Moving from the Bay Area to Inglewood was divine. I needed to see firsthand what God is doing in this city. Driving through downtown, an unexpected wave of warmth hit me. I praised God, knowing this is exactly where He wants me right now— telling vital stories.
In honor of Juneteenth, Beale Library hosted a celebration of Black newspaper history in Bakersfield on the first Saturday in June. Held in the library’s Local History section, the event titled Telling Our Stories: The Legacy of Black Newspapers in Bakersfield featured two keynote speakers – Katherine Jordan Morris, a historical researcher, who spoke on the history of older Black-owned newspapers in Bakersfield, and James Luckey Jr., who discussed the 50-year legacy of the Bakersfield News Observer. The event was organized by Lynnet Kemmer, the Local History Librarian at Beale.
Before spending another hour immersed in the lives of strangers online, look around. Call the friend you have not spoken to in years. Check on a family member. Reach out to a colleague who seems withdrawn. Communities are not built by algorithms or celebrities. They are built by ordinary people who choose, day after day, to care for those within their reach.
It was a case most gynecologists wouldn’t touch—literally.
Kern County built its healthcare system on foreign medical talent. What happens if the international pipeline breaks?
There was a time when NaTesha T. Johnson knew the Kern County Fair the way a lot of Black kids from Bakersfield knew it, as a rare treat carved out of a tight budget. Her mother, a single woman raising four daughters while putting herself through school, would gather just enough to give each girl about $20 in ride tickets. When the money ran out, they found other ways to stretch the day: the free stages, the livestock pens, the gospel celebration that drew the African American faith community together.
When Aurelle Garner stepped out of her car one summer evening and saw a group of youths marching down her street, her stomach dropped.
For Rita McArn, moving to Bakersfield from Kansas City was an act of faith. She came to be close to her family and for the weather. Today, she is one of the first residents of the newly opened 610 4th Street Apartments, a 16‑unit senior affordable housing development quietly transforming a corner of southeast Bakersfield.
Black Women’s Health Disparities Highlight Gaps in Research and Care
After a groundbreaking lunar mission, the Pomona native reflects a new generation of possibility
Charles found himself on the receiving end of one of the most punitive periods in U.S. legal history: the War on Drugs. What began in part as an attempt by then-President Richard Nixon to get reelected, ended up accelerating during the crack-cocaine epidemic of the 1980s that affected millions. During this time, federal and state lawmakers across the country defaulted to punishment, creating and passing laws with draconian penalties for drug possession and sales.
faThis popular event, the Spring Event, Earth Day, and Service Provider Fair, was a fun-filled day for families in the “City of Good Neighbors.” Today’s community gathering of people from all walks of life produced priceless smiles of kids playing and the sounds of laughter that reverberated throughout the park.
My name is Marcia Claggett. I reside in Calvert County, Maryland , and work at the United Planning Organization’s (UPO) Office of Early Learning in Washington, D.C. As a child at the age of 3, I was enrolled in the Head Start program located at the Southern Maryland Tri-County Community Action Committee. The year would be 1970. I completed two years of Head Start with the program and I have to add that my mother was introduced to much-needed services that assisted her in making ends meet.
By Cecil Egbele | Contributing Writer | California Local News Fellow When NASA’s Artemis II rocket lifts off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, at 3:24
In her latest book, “Living the California Dream – African American Leisure Sites during the Jim Crow Era,” author Alison Rose Jefferson provides new insights into how the great migration of Blacks beginning in 1910 from the American South to the urban North, Midwest, and West challenged the prevailing narratives that exclude African Americans and shows their active role in shaping regional identity.
The American Foundation for the University of the West Indies (AFUWI) will honor two outstanding academic leaders whose work has changed access to higher education for many generations of minority students. Dr. Wayne J. Riley, President of SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, and Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick, Interim President and President Emeritus of Howard University, will be honored at AFUWI’s 29th Annual “The Legacy Continues” Awards Gala, which is scheduled for April 17, 2026, in New York City.
Sherry Tucker Brown’s family roots run deep in New York, and also in a familiar brand of alcoholic spirits.
On Easter morning in 1970, 4-year-old Rodney Goss sat on the stoop of his Trenton, New Jersey home waiting for a father he never knew. Goss was outside for hours, dressed in his thick-heeled platform shoes and green plaid jacket.
“Today is not just a reveal. Today is a restoration of stories and names of impact that deserve to be seen, honored, and remembered in a way that lives beyond this moment.”
-Dr. Arleana Waller, Founder & CEO, ShePower Leadership Academy
Maintaining health coverage plays a critical role in protecting your long-term health and your family’s well-being. Preventive care — including routine screenings, wellness visits, and age-appropriate checkups — can detect health issues early, support chronic disease management, and help you stay healthier year-round. Covered California health plans include preventive services that are available at no additional cost when you see an in-network provider, even before you meet a deductible. Taking advantage of these benefits and keeping your coverage active are important steps in staying healthy.
