 total recipients will be selected for $5,000 grants that will be disbursed late January.

A second round of applications will open in February.

The assistance comes as a national housing crisis looms as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has left millions of Americans unemployed. Millions more have reported job disruptions that have forced them to take pay cuts.

Alongside the economic crisis, 9 million renters have reported being behind on rent and utilities in November, according to a Census Bureau survey. And if no relief comes soon, analysts estimate that 12 million renters could owe an average of nearly $6,000 in back rent and utilities by January.

According to research from the Aspen Institute, nearly 40 million Americans will face that risk of eviction in the coming months.

Biz News Briefs MSNBC Taps Rashida Jones to Head Cable News Network

L.A. Focus/January 2021

MSNBC has named Rashida Jones the first Black person and Black woman president of the network. Jones, who becomes the most prominent woman in cable news, will officially take over on Feb. 1, Black History Month, replacing Phil Griffin, who had been at the cable news channel for more than 25 years.

“Rashida knows and understands MSNBC, in part because it’s where she started when she first joined NBCU seven years ago,” the company reportedly wrote in an email to NBC News employees.

“She knows that it is the people who work here that make it great, and she understands its culture. She also appreciates the impact and potential of the brand.”

Jones is currently serving as senior vice president for NBC News and MSNBC, where she oversees MSNBC’s daytime and weekend programming.

Ebony Magazine Purchased Out of Bankruptcy Ebony Magazine, the iconic Chicago-based, publication that has chronicled black culture, historical events

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like the Civil Rights Movement and the accomplishments of America’s most influential Blacks, could get a new lease on life with its recent purchase by former NBA player, Junior Bridgeman.

The 67-year-old former Milwaukee Bucks Forward told the Chicago Tribune that he believed he could return the 75-year-old publication–founded by John Johnson–to profitability.

“Ebony kind of stood for Black excellence, showing people doing positive things that could benefit everyone,” Bridgeman is quoted as saying. “Nothing is ever easy, but this would be, I think, a labor of love.”

Last year, Ebony sold its historic archives to The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Ford Foundation, The J. Paul Getty Trust, and The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for $30 million with all of its million+ iconic images donated to museums.

And while that may have satisfied some of its creditors, it did not prevent the publication from going into bankruptcy in July.

Bridgeman’s plans to revive the publication are not likely to include a printed format, but instead a digital one.

Byron Allen’s TheGrio.TV Launches King Weekend Byron Allen's Allen Media Group has announced that its new over-the-air 24/7 broadcast television network TheGrio.TV will expand its distribution to eleven major market Fox owned-and-operated television station sub-

channels on January 15, 2021 — the start of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend.

TheGrio.TV will feature African American-focused content reaching over 100 million U.S. households via overthe-air broadcast television stations, cable/telco/satellite platforms, and free digital streaming. TheGrio.TV — with its new network brand slogan "Our Culture Forever" — will feature movies, sitcoms, dramas, concerts, talk shows, variety shows, game shows, news, and lifestyle content.

The eleven Fox owned-and-operated television markets are: Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Houston, Atlanta, Phoenix, Minneapolis, and Orlando. These eleven U.S. television markets represent 29.6 percent of general market households and 36.3 percent of African American households.

"The Grio — which means 'storyteller' in Africa — is the first platform to offer an online digital news destination, a free streaming app providing local news, weather, sports, traffic, and entertainment content geofenced to the user's zip code, and an over-the-air broadcast television network," said Byron Allen, Founder/Chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group. "With the Fox owned-and-operated stations coming on board as our launch group, TheGrio.TV over-the-air 24/7 broadcast television network is now positioned for long-term sustainable success."

April Ryan has signed on as White House correspondent and Washington, D.C., bureau chief.

Money Matters

LISA COLLINS Staff

What You Need To Know About Prop 19 & its Impact on Wealth Generation for Minorities

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t was billed as a way those 55 and older, severely disabled, or victims of a wildfire or natural disaster could move without being hit with a prohibitive property tax bill.

Sounds good, doesn’t it?

Better yet, was the assertion that a portion of the revenues raised from Prop 19 would provide additional revenue to firefighters and their unions. The timing couldn’t have been better with wildfires raging throughout the state.

But the few benefits Prop 19 provides are just as surely outweighed by the financial hit it will impose on families looking to build generational wealth and or financial independence through the transfer of property from parents to their children.

One columnist dubbed it as a steak laced with cyanide that may look good, but you don’t want to eat.

Susan Shelley of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association dubbed the new law as “a billion-dollar tax increase on families.’

Here’s a little background: in 1986, Proposition 58 allowed that a home of any value and up to $1 million of assessed value of other property – to be transferred between parents and children without a reassessment, keeping the lower property tax intact.

Beginning February 16, 2021, Prop. 19 would repeal Proposition 58 and trigger reassessment of inherited or transferred property within families, except when the property is used as the primary residence of the person to whom it was transferred. All other properties passed on to heirs would still be subject to reassessment at full market value.

To paint the picture in even clearer terms, if your parents purchased a house in 1983 at $200,000 and pay $4,400 in property taxes, the reassessed annual property tax bill on that property–now assessed at $1.5 million would be somewhere in the neighborhood of $33,300.

That’s a seven-fold increase.

Even if they decided to live in the property transferred from their parents, the exemption will only apply to the assessed value of the property at the time of the transfer plus $1 million. Anything above that will be assessed at the normal tax value. Using the same example of the house, purchased for $200K, now valued at $1.5 million, because the value now exceeds the assessed value at the time of the transfer plus $1 million, the balance of $300,000 would be calculated at the market property.

That means an additional $3,000 or so would be due.

For many black families, the skyrocketed increase in taxes will be unsustainable. Given that homeownership rates for African Americans lag behind whites–impacting their ability to build generational wealth–the implementation of Prop 19 will mean that housing wealth disparities will more than likely be passed on to future gen-

erations.

In their analysis of Prop 19, Sara Kimberlin and Kayla Kitson of the California Budget & Policy Center noted, “Housing policy and tax policy have historically benefited white households most, including through policies with explicitly racist design and implementation that have blocked Black and brown Californians from homeownership opportunities.”

Even in best case scenarios, rents in minority communities are likely to increase as the heirs of rental properties once owned by their parents are hit with higher property taxes and will, in turn, pass some of the costs on to tenants.

That was surely not something that was disclosed to voters in Prop 19’s advertising blitz. Instead, the bill’s backers spent $50 million on campaign ads claiming it was beneficial to taxpayers.

The bill was funded by the California Realtors Association, most believe to fuel real estate sales.

The Legislative Analyst’s Office estimates that the repeal of the “intergenerational Transfers protections” guaranteed by the earlier proposition will result in 40,000 to 60,000 families getting hit with higher property taxes every year.

“It’s really unfair for most people because this is the asset that parents have to give their kids and one of the benefits of that asset is the low property taxes, especially here in Los Angeles where kids can’t afford to buy into L.A. anymore,” said Jennifer Keller, a Manhattan Beachbased estate planning attorney with the Keller Law Firm. “This is the one thing that gave them the ability to have a house in L.A. County and now, if they have to pay property taxes at the fair market value when they get that inheritance, a lot of people won’t be able to keep that house.”

“It’s a hit to every community, but really a hit to us,” David Plummer, a veteran title officer of 35 years, observes. “This is how we build our generational wealth.

GameChanger:Peter Barker

GERALD BELL Contributor

“One Man’s Mission to Solve the Homelessness Crisis in Los Angeles”

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Having an affordable housing portfolio of approximately 10,000 units, business owner Peter Barker says he is much more concerned about addressing the homeless crisis in Los Angeles than seeing the firm he inherited from his father turn a fiscal profit.

As president of Barker Management Inc. (BMI), a company that provides quality property management services to the affordable housing markets in California and Nevada, Barker humbly sits on the board of Shelter Partnership, Inc. a nonprofit organization whose mission is to collaboratively solve homelessness in Los Angeles County through policy, resource development, and advocating for agencies and local governments that serve the homeless.

“It's a passion of mine,” says Barker about helping the issues of homelessness in L.A. “And it's a real crisis we have here and I'm very conscious and passionate about trying to figure out a resolution.”

Barker cited a recent statistic which shows that African Americans make up less than 11% of the population in Los Angeles, yet 40% are homeless.

“I believe in the right that everyone should have a [roof] over their head and that there should be more focus on that,” he insists. “Especially those with physical or mental illnesses, and drug addictions…We've seen enough success stories to know that this model works.”

Founded in 1972, BMI specializes in managing federally assisted housing, which includes a variety of subsidies administered by agencies and programs under the United S t a t e s Department of Housing and U r b a n Development ( H U D ) ,

“

A lot of people think of [affordable housing] as the projects...That was the programs back in the day, but what is being built now is many times for working families or seniors in need–and it's extremely creative, innovative, and a real asset to the communities.”

Community, Federal and State Low Income Housing Tax Credits, State Bond Issuers, Federal Home Loan Bank’s Affordable Housing programs and other state and local funding sources. While BMI’s portfolio is made up of mostly family, senior and special needs housing, they have also expanded to include conventional housing and commercial developments.

“We’re serving that unique population, and more from a personal perspective,” explains Barker whose parents grew up in South Central and Watts in the 1920s.

“Having spent a lot of time in a lot of different communities in Los Angeles, and seeing the impact of people who still aren't housed within those neighborhoods, and also the [conditions of the] people themselves — being able to relate to these populations is critical.”

