By Dianne Anderson Charles Parks confronted more than a few close calls trying to stay ahead of all the curveballs of his career back in his day. Some things have changed a bit over the past three decades when he was a Commander in the Long Beach Police Department, but other things are timeless. He ...

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Sr Nat’l Correspondent President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have announced actions to strengthen health equity and address racial disparities in maternal health through increased investment in reducing maternal mortality and morbidity. The White House said the President’s discretionary funding request includes significant funding to reduce maternal ...

Covered California’s new special-enrollment period is underway to allow millions of Californians to benefit from lower monthly health care costs available through the American Rescue Plan. This new special enrollment period runs through Dec. 31, and consumers who enroll by April 30 will see lower premiums for their health coverage beginning on May 1. The ...

By Bo Tefu California Black Media  Some Black ministers in Southern California say authorities failed to keep them up to speed with developments before halting administration of the J&J vaccine. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the pause of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after six women between the ages of 18 and 48 ...

By Dianne Anderson In her worst childhood nightmares, Cynthia Terry could have never imagined the things that have become a daily reality for today’s kids. Back in her day, all she had to worry about was tending to her schoolwork, maybe some chores, and then a little time for play. “We never had to watch ...

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Sr Natl Correspondent Black Lives Matter. George Floyd’s life mattered. A mixed-race jury in Minneapolis returned a guilty verdict against former police officer Derek Chauvin on Tuesday, April 20, potentially sending the ex-cop to prison for the rest of his life. The panel, which included six Whites and six ...

Special from MSR News Online   It was a drama-filled day in court Friday as the defense for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin rested its case after two days of testimony from seven witnesses. The day began with Chauvin invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Chauvin removed his mask and for the record, said ...

As California surpasses a major milestone in the fight against COVID — administering more than 20 million vaccine doses, including 4 million in the state’s hardest-hit communities, and with hospitalizations continuing to steadily decline — Governor Gavin Newsom outlined the state’s next step in the COVID-19 pandemic recovery, moving beyond the Blueprint for a Safer ...

By Dianne Anderson Music and history are synonymous to classical aficionado John Malveaux, whose epic concert venues demonstrate that one story can’t be told without the other. Many people assume Black classical connections followed emancipation, but Black composers go back much further in time, starting with the highly sought-after musician Chevalier de Saint-Georges of African ...

By Bo Tefu California Black Media Some African American leaders in California are concerned. As the state looks forward to receiving billions in new federal funding this year for development projects, they fear African American and other minority-owned businesses and their workers will be left out. The leaders say California has not lived up to its ...