EL CHICANo Weekly
Vol 61, NO. 21
May 02, 2024
Music Changing Lives Celebrates 26th Anniversary by Combating Inland Food Deserts with Community Garden Harvesting
IECN.com
Rep. Aguilar Presents $963K for San Bernardino’s Safety Camera Project Pg. 3
PHOTO MANNY SANDOVAL
Music Changing Lives celebrating its 26th anniversary at its community garden, located at 261 W 40th Street, San Bernardino.
By Manny Sandoval
M
usic Changing Lives (MCL), a nonprofit organization that has empowered youth through arts and education for over two decades, celebrated its 26th anniversary at its community garden in San Bernardino, addressing the region's food deserts through planting and harvesting crops and plants.
Bernardino Urban Garden at 261 W 40th Street, brought together nearly five dozen community members to plant beans and kale, harvest lettuce and cilantro, and celebrate the fruitful collaboration. Food deserts, characterized by limited access to affordable and nutritious food, plague many areas of the Inland Empire, including San Bernardino. MCL's efforts aimed to alleviate these disparities, cultivating a vibrant community of food and creativity.
The event, held at the Uptown San
Making Hope Happen Foundation to Celebrate San Bernardino at its May 9th Gala
"We want to thank the community for joining us on this historic moment. We're celebrating 26 years of serving the Inland Empire for arts and creativity,” said MCL Founder Josiah Bruny. "What better way to combat being a food desert than with the artistic expression of planting herbs and native plants? Our garden has over 30 different species of fruit trees surrounding us. And we have over 70 different species of vegetables that we're actually getting to MCL cont. on next pg.
Standing for Justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People
Pg. 9
PHOTO SMBMI
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SMBMI raised over $15,000 in donations for Ohkomi Forensics, a nonprofit that provides resources (field excavation, forensic anthropology, and DNA testing) to help in investigative efforts to reunite families with their loved ones.
Community News
O
n April 28, members of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Youth Advocacy Group hosted the Second Annual 5K walk at California State University, San Bernardino to raise funds and awareness
for an epidemic of violence that has been plaguing Indigenous people and communities for years. The event held ahead of May, which is recognized as Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Awareness Month in California, raised over $15,000. Around 200 participants attended the
event and walked to support and learn more about ongoing exploitation and harm against Indigenous people and Native American communities. Proceeds from the event will go to Ohkomi Forensics, a Native American-led nonprofit that offers crucial services such as field and excavation, forensic anthropology, DNA testing, SMBMI cont. on next pg.