According the Barker, BMI has property and developments in some twenty different communities throughout Los Angeles. Their work can be found from East LA, to South Central, to the San Gabriel and San Fernando Valleys respectively, and some with senior and afterschool programming to address the needs of certain individual residents.

The success that Barker has experienced over the years is based on the philosophy of “attention to detail” he says. “It’s important to let someone else look at [your work] just to pay attention to make sure that everything's correct. I learned that from my parents, they've always worked like that.” This common-sense approach he says has allowed he and his staff of over 300 employees to

underscore the necessity of monitoring all the tasks involved in constructing and managing a development for their clients and their employees.

BMI places great emphasis on diversity in order to reflect the make-up of Los Angeles. “My company represents [our city’s diversification], we speak probably close to a dozen languages and come from a variety of different backgrounds,” he notes.

Of course, none of Barker’s achievements have come without some price to pay. He and his firm have had to contend with misperceptions about affordable housing being an attraction to unwanted tenants, but the issue has not detoured BMI from its mission.

“A lot of people think of [affordable housing] as the projects,” Barker points out. “That was the programs back in the day, but what is being built now is many times for working families or seniors in need—and it's extremely creative, innovative, and a real asset to the communities.”

Barker goes on to express, “What's frustrating is the community that fights against [new developments] does so not understanding that it’s going to be an added value to those communities and not intended to take away what’s important.”

“We're working right now to develop something in West Los Angeles and we've gotten mostly positive community support,” Barker says. “A lot of it is the design and a lot of the community outreach is just to get ahead of any misconceptions.”

BMI constructs properties from the ground up and they also acquire and redevelop existing structures.

Managers and maintenance staff all live on site so that immediate attention can be given to tenant and property concerns. One of the successes that Barker finds most satisfying is the low turnover rate of many of his company’s occupants.

“I know residents and people who've been in our properties for twenty years and they’ve known me for that long,” he reflects. “Those are tangible successes of people who are [thriving] because all we've done is provide an affordable place for them to live.”

BMI has come to be regarded as one of the nation’s most effective managers of affordable housing according to their website. One of its developments, singled out by HUD officials as a model place where residents feel safe and proud, is less than a block from developments so dangerous that police will not enter them, except in force.

Another development, now recognized as one of the best in South Central, was considered the area’s worst, prior to being assigned to Barker Management, Inc. “We're a people company,” Barker affirms. “We're only as good as the people we serve and the people serving them. And we hope we make an impact in people's lives.

That's it.”

L.A. Focus/January 2021

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ith a resounding victory in November's general election, former State Senator Holly Mitchell is now representing the 2nd District on the L.A. County Board of Supervisors. Mitchell, who defeated former City Council President and veteran politician Herb Wesson by over 130,000 votes, cemented the hard-fought campaign she ran on social welfare, criminal justice and alleviating the housing crisis with a seat on the largest and most powerful local governing body in the country which oversees a $35 billion budget.

Though the steadfast Mitchell has been confident about her chances since she announced her candidacy at the beginning of the year, receiving over 66% of the vote against an opponent with as much experience and name recognition as Herb Wesson was surprising, even to her.

“I, like many people, was quite frankly surprised at the vote margin between myself and my opponent,” Mitchell tells L.A. Focus. “But what it really said to me was that the voters related to our values-based campaign and the messaging we talked about on how to recover from COVID-19 -- acknowledging the fact that there are structural issues that the county really can weigh in on in a meaningful way to help communities who were suffering quite frankly before COVID19. I think people understood my track record, my 10 years in the legislature and my work to alleviate poverty. So, I’m proud of what we were able to do and very humbled by the response from the voters.”

Mitchell’s election to the board is also significant because for the first time in the Board of Supervisors’ 150-year history, the five-person body is comprised entirely of women. In the past, the gender disparity at the board was painfully apparent as it took 125 years to elect the first female representative-- which earned the body its tongue-and-cheek nickname, “the five

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KEITH DELAWDER Contributor

little kings”.

While Mitchell acknowledges that the new allfemale board, which some have dubbed “the fab five”, is a great symbolic victory for equality in policy making, she rebukes the notion that the new board will be anything but business as usual.

“I imagine that for the 125 years when it was all male, the first question asked to male candidates wasn’t, ‘[the board] is all male, what do you think about that?’ I don’t think those are the questions that were posed to men,” remarks Mitchell. “The four women that I have joined on the board are all brilliant stateswomen with very diverse backgrounds and experiences. The one thing we probably all have in common is our gender, but we all are very diverse and bring our own set of experiences and lens to the policymaking arena.”

During her swearing in ceremony in early December, California Supreme Court Justice Martin Jenkins shared a quote from the late Ruth Bater Ginsburg in his preamble to her oath of office.

“When [Ginsburg] was asked how many women are too many on the Supreme Court, she said nine,” recalls Mitchell. “I love that. It reminded everyone of Justice Ginsburg and how special this moment is.

“I think it’s wonderful that it’s all female, and as I’ve said, I don’t think we’ll do any worse than the fellas during the 125 years that it was all male. It’ll be okay!”

Having served both the State Assembly and State Senate consecutively since 2010 when she was first elected to succeed Congresswoman Karen Bass as Assembly member for the 54th District, Mitchell has made a name for herself as a hard-working, in-theweeds style lawmaker known for getting things done-which is exactly the kind reputation she wants.

“A community leader pulled me aside at an event the first year I was elected in the assembly and told me, ‘don’t ever let anybody introduce you or refer to you as a politician. That’s not what you are. You’re a policy maker’. And that hit me like a ton of bricks,” says Mitchell. “That’s exactly what I am, and I’ve always referred to myself in that context.”

Electing me is not enough. Now you have to stand with me for us to really turn our county around and survive this pandemic.

So it's not enough to say, “Oh, I voted for you. I'm out.” You have to work with me, engage with me, help us figure out, and do the work in your own community around what we can do collectively.

With over 90 bills authored and passed through the State Legislature, Mitchell’s record speaks for itself.

During her seven years in the Senate, Mitchell was also the first African American to serve as the Chair of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee where she led the passing of state budgets each totaling over $200 billion in a state which boasts the fifth largest economy in the world. It’s this legislative experience that Mitchell is poised to bring to the Board of Supervisors.

“I’m proud of that reputation of being a policy wonk, because that is the nature of the work at the county level and at the County Board of Supervisors,” says Mitchell. “It is a unique body in that it’s both legislative, administrative, and executive, so having done the policy work and having my experiences is going to make a difference for the kind of work I’m going to be able to accomplish and ultimately in the lives of the people who

health and human services subcommittee meeting and watched three male lawmakers cut $1 billion in funds for state subsidized childcare, without much consideration or input.

Mitchell reflects on that moment being her realization that the change she sought would have to come from her.

“Here I am with two busloads of working parents and their babies from Crystal Stairs and I don’t have anyone from L.A. County to speak to! So, I go into [then] Assembly Speaker Karen Bass’ office, and I’m just working myself up into a frenzy telling her my story, to the point where I am banging the desk. I’m standing there looking at her and then it hits me, and I told her, ‘And with term limits you’ll leave.’

“It literally hit me like a wave,” she recounts the pivotal moment, “and I said, ‘I’ll be damned, I have to

Mitchell. “The rate of unhoused family, friends, and neighbors, and of those unhoused who come from the second district, health disparities, under-employment, access to healthcare services, access to mental healthcare services, the educational gap, are all issues that COVID has ripped the band-aid off of and exposed to the world. So, it’s not so much that the issues are different, they’ve been intensified 100-fold.”

Nonetheless, fighting to contain the spread of the virus is her utmost priority and Mitchell urges L.A. County residents to do their part and take it seriously.

“We are in a public health crisis. And if people don’t wear their masks, socially distance, wash their hands, and get the vaccine when you have the opportunity, we are going to see catastrophic hospitalizations and deaths,” says Mitchell. “In L.A. during the last two days, we’ve had the highest loss of life per day than

Left: Supervisor Holly Mitchell flanked by Califoria Worship Center Co-pastors Erica and Warryn Campbell

call the second district home.”

Starting with her upbringing Mitchell has had a first-hand view of how effective government can be in combating poverty and providing much needed services.

Her parents, who met when they were both eligibility workers for L.A. County in the sixties, worked on the “war on poverty” after the Watts riots which informed her professional experience and what she believes she can accomplish.

Truth is, the third-generation native Angeleno has been advocating for others and herself since she was in the first grade and was sent to the principal’s office for coming to school with pants on. While her mom – a probation officer–told the principal that she’d dressed her daughter in pants because it was cold out and advised that she would continue to do so, Mitchell decided she would take her own action in protest.

“I’d seen something on the news about women burning their bras, and I convinced four, five of my schoolmates to remove our undershirts in protest,” said Mitchell, who grew up at Holman United Methodist Church under the leadership of Rev. James Lawson.

While there were little consequences in elementary school, these days Mitchell knows all too well the sacrifices of public service and has adopted a “Go-big-or-gohome” stance.

“My mother, in particular, showed me what government can do if you’re clear and determined and have a goal. Poverty alleviation has really focused all of my work and my entire career from being the CEO of Crystal Stairs where we were helping low income working families pay for childcare so they could go to school or work,” recounts Mitchell. “That experience applies to the county. The county is the safety net level of government, where those services are designed to help people who are in crisis and all of us thanks to this public health and economic pandemic we’re living through, are in crisis. The County has the perfect seat of government to talk about equity, acknowledge disparities in our communities, and bring services that people need now probably more than ever in my lifetime.”

