All six of these brothers and sisters have coped with asthma from an early age, which gives their mother, Rosalie Salazar, plenty of experience as she now deals with many asthmatic preschool students whom she teaches at the Westside Annex Preschool in San Bernardino. Out of concern for the many children she knows with asthma, Salazar is the Westside Annex Angels’ team captain in the Healthy Air Walk, taking place Saturday, Oct. 3 at Fontana Park in Fontana.
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) Head Start Preschool employees know that many of their students face adversities. The program exists to give these economically disadvantaged children a head start in life.
For many of these children, one of the hardest things in their life is breathing. They have asthma, and sometimes even more severe lung disease.
“Sometimes we have to give them treatments with aerochambers and inhalers,” said Rosalie Salazar, a teacher at the Westside Annex Preschool. “They are little children, too young to understand why they have to inhale, so the aerochambers allow them to use their inhalers while breathing normally.”
It’s heart breaking to the staff of Head Start preschools to see these very young children struggle with something as simple as breathing. For that reason, staff and parents at many Head Start preschools in the Inland Empire have formed teams to walk in the American Lung Association in California’s largest fundraiser of the year, the Healthy Air Walk.
These teams will participate in the walk scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 3 at Fontana Park, 15556 Summit Ave., Fontana. To learn more about this event, go to www.healthyairwalk.org or call (909) 884-5864.
Salazar serves as team captain for the group from Westside Annex Head Start, a team of eight staff and parents called Annex Angels. She’s a natural for this position, because not only has she been helping preschoolers with asthma for awhile, she is also a mother of six children, ages 7 through 20, who suffer from the disease.
“All of my children have asthma, but neither I nor their father has it,” she said. “I think it is because the air is so much dirtier than when I was growing up in Ontario.”
Her oldest child was diagnosed with asthma when he was a year old, she said. Since then, she’s become an expert, administering medication to her own children thousands of times, and learning about the various breathing apparatus asthmatics require, such as aerochambers and nebulizers (a non-portable device that combines air and liquid medication and mists it into an asthma patient’s lungs).
Salazar came to most of her knowledge about asthma independently. When she started working for Head Start, a state agency, she learned it works with the American Lung Association in California, which provides training to preschool workers in how they must manage their students’ asthma, and to help them educate these children’s families.
Last year, Salazar participated in the Healthy Air Walk, with her supervisor serving as team captain. This year, her supervisor was not able to serve as team captain again, and when it came time to pick a replacement, the rest of the staff thought Salazar best qualified.
“I said I would do it,” she said. “I want to help raise money to help children with their breathing, and to educate them and their parents about asthma. Everyone should know how important this is.”
The American Lung Association was established in 1904 and was instrumental in its first 52 years in nearly eradicating tuberculosis. In 1956, it expanded its mission to fight all forms of lung disease. In its last five decades, it has also strived to reduce tobacco use and air pollution, both of which are serious threats to lung health.
Find art, cosmetics, gifts and more, at The Black Business Expo on Saturday, Nov. 7 at the Moreno Valley Holiday Inn Express.
Mary Kay Team Leader Debra Williams, Jennifer Schultz and Felicia Harris, both “future sales directors” with Mary Kay, came to the first Black Business Expo in Moreno Valley to sell their cosmetics and skin care products, but enjoyed some shopping too. Small business owners of all ethnicities are welcome to the second expo, planned for Saturday, Nov. 7 at the Moreno Valley Holiday Inn Express.
(MORENO VALLEY, Calif.) Consumers will have an opportunity to shop for goods and services offered by African-American business owners at the Southern California Black Business Expo on Saturday, Nov. 7.
At the same time, Black business owners will have opportunities to grow their customer base.
“Consumers can come out and support their local Black-owned businesses,” said show producer Jerry L. Green. “Business owners can come here and network. There will be opportunities for them to increase their sales.”
The Expo takes place Saturday, Nov. 7 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Moreno Valley Holiday Inn Express, 24630 Sunnymead Blvd, between Indian Street and Perris Boulevard.
Admission is $10. To purchase tickets, or find out more about being a vendor, visit www.scblackbusinessexpo.com or call Green at (951) 313-1919.
About 25 to 30 Black-owned businesses, some of them nationally recognized companies, will take part. Previously, these business owners have come from as far as Washington D.C.
The Black Business Expo is also a great opportunity for small Black-owned Inland Empire businesses, Green said.
“I will hold these four times each year,” he said. “By participating, businesses will have a new way to continuously market that isn’t available at a traditional business expo held only once a year.”
