Co-Pastor Christ Liberation Ministries, William Smart Jr., dissects the functionality of Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), and how they negotiate on our behalf to reduce the cost and burden caused by pricey medications and they are doing this all day every day.
Dr. King’s belief in non-violence as a moral and political basis for achieving the “Dream” he envisioned did not include a passive or patient acceptance of a lower place in society. He knew this would be a multi-generational quest for our freedom, and prophetically told us that we would eventually get to the mountain top even if he were unable to be there with us.
The country’s largest cities released numbers showing the novel coronavirus is having a disproportionate impact on racial minorities. Epidemiologists say this is because my Black and Brown brothers and sisters often live close together in multigenerational households, work in jobs in which we interact closely with others, and have higher rates of asthma, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and other conditions. Officials in Los Angeles County said that Black people alone accounted for 17% of COVID-19 deaths where race was known – yet African-Americans make up only about 9% of the county’s population.
Local faith leaders gathered in front of the L.A. District Attorney’s Office on Nov. 21, to urge D.A. Jackie Lacey to stop seeking death sentences. The delegation included Pastor Edward Anderson of McCarty Memorial Christian Church, Elder Joe Paul of the City of Refuge, Rector Mike Kinman of All Saints Church in Pasadena, Rabbi Neil Comess-Daniels of Beth Shir Shalom and Pastor Larry Foy of Interfaith Movement 4 Human Integrity/Justice Not Jails. The group also delivered a letter, signed by more than 110 local faith leaders, that noted that Los Angeles is just one of two counties nationwide to sentence
Rideshare platforms have significantly improved transportation options for communities of color, particularly in low-income neighborhoods that have been neglected by public transit fordecades. However, current legislation in Sacramento is threatening to take this option away, by forcing rideshare drivers to become employees instead of independent contractors.