WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3, 2018
AN AMERICAN PRINT MEDIA PUBLICATION
Duo goes viral with photos of black girls with natural hair By Sheila M. Poole The kinks. The waves. The twists. The blooming afro. Atlanta photography duo Kahran and Regis Bethencourt want to celebrate
the versatility and beauty of natural hair. A year ago, the owners of CreativeSoul Photography launched the “AfroArt” series, which features African-
American girls in all their natural hair glory. Although the series was shot a year ago, it recently went viral, thanks in part to social media shout outs
from celebrities like Taraji P. Henson, Morris Chestnut and Tia Mowry. The collection is powerful in its entirety. n Viral, see page 3
CBC MEMBERS
CALL TRUMP
Civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.).
Photo by Freddie Allen/AMG/NNPA
PRESENCE AT MUSEUM
OPENING AN INSULT
By Lauren Victoria Burke When two members of the Congressional Black Caucus, longtime Mississippi Congressman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and civil rights legend Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), heard that President Donald Trump planned to attend the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum dedication ceremony, they both announced that they would forego the event.
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HE White House was critical. On December 7, White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, “We think it’s unfortunate that these members of Congress wouldn’t join the president in honoring the incredible sacrifice civil rights leaders made to right the injustices in our history. The president
New monument at Fort Leavenworth will honor Black WWII unit Funds are being raised to erect a monument at Fort Leavenworth to honor the first and only black Women’s Army Corps unit to deploy overseas during World War II. The monument will honor the 6888th Central Directory Postal Battalion, which sorted mail for the armed forces during the war. The Leavenworth Times reports the unit deployed from February 1945 to January 1946. Carlton Philpot, chairman of the memorial committee, said the mail was backed up for two years. He says 855 women sorted seven million pieces of mail in three months. The monument, expected to cost $70,000, will feature a likeness of Lt. Col. Charity Adams, who commanded the unit. It will be located on the Walkway of Patriots on Fort Leavenworth. A dedication is planned for next fall.
hopes others will join him in recognizing that the movement was about removing barriers and unifying Americans of all backgrounds.” From that statement, you might never have guessed that the White House spokesperson was referring to a civil rights leader: Congressman John Lewis. “It’s laughable that the White House is criticizing John Lewis and Bennie Thompson for not attending the opening
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It’s laughable that the White House is criticizing John Lewis and Bennie Thompson for not attending the opening of a civil rights museum that honors the sacrifices of … John Lewis, Bennie Thompson and many others. CBC Chairman Cedric Richmond (D-La.).
of a civil rights museum that honors the sacrifices of ...wait...John Lewis, Bennie Thompson, and many others,” said n Museum, see page 2
STAGE 3 CANCER WON’T SLOW DARREN PARKER DOWN LONGTIME POLITICAL ACTIVIST DARREN PARKER ANNOUNCES THAT HE’S BATTLING STAGE 3 ESOPHAGEAL CANCER By Jasmyne A. Cannick After calling to order a standing room only crowd of Democrats at the Winter meeting of the California Democratic Party’s African American Caucus near San Francisco, longtime chair Darren Parker made a startling admission that he was battling stage 3 esophageal cancer. Remarking that many in the room might have noticed his dramatic weight loss since their last meeting, Parker explained that two months ago he began to drop weight and was having issues with that he thought was just acid reflux and indigestion. “What started as a simple doctor’s appointment to pinpoint the problem and find a solution has evolved into a diagnosis of stage 3 esophageal cancer,” he said. Parker says that immediately after his diagnosis he began to withdraw and had begun to mope around until a colleague said to him, “Don’t cancer know they can’t kick your ass? Don’t cancer know that Parker can kick cancer’s ass?” Parker credits those very words with putting the fight back into him. “It brought me back to ‘I’m from Compton,’” he said. “I got in my car and I turned my music back up and I was back to myself because the news had really started to take me out of who I was. And because my friend said that, I was able to put back on my music and it helped to me to change my perspective back into who I was. Being here in San Francisco for the meeting of the African American Caucus was very important to me because it is part of the healing process more than the medication, more than anything else--because I am finishing a journey that the Lord put me on originally. I think that the reason why I’ve n Parker, see page 3
Panelists discuss diversity and inclusion in the petrochemical industry THE OIL AND NATURAL GAS INDUSTRY OFFERS HIGHER WAGES FOR BLACK STEM PROFESSIONALS By Freddie Allen When it comes to preparing the next generation for careers in science, technology engineering and mathematics, also known at “STEM,” Jack Gerard, the president and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute, said that leaders in the oil and natural gas industry have to answer the “awareness question.” “There are many people out there, today, that don’t really understand the oil and natural gas industry or the opportunities that it can present for them, their families and for well-paying careers,” said Gerard. “It’s incumbent upon us, as an industry, to have this dialogue more often and to
intensify this discussion, so that people really understand,” the connection between the oil and natural gas industry and their everyday lives. The American Petroleum Institute (API) and the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, recently hosted a panel discussion focused on increasing diversity and inclusion in STEM careers and in the oil and natural gas industry. API, the only national trade group representing all facets of the oil and natural gas industry, according to the group’s website, supports 10.3 million jobs in the United States and nearly 8 percent of the U.S. economy. n Petrochemical, see page 6
Photo by Freddie Allen/AMG/NNP
Dr. Calvin Mackie, a motivational speaker and founder of STEM NOLA, talks about diversity and inclusion in the oil and natural gas industry, during a panel discussion at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
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THE BULLETIN, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3, 2018
NEWS
Top sports leaders look at ways to address sexual misconduct By Janie McCauley Top leaders from the major professional sports leagues and individual franchises along with high-profile former athletes have begun looking at ways to avoid the kinds of sexual misconduct scandals that have rocked the world of politics and the entertainment industry.
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ND lately, sports, too. The issue came up in discussions earlier this month during the first meeting of the Anti-Defamation League’s new Sports Leadership Council, which is chaired by Pac-12 Conference Commissioner Larry Scott. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred attended, joined by NCAA President Mark Emmert among others such as Big East Commissioner and former WNBA President Val Ackerman, various pro sports owners and team presidents. Tennis star Venus Williams is taking part, while civil rights activists, women’s advocates and sports agents are in the group as well. The leadership council briefly discussed the topic of sexual misconduct as part of its larger agenda during its first meeting in New York but has yet to identify any specific initiatives. Scott stressed the goal of the group is to be proactive on any hot-button topics, such as sexual harassment and sexual
misconduct, given recent firings and lawsuits filed around the country. “It did come up, and it has been a real issue,” Scott said. “It’s been an area of focus in sports generally for young male athletes to be role models.” Recent weeks have seen major misconduct allegations emerging in sports. Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk is among three NFL Network analysts suspended after a woman who worked as a wardrobe stylist at the network accused them in a lawsuit of sexual misconduct. That came after Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon was sued for sexual harassment by a woman who worked for him at his sports marketing firm. Moon denied the allegations again Thursday in a radio interview. Last Sunday, Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson announced he would sell the team while he is under investigation for sexual and racial misconduct in the workplace. The NFL plans to hire an outside counsel to investigate the allegations. Scott realizes the importance of discussing cases of sexual misconduct. “I can just speak for my own experience at the Pac-12 and throughout college sports, there’s been a real embrace of a White House campaign called ‘It’s on Us’ and a focus,” Scott said. “Stanford’s done some things here locally, too, from some PSAs to focus on awareness and the importance of everyone having the responsibility to be upstanders not bystanders, that it’s on everyone to be aware of potential sexual harassment and misconduct. It’s been an important area of focus in college sports. It’s certainly on the
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I can just speak for my own experience at the Pac-12 and throughout college sports, there’s been a real embrace of a White House campaign called ‘It’s on Us’ and a focus agenda and on the list of issues that sports is confronting.” Golden State Warriors President and COO Rick Welts, who participated in the council’s two-hour initial session by phone, just addressed sexual misconduct in a meeting with his small group of top executives and another with all of the franchise’s management leaders. “You raise it as an issue that it creates a natural opportunity to be able to talk about it again,” Welts said. “We have our regular harassment training. It’s not a new subject, but it’s certainly got a new focus right now. It’s an opportunity to just kind of reaffirm the things that we want the organization to stand for and we’re using it as an opportunity to do that. It was definitely a conversation.” Still, Welts said he often asks himself whether he is doing enough. “You can do the training and have the conversations,” he said, “then your control is gone.” That’s largely why the council wants to figure out how it might do more—in a united effort. The goal of the group is to find
ways to collaborate on understanding current events and how they affect sports, what athletes and sports officials can do with such a focus on the rise of sports stars’ social stands and activism as well as brainstorming further ways of ensuring and improving unity and respect. “It often draws attention to issues that are going on in society at large, things like racism, homophobia, religious intolerance, bullying, domestic violence issues,” Scott said. “These are all issues that society’s been wrestling over the last year and sport often comes into focus if these issues happen in sports. They get a lot of attention. “Sports leaders have an opportunity to make an impact on these things. This is the first time I’m aware of that the entire sports community has come together to exchange ideas and views, share experiences and to explore opportunities that there might be for some collective activities or to work together to amplify the great individual work that individual athletes or teams or leagues are doing.” Major League Baseball states as one of its “workplace code of conduct” principles: “Harassment and discrimination are against MLB’s values and will not be tolerated anywhere in the Major or Minor Leagues.” The council will continue to address the hot-button issues and current events facing not only sports but society. Many of those involved figure as much positive change and dialogue that can happen the better. “It’s a big opportunity,” Welts said. “It has just started.”
