Your Overcoming! Black San Diegans it’s time for a celebration! “won’t you celebrate with me”
Lucile Clifton
won’t you celebrate with me
Writer and educator Lucile Clifton gifts us with a reminder to honor ourselves in celebration of the adversities we have overcome!
what I have shaped into a kind of life? I had no model. born in Babylon both nonwhite and woman what did I see to be except myself? I made it up
When we make decisions in our life that actively contribute to our growth and development as a person it’s important to create healthy space to reflect on the journey. Look back at where you started, compare to where you are today. Consider the old tools and belief systems that you utilized to understand your position in the world. Experimenting with new tools and finding what best suits your development. You have come so far, your work, dedication and efforts deserve a celebration!
here on this bridge between One of the most outstanding lines from Lucile’s poem reads, starshine and clay, my one hand holding tight my other hand; come celebrate with me that everyday
“won’t you come celebrate with me what I have shaped into a kind of life? I had no model” something has tried to kill me
In the face of adversity don’t forget the challenges that you have overcome, you are ready and equipped to receiving your next overcoming!
and has failed.
Read more about Lucile Clifton at https://poets.org/poet/lucille-clifton
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The San Diego Monitor
RE-BRANDING
BLACK AMERICA Revising History – From Kanye West to Tom Cotton
What Kanye has failed to realize or somehow forgotten, is the very struggle that his ancestors endured to ensure that he could have the platform that he does today. Slavery was not the choice, freedom was and still is.
When rapper and producer, Kanye West, boldly made the claim that “slavery was a choice” he was met with fury and criticism from the Black community. This statement was made is 2018, and two years later we are reckoning with the fact that Kanye is not alone in his perception of Black history or the enslavement of African people and the question remains – who do we really believe that we are and what story are we going to tell?
“Whatever we believe about ourselves and our ability comes true for us.”
The stories we tell The narrative that many Black Americans believe relating to their history in the America’s is not only incomplete but also inaccurately presented in substitute of the truth. Kanye West’s statement speaks to a version of Black American history that begins with the enslavement of African people on American soil. This is the same narrative that paints African people as docile and submissive to their colonization. Though there is much evidence today to speak to the legacy and influence that African people have had on the world, it is still overlooked because of the false truths that affirm Black people’s negative self concept. This is where Kanye’s statement appears to challenge some unspoken truth or where he believes he may have presented some alternative perspective from which Black people may not have already analyzed our circumstance.
Journalist and writer, Susan L. Taylor, reminds us that our positon in the world starts with our mindset. If Black people believe that we are intrinsically slaves and that our access to ourselves has been denied to us by our past then that is and will be our destiny. Black people know better! Black people understand that they have a purpose in this world that outstands our potential. Black people know that they are the standard by which everything else is truly measured. The PROTOTYPE. What challenges do we have with believing in the version of ourselves that we know ourselves to be? Kanye’s statement has relevance today because of the current political discussion around the future of Black people in America – reparations, a Black woman as Vice President, changes in public policies influenced by social justice advocates and community organizers. New opportunities are being presented to Black people to have agency in how they want to be seen and experienced in the world. The narrative will soon come to center our true values and wealth as a people. Continued on pg. 8
Court Rules in Favor of California: Uber and Lyft Drivers are Employees On
Aug. 10, a California Superior Court judge ruled that rideshare companies Uber and Lyft must change the classification of their drivers from independent contractors to employees. The ruling was a major victory for California lawmakers in their yearlong struggle to enforce AB 5, the controversial worker classification bill that went into effect Jan. 1. San Francisco Superior Court Judge Ethan Schulman ruled in favor of California Attorney General Xavier Becerra’s argument that Uber and Lyft are violating AB 5, which says workers can only be considered independent contractors if they perform duties outside the usual course of a company’s business. “The court has weighed in and agreed: Uber and Lyft need to put a stop to unlawful misclassification of their drivers while our litigation continues,” said Becerra. “While this fight still has a long way to go, we’re pushing ahead to make sure the people of California get the workplace protections they deserve. Our state and workers shouldn’t have to foot the bill when big businesses try to skip out on their responsibilities. We’re going to keep working to make sure Uber and Lyft play by the rules.” Schulman paused the injunction for 10 days to give the companies a chance to appeal the decision. Both companies made statements Aug. 9 saying that they will appeal the ruling.
