July 23, 2020

By Betti Halsell

Contributing Writer

 

Wednesday, July 22, the Los Angeles City Mayor Eric Garcetti provided updates on the COVID-19 outbreak. There has been a hard pause placed on anymore businesses opening during this pandemic, due to the rise in positive cases. Mayor Garcetti shared the latest guidelines that the city will abide by and he discussed resources for those who are in need during the downturn of the economy.

Garcetti announced the L.A. Mask Print Project, to encourage Angelenos to wear a face covering while in public. It rolled out with three commissioned posters that are bi-lingual; they were donated by Studio Number One.  Garcetti stated within the press release, “Los Angeles is a creative capital where dreamers from around the world come to innovate and create — and we are harnessing that spirit to save lives during this public health crisis.”

The L.A. Mask Print Project will help us reach even more people with a clear message: when you wear a mask, you stop the spread of COVID-19 and keep everyone healthy and safe. “The city is looking to collaborate with small business throughout this directive, to distribute posters through Los Angeles.

The COVID threat level remains at orange, the current data reflects efforts made from weeks past. CDC leadership recently stressed the significance in wearing face coverings, if everyone in America wore masks COVID-19 would be manageable in 4-8 weeks.

The current actions of the community are directly linked to the future of everyone’s livelihood.

The city’s Business Ambassadors are fully reinstated, they are set in place to make sure all firms in L.A. are compliant to the county health officer orders. Los Angeles Health Department reported 3,266 new cases, bringing the total within L.A. 164,870. Over one thousand of those positive reports were located in the city of Los Angeles. There were 64 additional deaths reported on Wednesday, bringing the total of fatal cases to 4,213. COVID-19 is on its way to become the second leading cause of death in the L.A. County, right below coronary heart disease.

The moves towards retracting back inside has prompted the health department to believe that the community transmission is being lowered. The ratio of the spread of coronavirus has dropped below 1.0, which means very few are contracting the virus through community transmission and then passing it on. 

There has been a noted decline within the positivity rate that came from testing sites. Within the city testing locations there is a capacity for 18,000 people to get tested. Mobile teams are still active in los Angeles, bringing the tests to those who do not have the means to travel to a physical location. On July 23 there will be a mobile team at the Nickerson Garden housing development.

The mayor stressed the need for federal government assistance in the uphill battle to keep the L.A. economy alive.  He sent a letter to the Los Angeles Congressional Delegation, Garcetti addressed to leadership in both Republican and Democratic parties. It outlined the top ten requests during this critical moment; the letter is looking to add to the blueprint of the next California Relief Package.

The mayor emphasized the way to move forward, is through individual concern for safety. Wearing a mask, physical distancing, and being mindful during this global pandemic will save lives. The mayor is hopeful in seeing the numbers declining, but he emphasized it is a collaborative effort between public leadership, health officials, and the everyday choices of the community.  Garcetti stated, “It’s about protecting but also respecting others.” There has been a decline and there are signs of numbers stabilizing, but the mayor is still seeking to build a strong front against COVID-19.

July 23, 2020

By Brian W. Carter

Contributing Writer

 

In the midst of a modern-day civil rights movement, birthed from the death of George Floyd, we have lost a civil rights pioneer. John Lewis endured more than 40 arrests, physical attacks and serious injuries, all the while remaining a devoted advocate to the philosophy of nonviolence.

He never left the frontlines of getting in “good trouble” when it came to standing for civil rights. He dedicated every inch of his life to fighting injustice of all kinds, from the streets to the halls of Congress.

The son of sharecroppers, Lewis was born on February 21, 1940, outside of Troy, Alabama. He grew up on his family's farm and attended segregated public schools in Pike County, Alabama. In his youth, he was inspired by the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the words of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. to become an activist.

As a student at Fisk University, Lewis organized sit-in demonstrations at segregated lunch counters and volunteered to participate in the Freedom Rides, which challenged segregation at interstate bus terminals across the South.

 

He risked his life and took severe beatings by angry mobs and arrested by police for challenging the injustice of Jim Crow segregation in the South.

 

Standing by his convictions by standing for what he believed in, Lewis became a nationally recognized leader. From 1963 to 1966, Lewis was named chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

The organization was responsible for organizing student activism including sit-ins and other activities. He was named one of the Big Six leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. At the age of 23, he was an architect of and a keynote speaker at the historic March on Washington in August 1963.

