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Vol. 63 No. 29
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Thursday, July 20, 2023
www.sdvoice.info
Serving San Diego County’s African & African American Communities 63 Years
INSIDE
ANDERSON-RAGSDALE MORTUARY: CLOSING FOR RESTRUCTURING, BUT NOT GOING OUT OF BUSINESS
THIS WEEK'S ISSUE:
A CELEBRATION OF VOWS SEE PAGE 10
THE GRANDPARENTS CONNECTION ANNUAL PICNIC SEE PAGE 8
REPUBLICAN STATE ATTORNEYS GENERAL
Anderson-Ragsdale Mortuary. PHOTO: Voice and Viewpoint
By Dr. John Warren, Publisher SAN DEIGO VOICE & VEIWPOINT NEWSPAPER
T
WARN CEOS ON CONSIDERING RACE IN HIRING PRACTICES
he announcement to staff last week that the mortuary would be closing and the giving of two weeks notice to employees, has been rescinded.
As of Tuesday, July 18, 2023, the owner, Mrs. Valorie Ragsdale informed the publisher of this paper that the mortuary would “close for structuring” and would reopen at a later date to continue to serve the community. This is a welcomed reversal of the closing and going out of business announcement. Those contacting the newspaper expressed that they felt the idea of closure of the mortuary was like a death in the family. The family owned mortuary has been the oldest Black owned business in San Diego and is an institution in and of itself. Mrs. Valorie Ragsdale is the widow of Hartwell “Skipper” Ragsdale, III, the surviving son of Mr. Hartwell Ragsdale, III (referred to as Mr. Ragsdale, Sr.). Skipper died in 2018, leaving the business to his wife since his son, Derrick, was no longer in the picture. Mrs. Ragsdale has operated the business as owner since his death in 2018. However, it appears that she has no prior history or experience in the mortuary business. Hartwell “Skipper” Ragsdale, carried on the business after the death of his father whom he had worked with as the father stepped back from the business. Both father and son as was the mother, Mrs. Hazel Ragsdale, were all respected members of the San Diego community until their passing. The Ragsdale name is known nationally and internationally because it represents a family business that is more than 130 years old having started in Oklahoma in 1889 growing out of a Livery Stable business.
By Stacy M. Brown
PHOTO: NNPA
Thirteen Republican state attorneys general have sent a cautionary letter to the CEOs of the 100 largest U.S. companies, highlighting the potential legal ramifications of using race as a factor in employment practices. The letter follows the recent Supreme Court ruling striking down affirmative action in higher education. It has stoked fears that the court’s ruling will extend to corporate America.
“Racial discrimination in employment and contracting is all too common among Fortune 100 companies and other large businesses,” the attorneys general wrote in the July 13 letter to the CEOs of Fortune 100 companies. “In an inversion of the odious discriminatory practices of the distant past, today’s major companies adopt explicitly race-based initiatives which are similarly illegal.” See RACE page 2
BALLOTS MAILED FOR
DISTRICT FOUR SPECIAL PRIMARY ELECTION By Tracy DeFore
COUNTY OF SAN DEIGO Nearly 400,000 ballots are on their way to registered voters in the Fourth Supervisorial District for the Aug. 15 special primary election. Voters should receive their ballots [this week]. You will also find your “I Voted” sticker inside your official ballot packet. See ELECTION page 2
PHOTO: Courtesy of County Newscenter
CALIFORNIA NAACP LAUNCHES
EMPLOYEE DISCRIMINATION HOTLINE
Mr. Ragsdale, Sr. had a brother, Lincoln Ragsdale, with an established business in Phoenix, Arizona. He was a World War II pilot, owned and flew his own plane and has a portion of the Phoenix Airport named after him. In addition to the mortuary business he started and owned an insurance company as well. Of more immediate concern to most San Diegans upon hearing of the potential closing of the business, was the question of what happens to their pre-need and preSee RAGSDALE page 2
WI SENIOR WRITER
By Antonio Ray Harvey
CALIFORNIA BLACK MEDIA
PHOTO: Courtesy of CBM
Rick L. Callender, President of the California/ Hawaii Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (CAL/ HI NAACP), has announced that the organization is offering free legal advice and consultations to public and private sector employees in California who have been targets of racial harassment and discrimination in the workplace.
“It is a legal redress clinic for folks who have contacted our branch and believe they have been discriminated against because of the color of their skin or harassed because of the color of their skins,” Callender told California Black Media (CBM). See HOTLINE page 2
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