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Tri County’s Only MulticulturalNewspaper Newspaper TheThe Tri County’s Only Multicultural
TRICOUNTY COUNTY TRI
ENTRY ENTRY VOL. XXVI NO. 18
FEBRUARY 16, 2018
Inside This Issue
Black AIDS Institute president retires; Institute launches new programs n See page 2
Rosa Gonzalez named as new Ventura County Chief Deputy Clerk of the Board VENTURA—Ventura County Executive Officer Mike Powers has announced that Rosa Gonzalez has been named as the County’s new Chief Deputy Clerk of the Board. She was selected during a nationwide recruitment that resulted in nearly 50 applicants. Her in-depth experience with all business aspects of the office
combined with her exceptional management, interpersonal skills and reputation in working with our community resulted in her recommendation by a hiring panel comprised of internal county agency and external government members. She will begin her new duties immediately. “Rosa has extensive experience performing the
clerk’s duties at our Board of Supervisors meetings,” said Powers. “What sets her apart is her experience in process and service improvements, which have resulted in better service to the public, as well as her intensive involvement and outreach efforts with our underserved communities in the county.” In addition to her new duties as
Chief Deputy Clerk of the Board, Gonzalez will continue to serve as the County Executive Office Community Liaison where she works with community partners, elected officials and the public to enhance County services and improve information sharing with the public. Gonzalez, 40, is a resident of Ventura.
Actor Stan Shaw speaks at Naval Warfare Center By J.W. Marcum
Some Super Bowl watchers were dismayed by the use of a Martin Luther King, Jr. voiceover in the Dodge truck commercial.
Screen Shot/YouTube.com
DODGE CRITICIZED
Actor, writer and producer Stan Shaw spoke at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division’s (NSWC PHD) National African American/Black History Month observance, Feb. 8. Shaw shared his personal story of how he started acting, his many mentors throughout his career and his philosophy on resilience, perseverance and determination. Born in Chicago, Shaw’s father, Eddie, was a well-known saxophonist who played with jazz and blues legends from the Mississippi Delta to Chicago’s “mean streets.” Growing up, Shaw would sing with his father in blues joints and night clubs. He was eventually picked up by a casting director who was in town producing a musical. Shaw began acting on Broadway in New York City and eventually made his way to Hollywood, where he would spend the next 40 years starring in films. n Actor, see page 2
FOR USING KING VOICEOVER IN
SUPER BOWL AD
By Lauren Victoria Burke There were ads with Morgan Freeman rapping and ads with babies from around the world and fast cars with singer Steven Tyler. There were ads with medieval themes, magic and song.
T
HEN there was the ad using the words and voice of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to sell Dodge Ram sell trucks. “Everybody can be great,” Dr. King said in a speech in 1968, two months before he was murdered. “You only need a heart full of grace; soul generated by love.” The advertisement featured images of football players, cowboys, U.S. troops and first responders as a backdrop to King’s voiceover. The advertisement ended with an
image of a soldier, a Dodge truck, and the words “Built to Serve.” The commercial for Dodge trucks provoked protest on social media shortly after it aired from many Super Bowl LII viewers. It also induced a reaction tweet from the The King Center and Bernice King, the daughter of the late civil rights leader. “Neither @TheKingCenter nor @ BerniceKing is the entity that approves the use of #MLK’s words or imagery for use in merchandise, entertainment (movies, music,
artwork, etc) or advertisement, including tonight’s @Dodge #SuperBowl commercial,” The King Center tweet stated not long after the ad was broadcast. April 4, 2018 was the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee, at the hands of James Earl Ray. “The worst commercials are those that use icons like Martin Luther King Jr to sell things like a Dodge Ram truck,” tweeted n Voiceover, see page 7
Some feel coin toss mirrors Black experience beyond Olympics By Errin Haines Whack PYEONGCHANG, South Korea—Shani Davis made history in 2006 when he became the first Black athlete to win an individual gold medal at a Winter Olympics and the winningest man in American speedskating. So when the speedskater tweeted his outrage after losing the opportunity to represent Team USA as its flagbearer in Friday night’s opening ceremony, his #Blackhistorymonth hashtag served as a kind of racial shorthand. And it resonated with AfricanAmericans far beyond sports. For them, it was a familiar scenario: Despite being exceptional in a field dominated by whites, he was bypassed for a job he deserved. What’s more, when he pointed that out, he was shouted down as an ungrateful distraction. From celebrities to corporate America, the slight was a reminder of what Blacks regularly experience
bias can sting with unfairness. To understand Davis’ indignation is not to focus on a twist of fate or his skin color, but to ask: What if luger Erin Hamlin had been denied as the more decorated Olympian? Unlike the Summer Games, where Black athletes are dominant and ubiquitous, the Winter
Olympics offer fewer opportunities for them to shine. Black athletes at the Winter Games are often treated as an anomaly—a fact popularized by the movie “Cool Runnings,” about Jamaica’s first bobsled team, which made its debut at the 1988 Calgary Games. Part of the film’s appeal was n Coin toss, see page 7
Fox News deletes column on ‘darker, gayer, different’ Olympics By David Bauder in a white world—a feeling that the game is rigged. The coin toss is almost beside the point. That the vote was tied between a bronze medalist and a two-time gold medalist points to an outcome that also included intangibles—among them, likeability and popularit y. While a coin cannot be biased, people can—and often, the results of racial
Fox News removed a column from its web site Friday that said it appeared the U.S. Olympic Committee wanted to change the event’s motto to “darker, gayer, different.” The column, posted on Wednesday, was written by veteran Fox executive John Moody. He’s executive vice president and executive editor
of Fox News, but it appears his chief duty now is to write online opinion columns. A Fox spokeswoman said Moody’s column does not reflect the views or values of Fox News. It was posted on Wednesday and removed on Friday. The sportsoriented site Deadspin wrote about its contents on Thursday. Moody wrote that complaining that every team n Fox News, see page 7
Photo courtesy publicdomainpictures.net
State bill would ban tackle youth football before high school Two California lawmakers want to outlaw tackle football leagues until teenagers reach high school, saying delaying the start of high-contact elements of football would protect young people from long-term brain damage. Children can learn the skills they need to succeed at the sport from non-contact flag football, Democratic Assembly members Kevin McCarty of Sacramento and Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher of San Diego said in announcing their legislation on Thursday. Their bill follows similar legislation under consideration in Illinois and New York. Legislation has been introduced several times since 2013 in New York but has not gained traction. n Youth football, see page 7