By Dianne Anderson From humble beginnings, all the old landmark traditions of 100 years ago at Second Baptist Church in Santa Ana continue, even as what’s old becomes new again. With the development of a strong digital and online presence, membership is increasing at home, and internationally. During the worst of times, the church prospers, ...

By Dianne Anderson It didn’t take long for counselor Heather Johnson to recognize that Black students at Irvine Valley College were not readily coming into her office when she and fellow counselor Taliah Chatterfield got busy building programs to help them find the door. Through their latest outreach, along with the Equity Office leadership, they ...

By Dianne Anderson Long before race bias in health systems was trending, Ernesta Wright was pushing advocacy, trying to debunk some of the myths that keep the community from getting the healthcare they need. Then and now, her concern was to bring the facts to the community for informed decision-making, and learn the best options ...

By Dianne Anderson Events like Martin Luther King Day and Black History Month and all the time-honored cultural landmarks keep bringing Orange County out to recognize that there is strength in local numbers for the next generation. Pastor Leon Clark, pastor of New Spirit Baptist Church said he can’t wait for the 43rd Annual Orange ...

By Dianne Anderson Young folks and millennials these days may think they invented the call-out culture, but Misty Levingston knows what really happened. Everyone has their own favorite MLK speech, and hers is the 1963 “Letter from Birmingham Jail” where Dr. King calls out society that ignited an entire national justice movement at a time ...

By Dianne Anderson Forget about sleeping late on Saturdays, the boys of 100 Black Men of Orange County wake up hours ahead of time to trek as far away as Los Angeles and Temecula to catch up around some of the highest powered careers on the planet, and beyond. But it’s the heart of the ...

By Dianne Anderson Ever since George Floyd sparked an awakening of national structural racism, money has been rolling down from on high, from the federal, state, counties and cities to tackle inequality, particularly in areas of health. Since 2019 when the American Public Health Association drew attention to the health impact of being Black in ...

By Dianne Anderson Chicken – it’s what’s for dinner this Thanksgiving for thousands of low-income families across the Southland as COVID-19 and Avian flu have big birds in short order at food banks and food pantries everywhere. Traditional turkey dinner will be served as usual at Southwest Community Center in Santa Ana, but they are ...

By Dianne Anderson Moving to Orange County was a culture shock on several fronts for Justice Crudup, coming from New York where organizations support and motivate each other, in contrast with the high level of local student apathy. But by 2020, something happened. Youth everywhere were invigorated and ready for change, but he didn’t see ...

By Dianne Anderson It was a long week for Edward Clarke, who started at 5 a.m. to take his busload of kids campus hopping up north to San Luis Obispo and then off to UC Santa Barbara and CSU Northridge, swinging back around to UCLA, and finally ending with Universal Studios. The kids had energy ...