Say It Loud! (Feb 2008)

SayIt Loud! Be Proud. The San Fernando Valley’s Black Newspaper

Volume1 Issue 2 Serving the San Fernando Valley and Beyond February 2008

No Medicine For The PainBlacks, Hispanics and Other Groups Less Likely to Get Strong Pain Medications in Hospital Emergency Departments

Blacks and Hispan-ics who go to hos-pital emergency

departments in pain are sig-nificantly less likely than whites to get pain-relieving opioid drugs, according to a new study funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The study, which ana-lyzed treatments for more than 150,000 pain-related visits to U.S. hospitals between 1993 and 2005, found 23 percent of blacks and 24 percent of Hispan-

ics received opioids com-pared with 31 percent of whites. Twenty-eight per-cent of Asians and other groups received opioids. “This study provides a particularly compelling re-minder that treatment dis-parities persist among racial and ethnic groups,” said Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D., director of the HHS Agen-cy for Healthcare Research and Quality. “We have a lot of work to do before high-quality health care is available to everyone.” The study, Trends in Opi-

oid Prescribing by Race/Ethnicity for Patients Seek-ing Care in US Emergency Departments, was pub-lished in the January 2 is-sue of JAMA. The research was funded by AHRQ and the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the Na-tional Institutes of Health. “Minority health dispari-ties are an urgent problem in this country,” noted Nora Volkow, M.D., director of the NIDA, “and should be addressed through efforts to educate physicians, re-duce stigma and promote

cultural competence across all health care settings.” Opioids are narcotic pain medications used to treat patients with moderate to severe pain. The new study analyzed the use of several commonly prescribed opi-oids, including hydrocodo-ne, meperidine, morphine, codeine and oxycodone. Among patients in pain in emergency departments, the use of opioids increased from 23 percent in 1993 to

{See NO MEDICINE Pg 7}

E S S E N C E o f a R e v o l u t i o n Susan L.Taylor Starts a New Movement Through Mentorship

In commemoration of this year’s King Holiday, the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) paid tribute to Bishop Thomas Dexter (T.D.) Jakes by presenting him with the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership

Award during its 24th annual Ambassadorial Re-ception and Awards Dinner in New York City. The black-tie event was held on Monday, January 21, at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers.“I am deeply honored to receive this award,” said Bishop Jakes. “Dr. King fought for freedom and justice in an effort to cre-ate harmony among all people and I am deeply humbled that the Congress of Racial Equal-ity bestowed me with this prestigious honor.”Bishop Jakes heads the globally recognized multicultural, nondenominational church The Potter’s House of Dallas, which has more than 30,000 members and more than 50 outreach ministries. Twice featured on the cover of Time magazine as “America’s Best Preacher” and one of the nation’s “25 most influential evangelicals,” Jakes is a ministerial trailblazer. In addition to his spiritual work, Jakes is a successful entrepreneur with more than a half-dozen diverse businesses.Noted for his humanitarian endeavors in the United States and overseas, Bishop Jakes has long been committed to bettering the lives of people around the world. His work ranges from building water wells in Africa to provid-ing relief to tsunami and Hurricane Katrina vic-tims, as well as offering programs to help indi-viduals improve their socioeconomic status.“The Martin Luther King award is for individu-als who through their words and actions have served to continue to promote and put forth the work of Dr. King to achieve brotherhood, peace, equality, and justice for all,” said CORE Execu-tive Director George Holmes. “Bishop Jakes is certainly an individual who has done that.”Past recipients of the award include: ac-tor James Earl Jones, boxing legend Mu-hammad Ali, astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Elie Weisel.

Five Reasons Why California’s Healthcare Reform is a Sham

OAKLAND, Calif. -- After a year of false starts and rejections, Governor Schwarzenegger and state legislative leaders have produced a bill that they claim will provide healthcare for all Cali-fornians, ABX1-1. This bill has been heralded as groundbreaking, comprehensive healthcare reform. Now that the bill awaits approval by the State Senate and funding from California voters via a ballot initiative, advocates of the bill are put-ting on a full court press. State leaders, long-time health advocates and pundits tell us that it’s now or never, when it comes to making healthcare re-form happen. With a $14 billion state budget defi-cit shadowing the effort, communities of color are being told to get on board and ignore concerns about how the policy will actually affect them. But with people of color making up 75 percent of the state’s uninsured, the question that should be posed is: Is this a saviour or a sham? For at least five good reasons, I fear that it is the latter.

1. The universal coverage in ABX1-1 may not include you. The bill’s authors claim that ABX1-1 covers 3.7 million uninsured Cali-fornians. What we know for sure is that if you are not a full time worker you are not covered. If you are an undocumented immigrant you are not covered. And if you are too poor to afford the (unregulated) premiums and don’t qualify for “hardship” consideration, then you have the “right to be uninsured.” Guess who that will be?

2. ABX1-1 gambles with the healthcare of our children. While theoretically it expands coverage to all children, even undocumented, in reality this provision is merely an enticement that is unlikely to materialize. The political jockeying by the feds over the funding for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) makes the timing and amount of funding dicey at best. This is no small thing since public health programs insure 2.6 million children of color in California. It is estimated that over the next five years, California

Tammy JohnsonNew America Media, News Analysis

Black Collge Expo 2007

Missing Teen

CHIOMA EZRONE-SHA GRAY Case Type: Non Family Abduction DOB: Apr 27, 1992 Sex: FemaleMissing Date: Dec 13, 2007 Race: BlackAge Now: 15 Height: 5’4” (163 cm)Weight: 115 lbs (52 kg)Hair Color: BlackEye Color: BrownMissing City: VENTURAMissing State: CA Missing Country: United States Case Number: NCMC1086049 Circumstances: Chioma may be in the company of Andrew Tafoya. A felony warrant is on file for Andrew. They may travel to Mexico in a white 2008 Acura TSX with the California license plate 6AXX928. Andrew has multiple tattoos.

February 7th is National

Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Get Tested Today!!!!!!!!

Inside Say It Loud!

Float like a butterfly sting like a bee greetings from Muhammad Ali.Sports

Ethnic media meeting.News

Dr. Kings dream.Opnion

Schwarzenegger’s CSU cut. Education

Latestnews: sayitloud-news.googlepages.com.

“A single tree can not make a forest”

-Nigerian Proverb about cooperation

Prominent Pastor Honored for His Humanitarian Accomplishments

In December L.A.’s Black youth took over the L.A. Convention Center. A number of high school students as well as their parents came out to the Black College Expo on Dec 15, 2007. During the annual conference students had an opportunity to get infor-mation about Historical Black Colleges and Universities as well as local California colleges and universities. (Photo: Madinah U. White)

{ See HEALTH CARE Pg 7)

Essence Magazine and Su-san L. Taylor have started a new revolution with the launch of A National Mentoring Move-ment called ESSENCE CARES, which will recruit 1 million mentors. This new movement is united with organizations such as 100 Black Men of America; the National Urban League; The Links, incorporated; as well as the YWCA. In January Dr. An-

thony Asadullah Samad and the 100 Black Men of Los Angeles hosted a reception for Susan L. Taylor at the Museum of African American Art. This museum is the only one of its kind west of the Mississippi. “The Museum of African American Art showcases art of and about people of African decent and our contribution to the world culture,” said Berlinda Fontenot-Jamerson, President of

The Museum of African Ameri-can Art (Los Angeles). It was just days after Martin Luther King Jr’s Birthday and just days before the official holi-day. On Friday, January 18th a museum full of powerful black individuals gathered to welcome Susan L. Taylor and to join in her mentoring movement. During the event speakers talked about Su-{See ESSENCE Pg 2}

NEWS Say It Loud! Feb 1, 2008

SAY IT LOUD! and Be Proud. The San Fernando Valley’s Black Newspaper 2

Say It Loud! is a member of:

Vote Hope in-tends to sign, seal and de-liver voters to Obama with

their latest public serviceannouncement featuring Stevie Wonder. The video PSA, fourth in a seriesproduced by the grass-roots organization, en-courages youth andunderrepresented commu-nities in California to vote during the February 5thprimary. To view vid-eos, go to: http://www.v o t e h o p e 2 0 0 8 . o r g . Wonder, who has been a visible Obama sup-

porter, and whose song,“Signed, Sealed, Deliv-ered” has been played dur-ing Obama rallies, hopesthat his efforts will help increase both voter turn-out and support forObama. “It’s time to bring this country back to a good future,” saysWonder. “You’ve got a voice, you’ve got a choice. Vote for Change,” headds. The forty-five sec-ond spot features Stevie Wonder writing in Brailleto spell out his candidate of choice, Barack Obama. Other Vote Hope videos feature hip hop artist Com-

Vote Hope and Stevie Wonder Plan to Sign, Seal and Deliver Voters to Obama on Super Tuesday With Latest PSAs

“You’ve got a voice, you’ve got a choice. Vote for Change”- Stevie Wonder

mon, and several LosAngeles-based un-derground lyricists (Project Blowed), who wax poetically

about why they support Obama. “I’m voting for Obama because he’s just there to do some good in theworld,” said Com-

mon in the video. “A voteless people is a hopeless people. I didn’t vote until I gotBush’s first term, then the bogus sequel,” spits MC Open Mike on the video. Wonder, Common and lyricists take their “get-out-the-vote” messagestraight to the people via video-sharing Web sites like YouTube, MySpaceand FaceBook. Vote Hope has also produced Tu Voz, Tu Voto (Your Voice, YourVote), a Web-based, Eng-lish and Spanish-language, serial melodrama about afictional Ortiz family and

their burgeoning support for Senator Obama. Allvideos are available on http://www.vote-hope2008.org and on the Vote Hope YouTubechannel, http://www.y o u t u b e . c o m / u s e r /V o t e H o p e 2 0 0 8 . Vote Hope’s goal is to increase voter sup-port for Obama in theCalifornia primary. “In-creasing voter turnout among young people andcommunities of color in California will be criti-cal to Obama’s success,”said Vote Hope found-er Steve Phillips.

