Vol. 62 No. 49 | Thursday, December 08, 2022

A new lawsuit against the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) alleges that the

U.S. government discrimi nated against Black veterans for decades.

On Monday, November 28, the suit was filed by Yale

By Emma Fox Contributing Writer

Sustainability is a topic that has come up often in recent years because of the increas ing awareness of climate change and concern for the future. In the push toward an environmentally conscious society, many forget that there are communities that are affected disproportion ately more than others and in many cases, these are com munities of color.

Environmental racism is a term coined by Reverend Benjamin E. Chavis Jr., the former Chairman of the NAACP. He defined it as “racial discrimination in environmental policy-mak ing, enforcement of regula tions and laws, and targeting of communities of color for toxic waste disposal and sit ing of polluting industries.” See

By Maxim Elramsisy California Black Media

teristics,” including race or ethnicity, assumptions about income or edu cation, and/or physical appearance.

77% are experiencing some form of discrimination due to “personal charac

“We have known that racism and discrimina tion take a toll on the mental health of our communities, and now we must factor in the

Law School’s Veterans Legal Services Clinic (VLSC) on behalf of Vietnam War vet eran Conley Monk Jr., whose See

A poll of Black women and Latinas across California sponsored by Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA) and Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE)® found that

VETERANS:

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applications for education, hous ing, and disability benefits have been denied since he returned home from the war, per The Hill.

According to the suit, discrimi nation by the VA has left Black veterans without benefits more fre quently than their white counter parts. Yale’s VLSC said the lawsuit could “provide a legal pathway for

BARRIERS:

Continued from cover di sproportionate and lingering effects of the pandemic on commu nities of color,” said LaNiece Jones, Executive Director of BWOPA.

“What matters now is that we don’t sweep these added challenges aside but treat these barriers in mental health care for what they are, a cri sis in care that must be urgently addressed,” Jones added.

The historic poll was made pos sible through a grant from Kaiser Permanente Northern California Community Benefit Programs. It was conducted by Los Angelesbased public opinion research firm EVITARUS and was fielded August 17-30, 2022

Responses were recorded from 800 Black and Latina women. The find ings give insights about the most important concerns that they face with their families, accessibility of mental health services, preferences for providers, and priorities for approaches to create greater equity in the provision of mental health care.

Experts widely agree that the COVID-19 pandemic triggered an unprecedented global mental health crisis. People of color, young people, women, and those with low

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the location of one of the largest prison riots in US history, tak ing place just weeks after revolu tionary activist George Jackson was murdered by prison guards at Rikers Island, an act that initiated the birth of Black August and the prison reform movement. The con stant abject cruelty and inhumane treatment doled out to the incar cerated (who were overwhelmingly Black and Latinx) by Attica guards (all White) created the context. The riot itself, and its aftermath, are something all human beings should be required to reckon with. ditions.

#9: Quincy (2018)

If you’re Black, it literally doesn’t matter when you were born, what generation you’re a part of, or where you’re from. You’ve been impacted by the genius of Quincy Jones. We’ve all been influenced by the genius of Quincy Jones. The music he made, the albums he produced, the artists he devel oped, the movies he scored, and about a gazillion other things Jones did, means, as I’ve already said, if you’re Black, Quincy has had a hand in your life. Don’t believe me. What Black person do you know who isn’t a Michael Jackson fan, who hasn’t seen The Wiz, or who doesn’t have a family member who worships jazz music? Quincy Jones had his hand in all that and so much more. Directed by one of his daughters, actress Rashida Jones, this doc is most definitely a must see.

Black veterans to seek reparations from the VA.”

“This lawsuit seeks to hold the VA accountable for years of discrimi natory conduct,” Adam Henderson, a law student working with the VLSC on the case, said in a state ment, per the Hill.

“VA leaders knew, or should have

known, that they were adminis tering benefits in a discriminatory manner, yet they failed to address this unlawful bias,” Henderson added. “Mr. Monk — and thou sands of Black veterans like him — deserve redress for the harms caused by these negligently admin istered programs.”

According to internal VA data

obtained by the Washington Post, Black applicants seeking disability benefits were denied 30 percent of the time from 2002 to 2020. White applicants were denied 24 percent of the time.

VA press secretary Terrence Hayes said the agency is working to com bat “institutional racism.”

“Throughout history, there have been unacceptable disparities in both VA benefits decisions and military discharge status due to racism, which have wrongly left Black veterans without access to VA care and benefits,” Hayes said. “We are actively working to right these wrongs.”

incomes are most at risk of mental health challenges before and after the pandemic, compounded by the added weight of a heightened economic crisis and instability, as well as more visible expressions of White Supremacy, anti-Blackness, anti-immigrant sentiment and hate crimes aimed at communities of color.

The current social and economic climate creates a distinctive set of pressures on Black women and Latinas. Thirty-four percent cite finances or issues related to inad equate income as the top concerns facing their households. Safety, health, and housing also rank as chief concerns.

More than 3 in 5 respondents reported having a mental health concern for which they did not seek care from a provider. They attributed this to various barri ers, citing travel expenses, length of travel time to appointments and inability to take time off work. Women without coverage for mental health services, those with mental health conditions, younger women, and those covered through Medi-Cal reported the highest rates of untreated needs.

The women that did seek help

#8: Four Little Girls (1997)

On Sept. 15, 1963, just 18 short days after the much-celebrated March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., was bombed by four mem bers of a Ku Klux Klan-affiliated racist group. Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley, four African American girls between the ages of 11 and 14 who had been attending the church’s Sunday school, were killed in the blast, an act of White domestic terrorism that served as a horrific and sober reminder that Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech was not enough to end the hold the myth of White supremacy had on so many. Director Spike Lee tells this powerfully compelling and important story as only he can.

#7: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke (2019)

For generations that came after the Baby Boomers, it’s hard for us to fully fathom how big a star Sam Cooke was. Think of the big gest singer of any generation. That was Sam Cooke in his heyday. And not only was he hyper-talented, but not only did he call some of the biggest names in Black history his personal friends (Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X just to name a few), Cooke was a man of the peo ple. And he was heavily invested in the Civil Rights Movement and an advocate for Black self-determina tion and Black ownership. Cooke

reported often having negative experiences. Seventy percent of Black women and 54 % of Latinas reported racial or ethnic dis crimination. Another 59 % of Black women and 55 % of Latinas reported “assumptions people make about your income or level of education.” Forty percent of Latinas reported discrimination based on “assumptions about their ability to communicate in English” and 28 % reported “assump tions about your documentation of immigration status.” Several other types of discrimination were reported, particularly relating to class, faith, size, and accent.

“Our research draws a direct line between the challenges in access ing mental health care for Latinas and Black women to the shortage of mental health professionals that share our backgrounds,” said Helen Torres, CEO of HOPE. “The data is a call to action for healthcare pro viders and educational institutions to address the negative impacts of a healthcare workforce that does not represent the communities it serves. We must take steps to close the representation gap and provide better care to all.”

Nearly half of respondents reported

difficulty finding access to a men tal health provider.

Fifty-seven percent of Black or African American women and 38 % of Latina women said that it was extremely important or very important to have providers of the same background, but more than half said it is difficult to find a pro vider who shares their values or comes from a similar background.

According to the Medical Board of California, only four percent of active psychiatrists practicing in California are Latino and only two percent are Black.

The ability to find a therapist with shared values and offering low-cost services were the most commonly reported barriers, though many also reported difficulty finding providers and services covered by their insurance. Insurance accep tance was the most documented problem across all age groups, underscoring the widespread unaf fordability of mental health care.

Disparities in women’s health are well documented at almost every level of health care. Mental health is no different.

The mental health crisis is not specific to adults. Suicide is the

second leading cause of death among people aged 15-19, accord ing to a 2019 study on mortality. Suicide rates among Black youth have been rising for more than a decade, most sharply among Black girls. According to a 2021 report, approximately one third of young Latinas seriously contemplate sui cide.

Long-existing disparities in mater nal health are also present with relation to mental health. Women of color suffer from higher rates of postpartum depression compared to White women. They also have a lower rate of screening and treat ment for post-partum mood dis orders.

Recommendations developed from the poll findings include increasing funding to address the barriers to getting adequate care, developing programs, scholarships and finan cial aid to increase the pipeline of Black women and Latinas in men tal health related fields, which, experts say, will increase the num ber of mental health advocates and promoters who can work to help women navigate the system, and expanding awareness among com munities of color about the benefits of seeking help or support when facing mental health challenges.

even pulled a “Prince” long before Prince—gaining ownership of his own music, something that was as rare then as it is today. This doc umentary chronicles Cooke’s life, rise to fame, and eventual end, though his influence never died.

#6: Thunder Soul (2010)

Here’s a hometown entry. Thunder Soul spotlights the extraordinary alumni from Houston’s storied Kashmere High School Stage Band which the iconic Conrad Johnson led. These alums return home after 35 years to play a tribute concert for the 92-year-old ‘Prof’, their beloved band leader who trans formed the school’s struggling jazz band into a world-class funk pow erhouse in the early 1970s. This one will have you out of your seat and dancing in the streets. Check it out.

#5: Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America (2021)

In this documentary, criminal defense/civil rights lawyer Jeffery Robinson “draws a stark timeline of anti-Black racism in the United States, from slavery to the modern myth of a post-racial America.” It’s that simple, and yet that complex. And it goes without saying; it’s a must see.

#4: Jeen-Yuhs (2022)

No matter where you score on the Love Ye / Hate Ye scale, this 2022 documentary about his rise to superstardom is beyond compel

ling. I mean, who thinks to chron icle their every move from the moment they start pursuing their dream until they either give up on it or see it to fruition and beyond? Who does that? No one but this negro Kanye. He may be the only human being with an ego big enough to conceive of such a proj ect. And believe me, the scope and scale of this documentary match that galaxy-sized self-obsession brahman has that makes him both insanely talented and just plain insane at the same time.

#3: I Am Not Your Negro (2016)

This documentary by Raoul Peck, director of Exterminate All the Brutes (2021) which made the first list of must-see documenta ries, introduced the brilliance and unabashed Black of James Baldwin to a whole new generation. Described as a work that imagines the completion of Baldwin’s unfin ished manuscript, Remember This House (about Baldwin’s personal reflections on and recollections of three of his personal friends who were killed during the Civil Rights and Black Power movements— Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.), I Am Not Your Negro is about so much more.

#2: The Last Dance (2020)

You don’t have to be a basketball fan to get caught up in the chron icling of the last run at an NBA

championship by the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls who had been told before the season began that the team would be broken up. The doc not only takes you on that 1996 Bulls’ championship ride, but it also digs deep into the past of players, coaches, and fam ily members, spotlighting triumphs and tragedies that are part of the human story, not just the story of professional athletes.

#1: High on the Hog

How African American Cuisine Transformed America (2021)

If you know me, you know I’m a sucker for anything that celebrates our history, especially those things that connect us to our African roots and our Pan-African fam ily. This documentary does all that and more. Because the main char acter is food. Our food. The stuff we grew up on. The meals many of us are eating right now, and never stopped eating since our youth. This beautifully filmed, beautifully narrated piece of art is full of both the familiar and the foreign; or rather, things we’ve come to believe are foreign to us, but are really part of our story and our heritage. And the okra on top? High on the Hog has a powerful H-Town connec tion. A few, in fact.

This list of documentaries based on the roots of African American culture was compiled by Word In Black.

This article originally appeared in The Afro.

Real Lessons From the Georgia Victory

By Dr. John E. Warren Publisher

It has been said that Hell has no fury like an idea whose time has come. Clearly in the State of Georgia, the idea of overcoming “voter suppres sion” has truly come and it has been victorious. Again, let us look and learn from this great victory.

We saw after the 2020 election, a rush of bills in more than 25 states to reduce ballot boxes, polling sites, and a reduction in the amount of time available for early voting resulting in longer lines with prohibitions against giving people food or water while waiting in line to vote. Question: How many of us in contrast didn’t bother to vote in the recent general election?

The real lesson is to use our time for organizing, planning and collective action without concern for the efforts of others working against our interest. The people of Georgia, Black, White and other, understood that patience is as important as money in all battles; that the support of an idea has to be created out of the pains of the issues being fought against; that human and

moral issues have no color and that one of the greatest rules for all strug gles is that when the laws of man go against the laws of God, the laws of God must prevail. The Declaration of Independence states that “All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalien able Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

The right to vote without fear and interference is such a right. When was the last time that we took a look at our rights from God’s perspective? The right to live outside of homless ness with food and shelter is such a right. Landlords, developers and local governments should not be allowed to abridge that right. So let’s look at our situations as if we were in Georgia and decide how to organize and achieve desired results as the people of Georgia did, even though it took four elections to get one man, Senator Warnock, into a full term office.

