Category: Valleys

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

When Stephen A. Smith Speaks, White Power Listens

Joy Reid had finally had enough. After Stephen A. Smith went on his show and tried to frame her departure from MSNBC as a failure of ratings rather than a collision with an administration working to silence Black voices, she laid out the truth without ceremony. “You got one hundred million dollars for a show with half my ratings at my worst,” she told journalist Cari Champion. Then she explained why that payday existed at all. “They’re paying you because you are willing to say the nasty things about Black people that they want to say. You’re willing to take their denigration of Black women and put it in the mouth of a Negro.”

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

42nd Annual UNCF Mayor’s Masked Ball To Raise Funds & Awareness For HBCU Students

The United Negro College Fund’s Mayor’s Masked Ball is both a premier social gathering and a powerful fundraising initiative dedicated to promoting the value and impact of higher education. The event not only raises critical awareness around college access but also provides scholarships for students supported by UNCF, while spotlighting the vital role of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Although similar events are hosted in cities nationwide, the 42nd edition of this signature celebration will be held at the Signia by Hilton Hotel, located in the heart of downtown Atlanta.

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

OP-ED: Kemet Immigration PSA Debuts at National Press Club, Earns Congressional Honor and NNPA Support

The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), whose Black Press USA network carries the Kemet Youth Activity Sheets weekly to member publications nationwide, spotlighted a significant milestone for the youth-centered franchise this weekend. Supported in part by Washington Informer executive and NNPA leader Ron Burke, creator and executive producer Joe Young premiered his new PSA, Kemet: One Nation, Many Journeys, at the National Press Club on Saturday, December 9.

Los Angeles
Kathleen Untalan

Fitzgerald and Lemon Named Walter Camp All-Americans

facebooktwitterinstagram Two of USC’s most productive and impactful players, Bishop Fitzgerald and Makai Lemon, have been named Walter Camp All-Americans, adding another prestigious honor to

Los Angeles
Kathleen Untalan

Rams Rally Past Lions, Clinch Playoff Berth

facebooktwitterinstagram INGLEWOOD — The Los Angeles Rams looked flat for much of the first half Sunday night, trailing the Detroit Lions by double digits and

Los Angeles
Kathleen Untalan

Huskies Roll Past Broncos in LA Bowl

facebooktwitterinstagram Behind a relentless defense and a four-touchdown performance from quarterback Demond Williams Jr., Washington cruised to a 38-10 victory over Boise State in the

Los Angeles
Stefi Mar

Netflix Revives ‘Star Search’ With Anthony Anderson, Calling Back the Black Talent that Built its Legacy

In January 2026, Netflix will bring “Star Search” back to audiences around the world. The series that once carried dreamers from small-town talent shows to national stardom returns with a new host, Anthony Anderson, and a fully live format that lets viewers decide, in real time, who rises and who falls. The announcement has renewed attention on a program that helped shape the trajectory of some of the most influential Black performers in entertainment history.

African Americans
Stefi Mar

2025 in Review: Seven Questions for Black Women’s Equity Champion LaNiece Jones

Oakland native LaNiece Jones has served as Executive Director for Black Women Organized for Political Action/Training Institute for Leadership Development (BWOPA/TILE) since 1995. Like her organization, Jones is committed to supporting Black women to become authentic leaders and coalition builders who empower their communities and prepare others for economic success.

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

LIHEAP Funds Released After Weeks of Delay as States and the District Rush to Protect Households from the Cold

The federal government has released $3.6 billion in home heating assistance after a delay that left states preparing for the start of winter without the program’s annual funding. The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, known as LIHEAP, helps eligible households pay heating and cooling bills. The release follows a shutdown that stretched 43 days and pushed agencies across the country to warn families of possible disruptions.

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

A World Pulled Backward: Child Deaths Rise as Global Health Collapses Under Funding Cuts

The signs were visible to anyone willing to look. Clinics running out of medicine, health workers sent home in silence, and governments bracing for a wave they could no longer afford to stop. Now the evidence is written in hard numbers. For the first time this century, the number of children dying before their 5th birthday is rising. The Gates Foundation’s 2025 Goalkeepers Report states that 4.6 million children died before age 5 in 2024 and projects that the total will reach 4.8 million this year, reversing decades of progress in child survival.

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

A Nation in Freefall While the Powerful Feast: Trump Calls Affordability a ‘Con Job’

There are seasons in this country when the struggle of ordinary Americans is not merely a condition but a kind of weather that settles over everything. It enters the grocery aisle, the overdue bill, the rent notice, and the long nights spent calculating how to get through the next week. The latest numbers show that this season has not passed. It has deepened.

African Americans
Stefi Mar

2025 in Review: Seven Questions for Black Caucus Chair Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson

In November 2024, Dr. Akilah Weber Pierson (D-San Diego) became the first African American south of Los Angeles County to be elected to the California State Senate. She is also board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist and founder of the Pediatric & Adolescent Gynecology Division at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego.

African Americans
Stefi Mar

Race Shadows Every Assault on the Affordable Care Act

The battles over the Affordable Care Act were never only about policy or the price of insurance. They were never simply arguments about federal subsidies, individual mandates, or the markets that hold the system together. From the moment America elected a Black president and that president dared to place the health of the poor and the marginalized at the center of national law, a deeper truth rose to the surface. That truth has followed the country for centuries. It was waiting for its next target. The target became Barack Obama. The instrument became Obamacare.