Restaurant owner giving $500,000 to African-American museum A woman who started out as a grill worker and now owns multiple restaurants is pledging $500,000 for the International African American Museum that’s being developed in Charleston. The museum announced Carolyn Hunter’s gift Thursday. Officials hope to break ground next summer on the project, which is
expected to cost $75 million. Hunter is president of C&A Unlimited Inc., which owns McDonald’s restaurants in Ladson and Summerville. She started her career as a McDonald’s grill worker after graduating from a community college in 1977. Museum CEO Michael Boulware said Hunter’s story exemplifies the
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Americans to visit this historic civil rights museum.” Trump visited a few southern states the weekend before the special
Palm Springs will remove a row of tall tamarisk trees which residents say has segregated a historically black neighborhood. Mayor Robert Moon, council member J.R. Roberts and other city officials promised neighborhood residents that they would remove the trees and a chain link fence along property lines as soon as possible at an informal meeting, the Desert Sun reported Monday. Many longtime residents told the paper that they believe the trees that separate the neighborhood from the city-owned Tahquitz Creek Golf Course were planted for racist reasons in the 1960s. Not only do the tall trees block their view of the golf course and the San Jacinto mountains, they also artificially depress property values, preventing black families from accumulating wealth in their property for the past half century, residents said. Roberts apologized to the neighborhood residents for any wrongdoing by the city in the past. “It’s a new city council and a new time,” Moon said. The tree removal needs to be approved by the entire city council before the plan can move forward, said City Manager David Ready. From there, the city will need to consult arborists and put the tree removal out to bid like any other city-fund project, he said. He estimates the trees could come down within three months. The city expects to spend about $169,000 on the project, Ready previously said.
touch & take off!
American dream. Hunter established a scholarship fund at Trident Technical College and serves on the boards of Trident Technical College Foundation, Charleston Southern University, Trident United Way and the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Charleston.
Museum CBC Chairman Cedric Richmond (D-La.). “This White House is not serious about civil rights. From dismantling the civil rights division in [the Department of Justice] to equating peaceful people who protested racism to neo-Nazi’s and White supremacists, they just don’t get it.” In a joint statement on December 7, Thompson and Lewis wrote: “After careful consideration and conversations with church leaders, elected officials, civil rights activists, and many citizens of our congressional districts, we have decided not to attend or participate in the opening of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum.” The statement continued: “President Trump’s attendance and his hurtful policies are an insult to the people portrayed in this civil rights museum. The struggles represented in this museum exemplify the truth of what really happened in Mississippi. President Trump’s disparaging comments about women, the disabled, immigrants, and National Football League players disrespect the efforts of Fannie Lou Hamer, Aaron Henry, Medgar Evers, Robert Clark, James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner, and countless others who have given their all for Mississippi to be a better place. After President Trump departs, we encourage all Mississippians and
Palms Springs to remove trees obstructing black neighborhood
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THE BULLETIN, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3, 2018
NEWS
What makes Will Smith’s world ‘Bright’-money, he jokes By Nicole Evatt “Just money. Lots of money.” So goes Will Smith’s tonguein-cheek summation of why he took on what has turned into one of the worst reviewed films of the season, the big-budget Netflix release “Bright.”
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HE seasoned film cop and science fiction star does it all over again, playing a police officer with racist feelings against his otherworldly partner who happens to be an Orc in a land also occupied by Elves, Fairies and at least one Centaur. Smith’s Officer Ward has just returned to the job after being shot and is assigned to reunite with the rookie Nick Jakoby, the first Orc to serve with the LAPD. Jakoby is played by Joel Edgerton. Edgerton joined Smith during a recent round of interviews in Los Angeles and agreed that the issue of racism grew more and more important as filming went on.
“Not because the topic suddenly became a more kind of evolved or new topic,” Edgerton said. “It just so happened that there are a lot of really bad things happening that were newsworthy. And when things become newsworthy, unfortunately the subject of how we treat each other and the policies on a bigger scale that are in place in order to allow people to feel OK about treating other people badly became more and more a sort of magnify thing, I think, as we were making it.” Smith considers science fiction “emotionally distant and safe for the audience, so you get to talk about things and say and do things that you really couldn’t if you were trying to hit the subject on the head.” That’s exactly what his character does, he said, going “straight down the middle on the insanity of these racist concepts, but it doesn’t feel like that because of the nature of the world.” Smith has been in the business for 30 years and said his expectations are quite different now with every job. “The release of a film used to be everything and my entire career and everything was on the line, every time I put something out. And now
Parker continued from page 1
Photo courtesy Netflix. I’m looking at (how) my life is my art, more than one film or one piece of entertainment,” Smith said. “It’s just kind of a brush stroke. So I’m just looking to make something that if one person finds some joy or some assistance with moving forward in their life then that’s successful for
me.” Edgerton’s take? “But it would be better if there were like 200 million.” When it came to “Bright,” Smith said, he actually enjoyed the freedom Netflix provided. The film is in select theaters and on Netflix since last Friday.
trend toward multiculturalism in advertising. “They want to make sure all types and all walks of life are represented.” They often hear from parents who said they showed their daughters the photos “so they can love their natural hair. They go to school and they want to cover it up.” The two enjoyed a bicoastal romance before marrying in 2011. Kahran, 37, lived in Oregon and Regis, 40, lived in his native Maryland. They met during an online graphics design forum. They decided to move to Atlanta, when Regis enrolled at Gwinnett Technical College to study photography. His wife, who nurtured a love for photography, would learn along with him. In 2009, they started a photography business. It was satisfying, but something was missing. They slowly backed away from the part of the business they didn’t enjoy
as much, such as shooting weddings and newborns. “It did not make us as happy as when shooting kids,” she said. “They (children and youths) can be interesting. They like being in front of the camera, and they’re usually full of personality. A little bribe with Skittles and they’re good.” Adults, on the other hand, were found to be more stressful, said Regis. “I’m a child myself,” he said. “Adults are too worried about how people see them or things like their weight.” The goal, said Regis, is to take the project global. He said they’ve gotten requests from the United Kingdom and various nations in Africa. How are they dealing with their newfound fame? “It’s weird to go to another country and people recognize you on the street,” he said. “I don’t think that’s normal for photographers.”
Viral continued from page 1
The collection includes 25 photos shot around the nation with various themes. There was steampunk in New York. The Baroque period in Dallas. Bejeweled and crowned queens in Los Angeles and AfroEarth in Oakland, where natural elements were used to adorn the models’ hair. The girls range in age from 4 to 13. “It was cool to showcase those eras in a new light,” she said. “This was not something people had seen before.” The Bethencourts have released a calendar featuring some of the photographs (Henson recently bought 10) and are in talks with a publisher about a coffee-table book to be released perhaps in 2018. They also sell some of the photographs as prints or on canvas, ranging from $40 to $300. When the husband-and-wife team first sent out calls for young models, parents would sometimes get their children’s hair straightened
for the session, “because that’s what they thought they needed to get into the industry—to be a top model or actor.” One of the girls pictured in the series is Phoenix Lyles, 10, a fifthgrader at King Springs Elementary School in Smyrna, who has worn natural hair since she was even younger. The attention doesn’t faze her. “I feel pretty good with natural hair,” she said. It’s more acceptable in many circles. Commercials, print ads and films and television shows often feature children and teens with locs, Afros, twists and the like. Rita Harrell, co-owner of Big Picture Casting in Atlanta, which has worked with clients like Nike and Wal-Mart and on projects like “Hangman” and “Vengeance: A Love Story,” said it’s much more commercially acceptable, “even desired” than it used to be. She thinks it’s the general
The Compton Bulletin: 3.5’’wide x 7’’ high (PDF) color
The Empowerment Congress and Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas present
26
EMPOWERING CALIFORNIA A LOCAL PERSPECTIVE
TH ANNUAL
EMPOWERMENT CONGRESS SUMMIT GUBERNATORIAL TOWN HALL IN COLLABORATION WITH
MEDIA PARTNERS
Ventura County’s 32nd Annual
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day “We Must Lift Our Voices, Reclaim Our Time and Win With Unity”
MonDay, January 15, 2018 8:00 a.m.
