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Vol. 64 No. 21 | Thursday, May 23, 2024
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Serving San Diego County’s African & African American Communities 64 Years
SEE THE 2024 MINORITY HEALTH SPECIAL ISSUE INSIDE! memorial day:
MINORITY HEA LTH
special Issu
INSIDE THIS WEEK'S ISSUE:
THE NLOB’S SCHOLARSHIP CEREMONY
SDUL’S GOLDEN PYRAMID SCHOLARS
SEE PAGE 8
A Creation of African Americans Voice & Viewpoint Staff Writer In spite of a number of people and locations who seek to take the credit, the first Memorial Day was held by former slaves in Charleston, South Carolina. During the Civil War, Union Army soldiers who were prisoners of war were held at the Charleston Race Course. It is reported that at least 257 Union prisoners died there and were quickly buried in unmarked graves. The bodies had been buried under
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the bleachers of the race track. After the war, a group of black workmen dug up the bodies and reburied them to properly honor the fallen. On May 1, 1865, over 10,000 people — recently freed slaves, black schoolchildren, colored soldiers and their allies — held what was the first Memorial Day parade. See MEMORIAL DAY page 2
SEE PAGE 7
California Moves Closer to Formal Apology for Slavery
State Assembly casts unanimous vote By Antonio Ray Harvey CALIFORNIA BLACK MEDIA California is moving towards officially apologizing for the horrors African Americans endured during chattel slavery after the State Assembly voted unanimously to approve Assembly Bill (AB) 3089 on May 16.
Authored by Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles), the “California Apology Act for the Perpetration of Gross Human Rights Violations” sailed through the Assembly with a 64-0 floor vote. See SLAVERY page 2
Public Outcry Leads to Partial Budget Adjustments Mayor Todd Gloria partially restores programs targeting equity, is it enough? By Macy Meinhardt VOICE & VIEWPOINT STAFF WRITER Amid intense pushback from community members on the proposed $5.46 billion budget, Mayor Todd Gloria announced Tuesday that cuts to equity won’t be as drastic as originally proposed. “The budget is a moral document. It shows where our policymakers’ priorities are,” said Kearea O’Laughlin, senior research adviPhotos from May 1 Budget Rally outside City Hall. Illustration: Macy Meinhardt/ Voice & Viewpoint sor for Community Budget Alliance. The
“Advocacy makes a difference,” said Council President pro Tem Joe LaCava during the May 14 press conference. “The community spoke, the Council listened, and the Mayor responded by restoring programs that protect neighborhoods.” See BUDGET page 2
Astronaut Trainee
2nd Black District in 2024 Vote The Supreme Court on Wednesday, May 15th, ordered Louisiana to hold congressional elections in 2024 using a House map with a second mostly Black district, despite a lower-court ruling that called the map an illegal racial gerrymander.
The mayor originally proposed to cut $36 million in equity-related programs in his first budget proposal released back in April. Within the community, particularly District 4, this created a storm of opposition inflicted upon the Mayor’s office. Amid one of the budget hearings held at city hall, a large crowd stood
outside with picket signs, making remarks on how the mayor must “hate poor people”, as they advocated against the reversal of any move that would further disinvest their community.
America’s First Black
Louisiana Ordered to Use Congressional Map of By Mark Sherman and Kevin Mcgill ASSOCIATED PRESS
Alliance has been active in the fight to ensure that this year’s budget cycle reflects an equitable use of public dollars within the City budget, made up of a coalition of 31 community, labor, and faith-based organizations.
Reaches Space at 90 PHOTO: Public Domain
state’s top Republican elected officials and Black voters who said they needed the high court's intervention to avoid confusion as the elections approach. About a third of Louisiana is Black.
The order allows the use of a map that has majority Black populations in two of the state’s six congressional districts, potentially boosting Democrats’ chances of gaining control of the closely divided House of Representatives in the 2024 elections.
The Supreme Court’s order does not deal with a lower-court ruling that found the map relied too heavily on race. Instead, it only prevents yet another new map from being drawn for this year's elections. The Supreme Court could decide at a later date to hear arguments over the decision striking down the Louisiana map.
The justices acted on emergency appeals filed by the
See VOTE page 2
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA NEWSWIRE SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT Ed Dwight, the pioneering African American who came close to becoming America’s first Black astronaut six decades ago, achieved his long-awaited journey into space at the age of 90. On Sunday, May 19, Dwight, along with five crewmates, soared aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket.
Ed Dwight, pictured here as a young man, became the oldest person to reach space Sunday, May 19, 2024. PHOTO: NNPA
The liftoff from Blue Origin’s West Texas launch site was the company’s first passenger flight in nearly two years. This approximately 10-minute suborbital flight etched Dwight’s name in history as the oldest person to reach space, surpassing Star Trek actor William Shatner, who held the record at age 90 until Dwight’s journey. See ASTRONAUT page 15
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