Green encourages Blacks who are looking for new job to attend, so they can learn if starting a business is for them.
“In these tough economic times, many people need to either go back to school or start their own business,” he said. “ At the Black Business Expo they will learn about business opportunities and see if running their own business is something they would like to do.”
Future Black Business Expos are already scheduled for March 20, 2010; June 26, 2010; Sept. 11, 2010: Dec. 11, 2010 and March 19, 2011.
Sponsors are the Black Business Resource and Networking Directory, PQ Enterprises, TheUltimateProfessional.com Sales Training, Westside Story Newspaper, The Black Voice News, Inland Empire Community Calendar and Cultural Events, Urban Lyfestyles, Jobing.com, The Inland Empire African American Chamber of Commerce and Dameron Communications.
A member of JoHesh and Company models fashions from the stores participating in Soul Fusion, one of two fashion shows the organization sponsored in 2008. It’s putting on its 2009 show, Pure Fresh Love, 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26 at the Fox Center in Redlands.
(REDLANDS, Calif.) – JoHesh and Company will bring boutique fashions interspersed with music and drama when it presents its Pure Fresh Love fashion show at the Fox Event Center on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 6 p.m.
The fashions in this show are mainly from Redlands fashion boutique Bezi, Beverly Hills fashion designer Cassie Betts and JoHesh and Company member Camille Simms, who is a fashion design student at The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire.
Tickets are $15 and can be ordered online at www.JoHeshandCompany.com, by emailing joheshandcompany@gmail.com or at the door of the Fox Event Center, 123 Cajon Street, Redlands, 92373 shortly before the event.
This is JoHesh and Company’s third fashion show, as it also put two on in 2008. The organization’s mission is to provide people of all ages an opportunity to showcase talent, especially talent in fashion and other creative fields.
“If people of all ages want to show off their skills, talent and abilities in the fashion industry, this gives them a place to do that, whether they want to model, or work behind the scenes,” said JoHesh member Dhani Olive. “We also work with talented people who sing or play musical instruments. They will entertain between the scenes.”
Olive is one of many members putting her talents to work behind the scenes of the Pure Fresh Love fashion show. She will graduate from The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire the day before the fashion show with a bachelor’s degree in Graphic Arts, and is helping with design and promotion of the show.
JoHesh and Company is a non-profit organization founded by Johanna Sharp and Mahesh Simms, who is the mother of Camille Simms and the aunt of Dhani Olive. She and Johanna Sharp are long-time friends from Rialto who wanted to create opportunities for the young people in their families to showcase their talents, and have since expanded the program to all who are interested.
The Brown family from right to left, back row: Daughter Rene Lynn, Hardy Jr. and his wife Sonietta. Front row: playwright Rickerby Hinds and his wife, the Brown’s daughter Paulette; Hardy, wife Cheryl, daughter Regina Wilson and husband Kurt.
Hardy Brown in 1995 at the top of his game. He was the Human Resources Director for Kaiser Permanente’s Fontana Hospital and co-publisher of The Black Voice News.
Gen. Colin Powell, former Secretary of State, with Hardy Brown and Cheryl Brown at reception in Palm Springs, Calif. where they encouraged Powell to run for President.
Hardy Brown and presidential candidate Bill Clinton at the Democratic Convention in 1991.
Hardy Brown and then perpetual Speaker of the California State Assembly Willie Brown.
The many faces of Hardy Brown.
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) You might think that a man diagnosed with Primary Lateral Sclerosis (PLS), a rare, degenerative, neurological disorder related to Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS), would be ready to hang it up, or to be self-pitying and withdrawn. But not if that man is Black publication leader Hardy Brown of Southern California’s Inland Empire.
His speech may be seriously affected so he can no longer take calls from advertisers, and his gait may rely on a cane, a walker and occasionally a wheelchair, yet this 66-year-old co-publisher of “The Black Voice News” goes to the office daily and still turns out his often humorous and always incisive editorial for the weekly newspaper. As his co-publisher wife Cheryl says, “Hardy still puts in six hours a day. He’s a man of very strong faith, and believes God has him here for a reason.”
What reason? Perhaps, as New America Media, an association of more than 700 ethnic media outlets puts it, for more than 35 years Hardy’s newspaper “has been a strong advocate for the voiceless and disenfranchised of Riverside and San Bernardino counties [the Inland Empire].” Reason enough, many would say.
It was 1972 and a handful of students of the University of California at Riverside founded “The Black Voice” to counter traditional newspapers which were seen as ignoring the concerns of Black students.