“Freedom march”
From: Plaza Park at 5th and C Street, Oxnard To: Oxnard Performing Arts Center (OPAC) Transportation provided from the Performing Arts Center to Plaza Park
9:00 a.m.
observance Program
OPAC, 800 Hobson Way, Oxnard, CA 93030
Saturday, January 13, 2018
KeynOTe SPeAKer: Dr. Gaye Theresa Johnson, President of the Board, Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE)
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA • LOS ANGELES
AKA SOrOriTy SPeeCH COnTeST Winner: Diego Flores, Juan Soria School, Oxnard
Featuring Travis Allen, John Chiang, John Cox, Delaine Eastin, Gavin Newsom, Antonio Villaraigosa FREE ADMISSION • Registration 8 am • Program 9 am
$7 admission includes refreshments and vendor exhibits Tickets may be purchased from MLK Committee members, at the door or online at www.mlkventuracounty.com
FESTIVAL OF DEMOCRACY Community Forum 10:30 am - 2 pm • Complimentary Lunch Featuring Entertainment, Art Expositions, Resource Tables Register at www.EmpowermentCongress.org For more information contact (213) 346-3247 or info@EmpowermentCongress.org #ECSummit26 Empowerment Congress | A Program of Community Partners
www.mlkventuracounty.com Sponsored by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Committee of Ventura County and these sponsors
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been a Party officer for this long is that the Lord gave me a task and my task was to guide and build this Caucus into what it is today.” Parker has been elected to chair the African American Caucus of the California Democratic Party for the past 10 years--5 consecutive terms. He served as an active member in the Communication Workers of America Union-including as their Political Director--during his 30-year career at AT&T. He has worked for three Assembly Speakers during his tenure including John Perez, Toni Atkins and the current Speaker Anthony Rendon. “When I became chair there were literally ten of us in the room and five of us were officers,” Parker remembers. “It was Reggie Jones who said to me that it was my time to step up. Little did I know that when I stepped up that there wasn’t going to be any members and there wasn’t going to be any money. But he had been grooming us to make sure that at anytime we were ready to step up to the opportunity to serve not just the Party but to serve our people in the Party. So when I stepped up and saw that there were 10 people and $29.75 in the account, it inspired me to build as we’ve done my whole life.” A longtime Antelope Valley resident by way of Compton, Parker says that he got his start in politics at the age of eleven with his brother and three cousins by starting a club in his grandmother’s house in Compton called One Hundred Thousand Students for the Freedom of South Africa. “Very early in life we were creating organizations in the backyard and had meetings about how do we help the students over there that we can’t see and can’t touch but yet want to be a part of stopping the struggle that they’re in.” Parker says that his early organizing to help Black South African students was akin to the struggle he faced coming on as chair of the African American Caucus. “I literally used the things that I had learned back then and in my adult life and which led to inspiration to build the Caucus one member at a time.” Congresswoman Maxine Waters was a huge source of inspiration to Parker in his early days. Remembering a Democratic convention where Waters took the extraordinary step of called a meeting of the African American Caucus during the middle of the convention on the floor during session after no Blacks were on agenda. “She did it for two reasons. One, that she had something to say and this wasn’t right and that we all knew it. And the second reason was to get the attention of the leadership of the state party.” ParkersaysthatCongresswoman Waters’ bold leadership during that convention showed him that when you have the power of delegates, you have the power of change in the Democratic Party. “So not only did I go out to recruit African Americans but I went out to recruit delegates because I figured if I had one-third or two-thirds of the delegates of the state party--and there’s 3,000 people--if I could get 1,500 or 2,000 people we would ultimately have power no matter who is in charge or what was going on because we could always pull our delegates in and make action happen.”
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THE BULLETIN, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3, 2018
OPED
Making room at the inn By Marian Wright Edelman A friend shared a story I love about our mutual friend and mentor Rev. William Sloane Coffin, Jr. some years ago. It was Christmas Eve and the pews at New York City’s Riverside Church were packed. The Christmas pageant was underway and had come to the point at which the innkeeper was to turn away Mary and Joseph with the resounding line, “There’s no room at the inn!” Never mind that no figure of the innkeeper actually appears in scripture. We’ve all imagined him delivering the message of “no room” to the baby Jesus’s parents. And it seemed the perfect part for Tim, an earnest youth of the congregation who had Down Syndrome. Only one line to remember: “There’s no room at the inn!” He had practiced it again and again with his parents a n d with the
pageant d i r e c t o r. He seemed to have mastered it. So Tim stood at the altar, bathrobe costume f i r m l y belted over his broad
stomach, as Mary and Joseph made their way down the center aisle. They approached him, said their lines as rehearsed and waited for his reply. Tim’s parents, the pageant director, and the whole congregation almost leaned forward as if willing Tim to remember his line. “There’s no room at the inn!” Tim boomed out, just as rehearsed. But then, as Mary and Joseph turned on cue to travel further, Tim suddenly yelled, “Wait!” They turned back startled, along with the congregation, and looked at Tim in surprise. “You can stay at my house!” he called. I am told William Coffin strode to the pulpit, said, “Amen,” and sat down. It was the best sermon he never preached. For Christians, another holy advent season is upon us. People of all faiths are reflecting on things done and left undone during the past year and making resolutions for change in the new one. I hope that we individually and collectively as communities and as a nation resolve to stop saying to our children, “There’s no room at the inn.” When will we, like Tim, start saying, “You can stay at my house!” When will we say to poor, hungry and homeless children, “Wait! We’ll make a place for you at America’s table of plenty!” I hope Congress will reflect on their deeds in voting to give non-needy millionaires and billionaires and wealthy corporations huge tax breaks to be paid for by cutting b a s i c survival needs of poor children – health care, child care, housing, food, and so much more that we who are privileged take for granted – and whether poor children have a place in America’s inn. It is their inn too. I don’t know how Senate and House Republicans decided this week to turn their backs on millions of poor children and other poor and low and middleincome families in order to give the wealthiest households and powerful corporations instead $1.5 trillion in tax breaks over the next ten years. I don’t’ know what sacred text they read. Their vote is evil any time, but especially at
this time of the year recognized by some faith traditions as a holy season. The only table children will be invited to in 2018 will be an unfriendly budget slashing one with Medicaid and SNAP -- the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps) laid out for deep cuts. What kind of leaders vote to balance the budget on the backs of babies and children and what will you and I do to hold them accountable? Fifty years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his last Christmas Eve sermon at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church – “A Christmas Sermon on Peace.” He reminded us that one of the things “we must be concerned about if we are to have peace on earth and good will toward men is the nonviolent affirmation of the sacredness of all human life. Every man is somebody because he is a child of God... made in His image, and therefore must be respected as such.” He also reflected on the “I Have A Dream” speech he had given at the March on Washington four years earlier, and how he already had begun seeing his dream turning into a nightmare as current events were unfolding. But Dr. King refused to give up his conviction that our nation could change: “I still have a dream today that one day, justice will roll down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream. I still have a dream today that in all of our state houses and city halls men will be elected to go there who will do justly and love mercy and walk humbly with their God.” We must never stop striving to live up to that still unfulfilled dream denied millions of our children. As Christians rejoice in the miracle of the incarnation – the belief that God actually came to live among us as a poor baby and child – I hope we will in the new year raise a mighty sustained voice for justice and protection for all the poor babies and children in our nation and world made in God’s image. As we celebrate this holy season in many faiths and enter a new year, let us repent and reaffirm our commitment to building a nation where all children find room at our nation’s and world’s inn. Marian Wright Edelman is President of the Children’s Defense Fund whose Leave No Child Behind® mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. For more information go to www. childrensdefense.org.
Tax cut bill passage helps make America great again By Rick Manning President Trump and the GOP Congress scored a significant victory through the passage of the tax cut/ reform legislation, which was signed Friday. The legislation had four major components: lowering corporate tax rates from the highest in the developed world to around the world’s average; encouraging the repatriation of more than $4 trillion in overseas profits made by U.S. corporations that the old tax code punitively re-taxed at the regular 35% tax level in spite of the fact overseas taxes had already been paid; lowering individual taxes for between 80 and 90 percent of individuals and ending the individual mandate effective January 1, 2019. Workers in some large companies are already seeing the benefits of the corporate tax cuts as 200,000 domestic AT&T workers will each receive a $1,000 bonus after the bill is signed, the telecom company will also invest an additional billion dollars in U.S. infrastructure. Wells Fargo announced that they will raise their starting hourly wage for workers up to $15 an hour in March of 2018. Regional bank FifthThird Bancorp also announced they were increasing their internal minimum wage to $15 an hour and gave a $1000 bonus to 13,000 employees. Not to be outdone, media giant Comcast will be giving $1000 bonuses as well as investing more
than $50 billion over the next five years in infrastructure, media businesses, and theme parks in light of both the tax cut and the FCC’s decision to end net neutrality. And that is just four companies pouring money that would have been wasted in Washington, D.C. into real people’s pockets and even more importantly into growing their businesses, creating more high demand jobs. Repatriation of these overseas profits are estimated to generate more than $50 billion in tax revenue for 2018 alone. More important than the short-term tax revenue created,
trillions of dollars will be infused into U.S. multi-nationals to clean up balance sheets, invest, pay dividends, raise pay and yes, even build new plants and operations here in the U.S. Trillions of dollars of new capital used by private decision-makers based on their internal plans to grow their businesses starting in 2018. Under the legislation, even the Democrats’ favorite tax think tank, the Tax Policy Center, reports that in 2018, 80 percent of the American public will get a tax cut, and about 15 percent will have no significant change. While it would be preferred that
everyone in America who pays taxes, keep more in their pockets, overall, a vast majority of working Americans will see the benefits immediately in their paychecks assuming they adjust their withholdings accordingly at the beginning of the year. President Donald Trump and the GOP Congress understood the fundamental truth that it is your money the government takes out of your paycheck, while the Democrats argue that tax cuts are immoral because they take away some of what they believe is the government’s money. And that is the fundamental
question in the tax debate, whose money is it? If you believe that you should make the choices on how the money you earn from working each day should be spent, you should be happy with the bill. If you think that you should be grateful for any money the government allows you to keep, then you have succumbed to the philosophy that you are effectively a slave to the government. The fourth part of the tax bill is the repeal of the Obamacare individual mandate effective January 1, 2019. More than six and a half million Americans are paying just under $500 a year for the privilege of not purchasing health insurance. Millions more are compelled by the federal government to buy health insurance under threat of penalty. In 2019, the choice on whether to purchase health insurance or not will be restored to the individual. America’s economy will continue to prosper due to the Trump/GOP Congress tax cut bill. A vast majority of Americans will also get extra in their paychecks due to the bill. Some victories are symbolic, but this tax bill will mean that millions more Americans are working with higher wages and greater opportunities for the future. Passage of the 2017 tax cut bill is one more step toward fulfilling President Trump’s promise to make America great again. Rick Manning is the President of Americans for Limited Government.