Before her first run for office, Mitchell was quite happy providing childcare services for families in need as the Chief Executive of the nonprofit Crystal Stairs, the largest non-profit in the state dedicated to child and family development. Then one day she was sitting in a

run.’”

Upon her return home, Mitchell pulled together a group of friends, families and colleagues to help her think through whether a run for public office made sense for her life and her family given that a job in government would pay half as much as the job she had with no pension.

Not surprisingly, they advised her against it.

“I was the mother of a then eight-year-old,” Mitchell adds. “What would the quality of his life be? How would I manage going back and forth to Sacramento? How will I afford his college? My salary would be cut in half and capped. So, no matter how many bills I (have) signed, no matter if I'm the most powerful woman in the Senate, my salary is the same as someone who can't get a single bill though process. There's no pay for performance no matter my great work. And my pension was all that I had; how would I, as a middle-aged woman, ever get that back?”

All of them were valid points, but Mitchell was determined not only that things had to change but that, even more importantly, she could be that change agent.

Mitchell would spend the next ten years in Sacramento where she contributed to and passed countless laws aimed towards social justice and alleviating poverty. In 2019, she authored SB 188, “the CROWN Act”, a groundbreaking bill that gained international media attention, making California the first state to protect its citizens from racial discrimination based on hairstyle and spotlighting her growing celebrity on the political and media front. Signed into law in 2019 by Governor Gavin Newsom, the CROWN Act legally prohibits the enforcement of grooming policies that disproportionately affect people of color-- particularly black people-- in the workplace and in K-12 public education, including bans on certain styles such as afros, braids, twists, cornrows and dreadlocks.

Now Mitchell is looking to keep her legislative victories coming in the largest county in the country, and while stepping into office in the middle of a once-in-acentury pandemic may seem like a deathblow to any hope of accomplishing a normal policy agenda, Mitchell hopes to use the crisis to solve on-going problems which have only worsened.

“Interestingly enough, many of the priorities we’d like to focus on, COVID has exacerbated,” says

we’ve had throughout the course of this pandemic.

People have to pay attention to that. It is real!”

While Mitchell will be faced with specific immediate problems that will require her focus, the role of supervisor is also giving her the opportunity to think long term about what she hopes to accomplish in the years to come. L.A. County Supervisors can serve up to three 4-year terms, which if everything goes right, gives her up to 12 years to make a positive impact on the lives of the 2 million residents of District 2.

“I hope if I’m fortunate enough to serve a full term of 12 years, I can be able to look back in 12 years and see a physical aesthetic difference across the entire district,” says Mitchell. “One of my former opponents in the primary, Jorge Munoz, said something to me so profound, ‘if you get 12 years when you enter, there’ll be a class going into the first-grade class when you start.

The question is, how will their lives be different as second district residents by the time they graduated from high school, when you term out in 12 years?’ I thought that was so powerful and very true.

“I will be thinking about that first-grade class as we make plans around expansion of parks, expanding access to health and mental health services, how we attract and bring in new enterprises so that 12th grader can graduate from high school and go perhaps to a college in their neighborhood in the second district, and then have a career opportunity in some new developing enterprise. Those are the visions that I have at 2:00 and 3:00 in the morning about what my time on the board can really be.”

And with so much to look forward to, and even more to accomplish, the answer Mitchell gives when asked to point out her greatest legislative achievement really sums her work up best.

“People always say, ‘What’s the bill you’re most proud of?’ and I always say, ‘Well, the next one.’”

And for those who voted her into office, Mitchell has this to say: “Electing me is not enough. Now you have to stand with me for us to really turn our county around and survive this pandemic.

“So it's not enough to say, “Oh, I voted for you. I'm out.” You have to work with me, engage with me, help us figure out, and do the work in your own community around what we can do collectively.”

HO L LY W OOD SPOT LIGHT Dwight Brown Sylvie’s Love” If this story doesn’t make your heart flutter, nothing will. If Sylvie and Robert don’t make you root for love, no one can. The dialogue is either so completely natural it’s invisible or so poetic it conveys deep feelings and profound thought. Says the career-orientated Sylvie to her very traditional husband: “I can’t be the woman of your dreams when I want to be the woman in mine.”

Husband: “I never wanted you to be the woman of my dreams–I wanted to be the man in yours.”

As a director, Ashe has some minor hiccups. There are scenes that are too stagey, where characters talk and do nothing. Also, at times he uses previous footage to reflect the past, which is an unnecessary crutch. Those mild

transgressions are counterbalanced by the pop culture icons he sprinkles throughout the movie: A drop of TV’s I Love Lucy, a pinch of Sam Cooke singing “You Send Me” and of course a dash of Nancy Wilson’s jazz inflections.

In her finest showcase ever, Tessa Thompson summons up the mid-century spirits of Lena Horne, and Diahann

Carroll. She acts young and innocent, then mature and strong-willed and finally older and circumspect, seamlessly balancing frailty and unbridled ambition. One moment your heart bleeds from her bad decisions, the next you’re exhilarated by her success.

Nnamdi Asomugha, a producer (Harriet) as well as accomplished actor (Crown Heights), is a romantic leading man, exhibiting the quiet pride of Sidney Poitier and the stoicism of Denzel.

The two leads are supported by vibrant performances from Tone Bell, Alano Miller, Eva Longoria, Wendi McLen-don-Covey, Regé-Jean Page, Jemima Kirke…

Gorgeously crafted. A sweet embrace. As romantic as a first-night kiss.

OUT THIS MONTH

HOLLYWOOD BUZZ

Redemption Day January 8

Getting Better With Time

L.A. Focus/December 2020

Seems Blair Underwood just might be getting better time. Or at least just as in demand. The 56year-old actor, whose recent credits include “Self-Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker”, “When They See Us” and Showtime’s “Your Honor”–and who earned a 2020 Tony Award nomination for his leading role in “A Soldier’s Play–, is going back full circle to the role that rocketed him to stardom with word that ABC is developing a sequel to the iconic 1980’s series, L.A. Law with Underwood reprising his role as Jonathan Rollins. This time around, he’s the conservative veteran clashing with a younger attorney over the direction of the firm. And this time around, he’s not just starring in the Emmy-winning series that initially ran for eight seasons, but will exec produce as well.

Coming Attractions Looks like Lee Daniels’ “The United States Vs. Billie Holliday” film– s t a r r i n g Andra Day as the legendary

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American Skin January 15

MLK/FBI January 15

singer–is heading to Hulu next month. The movie keys in on the jazz singer as she is targeted by the Federal Department of Narcotics with an undercover sting operation led by agent Jimmy Fletcher (Trevante Rhodes), with whom she had a tumultuous affair.

The title for the movie comes from her 1947 drug possession case: 'The United States of America versus Billie Holiday'. She served tune in a federal prison camp but was hounded for the rest of her life by the Bureau of Narcotics and was even arrested for drugs on her death bed. Day, 35, credits Holliday among her early musical influences. The project marks Day’s first major film role…On February 12, the story of Fred Hampton, the Illinois Black Panther Party leader who was betrayed by an FBI informant, is set to bow in theaters and on HBO Max. “Judas and the Black Messiah” stars Daniel Kaluuya as Fred Hampton and LaKeith Stanfield as FBI informant, William O’Neal.

On the Home Front: If Nicole Young has her way, it would be cheaper for Dr. Dre to keep her.

I n recent proceedings her lawyers h a v e asked t h e court for

Chaos Walking January 22 $2 million a month in spousal support–an amount he says is ridiculous. His lawyer says her monthly expenses are closer to $293,306.

According to the prenup, which was obtained by TMZ, all property they acquired from the beginning of the 1996 marriage is separate.

According to those same documents, Dr. Dre foots the bill for the Malibu estate she’s living in, security and when she wants cash, a messenger delivers it.

Reality Bites: Pastor Jamal Bryant recently served Real Housewives of Potomac’s Monique Samuels with a cease-and-desist letter after she accused him of having a relationship with one of his parishioners while dating former wife Gizelle Bryant on the show’s reunion broadcast. According to TMZ Samuel’s attorney countered with a letter “doubling down on her comments about him, saying she had irrefutable proof." Samuels husband, a former NFL lineman also sent a cease-and-desist letter to Bryant, who he claimed made defamatory remarks about him stating that he had cheated on his wife and verbally assaulted another woman and has demanded a public apology…Briefly: You can add Oscar winning actor Louis Gossett, 84, and Shemar Moore to that increasingly growing list of celebrities with COVID…On a high note, turning 80 couldn’t have gone any better for Janice Combs the mother of Diddy. The 51-yearold rap mogul went all out, gifting her with a check for $1 million and a brand-new Bentley at a lavish dinner party.

Q&A

Malcolm Jamal Warner Hometown: Jersey City, New Jersey Big Break: T.V. Show, “The Cosby Show” Upcoming Projects: T.V. Show, “The Resident” Malcolm-Jamal Warner broke onto the Hollywood scene in a show that would change the way mainstream America saw Black families forever, “The Cosby Show.”

Since then, he’s become a well-rounded entertainer, working in film, music and poetry and winning everything from a Grammy award to an Emmy award. He currently stars on the Fox medical drama, “The Resident” and released a documentary this year about fighting racial injustice.

