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Years
Vol. 66 No. 27 | Thursday, July 2, 2026
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Serving San Diego County’s African & African American Communities 66 Years
! y l u s r J a f e o Y h t g n 4 i t y a p r Celeb Hap 250 THE MEANING OF JULY FOURTH FOR THE NEGRO
San Diego Family Health Fair Brings Much-Needed Resources to Families
Well before President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, and well before June 19, 1865, when news of freedom finally reached over 250,000 Galveston, Texas slaves, Frederick Douglass reflected on the paradoxical nature of the nation’s Fourth of July Independence Day celebrations in his July 5, 1852 speech “What, to the Slave, is the Fourth of July?” While change has come, there are still battles to be won for equal rights, equal access, and equal protections under the law. For Black people, the words of Frederick Douglass still resonate today. For some, the July Fourth holiday is cause for anticipatory celebration, others choose not to celebrate at all, while others celebrate the day with some reticence. — Dr. John E. Warren, Publisher
THE WORDS OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS, JULY 5, 1852
Excerpt from “What, to the Slave, is the Fourth of July”
Fellow Citizens, I am not wanting in respect for the fathers of this republic. The signers of the Declaration of Independence were brave men. They were great men, too. Great enough to give frame to a great age. It does not often happen to a nation to raise, at one time, such a number of truly great men. The point from which I am compelled to view them is not, certainly, the most favorable; and yet I cannot contemplate their great deeds with less than admiration. They were statesmen, patriots and heroes, and for the good they did, and the principles they contended for, I will unite with you to honor their memory… IMAGE: Dale Stephanos …Fellow-citizens, pardon me, allow me to ask, why am I called upon to speak here to-day? What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence? Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice,
PHOTO: Courtesy of CBM
PHOTO: Shutterstock
See FOURTH page 7
Turning the Tide from Crisis to Control
have a direct impact on household finances, education, housing, and public safety.
By Edward Henderson
CALIFORNIA BLACK MEDIA Beginning July 1, several new California laws took effect, bringing changes that affect workers, students, consumers, renters, and families across the state. While some of the new policies are administrative, others could
Here are some of the most significant new laws Californians should know about: See CALIFORNIA LAWS page 2
Black Women’s Deaths Are Exposing a Crisis We Can’t Ignore
By Charlene Muhammad
CALIFORNIA BLACK MEDIA Crystal Lambert knew something was terribly wrong with her three-year-old granddaughter as she sped down the street trying to get her to the hospital.
By Danielle Jennings
COURTESY OF THE GARLAND JOURNAL
“I thought she got a hold of some poison,” Lambert recalled. Doctors found Lambert’s granddaughter had a blood sugar level over 800, diagnosing her with Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA), a state in which the body, starved of Lesley Cox, a woman living with diabetes in Sacramento, with her medication. insulin, begins to shut down. PHOTO: Russell Stiger/California Black Media
Her granddaughter survived and is five years old today. Now, she gives herself insulin shots, asks endless questions about her condition, and runs like the spirited child she is. But the ter-
SOME NEW CALIFORNIA LAWS THAT TOOK EFFECT JULY 1
embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us?
DIABETES IN BLACK CALIFORNIA
Lambert said she was born with a pancreas that was not fully functioning — it lacked the specialized cells required to produce insulin.
JIREH Providers and UCSD Health Team show their support for expecting families with community baby shower! SEE PAGE 12 PHOTO: Courtesy of JIREH Providers
ror of that night transformed Lambert — and ultimately inspired her to launch the We Fight Back Organization, a mobile health and food access initiative serving underserved communities across California. Lambert is the executive director. See DIABETES page 2
Sadly, not much has changed regarding how Black women are treated and viewed, as evidenced by the current Trump administration. However, there has been an alarming rise in Black femicide that has gone far beyond passing headlines and hashtags — it’s become a devastating crisis that can no longer be ignored. Within the last few weeks, the news has been dominated by the deaths of Black women at the hands of their domestic partners, such as Coral Springs Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen,
PHOTO: Courtesy of Garland Journal/NNPA
Dr. Cerina Wanzer Fairfax, Pastor Tammy McCollum, and rapper Qualeisha Barnes. Influencer Ashlee Janae is also included on the list, as her family and many others suspect foul play in her alleged suicide.
19 pandemic — the rise of Black femicide. See DEATHS page 2
These tragic and brutal deaths point to a heartbreaking trend that has only increased since the COVID-
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