NEW ORLEANS, La. – In the first-ever convening of Louisiana ethnic media, civil rights and immigrant rights groups in New Or-leans, representatives from African-American, Latino and Vietnamese news or-ganizations met last week to discuss how to work together on issues of com-mon concern. Ethnic me-dia, which played a critical role during and after Hurri-cane Katrina, are now faced with a new challenge: how to cover the rebuilding ef-forts in a changing city – and news from each other’s communities – as the rest of the country watches. Across the nation, Amer-icans are getting news about New Orleans from mainstream media sources, noted New Orleans Tribune editor Jacques Morial. Eth-nic news outlets need to look for ways to get news about their communities to the American public, he said, noting that ethnic me-dia bring a unique perspec-tive to the national debate – one that is often over-looked. “Obviously, there is a need for ethnic me-dia,” added New Orleans Agenda Publisher Vincent Sylvain. “The audience is there. They need the infor-mation.” The Jan. 25 event was jointly hosted by New

New Orleans Ethnic Media Hold First ConveningAmerica Media and Loui-siana State University’s Manship School of Com-munication. New America Media Executive Director Sandy Close announced that her organization wants to help create a network that has the support of academics, jour-nalism schools, civil rights groups and ethnic media outlets in order to promote inter-group relations. Civil rights advocates said access to housing, jobs, environmental information and health care, as well as quality education and pub-lic safety, were major con-cerns for all communities in New Orleans. Many community-based organizations talk about these issues in silos without looking for opportunities to collaborate, observed Catherine Han Montoya, program coordinator with the National Council of La Raza. Montoya, who is half Korean and half Latina, said these matters play out in her own family. “As my uncle eats the kim chee and my aunt eats the enchilada, I recognize these issue are not just hap-pening at the policy level; they are happening at the dinner table,” she said. New America Media’s recent national poll findings on race relations, which re-ceived widespread cover-age in both the mainstream and ethnic media, were presented at the event by pollster Sergio Bendixen.

The challenge, he said, is to explore ways ethnic media can identify stereotypes, confront them and begin to strengthen ties. The national poll re-vealed that respondents felt that ethnic media had a key role to play in the coverage of race relations and needed to step up to that challenge. African-American, La-tino and Asian media share a common history of ad-vocating on behalf of their communities – a tradition that was started centuries earlier by black newspa-pers. In her presentation of the history of African-America media in New Orleans, LSU Associate Professor Jinx Broussard said pio-neering figures in the black press set the stage for ethnic media to gather their com-munities around contempo-rary issues that affect them, from immigrant marches to protests over the Jena Six case. New Orleans has changed rapidly from what Mayor Ray Nagin described as a “chocolate city” before Hurricane Katrina to what has become a community with a large influx of Lati-nos who found jobs clean-ing up and rebuilding the city. This rapid shift in de-mographics has led to an anti-immigrant backlash. Yet, according to Henry Fernandez, a senior fellow at the Washington, D.C. Center for American Prog-ress, anti-immigrant groups

are attempting to exacer-bate these tensions in order to drive a wedge between ethnic groups. He said hate groups are fundamentally against people of color. Mainstream news outlets routinely use such organi-zations as the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) as experts on immigration issues. The internationally known civil rights organization South-ern Poverty Law Center has identified FAIR as a hate group. Fernandez cautioned ethnic media against using sources that may have ties to these groups. Ralph Izard, professor at LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communications, said his school would be looking for ways to con-tinue to keep New Orleans-based ethnic media con-nected to each other. Many of the more than 70 participants expressed interest in keeping a dia-logue going about race rela-tions, issues affecting New Orleans’ ethnic groups, and stepping up to the challeng-es they face in covering these issues.

New America Meda newamericamedia.orgChristine Senteno, Jan 21, 2008Copyright © New America Media

Christine Senteno New America Media, News Report,

Ethnic Media Takeaways

* African-American, Latino and Asian media share a common history of advocating on be-half of their communities – a tradition that was started centuries earlier by black news-papers.

* Pioneering figures in the black press set the stage for ethnic media to gather their com-munities around contemporary issues that affect them, from immigrant marches to pro-tests over the Jena Six case.

san L. Taylor and Essence Cares as well as MLK. “I am grateful for his dream and that we have a responsibil-ity to live the dream and that in every single thing that we do we have a responsibility to be great. And with that responsibility I reach out to people like Anthony who are making a difference in the community and I would say even in the world,” said Shelley Freeman, Regional President for Wells Fargo. Freeman added that we have a responsibility, a responsibility to give back to our community and a responsibility not to make excuses. “When we talk about the ground that Martin Luther King has laid for all of us really to position all of us to be successful in life and this is very important that we have a responsi-bility to be great because somebody else struggled for us,” said Freeman. “I am inspired by people like Susan Taylor who took the magazine to award winning level; who is an incredible editor who is an incredible journalist. If you hear her speak you will hear that she is an incredible speaker and a true inspiration. I want to thank her for her contributions to Essence and to the black women of America,” said Freeman. Wells Fargo was one of the many sponsors of the evening. Sponsors also included Our Weekly and Macy’s. Our Weekly’s Publisher Natalie Cole tried something different she got on the mic and she begun to sing. “I think that its critically important that we pay homage to those of us who are out there doing all the right things and inspiring people to reach to new levels,” said Cole. “Susan L. Taylor is someone that I happened to grow up with..I feel like I know her even though I have not met her personally. I feel like I’ve always known her and I’m so happy that she has been there to provide inspiration to young black women as myself as we were growing up, were every we were in the country we tried to keep it in the spirit,” added Cole. Tommy Dortch the former national chair of 100 Black Men was also in attendance at the reception. It was a fit for 100 Black to take part in the Essence Cares mentorship movement because of the organi-zation’s role in education, economic development, health and wellness and mentoring. “We want you to take a pleasure. A pleasure in doing for young men and women what was done for each and every one of you,” said Dortch. Essence Cares is looking for adults from the black community to mentor for four hours a month. “I’m looking in the mirror and I’m saying to myself and I’m saying to you not on my watch. Hell no,” said Susan L. Taylor.“We don’t have to do what Dr. King did. We don’t have to do what Rosa Parks did or what Fannie Lou Hammer did or Marcus Garvey,” said Taylor. Dortch and Taylor are moving across the coun-try, they have 22 Care Circle on the book for this year. They are linking exiting mentorship organizations. “At the end of the day we can’t expect others to do for us the things we can and must do for ourselves,” said Dortch. For more information about Essence Cares visit www.essence.com/essencecares.com

February 7 is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness DayGet Tested Today!!!!!!!!Of all racial and ethnic groups in the United States, HIV and AIDS have hit African Americans the hardest. The reasons are not di-rectly related to race or ethnicity, but rather to some of the barriers faced by many African Ameri-

cans. These barriers can include poverty (being poor), sexually transmitted diseases, and stigma (negative attitudes, beliefs, and actions directed at people living with HIV/AIDS or directed at people who do things that might put them at risk for HIV).( Info from: Center 4 Disease Control and Prevention )

ESSENCE from Pg 1

OPINIONFeb 1, 2008 Say It Loud!

MailThese are letters we received about stories in the October issue of Say It Loud!

Editorials and Letters to the PublisherSay It Loud! welcomes your

letters and editorials.Send your thoughts to Say It

Loud!23705 Vanowen St., #179

West Hills, CA 91307Or email to:

[email protected]. Letters and editorials should

be 600 words or less and must have the

name of the sender with a valid day time phone

number.

If Dr. Martin Luther King were alive to-day, he’d be march-ing in the Rio Grande Valley. Forty years

after his death, it is here that his lovely dream of equality for all God’s chil-dren is suffering to be born. Dr. King rightly named poverty as a blight on the American Dream, and it would test the imagination to find an area of our coun-try poorer than the Valley. We fail every social indi-cator of wellbeing: access to medical care, employ-ment, affordable housing and high school graduation rates. My own community, Cameron Park, has a per capita income of $4,135—less than that of Guatemala. Yet, we live in Texas—one of the wealthiest re-gions in the world. Texas produces more wealth than entire nations. But Texas doesn’t take care of its own. The heartbreaking thing is that most of those forced to suffer the stingy misery of Texas poverty are children. That is why my organi-zation, Proyecto Digna, has joined with other groups nationwide in the Equal Voice for America’s Fami-lies Campaign. As the 2008

elections approach, we are collaborating with other community groups to plan a series of town halls across Texas, in conjunction with others taking place across the nation. As we plan these town hall meetings, families are already shar-ing their own dreams for their children--that they will grow up in safe hous-ing, with quality health care and education; that the par-ents of our community will have jobs with living wag-es that allow them to sup-port their families, and the childcare they need to go to those jobs without worry for their children. Together, as this conversation builds, we are creating a national platform of family issues. Martin Luther King’s dream wasn’t a daydream; he was dreamer with a plan. We are as serious about our dreams as King was about his. For example, many historians would argue that the turning point of the civil rights movement was the Children’s March in Bir-mingham in 1962. On Janu-ary 26, as part of the Equal Voice campaign, more than 700 people will join a Poor People’s march from down-

town Atlanta to the state capital. The caravan will make stops along the way, such as a local hospital, to draw attention to the unin-sured. Participants will plant justice flags along the way. Not long ago, I had a visit from a group of public health professionals. They had come to see me because health care is so abysmal here that my community has become a topic of ex-otic interest to scholars. We went for a walk, end-ing up looking out over a creek that runs in front of the church. The aca-demics took note of the collection of cement and tar-papered shacks lin-ing the stream. Someone was burning garbage. The stench drifted over us. One of the visitors asked me, “Are we in the United States or in Mexico?” I said, “This is Texas. Why do you ask?” She said, “Because it reminds me of home.” I asked her where that was, and she replied, unsmil-ing, “Calcutta, India.” But we aren’t in India, or Guatemala, or Mexico. We are Texans. We are working Texans, men and women who work two

shifts or two jobs, and then another on weekends. Salt of the earth, the Bible calls us. “El pueblo de Dios,” Cesar Chavez named us. But for all our effort, we barely pay our bills. Mini-mum wages cannot sup-port a family, no matter how many jobs you man-age to hold down. We are too proud to beg, so we don’t all eat the way we need to. We pray, always and fiercely, that we don’t sicken, thatthe shadow of an accident does not cross our homes. We simply cannot afford to be sick. Despite the hardness of life here, we love the Val-ley. There is a quality of life here that is missing in San Antonio or Houston or Dallas. There is an in-tangible spirit that defies the measures of the social sciences. Some call it soli-darity, others a love for the extended family. Church people call it community. The Valley is one place in America where neighbors still unashamedly go door-to-door to ask for dona-tions for a funeral, where no one sleeps on the streets, where no one goes without a meal, however simple that offering might be.

We consider ourselves brothers and sisters, and to-day’s harsh anti-immigrant voices have deepened that sense of community. We es-pecially care about our chil-dren. When the president vetoed the expansion of children’s health coverage, the anger here was palpable. We look forward to the 2008 elections, for many here have recently dis-covered the power of the vote. One after another, the presidential candidates call for “change.” We in the Rio Grande Valley are ready for change. We believe, as Dr. King said, that “the arc ofthe moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” We are people of faith, hope and long-suffer-ing love. We understand the hard work that social change requires, and we are not afraid of that. After all, we are working people. After all, we are the legacy of Don Cesar Chavez and of Dr. Martin Luther King.