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THE BULLETIN, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3, 2018
OPED
Justice Department successes By Printus LeBlanc In a year full of achievements for President Trump, his push for enforcement of existing immigration laws and little-noticed victories at the Department of Justice have stood out.
comply with the conditions of the grants, the grants will be rescinded. Local politicians that put criminal illegal aliens above law abiding citizens should not be rewarded with federal funding for violating the law.
MS-13 The Trump DOJ, led by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, has taken a hard line against MS-13. The Salvadoran gang is a ruthless organization that has spread its tentacles across the nation. Many consider it is the most violent gang operating in the U.S. Under the previous administration they seemed to act with impunity because President Obama was sympathetic to the illegal immigrant community. However, since taking office, the Trump administration has taken the fight to the criminal organization. Since taking office, the number of arrests of MS-13 members has increased by 83 percent. AG Sessions designated the gang a priority for the DOJ’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces program, which allows a variety of laws to be used to prosecute MS-13 members. Sessions stated,” Now they will go after MS-13 with a renewed vigor and a sharpened focus. I am announcing that I have authorized them to use every lawful tool to investigate MS-13—not just our drug laws, but everything from RICO to our tax laws to our firearms laws. Just like we took Al Capone off the streets with our tax laws, we will use whatever laws we have to get MS-13 off of our streets.” MS-13 was allowed to bloom and spread their murderous trade under the Obama administration; President Trump is fighting back.
Third Party Payouts One of the most important actions taken by the Trump DOJ was to end the practice of third-party payouts. The previous administration allowed companies to pay these groups instead of victims of crimes. When the Obama DOJ levied fines against most major banks, following the financial crisis, a clause was inserted into the fines that allowed money going towards third parties to count as double towards the fine. Of course, these third parties just happened to be politically aligned with President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder. This was seen as a slush fund for political allies, and the Trump DOJ put a stop to it. On June 7, 2017, Attorney General Sessions issued a memo to all Department of Justice components ending the practice of third-party payouts stating, “When the federal government settles a case against a corporate wrongdoer, any settlement funds should go first to the victims and then to the American people— not to bankroll third-party special interest groups or the political friends of whoever is in power,” said Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “Unfortunately, in recent years the Department of Justice has sometimes required or encouraged defendants to make these payments to third parties as a condition of settlement. With this directive, we are ending this practice and ensuring that settlement funds are only used to compensate victims, redress harm, and punish and deter unlawful conduct.”
Sanctuary Cities Many of the gang members hid in sanctuary cities. These are cities that refused to cooperate with federal officials and ignored ICE detainer requests for illegal immigrants. After being arrested for a crime, an illegal immigrant would be allowed back onto the street without facing deportation, even if they were a member of a criminal gang. President Trump decided to act. The DOJ announced it would withhold funding for certain law enforcement programs from sanctuary jurisdictions. The jurisdictions depend on DOJ funding, and if they are found to not
Drug-related deaths Under the Obama administration, the number of narcotic-related deaths skyrocketed. Since 2009, the number of drug-related deaths in the U.S. has risen by more than 50 percent, to more than 64,000 in 2016. Much of this is due to the opioid epidemic currently sweeping the nation. The previous administration was not big on securing the border to stop the tons of narcotics from flowing onto U.S. streets. The Trump administration has taken the exact opposite approach.
Trump has beefed up border security and asked for thousands more Border Patrol agents to be hired. Prototypes for a southern border wall have also been built, and there is funding in the budget to begin construction of the wall. Trump knows most of the drugs are getting into the country through the southern border. The President also declared the opioid epidemic a “Public Health Emergency.” This will allow the federal government to waive some regulations and give states more flexibility in how they use federal funds to fight the epidemic. Over 250,000 people died of drug overdoses in the last administration, and it seemed like no action was taken, with the exception of leaving the border unguarded and letting Hezbollah operate a massive narcoterrorism in the U.S. Gun Crimes The left often uses victims as props in their quest to destroy the 2nd Amendment. The left complains getting a gun is entirely too easy in the U.S. President Obama was famous for this, but a closer look at his record of prosecuting gun crimes shows something shameful. President Obama rarely prosecuted gun crimes. A 2016 Inspector General’s report, showed the Obama DOJ prosecuted less than 32 people per year for lying on federal forms to purchase a firearm. This happened despite the fact over 100,000 convicted felons or other prohibited persons tried to buy guns each year. For a group that supposedly cares so much about gun crimes, why didn’t the Obama administration prosecute them?
Prosecutors under the Sessions led DOJ are taking a different tactic. The DOJ initiated more new gun cases every single month since February, compared to the corresponding month from last year. When asked about it, Lawrence Leiser, president of the National Association of Assistant U.S. Attorneys said, “prosecutors simply have orders to file the most significant charge that can be proven… a reversal from instructions first handed down by Holder to be more lenient in certain instances.” The Sessions led DOJ is doing more to combat violence in Chicago than President Obama ever did for his hometown. The DOJ sent 20 ATF agents to Chicago early in the year, and it seems to be paying off. In July U.S. Attorney Joel Levin stated, “his office already prosecuted more federal gun cases than all of 2016.”
and that included the IRS. The IRS was caught red-handed targeting groups based on their political beliefs. Lois Lerner inappropriate actions by the IRS on a press call. This began a saga of destroyed evidence, refusals to testify, and denials by government officials. It was starting to look like justice would never be served. The DOJ under Sessions realized the wrong that was committed and settled with the aggrieved parties. Court documents stated, “The IRS admits that its treatment of Plaintiffs during the tax-exempt determination process, including screening their applications based on their names or policy positions, subjecting those applications to heightened scrutiny and inordinate delays, and demanding some Plaintiffs’ information that TIGTA determined was unnecessary to the agency’s determination of their taxexempt status, was wrong…For such treatment, the IRS expresses its sincere apology.” The DOJ and the immigration system were by far the institutions damaged the most by the Obama administration. They flooded with country with illegal immigrants with hopes of turning them into voter following amnesty, they used the DOJ as a weapon to raise funds for political allies, and they targeted their opponents with governmental power. AG Sessions and President Trump have a long way to go to make the DOJ respectable again, but the actions this year, are helping to restore some of the lost confidence.
IRS President Obama weaponized government against his opponents,
Printus LeBlanc is a contributing editor at Americans for Limited Government.
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THE BULLETIN, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3, 2018
NEWS Petrochemical continued from page 1
The panel discussion coincided with the release of a new RAND report titled, “Postsecondary Education and STEM Employment in the United States.” The report, which was prepared for API, examined national education trends and the relationship between degree attainment and employment and wages, specifically in STEM fields. “Many of tomorrow’s best paying careers, at all levels, will
require some kind of training or education in a STEM discipline,” said Gerard. STEM degrees can lead to higher earnings and can help to close the wage gap between Blacks and Whites. Those higher earnings are even more pronounced in the oil and gas industry. Blacks with STEM bachelor’s degrees earn $45.15 in hourly wages in the oil and natural gas industry, compared
to Blacks with non-STEM bachelor’s degrees, who make $28.10 per hour, according to the RAND report. Whites with STEM bachelor’s degrees make slightly more per hour than Blacks with STEM degrees working in the oil and natural gas industry ($45.26 vs. $45.15). The hourly wage gap is higher between Whites and Blacks with non-STEM
STATEPOINT CROSSWORD THEME: THE 1990s
Photo by Freddie Allen/AMG/NNP
(From left-right) Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., the president and CEO of the NNPA; Dr. Calvin Mackie, a motivational speaker and founder of STEM NOLA; Spencer Overton, the president of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies; and Jack Gerard, the president and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. degrees that work in the oil and gas industry ($37.73 vs. $28.10). According to the 2016 report titled, “Minority and Female Employment in
the Oil & Natural Gas and Petrochemical Industries, 2015-2035” by IHS Global prepared for API, “nearly 1.9 million direct job opportunities are projected
through 2035 in the oil and natural gas and petrochemical industries” and “African Americans and Hispanics will account for over 80 percent of the net increase in the labor force from 2015 to 2035.” Dr. Calvin Mackie, a motivational speaker and founder of STEM NOLA, a program that exposes students from underserved communities to STEM careers, said that if the oil and natural gas industry is going to recruit minorities to fill some of those 1.9 million jobs, industry leaders “have to go where most people don’t want to go” and that’s into Black and Hispanic neighborhoods. Mackie continued: “We have to make sure that we expose every kid to the possibility of STEM, because the future will belong to those that can play in it and create it and all of our kids deserve that possibility.”
