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Years
Vol. 66 No. 16 | Thursday, April 16, 2026
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Serving San Diego County’s African & African American Communities 66 Years
STATE OF BLACK CALIFORNIA: NEW DATA SHOWS HOOP HYSTERIA CHARITY BASKETBALL EVENT BLACK CALIFORNIANS FALLING BEHIND BRINGS HOOPS
By Joe W. Bowers Jr.
AND HEART
CALIFORNIA BLACK MEDIA
New data showing rising unemployment and widening economic gaps for Black Californians framed a statewide conference at UCLA, where more than 200 advocates, policymakers, elected o!cials, scholars, entertainers and community leaders gathered to examine the conditions facing Black Californians and to push solutions for a thriving Black California. Hosted by the UCLA Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies in partnership with the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), the “State of Black California” conference focused on collecting and confronting data on the condition of Black Californians and connecting it to community experience, policy and political power. See BLACK CALIFORNIANS page 2
Panel moderated by Dr. Safiya Noble featuring Assemblymember Dr. LaShae Sharp-Collins, Dr. Tiera Tanksley, Senior Researcher, and Aloe Blacc, artist and activist, during the State of Black California event. PHOTO: CBM
BUILDING BRIDGES OF SUPPORT
Community sits courtside for a cause at SDCCE’s first basketball fundraiser. SEE PAGE 7
How AAPI Equity Alliance Is Strengthening California’s Anti-Hate Network By Edward Henderson
CALIFORNIA BLACK MEDIA When Aurelle Garner stepped out of her car one summer evening and saw a group of youths marching down her street, her stomach dropped.
Patricia Roque (far right) pictured with her family at a Stop Asian Hate rally after her father's assault (far left). PHOTO: Courtesy of AAPI Equity Alliance
What had begun as slurs hurled at her and her transgender children at a local park had escalated to violent pounding on
their front door. Garner said that, before that incident, local law enforcement had repeatedly minimized her reports of harassment. It was not until she contacted the Legal Department at The LGBTQ Center Long Beach that her family "nally found help. See SUPPORT page 2
REVIEW:
AUGUST WILSON’S “FENCES” SEE PAGE 6
‘I AM THINKING ABOUT IT,’ KAMALA HARRIS SAYS OF 2028 PRESIDENTIAL BID By Steve Peoples and Matt Brown
ASSOCIATED PRESS After chants of “run again!” "lled the room, former Vice President Kamala Harris told African American activists on Friday that she’s actively considering another presidential bid. “I might. I am thinking about it,” Harris told Rev. Al Sharpton after he asked directly whether she was going to run for president in 2028. Harris’ comments came during the National Action Network’s annual convention, where more than a half-dozen potential candidates appeared this week, hoping to make inroads among Black voters — who comprise one of Democrats’ most powerful blocs.
Kamala Harris, former Vice President and 2024 Presidential candidate, arrives during the National Action Network (NAN) Convention in New York, Friday, April 10, 2026. PHOTO: Angelina Katsanis/AP Photo
STATES SUE THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
To Challenge Policy Requiring Colleges To Collect Race Data
By Michael Casey
ASSOCIATED PRESS
$e Democrats’ next presidential primary season won’t begin in earnest until after November’s midterm elections, but this week’s conference showcased a collection of Democrats already jockeying for position in what promises to be a crowded competition.
A coalition of 17 Democratic state attorneys general "led a lawsuit Wednesday, March 11, challenging a Trump administration policy that requires higher education institutions to collect data showing they aren’t considering race in admissions.
See HARRIS page 2
President Donald Trump
PHOTO: San Diego State University Building, Wikimedia Commons
ordered the new policy in August after he raised concerns that colleges and universities were using personal statements and other proxies to consider race, which he views as illegal discrimination.
students’ lives if applicants share that information in their admissions essays. See TRUMP page 2
In 2023, the Supreme Court ruled against the use of a!rmative action in admissions but said colleges may still consider how race has shaped
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