Black History

History makers give history lesson at Annual Men’s Day Celebration

MISSISSIPPI LINK — The Honorable Carlton Reeves, U. S. District Court Judge for the Southern District of Mississippi, called on The Honorable Fred Banks, former Supreme Court Justice, to introduce guest speaker Derrick Johnson, president & CEO of the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People.

Published

7 years ago

June 26, 2019

Online Editor

By Jackie Hampton

The Honorable Carlton Reeves, U. S. District Court Judge for the Southern District of Mississippi, called on The Honorable Fred Banks, former Supreme Court Justice, to introduce guest speaker Derrick Johnson, president & CEO of the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People.

However, before Banks introduced Johnson, Reeves, gave the worshippers a history lesson about Banks and encouraged them to learn more about this man who has spent a great deal of his legal career dedicated to civil rights and justice. He talked about his 52 year career as a lawyer going back to when Banks was a law student passing the bar when there were those who did not have to take the bar and he spoke of him as a former Mississippi Supreme Court Justice trial judge and legislator.

Reeves referenced the 1969 case, Alexander v Holmes, in which the court ordered immediate desegregation of public schools in the American South. This case, in which Banks played a part in suing the state of Mississippi, took place 15 years after the US Supreme Court had ruled that all children should be able to go to school together. Reeves noted that as a young lawyer he learned so much from Banks while he was on the bench. He said, “Read about Fred Banks Jr. and understand what has made this man great.”

When Banks, who is now senior partner at Phelps Dunbar Law Firm, approached the podium to introduce Johnson, he assured the listeners that the NAACP is in great hands with Johnson being at the helm. He said the Tougaloo undergraduate student makes great decisions and has demonstrated remarkable skills in collaborating with others. Banks said, “Derrick has a clear vision in which direction the organization should go.”

Johnson, in his message, recalled the role that College Hill played in the Civil Rights Movement at a time when few churches got involved. He also said there is something special about Mississippi and College Hill. “While other churches were afraid of retaliation for getting involved in the movement, College Hill and its members were not afraid and kept their doors open when needed,” said Johnson.

He spoke about the character of it’s members and reminded church goers of the legacy of civil rights workers like the late Deacon Sam Bailey and Rev. R.L.T. Smith who was the grandfather of District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith.

Johnson challenged the members to get involved in government. He said we need prayer and we need workers because the progress that has been made in the past 50 years is being rolled back. He said we need to elect officials that know how to govern and how to read bills, such as Senator Hillman Frazier, who was in the audience

Johnson spoke of this country being on the edge of the cliff where racial hate is increasing but that College Hill can be a beacon of light while sitting in the center of Mississippi. Johnson received numerous amens and applause throughout his message.

Pastor Michael T. Williams thanked Johnson and all participatants who worked hard to make the Men’s Day service a success.

He also congratulated Rev. Calvin Peoples who was recognized as Man of the Year of College Hill. Peoples, who has been a right hand to the pastor in the pulpit, during weekly Bible study, prayer service and other events at the church, was chosen by the membership of College Hill to be Man of the Year.

Peoples is admired and loved by the members of College Hill as expressed by Deacon Gregory Anderson who gave a tribute on his behalf. Peoples’ son, Tim, also gave a tribute but it was his wife, Sandra Peoples, who introduced her husband of 26 years as Man of the Year. Also in attendance was his daughter Denise and employees of Nissan where he has been employed for 15 years.

A special presentation was given to Peoples by Leon Williams, president of the Laymen’s Ministry.

Bernard Bridges, co-chair of the Men’s Day Committee, gave a presentation to the speaker Derrick Johnson.

Douglas Sanders, co-chair, gave the acknowledgements as many members beamed in pride because this was the first time College Hill members had seen him in a suit.

Members and visitors both stated Men’s Day, held on Father’s Day, was a great success.

This article originally appeared in the Mississippi Link.

