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Vol. 63 No. 27 |
Thursday, July 6, 2023
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Serving San Diego County’s African & African American Communities 63 Years
JUSTICE JACKSON and CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS AGREE:
‘AMERICA HAS NEVER BEEN COLORBLIND’
SAN DIEGO’S BUFFALO SOLDIERS’ 20th ANNIVERSARY SEE PAGE 8
NEW ASSURANCE BAPTIST CHURCH CELEBRATES 16 YEARS! SEE PAGE 9
CALIFORNIA BLACK MEDIA Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson in Washington, D.C. Oct. 7, 2022. PHOTO: J. Scott Applewhite/AP File
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA NEWSWIRE SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT As she watched her conservative majority colleagues on the high court issue the death knell to affirmative action on Thursday, June 29, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote another masterpiece to express her dissent. Jackson’s disapproval could easily be summed up in a single and precise sentence: “Our country has never been colorblind.” “The best that can be said of the majority’s perspective is that it proceeds (ostrich-like) from the hope that preventing consideration of race will end racism,” Jackson wrote in blasting the six-member majority. “But if that is its motivation, the majority proceeds in vain. If the colleges of this country are required to ignore a thing that matters, it will
not just go away. It will take longer for racism to leave us.” In the majority ruling, the conservative justices declared that the admissions policies of Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, which consider race a factor, were unconstitutional. Students for Fair Admissions had presented two cases for consideration against Harvard and UNC, representing private and public universities. They argued that the practice violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment and put white and Asian-American applicants at a disadvantage. Harvard and UNC maintained that affirmative action should be upheld, contending that their admissions policies align with previous court decisions. They argued that considering race ensures a diverse student body. They denied any discrimination in their practices. See COLORBLIND page 2
POLITICAL PLAYBACK Your roundup of stories you might have missed last week By Joe M. Bowers Jr. and Edward Henderson CALIFORNIA BLACK MEDIA
California “Renters Caucus” Announces Pro-Tenant Bills On June 29, The California Legislative Renters Caucus — a group of five lawmakers who are all renters — held a press conference to announce a package of bills aimed to protect the rights of tenants in California. Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco), Chair of the Caucus, hosted the press conference and introduced Senate Bill (SB) 555. The bill aims cap limit security deposits to no more than one month’s rent.
PHOTO: Kindel Media via Pexels
Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D- Ladera Heights), Vice Chair of the Caucus, introduced AB 1248. This bill limits independent redistricting to fight gerrymandering. Assemblymember Alex Lee (D-San Jose) introduced AB 309. The bill would set eligibility criteria for residents of social housing and establish a lottery system for selecting residents. Assemblymember Tasha Boerner (D-Encinitas) introduced AB 548, which protects renters by giving more authority to inspectors to ensure safe living conditions. See PLAYBACK page 2
CALIFORNIA BRACES FOR
HOT SUMMER AHEAD
By Mark Hedin SPECIAL TO CALIFORNIA BLACK MEDIA PARTNERS
ANCESTRAL CONNECTIONS:
PHOTO: NNPA
POLITICAL ELITE’S TIES TO SLAVERY
REVEALED By Stacy M. Brown NNPA NEWSWIRE SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT
Recent research conducted by Reuters has shed light on the genealogies of America’s political elite, revealing that a significant portion of members of Congress, living presidents,
Supreme Court justices, and governors are direct descendants of ancestors who enslaved Black people. Among the 536 members of the last sitting Congress, Reuters found that at least 100 have ancestors who were slaveholders. Furthermore, over a quarter of the Senate, or 28 members, can trace their families back to slaveholding ancestors. This spans Democratic See REVEALED page 2
As the first three-digit temperatures of 2023 arrive with the start of summer and the Fourth of July, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services is taking steps to ensure the safety of residents through any potential emergencies. At a June 29 press briefing hosted by California Black Media and Ethnic Media Services, Cal OES and Listos California unveiled a package of safety guidelines prepared in expectation of climate extremes.
PHOTO: CBM
Alf LaMont from LaMont Digital introduced a collection of “Summer of Safety” graphics providing advice on keeping people ready for and safe during potential summer emergencies: wildfires, flooding, power outages and high temperatures. These graphics are available in English, Spanish and more than a dozen other languages, and available at listoscalifornia.org. See SUMMER page 2
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