You’ve been staying busy with not only television but spearheading your own projects as well. What can you tell us about your new documentary, “Word Warriors III” on racial injustice?

“Word Warriors” is a film that follows a couple of different poets and chronicles life as a Black man.

Everything that everyone is talking about in this film, and the way life is, and the way life is seen through a Black man. All of that is even that much more relevant now because there are so many people whose eyes have been opened. Right now, people will be in a place where they can really, wholeheartedly receive what the spirit of “Word Warriors” is about. It's also about the craft of poetry and how spoken word poetry is a very viable and very necessary avenue for pain to be expressed.

What are your thoughts on the incredible resistance to racial injustice this year?

We're at a turning point I think, in a way that I have not seen before in my lifetime. I just feel like there is such a huge tide that's shifted, that it's positive. I think what's really interesting about the police reform that will be taking place, and the fact that these cities are jumping on this police reform so quickly - incrementally, mind you - but still, it's a very swift movement. I'm not sure if the Black Lives Matter movement is really getting enough credit for the changes that are starting to be put into place.

Your show, “The Resident” recently got renewed for a fourth season. With COVID-19 restrictions, when can we expect new episodes?

I think the reality is we won't go back to work until all the necessary precautions are in place and everyone feels safe. It literally changes pretty much everything.

We feel very blessed to be able to have work, to be doing good work, and to be doing some really relevant work.

So I think season four, with everything that's going on, is gonna be a really interesting ride for everybody.

How important is it to only take on projects that feel authentic to you?

I have been blessed enough to never worry about doing a job for a paycheck. I say “no” to more than I say “yes” to. I like a challenge, being stretched. I pursue what I respond to on a gut level, and I would guess I have a 91 percent rejection rate. I can be where I am, and people accept me. If they don’t, I don’t trip on it.

RedCarpet Style

2014 LACMA ART & FILM GALA

2012 SHOWTIME EMMYEVE SOIREE

Kamala Harris will become the United Statesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; first female vice president on January 20. Her career as a politician has led her to be honored at numerous events. Here are some of her best looks throughout the years.

2018 GLAMOUR WOMEN OF THE YEAR AWARDS

2014 VARIETY POWER OF WOMEN

2014 NAACP IMAGE AWARDS

Eye On Gospel Dinner With The Mann’s David and Tamela are hardly about to let a pandemic keep them down. Instead, they’ve got a new project up their sleeves–a digital series called Mann Family Dinner.

The series features David, Tamela, their son, David Mann Jr., and daughters Tia Mann, Porcia Morrison, Tiffany Mann, and Sonya Hurd, around the family dinner table discussing life, love, and other hot topics, with their trademark sense of humor and honesty with nothing off limits.

“We talk and laugh. A lot. And we do it over our family meals all the time. No topic is ever off limits or taboo,” says David Mann. “After hearing from the fans that they wanted to see us back on TV, we decided to do this new show just for them.”

The Mann family candidly covers topics like relationships, marriage, blended families, black stereotypes, COVID-19, gun ownership, love and sex, all in a round-table format, a trending livestream video style where someone prepares a meal and/or eats on camera.

The show is the latest series produced by the Manns’ production company, Tillymann Entertainment.

During the pandemic, Tamela has also been recording her new 2021 album release. The first single, “Touch From You,” meant to spread love, hope, and compassion to a hurting people left with fears, questions, and anxiety about what’s happening in the world, recently topped Billboard’s Gospel Radio Chart and is the singer’s seventh No. 1 single.

David and Tamela Mann

JJ Hairston Is Not Holding Back Get ready. Award-winning gospel artist and choir master JJ Hairston says he is putting it all out there with the January 1 release of his 11th album, aptly titled, Not Holding Back.

Said Hairston, “This project is one of the most important projects we’ve ever released. Not only because

the music is relevant and heartfelt, but because we intentionally revived the musical style of our genesis, while embracing the musical style of our current culture. The marriage of both came together and formed a really powerful body of work.”

The 12-track ensemble seeks to provide hope, healing and inspiration for all post the Pandemic of COVID-19. At press, the lead single, “You Are Lord of All” featuring Phillip Bryant and Pocket of Hope was top 20 on Billboard’s National Gospel Airplay chart.

Fresh off 2019’s #1 single, “Miracle Worker,” and soldout domestic tour, the album, Not Holding Back consists of an organically composed list of 12 live tracks - each with its own message, but cohesively gathered to directly touch his audience, as is always the intention. This new set of work promises to uplift its listeners to combat the fear of being vulnerable and illuminate the power of never holding back. Not Holding Back will feature collaborations with Kierra Sheard, Travis Greene, Rich Tolbert, Jr. and Naomi Raine of Maverick City.

A Not Holding Back devotional book will be available in late January 2021. In the meantime, Hairston is continuing his devotion to a greater purpose alongside his wife, Trina Hairston, having recently released a book “A Miracle Marriage” together, while also serving as Campus Pastors for All Nations Worship Assembly (ANWA) Washington, DC campus.

Kanye West Named Top Gospel Artist of 2020 For the second consecutive year in a row, Kanye West has claimed the title of gospel’s best-selling artist with his 2019 album, Jesus Is King, which sold 264,000 units its first week out (the biggest week ever for a faithbased album) and has spent more than a year at No. 1. West was also named by

Billboard as the top male gospel artist. West also holds the distinction of have the #2 Christian album of 2020 with Jesus Is Born, which is credited to West’s Sunday Service Choir. The album which first charted in January 2020, peaked at number two, with the choir being dubbed by Billboard as the leading gospel group of 2020. Ironically, that same group filed a lawsuit against West for nonpayment of wages.

Trailing West at number two was Kirk Franklin and at number three is Tasha Cobbs Leonard, who had two albums in Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums’ year end list– her current album, Royalty: Live at the Ryman and her 2017 release, Heart, Passion, Pursuit. Though #3 on the overall list, Cobbs Leonard was also named the Top Female Gospel Artist for the 3rd consecutive year and was also named Billboard’s Top Gospel Artist of the Decade.

Brent Jones Celebrate Platinum Certification Despite the pandemic, what a year 2020 has been for gospel artist and Los Angeles-based minister of music Brent Jones who was featured in the DreamWorks movie “Trolls World Tour” (starring Justin Timberlake, Anna Kendrick & Mary J. Blige) and enjoyed a hit collaboration, "Time", with Ariana Grande. To top things off, Jones was recently awarded gold and platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America for “Awaken My Love”, his collaboration with Childish Gambino.

“God is truly showing up and showing out by reminding us all that He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we can ask or think," Jones said.

Briefly: Two-time GRAMMY®- nominated, Billboard Music and NAACP Image Award-winning songstress Koryn Hawthorne, has teamed up with Dove Award-winning hip-hop artist KB, to release a refreshing remix to her chart-topping hit single “Pray.” A fan favorite, “Pray” debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Gospel Digital Song Sales Chart…Congratulations to Kierra Sheard who didn’t let the COVID-19 pandemic stop her from tying the knot with her long-time love, Jordan Kelly, last month during a small church ceremony in Detroit.

Through the Storm One Woman’s Emotional Plea Rallies A Local Community... to Save the Serving Spoon

A

ngela Johnson was in full panic mode on Dec. 8 when she decided to start a GoFundMe fundraiser for her restaurant, The Serving Spoon.

Like many other small business owners across the country, Angela and her husband, J.C, have had to consistently adapt and pivot to survive during the COVID-19 pandemic. For restaurants like the Serving Spoon the pandemic has been especially brutal, as they are forced to follow ever-changing and confusing orders.

The timeline has been especially confusing in Los Angeles.

It was in mid-March that L.A Mayor Eric Garcetti and Governor Gavin Newsom first implemented stay-at-home orders that ordered the closure of restaurants throughout the city. Like others in the city, the Serving Spoon was forced to change to entirely takeout and delivery business models.

It was on May 29 that owners were told they could reopen their restaurants. That was quickly reversed in July when indoor dining was closed again and outdoor dining remained business owners’ only alternative until it was similarly shut down November 25 following a surge of coronavirus cases throughout the state.

For Angela and J.C, they knew the closure of outdoor dining could prove to be the final nail in the coffin for the Serving Spoon.

“During this pandemic, it's just been so up and down and just kind of scary and it was beyond my comfort zone and I couldn't do anything,” Angela described. “I just felt helpless.”

“Our food cost went up, the cost of goods, the cost of board just went up,” J.C added. “And then, you had the whole thing as far as going back and forth with the county, trying to figure out what they wanted to do. And when this last outdoor dining situation took place, I had a discussion with Angie and I'm like, we have to take a real good look at this because we keep subsidizing, and it's a sizable amount month in, month out. And I said, ‘I don't know if this is going to be sustainable. We might have t o

DIANNE LUGO

Staff Writer

close these doors.’ And it really was looking like that was going to happen.”

Unfortunately, their fear has become a reality for many in the country. The restaurant industry in particular has become one of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. 100,000 restaurants were forced to close permanently from April through September, according to a survey from the National Restaurant Association. Nearly 3 million employees remain out of work in the industry, it adds.

Angela refused to be a part of those 100,000 and without her husband’s knowledge she filmed an emotional plea for help and posted it on YouTube, along with a link to a GoFundMe page, hoping to raise money to help pay her staff and keep the restaurant’s doors open. She figured she could deal with the consequences of telling her husband later.

