By Dianne Anderson In the conservative battleground of Orange County where racial division runs deep, organizers are carving out space for community building and something a lot less familiar lately, solidarity in joy. On Sunday, July 12, “Joy as Resistance” is set to explore art, music and deeper dialogue about how Black and Brown communities ...

Calls on 10,000 Men to Serve Governor’s Office of Service and Community Engagement (GO-Serve) Director Josh Fryday with Big Brothers Big Sisters of California and local leaders announced a $5 million state investment in the California Men’s Service Challenge, calling on young men and boys to step up and serve their communities as mentors, coaches and ...

By Dianne Anderson Big questions remain about what comes next following the Santa Ana Unified School District Board of Education’s 4–1 vote to approve layoffs for 262 certificated employees — including 198 teachers, 39 counselors, and other key support staff who work directly with students. District leaders say the cuts are driven by declining enrollment ...

By Dianne Anderson Across Orange County this Juneteenth, thousands will meet up for incredible edibles, music, hugs from longtime friends and faraway family, face painting and jumpers for the kids with nonstop fun for everyone. For his grand annual festivity, Dwayne Shipp is energized to be back on familiar ground in Santa Ana after hosting ...

By Dianne Anderson Statistically, the Black community runs two to three times more negatively impacted in every area of race bias in healthcare, education, housing, and have come to rely on events like the annual Juneteenth festival as a lifeline of familiar faces they know and trust. That may soon end as the City of ...

By Dianne Anderson All the backs of buildings and hidden places of Santa Ana became familiar territory for Pennie Mack, which was just like home for ten years until she got sick and tired of being sick and tired. She slept around the flags of the Civic Center for years, living on the walkway where ...

Cancer – A Silent Killer for Blacks By Dianne Anderson Cancer – if only it could rear its ugly head before someone hits the late stages when they can still receive treatment, and live. But typically, there are too few clues along the way. Sometimes, an unusual lump or a bump, but more likely, the ...

By Dianne Anderson When Yvonne Peeples first walked into the Heritage Museum exhibit featuring her mother, and all the early pictures taken with the movers and shakers of the day, there is one simple picture of her on her bike that is the most overwhelming. It was when she first moved to California. “I almost ...

By Dianne Anderson Like never before, the Juneteenth tradition is proliferating across the nation to show the world that Blacks in America, despite the worst of times, are still on top, still creating, and still vibrant. Since the celebration became a federal holiday two years ago, festivities are gaining momentum in the gathering, which Dwayne ...

By Dianne Anderson These days, politics dominate just about every major front of the social landscape, but Pastor Ivan Pitts expects that his long-time friend, Senator Rev. Raphael Warnock will preach on much more pressing matters at his highly anticipated visit. As part of the year-long milestone 100th anniversary of Second Baptist Church in Santa ...