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Category: Features

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Harvard Under Fire for Slashing Slavery Initiative Staff as Black History Faces Nationwide Attacks

Harvard University abruptly terminated staff contributing to the research component of its Slavery Remembrance Program on January 23, leaving employees without notice and sparking outrage about the institution’s commitment to its $100 million Harvard and the Legacy of Slavery Initiative. The decision comes during a national wave of setbacks to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) efforts, widespread layoffs of minority employees, and actions by states and schools to diminish the teaching of Black history.

Stefi Mar February 4, 2025
Features
Stefi Mar

How Clippers Ivica Zubac’s Game has Grown

If I asked you who the most senior player is on the Los Angeles Clippers, how long would it take you to answer? If you said Ivica Zubac, you are likely the biggest Clippers fan your family knows, or you’re an above-average fan of the National Basketball Association.

Stefi Mar January 28, 2025
** FEATURED STORY **
Stefi Mar

Time Is Running Out: Black Californians Encouraged to Enroll in Covered California by Jan. 31

The opportunity to secure quality, affordable health coverage through Covered California is coming to a close, with open enrollment ending Jan. 31, 2025. For Black and African American Californians, this is the moment to take charge of your health and access the care you deserve. Whether renewing your plan or signing up for the first time, Covered California offers affordable options that meet the needs of individuals, families and communities.

Stefi Mar January 28, 2025
African Americans
Stefi Mar

New Research Shows African Americans Face Sharply Higher Dementia Risks

A new study reveals that Americans over the age of 55 have a 42 percent chance of developing dementia, a figure more than double that reported in previous research. The significant increase in estimated risk means that roughly 514,000 Americans could develop dementia this year alone, with projections rising to approximately 1 million new cases annually by 2060.

Stefi Mar January 28, 2025
Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Nancy Leftenant-Colon, Trailblazing Army Nurse and Air Force Veteran, Dies at 104

Nancy Leftenant-Colon, the first Black woman to join the U.S. Army Nurse Corps after the military was desegregated in the 1940s, has died at the age of 104. She passed away earlier this month at a nursing home in New York. Known for quietly breaking barriers during her remarkable military career, Leftenant-Colon enjoyed a legacy of resilience, excellence, and service.

Stefi Mar January 28, 2025
Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Anti-Trust Attorney Urges Black Div 1 Athletes to File A Claim NOW for Significant NIL Financial Compensation: $280K! – Deadline: Jan 31

The NCAA, (the National Collegiate Athletic Association) has been the judge, jury, and executioner regarding the financial future of college athletes. Athletes still aren’t permitted to be directly compensated by colleges and universities, however, a recent ruling allows athletes to profit by other means, such as using their name, image, and likeness (NIL) to improve their financial futures.

Stefi Mar January 28, 2025

Fund Launched to Aid “Cherished” Black Communities Impacted by Fires

The California Black Freedom Fund (CBFF) and California Community Foundation have partnered to launch the Black LA Relief & Recovery Fund to support community organizations on the ground working to meet the immediate and long-term needs of Black communities displaced by the wildfires.

Stefi Mar January 22, 2025
Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Opinion: A Time for Unity, Not Blame

In the wake of the unprecedented fires that have ravaged Southern California — devastating cities like Pasadena, Altadena, Pacific Palisades, and Malibu — there has been an alarming rise in the blame being placed on Mayor Karen Bass.

Stefi Mar January 22, 2025
Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

From Head Start to HBCU to Harvard: One Man’s Story

Victor Jones graduated from Head Start over 30 years ago. Since then, Victor has built a career around his dedication to fighting for children, a passion he credits to his early education in Head Start.

Stefi Mar January 22, 2025
Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

How Head Start Installs Confidence for Two Generations

The founders of Head Start have always viewed parents as critical partners in their work to educate young children. They also understood that this partnership meant parents should help decide which services would most benefit their families and those in the community. As a result, Head Start created a formal leadership and policymaking role for parents and community members called the Policy Council.

Stefi Mar January 14, 2025
Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Racial Disparities and Youth Sentencing Mark U.S. Life Sentencing Practices

The Sentencing Project, an advocacy organization promoting humane responses to crime, has released its report, “A Matter of Life: The Scope and Impact of Life and Long-Term Imprisonment in the United States.” The report provides a detailed analysis of life sentences, revealing that nearly 200,000 people—one in six individuals in U.S. prisons—are serving life terms. The United States accounts for 40 percent of the world’s life-sentenced population but represents only 4 percent of the global population.

Stefi Mar January 14, 2025
Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Los Angeles’s Historic Black Community Devastated by Eaton Canyon Fires

As flames tore through the picturesque foothills of Altadena and Pasadena on January 7, 2025, the Eaton Canyon fires left a historic Black community—rooted in the Civil Rights Movement—nearly wiped out. Among the hardest-hit areas in Los Angeles County, Altadena has seen its many Black-owned homes, churches, businesses, and landmarks reduced to ashes.

Stefi Mar January 14, 2025
Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

14 States Awarded $1 Million Grants to Address Mental Health and Substance Use Crises

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has awarded $1 million in planning grants to 14 states as part of the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) Medicaid Demonstration Program. Funded through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022, the program aims to address the ongoing mental health and substance use crises nationwide.

Stefi Mar January 14, 2025