The Case for Historically Black Colleges and Universities

By Fedrick C. Ingram

The last two years have been hard for everyone.

Every sector of our society was impacted as we fought to protect our most vulnerable institutions from a once-ina-century pandemic. Retail, entertainment, healthcare— everything felt the hit. Higher education was no exception, with admissions dropping 3.2% since 2020.

Interestingly, historically Black colleges and univer sities not only weathered the storm but saw admissions jump 2.5%. The New York Times reported this summer that applications to HBCUs rose 30% between 2018 and 2021, and 40,000 applica tions are expected to be sub mitted this year — four times that of 2016.

Why is that? What makes HBCUs, a network of schools

nearly 200 years old that emerged to serve African American students when most schools would not, uniquely resilient?

My answer is personal.

In 1991, I was a smart kid and pretty good musician about to graduate from high school in southern Florida. Even though I had no polit ical dog in the fight or any military background, I had all but decided my future was in the Army, playing in the military band.

Chance had it that my high school band director was a graduate from Xavier University of Louisiana, an HBCU. He suggested I think about college, specifically a Black college, instead of the military. This one conversa tion changed the trajectory of my life.

Ultimately, I chose BethuneCookman University in Daytona Beach — making me the first in my family to attend and graduate from college. You can imagine that I was not particularly pre pared for the experience. I recall a phone conversation I had with my mother shortly after meeting my campus band director, Dr. Harold Bray.

“Yeah, he’s a doctor, too. I guess he teaches and then works in a hospital to deliver babies,” I told my mom on the phone, astonished.

Applications to HBCUs rose 30% between 2018 and 2021, and 40,000 applications are expected to be submitted this year—four times that of 2016.

Truth Is: No Rodeo Animals Are Being Tortured in Los Angeles

By Valeria Howard-Cunningham Special to The Voice & Viewpoint

Los Angeles City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield claims that I torture animals.

Blumenfield, the author of a motion that will ban rodeo and equestrian events in Los Angeles, says in plain English in a new ordinance in front of the City Council that I and people like me who participate in rodeo events practice “inhumane” treat ment of animals.

He says in plain English that I and people like me “encourage aggressive behavior in animals and inflict injury, pain and suffer ing on animals.” As a rodeo lover, I take these false allegations personally. I do not participate in any of the activities harming animals that Blumenfield alleges.

Neither does Kanesha Jackson, a proud Black young woman who is a 5-time Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo (BPIR) All Around Cowgirl Champion, an 8-time BPIR Event Champion, and mother of an upcoming rodeo champion named Kortney Solomon. She is also a farm owner who breeds championship horses.

Neither does Tory Johnson, a proud Black man, ranch owner, and one of our cham pion winners for many years. Or Krishan Adair, another proud Black woman and rodeo champion. And neither did the cow hands in the Old West, where one in four were Black men. Nor Bill Pickett, the leg endary Black cowboy, and namesake of my organization.

They, along with four generations of Black cowboys and cowgirls, inspire me and our audience to be part of the rodeo world. We have created a Black rodeo culture con tributing to the history of the American West by practicing the sport of rodeo with affection towards the animals. For the cow boy and cowgirl, the animals are their best friends.

The BPIR has created a culture our com munity is proud of, one which keeps kids off the street, inspires hard work and goal setting, and helps people to connect with themselves and their emotions through animals. Blumenfield’s proposed ordi nance, rooted in lies and misinformation about rodeo, threatens to take all these positive activities away from the commu nity in Los Angeles.

Excuse my directness, but I would ask: Is this what the Los Angeles City Council wants to do or intend to do, especially in the world we live in today?

The proposed ordinance is written so poorly that it would only allow some equipment to be used where the State of California specifically bans it to ensure animal safety. Although the confusion caused by this may help high-priced law yers, it doesn’t help animals one bit.

In addition, the ordinance would ban the very equipment we use to train and assist our animals in the safest way possible, including lassos and flank straps – neither of which hurt animals in any way.

When you understand what the ordinance really does, you must ask why Blumenfield is pursuing it, after not bothering to obtain the facts and truth -- or to understand how we care for our animals or how our equip ment is used.

He did not ask the most diverse coalition ever created in Western Sports, formed to help educate lawmakers on a sport they’re not familiar with, about how we care for our animals daily. He didn’t ask our veter inarians, who are professionally dedicated to animal health and safety, about how all our rodeo equipment is used humanely all the time.

Dear Dr Warren,

In my neighborhood, when we go outside our homes, we tend to see a lot of con crete. Very little landscaping along the streets. When we ask the reasons why, we are told [the landscaping] needs to be maintained, which means money. I know in my district previous leaders did not pursue the financial tools necessary to maintain trees on Market Street, 47th Street or several other streets. Given that, with all the new stuff coming in, we will be stuck for a while trying to get the free way, we should at least be able to see some nice vegetation and public art.

Equity means a major street like Imperial

Avenue that also connects neighborhoods from Lemon Grove to Downtown San Diego would have nice landscaped medi ans.

Has the community been educated on the options for paying for enhancements or is the assumption that homeowners and business owners don’t care? We speak about climate action but where is the true conversation and corrective actions?

Actions speak louder than words. As we come to the end of 2022 let’s start out with 2023 showing bold ideas that will lead to bold actions.

Francine Maxwell

Co-Chair, Black Men & Women United

Gerri Warren Dr. John E. Warren

Latanya Wes t

Grandparent’s Connection Annual Christmas Gala

By TJ Dunnivant Contributing Writer

The Grandparent’s Connection Annual Gala filled the Sycuan event space with spectacular entertainment, great food, and heartfelt recognition and speeches last Friday evening. Festive decora tions in the colors of green and purple energized the room and sparked antic ipation for the night ahead. Sparking the theme of a masquerade party dur ing Mardi Gras, guests complimented the night by showing up in glittery gowns, throw-back suits, and fancy eye masquerades to complete the look.

A full night of entertainment kicked off with Ever’Body Line Dancers that prom ised to give lessons to everyone later in the evening. Local professional Harpist, Maria Antoinette, fascinated the audi ence with her hypnotic caresses of her harps, where she played her own origi nal songs as well as many of the pop hits that are known by many. The holiday spirit was evoked with the croons, syn copated rhythms, and dance steps of the all-fe male group, The Corvells, and the male quartet, Remembrance.

Special recognition was given to six teen recipients with a plaque engraved with words saying, “Thank you for your continued commitment to sup porting and uplifting families and children in our communities.”

Grandparent’s Connection Co-Founder, Shearl Lambert was able to share her personal story of grandparenting and home insecurities after she obtained custody of her grandchildren over 18 years ago.

“The staff at the juve nile center handed me a bag and told me not to open it until I got into a home,” Mrs. Lambert explained. “Once I did, there was $1700 in it. It was shortly after that when I started GPC.”

After 18 years the organiza tion still has several events a year to help and celebrate grandparent caregivers throughout the San Diego area. To see a list of upcom ing events or to become a member visit www.thegrand parentsconnection.org.

“Soulful Harpest” Mariea Antoinette

Grandparent’s Connection Co-Founder, Shearl Lambert

Guests adorned in masquerades

PHOTOS: TJ Dunnivant

On the right: Event Decorator and award recipient Elaine Wilkins

Mrs. Shearl Lambert and entertainers

Ever’Body Line Dancers

Female group The Corvells, featuring Stellita Marie

Crooning men’s quartet, Rememberance

New Village’s 1222 Oceanfront: A Black Family Christmas

1222 Oceanfront: A Black Family Christmas is the story of widowed family matriarch Dorothy Black, who is hosting a Christmas Eve celebration with her adult chil dren when unexpected family drama erupts. It features lively songs, an eclectic and lovable cast of characters, and lots of seasonal cheer.  Meant for audiences of all backgrounds and identities, it reminds us that the holiday spirit has the power to unite us together in love, song, and joy.

When the show runs at its home theatre after touring San Diego County, it returns to major ren ovations of the Conrad Prebys Theater, including a new LED lighting system, new sound sys tem, new projection system, upgraded stage floor with more

flexibility and improved ADA access. Other areas of NVA are still currently under construction, in preparations for the grand open ing of the newly appointed “Dea Hurston New Village Arts Center” which will open early 2023.

New Village Arts is located at 2787 State St., Carlsbad. (760) 433-3245.

Tickets to all 1222 Oceanfront San Diego County tour locations are free, but reservations are required.

Celebrating 21 years of award-win ning professional theatre and thriving education and outreach programs, New Village Arts (NVA) has truly become the cultural hub of North County San Diego. NVA attracts more than 20,000 patrons each year to experience profes sional theatre, currently presented

in the heart of Carlsbad Village. NVA hosts talkback discussions and other supplementary events designed to create conversation and cultivate community. NVA offers robust theatre programs in partnership with local schools and strongly believes that theatre and arts experiences should be acces sible to ALL people, becoming a recognized leader in equity, diver sity, and inclusion in San Diego. NVA has been fortunate to receive support from the City of Carlsbad and other local businesses, who recognize the importance of a res ident professional theatre com pany as a crucial component of an inclusive and creative community. New Village Arts is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization listed under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS.

New Office of Child and Youth Success Website

The City of San Diego’s Office of Child and Youth Success has launched a new website for easy access to resources from child care to educational opportunities and more. The website includes information about supportive services and programming for youth ages 24 and younger.

“Investing in the success of our children and youth is impor tant to build a better future for San Diego,” said Andrea O’Hara, Executive Director of the Office of Child and Youth Success. “The new website offers easier access to information and programs that can help our young residents reach their full potential.”

The City currently provides a variety of events, activities, and learning opportunities at librar ies and recreation centers. The Office of Child and Youth Success will manage these programs and future services established in

FUN

partnership with local education agencies.

The website highlights upcom ing programs that aim to improve social, health and edu cational outcomes. This includes the City’s first Child and Youth Master Plan, an intentional roadmap that creates a citywide shared vision to uplift the voices of children, youth, and families in San Diego.

The website includes a guide for entrepreneurs seeking to open a childcare center or family child care home. With the scarcity of safe and affordable childcare, it is a priority for the Office of Child and Youth Success to dedicate specific resources and assist busi ness owners through the process of providing childcare services for families in our region.

To learn more, visit sandiego.gov/ child-youth-success.

The City Of San Diego Enforces Sidewalk Vending Ordinance

On December 2, the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) began citing violators of the City of San Diego’s Sidewalk Vending Ordinance in the Gaslamp Quarter.

Passed by the City Council in May, The Sidewalk Vending Ordinance permits roaming and stationary sidewalk vendor entrepreneurs to use the public right of way or public property for sidewalk vend ing. It regulates how, when and where permitted sidewalk vendors conduct business in San Diego. However, in the Gaslamp Quarter and other specified areas that are shown on the vending map on City’s website, the ordinance bans

sidewalk vending as a whole which has caused more enforcement.

The ordinance specifies the neces sary permits for vendors and how they can go about obtaining them. It also provides clear operating rules that permitted street vendors must follow.

For several weeks the City of San Diego’s Code Enforcement teams and SDPD, have worked to educate sidewalk vendors operating ille gally in the Gaslamp Quarter about the law. The City recently installed over 400 signs in the area, warn ing about illegal sidewalk vending. This focused enforcement also follows recent violent incidents involving illegally operating side

walk vendors in the Gaslamp.

Starting today, officers from SDPD’s Central Division will be contacting vendors operating ille gally in the area and citing them for violations. Those found in vio lation face potential fines ranging from $200 up to $1,000. Violators can also be subject to impound ment of carts, equipment, and goods.

City Park Rangers are responsible for sidewalk vending enforcement at beaches and parks in San Diego. To review the ordinance and learn more about the application process for vendors, visit sandiego.gov/ sidewalk-vending.

By Voice and Viewpoint Newswire

in the top 20 out of 180 U.S. Cities for fun activ ities. According to Wallethub’s 2022 Most Fun Cities in America report, San Diego ranked near the top of the list for the greatest number and variety of cheap and affordable activities.

PHOTO: Courtesy of ESP Public Relations

PHOTO: Pixabay

Voice & Viewpoint Newswire

Voice & Viewpoint Newswire

PHOTO: The City of San Diego

PHOTO: Picture of the San Diego skyline from

The community is invited to come visit for a meaningful experience at the African Diaspora Museum in Old Town, San Diego, and enjoy excellent African-centric shopping at the same time. Discover unique, Afrocentric gems you won’t find any where else in San Diego.

The Museum Holiday special is Ethiopian Coptic Crosses where Africans practiced Christianity before Europeans did. The museum offers 31 African and AfricanAmerican coins, with a special hol iday price for a collector starter kit.

