Have you heard about the 2020 Census? I am sure you have received mail, phone calls, or maybe drove past a billboard with information on the Census. Do you still wonder what it is about and who gets counted? The new baby just born yesterday? She gets counted. Your Uncle Leroy who is 108 years old? He gets counted, too! ... read more »

The Honorable Rev. John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 - July 17, 2020) and The Reverend Dr. Cordy Tindell “C.T.” Vivian  (July 30, 1924 – July 17, 2020) ... read more »

“We are the diviners of change!” proclaims Janaya “Future” Khan. Three thousand people … significantly young and Black … fill the massive concrete steps at Los Angeles City Hall, pouring out onto the sidewalk, into the street, extending the length of the block and into Grand Park. The hotter-than-July sun shines on the faces of Youth Vanguard members who just finished speaking about their recent victory in LAUSD – ousting police from school campuses and cutting their budget by 35%. ... read more »

On the northeast corner of Vermont and Manchester Avenues, a little over four acres of land have remained blighted and mostly vacant since the 1992 Civil Unrest, ... read more »

The house is on fire and it is burning down, and it should burn down. ... read more »

For too long, Black people in America have been burdened with the unjust responsibility of keeping ourselves safe from police. ... read more »

As of 2019, the population of individuals experiencing homelessness has skyrocketed to 58,936 people in Los Angeles County alone. The homeless population in California reached 151,000 last year. The median price of a home in LA County was over $600,000 in 2019, and the average rent for a one bedroom was almost $2,000. ... read more »

The gruesome murder of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department has sparked a necessary public uprising against the systematic racism that has plagued the U.S. since even prior to its inception. Century-long questions of race and color have been brought to the forefront of social and news media. Globally, people have started to reflect on the cause and effect of racism within their own communities. One of the many effects of racism has been the development of colorism. Colorism is defined as prejudice or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone, typically among people of the same ethnic or racial group. Colorism has significant roots in Asian, Latino, and South Asian societies. ... read more »

The state of Inglewood Unified School District (IUSD) has improved significantly since I was elected in 2017. IUSD is on track to start transitioning out of receivership, we achieved a positive budget certification this year for the first time since going into receivership in 2012, our facilities have improved significantly and we are always planning for our future needs, and lastly our entire IUSD leadership team came together to provide a safe quality educational experience during COVID-19. You can see for yourself a vast improvement of our schools from where they were just a few years ago.  ... read more »

The coronavirus has turned the world upside down. In fact, its global impact might have resulted in this being the first time that individuals can truly identify with what people residing in other parts of the world are feeling. ... read more »

In the wake of the tragic death of George Floyd, we witnessed an outpouring of grief and support.  We have also begun a long-overdue conversation about police & community interaction, most notably concerning the use of violence by police officers towards people of color.  As an African American man and a former Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, I welcome this conversation and believe that much good can arise from this discussion.  ... read more »

With our lives upended and few old certainties left standing, there is one thing we do know about this new era. The world, United States and Californian economies are in suffering. In the blink of an eye, some 5 million Californians find themselves out of work, many of them structurally unemployed and unsure of how to pivot their careers.  ... read more »

John Adams and his son, John Quincy, were the only two of our first 12 Presidents who didn’t own slaves.   I mention this for two reasons: first, to demonstrate how the control and devaluation of Black lives formed the foundation of our political thought; and second, to reinforce that Adams may be more qualified than most founding fathers to speak about justice.  He wrote, “we are to look upon it as more beneficial, that many guilty persons should escape unpunished, than one innocent person should suffer.”   ... read more »

June 12, 2020, marks the 57th anniversary of the killing of my cousin, Medgar Evers. Who was shot in the back in his driveway by a white supremacist and member of the KKK. It took 31 years to get a conviction for his murder. Some could finally call it justice, but justice is never served when someone you love is murdered.  ... read more »

The nationwide protests against the heinous killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis policeman, is reminiscent of the 1960s era of turmoil and voices that fervently called for social and economic justice. Today’s turbulent times seem that history is repeating itself.  In addition to George Floyd, recent tragedies took the lives of a Black Louisville EMT in the middle of the night while she was asleep in her own bed. In another fatal incident, a young Black Georgia man jogging in daylight was shot dead. None of these three unarmed people deserved to die violently.  ... read more »