New America Meda newamericamedia.orgMichael Selfert, Jan 17, 2008Copyright © New America Media

Keeping Dr. King’s Dream Alive on the BorderFather Michael SeifertNew America Media, Commentary

Si el Dr. Martin Luther King es-tuviera hoy vivo, se estaría mani-festando en el

Valle del Río Grande. Cu-arenta años después de su muerte, es aquí donde su precioso sueño de igualdad para todos los hijos de Dios está sufriendo por nacer. El Dr. King acertó cu-ando describió la pobreza como una plaga en el Sue-ño Americano. Y pondría a prueba la imaginación en-contrar un área en nuestro país más pobre que el Valle. Fracasamos en cada indicador social de bien-estar: acceso a cuidados médicos, empleo, vivienda asequible, y tasa de gradu-ación de la secundaria. Mi comunidad en sí, Cameron Park, tiene un ingreso per capita de $4,135 – me-nos que el de Guatemala. Sin embargo, vivimos en Texas – una de las enti-dades más ricas del mundo.

Texas produce más rique-za que naciones enteras. Pero Texas no cuida de los nuestros. Lo que más rompe el corazón es que la mayoría de los que están forzados a sufrir la mise-ria tacaña de la pobreza de Texas son los niños. Hace poco, me visitó un grupo de profesionales de salud pública. Me habían venido a ver a mí porque la atención sanitaria es tan abismal aquí que mi co-munidad se ha convertido en tema de interés exótico para los investigadores. Dimos un paseo, y ter-minamos mirando un ar-royo que corre en frente de la iglesia. Los aca-démicos tomaron nota de la colección de cemento y de las chozas de papel alquitranado a lo largo del riachuelo. Alguien estaba quemando basura. El he-dor llegaba hasta nosotros. Una de las visitas me pre-guntó, “¿Estamos en los

Estados Unidos o en Méxi-co?” Le dije, “Esto es Tex-as. ¿Por qué me pregunta?” Dijo, “Porque me recuerda a mi tierra.” “¿Dónde es eso?”, le pregunté. “Calcu-ta, India,” dijo sin sonreír. Pero no estamos en la India, ni en Guatemala, ni en México. Somos tejanos. Somos tejanos trabajadores, hombres y mujeres que tra-bajan dos jornadas o dos tra-bajos, y luego otro trabajo el fin de semana. La sal de la tierra es lo que nos llama la Biblia. “El pueblo de Dios” nos llamó Cesar Chávez. Pero con todos nuestros esfuerzos, apenas podem-os pagar nuestras deudas. Los sueldos mínimos no pueden mantener a una fa-milia, independientemente del número de trabajos que uno logre abarcar. Tenemos demasiado orgullo como para pedir limosna, así que no todos comemos como necesitamos. Rezamos, siempre y con intensidad,

para que no nos enfermem-os, para que la sombra de un accidente no cruce por nuestros hogares. Simple-mente no nos podemos permitir enfermarnos. A pesar de lo difícil que es la vida aquí, quere-mos mucho al Valle. Hay una calidad de vida aquí que falta en San Antonio o Houston o Dallas. Aquí hay un espíritu intangible que desafía las medidas de las ciencias sociales. Algu-nos lo llaman solidaridad, otros amor por la familia. La gente de la iglesia lo llama comunidad. El Valle es un lugar en América donde los vecinos todavía van de puerta en puerta sin vergüenza a pedir dona-ciones para un funeral, donde nadie duerme en las calles, donde nadie pasa hambre, no importa lo sen-cillo que sea esa ofrenda. Nos consideramos herma-nos y hermanas, y las voces severas anti-inmigrantes

han profundizado ese senti-do de comunidad. Nos pre-ocupan sobre todo nuestros hijos. Cuando el presidente vetó la expansión de la cobertura médica para ni-ños, la ira aquí se palpaba. Esperamos con emoción las elecciones de 2008, ya que aquí muchos han descu-bierto recientemente el pod-er del voto. Uno tras otro, los candidatos a la presi-dencia emiten una llamada de “cambio”. Nosotros en el Valle del Río Grande es-tamos listos para el cambio. Creemos, como dijo el Dr. King, que “el arco del uni-verso moral es largo, pero se dobla hacia la justicia”. Somos gente de fe, esper-anza, y amor sufrido. Enten-demos el trabajo duro que el cambio social requiere, y no tenemos miedo a eso. Después de todo, somos gente trabajadora. Después de todo, somos el legado de Don César Chávez y del Dr. Martin Luther King.

Mantener el Sueño Vivo en la FronteraPor el Padre Michael Seifert

Letter to publisher:

I finally finished reading my copy of the first issue of Say It Loud! I am so proud of you, and impressed as well. Congratulations on successfully launching your first media venture. I am certain it will not be your last--the best is yet to come!

Alfred Edmonds Sr. VP, Editor-in-Chief, Black En-terprise Magazine

Congratulations for an ex-cellent pioneering effort! This newspaper is infor-mative, insightful and rel-evant. Provides an impor-tant outlet for news and information about our com-munity that would easily or calculatedly be ignored by the so-called mainstream media. Great job and good luck with future editions.

Dr. T. Spencer-WaltersProfessor and Chair.PAS, Cal State University of Northridge.

Saw your paper at Eso Won Bookstore. The paper looks great, what the Say It Loud!

staff is doing is wonderful.

Marvin Boateng


Saharra Speaks HEY It is time for a celebration! Yes that is right, it is the 82nd Anni-versary of the National African American History Month started by Dr. Carter G. Woodson in 1926. My name is Saharra Jovan White and I am the publisher of Say It Loud! your black newspa-per serving the San Fernando Val-ley. I am the eldest of my parents Timothy and Darleen White’s nine children. I was born in the garden state New Jersey and raised in the San Fernando Valley. I attended Valley Schools George Ellery Hale Middle School, El Camino Real High School and now I am attending the California State University of Northridge. I started Say It Loud! to make a difference in my community. While I am a couple of units away from my de-gree in journalism from CSUN, if I didn’t start my own newspaper I would have got my first job work-ing where ever, and I would have always wondered if I could have done it. I don’t have to wonder

anymore, because I did it. In our premiere issue of Say It Loud! I published a poem I wrote called Black History. In this poem it discusses Black History Month being the shortest month of the year. We can celebrate black his-tory everyday of the year, we don’t need a month. As the staff of Say It Loud! picks up their pens to write a new history, we hope to have your support and love as we continue to grow. The staff at Say It Loud! en-courages every adult 18 years of age and older to vote on February 5th. History is being made as we have a black man Barack Obama and a women Hillary Clinton run-ning for the presidency. I can re-member yesterday how it was for me to vote in my first election, it felt amazing. It was my duty to vote, that is the least I could do for those that fought for my op-portunity to vote. We don’t care if you vote Democrat, Republican, Green, Peace & Freedom, Ameri-can Independent , or Libertarian just go out in vote. In this issue you will have the opportunity to read a review by

CSUN student Joshua Thomp-son of the Ray Charles Live! play that was performed at the Pasadena Playhouse. Thompson is a student in professor Johnnie Scotts Pan African Studies Writ-ing Class. While meeting up with Scott in January, I now know why his name is known across Califor-nia. Scott who was a part of the original Watts Writers truly cares about his students. As we dis-cussed the play reviews written by his students he gave me a short break down of his students. In a way he knows his students like the back of his hand, it was won-derful hearing his stories about his students. I have not had the op-portunity to have professor Scott as an instructor, but I’ve heard he is a wonderful professor. Say It Loud! will be publishing the Ray Charles Live Reviews of all of Scott’s students on our website sayitloudnews.googlepages.com/ During my freshman year at CSUN one of my professors made a comment that this gen-eration didn’t have a revolution. I disagreed with her comment. I have been aware of the issues in

the black community since I was youngster. I believed there is a revolution going on and it isn’t through hip-hop. Young people my age can make a difference. Martin and Malcolm were in there 20’s. I’m 23 years-old and I am apart of the revolution I have been writing about issue that mat-ter in our community since I was 16 years old. I am aware of what it means to be black. Another pro-fessor while frustrated with stu-dents in class said, “we just don’t give a damn.” There are a number of people that don’t care about the issues we face. I care. I care about the number of us dying from Aids, the war in Iraq, Darfur, and the list goes on, I care. I will con-tinue to care until the problems are fixed. I will continue to write until the problems are fixed. I ask all teachers, professors, and lead-ers not to give up on our youth. It is the youth that holds the key to our future. The youth holds the key to our future, yes they do. I encour-age every adult to join Susan L. Taylor and Essence Cares as they recruit 1 million mentors in the

African American Community. The youth need our help. There are things in the San Fer-nando Valley effecting the black community. Things that the black community should be aware of, like the increase in hate crimes against African Americans, the treatment of African Americans in learning institutions elementary, middle, high school (LAUSD), and college. Racial profiling by local police, and business estab-lishments. Those in the African American Community in the San Fernando Valley starting busi-nesses should know there is a Black Chamber of Commerce in the Valley. There are black churches such as Calvary Bap-tist Church in Pacoima. There are black owned businesses that we can frequent and support.

Thank you for supporting Say It Loud! We look forward to serv-ing the black community in the San Fernando Valley with news about them..~Saharra Jovan WhitePublisherSay It Loud!

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FEBRUARY Art /Photography February 8 - June 8Bob Dylan’s American Jour-ney, 1956-1966. Visitors will be amazed by the exhibition’s unprecedented collection of films, artifacts, and listen-ing stations, as they discover Dylan’s story intersecting with folk music, rock ‘n’ roll, and a nation in the throes of social change. The Skirball Cultural Center, Getty Gallery, 2701 N. Sepulveda Bl L.A. Info: (310) 827-0889 or www.skirball.org.

Sat. Feb. 10th @ 2-7p.m.An Afternoon of Art with Synthia Saint James. Present-ed by the African American Firefighter Museum. African American Firefighter Muse-um.1401 Central Av. L.A. Ad-mission: Free. Info: (213) 744-1730 www.aaffmuseum.org or www.synthiasaintjames.com.

Sat. Feb. 10th @ 2 p.m.Reflecting on a Life in Art. CAAM’s Executive Direc-tor, Charmaine Jefferson, dia-logues with the respected and renowned Artis Lane. They reflect upon Ms. Lane’s life, technical, stylistic and cosmo-logical evolution and ways in which she seeks to have her work inspire others. CAAM 213.744.7432 or www.caam.ca.gov

Feb. 22-24Santa Monica Arts Festival Santa Monica Civic Audito-rium, 1855 Main St. Santa MonicaFriday 11am-7pm; Saturday 10am-7pm; Sunday 10am-5pm Admission: $7.50; Senior Citizens $6.50; Children under 12 FREE Info: Warren Cook (805) 461-6700. www.ameri-canartfestivals.com or www.santamonicacivic.org.