Eight years later, former UCR students Hardy and Cheryl, married since 1962, bought the ‘paper, amended the name and broadened the coverage to take in Black community concerns throughout the Inland Empire’s now 4.2 million population with nearly 500,000 African Americans.
Today the newspaper boasts a circulation of 10,000 via subscriptions, retail stores, newssta
nds and churches.
Two examples over the years highlight the weekly’s community concern and the strength of its stance:
In 1998 a Black Riverside teen was shot dead while sitting in her car as four local police pumped 12 rounds into the girl. Over the following two years “The Black Voice News” refused to let the tragedy slip from public view, focusing on the case with front page stories each week. When the City Council considered reinstating the four police officers that had been fired following the shooting, it was Hardy Brown’s strong editorials in opposition that pushed the Council to not reinstate the four.
Also, early in the 21st century “The Black Voice News” became one of the first news sources to show that the government’s Health and Human Services department admitted that an Institute of Medicine report had minimized unequal treatment of Blacks and Latinos in healthcare.
As Hardy Brown told “California Publisher” in 2003, “Our newspaper is one of advocacy. It is to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. We advocate justice freedom and self-empowerment through our editorial content.”
Brown said his role models in the newspaper field were Samuel Cornish and John Russwurm. “They were the founders of ‘The Freedom Journal,’ America’s first Black newspaper. Their credo was ‘We must speak for ourselves.’
Over the years co-publishers Cheryl and Hardy have expanded their community commitment beyond the pages of the newspaper. Created 20 years ago, The Black Voice Foundation provided scholarships to local students, offered technology and media workshops and backed community awards for commitment to local causes. Their Building Better Communities program fostered local businesses, organizations and agencies to improve neighborhoods.
Also, the ‘paper has organized numerous activities honoring the early Black scientist Booker T. Washington who visited Riverside in 1914, and has partnered with the local school district on a video project recording elders telling of their lives while aiding them to learn computers, scriptwriting and video editing.
Additionally, “The Black Voice News” was integral in the development of “Footsteps To Freedom,” a study program for teachers exploring the “Underground Railroad” effort to get disenfranchised Blacks to the north in the 19th century.
But Hardy Brown, as capable and energetic as he has been, couldn’t have accomplished it alone. That’s why his wife Cheryl is listed as “Co-publisher,” handling the bulk of Brown Publishing’s business while doing some writing, photography and editing.
“After 46 years of marriage,” Cheryl says, “We’re still deeply in love. He’s my best friend. We’re together 24 hours a day, and it’s wonderful. Hardy is fun and funny, yet has always been a conscientious hard worker. We do have separate offices, though.”
Daughter Dr. Paulette Brown-Hinds plays a major role with the company, too, as CEO of Brown Publishing and the newspaper’s Associate Publisher while Regina Brown works for California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Son Hardy Jr. has recently taken the reigns of the Black Voice Foundation.
Paulette began with the ‘paper while in high school, then took a break to teach English Literature at the University of Cincinnati before returning.
“Our dad takes everything one day at a time,” Brown-Hinds notes. “And he has great faith which carries him along. The rest of us struggle with his disease more than he does. Aside from his slowing down a bit and his trouble walking and speaking, Dad’s as bright and alert as ever.”
PLS is caused primarily by the degeneration of the upper motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord, meaning a growing spasticity and weakness of the voluntary muscles. Research suggests between 500 and 2,000 are afflicted with Primary Lateral Sclerosis in the United States.
The legs, arms, hands, speech and the swallowing muscles will all eventually be affected. Life expectancy is normal, but, regretfully, there is neither cure nor treatments beyond easing symptoms.
“We first began to notice something was wrong in 2002,” Cheryl Brown recalls. “A limp became more pronounced, then Hardy would occasionally fall. Then there were two years of tests and waiting for a diagnosis.” Doctors initially suspected Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS); very little was known about PLS.
“They worried that Hardy wouldn’t be around long,” Cheryl adds. “But Hardy had faith, and wouldn’t accept their diagnosis. It was Riverside’s Dr. Ron Bailey who said Hardy likely had PLS, and another doctor sent my h
usband to UCLA for more tests, confirming the new findings.”
The North Carolina native came to Los Angeles in 1960, and soon found work with Kaiser Steel in Fontana, then with what is now known as Southern California Edison as, first, a garage attendant chauffer and then the first Black person employed by Edison as a meter reader and customer service technician.
After seven years there, Brown joined the management of Kaiser Foundation’s Health Plan for the Comprehensive Health Care Program benefiting low-income families. Following numerous advancements and other management positions, he retired to acquire and direct “The Black Voice News” and establish Brown Publishing Company as chairman.
