By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

The iconic musician Carlos Santana and his extraordinarily talented wife, the drummer Cindy Blackman Santana, joined the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s (NNPA) first virtual conference with a live interview.

Carlos, who delivers a level of passion and soul equal to the legendary sonic charge of his guitar, and Cindy, a virtuoso drummer whose artistry spans the realms of jazz and rock, headlined an all-star lineup during the annual convention.

The two-day convention celebrates the 80th anniversary of the NNPA, the trade association that represents the media companies that comprise Black Press of America. It also marked the 193rd year of the Black Press of America, whose founders declared, “We wish to plead our own cause, for too long others have spoken for us.”

The convention also included live interviews and pre-recorded performances with superstars Stephanie Mills, Deniece Williams, Anthony Hamilton, Salt-N-Pepa, Supremes legend Mary Wilson, Ziggy Marley, Jemele Hill and others.

Viewers of the livestream were also treated to the very special preview of Cindy’s latest single, a cover of Lenny Kravitz’s Imagine.

Carlos Santana’s star arrived on the era-defining late 1960s San Francisco Bay Area music scene with historic shows at the Fillmore and other storied venues. The group emerged onto the global stage with an epic set at the Woodstock festival in 1969, the same year that its self-titled debut LP, Santana, came out, according to Santana’s bio posted on his website.

Introducing Santana’s first Top 10 hit, “Evil Ways,” the disc stayed on Billboard’s album chart for two years and was soon followed by two more classics – and Billboard #1 albums – Abraxas and Santana III.

More than forty years — and almost as many albums — later, Santana has sold more than 100 million records and reached more than 100 million fans at concerts worldwide. To date, Santana has won 10 GRAMMY Awards, including a record-tying nine for a single project, 1999’s Supernatural (including Album of the Year and Record of the Year for “Smooth”) as well as three Latin GRAMMY’s. In 1998, the group was ushered into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, whose website notes, “Guitarist Carlos Santana is one of rock’s true virtuosos and guiding lights,” his bio states.

Among many other honors, Santana received Billboard Latin Music Awards’ 2009 Lifetime Achievement honor, and, he was bestowed Billboard’s Century Award in 1996. On December 8, 2013 he was the recipient of the 2013 Kennedy Center Honors Award.

Rolling Stone has also named him #15 on the magazine’s list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” noting that “Santana’s crystalline tone and clean arcing sustain make him the rare instrumentalist who can be identified in just one note.” And, with the 2014 release of Corazón, Santana surpassed the Rolling Stones and is one of only two music acts in Billboard history to score at least one Top Ten album for six consecutive decades from the 1960s on.

“In the fall of 2014 Santana released his memoir ‘The Universal Tone: Bringing My Story to Light,’ which offers a page-turning tale of musical self-determination and inner self-discovery, with personal stories filled with colorful detail and life-affirming lessons. It’s a profoundly inspiring tale of divine inspiration and musical fearlessness that does not balk at finding the humor in the world of high-flying fame, or at speaking plainly of Santana’s personal revelations and the infinite possibility he sees in each person he meets,” Santana’s bio stated.

In 2016, Santana reunited with the revered early ’70s Santana lineup to release an album entitled: Santana IV. The album debuted at #5 on Billboard’s Top 200 Chart, #2 on Billboard’s Top Current Chart, #2 on Billboard’s Rock Chart, and #1 on Billboard’s Independent Albums Chart. This album marks Santana’s fourteenth Top 10 album.

In 2017, Santana and Cindy Blackman Santana joined forces with The Isley Brothers (Ronald and Ernie) to release Power of Peace, an album celebrating the timeless sounds of funk, soul, blues, rock, jazz, and pop. Santana is currently headlining a multi-year residency at House of Blues at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

By Nsenga K. Burton, NNPA Newswire Culture and Entertainment Editor

As long as I have breath in my body, I will do what I can. – Congressman John Lewis

Congressman John Lewis is known and revered worldwide for his social justice activism as a young man during the modern Civil Rights movement which sparked large scale civic and social change in America. Many have seen the horrible 1965 footage and photos of Lewis being clubbed in the head while attempting to march from Selma, AL to Montgomery, AL arriving at the Edmund Pettus Bridge to 150 police officers waiting to deliver violence and intimidation to the protesters marching for voting rights for Black Americans.

