Years
www.facebook.com/ SDVoiceandViewpoint
Vol. 65 No. 39 | Thursday, September 25, 2025
www.sdvoice.info
Serving San Diego County’s African & African American Communities 65 Years
JUDGE RODERICK SHELTON, ANOTHER AFRICAN AMERICAN FIRST JUDGE By Dr. John E. Warren PUBLISHER
SAN DIEGO MOURNS THE LOSS OF
PASTOR GLENN McKINNEY By Dr. John E. Warren PUBLISHER
The church and civic community of San Diego is still in shock at the death of Pastor Glenn A. McKinney, Sr. Pastor McKinney, a San Diego native and a Morehouse graduate, suc-
PHOTO: Courtesy of St. Stephen’s Cathedral Church of God in Christ
renovated the sanctuary. He installed a ramp as a part of that change for the handicapped. The church was experiencing growth, as many of those who left after his father’s death returned to the church.
ceeded his late father, Bishop George D. McKinney, as Pastor of St. Stephen’s Cathedral Church of God In Christ, Inc. While he only held the position of Pastor for a mere four years, the changes and the growth of the church during his tenure has been phenomenal. He
See McKINNEY page 2
See JUDGE page 2
PHOTO: Courtesy of AAACJO
CELEBRATING COMMUNITY AND
COFFEE IN ENCANTO’S BLACK
ARTS & CULTURE DISTRICT
Pathways to Public Leadership Inspires
By Darrel Wheeler and V&V Staff
SEE PAGE 12
INSIDE
On September 17th, 2025, Judge Roderick Shelton was elected Assistant Presiding Judge of the San Diego Superior Court, the first African American to hold such an office. Judge Shelton’s historic election follows another noteworthy election. Five days earlier, Judge Shelton was elected President of the Association of African American California Judicial Officers (AAACJO).
Owners Tommy and Danielle Walker invited the community to celebrate at their popular Mental Bar Coffee, Tea & Wellness Cafe on Imperial Avenue last Saturday. The well-liked Encanto coffee place was buzzing with activity both inside and outside its doors.
THIS WEEK'S ISSUE:
Community Spirit Shines in Chollas Creek Cleanup SEE PAGES 6-7
See MENTAL BAR page 6
Encanto’s The Mental Bar co-owners, Danielle Walker (center) and Tommy Walker celebrated 3 years in business on Saturday, September 20, 2025. PHOTO: Darrel Wheeler
SALUTE TO AFRICAN NATIONS
Mali’s Path to Independence: September 22, 1960 Guinea-Bissau’s Path to Independence: September 24, 1973
This article continues our salute to the independence anniversary of African nations. This acknowledges our respect and appreciation of our brothers and sisters among us as we work together to build better lives.
Mali has been shaped by both its rich precolonial legacy and the rise of Pan-African nationalism in the 20th century. After centuries of empires and kingdoms, the region was conquered by France in the late 19th century and incorporated into French West Africa as French Sudan. By the mid-20th century, growing nationalist movements, led largely by the Sudanese Union– African Democratic Rally (US-RDA) under Modibo Keïta, began pressing for autonomy.
Mali’s Path to Independence: September 22, 1960
See NATIONS page 2
By Voice & Viewpoint Staff A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER:
Mali's Interim President Dioncounda Traore, second from right, stands facing a Malian army flag during his swearing in ceremony in Bamako, Mali Thursday, April 12, 2012. PHOTO: Harouna Traore/AP
CALIFORNIA VS. HATE HOTLINE LOGGED NEARLY 1,200 INCIDENT REPORTS IN 2024 PHOTO: Shutterstock, Courtesy of CBM
By Antonio Ray Harvey CALIFORNIA BLACK MEDIA
state’s multilingual statewide hotline and online portal.
The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) released new data on Sept. 18 indicating a continuous demand for support and resources through California (CA) vs Hate, the
In 2024, 1,180 hate incidents were reported to the CA vs Hate telephone and digital resource, CRD revealed. Reports came from 49 counties across California, includ-
POLITICAL PLAYBACK
California Capitol News You Might Have Missed
By Bo Tefu CALIFORNIA BLACK MEDIA
University of California Employees and Students Sue Trump Administration University of California students, faculty, staff, and labor unions filed a federal lawsuit on Sept. 16 against the Trump administration, alleging it is using civil rights laws to restrict academic freedom and undermine free speech.
The lawsuit follows the federal government decisions to fine the U.C. system $1.2 billion and freeze research funding at UCLA over alleged antisemitism and other civil rights violations. According to the suit, the Trump administration’s proposed settlement with UCLA demands access to faculty, student, and staff data, ends diversity scholarships, bans overnight demonstrations on campus, and requires cooperation with immigration enforcement. The plaintiffs say these actions threaten the independence of
universities and public research. “The blunt cudgel the Trump administration has repeatedly employed in this attack on the independence of institutions of higher education has been the abrupt, unilateral, and unlawful termination of federal research funding on which those institutions and the public interest rely,” the lawsuit states. The UC system, while not a direct party to the suit, said it is pursuing legal and advocacy efforts to restore funding. Spokesman Stett Holbrook said, “Federal cuts to research funding threaten lifesaving biomedical research, hamper U.S. economic competitiveness and jeopardize the health of Americans who depend on the University’s cutting-edge medical science and innovation.”
ing all 10 of the state’s most populous counties. The portal intends to provide a safe and anonymous reporting option for victims and witnesses of non-emergency hate crimes and hate incidents, as well as a “platform to speak out against hate,” stated Tomiquia Moss,
Secretary of the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency. See HOTLINE page 2
UC President James Milliken described the federal actions as “one of the gravest threats to the University of California in our 157-year history.” The UC system receives more than $17 billion annually in federal support, including nearly $10 billion for Medicare and Medicaid research, and student aid. This lawsuit follows similar actions against private universities, including Harvard, Brown, and Columbia, as well as K-12 public school districts investigated for alleged discrimination in diversity programs. The case is led by the American Association of University Professors and represented by Democracy Forward, a legal group experienced in challenging frozen federal funding. See PLAYBACK page 2
www.sdvoice.info