The rest is publishing history.
To reach Hardy Brown or the Black Voice News Foundation call (951) 682-6070 or email Cheryl Brown at CherylBrown@BlackVoiceNews.com
Keeira Ford models a formal strapless gown created by designer Cassie Betts at a fashion show earlier this year organized by The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Her work and that of Soulful Commandoe, a design company featuring urban wear for men, will again be on display when students at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire present “Rock 2 Glam,” at 4:45 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24 at their 630 E. Brier, San Bernardino campus.
(San Bernardino, CA). Fashion students at The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire are hosting a runway fashion show Sept. 24 at the college’s campus. The event is open to the public at no charge.
The show, ‘Rock 2 Glam’ is a journey from rock & roll to glamorous fashions. It is coordinated by students in the summer Fashion Show Production and Sales & Event Promotion class.
The designs of Beverly Hills designer Cassie Betts and Soulful Commandoe will highlight the runway show. Runway models featured in the show will be volunteers from the fashion programs at The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire.
The show begins at 4:45 p.m. in Seasons, the restaurant at The International Culinary School at The Art Institute, 630 E. Brier, San Bernardino, CA., 92408. Hors D’ Oeuvres will be served and parking is available at no charge. For more information call Shannon Valenzuela, (951) 533-5445.
The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers Bachelor of Science degree programs in Game Art & Design, Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media, Interior Design, Fashion & Retail Management, and Media Arts & Animation. It offers an Associate degree program in Graphic Design, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree program in Fashion Design.
The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers an Associate degree program in Culinary Arts and a Bachelor of Science degree program in Culinary Management. Each program is offered on a year-round basis, allowing students to work uninterrupted toward their degrees.
It’s not too late to start a new term at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Courses begin Oct. 5 and classes are offered in the day, evening and on weekends for new and reentry students.
For more information, or to arrange a tour, call The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire at (909) 915-2100 or go on line to www.artinstitutes.edu/InlandEmpire.
The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire is one of the Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu/), a system of over 40 education locations throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, and culinary arts professionals.
The Inland Empire African American Chamber of Commerce will host a reception for Riverside County Superintendent of Schools Kenneth Young on Thursday, Oct. 8 at the Riverside Marriott.
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) – The Inland Empire African American Chamber of Commerce hosts a reception for Riverside County Superintendent of Schools Kenneth Young, on Thursday, Oct. 8.
The reception takes place at the Riverside Marriott Hotel, 3400 Market St., from 6 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. It will allow business and community leaders an opportunity to meet their county superintendent and share their concerns about education with him.
“Kenneth Young worked in business for many years before he was an educator, so he understands the concerns we as business people may have,” said Carl Dameron, president of the Inland Empire African American Chamber of Commerce. “This is a great opportunity for minority business owners from throughout the Inland Empire to discuss their concerns with him.”
Superintendent Young has served as the Riverside County Superintendent of Schools since 2007. Previously, he was the County Deputy Superintendent of Schools.
As county superintendent, he has fiscal oversight of all 23 school districts in the county along with the Riverside County Office of Education. He oversees a staff of almost 1,800 employees working at 162 different locations across Riverside County.
Superintendent Young’s primary focuses as county superintendent have been increasing high school graduation rates and better preparing students for college and the workforce.
He has also served in senior leadership positions at local school districts, including deputy superintendent. He has chaired several school district boundary, busing and budget committees.
Before he worked in California’s public school system, Superintendent Young spent 17 years in the field of civil engineering, 14 of which he was president and CEO of an engineering construction firm.
He has taught adult education and high school students in public schools and high school students in a non-profit operated religious institution.
He holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Business Management and a Master’s degree in Education.
Kenn and his wife Beverly have lived in Lake Elsinore for the past 29 years. He has six children and three grandchildren.
The reception is co-sponsored by Riverside Marriott, The Gas Company, Arrowhead Credit Union, Southern California Edison and Dameron Communications.
About The Inland Empire African American Chamber of Commerce The Inland Empire African American Chamber of Commerce’s mission is to promote the economic and professional development of African American-owned businesses, thus enhancing the quality of life in our community.
Dr. Inonge Mbikusita-Lewanika, Ambassador from Zambia to the United States, poses with community leaders. Left to right: Pastor Raymond Turner; Field Representative to 5th District Supervisor Josie Gonzales, Michael Townsend; Field Representative to Assemblymember Wilmer Amina Carter, Shelia Futch; President of Inland Empire African American Chamber of Commerce, Carl Dameron; Dr. Lewanika; Mayor Pro Tem, Rikke Van Johnson; and Celeste King. Photo by Chris Sloan.