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Activism

Diabetes in Black California: Turning the Tide from Crisis to Control

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data, nearly 17.9% of Black adults in California have been diagnosed with diabetes — above the national Black adult average of 16.8%, and nearly five points higher than California’s overall adult rate of 12.6% across all races. California ranks 24th out of 39 states with available data for Black adult diabetes rates.

Published

3 days ago

July 5, 2026

Oakland Post

Dr. Khadijah Lang is a family physician with a clinic in Los Angeles who specializes in several family medical practices, including prenatal care. Lang believes in family medicine. She says it is important to treat all members of a family. Thursday, June 5, 2026. Photo by Solomon O. Smith/California Black Media.

By Charlene Muhammad, California Black Media

Crystal Lambert knew something was terribly wrong with her three-year-old granddaughter as she sped down the street trying to get her to the hospital.

“I thought she got a hold of some poison,” Lambert recalled.

Doctors found Lambert’s granddaughter had a blood sugar level over 800, diagnosing her with Diabetic Ketoacidosis(DKA), a state in which the body, starved of insulin, begins to shut down.

Lambert said she was born with a pancreas that was not fully functioning — it lacked the specialized cells required to produce insulin.

Her granddaughter survived and is five years old today. Now, she gives herself insulin shots, asks endless questions about her condition, and runs like the spirited child she is. But the terror of that night transformed Lambert — and ultimately inspired her to launch the We Fight Back Organization, a mobile health and food access initiative serving underserved communities across California. Lambert is the executive director.

The Crisis by the Numbers

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data, nearly 17.9% of Black adults in California have been diagnosed with diabetes — above the national Black adult average of 16.8%, and nearly five points higher than California’s overall adult rate of 12.6% across all races. California ranks 24th out of 39 states with available data for Black adult diabetes rates.

Nationally, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Black Americans were 24% more likely than the overall U.S. population to have diabetes in 2024. They also died from diabetes 78% more often than the general population in 2022. Black Americans are also more than twice as likely as the overall population to develop kidney failure caused by diabetes.

According to the California Health Care Foundation’s 2024 Health Disparities Almanac, Black Californians have the shortest life expectancy in the state at just 74.6 years — due in part to chronic conditions like diabetes and its devastating complications.

Leon Rock, co-founder of the African American Diabetes Association, believes statistics, though revealing, only tell part of the story.

“There are a whole bunch of Black folks that don’t tell you that they have diabetes — or don’t know,” he said.

And the disease itself, Rock is careful to note, is not what kills. “They die from the complications. That’s heart attack, that’s stroke, that’s amputations of legs, of feet. Going blind. All those complications are inherent in a system that has impacted Black folks with diabetes in California and across America.”

Crystal Lambert, creator and executive director of We Fight Back. She started the organization out of a need to learn more about diabetes on behalf of her granddaughter. Now she is looking to spread the impact of her organization to the valley. Friday, June 6, 2026. Photo by Solomon O. Smith/California Black Media.

Crystal Lambert, creator and executive director of the We Fight Back Organization, started out of a need to learn more about diabetes on behalf of her granddaughter. Now she is looking to spread her organization to the valley, on Friday, June 6, 2026 Photo by Solomon O. Smith/ California Black Media

An Information Gap Fuels the Crisis

For Rock, part of the solution is diagnosis. He says the medical and public health systems are failing Black Californians by the absence of information designed for them.

“That is the bottom line. We need good information. Information that is culturally specific,” said Rock.

Telling people to eat healthy or exercise, he added, falls short when culturally specific alternatives are not provided, and when many residents of urban communities do not feel safe exercising in some neighborhoods – or outside at night.

Dr. Khadijah Lang, a family medicine physician and president of the Golden State Medical Association, agrees that the roots of the crisis run deeper than individual behavior — and blaming patients misses the point.

“We are not genetically predisposed to diabetes,” Lang said. “But the system under which we live increases the likelihood that we will develop it.”