In 1964, Lewis coordinated SNCC to organize voter registration drives and community action programs during the Mississippi Freedom Summer. Along with Hosea Williams, Lewis led over 600 peaceful, orderly protestors across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama on March 7, 1965. The march, from Selma to Montgomery, was to demonstrate the need for voting rights in the state.

The marchers were attacked by Alabama state troopers in a brutal confrontation that became known as "Bloody Sunday." News broadcasts and photographs revealed the senseless cruelty of the segregated South helped to bring about the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

After leaving SNCC in 1966, he continued his commitment to the Civil Rights Movement as associate director of the Field Foundation and his participation in the Southern Regional Council's voter registration programs. He went on to become director of the Voter Education Project (VEP). Under his leadership, VEP added nearly four million minorities to the voter rolls.

In 1977, Lewis was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to direct more than 250,000 volunteers of ACTION, the federal volunteer agency. In 1981, he was elected to the Atlanta City Council, where he was an advocate for ethics in government and neighborhood preservation. He was elected to Congress in November, 1986 and has served as U.S. Representative of Georgia's Fifth Congressional District since then.

Lewis was Senior Chief Deputy Whip for the Democratic Party in leadership in the House, a member of the House Ways & Means Committee, a member of its Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support, and ranking member of its Subcommittee on Oversight.

Lewis holds a B.A. in Religion and Philosophy from Fisk University, and is a graduate of the American Baptist Theological Seminary, both in Nashville, Tennessee. He has been awarded over 50 honorary degrees from prestigious colleges and universities throughout the United States, including Harvard University, Brown University, the University of Pennsylvania,  Princeton University, Duke University, Morehouse College, Clark-Atlanta University, Howard University, Brandeis University, Columbia University, Fisk University, and Troy State University.

 

He is the recipient of numerous awards from eminent national and international institutions, including the highest civilian honor granted by President Barack Obama, the Medal of Freedom, the Lincoln Medal from the historic Ford’s Theatre, the Golden Plate Award given by the Academy of Excellence, the Preservation Hero award given by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Capital Award of the National Council of La Raza,  the Martin Luther King, Jr. Non-Violent Peace Prize, the President’s Medal of Georgetown University, the NAACP Spingarn Medal, the National Education Association Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Award, and the only John F. Kennedy "Profile in Courage Award" for Lifetime Achievement ever granted by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.

Other accolades include Lewis working 15 years to gain approval for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. He met bipartisan success in Congress in 2006 when he led efforts to renew the Voting Rights Act, but the Supreme Court later invalidated much of the law.

Lewis co-authored of the #1 New York Times bestselling graphic novel memoir trilogy “MARCH,” written with Andrew Aydin and illustrated by Nate Powell. Garnering many accolades and awards, The MARCH series is used in schools across the country to teach the Civil Rights Movement to the next generation of young activists, and has been selected as a First-Year common reading text at colleges and universities such as Michigan State University, Georgia State University, Marquette University, University of Utah, Henderson State University, University of Illinois Springfield, Washburn University, and many others.

 

 

 

He is also the author of “Across That Bridge: Life Lessons” and “a Vision for Change,” written with Brenda Jones, and winner of the 2012 NAACP Image Award for Best Literary Work-Biography. His biography, published in 1998, is entitled “Walking With The Wind: A Memoir of the Movement.”

He has been interviewed for numerous documentaries, news broadcasts, journals and recently featured in in the documentary, “John Lewis: Good Trouble.” The documentary traverses his life as an activist set among interviews, images and footage of the early Civil Rights Movement.

 

Lewis had announced in late December 2019 that he had been diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer. The announcement of his death came just hours after the passing of the Rev. C.T. Vivian, another civil rights leader, who died early Friday, July 17 at the age 95. Lewis’ wife of four decades, Lillian Miles, preceded him in death in 2012. They are survived by their son, John Miles Lewis.

Those in Congress, and many others, who worked closely with Lewis and across social media, shared their thought and memories about Lewis.

“I saw John Lewis last week. He was still that determined John Lewis that was a man of faith. He knew from the time that he started at 15, that any day could be his last. He lived like he didn't want to waste a single day -- and he didn't!” —Andrew Young

“#JohnLewis was a longtime personal mentor, a hero and a friend. It's a devastating loss.” —Marc Morial

“It was the honor of my life to serve alongside such a kind, courageous, and persistent leader and public servant.

I considered John and his late wife, Lillian, dear friends, and my heart is heavy with the magnitude of the loss of one of our nation’s most beloved sons.