Dr Inonge M. Lewanika, Ambassador to the United States from the Republic of Zambia was the Guest of Honor at a reception hosted by the Inland Empire Concerned African American Churches, the Inland Empire African American Chamber of Commerce, and other community leadership organizations, held at the Castaway Restaurant. The large audience that came from throughout Southern California to meet and honor Ambassador Lewanika included Africans as well as African Americans.Photo by John Coleman.
Dr. Inonge M. Lewanika, Ambassador to the United States from the Republic of Zambia was the Guest of Honor at a reception hosted by the Inland Empire Concerned African American Churches, the Inland Empire African American Chamber of Commerce, and other community leadership organizations, held at the Castaway Restaurant. Photo by John Coleman.
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) Inland Empire residents have a personal invitation from the Ambassador of Zambia to visit and perhaps make a profitable investment in her country.
“Zambia is a beautiful country with many things to offer. I invite you to experience it yourself,” said Ambassador Inonge Mbikusita-Lewanika during a reception the Inland Empire African-American Chamber of Commerce held in her honor on Thursday, Sept. 10 at Castaway Restaurant and Banquet Center in San Bernardino.
This reception was part of a week long tour she made through the Inland Empire to raise awareness here about the country of Zambia. As her country’s ambassador, she also encourages American citizens to visit and make investments for profit, while at the same time helping the country with needs such as job creation, health care, education and housing.
Zambia was established as an official nation in 1964. It is home to the world’s largest waterfall, Victoria Falls, which is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Visitors can also see lakes, wetlands, tropical birds and abundant wildlife in this country, which has 11 million people in area about the size of Texas.
Victoria Falls is reason enough to see Zambia, says Ambassador Lewanika. These falls are so large, the mist can be seen from miles away.
“It is like thunder,” she said. “And the mist from the falls is like smoke. Its ancient name, “Mosi-Oa-Tunya” means “Smoke from Thunder.”
The country has much more to offer than a beautiful waterfall, Ambassador Lewanika said.
“Our greatest resource is our people,” she said. “They are very friendly and very warm.”
The largest contributor to Zambia’s economy is farming, especially maize and corn. The next largest industry is mining for natural resources such as copper, gold, diamonds, other precious stones, and possibly soon, oil.
“Oil has not been discovered in Zambia,” she said. “But it is probably there. Our government has commissioned a study for oil exploration, because of the certainty that there is oil beneath our ground.”
Americans who purchase land in Zambia for farming, mining or development, likely would quickly turn a profit, Ambassador Lewanika said.
“It is very cheap to buy land in Zambia,” she said. “I know of one in
vestor who made a 300 percent profit. I don’t of anywhere else in the world you can do that besides Zambia.”
“People are coming from all over the world to invest in Zambia,” she said. “They come from China. They come from Japan. They come from all over the Middle East.”
Americans are especially encouraged to invest, because Zambian officials recognize that many in the United States do so not to exploit, but in search of business endeavors that will mutually profit them and their Zambian employees.
“You know we are human,” she said. “You don’t treat us like we have small brains like the boors in some countries do.”
In her current position, she travels throughout the United States meeting as many Americans as possible. But long before that, she lived with an American family for two years while pursuing a college education here. That family, and most of the other Americans she has met, gives her a highly favorable impression of the United States’ people.
“I came to this country when I was 17 years old, and at that time, Zambia did not have any colleges or universities of its own,” she said. “I want to thank you for the investment you made in my life.
To find out more about Zambia, visit www.zambiatourism.com , call Helen Harris (909) 648-4605 or e-mail inlandempirefriendsofzambia@gmail.com
15-year-old Otana Jakpor is a spokesperson for the American Lung Association in California – Inland Counties chapter because of her knowledge about air pollution, a subject she is especially interested in because of her mother’s severe case of asthma.
For her study on the pulmonary effects of indoor air purifiers, Otana Jakpor, 15, has become a recognized expert on air pollution. The Environmental Protection Agency awarded her one of its Environmental Youth Awards for 2008 (one is given in each of 10 regions of the EPA), thus earning her recognition from then President and Mrs. Bush at the White House.
At 15, Otana Jakpor is already a senior at Woodcrest Christian School in Riverside. Next year, she plans to begin university preparation for medical school.Since she is already recognized by the American Lung Association and many others as an expert on the subject, she will also study environmental health.
(RIVERSIDE, Calif.) It seems natural that Otana Jakpor would have an interest in air pollution. As long as she can remember, her mother Karen has battled severe asthma.