The African-American historical coin starter kit offers four coins for $100, discounted to $90. Quarters of Maya Angelou, Tuskegee Airmen, Frederick Douglass and Duke Ellington are available. Other African-centric coins are Barack Obama, Martin Luther King, General Colin Powell, Booker T. Washington, Dr. George Washing Carver and African-American STATUE OF LIBERTY coins.

Also explore these Mexican coins: 2nd President, Vicente Guerrero; Jose Maria Morelos; Giant Olmec Head coins; and

1968 Mexican Olympic coins.

But there’s more. For Kwanzaa you’ll enjoy the 1997 signed Kwanzaa Historical !st Day cover and Stamp 5 for $50. And, for Buffalo Soldier enthusiasts, the 1994 signed Buffalo Soldier Historical first day cover and stamp 5 for $50 is on hand.

Don’t miss the SPECIAL MUSEUM HOLIDAY HOURS: Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., except the following: the museum is closed this Friday, December 9th, and on Christmas Day itself.

The African Diaspora Museum, is located at 2471 Congress Street, San Diego, CA 92110 in historical Old Town. For more information, visit their website at africanmuseum sandiego.com or call 619-222-1481.

The good folks at the African Diaspora Museum hope to see you soon!

Within the County of San Diego’s Sustainability initiative is the goal to preserve, protect, maintain and cultivate natural environments where residents, visitors and future generations can spend quality time outside.

One of the tactics to support this initiative is the launch of a First Time Camping Program – part of our overarching Experience the Outdoors program, which seeks to accommodate, educate and inspire park visitors.

We recognize there are families in San Diego who do not camp, or even visit, parks. By inviting peo ple to our sites, and providing all of the necessary equipment and instruction, we hope to overcome barriers to visitation such as lack of

awareness and finan cial hardship.

The First Time Camping Program provides no-cost campsite res ervations at two of our parks:

• Tijuana River Valley Regional Park (site #38)

• Dos Picos County Park (site #5)

Group options are available and sites are subject to change.

Camping equipment will be provided, and park staff will be on site to share helpful information like how to set up a campsite, how to start a camp fire, leave-no-trace principles and outdoor safety tips.

To register, call our Reservations Desk at 858-565-3600. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Reservations must be made in advance, and the two above mentioned camp sites will be available Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, beginning Nov. 4, 2022.

Campsites can accom modate a maximum of eight people and two vehicles. Provided tents include one 6-person tent and three 4-person tents,

so individuals have room to spread out. Other items that will be avail able at each campsite include eight sleeping bags, eight sleeping mats, eight folding chairs, three lan terns, one cooler, firewood and six marshmallow roasting sticks. All items are collected and disinfected after use. Campers may also bring their own equipment.

The program is designed especial ly for first-time campers who are not already in our reservation sys tem. If they are already in our sys tem, they will still have opportu nities to camp at our parks, free of charge, through our Parks 101 series – details on the Parks 101 First-timer Series page.

To learn more about the First Time Camping Program, contact Operations Chief Dave Knopp at dave.knopp@sdcounty.ca.gov or 619-806-6967.

By Herbert L. White The Charlotte Post

A partnership between the National Urban League and Wells Fargo aims to create more diversity among home appraisers.

A five-year, $5 million grant by Wells Fargo will create the Diverse Appraiser Initiative with a goal of certifying up to 260 new appraisers through Urban League Entrepreneurship Centers in Charlotte, Atlanta and Houston starting in 2023. Home appraisal as an industry lacks racial and ethnic diversity. According to a Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, 97% of appraisers are white, which often leads to valuation bias against Black and Hispanic homeowners.

According to a 2018 Brookings Institution analysis, race plays a significant role in the devaluation of homes in Black neighborhoods. Homes of similar quality in neighborhoods with similar amenities are worth 23% less ($48,000 per home on average, which amounted to cumulative losses of $156 billion) in majority Black communities compared to those with few or no Black homeowners.

According to the Urban Institute, increasing the pool of diversity can support more equitable outcomes.

“Racial discrimination in the home appraisal industry is a significant barrier to economic equity,” National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial said in a statement. In addition to supporting the certifica tion of trainees, the initiative includes entrepreneur ship and small business development with a goal of creating as many as 130 new businesses.

The partnership is part of ongoing initiatives by Wells Fargo and the Urban League to promote racial equity in home appraisals. In 2021, the Urban League part nered with Fannie Mae to seek applicants for their Appraiser Diversity Initiative Sponsorship Program, which focused on attracting new entrants to the appraisal field.

A year later, Wells Fargo identified 25 people from underrepresented communities to participate in the Appraisal Associate Program with the goal of hir ing and training them to become licensed residential appraisers. The bank also recruited trainees for the program in 2016 and 2018. Ninety-two percent of the trainees are from diverse backgrounds.

The Urban League will give entrepreneurial training and support on business basics, including formation, financial management and access to capital, to train ees who undergo or have completed certification. The entrepreneurship centers will customize the programs for individual trainees based on their experience, skill level, and interest.

PHOTO: Pexels

PHOTO: Kathleen Johnson

Dos Picos County Park PHOTO: San Deigo Park & Rec

KENYAN OFFICIALS SQUIRM IN THE SPOTLIGHT OVER ‘IRREGULAR’ EXPORT OF ANCIENT TREES

St ories abound of the majestic baobab treelandmarks across Africa where they stand tall, adapt ed to arid landscapes, the basis of myths, the home of vultures and bees, and the giver of fruits that can feed families during drought.

were on privately owned land. “The issue here is about ownership rights. This is a tree belonging to an individual. It’s not protected; it’s not on government land,” the local official said.

Kavaka Watai Mukonyi, for mer head of bioprospect ing at the Kenya Wildlife Service, disagreed. “If there are no agreements, it does not matter whether [the land was privately owned] or not – that is an illegality.”

Baobab, or ‘mbuyu’ in Kiswahili, is a gigantic fibrous leafy tree, common in the open semi-arid areas of east ern and coastal counties of Kenya and in 32 African countries. It is not uncom mon to find a 5,000 year old tree, 100 feet tall, 40 feet in diameter - a prehistoric spe cies which predates both mankind and the splitting of the continents over 200 mil lion years ago.

Fruit produced by the bao bab contains high levels of vitamin C, antioxidants, calcium, potassium and fiber. The bark has medicinal properties, and oil from the seeds is used in beauty products.

But their benefits were out weighed by the monies being offered to poor landowners for the trees. “Everybody was willing to sell,” Johna Kahindi, a real estate broker from the area told a reporter. “Many people in our com munity are very poor, so even $800 would be seen as a lot of money.”

Kenyan officials have now halted the export of baobabs to the former Russian repub lic of Georgia and ordered an investigation into how a foreign contractor received permission to transport the ancient trees out of the country.

Kenya’s president, William Ruto, ordered the Ministry of Environment and Forestry to investigate whether Georgy Gvasaliya, founder of Ariba Seaweed Co. had the proper license to take the trees out of Kenya under the Nagoya protocol, an international agreement that governs the export of genet ic resources, which has been incorporated into Kenyan law.

Meanwhile, researchers, sci entists and environmental ists are denouncing Ariba Seaweed Int’l for uprooting

the trees and the environ mental agency and the Kenya Forest Service for allowing the decimation of the icon ic species.

Under a media spotlight, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry claimed that the environmental impact assessment license allowing the trees to be uprooted and exported was given “irregu larly”.

However a local official dis agreed, saying there was lit tle they could do to halt the sales because the baobabs

In a further investigation by the Guardian UK, it was learned that the cut baobab trees were being exported to Shekvetili Dendrological Park, owned by former prime minister Bidzina Iva nishvili, who has been involved in other tree-up rooting activ ities along the Georgian coast.

According to Gvasalia, most of his customers are ambi tious botanical gardens. In his home country Georgia, an 11-million-dollar green house was to be built to exactly simulate the weather conditions and humidity of Kilifi area in Kenya.

Arabian countries, said Gavasia, are the most eager to get an original African Baobab as an exotic high light in their desert sur roundings.

Gus Le Breton, chair of the African Baobab Alliance, said: “It’s biopiracy. I cannot see any justification for tak ing a reproductive tree from some part of the world and moving it to another. “

A petition has been posted on Change.org called “Please Save our Baobab Trees from wanton Destruction.”

A convoluted tale of mon ies hidden in a sofa in the home of the South African President Cyril Ramaphosa threatens to unseat a pop ular leader while it cre ates more headaches for the African National Congress.

According to the charges, a fortune in U.S. dollars was stolen from President Ramaphosa’s farm but he never reported the theft to the police or disclosed it pub licly, but apparently started an off-the-books investiga tion and paid the suspects to keep quiet.

The stash was allegedly generated by the sale of some of the President’s buffalo to a Sudanese visitor to the President’s farm on Christmas Day, 2019.

Money laundering allegations against Mr. Ramaphosa were first made by South Africa’s ex-spy boss, Arthur Fraser, an ally of Ramaphosa’s predecessor and political rival Jacob Zuma.

After Zuma was jailed last year, it was Fraser, appointed head of the prison service, who controversially grant ed him release on medical parole.

paying for the buffaloes, the buyer had yet to take pos session of the animals, the inquiry noted.

The evidence warranted fur ther scrutiny by parliament, the panel said. Ramaphosa “may have committed” seri ous violations and miscon duct in not reporting the theft directly to police, they said, and in seeking the help of his Namibian counterpart to apprehend the thieves.

The president reported the robbery to the head of his presidential protection unit, General Walther Rhoode, who failed to adequately pass the information to police, the investigators said.

The allegations against Ramaphosa strike at the heart of the image that he has sought to a project as a clean-hands president after Zuma’s corruption-drenched era.

ANC WORRIES MOUNT OVER POSSIBLE OUSTER OF SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT THE

Meanwhile, some of the President’s allies offered an estimate of the cost to the ANC of a resignation or removal. Songezo Zibi, head of Rivonia Circle, a civic think tank, said those pushing for Ramaphosa’s exit in the ANC could live to regret it.

ween 1904 and 1908.”

Genocide Prevention Day falls on the 9th of December and marks the anniversary of the UN Genocide Convention.

On this day, the victims of genocide are remembered. Worldwide, people are encouraged to learn from the past, and take action to pre vent future atrocities.

FIRST GENOCIDE

Namibia is the country on whose soil the first geno cide of the 20th century took place, writes Major General JB Tjivikua in a recent edi torial. Tjivukua served in the Namibian Police for 27 years.

Tjivikua recalled the Ovaherero and Nama genocide - a campaign of ethnic extermination and collective punishment waged by the German Empire’s Schutztruppe in then Deutsch Südwestafrika, now Namibia.

“The purpose was to con quer and plunder. Between 80,000 Ovaherero and 10,000 Namas were massacred bet-

This genocide, the first of the twentieth century, was a prelude to the Holocaust in both the ideology of racial hierarchy that justified the genocide and in the meth ods employed. Such linkage between the two genocides has been termed the “con ti nuity thesis.” Last year, Germany apologized to Namibia for the colonial-era slaugh ter when its troops put down a tribal uprising. It offered $1.3 billion to aid in recon struction and development.

OTHER GENOCIDES IN AFRICA

The Commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda, is organized annually by the African Union following a decision to rec ognize April 7 as a day of remembrance for genocide victims.

It also a time for reaffirma tion by Africans to resolve to prevent and fight genocide.

This decision was adopted by the AU Permanent Representatives Committee during its special session on the Commemoration of the 10th Anniversary of the genocide

against Tutsis in Rwanda.

An estimated 800 000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were massacred.

ROOT CAUSES

Genocide and related atroc ities tend to occur in soci eties with diverse national, racial, ethnic and religious groups that are locked in identity-related conflicts.

It is not simply differences in identity – whether real or perceived – that generate conflict.

It is the implication of these differences in terms of access

to power and wealth, services and resources, employment, development opportunities, citizenship and enjoying fundamental rights and free doms.

These conflicts are foment ed by discrimination, hate speech inciting violence, and other human rights vio lations.

Dec. 9 is an opportunity to continuously awaken great er awareness about the value of life and humanity, and to renew our collective com mitment to protecting fun damental human rights.

Ramaphosa told investiga tors that $580,000 in cash was stolen from his Phala Phala ranch in northeastern South Africa in February 2020 while he was attending an African Union summit in Addis Ababa.

The cash was hidden beneath sofa cushions in a place believed to be the saf est, he said.

But the ex-spy boss, Fraser, wondered how Ramaphosa had acquired so much cash and whether he declared it. The media dubbed it the “farmgate” scandal.

More than two years after

It is also an opportunity to unite against any form of genocide, genocide-related ideology, as well as geno cide denial, to emphasise the demand for restorative jus tice and reparations.

Dec. 9 has come to mean different things to many people.

