Years
www.facebook.com/ SDVoiceandViewpoint
Vol. 65 No. 7 | Thursday, February 13, 2025
www.sdvoice.info
Serving San Diego County’s African & African American Communities 65 Years
VOICE & VIEWPOINT'S
12 ANNUAL GALA! TH
INSIDE
THIS WEEK'S ISSUE: BLACK HISTORY MONTH EVENTS TO ENJOY! SEE PAGE 10
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Rev. William H. Lamar IV, Pastor at the historic Metropolitan Methodist Episcopal Church. PHOTO: Courtesy of FAMU’s A&M Magazine
Dr. Warren, Good Shepherd Awardee Pastor Robert Pope of Encanto Southern Baptist Church, and Latanya West at the 12th Annual Voice & Viewpoint Gala at Liberty Station Conference Center, February 7th, 2025. PHOTO: VOICE & VIEWPOINT
By Helen M. Ofield CONTRIBUTING WRITER A lavish dinner, stirring entertainment, touching awardees, a lovely setting in the Liberty Station Conference Center, and, not least, elegantly garbed guests, characterized the 12th Annual Gala in support of a great newspaper, San Diego Voice & Viewpoint. The San Diego Chapter of the historic Buffalo Soldiers opened the show by presenting the colors. Then the audi-
ence rose to sing the stirring Black National Anthem by the American poet James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938). The dynamic singer, Lisa Payton Harris, set the tone with “A Change is Gonna Come” and, later, tore up the room with “Feeling Good.”
DC BLACK CHURCH WINS
TRADEMARK BATTLE AGAINST PROUD BOYS VOICE & VIEWPOINT NEWSWIRE
“Are you feeling good!?” queried Latanya West, the paper’s Managing Editor, to wild applause.
AP News reported on Monday, February 3rd, that a judge awarded a historic Black church in Washington control over the Proud Boys trademark after the far-right group defaulted on a $2.8 million judgment.
See GALA pages 8-9
See TRADEMARK page 2
COMPANIES DITCHING DEI—WHO MADE THE LIST?
VOICE & VIEWPOINT NEWSWIRE
Since Jan. 20th this year, the Trump Presidency has been acting on plans to wipe out Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Programming from companies. In light of the Buy Black Initiative, a movement aimed at supporting Black-owned businesses, some companies like Costco remain steadfast in their DEI efforts while other companies have decided to take Trump’s heed. Keith Boykin wrote in an essay for Word in Black “the impact of Trump’s attack will be felt far
Racial Equity Action and Change (REACH) program, which aimed to invest over $2 billion with Blackowned businesses by the end of 2025.
beyond the federal workforce. The federal government influences the private workforce by dictating rules for federal contractors and serving as a model for best practices for private employers.” And the list continues to grow.
Here are some of the companies that have discontinued their DEI programs: • Target: In January 2025, Target announced the discontinuation of its DEI initiatives, including the
• Walmart: The world’s largest retailer decided in November 2024 not to renew a fiveyear commitment to a racial equity center established in 2020. Walmart also ended its participation in the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index. See DEI page 2
Southeastern's historic San Diego Bethel AME Church. PHOTO: Facebook via Bethel AME San Diego
By Edward Henderson CALIFORNIA BLACK MEDIA The firestorms that ravaged Southern California have drawn attention to historically Black communities like Altadena, one of the first areas in Los Angeles County where Black families could buy homes during the Great Migration. Before the fire, Altadena’s Black population was 18% with a Black homeownership rate of nearly 81% — more than double the state rate of about 36.6%. For Black History Month, California Black Media explores 14 other historically Black neighborhoods that thrived in the Golden State despite numerous challenges. Note: This is not a comprehensive list. 1. Allensworth (Tulare County) – Founded in 1908 by Colonel Allen Allensworth and four other Black settlers, Allensworth was California’s first and only town established and governed by African Americans. However, Allensworth’s livelihood depended on a railroad company and water supply company. Eventually, the railroad company stopped service to the town and the water company cut off the town’s water supply, leading most residents to relocate. Many of the town’s original buildings have been restored.
ALTADENA AFTER EATON:
2. North Richmond (Contra Costa County) – Developed during World War II, North Richmond attracted Black workers to Kaiser Shipyards. One of the first downtown Black owned businesses was O.B. Freeman’s Shoeshine on Macdonald Avenue which became a popular gathering place for Black motor-bikers.
By Emma Fox CONTRIBUTING WRITER
See NEIGHBORHOODS page 2
A MEXICAN FAMILY’S FUTURE JEOPARDIZED AFTER A HUNDRED YEARS ON THE LAND
Ricardo Mejia and his fiancée Camila. PHOTS: Courtesy of The Mejia Family
14 Calif. Neighborhoods Where Black Businesses and Culture Thrived
Just a few nights before their lives changed forever, Ricardo Mejia and his fiancée Camila took an evening stroll through their neighborhood in Altadena, California. Camila admired the beautiful flowers in her neighbor’s yards and takes mental notes as she
plans out her own garden. Now, a few weeks after Los Angeles’ Eaton Fire burned down the very same block, Camila thinks back to that walk. She thinks of those gardens and all the neighbors who planted them, and who are going through the struggle she and her fiancé are experiencing now. See ALTADENA page 2
www.sdvoice.info