Otana’s focused studies on air pollution, starting with a science project she did just for fun two years ago that analyzed the effects of air purifiers, make her a recognized expert on the subject. She’s presented testimony at state and national hearings, as well as at events for the American Lung Association in California – Inland Counties Chapter.
One of these upcoming events is the Healthy Air Walk, taking place Oct. 3 at Fontana Park, 15556 Summit Ave., Fontana. To learn more about this event, which is the Inland Counties chapter’s largest fundraiser for the Association’s efforts to prevent and educate people about air pollution, go to www.healthyairwalk.org or call (909) 884-5864.
As Otana sees it, the American Lung Association needs this money to fund both education and research, both of which are important in helping people overcome the debilitating effects of air pollution.
“The air we breathe needs to be protected,” she said. “It’s great to have scientific research, but if people don’t know about it, the research is not going to help anybody.”
Her knowledge on air pollution also led to a summer internship this year with the University of Southern California, where she performed community outreach and education on this topic, as well as helped with scientific research conducted by the university. All before starting her senior year of high school, which she did on Tuesday, Sept. 8.
Karen Jakpor was diagnosed with asthma in 1996. Otana was then 3 years old, and started out by helping Mom take her medicine.
“She would put my medicine into my nebulizer (a tool that combines air or oxygen and liquid medication for quick inhalation) for me,” Karen said. “She called it my bubble medicine.”
In 2004, Karen was pregnant with a second daughter, Jibiana, now 5. Otana took on a much greater role as Mom’s care provider during the pregnancy.
“It was an extremely high risk pregnancy and the hospitals in Riverside weren’t equipped to handle it,” said Karen, who is herself a former physician who practiced in Riverside.
“I had to be delivered at Kaiser Hospital in Los Angeles, and because of complications, I had to live near the hospital. My husband Riase wasn’t able to come with us because of his work, so I rented an apartment where Otana and I lived that summer. She helped me whenever I had an asthma attack, and sometimes with basic needs like cooking and cleaning. She was only 10 years old.”
After Karen gave birth to Jibiana, life returned to normal, at least as the Jakpors know it. Karen has been in the hospital or emergency room with asthma 47 times over the last 12 years. If the air quality in Riverside is less than good, as has been the case most days since the Station Fire in Los Angeles County and other wildfires closer to Riverside, breathing is a struggle for Karen.
But, other than that one summer, Otana has enjoyed a normal childhood that for the past few years has focused mainly on school and friends. However, with aspirations of becoming a doctor, Otana is especially interested in science and research.
In 2007, as a 13-year-old, she read an article in Consumer Reports magazine indicating indoor air purifiers may actually add to the air pollution inside a home, as they emit ozone, a component of smog. But there were no published studies showing how this would impact people’s breathing ability.
Since Karen owns several types of respiratory monitors, Otana decided to use them to study the effects of these air purifiers. She borrowed purifiers from her mom and other people, and recruited 24 of her friends to come to her house and test their ability to breathe while using the purifiers.
Based on her research, Otana determined many of the purifiers were, in fact, emitting enough ozone to render indoor air unhealthy, and that this impaired breathing ability, especially among her friends with asthma.
She then learned the California Air Resources Board was attempting to regulate the amount of ozone air purifiers sold in California could emit. She submitted her research to this agency, which in turn asked her to present her study in an upcoming public hearing. “The hearing room was packed with people,” Karen Jakpor said. “But many of these people sold air purifiers for a living.
“They said things like “My air purifiers save lives and you’re trying to take away my family’s livelihood,” she said. “A lobbyist for the industry stated ‘there are no studies proving any link between air purifiers and increased ozone.’ The CARB staff just smiled, because they knew Otana’s turn to speak was coming.”
Otana’s testimony led to a ruling by the California Air Resources Board making California the first state to limit how much ozone indoor air purifiers could generate. Purifiers now must generate 50 parts per billion ozone or less.
After the hearing Terry Roberts, director of the American Lung Association in California’s Inland Counties chapter approached Otana, and asked her to volunteer as a spokesperson during upcoming hearings and other public events. This has given Otana an
outlet to publicly share more about air pollution, and to urge passage of legislation that will reduce pollution’s impact on the air we breathe.
Karen also became involved with the American Lung Association then, serving as a member of its Indoor Air Quality Committee.
The American Lung Association battles air pollution and other threats to respiratory health on many fronts. One is in the legislative arena, by lobbying for regulations such as the one Otana helped pass by sharing her findings about indoor air purifiers. Another is by teaching people about air pollution and what they can do to prevent it. A third is by funding formal research studies about air pollution.