Sat. Feb. 23rd @ 6p.m.The 17th Annual Watkins Award. The National Alliance of African American Athletes (The Alliance) will recognize another stellar group of high school athletes from across the nation for the Franklin D. Watkins Memorial Award. In-tercontinental Hotel in Cen-tury City. Info: Reginald Grant (323)-376-1057 or www.naaaa.com.

Closes Feb. 29MLK in CaliforniaMartin Luther King visited California regularly from 1956 through 1968, participating in the civic and social life of the state. This special photog-raphy display chronicles his travels, from speeches in the Bay Area to a parade in Los Angeles, reminding us all of the importance of our region to his life and work. California African American Museum, 600 State Dr, Exposition Park, L.A. (213) 744-7432 or www.Caamueum.org.

Closes June 1The African Presence in Mexi-co: From Yanga to the present. The existence of Afro-Mexi-cans was officially affirmed in the 1990s when the Mexican government acknowledged Af-rica as Mexico’s “Third Root.” The exhibition is organized by the National Museum of Mex-ican Art, Chicago. California African American Museum, 600 State Dr, Exposition Park, L.A. (213) 744.743 or www.Caamuseum.org.

Awards/Galas/Dinners

Thurs. Feb.7 @7:30p.m. West Angeles CDC’s 14th Annual Unity Awards Benefit Banquet. Honoring Courtney B. Vance & Angela Bassett. Regent Beverly Wilshire Ho-tel 9500 Wilshire Bl, Beverly Hills. 6:30pm VIP Reception, 7:30pm Dinner. Info: (818) 906-0240 or (323) 291-1472

Thurs. Feb. 7th @ 6:30-8:30p.m.African-American History Month Living Legends Award Ceremony. Honoring Grammy

Award Winner Kenny “Baby-face” Edmonds. Must RSVP call (213) 744-2111. CAAM

Sat, Feb. 9th @ 6p.m.100 Black Men of OC 13th Annual Gala. 100 Black Men Chapters are educating and empowering youth and their families while positively im-pacting communities. This will be their 13th Annual Gala, sponsored by the 100 Black Men of Orange County. Dis-neyland Hotel, Anaheim, CA INFO: Tammy Dicker-son (310) 216-4722 or www.100bmoc.com.

Thurs. Feb. 14, Image Awards. The 39th NAACP Image Awards will be LIVE this year. SHRINE AU-DITORIUM, 665 W. Jefferson Blvd., L.A. www.Shrineaudi-torium.com.

Mon. Feb. 18th 18th Annual Beverly Hills/Hollywood NAACP Theatre Awards. The prestigious star-studded gala is produced in an effort to acknowledge the many contributions of African Americans in theater. Direc-tors Guild of America (DGA) Theatre. 7920 Sunset Bl., L.A. Technical Awards Luncheon and Show - 12:30pm - 3:00pm Performance Awards - 7:00pm - 9:30pmInfo: 323.464.7616 or www.bhwdnaacptheatreawards.com.

Fri. Feb. 22 @ 6:30-9:30p.m.“Mission Possible: Becoming a Deallionaire” 13th Annual Med Week Awards Dinner & Dance hosted by Los Angeles Minority Business Oppor-tunity Center (LA MBOC). Millennium Biltmore Hotel 506 South Grand Av. Down-town L.A. The Minority Busi-ness Development Agency (MBDA) established MED Week, by Presidential Procla-mation each year since 1983. Info: (626) 791-3847or www.lamboc.org.

Fri. Feb. 29 @ 6p.m. UCLA Black Alumni. UCLA Black Alumni Dinner. Mil-lennium Biltmore Hotel 506 South Grand Av.Downtown Los Angeles. Info: Wendy Gladney (626) 791-3847, [email protected] or www.ucla-blackalumni.org.

Black History MonthFeb 23-24 @ 9-5Aquarium of the Pacific Af-rican Heritage Festival. Cel-ebrate the richness and diver-sity of African and African American cultures at our an-nual African Heritage Festival. The weekend will feature tra-ditional foods, live entertain-ment, and arts and crafts. The festival will host local African American storytellers, dance troupes, divers, musicians, and artisans. Free with Aquarium Admission. Aquarium of the Pacific 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach. Info: 562-591-3100 or www.aquariumofpa-cific.org.

Fri. Feb. 29 @ 10:30 a.m.11th Annual Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce Black History Celebration Lun-cheon. The Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Greater Los Angeles African Ameri-can Chamber of Commerce will host it’s annual Black His-tory Celebration Luncheon. The luncheon will include an awards program and a Cultural & Vendor Walkway. Torrance Marriott Hotel 3635 Fashion Way Torrance. Info: Tobin & Associates 323.857.0869 Tickets: Torrance Area Cham-ber 310.540.5858 or www.tor-rancechamber.com.

Books/Media/Writing/Lec-turesWeds. Feb. 6th at noon. Dr. Viviana Gladden. The first international model will speak at CSUN. Hosted by the Pan African Studies Dept. Cal

State U Northridge (CSUN), 18111 Nordhoff St North-ridge. For location info: (818) 677-3311. Wed. Feb. 27th @ 6:30-9:30p.m.

Thurs. Feb 7th @ 7:30-9:30p.m.My Brother/My Sister. Spot-light on African American Women and Men Then and Now. Cal State U Northridge (CSUN), 18111 Nordhoff St Northridge, Jerome Richfield Rm 315.

Mon. Feb. 18th @ 12 p.m. Neither White Nor BlacK: Black Slave Owners. A part of the PAS Faculty Black His-tory Month Series. Cal State U Northridge (CSUN), 18111 Nordhoff St Northridge. For location info: (818) 677-3311.

Weds. Feb. 20th @ 12 p.m.Race and the Persian Gulf War. A part of the PAS Fac-ulty Black History Month Se-ries. Cal State U Northridge (CSUN), 18111 Nordhoff St Northridge. For location info: (818) 677-3311.

Tues. Feb. 26th @ 7p.m.Post-Traumatic Slave Syn-drome. A Speaker and film event hosted by the Black Stu-dent Union at CSUN. Black House, 18356 Halsted St, Northridge. Info: [email protected].

Weds. Feb. 27th @ 6:30-9:30p.m.NAACP Media Forum. NAACP CSUN chapter pres-ents a panel discussion about African American’s and the media. Say It Loud! Publisher Saharra J. White will be one of the panelists. Cal State U Northridge (CSUN), 18111 Nordhoff St Northridge event in Grand Salon. For info: [email protected].

BusinessThurs. Feb. 14th @ 12:30p.m.Strategies for Managing Mon-ey. Lecture Hosted by the PAS Dept at CSUN. Cal State U Northridge (CSUN), 18111 Nordhoff St Northridge. For room info: (818) 677-3311.

Thurs, Feb. 14, 2008 @ 11:30-1:30p.m. GLAAACC Town Hall Lun-cheon. Featuring Councilmem-ber Webdy Greuel, Dist. 2. She will discuss doing business at L.A. City Hall and business opportunities. Radisson Hotel @ USC, 3540 S. Figueroa St, L.A. Must RSVP by Feb 8 to the GLAAACC office at (323) 292-1297 or [email protected]. $25 for members $40 for non-members.

Tues. Feb. 19 @ 10-4p.m.LA MBOC & Cal Trans Mini Expo/Small Business Fair. Hosted by Los Angeles Minority Business Oppor-tunity Center (LA MBOC). $10. Info: www.lamboc.org

Fri. Feb. 22 @6:30-9:30“Mission Possible: Becoming a Deallionaire” 13th Annual Med Week Awards Dinner & Dance hosted by Los Angeles Minority Business Oppor-tunity Center (LA MBOC). Millennium Biltmore Hotel 506 South Grand Av. Down-town L.A. The Minority Busi-ness Development Agency (MBDA) established MED Week, by Presidential Procla-mation each year since 1983. Info: (626) 791-3847or www.lamboc.org.

Thurs. Feb. 21Minority Business Opportu-nity Day 2008SCMBDC’s annual Minor-ity Business Opportunity Day (MBOD) is the largest and most successful gathering of minority business enterprises (MBEs) and corporate busi-nesses in Southern California. Nearly 1000 corporate repre-sentatives and MBEs partici-pate annually. Pacific Palms Conference Resort Industry Hills. Info: Shawn Smith 213.689.6960 x 230 or www.scmbdc.org.

Thurs, Jan. 31 @ 7:30 amDrum Major For Justice Awards. Inglewood Business Opportunity Network (IBON) hosts its 2nd Annual Drum Major For Justice Awards net-working breakfast. Hollywood Park Pavilion, 3883 Century Blvd., Inglewood. $25 in ad-vance $30 at the door. 310-670-9600 ext. 3 or Inglewood-today.com

CarnivalSat. Feb. 2nd @ 8p.m.-2a.m.Queen Mary Brazilian Carna-val 2008!A portion of the proceeds from this event will benefit the Brazilian Women’s Group, a non-profit organization that dedicates its social work to underprivileged children and elderly in Brazil. It is an all- consuming party of fun, feath-ers, fantasy and outrageous costumes. Info: (818) 566-1111 or www.BrazilianNites.com. QUEEN MARY- Long Beach, 1126 Queens Hwy Long Beach

Dance/BallsThurs. Feb. 8th @7 p.m.Concert of Dance. Instruments of Praise (IOP) is a non-profit, faith-based performing arts organization that is commit-ted to training the next gen-erations of artists to serve the world. Lake Avenue Church, Pasadena, Info: Kelly (626) 797-1301 or www.prboutique.net/cod2008.html

Sat. Feb. 9 @ 7p.m.Seventh Annual Red and White BallDelta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Rolling Hills/Palos Verdes Alumnae Chapter Torchbear-er’s Foundation requests the honor of your presence to at-tend “From the heart of Delta” our Seventh Annual Red and White Ball. This event ben-efits our programs and other community service activities. Donation: $75 per person. A portion of your donation is tax deductible. Formal Attire Requested. Sheraton Gate-way Hotel (LAX) 6101 West Century Bl., L.A. Info: Glenis Ford, Chair - [email protected]

Education Wed, Feb. 12, 2008 @ 8:30-10a.m.Early Childhood Education Policy Briefing. An opportuni-ty to hear about what important policy issues will be affecting early childhood education in 2008. Center for Healthy Com-munities, California Endow-ment-Cabrillo Room, 1000 N. Alemedia St, L.A. Must RSVP to [email protected]

Thurs. Feb. 21 @ 4:30-6p.m.Teacher Job Fair. Preparatory Workshop. A representative from LAUSD and another lo-cal school district will discuss issues important to credential students attending the Teacher Job Fair on March 13th. Seat-ing is limited. Cal State Los Angeles, Salazar Hall E184 Info: Career Development Center (323) 343-3237 or www.calstatela.edu/univ/cal-endar.