An Uber spokesperson said, “The vast majority of drivers want to work independently, and we’ve already made significant changes to our app to ensure that remains the case under California law. When over 3 million Californians are without a job, our elected leaders should be focused on creating work, not trying to shut down an entire industry during an economic depression.” “Ultimately, we believe this issue will be decided by California voters and that they will side with drivers,” Lyft said, referring to Prop 22, the upcoming ballot measure. Becerra, along with the City Attorneys of San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego, filed their worker misclassification lawsuit against Uber and Lyft on May 5, followed by the motion for a preliminary injunction on June 24. "This is a resounding victory for thousands of Uber and Lyft drivers who are working hard — and, in this pandemic, incurring risk every day — to provide for their families," said Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer. "Of course, our fight is not over and we will vigorously pursue this litigation until these workers have the permanent protection they deserve." During this global pandemic, it’s even more important for drivers to get access to protections like unemployment insurance. There is no rule that prevents these drivers from continuing to have all of the flexibility they currently enjoy. Being properly classified as an employee doesn’t change that.” Voters will decide Nov. 3 if rideshare drivers in California can remain contractors or if they have to become W-2 employees. https://www.facebook.
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The San Diego Monitor
Difficult Conversations in the
Black Community This is Who We Are: The education that centers Black youth
Centering the needs of Black youth looks like restorative justice circles and healing practices that have been used in place of outof-school suspensions and other ineffective disciplinary actions.
As publics schools are preparing to transition into innovative methods of virtual learning, educators are met with a new challenge.
These practices are preventative in nature. They keep Black youth in school, engaged with their peers and present in their environment. We have to believe that they are capable of doing the work to dissolve unhealthy conflicts, clarify their lessons and grow.
How can we use this new learning environment to center the needs of Black youth? Recent studies around this subject reveal a need for representation in teaching practices and curriculums. These youth need to feel connected to the teachers present in their learning experience. There also needs to be a relationship established between the daily systems in their lives and their learning materials. This kind of learning environment creates an experience where Black youth feel comfortable seeking new tools and development outside of the classroom. From the inside out The challenges that Black youth face at home and in their communities need to be unpacked in educational settings. These youth need to know that their potential is not measured by the resources that their classrooms may lack or the scales their creativity is measured by. These youth need to know that they are seen for who they are and not for who they are expected to be in the world.
A fresh approach to learning There are many approaches that can be pursued in the process of creating an ideal learning environment for Black youth. Not all of these methods will prove to be effective and often times the best method will consist of a combination of the sort. These youth experience the world in their own unique way, and their learning style depends on the accessibility of the information being presented. Educators who can create a learning experience that is creative and consistent will provide these youth with a new platform to learn and expand their minds. We cannot be afraid to explore new realms of our relationship with learning, how it can enhance our knowledge of self and the change that we can influence in the world. Read more at www.sdmonitornews.com
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The San Diego Monitor
SDMNEWS Must Read
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2020 CA Census Guide
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The San Diego Monitor The truths we uphold To many, Kanye’s remarks regarding the enslavement of African people come off as nothing more than ignorance and poor judgement. What we cannot allow ourselves to be distracted from discussing are the other forces that are always at play. More than half way into the year 2020, Senator Tom Cotton expresses that he believes the founding fathers of this country considered slavery a necessary evil. While America is still struggling to reckon with its true feelings about its colonizing past, Black people are determined to elevate beyond the conversation of oppressive systems and onto defining the nature of actualized freedom and autonomy for generations to come. Black people have dedicated long days and hours to unpacking and decolonizing the clutter that blurs our sound judgement over who we believe we are. If we uphold certain truths, like those asserted by misinformed influencers in our communities, we are preparing our children for an inheritance that cannot provide them with a sustainable life. We can break these cycles with the truths we choose to embrace now.