What the Body Needs — What Communities Are Denied

Type 2 diabetes, which accounts for 90 to 95% of all diabetes cases, according to the CDC, develops when the body can no longer use insulin effectively to regulate blood sugar. Left unmanaged, it damages nerves, kidneys, eyes, and the cardiovascular system. The hemoglobin A1C test is a blood draw that reveals how the body has processed sugar over the previous three months — not just at the moment of the test. It is the standard tool for both diagnosis and ongoing monitoring.

That distinction matters, Lang emphasized, because patients cannot manipulate three months of blood sugar history the way they might fast for a day before a single blood draw.

“The pill is not meant to undo or control a sugar level that’s being constantly stressed,” Lang said. “It’s meant to work in conjunction with a low-carbohydrate diet and exercise.” She recommended at minimum 30 minutes of physical activity five days a week — breakable into 10-minute sessions for those who need it.

Lang stressed that education must be delivered in language people recognize and can relate to. The goal is to inform them of the choices that serve their health best, she said.

But for many Black Californians, even those informed choices remain out of reach, Lambert said.

“They need access to healthy foods and medication, too” she said.

California has made some critical policy advances. The state has expanded access to the Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM), which has transformed diabetes care for state residents. Assembly Bill 365, introduced in 2024, proposed requiring Medi-Cal to cover the costs of CGM and other related medical equipment but it failed in the State Senate. Since then, the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) reports that the core Medi-Cal CGM benefit now available to eligible patients was solidified through previous budget actions and pharmacy policy updates.

These measures, while meaningful, have not closed the gap for the communities most at risk, according to advocates.

Control Through Community

Health care advocates conclude that the solution must be communal, culturally grounded, and sustained — not a fad, not a celebrity moment, not a single clinic visit. For example, observed Lang, lifestyle shaped by shared values and collective accountability can move the needle where individual prescriptions have not.

Rock is building infrastructure to match the urgency, establishing local chapters of the African American Diabetes Association across the country, with California next.

“We have to do for self, period,” he said. “Health is wealth. We have to eat to live.”

And Lambert, whose granddaughter unknowingly started all of this for her, keeps showing up.

“Diabetes advocacy is about dignity, education, prevention, and hope,” she said.

Video: Diabetes Disparity Exposed in California

This article is supported by the California Health Care Foundation

(CHCF). Visit www.chcf.org

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Oakland Post: Week of July 1 – 7, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of July 1 – 7, 2026

Published

4 days ago

July 5, 2026

Oakland Post

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Arts and Culture

Prescott Circus Theatre Presents Free Summer Performance Series

Now in its 41st year, the Prescott Circus Theatre is a nationally recognized performing arts education program for Oakland youth. The circus offers safe environments that challenge Oakland youth, through circus arts training, to develop the skills and confidence to thrive on stage, in school, and in life.

Published

2 weeks ago

June 26, 2026

Oakland Post

Prescott Circus showcase pathways pyramid. Photo courtesy of Prescott Circus.

By Post Staff

The Prescott Circus, Oakland’s longest-running youth circus, is returning this summer with its free shows. Join the Prescott Circus’s young stars as they share their joys and talents through stilt-dancing, tumbling, juggling, and more.

At the heart of this one-hour show, which demonstrates teamwork, pride, and joy, are Oakland Unified School District students ages 8 – 17 from more than 10 different schools

This is accomplished through no-cost school and community programs for more than 300 Oakland youth each year. Performing company members from Prescott, where the program began, perform and make appearances at as many as 40 Bay Area events each year.

The summer program is funded in part by Oakland Fund for Children and Youth, California Arts Council, Port of Oakland, and the West Davis & Bergard Foundation.

Performances will be held Tuesday, July 14, 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. (ASL interpreted) and Wednesday, July 15, 11 a.m., at the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, 1428 Alice St., Oakland. For free reservations go to

https://PrescottCircusSummerShows.eventbrite.com

For group reservations for camps, childcare centers, senior centers, go to www.prescottcircus.org

A community show will be held Saturday, July 18, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., at DeFremery Park,1651 Adeline St., Oakland.