Torie Weiston-Serdan, PhD  Riverside, CA – Michelle Decker, CEO of Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF), has appointed Torie Weiston-Serdan, PhD as its new Education Equity Program Officer. “We are thrilled to have Dr. Weiston-Serdan joining us at IECF. She brings a wealth of experience to advancing educational opportunities for all students in our region,” Decker. “At a time when the need for equity in education has never been more urgent, Dr. Weiston-Serdan’s expertise and passion will be invaluable in driving our mission forward. We truly look forward to the ideas and leadership s ..read more

John Celestand and Afro publisher Dr. Toni Draper at the 2023 Black Matters Expo. John Celestand is the program director of the Knight x LMA BloomLab, a $3.2 million initiative that supports the advancement and sustainability of local Black-owned news publications. He is a former freelance sports broadcaster and writer who covered the NBA and college basketball for multiple networks such as ESPN Regional Television, SNY, and Comcast Sportsnet Philadelphia. John was a member of the 2000 Los Angeles Lakers NBA Championship Team, playing alongside the late great Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal ..read more

Joe W. Bowers Jr. | California Black Media (CBM) – From May 22 to 24, delegates from the California Association of African American Superintendents & Administrators (CAAASA) and the National Coalition on Education Equity (NCOEE) convened in Washington, D.C. for a public education conference titled “Establishing a National Agenda for Meeting the Promise of Brown V. Board: 70 Years Later.” The conference, whose theme was a tribute to the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, kicked off with a symbolic visit to the Supreme Court, where participants marked the 70th anniversary of the U.S. high ..read more

Toks Omishakin, California Secretary of Transportation Tara Lynn Gray, Director of the California Office of the Small Business Advocate Catrina Blair, Chief of Process and Program Development, California High-Speed Rail Courtesy of Caltrans Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media Despite the state’s looming budget deficit, Toks Omishakin, California Secretary of Transportation, shared some upbeat news during the first-ever Small Business Symposium held virtually on June 5. Omishakin said the “sun is shining on us” referring to small business owners and the commitment of the state and fede ..read more

Strike Authorization Votes To Be Held Next Week After Months of Unlawful Conduct by Employer During Contract Negotiations Los Angeles, CA – Today, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Locals 8GS, 135, 324, 770, 1167, 1428 and 1442, together representing 6,000 Food 4 Less/Foods Co. workers across California, released the following statement on the day of their contract expiration to announce scheduled strike authorization votes following numerous labor violations by their employer throughout negotiations that have prevented them from getting the fair contract they deserve.  The U ..read more

SACRAMENTO – La Primera Pareja de California Jennifer Siebel Newsom anunció hoy el inicio del Club de Lectura para el Verano de la Primera Pareja. Este Club de Lectura, que es parte de la iniciativa de la Primera Pareja California para TODOS los niños, o conocido en inglés como California for All Kids, es un programa anual en coordinación con la Biblioteca Estatal de California que tiene como objetivo aumentar la alfabetización y reducir la pérdida de aprendizaje al animar a los niños y personas que los cuidan a leer durante el verano. De acuerdo a estudios recientes, muchos estudiantes suelen ..read more

(l-r) Middle College High Linked Learning Program Specialist Grace Navarro, Principal James Espinoza, SBCUSD Superintendent Mauricio Arellano and Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Dr. Marcus Funchess celebrate Middle College High School winning a California Exemplary Dual Enrollment Award. (Photo by Corina Borsuk and provided courtesy of SBCUSD) SAN BERNARDINO, CA—Middle College High School (MCHS) in the San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) earned a California Exemplary Dual Enrollment Award from the California Department of Education (CDE). CDE launched the Californi ..read more

Nationwide — A group of young people from Philadelphia who are a part of the National Youth Foundation are stepping up to care for and beautify the grave site for the stolen remains of 19 African Americans who died in the 1800s. Their remains were previously housed at Penn Museum which is owned by the University of Pennsylvania since 1966. However, earlier this year, the remains were given a proper final resting place in a private ceremony held at Eden Cemetery in Collingdale, Pennsylvania. The remains of these deceased men and women are collectively referred to as the “Black Philadelphians ..read more

Mexico’s first woman president elect, Claudia Sheinbaum, thanks her constituents for trusting her and helping her break through yet another glass ceiling. Credit: Shutterstock By Wayne Campbell and Francine Mclean | The AFRO “For the first time in 200 years of the republic, I will become the first female president of Mexico. I do not arrive alone. We all arrived, with our heroines who gave us our homeland, with our ancestors, our mothers, our daughters and our granddaughters.” – Claudia Sheinbaum Women have played a fundamental role in Mexico’s independence, reform and revolution. Unfortunatel ..read more

For decades, Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb were celebrated as the greatest figures in baseball, with Ruth hailed as the best player and Cobb as the premier hitter. However, these narratives often excluded African American athletes whose contributions were underreported or dismissed. This exclusion persisted despite the talents that led to Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in 1947 as the first Black player in the modern Major Leagues. (Courtesy photo/ NNPA Newswire) By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent (NNPA Newswire) — Major League Baseball (MLB) has taken a historic ..read more