For those who have lost their loved ones, it is a time of sorrow and remembrance; for others it may serve as a

“He was the ANC’s electoral trump card, because his own popularity far exceeds that of the ANC,” he said. “The ANC may be authors of the their own electoral obituary in 2023.”

“He has artificially extended the life of the ANC in power,” added William Gumede, chair of Democracy Works, a civic foundation. “Without him, we’ll be talking about the ANC going below 40 percent of the vote.

“If he goes, there’s going to be an interim period (between now and the 2024 election) of the old state captures grabbing what they can … but the good people will also fight back.”

reminder that many who have come before us lost their lives to provide us with the opportunities we now have.

For all of us, it can prove that we can stand as one to honor our fallen heroes and heroines.

It’s apt to quote Holocaust survivor and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel: “For the dead and the living, we must bear witness.”

PHOTO: Courtesy of GIN

Global Information Network

PHOTO: Courtesy of GIN

PHOTO: Courtesy of GIN

Will Smith’s ‘Emancipation’ Role Taught Post-Slap Lesson

By Jonathan Landrum Jr. Associated Press

While filming “Emancipation,” Will Smith routinely drew inspiration from the words “sacred motivation” that were written on the front page of a script. But the Oscar winner heavily leaned on the phrase even more in recent months, as he tried to overcome the backlash to his Oscars slap and banishment from the ceremony.

role in Antoine Fuqua’s “Emancipation,” which is cur rently in theaters and will be available to stream Friday on Apple TV+. “Sacred motiva tion” became like a theme for him and his castmates, Smith said.

The film, completed months before Smith strode onto the Oscars stage and slapped presenter Chris Rock for a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith, was a gru eling shoot. Inspired by an iconic 1863 photo of the scarred back of “Whipped Peter,” Smith portrays the character Peter — a man who attempts to escape slavery while he uses his wits to dodge slave hunters and brave alligator-infested Louisiana swamps in his quest for freedom.

“It’s like when you can locate and center yourself in your divine purpose, you can withstand anything and everything,” Smith said of the phrase that greeted him when he took on the lead

The photos of “Whipped Peter” were taken during a Union Army medical exam ination that first appeared in Harper’s Weekly. An image known as “The Scourged Back” showed countless mutilated whip marks on Peter’s bare back that were deliv ered by his enslavers. The photo contributed to the growing opposition to slav ery.

Smith said his character taught him a lesson in over

coming adversity after he faced condemnation, memes and a 10-year Oscars atten dance ban. The “slap” seem ingly overshadowed his own biggest career milestone, which came later in the night: winning his first-ever

The backlash rocked Smith, but Peter ultimately helped steer him back on track too.

“Peter has absolutely helped me through these last few months, just reestablishing within myself in what my purpose is in this world,” Smith said in a recent inter view, one of his first since the Oscars. He has repeated ly apologized for his behav ior after accepting his ban.

Normally, “Emancipation” might earn Smith some seri ous Oscars buzz. He’s still eligible for nominations and awards, but can’t personally accept them. Given backlash to “The Slap,” Smith main ly hopes that audiences will still watch Fuqua’s film.

“This movie was so grueling. Literally across the board, everybody had to devote a hefty amount of suffering to what you see on that screen,” Smith said. “So my greatest wish, and I guess I can talk about my greatest fear, is that my team would be penalized for my actions.

I’m out with this film that I love and strictly want my people to get their flowers.”

Fuqua knows Smith made a mistake, but he hopes audi ences can move past it. The

director believes the story about Peter’s search for free dom, fighting to get back to his family and being a cata lyst in highlighting the horrific side of slavery in “Emancipation” is much bigger than “The Slap.”

“Peter’s story is so inspiring, especially as a Black man. We go through a lot of things daily, just being Black,” said Fuqua, known for directing “Training Day,” “Equalizer” films and “The Magnificent Seven.” He said his new film tackles how certain elements of racism in America that still occur today.

“For me, it’s a mistake,” Fuqua said of Smith striking Rock on live television. “Hopefully everybody can get back on track and God bless every one. But we’re talking about 400 years of brutality.”

Bingwa, who plays Peter’s wife Dodienne, credits Smith’s ability to endure the adversity while pushing for ward through it.

“It’s in line with the film. I imagine it’s been a tough period,” said Bingwa, who hopes audiences can learn more about Peter’s determi nation to return home after making a promise.

Sculpture Aims to Capture the History of Slavery

By Maya Lora The Baltimore Sun

At the historic Lexington Market in Baltimore, an enslaved man named Robert once sold butter to local cus tomers.

Robert, who had no recorded last name, is one of two sub jects at the heart of “Robert and Rosetta,’’ a sculpture designed by artist Oletha DeVane, 70, and her son, Christopher Kojzar, 40.

The sculpture, crafted of steel and stainless steel by blacksmith Nicholas Ireys at his shop about a mile from Lexington Market, captures the history of slavery at the market while reflecting the ornamental ironwork dotted around Baltimore. It is being installed in the plaza of the newly reopened Lexington Market, located in the BROMO Arts District.

DeVane, who lived in Baltimore until she was 13 and now lives in Ellicott City, said she was interested in the stories of Robert and Rosetta because she likes to look at “where the African American presence is and was, and especially during that time.’’ The origins of Lexington Market can be traced back to 1782.

Dean Krimmel, a public historian and Baltimore-based museum consultant, worked with the redevelopment proj ect and provided DeVane and Kojzar with documen tation about Robert and Rosetta. Krimmel said for mer Maryland Gov. George Howard enslaved Robert and sent him to sell butter at the market before Robert later escaped.

Krimmel gleaned the information on Robert from a runaway notice that ran at least five times in The Baltimore American & Commercial Daily Advertiser in July 1833. A $50 reward was offered for Robert’s capture.

Rosetta was an enslaved girl with no recorded last name who was auctioned off at the market. The advertisement for her sale was posted in The Baltimore Sun in March 1838. The ads, the only information available on Robert and Rosetta, are engraved in gran ite flagstones as part of the sculp ture.

“This is really just to have some reflection on where we’ve been, where we come from,’’ Devane said. “For me, these two people who were ordinary people trying to ... live their lives in some way, in some fashion, within the construct of that social sys tem was very important to kind of explore.’’

The Robert and Rosetta pan els are attached to light posts with “pretty filigree’’ at the top, which DeVane said rep resents growth and change.

The posts form an archway, which allows visitors to pass through the space after encountering the flagstone markers.

DeVane and Kojzar tapped Ireys to do the metalwork for the project because they wanted a more “historic’’

and “timeless’’ feel, Ireys said.

“Even though I’m not one of the main designers, I was able to put a lot of myself into this piece, which was a very rewarding process for me,’’ Ireys said.

Kojzar said acknowledging Black history through every day people is a thread in both his and his mother’s work. Kojzar is currently doing a fellowship and teaching at the University of Vermont.

Earlier this year, DeVane produced a sculpture for the McDonogh School in Owings Mills as part of a larger tribute to the 200 men, women and children that were enslaved by the school’s founder, John McDonogh, at the time of his death in 1850.

DeVane formerly taught at McDonogh.

TechCrunch Disrupt 2019 in San Francisco, CA. PHOTO: Max Morse for TechCrunch CC BY 2.0

Academy Award, best actor for “King Richard.”

Oletha DeVane has created one of the pieces to be installed at the newly reopened Lexington Market in Baltimore on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022.

PHOTO: Karl Merton Ferron/ The Baltimore Sun via AP

“Peter has absolutely helped me through these last few months, just reestablishing within myself in what my purpose is in this world,” ”

–Will Smith

Lemon Grove’s “Light Up the Grove” Bonfire and Christmas Open House

Thousands showed up to enjoy music, free hot chocolate, and cookies. Main Street was lined with booths of local nonprofits, beautiful decorations, the Historical Society’s huge Christmas Tree, and, best of all, Mayor Raquel Vasquez pushing the digital button that lit the enor mous bonfire. What cheers! What joy! What sense of community!

This annual event in Treganza Heritage Park was the brainchild, in 1997, of former Mayor Mary Sessom. She knew the midtown park with its combination of grassy expanses, asphalt, and convenient walkways. Plus, two beautiful his toric buildings run by the Historical Society would be the perfect place to mount an annual community event—nothing commercial, just Public Works working its heart out and civic nonprofits on display.

This is what makes the world go round. This is what makes joy, community, and a sense of place. Historical note: Mayor Sessom was the last official to actually light the bonfire with a real live torch in the concrete fire ring. The intrepid Lemon Grove Fire Department came up with another, modern method, a kind of digital bonfire. Bravissimo, gentlemen!

Santa Claus was in residence in the 1928 Tudor Revival H. Lee House, scene of many a social event (call 619-460-4353 about that). Santa’s chair was a Tudor-style oak arm chair made by George Simpson, the builder of the H. Lee House, named for Harold Lee, who grew up in Farnham, England, which is all Tudor all the time. He hired archi tect Frederick Clemeshaw to recre ate his childhood memory of Tudor architecture—and voilà! A genuine 16th-century Tudor house! P. S., We

are not at liberty to disclose Santa’s actual identity, save to say that he’s PERFECT!

The Historical Society loves “Light Up the Grove” and thanks Mayor Sessom for dreaming up this remarkable annual event. And guess what? The very first bonfire in 1997 met with pouring rain. We put the Barn Cats, an adorable band, on the Parsonage verandah, but couldn’t open the front door as the museum was still being created—inside was a mess of plaster everywhere, no hardwood floors, no paintwork. Not until 1999 would we have something to show (off). But, still, some 200 rain-soaked celebrants showed up and downed hot cider and cookies and stood in the rain to sing “Silent Night, Holy Night.”

Were you there? You were the start of something big. Call home if you were there (619-460-4353).

to a Town Hall

By Helen Ofield

Former Mayor Mary Sessom and members of The Lemon Grove Fire Department

Santa with the Rosales Family

PHOTOS: Greg Jackson

For the City of Lemon Grove

I Am My Brother’s Keeper Holds Fundraiser Gala

By Darrel Wheeler Contributing Writer

On the first Friday of December, community leaders were acknowledged by the I Am My Brother’s Keeper Community Development Corporation for their many outstanding contri butions to society.

The MLK Center at Bayview Baptist Church was the place and the scene for the award recipients and a host of hon orees to accept their well-de

served awards of recognition.

Regina V. Evans-Jerrett (George Stevens Award), Sharon Whitehurst-Payne (Walter Kudumu Award), Dr. Aldolpo Gonzalez (Pastor Ricky T. Laster Award), Andrew Strong (Trailblazer Award), and Dr. Suzanne Afllalo (Dr. Cleo Malone Award) were this year’s recipients for their important and impressive leadership abil ities.

“This means the world to me to be recognized by a com munity-based organization,” shared award recipient Andrew Strong, who is also Director of the Office of Equity and Racial Justice for the County of San Diego.

“Events like this let the people of the community know that their local government is actu ally working for them and is trying to make a positive differ ence in their lives,” Strong said.

Project New Village’s 11th Annual Fannie Lou Hamer Legacy Celebration

Last Thursday, Project New Village held a celebration to recognize the legacy of Fannie Lou Hamer and her early fight for food equity and social justice. The celebration took place at the Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park and the decorated foyer was jammed packed with many Southeast San Diego supporters of the cause. The organization also unveiled their new Legacy Fund, established in honor of the late Mr. Robert Tambuzi, Project New Village’s first Board of Directors Chairperson.

Project New Village (PNV) is a BIPOC-led, grassroots nonprofit using an equitable food-oriented develop ment (EFOD) model to fight for food justice in Greater Southeastern San Diego.

Emcee’d by PNV’s Managing Director,

Diane Moss, the evening featured PNV’s first Legacy Fund honorees who were recognized for their efforts in the fight: Ami Young, Anthony Avalos, Elle Mari, Elneda Shannon, Tito Love, and The San Diego Voice and Viewpoint. A brief edifying presentation on the historic achievements of Fannie Lou Hamer was also shared with the audience.

“The awardees have supported our work and strengthened our capacity to contribute to the local and global food justice movement,” Moss said in a statement.

It was a feel-good, enegetic

social mixer, rounded out with dancing, the award presenta tion, a silent auc tion, and tasty, clean food prepared and served by local com munity vendors.

All event proceeds will support the cre ation of an equality of food orientated development proj ect in Southeastern San Diego. To take action, make change, and join the cause go to https://proje ctnewvil lage.org.

Voice & Viewpoint Staff Writer

Holiday Festival & Bridge Lighting Ceremony

By Darrel Wheeler

Contributing Writer

By special delivery, some welcomed Holiday Snow was transported to the corner of Euclid and Federal Blvd at the U.S. Bank parking lot for a very special occasion on Saturday, December 3rd.