Black population for area near Superfund site down to 58 percent from 65
ACROSS 1. Had, with “thou” 6. Leaves in a bag 9. “____ ____ good example” 13. Chilled 14. Hole punching tool 15. John du Pont, e.g. 16. *”Private Parts” and “Miss America” author 17. Hawaiian garland 18. Faster! 19. *Highest grossing movie 21. *Popular 1990s communication device 23. Digital location marker 24. Sty cry 25. Homer’s exclamation 28. Ticket leftover 30. Perform onychectomy 35. International Civil Aviation Organization 37. Please get back to me 39. Andean pack animal 40. Aldous Huxley’s drug of choice 41. Willow twig 43. Cain’s unfortunate brother 44. Like Desmond Morris’ ape 46. Of low density 47. Cosa Nostra and such 48. Entertained 50. Yanks 52. U Rah ____! 53. “Put that in your ____ and smoke it!” 55. *Swedish pop group, ____ of Base 57. *Human ____ Project 60. *Grunge fabric 64. Panthers 65. “Uh-uh” 67. Indian cuisine yogurt staple 68. High society 69. Genesis vessel 70. Audience’s approval 71. ‘70s hairdo 72. *Pamela Anderson’s husband 73. Rosetta Stone, e.g. DOWN 1. *Conan debuted as one on NBC in 1993 2. Against 3. Weight watcher’s plan 4. Garbage disposal fodder 5. *Anna Kournikova’s domain 6. Barber’s supply 7. *Dolly 8. Cover story 9. a.k.a. porgy
10. Dublin land 11. Millimeter of mercury 12. Take your pick 15. Israeli monetary unit 20. Preface 22. *Emma Thompson in “Howard’s ____” 24. Eliminate 25. *Royal car crash victim 26. ____’s razor 27. 3-line poem 29. *This socialist state is no more, acr. 31. Chowder ingredient 32. *Robert Reich, Secretary of ____ 33. Single-cell animal 34. *Brandon or Brenda of “Beverly Hills, 90210” 36. Lyric poems 38. Paddington’s home country 42. Like something fit for a king 45. Remove from the throne 49. Not bright 51. Frightens 54. Prison-related 56. Perform in a play 57. *1991 war site 58. Arabian chieftain 59. *Operation Joint Endeavour mastermind organization 60. Type of fish net 61. Cairo’s waterway 62. Et alibi, abbr. 63. *”Late Night” becomes “____ Show” 64. One in a pod 66. Second person of be LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION
By Jason Dearen, Michael Biesecker and Angeliki Kastanis Anthony Stansbury propped his rusty bike against a live oak tree and cast his fishing line into the rushing waters of Florida’s Anclote River. When he bought a house down the street last year, Stansbury says he wasn’t told that his slice of paradise had a hidden problem. The neighborhood is adjacent to the Stauffer Chemical Co. Superfund site, a former chemical manufacturing plant that is on the list of the nation’s most polluted places. That 130-acre lot on the river’s edge is also located in a flood zone. “Me and my kids fish here a couple times a week. Everyone who lives on this coast right here, they fish on this water daily,” said the 39-year-old father of three. Stansbury is among nearly 2 million people in the U.S. who live within a mile of 327 Superfund sites in areas prone to flooding or vulnerable to sea-level rise caused by climate change, according to an Associated Press analysis of flood zone maps, census
data and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency records. This year’s historic hurricane season exposed a little-known public health threat: Highly polluted sites that can be inundated by floodwaters, potentially spreading toxic contamination. In Houston, more than a dozen Superfund sites were flooded by Hurricane Harvey, with breaches reported at two. In the Southeast and Puerto Rico, Superfund sites were battered by driving rains and winds from Irma and Maria. The vulnerable sites highlighted by AP’s review are scattered across the nation, but Florida, New Jersey and California have the most, and the most people living near them. They are in largely low-income, heavily minority neighborhoods, the data show. Many of the 327 sites have had at least some work done to help mitigate the threat to public health, including fencing them off and covering them in plastic sheeting to help keep out rain water. The Obama administration assessed some of these at-risk places and planned to gird them from harsher weather
and rising seas. EPA’s 2014 Climate Adaptation Plan said prolonged flooding at lowlying Superfund sites could cause extensive erosion, carrying away contaminants as waters recede. President Donald Trump, however, has called climate change a hoax, and his administration has worked to remove references from federal reports and websites linking carbon emissions to the warming planet. “Site managers had started reviewing climate and environmental trends for each Superfund site, including the potential for flooding,” said Phyllis Anderson, who worked for 30 years as an EPA attorney and associate director of the division that manages Superfund cleanups until her retirement in 2013. “The current administration appears to be trying to erase these efforts in their climate change denials, which is a shame.” EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has said he intends to focus on cleaning up Superfund sites, and he appointed a task force that developed a list of sites considered the highest priority. The Stauffer site in Florida is not on it. Like Trump, Pruitt rejects the consensus of climate scientists that man-made carbon emissions are driving global warming. His task force’s 34-page report makes no mention of the flood risk to Superfund sites from stronger storms or rising seas, but eight of the 21 sites on EPA’s priority list are in areas of flood risk. Despite EPA’s announced emphasis on expediting cleanups, the Trump administration’s proposed spending plan for the current 2018 fiscal year seeks to slash Superfund program funding by nearly one-third. Congress has not yet approved new spending plans for the fiscal year, which began Oct. 1. SODOKU SOLUTION
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THE BULLETIN, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3, 2018
LEGAL NOTICE INVITING SEALED BIDS CITY OF COMPTON PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT “NOTICE INVITING BIDS” SEALED BIDS will be received at the office of the City Clerk, City of Compton, 205 South Willowbrook Avenue, Compton, CA 90220 on or before Thursday, January 18, 2017 at 10:00 AM, opened and read in the City Clerk’s Office, 205 South Willowbrook Avenue, Compton, CA 90220. The bid package will be available online at www.comptoncity.org on December 21, 2017. All Bids shall be enclosed in a sealed envelope addressed to: City Clerk, City of Compton 205 South Willowbrook Avenue Compton CA 90220 And marked outside with: “STREET REHABILITATION PROJECT CDBG #13-01” DO NOT OPEN WITH REGULAR MAIL The proposed work shall be performed in accordance with the plans, specifications and other contract documents as specified herein and shall consist of the following general work descriptions: Install Asphalt Concrete (AC), install ADA compliant curb ramps, curb, gutter and sidewalk improvements, driveway improvements, striping and traffic loop replacement, street sign replacement, and other minor associated work. A Prebid Meeting will be held on Thursday, January 4 , 2018 at 2:00 pm at Compton City Hall (second floor), 205 South Willowbrook Avenue, Compton, CA 90221. Plans, Special Provisions and Proposal Forms will be available by December 21, 2017, at 10:00 am and can only be obtained by prospective bidders as follows: 1 CD of Plans and Specifications: No Charge 1 Hard Copy of 11x17 Plans and Specs: (duplication fee apply) City’s website at www. comptoncity.org If you need additional information, please call John Strickland, Project Manager at (310) 605-5505. ALITA GODWIN CITY CLERK PUBLISH: December 20, 2017 December 27, 2017 January 03, 2018 January 10, 2018 January 17, 2018 SchId:69357 AdId:23114 CustId:314 --------------------------------CITY OF COMPTON REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR C O N S T R U C T I O N MANAGEMENT SERVICES FOR THE STREET REHABILITATION PROJECT COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT - CDBG# 1301 The City of Compton is soliciting proposals from qualified consultants to provide construction management services for the Street Rehabilitation Project CDBG# 13-01. Qualified Consultants are hereby notified that this project will be solely or partially funded with Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds as administered by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and shall adhere to all requirements under the CDBG Program. Proposals will be received in the office of the City Clerk, City of Compton, 205 South Willowbrook Avenue, Compton, California, 90220 until 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 16, 2018. POSTMARKS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. All proposals must be clearly marked, “PROPOSAL TO PROVIDE CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT SERVICES FOR THE STREET REHABILITATION PROJECT CDBG# 13-01 IN THE CITY OF COMPTON – DO NOT OPEN WITH REGULAR MAIL” and shall be delivered during the business hours of 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday, except holidays, to the City Clerk’s office. Submit an original and four (4) copies and one digital copy on CD or USB drive of your proposals. Your proposed fee is required to be submitted under separate, sealed cover. All submittals are to be submitted in a sealed envelope bearing the name, address, and telephone number of the individuals or entity submitting the proposal to the attention of: City of Compton, Public Works Department, 205 South