My sincere prayers and deepest sympathies are with his son, John Miles Lewis, family, friends, staff, and constituents during this difficult time.” — Congresswoman Maxine Waters

 

“Congressman John Lewis was an American hero—a giant, whose shoulders upon many of us stand. Throughout his life, he showed unending courage, generosity, and love for our country.

 

 

We are grateful that John Lewis never lost sight of how great our country can be. He carried the baton of progress and justice to the very end. It now falls on us to pick it up and march on. We must never give up, never give in, and keep the faith.” — U.S. Senator Kamala D. Harris

“All of us were humbled to call Congressman Lewis a colleague, and are heartbroken by his passing. May his memory be an inspiration that moves us all to, in the face of injustice, make ‘good trouble, necessary trouble.’” — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

“A pioneering civil rights leader who put his life on the line to fight racism, promote equal rights, and bring our nation into greater alignment with its founding principles. ”— Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell

 

 

“We danced all night. My heart hurts. We've got some big shoes to fill. Let's make him proud of us. RIP Congressman John Lewis.” —Jenifer Lewis

 

 

He got into “good trouble” for a country he believed in, for a country that oftentimes, doesn’t believe in its people.

 

 

 

It was a necessary effort and his life proved that point, that getting into “trouble,” for the right reasons, will result in better lives for everyone.

He summed it up best and has left us with more than few indelible words of wisdom.

“When you see something that is not right, not just, not fair, you have a moral obligation to say something, to do something.

Our children and their children will ask us ’what did you do? what did you say?’” stated Lewis.

“We have a mission and a mandate to be on the right side of history.”

July 23, 2020

By Stacy M. Brown

NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent

 

The Rev. C.T. Vivian, the legendary civil rights activist who marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., has died.

Rev. Vivian was 95.

Vivian’s daughter, Denise Morse, confirmed her father’s death and told Atlanta’s NBC affiliate WXIA that he was “one of the most wonderful men who ever walked the earth.”

Vivian reportedly suffered a stroke earlier this year, but his family said he died of natural causes.

 

“He has always been one of the people who had the most insight, wisdom, integrity, and dedication,” said former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, a contemporary of Vivian who also worked alongside King.

“The Reverend Dr. C.T. Vivian was one of my strongest mentors in the Civil Rights Movement,” National Newspaper Publishers Association President Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., stated.

“Rev. Vivian, like Martin Luther King, Jr, and Joseph Lowery was a visionary theologian, genius, and a leading force in the tactical and strategic planning of effective nonviolent civil disobedience demonstrations. C.T. has passed the eternal baton to a new generation of civil rights agitators and organizers.”

 

 

 

In a statement emailed to BlackPressUSA, the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks expressed their condolences.

“The Atlanta Hawks organization is deeply saddened by the passing of Civil Rights Movement leader, minister, and author, Dr. Cordy Tindell “C.T.” Vivian.

The city of Atlanta and the entire world has lost a distinguished icon whose leadership pushed the United States to greater justice and racial equality for African Americans,” team officials wrote in the email.

“To inspire the next generation, Vivian founded the C.T. Vivian Leadership Institute in Atlanta, with the intent to create a model of leadership culture in the city that would be dedicated to the development and sustainability of our communities.”

 

They continued:

“Vivian also started Basic Diversity, one of the nation’s first diversity consulting firms, now led by his son, Al, who has been a great partner to our organization. We are grateful for Dr. Vivian’s many years of devotion to Atlanta and thankful that we had the opportunity to honor and share his legacy with our fans. The entire Hawks organization extends its most sincere condolences to the grieving family.”

Rev. Vivan was active in sit-in protests in Peoria, Illinois, in the 1940s, and met King during the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott — a demonstration spurred by Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat to a White rider. The 13-month mass protest drew international attention.

Rev. Vivian went on to become an active early member of the group that eventually became the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, according to his biography.

 

 

 

 

Like King, Vivian was committed to the belief that nonviolent protests could carry the day.

“Some thoughts on the Reverend C.T. Vivian, a pioneer who pulled America closer to our founding ideals and a friend I will miss greatly,” Former President Barack Obama wrote in a statement. “

We’ve lost a founder of modern America, a pioneer who shrunk the gap between reality and our constitutional ideals of equality and freedom.”

Rev. Vivian was born in Boonville, Missouri, on July 30, 1924. He and his late wife, Octavia Geans Vivian, had six children.