However, snow was not the only source of enter tainment at the 9th Annual Multicultural Diamond District Holiday Festival. Music, dancing, singing, free food, a rock climbing wall, inflatable jumpers, creative booths, and much more were also a big part of the “here-comes-the-snow”, “Joy to the World”, and “Happy Holidays” festivities.

Blue Heart Foundation Honors Robert L. Dean

Robert Earl Dean, was among the honorees at The Blue Heart Foundation’s 16th Annual Christmas Breakfast Awards Ceremony held this past weekend. The community certainly came out to support this year’s festive event, which was held last Saturday, December 3 at The Four Points Sheraton Hotel on Aero Drive, San Diego.

Every year, Blue Heart puts together a special recognition ceremony to honor community leaders, build community relationships and uplift and inspire the many promising youths who are striving and growing among us.

“The community showed up and showed out! I am so proud of this team who has and con tinues to put everything they have to make the Blue Heart Foundation a success!” Blue Heart Foundation President/CEO Mathew Gordon remarked.

April Laster of Open Heart Leaders was awarded the Community Activist of the Year; Kesia H. Williams, M.A., was awarded the Shining Star Award; Anna Arancibia of the Jackie Robinson YMCA was awarded the D4 Game Changer Award; Penny Newell of SDG&E was awarded the Community Activist of the Year; CAFÉ X Co-Owners Khea Pollard and Cynthia Ajani received the Best New Business Award; UC San Diego stu dent, Sterling Rawls, was awarded the Hope Scholar Award and Coach Robert Earl Dean was awarded the Mentor of The Year award.

The Foundation also celebrated being the recipient of a $100,000 LISC grant to fin ish their building project at the intersection of Euclid Ave and Imperial Avenue, new partnerships with Alaska Airlines, Junior Achievement of San Diego County, Cuyamaca College, Finest City Improv to promote finan cial literacy, and improve communication skills, increase college graduation rates among the youth.

PHOTOS: Darrel Wheeler

Guests were treated to a hearty buffet break fast, inspirational speakers, and entertain ment by DJ D-Nyce and Tamika J.

By Voice & Viewpoint

PHOTOS: Courtesy of Blue Heart Foundation

Pictured on Left: Coach Robert Earl Dean

Award recipients

L to R: Pamela Gray Peyton, Starla Lewis and Marne Foster

By Kim Cook Associated Press

It ’s not a “she shed’’ or a “man cave.’’ More of a “me space.’’

It might be a little nook beside a stairway. Or along a wall with a nice window. An enclosed balco ny. A basement alcove. Even deep inside a roomy closet.

In a home full of roommates or family members, there are times when we want to be by ourselves. A good walk is restorative, but if the weather’s bad or you don’t want to put shoes on, it’s nice to have a lit tle place at home we can call our own.

Parents, caregivers and pressed careerists want somewhere at home that alleviates stress - a “refuge,’’ however small, where they can unwind and rejuvenate, according to the American Society of Interior Designers’ 2022 Trends Report. So how do you create this little den of privacy? First, think about what you want to do there.

“Maybe you’d like a meditation room that’s set up with a great floor cushion or hanging chair,” , says Monique Valeris, senior home editor at Good Housekeeping. “A

quiet reading nook in a hallway, with a stor age bench. Or a space d es igned around one of your hobbies. Think about your lifestyle and the activities that bring you joy and a sense of calm at home.’’

For a cat-loving client, designer Anna Popov in Redmond, Washington, created a “me and the pets’’ space. A spare bed room became a reading room for the humans, and Popov installed climbing shelves and sev eral cubbies for the feline ones. She says the space is now referred to as the “everybody wants to be a cat’’ room.

Another option: Create a glassedin space. To delineate a personal area more simply and affordably, consider creating a feature wall with wallpaper or murals, or a dif ferent color paint. Find your com fiest toss pillow and softest throw, and add warm ambient lighting and perhaps some aromatherapy with a diffuser or scented candle. If nature is your de-stressor, add col lected rocks, shells or greenery.

Some people prefer silence, but if music soothes you, bring in a wireless player or even a turntable. Finally, if there’s no other room for a little refuge, the bathroom can become the ultimate “me space.’’

There are waterproof, wireless, voice-activated speakers in the bathroom marketplace. Or for a really immersive bath experience, there are shower installations avail able with a rainshower head, LCD touchscreens, pre-programmed sound and light, and visuals like waterfalls, sunsets -- even a crack ling fireplace.

For many parents, their interest in sustainability and earth-friendly living is driven by a desire to cre ate a better world for their chil dren. Taking personal action and responsibility are part of the solu tion but teaching the next gener ation to be environmentally con scious is an important part of the equation, too.

Connecting lessons about sus tainability to familiar aspects of your child’s daily life, like school, can make it easy for him or her to understand and establish earthfriendly habits from a young age.

Here are some ideas for promoting sustainable behaviors:

Be smart about supplies. Before restocking your student’s supplies, take inventory of what you have. Your student probably has sever al items with plenty of life left, or things that were bought as back ups, so you can avoid waste and save a little money while reducing your consumption of unnecessary goods.-

sustainable practices, such as pro pane-powered buses.

Reduce food-based waste. Convenient, single-serve packaging makes assembling school lunches a breeze, but all that extra wrapping is waste that ends up in the landfill. Other options, like buying in bulk and sending treats in reusable plas tic bags, is a more earth-friendly approach. Bento-style boxes with compartments for different foods are another option to help make lunchtime more sustainable. Similarly, encourage your child to carry a water bottle at school each day, which reduces water fountain waste (and cuts back on his or her exposure to germs).

Enjoy nature together. As tem peratures cool, it’s a terrific oppor tunity to spend quality time out doors as a family. Showing your child reasons to appreciate nature can make it easier for him or her to understand and provide motiva tion to make choices that protect the earth.

Cases for COVID-19 and the flu are continuing to trend up. COVID-19 cases surpassed 10,000 for the month of November, far exceeding the 7,482 cases recorded in October. Flu cases are also continuing to increase, reaching 2,694 [the week ending November 26th], up from 2,375 the previous week. For the season to date, San Diego County has record ed 12,946 cases of the flu compared to 424 at this time last year.

San Diegans are urged to get their flu and COVID vaccines before the peak holiday period. It takes two weeks until the body reaches full immunity.

“The time to act is now,” said Cameron Kaiser, M.D., M.P.H., County deputy public health officer. “Get your flu and COVID vaccines as soon as you can and keep yourself and your loved ones safe this holiday season. And remember that masks help reduce spreading both the flu and COVID-19.”

COVID-19 and flu vaccines are widely available across the region at pharmacies, medical centers and clinics. The two vaccines can be administered during the same visit. It is important to note that the COVID-19 prima ry vaccine series or booster does not protect against the flu and the flu vaccine does not protect people against COVID-19. Therefore, it is recommended that eligible San Diegans get vaccinated against both viruses.

Treatment Options

Symptomatic patients with a positive COVID-19 test result, including pregnant persons and children, should be evaluated to see if they are eligible for treatment with one of the National Institutes of Health recom

mended treatment options, which currently for those not hospitalized are nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid), molnupiravir (Lagevrio) and remdesivir (Veklury).

Early COVID-19 treatment in multi-generational fam ilies, especially families of color, protects vulnerable individuals like older family members and those with underlying medical conditions.

Testing and treatment are available at no cost by call ing 1-888-634-1123 to s chedule an appointment at an OptumServe site. Appointments can also be made online. Call SesameCare at 1-888-897-1244 to schedule a no-cost telehealth visit, which includes a prescription for treatment. Appointments can also be made online.

Influenza Activity

The County Health and Human Services Agency now publishes the Respiratory Virus Surveillance Report weekly. The report is published each Thursday and tracks key respiratory illness indicators, including flu cases and deaths.

Model good habits. Kids learn by example, so know they’re watching and internalizing your behaviors. If you’re not already practicing these habits, make an intention al effort to turn lights off before you leave the house each morning, turn off the water while brushing teeth, use alternate energy sourc es around the house and encour age your school district to adopt

Reinforce with reading. Multiple studies reinforce the benefits of reading with and to young students. Selecting books with earth-positive messaging helps them explore new ideas for sustainable living and see how beloved characters embrace values similar to those your fam ily shares.

Family Features

PHOTO: Dziana Hasanbekava

PHOTO: Kiana Bosman

14 Thursday, december 8, 2022 The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint www.sdvoice.info

Include

Full Name

Monday-Thursday 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

• Billing address

Date(s) you want the ad to appear

Contact phone number

•

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

LEGAL NOTICES

Located at: 4564 Del Monte Ave. San Diego, CA 92107

County of San Diego

This business is conducted by: An Individual

The first day of business was: 11/21/2022

This business is hereby registered by the following: Athena Nikolakopulos 4564 Del Monte Ave. San Diego, CA 92107

This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on November 21, 2022

This fictitious business name will expire on November 21, 2027 12/01, 12/08, 12/15, 12/22

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2022-9025802

Fictitious business name(s): Fusilier Insurance Services Located at: 1902 Wright Place Ste. 200 Carlsbad, CA 92008 County of San Diego

This business is hereby registered by the following: Shahrzad Zamani 7860 Stalmer St. #C16 San Diego, CA 92111

This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on November 18, 2022

This fictitious business name will expire on November 18, 2027 12/01, 12/08, 12/15, 12/22

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2022-9025222

Fictitious business name(s): Ceregem Technologies Located at: 10174 Austin Dr. 2205 Spring Valley, CA 91979 County of San Diego This business is conducted by: A General Partnership

The first day of business was: 10/08/2022

This business is hereby registered by the following: Lois Marie Shelton 10450 Lake Breeze Dr. Spring Valley, CA 91977

November 08, 2022

This fictitious business name will expire on November 08, 2027 11/24, 12/01, 12/08, 12/15

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2022-9024704

Fictitious business name(s): Kook Sox Located at: 5430 Linda Vista Rd. Unit 21 San Diego, CA 92110 County of San Diego

This business is conducted by: An Individual

The first day of business was: 11/09/2022

This business is hereby registered by the following: Kyle Aratin 5430 Linda Vista Rd. Unit 21 San Diego, CA 92110

This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on November 09, 2022

This fictitious business name will expire on November 09, 2027 11/24, 12/01, 12/08, 12/15

•

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT 2022-9025320

Fictitious business name(s): Best Legal Services Located at: 2390 Greenbriar Dr. Chula Vista, CA 91915 County of San Diego This business is conducted by: An Individual

The first day of business was: 04/01/2021

This business is hereby registered by the following: Debra J Newton 2390 Greenbriar Dr. Chula Vista, CA 91915

This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on November 17, 2022

This fictitious business name will expire on November 17, 2027 12/08, 12/15, 12/22, 12/29

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2022-9025894

Fictitious business name(s): Ritual Pilates Located at: 3339 53rd St. San Diego, CA 92105 County of San Diego This business is conducted by: An Individual The first day of business was: 11/29/2022

This business is hereby registered by the following: Nicole Martin 3339 53rd St. San Diego, CA 92105

This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on November 29, 2022

This fictitious business name will expire on November 29, 2027 12/08, 12/15, 12/22, 12/29

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT 2022-9025952

Fictitious business name(s): Wa2 Go

Way 2 Go

New Hope Friendship Ministries Baptist Church Located at: 2205 Harrison Ave. San Diego, CA 92113 County of San Diego

This business is conducted by: A Corporation

The first day of business was: 01/24/2018

This business is hereby registered by the following: New Hope Friendship Missionary Baptist Church 2205 Harrison Ave. San Diego, CA 92113

This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on November 29, 2022

This fictitious business name will expire on November 29, 2027 12/08, 12/15, 12/22, 12/29

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2022-9024973

Fictitious business name(s): Ask Environmental

Ancestral Soulutions Located at: 4629 Cass St. San Diego, CA 92109 County of San Diego This business is conducted by: An Individual Registrant has not yet begun to transact business under the name(s) above This business is hereby registered by the following: Holly A.S. Kicklighter 4629 Cass St. San Diego, CA 92109 This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on November 15, 2022

This fictitious business name will expire on November 15, 2027 12/08, 12/15, 12/22, 12/29

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2022-9026036

Fictitious business name(s): SuperFabFeet Located at: 4518 Max Dr. San Diego, CA 92115 County of San Diego This business is conducted by: A Married Couple The first day of business was: 11/30/2022 This business is hereby registered by the following: Angela Ramos 4518 Max Dr. San Diego, CA 92115

Carlos Ramos 4518 Max Dr. San Diego, CA 92115 This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on November 30, 2022

This fictitious business name will expire on November 30, 2027 12/08, 12/15, 12/22, 12/29

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2022-9025821

Fictitious business name(s): Kabob Lounge Located at: 11375 El Camino Real #170 San Diego, CA 92130 County of San Diego