Willowbrook Avenue, Compton, CA 90220.All submitted proposals will be reviewed and analyzed by City staff and the proposal which best meets the City’s needs, will be selected for further analysis and negotiation. The City of Compton reserves the right to reject any or all proposals submitted. No guarantee is made hereby that any contract will be awarded pursuant to this Request for Proposals, or otherwise. All costs incurred in the preparation of the proposals, in the submission of additional information, and/or in any other aspect of a proposal prior to the award of a written contract will be borne by the respondent. Parties interested in obtaining a Request for Proposal (RFP) package can obtain a copy by downloading the RFP at www. comptoncity.org or contact the: Public Works Department City of Compton 205 South Willowbrook Avenue Compton, CA 90220 (310) 605-5505 SUBMITTAL DEADLINE To be considered, proposals must be submitted no later than Tuesday, January 16, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. to the City Clerk’s Office, 205 South Willowbrook Avenue, Compton, California, 90220. Postmarks will not be accepted. The City may extend the deadline at its option. Note: During this period of restricted contact, any attempt by a proposing firm, its representative or agent to contact, lobby, or make a representation to a member of the City Council, or any other official, employee, or agent of the City will be grounds for disqualification. Alita Godwin, CMC Publish: 12/20/17 12/27/17 01/03/18 01/10/18 SchId:69410 AdId:23132 CustId:314 --------------------------------NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: MARY EFFIE BOUDREAUX CASE NO. 17STPB11132 To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the WILL or estate, or both of MARY EFFIE BOUDREAUX. A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by OLIVIA BOUDREAUX in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES. THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that OLIVIA BOUDREAUX 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: 01/12/18 at 8:30AM in Dept. 99 located at 111 N. HILL ST., LOS ANGELES, CA 90012 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. Attorney for Petitioner BRENT D. GRIDER GRIDER LAW OFFICE 1700 HAMNER AVENUE #100 NORCO CA 92860 12/20, 12/27/17, 1/3/18 CNS-3081540# THE COMPTON BULLETIN SchId:69423 AdId:23136 CustId:61 --------------------------------NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: WESLEY CURTIS SMITH SR. AKA WESLEY C. SMITH CASE NO. 17STPB11170 To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the WILL or estate, or both of WESLEY CURTIS SMITH SR. AKA WESLEY C. SMITH. A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by BARBARA L. JONES in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES. THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that BARBARA L. JONES 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: 01/16/18 at 8:30AM in Dept. 57 located at 111 N. HILL ST., LOS ANGELES, CA 90012 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. Attorney for Petitioner ERIC S. HARTMAN - SBN 45307 LAW OFFICES OF ERIC S. HARTMAN 7755 CENTER AVE #1100 HUNTINGTON BEACH CA 92647 12/20, 12/27/17, 1/3/18 CNS-3081677# THE COMPTON BULLETIN SchId:69426 AdId:23137 CustId:61 --------------------------------NOTICE Notice is hereby given that Extra Space Storage will sell at public auction at the storage facility listed below, to satisfy the lien of the owner, personal property described below belonging to those individuals listed below at location indicated: 12714 S. La Cienega Blvd, Hawthorne CA 90250, 310-363-9305, on January 23rd, 2018 @ 11:30PM. Unit Number, Account, Description of goods: 3052, Adenimiran Oluwole, household; 0070, Jacob Pote, home; 1166A, Margarito Lira, Household items; 0099, Zane Lopez, boxes; 1120, Phylicia Barrow, Home furniture; 1169, Donovan Cambell, Home and furniture and appliances. Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above
referenced facility in order to complete the transaction. Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property. CN944509 01-23-18 Jan 3,10, 2018 SchId:69427 AdId:23138 CustId:65 --------------------------------T.S. No. 15-41074 A P N : 6181-008-018 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE’S SALE YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST DATED 12/7/2006. UNLESS YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDING AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER. A public auction sale to the highest bidder for cash, cashier’s check drawn on a state or national bank, check drawn by a state or federal credit union, or a check drawn by a state or federal savings and loan association, or savings association, or savings bank specified in Section 5102 of the Financial Code and authorized to do business in this state will be held by the duly appointed trustee as shown below, of all right, title, and interest conveyed to and now held by the trustee in the hereinafter described property under and pursuant to a Deed of Trust described below. The sale will be made, but without covenant or warranty, expressed or implied, regarding title, possession, or encumbrances, to pay the remaining principal sum of the note(s) secured by the Deed of Trust, with interest and late charges thereon, as provided in the note(s), advances, under the terms of the Deed of Trust, interest thereon, fees, charges and expenses of the Trustee for the total amount (at the time of the initial publication of the Notice of Sale) reasonably estimated to be set forth below. The amount may be greater on the day of sale. Trustor: DANIEL BRADFORD, AND DELPHINE BRADFORD, HUSBAND AND WIFE AS JOINT TENANTS Duly Appointed Trustee: Zieve, Brodnax & Steele, LLP Deed of Trust recorded 12/28/2006 as Instrument No. 06 2881231 in book , page of Official Records in the office of the Recorder of Los Angeles County, California, Date of Sale:1/18/2018 at 9:00 AM Place of Sale: Vineyard Ballroom, Doubletree Hotel Los AngelesNorwalk, 13111 Sycamore Drive, Norwalk, CA 90650 Estimated amount of unpaid balance and other charges: $774,817.92 Note: Because the Beneficiary reserves the right to bid less than the total debt owed, it is possible that at the time of the sale the opening bid may be less than the total debt owed. Street Address or other common designation of real property: 601 SOUTH BRADFIELD AVE COMPTON, California 90221 Described as follows: As more fully described on said Deed of Trust. A.P.N #.: 6181-008-018 The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the street address or other common designation, if any, shown above. If no street address or other common designation is shown, directions to the location of the property may be obtained by sending a written request to the beneficiary within 10 days of the date of first publication of this Notice of Sale. NOTICE TO POTENTIAL BIDDERS: If you are considering bidding on this property lien, you should understand that there are risks involved in bidding at a trustee auction. You will be bidding on a lien, not on the property itself. Placing the highest bid at a trustee auction does not automatically entitle you to free and clear ownership of the property. You should also be aware that the lien being auctioned off may be a junior lien. If you are the highest bidder at the auction, you are or may be responsible for paying off all liens senior to the lien being auctioned off, before you can receive clear title to the property. You are encouraged to investigate the existence, priority, and size of outstanding liens that may exist on this property by contacting the county recorder’s office or a title insurance company, either of which may charge you a fee for
this information. If you consult either of these resources, you should be aware that the same lender may hold more than one mortgage or deed of trust on the property. NOTICE TO PROPERTY OWNER: The sale date shown on this notice of sale may be postponed one or more times by the mortgagee, beneficiary, trustee, or a court, pursuant to Section 2924g of the California Civil Code. The law requires that information about trustee sale postponements be made available to you and to the public, as a courtesy to those not present at the sale. If you wish to learn whether your sale date has been postponed, and, if applicable, the rescheduled time and date for the sale of this property, you may call (800) 280-2832 or visit this Internet Web site www. auction.com, using the file number assigned to this case 15-41074. Information about postponements that are very short in duration or that occur close in time to the scheduled sale may not immediately be reflected in the telephone information or on the Internet Web site. The best way to verify postponement information is to attend the scheduled sale. Dated: 12/22/2017 Zieve, Brodnax & Steele, LLP, as Trustee 30 Corporate Park, Suite 450 Irvine, CA 92606 For NonAutomated Sale Information, call: (714) 8487920 For Sale Information: (800) 280-2832 www.auction.com _________________________ Dalaysia Lead
Ramirez,
Team
THIS FIRM IS ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT A DEBT AND ANY INFORMATION WE OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE. EPP 24060 12/27, 1/3, 1/10/2018. SchId:69478 AdId:23157 CustId:108 --------------------------------ORDINANCE NO. 2,295 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COMPTON AMENDING VARIOUS SECTIONS OF THE COMPTON MUNICIPAL CODE RELATIVE TO FEES CHARGED FOR CITY SERVICES AND FACILITIES I, Alita Godwin, City Clerk of the City of Compton, do hereby certify that the foregoing Ordinance was adopted by the City Council of the City of Compton, signed by the Mayor and attested by the City Clerk at a regular meeting thereof held on the 19th day of December, 2017. That said Ordinance was adopted by the following vote, to wit: AYES: C O U N C I L MEMBERSZURITA, GALVAN, MCCOY, SHARIF, BROWN NOES: C O U N C I L MEMBERSNONE ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERSNONE ABSTAIN: COUNCIL MEMBERSNONE The full text of this ordinance is available at no charge from the Office of the City Clerk, (310) 605-5530. SchId:69486 AdId:23160 CustId:314 --------------------------------CITY OF COMPTON NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING Municipal Code Amendment Case No. 17-020339 Notice is hereby given pursuant to Sections 65090, and 65091 of the California Government Code that a public hearing will be held before the Planning Commission of the City of Compton, at Compton City Hall, in the Council Chambers, 205 South Willowbrook Avenue, Compton, on Wednesday, January 17, 2018 at 7:00 p.m., for the purpose of considering a Municipal Code Amendment to regulate all offsite and onsite alcohol sales within the City of Compton. The project is also subject to the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act. If you have any comments concerning the proposed municipal code amendments, they should be submitted, in writing, to Robert Delgadillo, Interim Director of the Planning Division of the Community Development Department, 205 South Willowbrook Avenue, Compton, California, 90220. Comments should be received by 1:00 pm, Thursday, January 11, 2018. If you have any questions, you may call the Compton Community Development Department