With the help of his church, he enrolled in American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville in 1955.

 

That same year he and other ministers founded the Nashville Christian Leadership Conference, an affiliate of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, according to the National Visionary Leadership Project.

The group helped organize the city’s first sit-ins and civil rights march.

By 1965, Rev. Vivian had become the director of national affiliates for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference when he led a group of people to register to vote in Selma, Alabama.

 

 

 

 

CNN memorialized Rev. Vivian, noting that, as the county Sheriff Jim Clark blocked the group, Vivian said in a fiery tone, “We will register to vote because as citizens of the United States we have the right to do it.”

Clark responded by beating Vivian until blood dripped off his chin in front of rolling cameras. The images helped galvanize more comprehensive support for change.

Vivian also created a college readiness program to help “take care of the kids that were kicked out of school simply because they protested racism.”

 

“I admired him from and before I became a senator and got to know him as a source of wisdom, advice, and strength on my first presidential campaign,” Obama stated.

“I’m only here to thank C.T. Vivian and all the heroes of the civil rights generation. Because of them, the idea of just, fair, inclusive, and generous America came closer into focus. The trails they blazed gave today’s generation of activists and marchers a road map to tag in and finish the journey.”

July 16, 2020

By Betti Halsell

Contributing Writer

 

Wednesday, July 15, Los Angeles Public Officials disclose new updates regarding the escalation of positive COVID-19 in the County. This week the community has seen closures of businesses and outdoor activity since the numbers have spiked, new orders from the state has cause alternations to take place within the Safer at Home Order.

There is a critical need for plan to accommodate the rise in demand for testing, Los Angeles Director of Health Services Christina Ghaly shared what the county plans to do to meet increase testing capacity. There will be new testing sites coming line in East Los Angeles Community College, El Monte, and the Pomona Fairplex. The city of Azusa, Montebello, and South Gate will also have new testing areas in the coming week. 

The symptoms of COVID-19 seem to range in different hosts. Supervisor Hilda Solis shared details of a specific individual experiencing blood clots, seizures, heart palpitations, and shortness of breath. Los Angeles is in critical condition and all residents are advised to remain vigilant and in the house whenever possible.

Conversations are being had around school sectors reopening; the final decision will be left in the hands of each school district. Public officials stress the precaution needed to consider putting both students and faculty at risk. Solis Stated, “This virus is unpredictable, so unfortunately we need to adapt and do so quickly. If a district is not able to comply with the safety protocols and if there is too much community transmission, then it should continue in distance learning.”

The Los Angeles Public Health department has been monitoring all the state ordered benchmarks throughout this pandemic, there has been concerning spikes in multiple measurements including hospitalization, community transmission, and death rates. July 14 had record breaking numbers in new positive cases reported. There were 73 fatal cases recorded, which is slightly less than the highest report of 76 deaths in May.

Latest numbers surrounding coronavirus shared on July 15, reflected 44 additional deaths, 27 of these individuals were between the ages of 65 and over, 25 of them with underlining health conditions. 13 people who died were between the ages of 41-65, eight victims had preexisting health concerns. one individual was below the age of 40, with underlining medical conditions, this brings the total COVID-19 related deaths in the L.A. County to 3,932.

 The relationship between COVID-19 infection and ethnicity were provided. The racial background collected from 3,598 fatal cases shown 11% were African American, 16% were Asian, slightly less than 1% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 45% were LatinX, 26% were white, and 1% identified as a different race or ethnicity. 93% of those who died due to COVID-19 had preexisting health concerns.

Ferrer disclosed on Wednesday, there were 2,758 new COVID-19 reports. In summary, there is a total amount of 143,009 coronavirus cases in the Los Angeles region. 5,849 incidents were reported in the city of Long Beach and 1,580 cases in the city of Pasadena. Amid the unsheltered, there were 833 positive cases, 303 victims were temporarily housed in a shelter and have been properly isolated.

Department of Health Services are working swiftly to cover areas that are being disproportionately affected by COVID-19. There is a “geographically approach” to add new testing site locations. Test results are showing that the Black and LatinX community are experience more fatal cases than other ethnicities. Access to testing is a factor DHS has considered and are looking to respond to those gaps with a demographic- based lens based off the data that is portraying a surge in certain communities. Ghaly stated, “With that in mind, we are expanding the county’s testing sites by 65% over the next couple of weeks with the entirety of that expansion focused on areas of high need.”