Black people are bringing a different balance and healing to this nation in these current times. It may not feel as if we are living in history as it unfolds, but the strides that are being made today will have great harvests in our future. When we decide that we want to take a step forward it has to be a collective move. Some of us will want to maintain an enslaved state while the rest are running towards a life defined on their own terms. There is no set way to make anyone see the truth if it does not peak some interest when it is revealed. Read at www.sdmonitornews.com
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In November, Californians will vote on a proposition that could expand voting rights to include parolees. If passed, Proposition 17, which passed the State Senate as ACA 6 June 24, would amend the state constitution so that any otherwise eligible person who is not currently incarcerated can vote. The current law in California prohibits previously incarcerated persons from voting while on parole, though they can vote while on probation, county Post-Release Community Supervision and federal supervised release. Allowing parolees to vote would enfranchise over 40,000 Californians currently on parole. According to Ballotpedia, as of 2020, California is one of three states that require people convicted of felonies to complete their prison and parole sentences to regain their right to vote. Seventeen states and the District of Columbia restore voting rights to people convicted of felonies after they complete their prison term. Assembly member Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) introduced the bill in the California Legislature. It was sponsored by the California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of California, and Initiate Justice, an advocacy group focused on ending mass incarceration. The bill was also a priority bill of the California Legislative Black Caucus. “ACA 6 gives Californians the chance to right a wrong and restore voting rights for a marginalized community and people of color,” McCarty said June 24
The San Diego Monitor
Parole is the re-entry period after serving a prison term that allows a convicted felon to be released from prison with restrictions. The ballot measure brings up the question of whether the right to vote is a necessary restriction that’s integral to the parole process. Supporters of Prop 17 argue that previously incarcerated persons contribute to society while on parole, through working and volunteering. They say because of those contributions, parolees should have a say in the legislative process. “This bill says once you have paid your debts to society and have returned to society to work and pay taxes and contribute, that you should also have the right to voice your opinion about your elected representative,” argued Senator Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles). Opponents of the ballot measure argue that withholding the right to vote as part of the re-entry process is meant “to incentivize further appropriate behavior.” Election Integrity Project California, a voter roll watchdog group, submitted a letter opposing ACA 6 to the state legislature. Prop 17 disproportionately affects Black and Brown Californians, who comprise most incarcerated people in the state. According to the Public Policy Institute of California, Black people make up 26% of parolees. About 6% of the population of California is Black. “The removal of the right to vote is not based in an interest in public safety. Rather, it is rooted in a punitive justice belief system that intentionally attempts to rob marginalized people of their political power,” said Taina Vargas-Edmond, Executive Director of Initiate Justice.
Louisville, GA Votes to Remove Former Slave Market From Town's Center In Louisville, Ga., one of the last remaining former slave markets is finally being removed from the town’s center. Media outlets report that an advisory committee of 14 members was formed in July to determine what to do with the Old Market House. The structure has been in the town—the first capital of the state—since 1795 and is one of the few remaining former slave markets still standing in the country. On Tuesday, the Louisville city council voted in favor of the committee’s proposal to remove the structure from the town’s center. “We’re trying our best to do what’s right here,” Louisville Mayor Larry Morgan told WJBF. The town has mostly been supportive of the endeavor; of the 70 letters the committee said they received regarding the removal, 42 were in favor and only 16 were opposed. The remaining 12 letters had mixed opinions. Following the vote, questions remain on where the structure will be relocated, what will replace it and what potential legal ramifications may arise from moving it.
“Since our last committee meeting, issues concerning legal right-of-way have been posed; and state Sen. Jesse Stone requested the State’s Attorney General to offer an opinion on the legality of moving this historic structure,” Lillian Easterlin, advisory committee member and executive administrative director of Jefferson County, told CNN. Community members have proposed plans to build a museum where the Old Market House stands should no legal obstacles arise. “I just want for everyone to come together. I want for downtown to be a place that everyone loves and right now it’s not. So I feel like, for our future generations and our current generations, we have to do something. And now is the time. We have this platform and now is the perfect time to use it,” Nikki Tarver, an advisory committee member, told WJBF. The city of Louisville said that currently, there are no set plans for where the structure will go nor what would replace it in the event of it’s removal. It’s just wild to me that a former slave market stood in the middle of an American town and it took over 100 years for (white) folks to finally go, “You know, that’s a little bit weird.” This firmly skips “better late than never,” territory and goes straight to “it’s about damn time.” Author: Joe Jurado Read more at https://www.theroot.com
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The San Diego Monitor
A Black State in America: Merging History & Sci-Fi When history and science fiction merge, anything is possible. Especially if it comes from the pen of eight-time bestselling author, d. E. Rogers. And with the release of his new novel, Black States of America – Real Black Power, he may have even outdone himself. The novel is available to the world today. Black States of America is an action-packed, edge-of-yourseat adventure that begins at Ford’s Theater on the fateful night in 1865 when President Abraham Lincoln was to be assassinated. Yet in Rogers’ version of events, a former slave and scientist come to visit President Lincoln via a black hole to an alternate universe. Their visit interrupts Booth’s assassination plans and Lincoln survives. And that is just the opening sequence.
“My readers connect with my books because they see parts of themselves in the vivid characters I create. With Black States of America, I want people to be so engrossed in the book that when they finish, they can’t help but think back on the original premise and wonder what the country would be today if Lincoln had lived and how that might have affected Black lives.” Find more information about E. Rogers at de-rogers.com or @therealderogers on Facebook and Twitter. Get your copy of Black States of America – Real Black Power on Amazon
For press inquiries, contact d. E. Rogers at derogers007@gmail.com
Yet as readers are drawn into the tale that spans two worlds and encompasses scenes of terror, intrigue, sorrow, and hope, it also provides reason for pause. And that is exactly what the author intended. “I love to put readers right in the middle of the story by creating characters they can relate to and see a glimpse of themselves in,” explained Rogers, who hails originally from South Bend, Indiana.
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