at (310) 605-5532, Monday through Thursday, 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Alita Godwin, City Clerk Publish: January 3, 2018 and January 10, 2018. SchId:69490 AdId:23162 CustId:314 --------------------------------NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF BULK SALE (UCC Sec. 6105) Escrow No. 9220-AK NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a bulk sale is about to be made. The name(s), business address(es) to the Seller(s) are: YOONJA PAK, 17625 CENTRAL AVE, CARSON CA 90746 Doing Business as: TUMMY STUFFER All other business name(s) and address(es) used by the Seller(s) within three years, as stated by the Seller(s), is/are: NONE The name(s) and address of the Buyer(s) is/are: YOUNG MI EOM, 17625 CENTRAL AVE, CARSON, CA 90746 The assets to be sold are described in general as: FURNITURE, FIXTURES, AND EQUIPMENT, GOODWILL, INVENTORY, COVENANT NOT TO COMPETE, LEASE AND LEASEHOLD IMPROVEMENT and are located at: 17625 CENTRAL AVE, CARSON, CA 90746 The bulk sale is intended to be consummated at the office of: DETAIL ESCROW, INC, 13737 ARTESIA BLVD. #105 CERRITOS, CA 90703 and the anticipated sale date is JANUARY 22, 2018 The bulk sale is subject to California Uniform Commercial Code Section 6106.2. [If the sale is subject to Sec. 6106.2, the following information must be provided.] The name and address of the person with whom claims may be filed is: DETAIL ESCROW, INC, 13737 ARTESIA BLVD #105 , CERRITOS, CA 90703 and the last day for filing claims shall be JANUARY 19, 2018, which is the business day before the sale date specified above. Dated: DECEMBER 15, 2017 BUYER: YOUNG MI EOM LA1943377 THE WEEKENDER 1/3/18 SchId:69563 AdId:23188 CustId:628 --------------------------------NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF REYMOND F. UMALI aka REYMOND FAMILAR UMALI Case No. 17STPB11432 To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of REYMOND F. UMALI aka REYMOND FAMILAR UMALI A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by Jose Pedralvez Umali, Jr. in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES. THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that Jose Pedralvez Umali, Jr. 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 on January 22, 2018 at 8:30 AM in Dept. No. 9 located at 111 N. Hill St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. 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. Attorney for petitioner: MICHAEL R WEINSTEIN ESQ SBN 204050 LAW OFFICE OF MICHAEL R WEINSTEIN APC 1851 E FIRST ST STE 900 SANTA ANA CA 92705 CN944763 UMALI Jan 3,4,10, 2018 SchId:69564 AdId:23189 CustId:65 --------------------------------NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF BULK SALE (UCC Sec. 6105) Escrow No. 17-41594-JS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a bulk sale is about to be made. The name(s), business address(es) to the Seller(s) are: NAMIN INC, 5431 ATLANTIC AVE, LONG BEACH, CA 90805 Doing Business as: LOUISIANA #1 FISH MARKET All other business name(s) and address(es) used by the Seller(s) within three years, as stated by the Seller(s), is/are: The name(s) and address of the Buyer(s) is/are: DAE WON KIM, 1890 S. COCHRAN AVE #4, LOS ANGELES, CA 90019 The assets to be sold are described in general as: ALL STOCK IN TRADE, FIXTURES, EQUIPMENT, GOODWILL, TRADENAME, LEASE, LEASEHOLD IMPROVEMENTS, AND COVENANT NOT TO COMPETE and are located at: 5431 ATLANTIC AVE, LONG BEACH, CA 90805 The bulk sale is intended to be consummated at the office of: TEAM ESCROW INC, 6025 BEACH BLVD, BUENA PARK, CA 90621 and the anticipated sale date is JANUARY 22, 2018 The bulk sale is subject to California Uniform Commercial Code Section 6106.2. [If the sale is subject to Sec. 6106.2, the following information must be provided.] The name and address of the person with whom claims may be filed is: TEAM ESCROW INC, 6025 BEACH BLVD, BUENA PARK, CA 90621 and the last day for filing claims shall be JANUARY 19, 2018, which is the business day before the sale date specified above. BUYER: DAE WON KIM LA1943648 LONG BEACH CALIFORNIAN 1/3/18 SchId:69567 AdId:23190 CustId:628 --------------------------------NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF BULK SALE (UCC Sec. 6105) Escrow No. 17-41594-JS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a bulk sale is about to be made. The name(s), business address(es) to the Seller(s) are: NAMIN INC, 5431 ATLANTIC AVE, LONG BEACH, CA 90805 Doing Business as: LOUISIANA #1 FISH MARKET All other business name(s) and address(es) used by the Seller(s) within three years, as stated by the Seller(s), is/are: The name(s) and address of the Buyer(s) is/are: DAE WON KIM, 1890 S. COCHRAN AVE #4, LOS ANGELES, CA 90019 The assets to be sold are described in general as: ALL STOCK IN TRADE, FIXTURES, EQUIPMENT, GOODWILL, TRADENAME, LEASE, LEASEHOLD IMPROVEMENTS, AND COVENANT NOT TO COMPETE and are located at: 5431 ATLANTIC AVE, LONG BEACH, CA 90805 The bulk sale is intended to be consummated at the office of: TEAM ESCROW INC, 6025 BEACH BLVD, BUENA PARK, CA 90621 and the anticipated sale date is JANUARY 22, 2018 The bulk sale is subject to California Uniform Commercial Code Section 6106.2. [If the sale is subject to Sec. 6106.2, the following information must be provided.] The name and address of the person with whom claims may be filed is: TEAM ESCROW INC, 6025 BEACH BLVD, BUENA PARK, CA 90621 and the last day for filing claims shall be JANUARY 19, 2018, which is the business day before the sale date specified above. BUYER: DAE WON KIM LA1943648 LONG BEACH CALIFORNIAN 1/3/18 SchId:69568 AdId:23191 CustId:628
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THE BULLETIN, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3, 2018
ENTERTAINMENT Actor, activist and father: Ossie Davis remembered OSSIE DAVIS WOULD HAVE TURNED 100 THIS YEAR. HIS CHILDREN REMEMBER HIS LIFE.
Papa John’s founder exiting as CEO weeks after NFL comments By Joseph Pisani Papa John’s founder John Schnatter will step down as CEO next month, about two months after he criticized the NFL leadership over national anthem protests by players—comments for which the company later apologized. Schnatter will be replaced as chief executive by Chief Operating Officer Steve Ritchie on Jan. 1, the company announced Thursday. Schnatter, who appears in the chain’s commercials and on its pizza boxes, remains chairman of the board. He is also the company’s biggest shareholder. Earlier this year, Schnatter blamed slowing sales growth at Papa John’s—an NFL sponsor and advertiser—on the outcry surrounding football players kneeling during the national anthem. Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick had kneeled during the anthem to protest what he said was police mistreatment of black men, and other players started kneeling as well. “The controversy is polarizing the customer, polarizing the country,” Schnatter said during a conference call about the company’s earnings on Nov. 1. Papa John’s apologized two weeks later, after white supremacists praised Schnatter’s comments. The Louisville, Kentucky-based company distanced itself from the group, saying that it did not want them to buy their pizza. Ritchie declined to say Thursday if the NFL comments played a role in Schnatter stepping down, saying only that it’s “the right time to make this change.” Shares of Papa John’s are down about 13 percent since the day before the NFL comments were made, reducing the value of Schnatter’s stake in the company by nearly $84 million. Schnatter owns about 9.5 million shares of Papa John’s International Inc., and his total stake was valued at more than $560 million on Thursday, according to FactSet. The company’s stock is down 30 percent since the beginning of the year. “I think it’s possible that this was a conscious decision to get him out of the line of fire,” said restaurant analyst John Gordon, who is the founder and CEO of Pacific Management Consulting Group. “The focus of the brand needs to be the pizza.” Schnatter, 56, founded Papa John’s more than three decades ago, when he turned a broom closet at his father’s bar into a pizza spot. Since then, it has grown to more than 5,000 locations. Schnatter has also become the face of the company, showing up in TV ads with former football player Peyton Manning. Schnatter stepped away from the CEO role before, in 2005, but returned about three years later. Ritchie said new ads would come out next year. The company said later Thursday that it had “no plans to remove John from our communications,” which it says includes pizza boxes or commercials. The leadership change comes as pizza makers, which once dominated the fast-food delivery business, face tougher competition from hamburger and fried-chicken chains that are expanding their delivery business. McDonald’s Corp., for example, expects to increase delivery from 5,000 of its nearly 14,000 U.S. locations by the end of the year. Ritchie said his focus as CEO will be making it easier for customers to order a Papa John’s pizza from anywhere. That’s a strategy that has worked for Domino’s, which takes orders from tweets, text messages and voice-activated devices, such as Amazon’s Echo. Papa John’s customers can order through Facebook and Apple TV, but Ritchie said he wants the chain to be everywhere customers are. “The world is evolving and changing,” he said. Ritchie, 43, began working at a Papa John’s restaurant 21 years ago, making pizzas and answering phones, the company said. He became a franchise owner in 2006 and owns nine locations. He was named chief operating officer three years ago. Ritchie said plans for him to succeed Schnatter were made after that.