This business is conducted by: A Limited Liability Company

The first day of business was: 11/28/2022

This business is hereby registered by the following: Signature Resturants LLC 11375 El Camino Real #170 San Diego, CA 92130

This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on November 28, 2022

This fictitious business name will expire on November 28, 2027 12/08, 12/15, 12/22, 12/29

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2022-9025573

Fictitious business name(s): The Barre Kit

P.O. Box 1704 Carlsbad, CA 92008 County of San Diego

This business is conducted by: An Individual

The first day of business was: 11/23/2022

This business is hereby registered by the following: Percy Alphonse Fusilier 1902 Wright Place Ste. 200 Carlsbad, CA 92008 This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on November 28, 2022 This fictitious business name will expire on November 28, 2027 12/01, 12/08, 12/15, 12/22

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2022-9025750

Fictitious business name(s): Elsibu Music Productions Located at: 9849 Caminito Cuadro San Diego, CA 92129 County of San Diego This business is conducted by: An Individual

The first day of business was: 03/01/2021

This business is hereby registered by the following: Florence Copeland 9849 Caminito Cuadro San Diego, CA 92129

This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on November 23, 2022

This fictitious business name will expire on November 23, 2027 12/01, 12/08, 12/15, 12/22

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2022-9025353

Fictitious business name(s): Moo Casa

Located at: 10944 Avenida Playa Veracruz San Diego, CA 92124 County of San Diego This business is conducted by: An Individual The first day of business was: 10/17/2022

This business is hereby registered by the following: Frankie Chen Tse 10944 Avenida Playa Veracruz San Diego, CA 92124 This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on November 18, 2022

This fictitious business name will expire on November 18, 2027 12/01, 12/08, 12/15, 12/22

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2022-9025461

Fictitious business name(s): Threading By Sherry

Located at: 1640 Camino Del Rio N. Ste. 344 San Diego, CA 92108 County of San Diego This business is conducted by: An Individual Registrant has not yet begun to transact business under the name(s) above

Stephanie Joy Dellande 28 Lilac Irvine, CA 92618

This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on November 16, 2022

This fictitious business name will expire on November 16, 2027 12/01, 12/08, 12/15, 12/22

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2022-9025038

Fictitious business name(s): Rima Tires Located at: 3475 University Ave. San Diego, CA 92104 County of San Diego This business is conducted by: An Individual The first day of business was: 11/15/2022

This business is hereby registered by the following: Israel Jose Acuna 3475 University Ave. San Diego, CA 92104

This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on November 15, 2022

This fictitious business name will expire on November 15, 2027 11/24, 12/01, 12/08, 12/15

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2022-9025048

Fictitious business name(s): Kayamour Kollections Located at: 2307 Fenton Pkwy. Ste. 107 San Diego, CA 92108 County of San Diego

2307 Fenton Pkwy. Ste. 107 POB740 San Diego, CA 92108 County of San Diego This business is conducted by: Limited Liability Company

The first day of business was: 11/15/2022

This business is hereby registered by the following: Kayamour Kollections 2307 Fenton Pkwy. Ste. 107 San Diego, CA 92108

This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on November 15, 2022

This fictitious business name will expire on November 15, 2027 11/24, 12/01, 12/08, 12/15

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2022-9024578

Fictitious business name(s): Cortland The Junkman Located at: 3586 1/2 Louisiana St. San Diego, CA 92104 County of San Diego This business is conducted by: An Individual

The first day of business was: 02/01/2022

This business is hereby registered by the following: Cortland W. Anderson 3586 1/2 Louisiana St. San Diego, CA 92104

This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2022-9025011

Fictitious business name(s): Arize

Arize Music Located at: 615 S. Euclid Ave. San Diego, CA 92114 County of San Diego

This business is conducted by: An Individual

The first day of business was: 11/15/2022

This business is hereby registered by the following: Dahani McFadden 615 S. Euclid Ave. San Diego, CA 92114

This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on November 15, 2022

This fictitious business name will expire on November 15, 2027 11/24, 12/01, 12/08, 12/15

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2022-9024218

Fictitious business name(s): HURU HOMES Located at: 3635 National Ave. San Diego, CA 92113 County of San Diego

10449 Lake Breeze Dr. Spring Valley, CA 91977 County of San Diego

This business is conducted by: An Individual Registrant has not yet begun to transact business under the name(s) above

This business is hereby registered by the following: Richard White 10449 Lake Breeze Dr. Spring Valley, CA 91977

This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on November 02, 2022

This fictitious business name will expire on November 02, 2027 11/17, 11/24, 12/01, 12/08

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2022-9024398

Fictitious business name(s): College Smog Check Located at: 4622 College Ave. San Diego, CA 92115 County of San Diego

This business is conducted by:

An Individual

The first day of business was: 10/14/2022

This business is hereby registered by the following: Abdul Ahad 5415 Blackberry Way Oceanside, CA 92057

This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on November 04, 2022

This fictitious business name will expire on November 04, 2027 11/17, 11/24, 12/01, 12/08

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2022-9023107

Fictitious business name(s):

Intuitive Integrative Chiropractic

Located at: 1565 Hotel Circle S. Ste. 350 San Diego, CA 92108 County of San Diego This business is conducted by: An Individual Registrant has not yet begun to transact business under the name(s) above This business is hereby registered by the following: Michael Baba 23041 El Caballo Lake Forest, CA 92630 This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on October 18, 2022

This fictitious business name will expire on October 18, 2027 11/17, 11/24, 12/01, 12/08

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2022-9024719

Fictitious business name(s): I Want Located at: 5754 Market St. San Diego, CA 92114 County of San Diego This business is conducted by: An Individual Registrant has not yet begun to transact business under the name(s) above This business is hereby registered by the following: Evelyn Indira Dailey 5754 Market St. San Diego, CA 92114 This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on November 09, 2022 This fictitious business name will expire on November 09, 2027 11/17, 11/24, 12/01, 12/08

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2022-9024718

Fictitious business name(s): Yo Quiero Located at: 5754 Market St. San Diego, CA 92114 County of San Diego This business is conducted by: An Individual Registrant has not yet begun to transact business under the name(s) above This business is hereby registered by the following: Evelyn Indira Dailey 5754 Market St. San Diego, CA 92114 This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on November 09, 2022 This fictitious business name will expire on November 09, 2027 11/17, 11/24, 12/01, 12/08

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2022-9024676

Fictitious business name(s): Honey Badger Studios Located at: 441 S. San Jacinto Dr. San Diego, CA 92114 County of San Diego This business is conducted by: An Individual Registrant has not yet begun to transact business under the name(s) above This business is hereby registered by the following: Jaden Mills 441 S. San Jacinto Dr. San Diego, CA 92114 This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on November 09, 2022

This fictitious business name will expire on November 09, 2027 11/17, 11/24, 12/01, 12/08

SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA

County of San Diego 330 West Broadway San Diego, CA 92101 Hall of Justice Courthouse 37-2022-00048492-CU-PTCTL

Petitioner or Attorney: Hong Le Thi Nguyen on behalf of minor child

Interested Persons:

PRESENT NAME:

PROPOSED NAME: Hailey Nguyen Do

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING

Date: January 19, 2023 Time: 8:30 A.M. Dept. 61

NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE.

The court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One copy of the Order Granting the Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

To change a name on a legal document, including a birth certificate, social security card, driver license, passport, and other identification, a certified copy of Decree Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree Changing Name and Order Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC-230) may be required. Contact the agency(ies) who issues the legal document that needs to be changed, to determine if a certified copy is required.

A certified copy of Decree Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree Changing Name and Order Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC-230) may be obtained from the Civil Business Office for a fee.

Petitioners who are seeking a change of name under the Safe at Home program may contact the assigned department for information on obtaining certified copies.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If a timely objection is filed, the court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

A RESPONDENT

OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date

change of a minor that is signed by only one parent must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other nonsigning parent, and proof of service must be filed with the court.

The address of the court is: 330 West Broadway San Diego, CA 92101 12/08, 12/15, 12/22, 12/29

SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA County of San Diego 330 West Broadway San Diego, CA 92101 Hall of Justice Courthouse 37-2022-00047739-CU-PT-

CTL Petitioner or Attorney: Alyssa Renee Deno

To All Interested Persons: Petitioner Alyssa Renee Deno filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows:

PRESENT NAME: Alyssa Renee Deno

PROPOSED NAME: Aly Lepus Deno

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING

Date: January 11, 2023 Time: 8:30 A.M. Dept. C-61

NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE.

The court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One copy of the Order Granting the Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

To change a name on a legal document, including a birth certificate, social security card, driver license, passport, and other identification, a certified copy of Decree Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree Changing Name and Order Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC-230) may be required. Contact the agency(ies) who issues the legal document that needs to be changed, to determine if a certified copy is required.

A certified copy of Decree Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree Changing Name and Order Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC-230) may be obtained from the Civil Business Office for a fee.

Petitioners who are seeking a change of name under the Safe at Home program may contact the assigned department for information on obtaining certified copies.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date

Petitioner Hong Le Thi Nguyen on behalf of minor child filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows:

Nguyen Quynh Nhu Do

specified, the court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If a timely objection is filed, the court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date

Any Petition for the name change of a minor that is signed by only one parent must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other nonsigning parent, and proof of service must be filed with the court.

The address of the court is: 330 West Broadway San Diego, CA 92101 12/08, 12/15, 12/22, 12/29

SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA County of San Diego 330 West Broadway San Diego, CA 92101 Hall of Justice Courthouse 37-2022-00046467-CU-PTCTL

Petitioner or Attorney: Abyssinia Tadele Belay AKA Azeb Tadele Belay

To All Interested Persons: Petitioner

Abyssinia Tadele Belay AKA Azeb Tadele Belay filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows:

PRESENT NAME: Abyssinia Tadele Belay AKA Azeb Tadele Belay

PROPOSED NAME: Azeb Tadele Belay

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING

Date: January 3, 2023 Time: 8:30 A.M. Dept. 61

NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE.

The court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One copy of the Order Granting the Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

To change a name on a legal document, including a birth certificate, social security card, driver license, passport, and other identification, a certified copy of Decree Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree Changing Name and Order Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC-230) may be required. Contact the agency(ies) who issues the legal document that needs to be changed, to determine if a certified copy is required.

A certified copy of Decree Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree Changing Name and Order Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC-230) may be obtained from the Civil Business Office for a fee.

Petitioners who are seeking

a change of name under the Safe at Home program may contact the assigned department for information on obtaining certified copies.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If a timely objection is filed, the court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date

Any Petition for the name change of a minor that is signed by only one parent must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other nonsigning parent, and proof of service must be filed with the court.

The address of the court is: 330 West Broadway San Diego, CA 92101 11/24, 12/01, 12/08, 12/15

section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code.

Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

You may examine the file kept by the court.

If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a REQUEST FOR SPECIAL NOTICE (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250.

A REQUEST FOR SPECIAL NOTICE form is available from the court clerk.

Petitioner: Dawn Boughter 260 N. Lyon Ave. Sp. 159 Hemet, CA 92543 (951) 760 8743 12/08, 12/15, 12/22

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF Doris Jean Savage Case Number: 37-2022-00009851-PR-LACTL

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of Doris Jean Savage

A Petition for Probate has been filed by Christopher L. Savage in the Superior Court of California, County of San Diego

Case Number: 37-2022-00047446-PR-PWCTL

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of Gregory Scott Budziak (A.K.A. Gregory Scott Boughter)

A Petition for Probate has been filed by Dawn Boughter in the Superior Court of California, County of San Diego

The Petition for Probate requests that Dawn Boughter be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

The petition requests the decedent's will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court.

The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act.

(This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: on February 1, 2023, at 1:30 PM in Dept. 502 located at the Superior Court of California County of San Diego 1100 Union Street San Diego, CA 92101 Central CourthouseProbate

If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

If you are a creditor or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in

The Petition for Probate requests that Christopher L. Savage be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act.

(This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval.

Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: on December 6, 2022, at 11:00 AM in Dept. 504 located at the Superior Court of California County of San Diego 1100 Union Street San Diego, CA 92101

Probate Division

If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

If you are a creditor or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code.

Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

You may examine the file kept by the court.

If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a REQUEST FOR SPECIAL NOTICE (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250.

A REQUEST FOR SPECIAL NOTICE form is available

from the court clerk.

Petitioner: Christopher L. Savage 2363-2 Adirondack Row San Diego, CA 92139 (619) 731-1608 11/24, 12/01, 12/08

SUMMONS

SUMMONS

(Citation Judicial)

SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO Hall of Justice 330 West Broadway San Diego, CA 92101

Case Number: 37-2022-00014741-CU-BCCTL

NOTICE TO DEFENDANT: (AVISO AL DEMANDADO): Christy Carson aka Christy Andrada, an individual, and Does 1 thorough 10, inclusive

YOU ARE BEING SUED BY PLAINTIFF: (LO ESTÁ DEMANDANDO EL DEMANDANTE): LCS Capital, LLC

NOTICE! You have been sued. The court may decide against you without your being heard unless you respond within 30 days. Read the following information below.