J.C remembers waking up at 2:30 a.m the morning the fundraising page went up. His mind was racing, he remembers, trying to find a way to save the restaurant.

What he didn’t know was that Angela had already been sharing their story on social media.

“My wife went into action and I didn’t find out until about six hours after she did it,” J.C said.

Her first post had gone on Instagram and she’d reached out to an old acquaintance who worked at CBS Los Angeles. Angela’s friend couldn’t guarantee their story would be shared but to Angela’s surprise someone at CBS L.A contacted them within an hour and the couple was able to share their story on the local morning news.

It was only the start of a whirlwind full of support.

The Serving Spoon has sat in the same small shopping center on Centinela Ave. for 35 years. It was opened in 1982 by Angela’s father, Harold E. Sparks who’d always dreamt of opening a soul food restaurant. Angela and her husband bought the restaurant from Sparks in 2004. It’s a memory they laugh at now.

Married for 35 years now, the purchase of the restaurant nearly split them apart. Sparks was retiring and was in the process of selling it outside of the family.

Hearing the news, J.C immediately found otu who was buying it and stopped the deal, telling Sparks they’d buy it instead.

Angela wanted nothing to do with it, he said.

Angela Johnson

thinking that this was only going to last about, three, four months max,” J.C admitted.

“We really released a lot of money because the money that we were saving payroll and other things, we were like, ‘oh, we can bless others with that,” added Angela. “It just kind of didn’t go that way and we ended up pretty much having the short end of this big stick.”

The community sure enough paid their generosity back tenfold. Since the launch of the GoFundMe campaign on Dec. 8, the Serving Spoon has raised $102,986 from donations alone.

Los Angeles Rams player Andrew Whitworth also shared his support, announcing that he and his wife would donate $50,000 to the restaurant.

“It was a total surprise. We've never met this man.

They've never been to our restaurant,” Angela shared.

“His wife actually saw it on TV and it moved her to action. And she was like, ‘They're in Inglewood, we're in Inglewood. Find them and let's make something happen for them.’ And they reached out to us and it was just beautiful. We were just in awe when we all met up over the phone. Him and his wife spoke to us and encouraged us and bid us Godspeed and they said, this is what we're going to do and when they said $50,000, me and my husband, we just looked at each other and just started crying.”

The money will go towards paying their staff and keeping the restaurant running. After recalibrating they’re ready to continue reaching out and helping others in the community, as they’ve always tried to do.

For now, the couple is glad the Serving Spoon can get back to doing what it does best.

“The word restaurant in French means to refresh, restore. And the thing is that we've always looked at the restaurant as a place where, like Angie said, people leave better than they came. Because there's so many things that life throws at us that just is part of being here on this Earth so if there's ever opportunities, places, people that can bring about a smile and make your day better, it is a wonderful thing,” J.C said. “And we just always moved in that area of where we wanted to be part of a solution and not a problem.”

L.A. Focus/January 2021

“I was just angry because you didn’t discuss this with me, you just made this decision on your own,” she told L.A Focus.

“The first six months was really tough because the restaurant was in disarray and so there were a lot of things that have to be taken care of,” J.C remembered.

“We almost got a divorce.”

That’s all changed now and the restaurant has since become a pillar of the Inglewood community, serving politicians, celebrities and Inglewood residents alike.

They’ve become a source of comfort and safety and good food. The love for what the restaurant has come to represent was evident in the “overwhelming” support the couple was shown.

“We had no idea that we were going to receive the outpouring of love and support and prayers and finances and everything. We just...we have no idea,” Angela said.

The generosity is a reflection of their own, they believe. They’ve fed the homeless on Skid Row and donated to families in need, even throughout the pandemic. The couple partnered with KJLH in April for six weeks in their “pay it forward” program where they sponsored a family or individual in need each week, giving them a $500 check.

“We did that early on during the COVID crisis,

“

And the thing is that we've always looked at the restaurant as a place where, like Angie said, people leave better than they came. Because there's so many things that life throws at us that just is part of being here on this Earth so if there's ever opportunities, places, people that can bring about a smile and make your day better, it is a wonderful thing

19

ChurchNews

Agape Church of Los Angeles Worship Center Consolidated Plaza: 3725 Don Felipe Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90008

Houses of Worship Can Now Hold Indoor Services, Most Won’t For Now Public health officials strongly recommend that places of worship continue to hold services outdoors, with physical distancing and the use of face coverings to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to congregants and to the entire community. And because Los Angeles County is experiencing an unprecedented surge of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, that every effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to congregants and to the entire community is critical.

Bishop Kenneth Ulmer Introduces the Global Church Divinity School

L

L.A. Focus/December 2020

ast month, Los Angeles County officials reversed a ban prohibiting houses of worship from holding indoor and outdoor services, effective immediately.

The decision was prompted by three recent Supreme Court rulings for places of worship. In all three cases, the high court sided with churches in Colorado, New Jersey and New York over state’s restrictions on worship gatherings issuing orders that vacated the lower court decisions in those cases.

In a 5/4 decision the judges ruled that effectively barring many from attending religious services, strike at the very heart of the First Amendment's guarantee of religious liberty, "It is time–past time–to make plain that, while the pandemic poses many grave challenges, there is no world in which the Constitution tolerates color--coded executive edicts that reopen liquor stores and bike shops but shutter churches, synagogues, and mosques." Justice Gorsuch wrote in a concurring opinion on the New York case.

To that end, Los Angeles houses of worship will be permitted to offer faith-based services both indoors and outdoors with mandatory physical distancing and face coverings over both the nose and mouth that must be worn at all times while on site. Places of worship must also assure that attendance does not exceed the number of people who can be accommodated while maintaining a physical distance of six feet between separate households.

Most pastors, however, have stated that they will not be putting their congregants at risk.

“While this is great news, the priority for us to keep our members safe and in light of this recent surge, Weller Street Missionary Baptist Church is going to continue to practice protocols, worshipping online,” said Pastor K.W. Tulloss, who serves as president of the Baptist Minister’s Fellowship and believes he is not alone in that assessment.

Pastor Mike Fisher, who leads the Pastors of Compton, agrees.

“Everything that is permissible to do should not necessarily be done at that moment. So yes, it is our right to be able to have service and it’s lawful to have service, but I don’t think it’s expedient. We are called to protect our congregation and our flock. For us to expose our congregation to possible cases and positive diagnoses that we are literally watching kill bishops who have faith, pastors who have faith and parishioners who have faith. So this is not a matter of us honoring God by being in a church building.”

Pastor Shane Scott, however, knows the dangers of Coronavirus first-hand.

“On November 16 I tested positive for COVID-19 and I spent six days in the ICU so I’m very clear on the dangers of COVID,” Scott said.

“COVID is no respector of persons. We have to look out for the best interests of our people, and we have to trust God, but also trust the God in science and allow science and medical doctors to guide us through this season so I will not be opening up our church.

“For the pandemic of 1918, our church was closed for five years,” Scott continued. “I’m not suggesting it’s going to be closed that long this time. but the church also has to provide leadership. The church will survive this.”

Some churches like Bible Enrichment Fellowship are taking a “wait-and-see” stance.

“We will be using some of our facilities for smaller gatherings, but getting back to full use is going to be a gradual process starting sometime after our consecration month in January.”

20

Joining with Dr. Leonard Sweet, Dr. James O. Davis, and the Global Church Network, Dr. Kenneth C. Ulmer recently introduced the Global Church Divinity School.

“It is now possible for you to obtain the finest teaching while continuing part-time or full-time in ministry,” Ulmer states in a recent email message.

“You do not have to stop what you are doing, relocate to a new city, or incur astronomical debt in order to receive high-level ministry training that will help you succeed in fulfilling your divine destiny.

Through the GCDS, those interested in ministry have the opportunity to achieve many dynamic credentialing levels in seven powerful ministry tracks. Each GCDS track and level has been developed to equip Christian leaders with the finest principled and practical training.

Ulmer has also been tapped as one of six African American Christian leaders to help Logos Bible Software to diversify its Bible study products and adding more African American voices to its digital study tools currently being used by more than 4.5 million people. Other mega preachers included in the effort are Joseph W. Walker III (Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Nashville) and Ralph Douglas West (Church Without Walls in Houston).

In Other National Church News…

Prayers and condolences surrounded the sad news that Bishop Dr. Iona E. Locke, founder of Abyssinia Christ Centered Ministries and a Presiding Prelate of the Christ Centered Ministries Assembly, passed away on December 18.

The renowned pastor was noted for her dedication to the Word, devotion to the global community, her powerfully anointed preaching, and her influential teachings and recordings.

The loss of Bishop Locke is immeasurable, as noted by the renowned fellow pastor, Bishop T.D. Jakes, who shared on Instagram: “Growing up as a young man, one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life was to hear Dr. Iona Locke preach the gospel. She was a young girl, a child prodigy, one of the greatest orators I had ever witnessed. Her voice was distinctive, her singing anointed, her prophesy spellbinding and her boldness unrivaled.