By Stacy M. Brown Entertainer and activist Ossie Davis would be 100 years old if he was alive today. Yet, it’s impossible to celebrate his life without also honoring the storied career of his wife and life partner, Ruby Dee.
Courtesy photo The Ossie Davis family.
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IVEN the heightened racial tensions in America, it’s also hard to ignore that Davis and Dee always stood out as dedicated activists for freedom, justice and equality. “We raised them well,” joked Nora Davis Day, one of the couple’s three children. Nora joined her sister, Hasna Muhammad, and her brother, Guy, for an interview with the NNPA Newswire to honor their mother and father for his birthday. “I’ve always thought of being their children as ‘ordinary and extraordinary,’” said Day. “On Saturday, we did our chores, scrubbed the bathroom and we did our homework. They were serious about parenting, not unlike many homes.” While Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee were famous actors, their children said that they never felt they had anything to brag about around the neighborhood. “Many of our friends were in the same position,” Muhammad said. “We played with Sidney Poitier’s children, Harry Belafonte’s children and the children of other activists and actors. We were all in the same position, so it’s wasn’t about, ‘Hey, my dad was on TV last night,’ because everybody’s dad was on TV last night.” A host of stars lived in and around the family’s Mount Vernon, N.Y. enclave, including Poitier, writer E.B. White, producer Dick Clark, actor Art Carney and boxer Floyd Patterson. “As an adult and a parent myself, I came to discover just how wonderful and amazing our
parents were and how thoughtful they were,” said Guy Davis, an accomplished blues musician. Guy Davis pointed toward his parents’ activism and their deep friendships with folks like Paul Robeson and Malcolm X. Ossie Davis ultimately would give the eulogy at Malcolm X’s funeral. Davis said his parents taught lessons even while administering discipline. “They were like Joe Louis’ boxing gloves, the left and the right,” said Guy Davis. “One was the punisher and the other was the educator. They worked well together.” Guy Davis continued: “When I got into trouble, dad would make me stand there with my palms facing up and he’d look me in the eye and tell me what I did wrong and take his belt off and ‘Wham!’ [hit my hands with the belt]. He could hurt you without ever harming you.” Meanwhile, Ruby Dee, “could light you up and your knees would be buckling, before you were hit.” Mostly, the lessons taught by Davis and Dee were about life— particularly life as an African American. One lesson involved boycotting Christmas after the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing that killed four little Black girls; others involved planning direct actions following the assassinations of Medgar Evers and John F. Kennedy.
Davis and Dee were prominently involved in the Civil Rights Movement and together they planned marches, sit-ins and other acts of civil disobedience and protests. The children remembered making papier-mâché cut outs and refraining from commercial activity to protests racial inequality and injustice. Later, the family would protest Coca-Cola, because of a connection the company had with the racist John Birch Society and its stand on Apartheid. “We’ve been Black a long time and what you see happening today…none of this is new,” Nora Davis said. Davis was a central figure among Black performers and he and Dee celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1998 with the publication of a dual autobiography, “In This Life Together.” Both had key roles in the television series “Roots: The Next Generation” in 1978, “Martin Luther King: The Dream and the Drum” in 1986, and “The Stand” in 1994. Davis appeared in three Spike Lee films, including “School Daze,” “Do the Right Thing” and “Jungle Fever.” Dee also appeared in the latter two; among her bestknown films was “A Raisin in the Sun,” in 1961. The couple shared billing in 11 stage productions and five
movies during their long careers and received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2004. “Of the two of them, mother was just a pure force of nature when it came to acting,” Guy Davis said. “Father was more of a writer. He acted, but he enjoyed writing.” Davis died on February 4, 2005 at 87. Dee died on June 11, 2014 at 91. Both, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis, always saw the bigger picture and, if they were still alive, they would still be active in the fight for freedom, justice and equality, their children said. “I learned from my parents that, sometimes, sacrifice is necessary,” said Guy Davis. “Once they were on a train to go to work at a theater on Broadway, when they were doing the play ‘Purlie Victorious.’ Here they were, making a successful living but, because there were no Black conductors on the train, they decided to protest and they didn’t go on stage that night.” Davis continued: “They stepped up and had to sacrifice in order to make change and today, you don’t even think twice about seeing a Black conductor or bus driver.” Day said that her parents taught her to appreciate different cultures, languages and people. “They taught us to love our people and to speak up for our people,” said Day. “When needed, answer the call.”
Rihanna heard the song and wanted it By Mesfin Fekadu After SZA created the drumsdrenched, reggae-tinged song “Consideration,” she thought she had finally found the sound of her debut album. But there was one problem: Rihanna heard the song and wanted it. “And I’m just like, ‘It has a video. I shot a video already to it. It’s coming out on Wednesday. That was going to be the first song to prep the album,”’ SZA recalled in a recent interview. Rihanna kept SZA as a featured artist on the track, which opens her critically acclaimed “Anti” album, released last year. And while SZA said recording with the pop star “was a learning experience, it was just dope”—as for her own project? She felt lost. She cried like a baby. She was devastated. She had never given away something she cared so much about. “I was crying (and thinking), ‘I’ll never make anything better,”’ said SZA, now 28. “And Kendrick (Lamar) was like, ‘Well, this is what separates great people. Because great people make better things than that.”’ SZA proved herself to be great—and also proved her earlier prediction wrong. The songs that make up “Ctrl,”
her major-label debut released in June nominated for five Grammy Awards, have resonated with fans around the world, making SZA both a critical darling and a commercial success. The album is at the forefront of the alternative R&B movement, with SZA earning praise for her vocal delivery and direct lyrics that both female and male fans vibe to. “My favorite game to play at her shows is finding the tough guy, the straight dude who doesn’t want to show no emotion, and as soon as his song comes on, he loses his mind,” said Terrence “Punch” Henderson, the co-president of independent record label Top Dawg Entertainment, home to SZA and Lamar. “She’s the voice of this generation right now,” he added. “The words she’s saying is honest and raw (and) she’s speaking for these girls and also these guys.” On some of her songs, SZA fires off her lyrics more like a rapper than a singer—switching topics quickly as she talks about having sex, failed relationships, persevering in life and if being herself is enough. “I’m so ashamed of myself think I need therapy,” she even sings on “Normal Girl.” The hit “The Weekend” is about
sharing a boyfriend and SZA wonders if her body type is enough for her lover on “Garden (Say It Like Dat).” She asks for “another Valium” on “Love Galore,” where she also sings, “Why you bother me when you know you got a woman?” Smoking weed is peppered throughout the album—and on this particular day, a week after Grammy nominations, joy was in the air, along with the smell of marijuana. Issa Rae was such a fan that the actress and producer used much of “Ctrl’ in the second season of her acclaimed comedy series “Insecure” on HBO. “SZA’s album is so good and just even thematically for season two, it’s so odd that we could literally put the whole album in,” said Rae. “If I get a cut of an episode and the music isn’t right, it takes me out of it. I’ll be like, ‘This episode is trash.’ (Music) really guides so much of the feel of the show and it has to be perfect.” “Ctrl,” which has achieved gold status, has launched two platinum singles with “Love Galore” and “The Weekend,” recently remixed by Calvin Harris. The project was
named the No. 1 album of the year by several critics, including Time, Vice, New York Daily News and The Associated Press; it was ranked No. 2 by the New York Times, NPR, Pitchfork and Billboard. The success makes SZA, who appeared in an ad for Rihanna’s ultra-successful Fenty makeup line, the belle of the Grammys—she’s the most nominated female act. “You know what’s crazy? I feel like you’re never as good as people say you are. And you’re never as bad as people say you are. So, it’s like, you just gotta take it like with a grain of salt. Like, it’s an experience. A responsibility more so. I think it’s like a knock on the head. Like, you have a responsibility, you have a purpose, so it’s like, uh, get to work and focus,” she said.