You have 30 CALENDAR DAYS after this summons and legal papers are served on you to file a written response at this court and have a copy served on the plaintiff. A letter or phone call will not protect you. Your written response must be in proper legal form if you want the court to hear your case. There may be a court form that you can use for your response. You can find these court forms and more information at the California Courts Online SelfHelp Center (www.courtinfo. ca.gov/selfhelp), your county law library, or the courthouse nearest you. If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the court clerk for a fee waiver form. If you do not file your response on time, you may lose the case by default, and your wages, money, and property may be taken without further warning from the court.

There are other legal requirements. You may want to call an attorney right away. If you do not know an attorney, you may want to call an attorney referral service. If you cannot afford an attorney, you may be eligible for free legal services from a nonprofit legal services program. You can locate these nonprofit groups at the California Legal Services Web site (www. lawhelpcalifornia.org), the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www. courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp), or by contacting your local court or county bar association.

NOTE: The court has a statutory lien for waived fees and costs on any settlement or arbitration award of $10,000 or more in a civil case. The court’s lien must be paid before the court will dismiss the case

AVISO! Lo han demandando. Si no responde dentro de 30 días, la corte puede decidir en su contra sin escuchar su versión. Lea la información a continuación.

Tiene 30 DÍAS DE CALENDARIO después de que le entreguen esta citación y papeles legales para presentar una respuesta por escrito en esta corte y hacer que se entregue una copia al demandante. Una carta o una llamada telefónica no lo protegen. Su respuesta por escrito tiene que estar en formato legal correcto si desea que procesen su caso en la corte. Es possible que haya un formulario que usted pueda usar para su respuesta. Puede encontrar estos formularios de la corte y más información en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California (www.sucorte.ca.gov), en la biblioteca de leyes de su condado o en la corte que le quede más cerca. Si no puede pagar la cuota de presentación, pida al secretario de la corte que le dé un formulario de extención de pago de cuotas. Si no presenta su respuesta a tiempo, puede perder el caso por incumplimiento y la corte le podrá quitar su sueldo, dinero y bienes sin más advertencia. Hay otros requisitos legales. Es recomendable que llame a un abogado inmediatamente. Si no concoe a un abogado,

puede llamar a un servicio de remisión a abogados. Si no puede pagar a un abogado, es posible que cumpla con los requisitos para obtener servicios legales gratuitos de un programa de servicios legales sin fines de lucro.

Puede encontrar estos grupos sin fines de lucro en el sitio web de California Legal Services, (www.lawhelpcalifornia.org), en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California, (www.sucorte.ca.gov) o poniéndose en contacto con la corte o el colegio de abogados locales. AVISO: Por ley, la corte tiene derecho a reclamar las cuotas y los costos exentos por imponer un gravamen sobre cualquier recuperación de $10,000 ó más de valor recibida mediante un acuerdo o una concesión de arbitraje en un caso de derecho civil.

Tiene que pagar el gravamen de la corte antes de que la corte pueda desechar el caso.

The name and address of the court is: (El nombre y dirección de la corte es):

Superior Court of California County of San Diego Hall of Justice 330 West Broadway, San Diego, CA 92101

The name, address, and telephone number of plaintiff’s attorney is: (El nombre, la dirección y el número de teléfono del abogadp del demandante, o el demandante que no tiene abogado, es): Parker, Simon, Kokolis & Brown, LLP; Katrina M. Brown (314007); Kelsey L. Thwaits (330667), 755 Baywood Dr., 2nd Floor Petaluma, CA 94954 (707) 210-3020

Date (Fecha): 4/21/2022

Clerk, by (Secretario) M. Manneh, Deputy (Adjunto)

NOTICE TO THE PERSON SERVED: You are served as an individual defendant Summons Filed: 04/20/2022

(SEAL) Published in The San Diego Voice and Viewpoint: 12/01/2022, 12/08/2022, 12/15/2022, 12/22/2022

BLACK HISTORY

1830 or 1832

SAMUEL R. LOWERY BORN

Samuel R. Lowery was the first black lawyer to argue a case before the United States Supreme Court. He was born on December 8, 1830 or 1832, in Davidson Country, Tennessee, to his black slave father, Peter Lowery, and free Cherokee mother, Ruth Mitchell.

On February 2, 1880, when he was around 50 years old, Lowery was sponsored to the Supreme Court Bar by Belva Ann Lockwood, the first woman admitted into the bar, and prac ticed in front of the Court. In this, he was the fifth black per son and first black Southerner to be admitted into the Supreme Court Bar and, in 1880, the first to practice before the Supreme Court.

Samuel R. Lowery died around 1900 at his cooperative community in Jefferson County, Alabama.

1933

FLIP WILSON BORN

Flip Wilson was the first African American to host a hit vari ety series on television. The Flip Wilson Show aired from 1970 to 1974, and in addition to high ratings, Wilson won two Emmy Awards. One for Outstanding Variety Series and the other for Outstanding Writing Achievement. He also won a Golden Globe Award. The Flip Wilson Show was the second highest-rated show of the 197071 season, topped only by the controversial but popular All in the Family sitcom. Unusual for the time, Wilson was also part owner of his show.

ARTICLE CONTINUATION

EMANCIPATION:

Continued from page 8

“I don’t want to speak on Will’s behalf, but he’s been an inspiration to so many for so long. I love seeing him with his head held high. Everyone can learn from his experience. I just love the way you took it on the chin, you’re wearing it and walking forward. We’re all human.”

While promoting the film, Smith held private screenings for several influential fig ures including Rihanna, Tyler Perry, Dave Chappelle, LeBron James and his Los Angeles Lakers teammates along with students at Morehouse

SCULPTURE:

Continued from page 8

Katie Marshall with Lexington Market developer Seawall led the public art component of the market’s redevelopment. She said merchants, custom ers and community mem bers asked about connections between the market and slav ery.

“I think (their) piece is a beautiful tribute to those two individuals, and also an acknowledgment of all the

College. He garnered a great amount of support from those individuals, giving him some what a sigh of relief.

Each time Smith harkened back to Peter’s story, the more he became empowered to share his character’s journey.

“I feel very comfortable in this current situation with this project, with these peo ple,” he said. “I feel cleansed. I feel purified and transformed in many ways. And as one of the lessons from Peter is, ‘Suffering leads to salvation.’ So I am comfortable taking my medicine.”

various ways that enslaved persons interacted with the market and in Baltimore City as a whole,’’ Marshall said.

Ireys said it’s rare for an orga nization to embrace its “very checkered past’’ so openly.

“I’ve never worked on a proj ect that was so directly repre senting difficult social aspects that directly related to the organization paying for the piece,’’ Ireys said.

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF Gregory Scott Budziak (A.K.A Gregory Scott Boughter)

PROBATE

ENVIRONMENT:

Continued from cover

The City of San Diego developed a Climate Equity Index in 2019 through the University of San Diego to survey access to envi ronmental opportunity across San Diego and the impact of cli mate change on different areas within San Diego. They released

inated by many pollutants like the nearby I-5 freeway, the naval base, shipyards, and the Port of San Diego. This blend of harm ful, environmentally degrad ing factors makes for higher rates of health conditions such as cancer. In late 2021, the Port Master of San Diego released an environmental impact report which found that “82% of Barrio Logan’s cancer risk is driven by

impact of expanded polystyrene, or EPS, on the community. EPS is a material used to make sin gle-use plastics that break down into microplastics and end up being ingested by community members. The letter says “ Be it resolved, that Barrio Logan encourages the City of San Diego. Its mayor, and its city councilmembers to institute an ordinance that eliminates the consumer-level consumption of EPS from food service provid ers”.

This is an example of community organizations speaking out to hold the city accountable for rec ognizing the effects of pollutants on their underserved commu nities. San Diego City Council proposed a ban on all single-use polystyrene foam food contain ers, utensils, coolers, and pool toys in 2019. The ban was put on hold for four years due to lit igation by restaurants and other companies who opposed it.

RODEO:

Continued from page 3

Blumenfeld’s actions of not educat ing himself to know the difference between truth and fiction lead me to ask, what the purpose of his agenda is, which is not the agenda of the majority.

The truth is often hard to find these days, and very few have regard for it. We implore the LA City Council to stand up for the truth and do what is right in recognizing they’re pro cessing a harmful and unnecessary ordinance.

Colleges:

Continued from page 3

It is imperative that the City Council vote this ordinance down, or to make the changes outlined by the coali tion for our elected officials, so that our community may continue to enjoy the culture and unifying sport of rodeo practiced humanely and aligned with California State law already on the books.

The City Council cannot ignore the will of the voters. Or the truth. Thank you for letting me speak it.

Valeria Howard-Cunningham is President of the Bill Pickett Invita-tional Rodeo.

a map as a visual representation of which areas are most heav ily impacted. That map is eerily similar to a map of redlined San Diego.

Redlining was a tactic used by banks to refuse loans to peo ple in areas they deemed to be a financial risk. Redlining was inherently racist because they used it as an excuse to not offer loans to people of color.

A specific area that was once redlined and is heavily impacted by the effects of climate change is Barrio Logan. This neighbor hood is cited over and over again in studies on the environment as one of the most impacted places in San Diego County by climate change.

Barrio Logan surrounds San Diego’s naval base on the bay. The huge effect on the com munity is due, in part, to Perand Polyfluorinated Substances (PFAs) which are chemicals in the foam that the military uses to put out fires. According to the California Water Board, these chemicals do not break down and eventually make their way into the groundwater and can be detected in drinking water. PFAs can cause serious health problems and are a danger to the community.

A study published in the Nature Sustainability Journal looks at how minority communities in California were affected by pol lution during the pandemic dur ing shutdowns. The study states “while the shutdown economy became more equitable in its pollution distribution vis-a-vis Hispanic and Asian communi ties, the same was not true for Black neighborhoods, where substantial baseline pollution gradients remained unchanged.”

This is in contrast to Hispanic and Asian communities in which they found a decrease in PM2.5 (particulate matter in the air) concentrations by 0.29.

According to the San Diego Association of Governments’ Demographic and Socioeconomic Estimates, 70% of Barrio Logan is Hispanic, about 3% is Black, and 20% lives below the poverty line. The area is contam

diesel [particulate matter] emis sions from the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal”.

Ethnically diverse areas such as Barrio Logan are disproportion ately affected by climate change. The air quality is worse and according to CalEnviroScreen data, the rates of asthma are higher as a result.

In the 1920s Mexican, Black, and Asian populations moved to the coastal regions of San Diego for affordable housing and job opportunities. In the 70s, Barrio Logan was rezoned to allow development and it was no lon ger only residential. This opened the door for polluting businesses to establish themselves in this area, away from White neigh borhoods. Today, the coast of San Diego bay is littered with power plants that put the sur rounding communities at risk.

The effects of climate change are innumerable. Contrasting the CalEnviroScreen map of the effects of climate change with the most recent San Diego Census Bureau Data (Decennial Census, 2020), it is clear that the most impacted areas are those with the highest population of people of color. This visual proof of communities of color being excessively affected by cli mate change is damning and the redlining map illustrates that it is no accident.

In a resolution made out to City Councilman Chris Ward on behalf of the Barrio Logan Community Planning Group on September 28, 2018, archi tect Mark W. Steele outlines the

During the City Council meeting last Tuesday, November 15, members of the public made pleas for the ordinance that would ban EPAs to be passed. Mitch Silverstein from the Surfrider Foundation San Diego said “16 years of our local beach cleanup data does not lie. Foam is the second most commonly found form of pollution along San Diego’s Coastline. In 2018, a year when we did over 100 local beach cleanups, foam accounted for 14.4% of the total items found, and that’s just a drop in the bucket compared to the millions of pieces volunteers were unable to collect”.

Hela Khalil was among the mul tiple students that voiced their support for the ordinance. She is a political science student at UC San Diego. She said, “As a member of the youth I am urg ing those of you in power to take action now, so that I, and every other young person out there don’t have to live in a world rav aged by the climate crisis.”

The City Council approved the ordinance and the ban will go into effect in April 2023. In his statement on the ordinance, Councilman Joe LaCava noted that almost 100 written public comments were submitted on this topic. He also said, “San Diego is ready to say goodbye to styrofoam. We were ready in 2018, and many businesses have already made the switch.”

The community passionately continues to make suggestions on how the city can implement climate action while keeping in mind the specific pollutants that plague them and creat ing solutions that reflect their needs. Communities of color are historically ignored and, as it relates to climate change, put in physical danger. Public poli cies must address the areas that are most heavily polluted and protect communities from being negatively impacted by pollution based on their skin tone.

