By Dianne Anderson Knowing the numerous variations of blackness, of skin tones, of ideology and backgrounds, Dr. Adisa Ajamu set out to make a home away from home at UCI that, in some ways, resembles his alma mater. Probably the most important thing that his HBCU provided was a safe space for students to be ...

By Dianne Anderson Being a superwoman has its challenges and responsibility to bear…always ready to come to the rescue, even though they never signed up for the job. This week at at Long Beach City College, students are reflecting on some of the long term health and wellness impact of Black women as they carry ...

By Dianne Anderson It’s not that Jamal Myrick, Ed.D never had any struggles, it’s just that he prefers to look at life through an anti-deficit lens, and a winning mindset that he passes on to his scholars and mentees. Growing up, he said he didn’t personally know anyone that attended college, but he attributes his ...

By Dianne Anderson Breathe in cow, arch exhale cat. Push up to downward dog, release. Floor seated side twist always from the shoulders, never the low back. Relax. Dat Yoga Dude, James Woods, often shares his experience of being a long time marriage and family therapist, teaching others how to deal with the pressure. All ...

By Dianne Anderson Trudging through months of extensive job loss and health impact, the community is finding ways to cope with the fallout from the outbreak — and now the holidays are coming. This season will be unlike any other for many families, and many face the prospect of their first holiday season without their ...

 Rep. Pete Aguilar announced that the San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) received $737,520 for school violence-prevention and mental-health support programs and $87,350 for body-worn cameras to help keep SBCUSD police officers and students safe. The grants were administered by the US Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). The funding will be ...

By Dianne Anderson Apparently, voters are not slacking off as drop boxes have sprung up across the nation and are getting a lot of action. As of Tuesday, over nine million early votes have already been cast. By now, everyone should have their ballot with pre-printed barcode, ready to walk it into their County Registrar ...

By Quinci LeGardye California Black Media  In the wake of recent calls to shift responsibility for non-violent intervention away from police departments, lawmakers and community advocates around California are calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign AB 2054, also known as the CRISES Act.  CRISES is an acronym for Community Response Initiative to Strengthen Emergency ...

By Dianne Anderson Add scorching heat of the past week to the COVID crisis fatigue, and bills piling up from recent job losses and potential massive evictions on the near horizon. It’s all keeping community mental health professionals bombarded lately with calls for help. Local advocate Linda Hart said a lot of the problem is ...

To better meet the needs of patrons of the Long Beach Public Library (LBPL) who may be experiencing homelessness, mental illness or have substance use challenges, LBPL is partnering with the Department of Health and Human Services to explore models of integrating social work into its existing services. With support from the Health Department’s Trauma ...