Sat. Feb. 23rd @ noon-2:30p.m.FAMU Black History Cel-ebration 2008 Scholarship Luncheon This year’s theme is “Rattle Renaissance: A Rebirth of Rattler Pride & Spirit”. Hosted by the Florida A&M University National Alumni Association Southern California Chapter. Tickets are $60 for adults and $25 for stu-dents. Proceeds benefit FAMU student scholarships. Mimosa Hour 11:00am – 12:00pm; Luncheon 12pm – 2:3pm Radisson Hotel 6161 W. Cen-tinela Av., Culver City. Info: (213) 385-2392 or [email protected] www.larattlers.com.

Thurs. Feb. 28th @ 7p.m.Miss. Black & Gold. Scholar-ship Pageant hosted by Alpha Phi Alpha. Cal State U North-ridge (CSUN), 18111 Nord-hoff St Northridge event in Performing Arts Center.

February TBASixth Annual Knowledge Symposium. The Symposium” exhibit hall will showcase edu-cational programs and services from approximately 60 tutor-ing, mentoring, after-school, college prep, financial aid and related exhibitors. Admission is Free! UCLA Parking Lot 4: $8.00. Call to register for FAFSA workshops, campus tours or to request free trans-portation on our buses. Info: (310) 645-0188 or www.edu-catela.org.

Election 2008Fri, Feb. 1, 2008 @ 1p.m.Washington Week. WETA presents Washigton Week with Gwen Ifill & National Journal. Gwen Ifill is moderator and managing editor of “Washing-ton Week” and senior corre-spondent for “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.” She is also frequently asked to moderate debates in national elections. Alex Theatre, 216 North Brand Bl., Glendale Info: (818) 243-7700 Tixs: (818) 243-2539. www.Alextheatre.org or Pbs.org/weta/washingtonweek. Free

Fri. Feb. 1st @ 8:30p.m.Rock The Vote!. Mingle with the most powerful and influen-tial leaders in Politics and the Entertainment Business. Rock the Vote media campaign and street team activities is to in-crease youth voter turnout. Rock the Vote coordinates voter registration drives, get-out-the-vote events, and voter education efforts, all with the intention of ensuring that young people take advantage of their right to vote. BOU-LEVARD 3, 6523 Sunset Bl., Hollywood Info: Tyrone Bland (202) 423-1435

Mon. Feb. 4 @ 6:30-9:30p.m. NAACP-CSUN. Chapter hosts Candidates Fair. Cal State U Northridge (CSUN), 18111 Nordhoff St Northridge, Sho-shone Rm (SSU) located at the corner of Zelzah & Las-sen. Info: (909) 717-8980 or [email protected].

Sun, Feb. 10th @ 3p.m.Black People, Obama and the Presidential Election. Rev. Al Sharpton the President of the National Action Network will be speaking. African American Cultural Center (US) 3018 W 48th St L.A. (323) 299-6124 or www.Us-Organization.org. Sun, Feb 3, 2008 12-1:30p.m.Election Forum 2008. The Muslim Public Affairs Coun-cil presents Election Forum 2008. Islamic Center of South-ern California, 434 S. Vermont Av., L.A. (213) 383-3443 or www.Mpac.org.

F a s h i o nFeb. 2-HealthTues. Feb. 5th @ 6-9p.m.Black Health Forum. Hosted by the Black Student Union at CSUN as well as other campus orgs. Cal State U Northridge (CSUN), 18111 Nordhoff St, Northridge Je-rome Richfield 314. Info: [email protected] or www.myspace . com/bsu_csun .

FU Northridge (CSUN), 18111 Nordhoff St, Northridge. Info and location: (818) 677-3311.

Vintage Fashion Expo. Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, 1855 Main St Santa Monica. Info: (707) 793-0773 www.vintageexpo.com or www.s a n t a m o n i c a c i v i c . o r g .

M e e t i n g s Sat. Feb 9, 2008AZACA aka the Association of Zambians in California. General meeting. California State University Dominquez Hills, Lacorte Hall. (310) 243-2175. www.Caapei.org, email for time [email protected].

Sun. Feb 17th @ 3-5p.m.Southern University Alumni Meeting. Monthly meeting of Southern University Alumni in Los Angeles. Lucy Florence, Leimert Park. Info: Fred Wil-liams (323) 292-1148 or www.suinla.org.

Fri. Feb. 21st @ 4-6p.m. Black History on the Money. Hosted by USC Black Alumni Association. VIP Reception held at Widney Alumni House (7-8:30p.m.) Info: www.alum-ni.usc.edu/baa.

Music Fri. Feb. 1st @ 6p.m.Hands for Hope. 8th annual starlight Jazz Serenade ben-efit supports underprivileged youth. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, 5220 Lank-ershim Bl., North Hollywood. (818) 763-Hope or (866) 468-3399. Hands4hope.org or Ticketweb.com. $50-100.

Fri. Feb. 8th @ 7p.m.Wyclef Jean. Hip Hop, must be 18. House of Blues 8430, Sunset Bl., West Hollywood. $35. (323) 848-5100 or Hob.com.

Sat. Feb. 9th @ 9p.m.T-Pain. Genre: Hip Hop, must be 18. House of Blues, 8430 Sunset Bl., West Hollywood. $36.50 (323) 848-5100 or www.Hob.com.

Sat. Feb. 9th @ 8p.m.Ain’t Misbehavin’. Arts North-ridge presents Ain’t Misbe-havin’ the Fats Waller Musical Show. Cal State Northridge, Performance Hall, Northridge. (818) 677-2488. www.Arts-northridge.csun.com. $48.

Tue. Feb. 12 @ 8p.m.Common. Presented by Power FM. House of Blues, 8430 Sunset Bl., West Hollywood. $40. (323) 848-5100 or Hob.com.

Weds. Feb. 20th @ 1p.m.History of Funk. Hosted by the student club The Hip Hop Think Tank. Cal State U Northridge (CSUN), 18111 Nordhoff St Northridge event in Reseda Rm.

Mon. Feb. 25th @ 1p.m.Roots in Hip Hop. Hosted by the student club The Hip Hop Think Tank. Cal State U Northridge (CSUN), 18111 Nordhoff St Northridge event in Reseda Rm.

Sat. Jan. 26 @ 7:30-10:30p.m.Let’s Do It Again. Phyllis Bat-tle & Vanessa Burch and an evening of Music and Dining. PAPA WEST, 4336 Degnan Bl. L. A. (310) 658-0347

Religion Sun. Feb 3rd @12-1:30p.m.Muslim Public Affairs Coun-cil. The council presents Elec-tion Forum 2008. Islamic Cen-ter of Southern California, 434 S. Vermont Av., L.A. (213) 383-3443 or www.Mpac.org.

Weds @ 5p.m.MSA CSUN. Muslim Student Association at Cal State U Northridge general meeting. CSUN, Northridge, Granada Room, USU. www.Msacsun.com

Sat. Feb. 9 @ 6p.m.Valentine Gospel DinnerThis is a Valentine Dinner for fellow churches and other in-dividuals to come out and have a great time in the spirit. It is a sit down dinner hosted by Rev. Lester Barrie. Holiday Inn, Long Beach. Info: Jera Cul-bert (310) 592-4346 or www.ladominionpower.org.

Thurs. Feb. 28th @ 11:30a.m.Black-Jewish Relations. Event hosted by CSUN Hillel club. Cal State U Northridge (CSUN), 18111 Nordhoff St Northridge event in Grand Sa-lon.

TAXESSat. Feb 2. @ 10a.m.-2p.m.L.A. TAX DAY. Free income tax preparation. Exposition Park Intergenerational Com-munity Center (EXPO Center), 3980 S. Menlo Avenue, L.A. (310) 693-6530 or ww.Eitc-la.com.

CALENDARSay It Loud! Feb 1, 2008

ART & ENTERTAINMENT Ray Charles Live! The Mastermind, the legend; the Man We Never Truly KnewJoshua Thompson Say It Loud! Contributor

Theatre/FilmFeb-March 9, 2008.The Color Purple. From the classic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker and the moving film by Ste-ven Spielberg. Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand, L.A. www.ahmanson-theater.com.

Weds. Feb. 6th @ 7p.m.Sankofa. Film showing as part of the Movie Series hosted by the Afri-can Student Organization at CSUN. CSUN Black House, 18356 Halsted St., Northridge. Info: [email protected].

Thurs. Feb. 7th @7p.m.PAFF Opening Night Film-Namibia: The Struggle For Liberation Written and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Charles Burnett, starring Carl Lum-

bly, Danny Glover, Joel Haikali and Obed Emvula. The film depicts the long struggle waged by the people of Namibia for their independence that was ultimately won with the help of Cuban military volunteers fighting in Angola. Directors Guild of America. 7920 Sunset Bl. L.A.Info: 323.295.1706 or www.paff.org.

Feb. 7-18th16th Annual Pan African Film and Arts Festival (PAFF). Will take place Thursday, February 7 through Mon-day, February 18 at the Magic John-son AMC Crenshaw 15 Theatres and the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza in Los Angeles, California . High-lights of the 2008 festival include the star-studded red carpet Opening Night Gala to be held in Hollywood at the Director’s Guild of America on February 7th. Magic Johnson The-

atres, Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Mall, and the Director’s Guild of America King & Crenshaw Bl., L.A. Info: 323.295.1706 or www.paff.org.

Weds. Feb 13. @7p.m. Blood Diamonds. Film showing as part of the Movie Series hosted by the African Student Organization at CSUN. CSUN Black House, 18356 Halsted St., Northridge. Info: [email protected]

Sun. Feb. 24th @ 4p.m.For Whom the Bell Toll Set For Life (A California Nonprofit 501C3 Organization) PRESENTS A Black History Month Celebration. A musi-cal comedy drama, “For Whom the Bell Toll” set in the 1950s. General admission is $15 and $10 for Seniors and Children. Special VIP tickets are available for $25. Guest will also be

treated to a Black Art exhibit of pen & ink illustrations by Disney Artist Ron Husband of Ron’s World. Pro-ceeds raised will support SET for LIFE 2008 programs and the new sanctuary capital campaign of Sec-ond Baptist Church, Inc. The Duarte Performing Arts Center.1401 High-land Av. Duarte. Info:www.setforli-fenews.org.

Thurs. Jan. 31 @ 7p.m.FAMLI Film Screening, “Negroes with Guns,Robert Williams & Black Power”Monthly Film Screenings & Discus-sions hosted by FAMLI Inc. & In The Black Productions. Lucy Florence Cultural Center, Leimert Park, L.A.