I laugh now, but 18-year-old me had never met a Black Ph.D. before — I had no frame of reference of what the fruits of academic labor looked like. I had never seen so many Black people and students my age all want ing to be better: They had ambition and dreams, and those ambitions and dreams began to rub off on me. Suddenly, I was taking courses I’d never thought to take and achieving at a high level.

I thought, “If these people can do it, so can I.”

What I didn’t quite appreciate at the moment but am grateful for now is that Bethune-Cookman was giving me models of success I had never seen before. I was witnessing ambi tion in real time as my fellow stu dents booked it to class and camped out in libraries. I was seeing the results of that ambition in my teach ers and professors who opened the world of science and history to me while treating me like their own child.

Bethune-Cookman gave me a new appreciation for Black culture, my people and everything we have con tributed to the world, sometimes despite the world. Every day I swam in the waters of Black excellence, and it made my chest swell with pride.

I’m not here to say that every Black child must attend a Bethune-

Cookman, Hampton or Howard, or that predominantly white insti tutions are somehow subpar. But I do feel that foundational pride and excellence is a unique gift given only by the halls and campuses of HBCUs.

Young Black people who watched the spread of President Trump’s naked bigotry and the deluge of Black lives turned into hashtags looked to HBCUs as a welcome respite. Even Nikole Hannah-Jones, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who launched The 1619 Project, found a better fit teaching at Howard, after her own alma mater, the University of North Carolina, refused her ten ure—a move blamed on the school’s conservative board who did not like her scholarship on slavery and race.

That sense of camaraderie and pur pose may explain why, even though HBCUs only account for 9% of Black college graduates, they excel at grad uating the best and brightest. They act as an incubator for people deter mined to make the world more equi table. Half of our country’s Black doctors, lawyers and teachers turn their tassels at an HBCU, and I can’t help but think it’s because those schools offer something more than a good curriculum.

Fedrick C. Ingram is the SecretaryTreasurer of the American Federation of Teachers, serving 1.7 million members.

(619)265-5821

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Demetria Devonne Lee Amos Robert Lee

Jenkins

SUNRISE 11/13/1967

SUNSET 11/10/2022

ARRANGEMENTS BY ANDERSON-RAGSDALE MORTUARY

Funeral services were held on 11/21/2022 at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, with a burial following at La Vista Memorial Cemetery. Final arrangements were entrusted to Anderson Ragsdale Mortuary.

Demetria was born November 13, 1967, to Dorothy Mason and Michael Jenkins. Known affectionately as DeDe, she was raised in San Diego by Dorothy and step-father Anthony Dain. She was the younger sister of brother Vernon Darnell King and grew up with her close “relees,” cousins Jamar Taylor, Samuel Mason III, Tamara Mason and Clarence “Peanut” Courtney III.

DeDe graduated from Madison High School in 1985 and 1987 from Dental Office Management College. She worked as a Dental Office Manager for 30 years before her retirement in 2017.

With Bobby Towers, DeDe had two loving sons, Bobby and De’Andre Towers, and was blessed with grandsons Ke’Mani, De’Andre Jr., Kane, and King, and granddaughter London. DeDe was not only loving and devoted to her fami ly, she was kind and compassionate to everyone she met. When her children and grandchildren needed guidance, she was right there with them, uncon ditionally providing her love and support. A devoted football fan, her favorite team was the Oakland/Los Angeles/Las Vegas Raiders.

On November 10, 2022, DeDe was called to her eternal rest. Awaiting her at Heaven’s gates are her beloved grandmother, Doris Mason; grandfather, Samuel; auntie, Judy Mason; uncle, Clarence Courtney II; nephew, Darnell King Jr.; and cousin, LaKiesha Mason.

She leaves to cherish her memory, her parents Dorothy and Anthony Dain, Michael Jenkins; sons Bobby and De’Andre; brother Darnell; uncles Luther Courtney, Samuel Mason II, Raymond Mason, Edward Jenkins; cousins Jamar, Samuel, Peanut, Kim, Tamara, Sha’veha, Marveha, Isaiah, Isaicha, Alyssa, LaTatiana, Samuel IV, Jamar II, and Torreon; nieces Treasure and Nia; nephews Joshua and Noah; grandchildren Ke’Mani, De’Andre, Kane, King, and London; and a host of other relatives and friends who will celebrate her legacy of love.

Edmundson

McKinley

SUNRISE 04/08/1930

SUNSET 11/12/2022

ARRANGEMENTS BY ANDERSON-RAGSDALE MORTUARY

Funeral services were held on 12/01/2022 at 38th Street Church of Crist Fellowship Hall, with a burial following at Cypress View Mausoleum. Final arrangements were entrusted to Anderson Ragsdale Mortuary.

Lee Amos McKinley was born in Longview, Texas, on April 8, 1930, to Matthew and Viola McKinley. Lee was the last of seven siblings. Lee’s wife of 56 years, Geneva McKinley, preceded him in death. Lee moved to San Diego, CA, in 1955 to pursue employment opportunities. He was employed by Rohr Industries as a mechanic and retired after 30 years of employment. Lee was the family mechanic and could do a simple oil change or something as complicated as rebuilding an engine.

Lee was baptized into Christ at the 38th St Church of Christ and remained a faithful member. He received his greatest joy as the leader of the Door Knocking Ministry. He believed this was the most important aspect of evangelism.

Lee and his late wife, Geneva McKinley, opened their home to many foster children, and they loved them like their own. Lee’s priorities were God first and then family. Lee loved having weekly family outings. Lee’s philosophy was, “If my kids are not allowed, then it’s not a place for me.” Lee and Geneva enjoyed bowling together in various leagues around San Diego. Lee never could beat Geneva at bowling.

Lee McKinley went home to be with the Lord on November 12, 2022. He was preceded in death by his wife, Geneva McKinley, son Johnny McKinley, and grandson Michael James. He leaves behind his daughter Shirley James; daughter-in-law Helen McKinley; grandson Raymond James; granddaugh ter Johnna Taylor; great-grandchildren Tiana, Rainisha, Aliyah, and Ramsess; great-great-grandchildren Aniyah, Alina, Carmen, and Camryn, and a host of nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends.

Arthur

Smith

Burton

SUNRISE 04/05/1981

SUNSET 11/14/2022

ARRANGEMENTS BY ANDERSON-RAGSDALE MORTUARY

Funeral services were held on 11/30/2022 at Fountain of Life Church of God in Christ, with a burial following at Mt. Hope Cemetery. Final arrangements were entrusted to Anderson Ragsdale Mortuary.

Robert Lee Burton Jr. was born to Robert Burton Sr. and Leslie R. Perry on April 5, 1981, in San Diego, California. He attended Fulton Elementary and graduat ed from Morse High school in 1999.

Robert’s grandparents played a major role in his early upbringing. His grand mother would take him to prayer, and his grandfather would take him on his many visits to see Pastor Harvey W. Jessie.

Robert gave his life to the Lord at a young age and continued to walk with Jesus. He received his spiritual training at Greater Israelite COGIC. Robert loved playing the drums, and when there wasn’t a spot for him to play at his local church, he took his skills and played for whoever needed him. Robert was a member of the Mount Olive COGIC. Robert was called to the ministry in 2015 and loved wearing his clergy collar.

On November 14, 2022, Robert went home to be with the Lord. He leaves to cel ebrate his life, his Father, Robert Burton Sr. (Bertha); his Mother, Leslie R. Perry of San Diego; his siblings Mario, Ruby, Angela, Robert Burton of San Diego; his uncles: Albert Burton, Richard Burton, Mark Perry, and Benjamin (Jody) Perry of San Diego, CA; Aunties: Clacy Watkins, and Bernette Benford; Cousins: Delisa Grant, Rashanda Wear, Anthony Perry, Nett’ea Perry, Bo Watkins Jr., Micah, Amaya, Joshua Perry, Rejuanette Adley-Ferguson, A’Lexis Wear, Amari Perry, Micheal Boyd Jr. Alexis Boyd; Great-Uncle Hardy Perry; Great-Aunt Viola Jackson; and a host of cousins, relatives, and friends.

SUNRISE 08/05/1951

SUNSET 09/04/2022

ARRANGEMENTS BY PREFERRED CREMATION & BURIAL MORTUARY

Norris Leanard Edmundson was born on August 5, 1951, in Navasota, TX, to proud parents Lue Dell Banks and Garrett Leroy Edmundson, Jr. The fam ily relocated to San Diego, California, in 1952, where Norris and his older sis ter, Gladys, grew up.

Norris received his formal education in the San Diego Unified School System. He attended Frontier Elementary, Horton Elementary, Gompers Junior High, and graduated from Lincoln High School in 1969. He attended UCSD for a brief period before deciding to pivot his education toward becoming a land surveyor, where he was able to witness the fruits of his labor across the Southern California region, notably Orange County and San Diego. His land surveying skills contributed to countless public works projects and con struction sites, including housing developments, university campuses, free ways, highways, and the latest state-of-the-art construction of San Diego’s Downtown courthouse.

The Edmundson family joined the fellowship of Bethel Baptist Church under the direction of Dr. Hampton in 1952, where Norris was baptized in 1963. To know Norris was to experience his zeal for life and his giver’s heart. He took fellowship to heart and could always be counted on to bring life and laugh ter to any gathering. Norris stood firm in his convictions and enjoyed serving in the security ministry in the life of his church.

On September 4, 2022, Norris Leanard Edmundson was called home from labor to eternal rest. He was preceded in death by parents. He leaves to cher ish his memory two children, Nakia Edmundson and Leanea Edmundson; a sister, Gladys Slater (Earl); two nephews, LeMar Slater and LeRoy Slater (Lauren); and a host of beloved family, extended family, and friends who will miss him dearly and cherish his memory.

SUNRISE 03/10/1945

SUNSET 11/24/2022

ARRANGEMENTS BY PREFERRED CREMATION & BURIAL MORTUARY

Arthur Smith, Jr., 77, was born on March 10, 1945, in Columbus, Georgia, to Arthur Smith, Sr. and Cremonia Bennett-Smith. He and his brother, Richard C. Smith, grew up in Muscogee County, Georgia, where he attended Fifth Avenue Elementary School, Marshall Junior High School and later William H. Spencer and San Diego High Schools.

In 1963, Arthur joined the U.S. Army and later transferred to the U.S. Marine Corp. He was assigned to Company H (Hotel), 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment. His Military Occupational Specialty was Infantry.

In 1966, a friend of Arthur introduced him to a beautiful, intelligent fel low Marine named, Christine Tellis, while on duty at MCRD (Marine Corp Recruitment Depot) in San Diego, California. They married soon thereafter and three children were born to their union.

Following his military career, he had a stint with the San Diego Police Department and later retired from Naval Air Station North Island after thir ty-five years of faithful service. In 1990, he received a Commendation for Exemplary Sick Leave Record, welcoming him into the “1,000 hour club”.

Arthur lived a life devoted to serving the Lord. He was officially ordained to the work of the gospel ministry in 1992 at the Greater Trinity Baptist Church under the leadership of Pastor, Dr. Clyde E. Gaines, Sr. He also taught an adult Sunday School class and served as a Spiritual Advisor to the Greater Trinity Baptist Church Usher Board.

On Thursday, November 24, 2022, God called His faithful servant home to rest. Arthur was preceded in death by his parents; one brother, Richard C. Smith; two half-brothers, Don M. Smith and Hubbard Smith. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Christine T. Smith; two daughters and one son; ten grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; three half-brothers; four broth ers-in-law; two sisters-in-law; and a host of cousins, godchildren, relatives, and friends.

Arthur

Norris Reeves

SUNRISE 02/06/1943

SUNSET 11/07/2022

ARRANGEMENTS BY PREFERRED CREMATION & BURIAL MORTUARY

Arthur Ray Reeves, Jr. was born on February 6, 1943, to Mary and Arthur Reeves in Wrightsville, Arkansas.

Arthur, 79, departed this life on November 7, 2022, at Parkview Hospice Home in San Diego, California.

Affectionately known as “Uncle Ray,” he is survived by five children: two sons, Eduardo Bryant (Rosie) (San Diego) and Wone Reeves (Sharon) (Columbus, Ohio); three daughters, Oprah Reeves (Monterey, California), Altherlee Reeves (Sacramento, California), and Sharmella Sonaiyab (Columbus, Ohio); two brothers, James Reeves (Conyers, GA), and Jerry Reeves (Sue), (Huntsville, Alabama); two sisters Eria White (North Little Rock, Arkansas), and Freda Williams (Little Rock, Arkansas); seventeen grandchildren; twen ty-eight great-grandchildren, and a host of nieces and nephews.

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