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 ...

By Dianne Anderson Smart smiling smokers plastered across billboards and television ads in those extra cool vintage days of old have now given way to a new generation of young, hip and specifically Black people going up in smoke. The “Same Game, Different Smokers” exhibit opened July 7 at the Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center, ...

By Dianne Anderson Hundreds ventured out and packed the house for a rich collaboration of creative energy this month to understand what Juneteenth is all about, and how faith made it happen. At the center, the church proved a fitting backdrop as it was the only place where Blacks were historically allowed to gather, create, ...

By Dianne Anderson Health checks usually fall last on the list for many Black patients who are trying to steer clear of doctors who are culturally ignorant, or just don’t care. Either way, avoiding annual vital health checks, like diabetes, mammograms and prostate exams, colorectal tests, or other lifesaving blood work can be potentially dangerous. ...