She’s now wrapped in the mantle of the episcopal, chartered away from this cold world in chariots of fire like Elijah! She has slipped beyond the veil. Some would say, she was an amazing female preacher. But gender had nothing to do with the glory that rested on her. Few men or women wanted to grab a mic she dropped”....According to a recent news report, Tyler Perry has paid out nearly $100,000 to cover the costs of a beachfront rental for former Hillsong pastor Carl Lentz. The pastor–who has relocated to Los Angeles with his wife and three children–was fired from the popular megachurch after confessing to cheating on his wife, and is now reportedly receiving help for depression, anxiety and pastoral burnout.”

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

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!

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 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. 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

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 Prophetess June Morgan / Assistant Pastor

Services Every Friday: 7:00pm -9:30pm We meet at: 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

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

Grant AME Church 10435 S. Central Avenue • Los Angeles, CA 90002 (323) 564-1151 • F: (323) 564-5027

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 Sunday Tues. Pastor’s Bible Study: 6:30pm Wed. Noon-day Prayer: Noon

FIRST LADY FILES

Carol Howard

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

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

Holman United Methodist Church 3320 W. Adams Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90018 (323) 703-5868 • www.holmanumc.com Email: holman@holmanumc.com Rev. Dr. Ken Walden, 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 (Adults) Bible Study: Every Thursday @ Noon We Gather,Grow,Go and Live the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

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 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

Y

Southside Bethel Church

ears ago First Lady Carol Howard decided to go get her nails done. On the other side of a glass window stood her future husband, Pastor Frederick E. Howard.

“We introduced ourselves and we became friends for a couple of years and next thing I know we were dating for a couple of years and 24 years later here we are.”

Pastor Frederick E. Howard took over leadership of the Southside Bethel Baptist Church 23 years ago.

Before she became Southside’s First Lady, Mrs. Howard was a faithful church goer, as she had been since a child.

Her family, originally from Jackson, Mississippi, followed the lead of her great grandmother, the first in her family to move to California. She was raised for most of her life in Los Angeles, although she does spend a lot of time in Jackson whenever she can. She attended Trade Technical College and Bethany Christian Bible College and describes herself as an atypical First Lady.

She fears that a common misconception can be that first ladies are untouchable or unapproachable.

“They can seem like they just sit there with their hats on, don’t get their hands dirty...I’ve been a pastor’s wife for 24 years and I’ve never worn a hat. Not one time,” she explained.

Instead, she’s become deeply involved in helping her community. She helps run a feeding program everyday, providing breakfast and lunch to children in the community and gives out clothes to the homeless.

“Whatever I can do is what I do,” she said.

It’s a continuation of the work she retired from five years ago. She was the Parent Coordinator at the Watt’s Learning Center Charter School for 10 years where her job was to make sure families had shelter and food and all of the kids had access to uniforms. It was a hands on job and when she retired, she dove into similar work through her own church.

“I get my hands dirty and my feet wet,” Howard said.

Her selfless nature comes through when she speaks about the work she does. It’s a difficult task to try and describe herself, she said “I’m a servant,” she said. “It’s hard for me to talk about what I do because it’s just a part of my life.

So to say what I do, well, that’s what we’re all supposed to do.

We’re all supposed to take care of the homeless, we’re all supposed to feed the poor. You’re supposed to help people at all costs.”

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) 296-577 Roshod D. Hall Sundays: Morning Worship: 8:00am & 11:00am Wednesday Bible Study & Mid Week Worship: Noon & 7:00pm Prayer Meeting: 6:30pm

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

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

In Carson

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

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)

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 Park Windsor Baptist Church 1842 W. 108th St. Los Angeles, CA 90047 (323) 756-3966 • RevTerrellTaylor@sbcglobal.net Rev. Terrell Taylor Morning Worship: 8:00am & 11:00am Bible Study Wednesday: Noon & 7:00pm Communion: 1st Sunday at 8:00am & 11:00am

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

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

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

In Hawthorne

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

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

Love and Unity Christian Fellowship 1840 S. Wilmington Ave, (P.O. Box 5449), Compton 90224 (310) 604-5900, www.loveandunity.org • info@loveandunity.org

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

Apostle Ronald C. Hill, Sr. Founder and Pastor Live Stream Sunday Worship:10am & 6:30pm Live Stream Bible Studies:Wed.7:30pm&Sat 9am Live Stream Prayer w Apostle: Fri: 9am Food For Your Soul TV Ministry Impact Televison Network: Mon-Fri @6:30amPST KJLH 102.3 Sundays 9:00pm

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

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

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

Pastor Profile: Gregory Sanders Church: The Rock Christian Fellowship How Long at Church: 28 years Hometown: Tuscaloosa, Alabama Family: Wife Kelly, three adult, 10 grandchildren

Let's start with how you came to be a pastor. What was that journey like?

I always knew that for me there was a deeper kind of calling on my life. My grandfather was a pastor and I remember telling him when I was about eight or nine that I was going to be a pastor. I didn't really know what I was saying. I just knew what I was feeling. I was raised in church.

My mom was die-hard. She sang in the choir, she taught at Baptist Training Union. And so I was always in church, but I also enjoyed it. I felt like I belonged there... it fit.

As I got older, I started being a musician and had this band – and that delayed what I believe was my inevitable calling. In fact, I lived in Canada for a year and a half and started second-guessing my qualifications towards the calling.

L.A. Focus/December 2020

Had you gone astray?

Well, the bible says we've all gone astray. At that age, I think I was just exploring my identity.

Music was my passion. That's what I thought I was being called towards because I was doing a lot of studio work and a lot of bands wanted me to play with them. When I left California, I left here with an all-black band and a six-

22

week assignment in Canada. When I got up there, this allwhite band started pursuing me. I ended up joining that band and that's what kept me in Canada for over a year.

We worked every week, but what's interesting Is I don't care where we were, every Sunday I found some kind of church to attend.

What brought you back to Los Angeles?

I wanted to resume my education, so I enrolled in City College and just started recalibrating my passion and then took a deeper dive into my commitment at church. I started teaching in our children's church and eventually our teen church. In my 30s is when I fully committed to walking in a pastoral assignment and that's when I finally stepped into it.

What led you to your current church and to be a leader in the Long Beach community?

My grandpa had passed, but my grandmother's still owned the property and although she tried, it just didn’t work, so I agreed to come over to Mount Moriah, and we changed the name. And that's what birthed The Rock Christian Fellowship in Long Beach.

Had the church diminished in the time since your grandfather passed?

Yes. As a matter of fact my grandmother's property almost was in foreclosure. So the first call was to save the property and we began to just, rally the members who’d stayed with us through the hardest times. We started with that core of maybe 20-plus people and slowly but surely, we begin to rebuild, restructure and refinance. We were able to not only save the property but grow into a powerful ministry today.

How did you come to lead the Long Beach Ministers' Alliance?

It was founded in 1969 by Pastor Wayne Chaney’s grandfather to galvanize the black pastors and help us use that influence in our community to encourage equity. I had joined and my passion for working with our community made me a good fit to lead it. So they asked me if I would take it over.

What were the issues at the time?

Our community violence had accelerated. At the time, we had a black police chief, so I built a relationship with our Long Beach Police Department at multiple levels, not just at the officers, but the police union, black police officers, police academy..and looked at how were they policing us where we had a higher level of violence. We found out there was a deficiency there.

The officers didn't look like us, the officers didn't relate to us, the officers didn't live in Long Beach… We needed more officers from our communities..

We began to create our own violence prevention plan in

Long Beach. Those kind of things opened up doors for other opportunities that allowed me to sit at the table to create policy and some programs that ultimately helped us to reduce our acts of violence in our city.

What kind of things are you involved in currently?

As we speak, the Long Beach Police Department has not had a black police officers association, so we're having those conversations. We're also working very closely with the LAPD on human trafficking along with our efforts to demystify the FBI and get a lot more of our kids into the FBI, whose work force is just 3% black. Not just a position as an agent, but they have amazing internships and jobs.

Once you get a job within that organization, it’s for life.

Before COVID, we were hosting meetings where we would do meet-and-greets for the community, bringing job opportunities, internships, mentorships– all of that.

What do you think of the difference you've made in Long Beach, you or your church?

Because we do an amazing job with The Rock with our homeless, with our social justice efforts and with human trafficking I think one of the differences is that hopefully, we've encouraged smaller ministries that your significance still matters because when we work together, we can do the same things the larger churches are doing. It’s just a matter of galvanizing our energy. Most of the churches in the Alliance are under 400 members.

How many churches are in the Alliance?

35 to 40 that are committed, but when we have certain projects, we can go as high as 50 or 60.

What do you consider to have been your biggest success thus far?

It's really that I hope that everyone I encountered during the course of my life was glad they met me– glad that I was in their life. I want like people just to say, you know what? I'm glad I met Gregory. I don’t care if we were just playing dominoes or we were doing something that created a policy, a procedure, or a movement in our city.

What is the biggest challenge you've had to personally face and what got you through it?

I found out at the age of 17 that my dad wasn't my biological dad. So from 17, until much later, I began to ask about my [biological] Dad and my mom would never tell me. About the time I turned 60, she tells me that when she was 17 living in Alabama, she went to Portland to visit her cousins who were up there and met these cool guys. One of them asked to take her to the movies and instead took her out to some wooded areas and raped her.

So at 60, I learned that I was the child of rape.

How did that impact you?

I was traumatized at 17, then I get re-traumatized at 60 Pastor continued from page 24

From the Pulpit of: Antioch Baptist Church of Long Beach “The Divine Now”

I

saiah 60: 1-3 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.