Info: (323) 293-1356

Even though blacks (in-cluding African Ameri-cans) account for about 13% of the US population, they account for about half (49%) of the people

who get HIV and AIDS.( Info from: Center 4 Dis-ease Control and Preven-

tion )

February 7 is National Black

HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Get Tested Today!!!!!!!!


We all hear about war and the horror stories that go along with it. We all know or believe that war is a grown up thing, a decision made by adults, and carried out by adults. This is what we are made to believe or choose to believe. In foreign places were war is quite

different. Children are just as much a part of war as any adult. They are thrown into the battle and forced to learn how to kill to survive. “Song For Night” brings this harsh reality to light in a way that puts you the reader right in the line of fire, in the young minds of the youth who are forced to become a part of a long battle that they did not choose. These children are forced to enter an adult world were death and life is a very thin line. The story takes you into the mind of a 15-year-old boy who is forced, after his entire family and village are wiped out, to become a part of an army of youth. They are trained at boot camp by a general referred to as John Wayne, but John Wayne he is not, this guy is the bad guy, the person whom you would never trust your child with, who has no moral values, the devil himself. At this boot camp, these children are taught to diffuse mines. They comb the landmines, and are known as mine diffusers. Upon graduation their vocal cords are cut so that if any one of them happened to set of a bomb, the others will not know and be effected by the cries and screaming of their fallen comrade which would make their task even harder to continue and carry out. This general takes away any innocence a child may have had. He takes away any pride a man may have. He takes away the joy that any person might have had and fills the void with distrust, betrayal, violence, rape, greed and death. With silence and no words that can be spoken to each other, you enter into the mind of this young boy and follow him through a journey unlike no other. You follow him to places he is going, to places he has been, and to places were he or any other child should never be. “Song For Night” will make you wonder about the things we do not see and witness for ourselves. It will force you to become more aware of the bigger picture outside your world. It will make you real-ize how blessed we are in this land called America. It will make you want to go out like so many people are doing today and reach out to those whose land is far away and far from the freedom that we know.

-Darleen D. Edwards-WhiteSay It Loud! Staff

Song For Night a novella by Chris Abani

Book Review

Masterful! Stupendous! Breathtaking! These words do not even

begin to describe the significance of the inspiring musical Ray Charles Live! This musical is truly a “new” type of musical to the eyes and ears of Ray Charles fans everywhere. It is a stageworthy project that pays homage to the maestro of blues, Ray Charles, and transcends the cinematic glamour that the film Ray brought to the big screen. The stirring musical opuses and skilled cast who partook in this musical truly resurrect the musical genius and life story of Brother Ray. The show revolves around Ray Charles creating one last live album. And the guest art-ists that are featured on this album are not fellow recording artists but as Ray Charles puts it, “People from my life ya’ll”. As the album is recorded and one scene tran-sitions to the next, his life story is told. As the audience receives the anticipated quantity of musi-cal memento, they also obtain an unpredictable dosage of the real-ity that only Ray Charles could musically and spiritually see. While millions saw the movie Ray, only a select few were privileged enough to partake in this musical experience on No-vember 16th, 2007. As a Cal State University Northridge undergrad-uate, I am currently enrolled in Pan-African Studies 155: Fresh-man Composition. I was fortunate enough to be under the direction of Professor Johnie Scott and to be given the opportunity to expe-rience this musical magic. As a music major and saxophonist, my passion for music has fueled spe-cifically from jazz and the blues, when I heard that the class would be seeing Ray Charles Live!, I was touched in an unspeakable way. Ray Charles has always been one of my biggest musical influences, and I was very anxious to see the-atrical content of the musical, but most of all hear the music itself. As one who has played in the orchestra pit for musicals and plays, I knew that the hired musicians for this musical would do Ray Charles justice. It takes a special breed of musician to play the songs made famous by Mr. Charles. To play “What’d I Say” is one thing, but to play it exceptionally well is another. Saxophonist Charles Owens and drummer Raymond Pounds are only two members of the 12-piece band that was formed. These individuals have played alongside Quincy Jones, Mar-vin Gaye, Gladys Knight, James Newton, James Brown, Michael Jackson, and even the famous trumpeter Miles Davis. With ac-creditations such as these, the

musical contractor Lea Chazin knew exactly what sound she wanted to accompany and accen-tuate the life force of this show. On this extraordinary night, 100 students from four dif-ferent course classes including myself representing the Pan-Af-rican Studies Department at CSU Northridge were situated on a bus and driven to the historic Pasade-na Playhouse. The Playhouse was declared the State Theatre of Cali-fornia in 1937 after the remarkable achievement of having performed the entire Shakespeare canon for the first time in this country. This theater is also known for housing the visions of authors such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Saroy-an, and Tennessee Williams and breathing life into their written works through theatre. By being the select theatre to house Ray Charles Live! , author Susan-Lori Parks vision was also ushered in through the doors that I entered. Not only was Mrs. Parks’s vi-sion invited, but we were invited above all other students to expe-rience a work of art that many would have taken for granted. The musical itself was truly something to behold. The character of Ray Charles was played by Brandon Victor Dixon, a Broadway star who received a Tony nomination for the charac-ter of Harpo in The Color Purple. Brandon Dixon truly captured the mannerisms and persona of the singer. Not only was his acting up to par, but it was his singing that also revealed that the very soul of Ray Charles had manifested itself within him. His renditions of “I Got A Woman”, “Unchain My Heart”, and “Georgia On My Mind” were so melodic that it caused me to believe that Ray Charles was actually perform-ing on stage. The songs them-selves, while groovy and hip were musical testimonies of the very life that Ray Charles lived. One of the most memo-rable moments was the scene where Ray Charles tells Tom Dowd (played by Matthew Ben-jamin) that he wants to record one more song. Tom says both sides of the album are completed, but Brother Ray protests that because the recording is about his life he feels compelled to tell the audi-ence through song who the true Ray Charles is. It is in this scene that Ray sits at the piano and sings “You Don’t Know Me”. The heart and soul of Ray Charles is poured out in a simple melody. Behind the fame, drugs, and the multi-tude of women, Ray Charles was a man who was looking for true love, but only after his hardships did he realize that that love came from his mother and his music. The world knew Ray

Charles as a blind pianist, song-writer, drug addict, party animal, and womanizer. However, that was not the real Ray Charles. If there was anyone who knew that it was his mother Retha Robin-son. If Brandon Dixon were to get an award for this musical, Yvette Cason would certainly deserve an award for Best Supporting Actress. “Retha” Robinson stood as a fortress for Ray Charles and Yvette Cason became that citadel. By listening to her sing “Drown In My Own Tears”, you feel the unconditional love that she has for her son George and the incon-solable pain she endures now that her son has drowned and died. Ms. Robinson was the most im-portant thing in Ray Charles’s life above his music, and Yvette Cason became that vital aspect. Overall, this musical was a loving and respectful trib-ute to the man Ray Charles and his legacy. According to the Los Angeles Times, members of Ray Charles family have very disap-proving opinions of the manner in which Ray Charles is portrayed. The legal representative describes Ray Charles in the production as a one-dimensional character whose womanizing takes precedence over all else. It is a known fact that Ray Charles in his day is what we would consider as the modern day player. However, that is not what the world remembers him for: it his music that has left its mark in music and our hearts. The intent of this musical was to draw fans deeper into the Ray Charles story and his music, and it did just that. Ray Charles Live! was and is a lively show that captured the hearts and musical passions of every audience member. This proj-ect brought back the same inten-sity of the crowds that flocked to flail their arms at the sky and bob their heads in solemn agreement with Charles’s musical testaments for love and melodic transcen-dence. Ray Charles was the one man who could make you shake a tail feather on Saturday night, and make you get up and praise the Lord early Sunday morning. The good times are definitely rolling for Ray Charles in heaven though he is no longer with us. As long as visionaries like Susan-Lori Parks and director Sheldon Epps con-tinue to spread his message, Ray Charles will continue to live on. On a scale of piano notes from C to G, G being the high-est, I give Ray Charles Live! a G for Greatness! What’d I Say? A G for Greatness! After all Ray Charles did say “I never wanted to be famous. I only wanted to be great.” Let us reverence the man and his musical genius, so that his spirit may continue to inspire and touch future generations.

Feb 1, 2008 Say It Loud!

EDUCATIONSay It Loud! Feb 1, 2008


National Associa-tion of Black Journal-ists (NABJ) founders Maureen Bunyan, Les Payne and DeWayne Wickham pledged more than $60,000 to the organization’s annual scholarship program. Wickham, USA To-day columnist and NABJ past-president, pledged $12,000. While Bunyan, news anchor for WJLA-TV in Washington, DC, and Payne, Newsday columnist and NABJ past-president, con-tributed $25,000 each. Bunyan and Payne’s pledges break the re-cord for the largest in-dividual donation to the scholarship program to date. “The generos-ity of Maureen, Les and DeWayne is over-whelming,” remarked NABJ President Bar-bara Ciara. “It’s not often that the NABJ scholarship fund re-ceives a pledge of this

size. I challenge other members to follow their lead and invest in the next generation of black journalists.” The contributions allow Wickham, Bunyan and Payne each to name a new scholarship in their honor. They join Car-ole Simpson, Gerald Boyd and Robin Stone whose generous dona-tions also established NABJ scholarships. “NABJ invites all members to contribute to the future of the or-ganization. Donations like this help us main-tain our million dol-lar endowment. That money is dedicated to budding African-American journalists by supporting their education and foster-ing their career aspi-rations,” said NABJ Executive Director Karen Wynn Freeman. Each year, NABJ awards more than

$30,000 in scholarships to deserving students interested in pursuing a career in journal-ism. Each scholarship is worth up to $5,000. Scholarships are open to any foreign or Amer-ican-born NABJ mem-ber, currently attending an accredited four-year college/univer-sity in the U.S. or those who are candidates for graduate school. The scholarship program is a part of NABJ’s Student Edu-cation Enrichment and Development (SEED) Committee. Annu-ally, SEED supports student members with internships, scholar-ships and student me-dia projects such as the chance to publish or produce stories about the annual convention. For more information on the NABJ scholar-ships or to donate to the program, please visit www.nabj.org.