The American Lung Association was established in 1904 and was instrumental in its first 52 years in nearly eradicating tuberculosis. In 1956, it expanded its mission to fight all forms of lung disease. In its last five decades, it has also strived to reduce tobacco use and air pollution, both of which are serious threats to lung health.
San Bernardino Mayor Patrick Morris presents a new CalTrans freeway sign to Emam El-Hout, President of The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire. Posted on the I-10 Freeway at Waterman, the sign directs students to the campus, which offers artistic and creative degrees. More than 4 million cars pass the location every month. Robert Swapp photo.
San Bernardino Mayor Patrick Morris presents a new CalTrans freeway sign to Chef Eyad Joseph, Public Relations Director John Barry and President Emam El-Hout at The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire. Posted on the I-10 Freeway at Waterman, the sign directs students to the campus, which offers artistic and creative degrees. More than 4 million cars pass the location every month. Robert Swapp photo.
Frank Washington III, winner of the 2009 Black Rose Award’s “Commitment to Service” award.
Cordelia Revels, winner of the 2009 Black Rose Awards “Humanitarian of the Year”
Brian Townsend, winner of the Jim King Founders Award, which is special recognition added to the Black Rose Awards this year by program founder Jim King.
Black Rose Award Winner Calvin White Black Rose Award Winner Bobby Vega
Black Rose Award Winner Bishop Kenneth Wells
Black Rose Award Winner Hilda Kennedy
Black Rose Award Winner Dr. Diane WoodsBlack Rose Award Winner Dina Walker
Black Rose Award Winner Mary Potts
Black Rose Award Winner Mark Seay
Black Rose Award Winner Kent Paxton
Black Rose Award Winner Jeff Johnston
Black Rose Award Winner James Ramos
Black Rose Award Winner Wil Greer
Black Rose Award Winner Terry Boykin Black Rose Award Winners Rubies of Highland
Black Rose Award Winner Norm Nunez (SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) – The Black Culture Foundation has seen a lot of good things happening in the Inland Empire’s African-American communities over the last 20 years.
This month, the organization will honor 20 people who are largely responsible for the good things going on now, through its 20th anniversary edition of its annual Black Rose Awards program. The recipients receive their awards in a gala celebration, taking place 6 p.m. Friday, Sept 11 at the National Orange Show Valencia Room, 689 South E St., San Bernardino.
“We appreciate everyone who is willing to give his or her time and commitment to make a difference in the lives of others,” said Program Chairman Margaret Hill. “This is not an easy task for many and it takes a special person to give over and above each day, each hour and each minute. These recipients, and all of the ones recognized the previous 19 years, are phenomenal.”
Award winners are Black, White, Hispanic and other diverse citizens. They include city and state leaders, educators, key law enforcement officials, doctors and numerous members of organizations who take their clubs’ commitments to community service above and beyond the call of duty.
Three of the 20 are singled out for special recognition.
One of these is Precinct Reporter publisher Brian Townsend, who receives a new award, the “Jim King Founders Award.” King, the only one of the three founders of the Black Rose Awards program who is still living, chose to give a special award this year in honor of the program’s 20th anniversary, and selected Townsend as the recipient.
Townsend is recognized for his commitment to providing relevant and helpful information to the Inland Empire African-American communities through his weekly newspaper, and also for editorials that have influenced public policy to the good of African-Americans.
In 2005, Townsend served as chairman of the National Newspaper Publishers Association Foundation, an organization made up of more than 200 newspapers focusing on African-Americans. That year, the organization named then-Senator Barack Obama as its “Newsmaker of the Year.”
In addition to his work at the Precinct Reporter, Townsend is on the Board of Directors for the Arrowhead United Way and on the Executive Board for the Alliance for Education.
“I am deeply honored that I was chosen for this award,” Townsend said.
The other special award winners are Cordelia Revels, the Humanitarian of the Year and Frank Washington III, who receives the annual Commitment to Service Award.
Revels has been a community volunteers since the late 1970s, first working with incarcerated women in the Denver County Jail system, then with youth in the San Bernardino County Juvenile Hall when she moved to Highland in 1981. She worked with these teens for more than 20 years.
Washington is a past president of the Black Culture Foundation, an active member of the Masons and a member of the San Bernardino Feeding Coalition, which feeds sick, shut-ins and homeless people on Christmas Eve. He also assists in food and clothing drives, and through his work with all of these organizations helps involve youth in positive activities, including an annual campout in Lytle Creek.