2 See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you.

3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn While the historical context for Isaiah 60:1-3 is important, I want to explore this as a divine pattern not only for that time, but a divine pattern for our lives.

I stood boldly at the beginning of this quarantine and declared ‘listen, God is reframing the field. While he’s drying up certain areas, he’s giving us new competencies. We’ll come out of this with reward–different vantage point of God. We’ll understand ourselves better as we begin to go inward and do work, we normally would not have as our life is filled with entertainment and shopping and consistent activity that allows us to hide from the things we really need to deal with.

I shared all those things, but I shared that God would sustain us in the same way he sustained Elijah in a different way. I think we can all agree that God did that. He made a way and He continues to make a way.

Another prophetic anchor that God gave us at the top of this season of challenge was this: When I ran track at Poly, there was a picture the Lord showed me of running 400 meters and often when you run the 400 meters folks would get out and exert all of their energy while I did sprint around the first 100 [meters}, our coach told us to try and hold that pace but not accelerate too much for the second 100.

Some people would go all out, but we would get to about the last 120-110 meters and the coaches would yell out from the stands, ‘Now’. That’s when you would turn it on. Often we would be able to accelerate beyond our opponents and take the win,

because they went out too soon.

On top of all of this, the Lord spoke to us and said, ‘listen, do not be moved by everything that you see. Don’t spring into action in a reactive way based on what everyone else is doing. The Lord said, ‘Keep your pace. Stay faithful. This is not the time.’

But He said that there is a divine “now” that is coming. The same way the coaches would yell out “now” and you would accelerate your pace, the Lord said there is a divine “now” coming from Heaven in the midst of this chaotic and uncertain season and I’m going to give you favor. I’m going to give you resources. I’m going to back your move. I’m going to be the wind at your back.

I’m going to go before you to clear the way.

I want to announce to you prophetically that the “divine now” has come.

Yet, like in this passage in Isaiah, there is a contrast: the writer says there is darkness in the land and thick darkness over its people.

This doesn’t only speak of dire circumstance, but it also speaks to a lack of revelation– a lack of sight concerning what God is doing.

He says a thick darkness over the people in circumstance and in sight.

Interestingly, it’s at that moment when God does something significant. It’s at that moment that God causes his light to shine upon you. It’s at that moment when it gets perfectly dark that God says, ‘now is the time’.

Ironic that when circumstances are great and society is moving as it should, no one is looking for the light. No one’s looking for the source of stability. But when everything goes sideways, God says, ‘I’m going to favor you –I’m going to cause my glory to overshadow you. While everyone else is living in fear, you have a heavenly father who knows what you need. You don’t lose it like the Pagans.

Notice this, as things become darker for you in one sense, it is a divine moment– where God will activate that which has appeared to have been dormant. It’s

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

Antioch Church of Long Beach 350 Pine Ave. ,Long Beach, CA 90802 (562) 591-8778 •www.antiochlb.com Senior Pastor Wayne Chaney, Jr.

In Long Beach

Online Services Stream live: Sunday 10:00 am at antiochlb.com Give: text antiochib to 77977 Social Media: facebook.com/antiochlb instagram.com/antiochlb youtube.com/antiochlongbeach

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

where the lights will come on–where you will be highlighted. Your ability to walk with God. Your ability to trust the Lord.

Your ability to hear his voice and have the faith level to respond. That is what is going to separate those with God’s hands on their lives from everyone else.

We find this pattern throughout scripture. It’s the way that God works. He often waits for things to become dire and dim to highlight his people. He waited until famine to highlight Joseph. He waited until chaos to highlight Daniel. He waited until there was a lack of revelation from the Lord between Malachi and Matthew and then He causes his son, the light of the world, to come in.

God often brings in fresh insight and causes his people to shine through a dark and dreary backdrop.

I remember taking one of my younger relatives to Disneyland and they wore me out. They spent all my money. I was ready to go. We had ridden all the rides. We’d stood in all the lines and as I was leaving, they said we can’t go anywhere.

We’ve got to wait for the light show.

It ended up being another four hours and it had gotten dark. So, I went to ask one of the workers, ‘Isn’t it about time for the light show?’ and they said, ‘no, it’s about two hours from now.

Then two hours later, when it was pitch black and you couldn’t see anything, the fireworks began to shoot off in the sky. It could have happened earlier. You still would have been able to see the display, but you would not have been able to see it in all of its beautiful splendor.

There’s something about a completely dark backdrop that helps to highlight things you would have overlooked before. While I know this time has been dark and it has been uncertain for so many, I promise you, for the believer–if we have the willingness to continue to tune our ear to God’s voice and follow what He is saying, His light is going to

shine through us in this coming year like never before.

This writer says that with this backdrop of darkness being in the land and thick darkness being over the people, God highlights the wisdom of His way. God highlights his brilliance through His people. God highlights his favor by sustaining and bringing elevation to those who love Him. I’m crazy enough to believe that “divine now” is right now. I don’t want you to look everyone to

continued to page 24

Pastor Wayne Chaney

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

Grant AME Church of Long Beach 1129 Alamitos Ave. Long Beach, CA 90813 • (562) 437-1567 grantamelb@aol.com • www.grantamelb.org Rev. Dr. Michael W. Eagle, Sr.

Family of Faith Christian Center 345 E. Carson Street, Long Beach, CA 90807 (562) 595-1222 • F: (562) 595-1444

First United Methodist ChurchCompton 1025 S. Long Beach Blvd •Compton, CA 90221 (310)639-0775•F: (310) 639-1161

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

Bishop Sherman A. Gordon, E.D. Min

Dr. Arnetha E. Inge, Pastor

Sunday School: 8:00 am Morning Worship: 9:00 am

Sunday School: 8:30am - 9:30am Sunday Morning Worship: 10:00-11:45am TONGAN Worship:1:00pm(2nd&3rd Sundays) Wed. Prayer & Bible Study: 7:30am & 6:30pm

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

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

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

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

In Norwalk

InTribute

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

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

Ridley-Thomas continued from page7 Yet another concern for some was whether or not the Manuel Arts High School graduate who earned a PhD in Social Ethics from USC is positioning for a future run for Mayor. His answer to that question is about as enigmatic as a poker player who is hardly ready to show his hand.

Ironically, it is a question he answers in third person.

“There’s no elected official locally that has a comparable body of work to that of Mark Ridley Thomas and I think constituents know that in the 10th district and beyond…and probably want to see if that can be enhanced,” states the 66-year-old married father of two.

“I would just simply say, we’ll have to see as it relates to the kind of systematic and almost scientific way of making such a determination.”

Newsom’s choice continued from page 6 champion following a distinguished line of individuals who have shattered glass ceilings and hurdled obstacles in their way. After then-Senator Harris’s historic election in 2016 as the first woman of color to represent California, we now have another historic barrier shattered as Alex will be the first Latino to serve California in the United States Senate,” Rep. Bass said in a statement..

“I congratulate Secretary of State @AlexPadilla4Ca on his historic appointment to fill VP-elect @KamalaHarris’s seat in the United States Senate,” shared Rep. Lee on Twitter. “I look forward to working with him on behalf of all Californians to address the economic and public health crises we are facing, and to create a brighter future for our state and for communities across the country.”

Newly-installed Second District Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell’s response to the appointment was mixed, celebrating both its historic nature and her disappointment.

“As a Black woman I can’t ignore what Vice Presidentelect Kamala Harris’s senate seat represented. She was the only Black woman in the U.S. Senate and now there are none. This is something we must hold space for discussing and acting on as our party works to rebuild our nation from the failures of the Trump administration. I hope that the Governor will remain mindful of the lack of representation for Black women in the U.S. Senate. I wholeheartedly trust that Alex Padilla will continue to lead with the integrity and fortitude he has shown as our Secretary of State and throughout his career in public service. I have worked with Alex in the legislature and know that he will fight for all Californians. We should not shy away from celebrating this historic moment while acknowledging the continued work that must be done to keep our seat at the table.”

L.A. Focus/January 2021

Jesse Jackson continued from page 8 that Black voters had to suffer in order to cast a vote in the primaries and November election. For years, Georgia – controlled by Republicans – has passed various measures to suppress the votes of minorities and the young, including gerrymandering districts, requiring photo ID, aggressive purging of voter rolls, and more.

Neither America nor Georgia can move forward until the growing majority that is desperate for change overcomes the systematic efforts to divide and suppress. This country cannot begin to address the threats it faces – the pandemic, the economic collapse, corrosive and extreme inequality, catastrophic climate change, racial inequity, growing insecurity and a declining middle class – until those standing in the way are defeated.

Ms. Loeffler says the “future of the country is at stake on January 5.” Of her many delusions, that one may be the closest to the truth.

Rev. Jesse Jackson can be reached via email at jjackson@rainbowpush.org or on Twitter: @RevJJackson.

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For more information, call

310.677-6011

Pastor continued from page 22 and I couldn't reconcile the two. I struggled for a while. I really had to hit the pause button for a minute to just figure out who in the hell am I? What's true and what's not true?

My mom says she didn’t tell me earlier because she thought I’d be revengeful. But I was wondering could I have made better choices in my relationships? Could I have recognized certain triggers to certain propensities in me? I may have hurt other people as a result of my lack of knowledge. I’m currently working on a book: “Child of Rape: Man of Promise”.

What is the gist of it?

