By Dianne Anderson Putting off that trip to the doctor’s office for regular checkups for fear of secondary consequences – namely COVID-19 exposure – is something that health advocate Starla Simmons seriously warns against. Avoiding the doctor is a bad idea, specifically when it came down to her own kids, who both have Sickle Cell ...

By Dianne Anderson For as much as the National College Resources Foundation has grown over the decades, often drawing 20,000 or more Black students at a time to get what they need in one spot, somehow not everyone knows their name. “We find that every day. People say, oh I wish I had known about ...

Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Sr Natl Correspondent House and Senate Democrats are looking to the White House to immediately act to stop evictions after the federal moratorium expired on July 31. But President Joe Biden said a recent Supreme Court ruling means the administration cannot unilaterally extend the moratorium. For his part, the President ...

By Dianne Anderson Long before Black healthcare was trending, Phyllis Clark was literally on a roll taking mobile units packed with doctors and nurses to do on-site vital testing, diabetes and cancer screenings, helping the community rise above the inequalities. Hundreds flocked to her events, and families brought stacks of hard copy information and resources ...

By Dianne Anderson When Tamara Lincoln first saw the statistics on the high level of homeless students at Long Beach City College, she was shocked, but she was not surprised. She had been there and done that, but even worse, she had to go through it alone with her kids. At the time, she was ...

By Dianne Anderson California businesses – those left standing – may pick up speed as the state soon reopens without the outdoor mask mandate, and a promise of more money for those that apply through May 31 for round two of PPP loans. Robert “Bobby” McDonald, Black Chamber of Commerce of Orange County President, said ...

By Dianne Anderson Now that half of all Americans have figured out that the COVID-19 vaccine is not so scary after all, some health systems are stepping up the pace by doing whatever it takes to get the community in for the shot. For CalOptima, that means up to $50 in gift cards for their ...

By Dianne Anderson Pivot took on a whole new meaning this past year. Businesses have closed up shop across the nation, leaving those remaining in survival mode hoping for enough to hold them over until their customers return. Some are now slowly starting to reopen their doors, although limited to 25% capacity. If next month ...

By Dianne Anderson Time is closing in fast on CARES Act dollars that must be spent by December 30, leaving nonprofits and small businesses hoping for a federal extension to get them through the next leg of the pandemic. Jeff Williams of the Long Beach Center for Economic Inclusion, said they have received one CARES ...

By Dianne Anderson Long Beach residents are urgently seeking help with housing insecurity, rental or mortgage assistance, both during and after the holidays, as unemployment benefits are soon set to stop for millions of Americans. It couldn’t have come at a harsher time. In Long Beach, unemployment hit over 15 percent in September. Jesse Johnson, ...