Black Rose Award winners are:
Dina Walker, community outreach and engagement director for the recently approved Hardy Brown College Prep Charter School. This school, named for Black Voice News publisher and former San Bernardino City Unified School District governing board president Hardy Brown Sr., will open in San Bernardino’s Westside in Fall 2010. She also volunteers with other education causes, including the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools’ Alliance for Education, Family Involvement and Literacy Task Force.
Wil Greer, who with his wife LaTanya, founded Arroyo High School’s Ujima Academy. This Saturday enrichment program works with Arroyo’s students to improve their English and math skills, prepare them for the California High School Exit Exam and prepare them for college.
Bishop Kenneth Wells, founder and pastor of the Spirit of Love Christian Church and the bishop for all California churches in the Mt. Calvary Holy Church of America, Inc., He is also senior advisor for the Southern California Gospel Announcers Guild, and brings gospel entertainers to the Inland Empire.
Hilda Kennedy, executive director of AmPac TriState Certified Development Company, a Grand Terrace business that helps small and start-up businesses obtain credit. She also speaks at women’s retreats, teaches etiquette, and helps plan Fontana’s annual women’s conference.
Mary Potts, who teaches and volunteers at her church, New Hope, where she has been a member since 1962. She also is involved in a sorority and the Kiwanis Club.
Bobby Vega, a San Bernardino Westside native who growing up was influenced by various youth organizations serving the area, and for the past 20 years has given back to many of those same organizations. He created nationally recognized programs to steer youth away from drugs and gangs.
Radiant Rubies of Highland, a chapter of the Red Hat Society, a women’s organization known for community service. The Radiant Rubies have been recognized frequently for their community service in Highland and nearby areas, which includes baking deserts, buying dolls and clothing them for Operation Santa Claus and volunteering in the Loma Linda Veteran’s Hospital and the Highland Library.
Mark Seay, a former San Bernardino High School and NFL wide receiver, who now works as the manager of community relations for Stater Brothers’ Market and gives inspirational speeches to young people about adversities he’s had to overcome in life.
Wilmer Amina Carter (D-Rialto), who represents the 62nd District in the California Assembly. Rep. Carter has supported, and at times sponsored legislation to help advance the status of her district’s African-Americans. Prior to being elected to the California Legislature, she served as a Rialto Unified School District governing board member, where her support of students led to the naming of the district’s third high school in her honor.
Dr. Diane Woods, president of the African-American Health Institute of San Bernardino County. Five years ago, after conducting research in all areas of the county, this organization published a comprehensive study showing that Blacks in San Bernardino County die, on average, 13 years earlier than Caucasians. The organization has since devoted its efforts to resolving this disparity.
James Ramos, chairman of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, and the first Native American elected to the San Bernardino Valley Community College District governing board, which he currently serves as president. He is also a member of Arrowhead United Way, the San Bernardino County Museum, the Inland Empire Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the San Bernardino Valley College Foundation, and the KVCR Educational Foundation. His organization, James and the Bird Singers, travels nationwide building awareness of Native American contributions to society.
Jeffrey Johnston, who has made the San Bernardino chapter of the National Football Foundation one of the most active chapters in the nation, just five years after its inception in 2004. The chapter hosts activities to help develop coaches and players, both academically and in their sport. Johnston has led eight of these workshops over the past three years for about 700 students and their parents. He also volunteers with other football-related organizations that help improve the game and help kids achieve success on the field and in the classroom.
Norm Nunez of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, who is highly regarded for his work in both African-American and Hispanic communities. He represents the Sheriff’s Department at career fairs and is the “go-to” person for the Sheriff’s Citizen Advisor Committee.
Kent Paxton, coordinator of Operation Phoenix, San Bernardino’s crime-fighting agency, and the former head of the San Bernardino Children’s Network. Paxton was raised in Fontana and has lived in San Bernardino most of his life, where he has made helping at-risk children his passion.
Terry Boykins, executive for business affairs at 4 Positive Knowledge, a company that promotes child safety and helping teens to make positive choices. He organized a local Million Fathers March, and has dedicated his time to encouraging fathers to be involved with their families and their community. He also organized the San Bernardino County Youth Foster Conference, attended by more than 300 foster children.
Calvin White, who was a middle and high school counselor and principal for almost 40 years. He also volunteers with his alma mater, the traditionally Black Grambling State University in Louisiana, by representing the school at job fairs in California. He now organizes a career awareness event for middle school students and volunteers with his Kiwanis Club.
To order tickets or reserve a table, contact Margaret Hill at (909) 864-3267.