NABJ Founders Reinvest in Student MembersThree NABJ Founders pledge sizeable donations to the

scholarship fund

A White House Internship provides an opportunity for current students and recent graduates to experience everyday life at the White House while work-ing with high-level officials on a variety of tasks and projects. For more information and an application please visit Whitehouse.gov/intern. SUM-MER 2008 INTERNSHIP May 20t h - August 15th APPLICATIONS DUE FEBRUARY 2 6 , 2 0 0 8. FALL 2008 INTERNSHIP August 26th - De-cember 12th APPLICATIONS D U E J U N E 3, 2 008 PLEASE SUB-MIT YOUR APPLICATION TO: [email protected]

WHITE HOUSE INTERN

An opportunity to hear about what important policy issues will be af-fecting early childhood education in 2008. Center for Healthy Com-munities, California Endowment-Cabrillo Room, 1000 N. Alemedia St, L.A. Feb 12, 2008 from 8:30-10a.m. Must RSVP to [email protected]

Early Childhood Education Policy Briefing

National African American Parent Involvement Day (NAAPID) will be ob-served Monday, February 11, 2008. Parents will be taking their children to school/visiting their children in school in support of this national endeavor to encourage parents to come together in a single setting to promote educa-tional excellence for today’s youths. For more info visit Naapid.org.

Education Is a Civil RightTake Your Child to School

The California State Student Association (CSSA) is commit-ted to the accessibility of an af-fordable quality education for the 450,000 students of the Cali-fornia State University. On Tues-day, January 8, 2008 the Gov-ernor delivered the state of the state address in which he high-lighted his priorities for the year. Governor Schwarzeneg-ger addressed state budget re-form, education, and his strate-gic growth plan. The Governor also spoke about hard times and across-the-board cuts to pro-grams and services due to the fiscal emergency of the state.

It is in hard times that an ac-cessible and affordable quality education should be the number one priority. Public higher edu-cation provides the economic engine for California; as well as the teachers, social workers, and nurses that are needed. Public higher education is the key to the social well being of Californians, as well as the future economic success of our Golden state. The Governor announced his plan outlining solutions to Cali-fornia’s critical need for approxi-mately 20,000 new engineers over the next decade. This will be done by expanding existing education-

al programs and building new partnerships between the CSU/UC/CCC. The Governor also ad-dressed the shortage of teachers to come in the upcoming years. The CSU is the leader in provid-ing teachers to the state, produc-ing the majority of K-12 teachers (CSU 2007). Fully funding public higher education and opening the doors to an accessible and afford-able quality education for all Cal-ifornians will address the needs of the state. We call upon the Governor and the Legislature to fully fund public higher education and solve the state’s problems. It is no secret that undergradu-

Students respond to the Governor’s proposed $312.9 million CSU budget cutDina CervantesChair of the California State Student Association and CSUN senior

ate student fees have increased 70 percent since 2002 (2002-2007) and we continue to face those increases despite the need for an educated and prosperous California. The rising cost of stu-dent fees has squeezed families that don’t qualify for financial aid and cannot afford to pay for college. The students of Cali-fornia are disappointed that the Governor has proposed to cut $312.9 million from the CSU and increase student fees once again. In the coming months CSSA will be working with student leaders on each of the 23 CSU

campuses, as well as at the UC and CCC campuses to analyze the proposed budget, and em-power all students to hold elect-ed officials accountable to fully fund public higher education and stop student fee increases. CSSA is committed to continue the fight for access and afford-ability during the budget crisis. Keeping fees low is one part of that equation: We must continue to have financial aid for needy students and secure full state sup-port for our universities to pro-vide the highest quality educa-tion to the people of California.

Harambee High School Conference at Cal State U Northridge Northridge Center (USU)

February 23, 20089a.m.-3p.m.

For info call (818) 677-3311

PAID INTERNSHIPS FOR GRADUATE STU-DENTS AT THE GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABIL-ITY OFFICE (GAO) APPLY UNTIL FEBRUARY 15

THROUGH USAJOBS

GAO is looking for graduate students in a wide variety of fields to assist GAO analysts to plan and conduct reviews of execu-tive and legislative branch programs in paid internships. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), the congressio-nal watchdog, is an independent and nonpartisan agency. GAO’s analyses and insights help Congress make informed decisions on policy and programs and ensure the accountability of the Fed-eral government for the well-being of the American people. For more information, see job announcement # GAO-08-TEAMS-0347-01 at USAJOBS, or visit http://www.gao.gov/careers/where.html.

INTERN at

Say It Loud!

Looking for talented young writers and photog-raphers to join our staff. Email us at [email protected] or call us at (818) 458-0208

HEALTH


HEALTH EVENTS

37 percent in 2005. That trend accelerated in 2001 when The Joint Commis-sion, which accredits health care organizations, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs initiated campaigns to improve the quality of pain control in hospitals. The new study is the first to measure opioid prescribing trends since those efforts. The study is based on data compiled by the Na-tional Hospital Ambula-tory Medical Care Survey, which is administered by the U.S. Census Bureau. Study authors, led by Uni-versity of California-San Francisco researcher Mark J. Pletcher, M.D., M.P.H., analyzed 374,891 emer-gency department visits over 13 years. Of those visits, 156,729, or 42 per-cent, were related to pain. Among the study findings:

-- While the use of opi-oids increased overall between 1993 and 2005,the differences in use be-tween racial and ethnic groups did not diminish.In 2005, the last year of the survey, 40 percent of whites in pain receivedopioids; 32 percent of all others received the drugs.

-- Differences in pre-scribing between whites and non-whites weregreater among people with the worst pain. Among patients in severe pain,opioids were prescribed to 52 percent of whites, 42 percent of Hispanicsand 39 percent of blacks.

-- Blacks were pre-scribed opioids at lower rates than other groups foralmost every type of pain-related emergency de-partment visit, includingback pain (33 percent for blacks versus 48 percent

for whites), headache(22 percent versus 35 per-cent) and abdominal pain (20 percent versus 32p e r c e n t ) .

-- Opioids were pre-scribed less often for blacks than whites for kidneystones (56 percent to 72 percent) and long bone fractures (45 percent to 52p e r c e n t ) .

-- Non-opioid pain re-lievers, such as acetamino-phen (sold as Tylenol),were prescribed more for non-whites (36 percent) than whites (26 percent).

-- Opioid prescrib-ing rates were particu-larly low for black andHispanic children; blacks in government-owned, non-federal hospitals;uninsured patients; and among all non-white pa-tients in hospitals in theN o r t h e a s t .

The study did not con-clude why non-whites were less likely to receive opioids, but suggested racial and/or ethnic bias as a significant factor. “Causes of disparities in medical care, however, are complex, and simple ra-cial/ethnic bias is unlikely to fully explain the prob-lem,” the study noted. Race and ethnicity influence all aspects of the relation-ship between patients and clinicians, including how patients communicate pain to doctors, what kinds of treatment are requested and how medicals staffs respond, the study said. Authors said that new strat-egies are needed to address pain management in emer-gency departments, per-haps including changes to pain treatment regimens or educating patients to spe-cifically ask for pain relief.

No Medicine from Pg1

will need an increase of $6.7 to $8.1 bil-lion to cover 800,000 uninsured children. Meanwhile, 25 California counties are poised to lose coverage over the next two years due to the lack of SCHIP funding.

3. Much like the Massachusetts plan, ABX1-1 requires individuals buy insur-ance. Among adults between the ages of 18-64, over one third of Latinos, 22 percent of American Indians, 17 percent of Asians, and 15 percent of blacks lack health insur-ance coverage. If the parents of those kids have a job, they will be required to pay un-regulated premiums, co-pays and other out of pocket expenses. Even within the state purchasing pool there are neither caps on premiums nor floors for coverage. And with the unemployment rate increasing, significantly so for communities of color, it is shortsighted to focus solely on pro-viding healthcare coverage for workers.

4. ABX1-1 doesn’t do enough to address the concerns of communities of color. Some who advocate for those communi-ties have done an excellent job of ensuring that key provisions, race specific data col-lection and support of community clinics, are included in the bill. But the grey areas regarding implementation and account-ability would directly impact the quality of care that people receive. For instance, it is assumed that seasonal and tempo-rary workers, who are not covered by the bill, will still be able to access healthcare through the expansion of public programs. But that’s a major assumption consider-ing Gov. Schwarzenegger’s budget pro-posal includes cuts to the tune of 1 billion dollars for these very same programs. We know from experience that when it comes to race and policymaking, leaving loose ends to sort themselves out later is

Tues. Feb. 5th @ 6-9p.m.Black Health Forum. Hosted by the Black Student Union at CSUN as well as other campus orgs. Cal State U North-ridge (CSUN), 18111 Nordhoff St, Northridge Jerome Richfield 314. Info: [email protected] or www.myspace.com/bsu_csun.

Feb. 7-11, 2007.2nd National Black Women and HIV/AIDS Conference. This year’s theme: It’s All About M.E.E.! Sistahs Getting Real About HIV: Mobi-lization, Education, Em-powerment. Sponsored by the National Coalition of 100 Black Women and the National Council of Negro Women. Omni Hotel, 251 S. Olive St. L.A. NCBW.org/pro-grams.htm

Weds. Feb. 13th @ noon‘Code Yellow: The Cri-ses at King Drew Medi-cal Center.’ A lecture series hosted by the PAS

dept at CSUN. Cal State U Northridge (CSUN), 18111 Nordhoff St, Northridge. Info and location: (818) 677-3311.

Sun. Feb. 17 @ 10 a.m.Beauty, Wellness & Pros-perity Networking Break-fast Lucy Florence Cultural Center 3351 W. 43rd Street, L.A. A monthly series that provides a platform for meeting new people who care about natural health, wellness and a healthy pur-suit of prosperity, as well as learning about how to take back control of your own mind/body/spirit health and wellness. Speaker Re-becca Hulem: The Meno-pause Expert and author of “Feelin’ Hot? A Humor-ous, Informative and Truth-ful Look at Menopause.” Tickets: $10 (includes breakfast). Limited seating. Reserve in advance. Info: Rhonda Kuykendall-Jabari (323)759-7985. Lucy Flor-ence Cultural Center (323) 293-1356 or www.lucyflor-ence.com.

Weds. Feb. 27-28 @ 8-4p.m.National Woman’s Heart Day Health FairThe Sister to Sister Heart Health Fairs are commu-nity-based events where women come together to learn about the risks of heart disease, the #1 killer of women. Those who attend the fairs receive individual heart-health screenings and personalized counseling sessions at no cost. 2029 Century Park East Century City Info: Jeannie Moore 949.831.4933 or [email protected]/fairs/los_angeles.php.

Feb. 29th - March 1st @ 9a.m.Emerald Nuts Quality of Life Expo. Attendees will discover the latest in run-ning, cycling, health & fitness, travel, lifestyle im-provement and much more. L.A. Convention Center, West Hall1201 S. Figueroa St. L.A. (310)444.5544 or

www.lamarathon.com.

