Black communities through the Los Angeles region, from Pasadena and Pomona to Long Beach and Los Angeles, have endured a lot over the last 18 months. The COVID-19 pandemic, the murder of George Floyd, the follow up of regional and nationwide protests and the reimagining of policing, and now the importance of vaccinating our entire community are just a few. ... read more »

The jury convicted Chauvin on two counts of murder, homicide and one of manslaughter, for pinning his knee on the neck of Floyd for nine minutes and 29 seconds on May 25, 2020. ... read more »

On Jan. 29, former Assemblymember Shirley N. Weber, who represented parts of San Diego and its eastern suburbs in the lower house of the state legislature for eight years, has been sworn in as Secretary of State of California. ... read more »

The California Department of Justice (DOJ) launched the investigation responding to allegations of excessive force, retaliation, and other misconduct, including a number of reported incidents involving LASD management and personnel. ... read more »

Last week, the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) elected Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) chair of the group comprised of African Americans serving in State Legislature. Bradford, 60, who is the longest serving member in the caucus and the only African American member in the California Senate, is succeeding the CLBC’s outgoing chair Dr. Shirley N. Weber (D-San Diego). ... read more »

Senator Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) has been elected as Chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC). The Caucus has had over a 50-year legacy of advocating for transformative legislation on behalf of African Americans and other marginalized people in California. ... read more »

Hours after Gov. Gavin Newsom picked California Secretary of State Alex Padilla to be California’s next United States Senator, he announced that he will submit to the State Legislature the nomination of Assemblymember Dr. Shirley N. Weber (D-San Diego) to replace him. ... read more »

This week, Senator Bradford (D-Gardena) and Senate President pro Tempore Atkins (D-San Diego) introduced Senate Bill 2 to increase accountability for law enforcement officers that commit serious misconduct and illegally violate a person’s civil rights. ... read more »

For years, the members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors were known as “The Five Kings,” a title used to describe the powerful all-male Board of Supervisors, which remained that way until 1982 when Yvonne Brathwaite-Burke shattered the glass ceiling and became the first woman and the first African American to be elected to the Board of Supervisors. ... read more »

“The Black community is already subject to a lot, and we’re not thought about all the time. It's important for us to take matters into our own hands and really be prepared for what's to come because sometimes we're not considered in the game plan as far as what the world needs to do,” Sidqe said. ... read more »

At the tender age of 5, Samaiya Atkins and her father Marcus Atkins have high hopes and dreams for a high-quality, public education. When Mr. Atkins realized his daughter could get that level of rigor at a new school with an established reputation for developing high-performing scholars just a few blocks away from their home in the Meadowview community of Sacramento, he was ecstatic and quickly signed Samaiya up for Tecoy Porter College Prep. ... read more »

Ethnic and social justice studies will join English and science courses as graduation requirements at California State University, after the Board of Trustees at the nation’s largest four-year public university system approved the idea Wednesday. ... read more »

The state of California  started recognizing Juneteenth or Black “Freedom Day,” marking the emancipation of enslaved African Americans, back in 2003 as an official state observance. That was 17 years before Juneteenth became a household word across the United States this year.  ... read more »

“Juneteenth is Freedom Day and a cause for celebration,” said Assemblymember Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D., Chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus. “What is encouraging is the renewed interest in Juneteenth by young people. ... read more »

As Vice-Chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus and Chair of the Senate Select Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of Color — and more importantly, as a human being — I am appalled by the senseless killing of George Floyd. His death is another tragic reminder of the police violence that has devastated Black families and communities for decades. ... read more »