Then Alabama Governor George Wallace had outlawed protests and marchers, who were raising awareness about the plight of Black Americans, who had been made to pay poll taxes, take literacy tests or flatly denied their right to vote by intimidation and the threat of violence at the ballot box. At that particular time, Black Americans made up 57 percent of the population of Dallas County, which is where Selma is located, yet and still only 2 percent of Black Americans were registered to vote.

On what would be called Bloody Sunday, Lewis, who at the time was Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) along with other civil rights lions like Reverend Hosea Williams (SCLC) continued on their march despite then Governor Wallace’s threats and were attacked by the police, sending 58 people to the hospital.

Lewis, who suffered a skull fracture during the attack, left the hospital the following week to testify before Congress about what had happened to the protesters, resulting in the passage of the Voting Rights Act by Congress which was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, giving Black Americans the right to vote and offering protections (National Guard) to marchers in pursuit of justice at the ballot box.

In Good Trouble, award-winning documentary filmmaker Dawn Porter (Gideon’s Army, Trapped, Spies of Mississippi) captures the many sides of John Lewis which are all connected to his quest for freedom. Porter shows his early desire to become a preacher eventually leading to a career in social justice and politics.

In the documentary, we see a young John Lewis from Troy, AL who aspires to be a preacher to such an extent, he preaches to chickens. His desires shift when at 15-years-old, the actions of Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King change his path, leading the civil rights lion to “Good trouble; necessary trouble to save our country, to save our democracy,” he says.

Lewis, who has been arrested 40 times, five of those times since being a member of Congress, allows viewers into the world beyond politics. Viewers learn how he met and fell in love with his wife, Lillian Miles Lewis, who died in 2012 and that he is still as heartbroken over the loss today as he was the day she passed.

Viewers see the fun side of Lewis, who loves to dance and crack jokes with his mentees and staff. John Lewis lights up any room her enters. Lewis is a man revered for his commitment to Civil Rights and viewers learn that all aspects of his life are tied to that pursuit. Lewis’ values as a human being are always at the forefront of every decision he makes in his personal and professional life.

Lewis’ major value is freedom. “When you lose all sense of fear, you’re free,” offers the activist who literally continues to traverse the country in pursuit of justice. Lewis, 80, who is battling pancreatic cancer stomps for Beto O’Rourke and Stacey Abrams during their high-profile bids for political change.

Colleagues and friends like Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, Congressman Jim Clyburn, civil rights icon Diane Nash and the late Congressman Elijah Cummings discuss Lewis’ legacy and impact today.

Described repeatedly as courageous, Lewis’ energy now is not very different from the energy on full display in the footage of the marches and Freedom Rides. Lewis lives and breathes the pursuit of freedom and all around him know it. To be in his orbit, one must hold that value if you are to be a part of his universe.

Underscored by a soulful and haunting soundtrack, the documentary also shows the difficult times and sacrifices that sometimes have to be made while in pursuit of justice for all, like Lewis’ damaged friendship with the late civil rights icon and politician Julian Bond. Their 1986 battle over a Congressional seat led to Lewis’ harsh words about one of his closest friends – painful words that Lewis could not take back.

Lewis won the seat and is now in his 17th term as a Congressperson but at what cost? Many of the people in the civil rights movement are passing on and Porter’s documentary begs the question of who will replace these pillars of democracy who are willing to sacrifice so much of themselves for a far greater cause?