1957,

57 steps,

Things like this are just meant to connect,

9 Children walked to their schoolmobs of the worst part of usthe ignorance,the pain of changepeople weren’t ready for...

57 steps up to the Central High School,

fear and confusion mixedlike two parts courageand a sprinkle of fate

9 kids had a date with destiny

Didn’t know if they could affordto pick up the check

heck I’d place bets if they could expect what came next,

turned away from the door,ignored like their existence didn’t matter,screams and yells of nigger shoutedby men, women, and chil-dren of another skin color,of another mindset,a mind state that was forced by a federal govern-ment,

when people are doing wrong,and forced to do right,what else could be ex-pected but a fight?whether segregatedor integrated,the debate of true freedom is when you have true choice,without the influence of fear whispered in your ear

If you want to solve prob-lemsthat you’ve never solved before,you’re going to have to do somethingyou may have never done before

They say it’s a cold world,but the worst frost bite is within,forget sins and religion,when kids think they’re hated for their skinwhy act surprisedwhen people don’t truly love their own kin,

Ignorance is blissmuch like a kiss from a loverwho’s lips have another’s lipstick.

They may have loved youbut their love won’t help youreach your own potential,

The way of the world,isn’t the way I want it to be,the world is what we can make it,that’s the way it’s beenas far as eye for an eye can see

1957, 57 steps too much to connectplacing your best foot forward-the right step-

is what matters next...

a recipe for disaster for our communities.

5. ABX1-1 sets up the principle of uni-versal healthcare for failure. Communities of color have seen good intentions turned into bad outcomes before. Look at what has happened to public education. In the 1990s the state provided money to reduce its class sizes in the primary grades. But schools that served predominately students of color didn’t have the additional classroom space needed in order to take advantage of the policy. The unintended effect was to cre-ate a mass flight of qualified teachers from urban poor schools to suburban schools. This left schools that serve mainly students of color with a glut of emergency-permit-ted, and under qualified teachers. Today, students of color are worse off. Now imag-ine the frustration that could be created by having the illusion of universal health coverage without quality care? Will people be happy having the insurance companies or state boards choose their doctor and hospital? It’s a certain setup for failure.

What is important is not that “the year of healthcare reform” is symbolically re-deemed by the passage of this legislation and the subsequent ballot measure. What is essential is that healthcare reform is done right. And that is something to think about when people say that we can fix the short-comings of the bill later. Decades of ex-perience has taught us that when it comes to issues of racial equity, good intentions do not necessarily produce outcomes that benefit everyone, especially communi-ties of color. Solutions to our healthcare crisis exist. ABX1-1 is not one of them.

New America Meda newamericamedia.orgTammy Johnson, Jan 21, 2008Copyright © New America Media

Poetry Corner

HEALTH CARE from Pg 1

National Black AIDS Awareness Day is February 7, 2008 In 2005, African Ameri-cans accounted for 18,121 (49%) of the estimated 37,331 new HIV/AIDS di-agnoses in America in the 33 states that have long-term, confidential name-based HIV reportingGET TESTED Today!!

Sean Hill

“Right, Left...”

Feb 1, 2008 Say It Loud!

SPORTS


Say It Loud! Feb 1, 2008

G r e e t i n g s F r o m M u h a m m a d A l i & O t h e r s

Former NFL running back Jim Brown is teaming up with fellow Hall of Fame athletes George Foreman

and Bill Russell in launching a new program to help improve underprivileged communities across America. The Amer-I-Can Foundation for Social Change headed by Brown introduced the “Peacemakers” initiative on Thursday, January 31st during super bowl weekend in Phoe-nix, Arizona. The launch of the initiative will take place during Amer-I-Cans 20th anniversary. The do-good program is look-ing to help raise money in ef-forts to financially support the program to help stop the vio-lence and increase the peace in schools as well as educate young minds across America. The goal is to raise $20 million dollars by December. The Foundation will implement the Amer-I-Can life-management skills used by its parent The Amer-I-Can Program, a non-profit organi-zation teaching youth about self-determination techniques, motivating them with goals and showing them how to utilize these tactics in everyday life. In a press release George Foreman said, “I’m thankful for the opportunity to join forces with two of the world’s most ex-

ceptional human beings in this quest to save and change lives.” Since it’s inauguration in 1998, the life-management skills program has been used in schools, communities, prisons, and juvenile camps in over 16 states nationally.Internationally, it has taken off in countries like Belize, the Unit-ed Kingdom and South Africa. The whole reason behind the “Peacemakers” initiative is to im-prove communities and save lives lost to violence, especially among today’s youth. The Violence Policy Center in 2004 showed that three times the amount of

young men between the ages of 15 and 24 were killed by guns in America’s cities compared to soldiers in the Middle East. Chairman Bill Russell stated, “My goal is to bring passion, compassion, and intelligence to my position as Chairman of The Amer-I-Can Peacemak-er’s initiative,” according to a press release for the fundraiser. “We have the opportunity to exponentially increase the number of lives saved and changed once we begin fund-ing our own programs,” said Founder and CEO Jim Brown.

(Photo: Amer-I-Can)

Muhammad Ali first gained na-tional attention with his box-ing skills and

wit when he won the Gold Medal at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. During his long and successful profes-sional career, Ali has been a prominent international fig-ure, dubbed the “Athlete of the Century” by numerous sports and entertainment publications and broadcast outlets around the globe.

Now, Muhammad Ali, who has endorsed a variety of products, has his very own greeting cards. The Ameri-can Greeting Cards Corpo-ration recently launched these cards after entering into an agreement with Muhammad Ali Enterprises LLC. to release eight initial cards ranging from birth-day to anytime designs. The cards, launched in January, are just in time for black history month and a part of the Ebony Inspi-rations Collection which debuted in 2007 to great praise from consumers. The cards utilize images of Ali coupled with the some of his most recognizable quotes. “It is truly an hon-or to work with such a re-spected and revered person like Muhammad Ali. His life, career and humanitarian ef-forts have had a lasting im-

pression on people of every race, religion and ethnicity,” said Paul Palmer, Director of Ethnic Card Marketing at American Greetings. “It’s a natural fit for Ali to be the focal point of cards that in-spire and motivate others to reach their goals, per-severe through hardship, and celebrate their many accomplishments in life. The cards truly capture his spirit and determination in a way that moves others to strive for greatness in much the same way that ‘The Greatest of All Time’ has done throughout his life.” Other unique cards of the Ebony Inspirations Col-lection feature cover art from the 62-year history of the influential publication, along with brief bios on the eight historical figures and events commemorated. New covers and stories will be shared as part of a 12-card line. Historic covers featured on the cards com-

memorate former Secretary of State Colin Powell, actor/comedian Redd Foxx, civil and human rights activist Dr. Betty Shabazz, tennis legend Arthur Ashe, en-tertainers Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, boxing champ Joe Lewis and the historic cover honoring the 1963 March on Washington with moti-vational messages from re-nowned Bishop T.D. Jakes. “The first collection of Ebony Inspirations really resonated with consumers,” said Paul Palmer, “We want-ed to build on that positive energy with a new offering that included even more in-fluential figures from our history. The new cards fea-ture fascinating people who have been instrumental in shaping not only the African American culture but the country we live in today.” The Muhammad Ali col-lection from American Greetings became avail-able in January as part of the Black History Month line in grocery stores, drug chains and supercenters nationwide for $2.99 each. American Greetings and Carlton Cards stores will also carry the line. Prod-ucts featuring sound bytes of Ali’s famous quotes, in-cluding cards and holiday ornaments, are scheduled to hit shelves this year and in 2009 at American Greet-ings retailers nationwide.

The Peacemakers of Today & TomorrowFelicia C. SerranoSay It Loud! Staff

Darleen D. Edwards-WhiteSay It Loud! Staff

GET TESTED TODAY

SPORTS EVENTS

Mens track field02/01/08 Friday Washington In-vitational Seattle, WA TBA

02/02/08 Saturday Washington Invitational Seattle, WA TBA

02/09/08 Saturday All Comers Northridge, CA 8:30 a.m.

02/16/08 Saturday Washington Seattle, WA TBA


02/29/08 Friday MPSF Indoor Championships Seattle, WA TBA

Womens track and field02/01/08 Friday Washington Invitational Seattle, WA TBA

02/02/08 Saturday Washington Invitational Seattle, WA TBA


02/16/08 Saturday Washington Seattle, WA TBA


02/29/08 Friday MPSF Indoor Championships Seattle, WA

TBA

CSUN

Canoga Park2/1/08 Friday Varsity/JV Boy’s Basketball vs Verdugo Hills 5:30 p.m.- 7:00 p.m. Varsity/JV Girl’s Basketball at Verdugo Hills 5:30 p.m.- 7:00 p.m.

2/05/08 Tuesday Varsity/JV Boy’s Soccer vs Polytechnic 2:30p.m.-4p..m.Varsity/JV Girl’s Soccer at Poly-otechnic 2:30p.m.-4p..m.

2/06/08 Wednesday Varsity/JV Boy’s Basketball vs Poltechnic 2:30p.m.-4p.m.Varsity/JV Girl’s 2:30p.m.-4p.m. Basketball at Polytechnic

2/07/08 Thursday Varsity/JV Boy’s Soccer at Grant 2:30-4p.m.Varsity/JV Girl’s Soccer vs Grant 2:30p.m.-4p.m.

2/08/08 Friday Varsity/JV Boy’s Basketball at Grant 5:30-7p.m.Varsity/JV Girls’ Basketball vs

Grant 5:30-7p.m.

Reseda 02/01/2008 Friday Girl’s Bas-ketball @ San Fernando 2:30 & 4:00 Boy’s Basketball vs San Fernan-do 5:30 & 7:00

02/04/2008 Monday Girl’s Soc-cer vs Kennedy 2:30 & 4:00 Boy’s Soccer @ Kennedy 2:30 & 4:00

02/06/08 Wednesday Girl’s Bas-ketball @ Kennedy 2:30 & 4:00 Boy’s Basketball vs Kennedy 2:30 & 4:00Girl’s Soccer @ Panorama 2:30 & 4:00Boy’s Soccer vs Panorama 2:30 & 4:00

02/07/2008 Thursday Wrestling vs Arleta 5:30

02/08/2008 Friday Girl’s Basket-ball vs Panorama 2:30 & 4:00 Boy’s Basketball @ Panorama 5:30 & 7:00

02/10/08 Sunday Wrestling @ San Fernando 5:30

02/11/08 Monday Girl’s Basket-ball @ Monroe 2:30 & 4:00Boy’s Basketball vs. Monroe 5:30 & 7p.m.

For more February sports events check out our sports page on Sayitloudnews.googlep-ages.com

- Madinah U. WhiteSay It Loud! Intern

For more info, call (888) 259-9534 or visit

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Say It Loud! (Feb 2008)

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Transcript of Say It Loud! (Feb 2008)