Millions of others have had the same type of trauma in their life, finding out an untruth later in life. What we thought was real or true, was actually not. So how do you navigate that? I wouldn't be here if it wasn't God's plan for me to be here regardless of how I got here and I'm not the only one that got here this way. I've been thinking it was going to be a blessing for me... it's my final chapter, if you will.

Pulpit continued from page 22 else’s report. I know we have to be soberly aware of not only Biblical insight and revelation, but sociological observation, so don’t be a fool.

What I am saying is what I see ahead is not more doom and gloom for the believer nor do I see things just becoming more glorious for everyone. Like this passage, I see both things happening at the same time. Both thick darkness and challenging circumstance and uncertainty and confusion and lack of sight or insight, while God will cause those who His hand is on to arise. To arise with strategy, to arise with answers, to arise with creative insight on how to impact humanity.

I believe with all my heart that heaven is saying now.

You’ve been waiting for it. You’ve tried to make sense of the mess. You feel as if God has not spoken, but I’m telling you, God is getting ready to speak in a clear and prominent way, not only as it relates to revelation, but He’s opening up doors of favor and access that will be beyond anything you’ve apprehended. And I’m not telling you this as someone who is pipe-dreaming, but I’m telling you what I’m living–what I’m experiencing.

There are doors that God has opened in the last few months that I never expected in my lifetime, but it came after a pronounced season of darkness and uncertainty. It came after a stalemate where the temptation is to try and create or manufacture something because it seems as if God is not moving, but God said ‘chill’. The divine now had not come yet, but I promise you it’s here and you ought to celebrate that.

God’s going to speak to you afresh. You’re going to hear practical instruction from the Lord. And when you step out this time, His divine backing and favor is going to meet you there. The divine now is right now.

New Laws continued from page 9 inform borrowers about programs that offer lower monthly payments or debt forgiveness. Consumer lawsuits will be allowed against those companies failing to comply.

Other •Family members of murder victims and other violent crimes may be allowed to get out of a housing lease or rental early.

•Manufacturers of cleaning products are required to list all of the ingredients on the labels.

•Those operating social media platforms are required to disclose whether or not that social media platform has a

Walter E. Williams, was one of our favorite guest columnists. Hailed as one of nation’s great intellectuals, conservatives and a champion of free market economics and capitalism, Williams–who taught economics at George Mason University and authored ten books, including Race and Economics: How Much Can Be Blamed On Discrimination?, passed away last month. policy or mechanism in place to address the spread of misinformation. The law requires the disclosure to be easily accessible on the social media platform’s website and mobile application.

•Beginning in July, the recipients of unemployment compensation benefits have the right to choose whether the benefit payments are directly deposited into a qualifying account or applied to a prepaid debit card.

Prop 19 continued from page 12 Many of the people this bill will affect are middle to lower income, especially because where middle class used to be is not there anymore. So, it’s going to be a devastating hit.

“When I look at just the amount of probates in the African American community where people don’t even have living trusts to even pass on the wealth and get hit with probate fees. That’s lack of education. Lack of information. Adding Prop 19 to this and it all hurts.”

But while those properties may be too expensive for some to retain, Plummer believes that the value of the homes may outweigh some of the considerations. The worst part, he believes it that “most black people don’t even know what Prop 19 is” and are unaware of the impact it may or may not have on them.

To avoid the assessment, property owners–hoping to pass their homes onto their children–would have to make the transfer their homes and or rental/commercial properties on to their children before February 15, 2021, in which case the heir would not have to live on the property.

There are other considerations particularly where more than one child is involved, and where gifting could lead to massive capital gains fees.

Because of the time constraints, there is a good chance the deadline will be extended, Keller believes that the February extension could be delayed, but suggests that those concerned should seek professional advice.

InGoodTaste

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SavingGrace

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L.A. Focus/December 2020

hrough trial and error, comedian Loni Love discovered that the key to success was being herself. The title of her new memoir, “I Tried to Change So You Don’t Have To: True Life Lessons” speaks to the wisdom gained from her past mishaps.

“I'm hoping that through this title, you see that changing doesn't help you embrace your flaws.

Flaws - if you want to change - fine. But sometimes flaws are God's gift to make you stand out, to make you different than everybody else,” Love explained. “And so that's what I want people to really understand about changing and accepting flaws.”

Love admits to trying on different personalities like hats in hopes of emerging as a better version of herself, something that she learned she didn’t even need to do.

“I tried to change because I thought if I change, then I could better my life, but actually that's wrong … This book is a story of hope, but it's also funny because after every chapter I have a list of jokes. Life is about levity and I just want people to understand a little bit about me,” Love said.

Host of the popular, daytime talk show, “The Real,” Love has been a multitalented, shapeshifter her whole life.

Growing up in Detroit, Michigan, the 49-year-old was an electrical engineer before her career as a comedian took off. While earning her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at Prairie View A&M University in Texas, she even minored in music.

Displaying her talents even further, in 2008, she covered the inauguration of former President Barack Obama after becoming the CNN correspondent for “D.L. Hughley Breaks the News.”

It was during college that Love discovered her passion for stand-up comedy, after which she continued to perform in clubs before becoming a regular at The Laugh Factory.

But Love was able to kick off her entertainment career in a new way after appearing on the talent competition, “Star Search” in 2003 and making it all the way to the finals. Soon, she was appearing in films like, “Soul Plane” and “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2” as well as numerous television shows. She also has a Daytime Emmy Award to her name for hosting on “The Real.”

When asked about her success as a comedian. she admits that, honestly, she doesn’t even think she’s that funny.

“I'm not funny. I'm from Detroit. Everybody’s funny from Detroit,” Love said. “The mailman, the teachers, the senior citizens, everybody from Detroit.”

But Love did see success with Black audiences as a way to gauge whether or not she was truly talented at the art of comedy.

“I want to make people feel good. I want to let them escape for a minute. And especially people of color, we've been through so much, Black people go through so much.

So, when you make Black people laugh, that's when you know you’re funny,” Love said.

As someone who has triumphed over her fair share of hardships - starting with rocky family relationships Love values her role as someone who can ease the pain and frustration of others through entertainment and by telling her story.

26

Loni Love We have to start telling our stories, especially people of color, especially Black women. There are not enough of us actually out there presenting our stories. You don't have to be a writer, you don't have to be a journalist, there are ways that you can record your life.

“It wasn't a strong family upbringing. And so basically a lot of things I had to do on my own, but God blessed me to have mentors to help me to get through it,” she explained. “If you come from humble beginnings, if you come from a place of isolation or loneliness, I hope that this (memoir) gives you some hope to let you know that you can get through it.”

Love believes that as a Black woman, she has even more of a duty to speak up and make sure that her voice and life experiences are heard.

“We have to start telling our stories, especially people of color, especially Black women. There are not enough of us actually out there presenting our stories,” she expressed.

With everything that has happened in 2020 alone, from a global pandemic to social uprisings, Love believes that there is no better time than now to begin documenting your life’s journey.

“You don't have to be a writer, you don't have to be a journalist, there are ways that you can record your life. You can get your notebook and write down in the morning how you feel or at night what happened,” she said. “You have technology, get your phone and do a voice memo and start saving because what happens is, when you look back on this in five years, you're going to be like, ‘Wow, look at what I overcame.’”

Love says that she’s been journaling since she was 10 years old, and she’s had quite the experiences to look back on. After being arrested at age 19

with a friend who put soda into a water cup, her outlook on life and what it meant to be Black in America changed forever.

“If we were two white girls and my friend did that, the cop would have said, ‘Give the dollar or don't do that.’ But because we were Black - people have to understand - you go to jail,” Love said. “That was my first time going to jail. I got booked. I got fingerprinted … They put me in jail with the murderers and the rapists.”

Love got charged with a felony for entering the kitchen of the establishment to protect her friend, which was considered trespassing. While grateful for having made it out of the situation, the comedian is aware that many Black people don’t get that chance.

“A lot of Blacks get into the jail system and things happen to them that change their whole life,” she explained.

Before videos of Black people like George Floyd, who was killed by a police officer for allegedly using a fake $20 bill, were being circulated online, Love says it was hard for non-Black citizens to understand the true nature of what Black people experience in the U.S. “This is happening to not just me, but Black people everywhere,” she explained. “We’re not criminals. And so, you have to tell these stories so that people get a better understanding of the discrimination that we all face.”

During what has been a life changing year for Black people and everyone around the world due to the pandemic and ongoing protests, Love says that she’s blessed to be financially stable enough to take the proper health precautions and try to cope with all that’s happening.

“I feel bad because some comedians really need the money,” she said of comedians who are still trying to find ways to perform live on the road. “I've been blessed that I don't have to, plus I just don't want to put people at risk.”

For the time being, she’s focusing on her Instagram live show, “Quarantine with Loni” and having fun with newer apps like Tik Tok. Her relationship with boyfriend James Welsh is even thriving during the quarantine a feat that makes her one of the lucky ones.

“Yeah, a lot of people are not lasting, but we actually are doing very well. We decided to quarantine together,” Love said “He has certain responsibilities … I do things like the cooking and stuff. We work together and it's just nice to have support.”

With a career spanning numerous fields and a light that shows no sign of dimming, Love is hoping that through her book and other projects she can continue to inspire others to reach their goals with authenticity and perseverance.

“You have to look at yourself and you need to give yourself a love life,” she explained. “What I try to do is, I try to say things, I try to write things that people can learn from and have some hope.”