Lewis lights up the room wherever he goes. Like Moses, seas of people part to make a clear path for Lewis, who strides to the podium with personal stories and political messages that people need to hear. Lewis clearly understands there are more years behind him than in front of him. He is pained by the strategic and dubious attempts by Congress and the Supreme Court to undo the work of he and his ilk in a supposedly post-racial society.

Lewis knows the stakes are high as he has “lived it” and is now witnessing the dismantling of the protections for no reason other than plain old racism. Like many Black Americans in the United States, suffering from seeing such hard-fought freedoms rolled back, Lewis is broken hearted but not bowed. The 2013 Supreme Court decision dismantling the Voting Rights Act of 1965, allowing nine states, to change their election laws without federal approval, was another symbolic blow to Lewis and his generation of change agents but they remain unbowed.

Lewis is obviously troubled by what is happening in society. “One of my greatest fears, is one day we wake up and our democracy is gone.” Chilling words coming from a man who has dedicated his entire life to protecting the rights of all Americans in an attempt to bring to fruition the ideals of democracy upon which America was founded. These are also profound words from a giant of change who even at this precarious time in his life, knows that the fight for justice is never over.

“As long as I have breath in my body, I will do what I can,” says the Presidential Medal of Freedom winner, reminding viewers our freedoms hang in the balance and there is more good trouble ahead.

Watch the trailer for the documentary here.

Good Trouble debuted Friday, July 3, 2020 OnDemand on multiple digital platforms.

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Like most of Arizona, Phoenix has suffered a tremendous spike in COVID-19 cases, and coronavirus testing has been limited.

In response to the rapidly expanding numbers of the virus in Arizona and the need for additional testing, Alan “A.P.” the HeroZona Foundation has partnered with the American Legion’s Travis L. Williams Post 65. HeroZona and the American Legion are hosting free drive-through COVID-19 screening in the parking lot of South Mountain Community College.

Florida-based genetics testing laboratory, Lab 24, has agreed to perform the testing at what’s now considered the largest testing site in the country.

According to reports, Arizona now has the highest per capita new case rate in the nation.  HeroZona and the American Legion specifically selected the South Mountain Community College site to ensure that African Americans and other minorities could have access to quality testing. They hope to mitigate the virus’s impact in a state with more than 120,000 cases and over 2,100 deaths.

Hospitals throughout the state are reporting overflows in their intensive care units, creating a shortage in available hospital beds.

HeroZona is a non-profit organization that empowers heroes in the community through entrepreneurship, employment, and education. HeroZona works with veterans, first responders and those that bring social good to or future generations and under-served communities.

A.P.” Powell, the founder and CEO of HeroZona, calls the recently established free drive-thru testing site “COVID City.” Funding for the site came via the CARES Act established earlier this year. “We saw high demand, so we acted,” said Powell. “While the [South Mountain] site was established because of the increase in local cases, others from outside the area are also welcome.”

According to Powell, 1,700 people are being tested each day. COVID City is open Tuesday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. “We are testing everyone in the car,” Powell declared, referring to a policy which ensures testing for every passenger in arriving vehicles. “You just need a valid I.D. and we’ll get you tested. We want to make sure that if you have to go out and work, you can get tested first.”

“We had a lady who wanted to see her daughter. She didn’t have health insurance and couldn’t see her doctor, but we gave her the test, and without it, she wouldn’t have been able to see her daughter,” Powell stated.

“We wanted to do something for this community to ensure that they have the same resources that every community in the state has. We wanted to give them something they can feel good about it, and keep their families safe,” Powell added.

Once tests are administered, Powell said it would take seven to 10 days before results come back. “If the test is positive, you will get a call from a doctor,” said Powell, who recovered from COVID-19 earlier this year but has recently lost five friends.

“If it’s negative, you will get an email. We’re trying to make it more efficient, but the demand is high. However, we know it’s at least good to know you can get something back and that there’s some solution.”

Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., President and the CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) emphasized, “The (NNPA) salutes the leadership of AP Powell and the HeroZona Foundation for effectively responding with a much-needed testing solution for Arizona’s COVID-19 crisis. HeroZona’s successful model for COVID-19 testing in Phoenix, should be urgently replicated across the nation.”

John Leon, a barber in the Pheonix area, recently got in line at 4:30 for a test after experiencing an itchy throat and other symptoms.

He told a local television station that he followed precautions during the pandemic. “I keep [the barbershop] sprayed down. I wipe everything down. I wear a mask and make everybody else wear a mask who comes into the shop,” Leon said.

Despite waiting more than two hours, Leon appreciated the organizers’ efforts. “I like the way they have this setup,” he said. “They set it up real nice so that they can take a lot of people.”

Powell again emphasized the importance of bringing testing to the South Phoenix community, which includes ZIP codes with some of the highest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Arizona.

“We wanted to make sure we do our part to keep veterans and citizens of this community safe and make sure that they feel like they’re going to get the same resources anybody else can get,” Powell said.

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

In April, Wells Fargo announced it would donate gross proceeds from the Paycheck Protection Plan to nonprofits working with small businesses.

This month, the bank has ramped up its efforts by unveiling the details of an approximately $400 million initiative to help small businesses impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The goal is to help keep the doors of small businesses open, retain employees, and rebuild.

Through Wells Fargo’s new Open for Business Fund, the company will engage nonprofit organizations to provide capital, technical support, and long-term resiliency programs to small businesses, emphasizing those that are minority-owned businesses.

“We realized early on that small businesses were taking the brunt of what was happening with COVID-19 and the economic slowdown that occurred,” said Jenny Flores, Wells Fargo’s head of small business growth philanthropy.

“We also noticed that diverse individuals were having a very negative impact, and with the data, it was coming to 41 percent or 450,000 Black-owned businesses closed when COVID hit. That is a disproportionate impact not only to the entrepreneurs but also to the employees they have and the pocketbook,” Flores stated.

Through June 30, Wells Fargo funded loans under the PPP for more than 179,000 customers, with an average loan amount of $56,000, totaling $10.1 billion.

Of the loans made, 84 percent of those are for companies with less than ten employees; 60 percent were for amounts of $25,000 or less; and, 90 percent of these applicants had $2 million or less in annual revenue.

Given the federal government’s extension of the PPP, Wells Fargo will reopen its PPP loan application process to eligible customers as soon as possible through a link in Business Online Banking, the bank noted in a news release.

Additionally, the Wells Fargo Open for Business Fund’s initial grants will allocate $28 million to Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), also known as nonprofit community lenders.

The grants are aimed at empowering Black and African American-owned small businesses, which the National Bureau of Economic Research said are closing at nearly twice the rate of the industry.

Among the first grantees are Expanding Black Business Credit Initiative (EBBC), which will support the launch of a Black Vision Fund to increase the flow of capital to Black-focused CDFIs for transformational work to close the racial wealth gap in African American communities.

The CDFIs will also receive capital for urgent deployment to impacted businesses in the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, and Midwest.

Further, a Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) will provide grants and low-cost capital to more than 2,800 entrepreneurs, focusing on preventing loss in revenue, sustaining employment, and averting vacancies among vulnerable small business owners in urban and rural markets nationwide.

“This is an extension of the commitment we had to diverse businesses,” Flores noted.

“Small businesses need cash to open again, and we are putting $260 million for community development financial pocket lenders that have a track record of reaching diverse communities. We want them to be able to do new loans and to have grant money.”

Wells Fargo counts as one of the top PPP lenders in the country and has spent a lot of time understanding various strategies to assist small businesses, Flores declared.

“We have key members across the country, and I talk to entrepreneurs directly,” she said.

“This reflects a very thoughtful approach, one that is based on really putting the customer right at the center, listening to what they need. This has potentially $1 billion of impact in a three-year period,” Flores added.

“When they get the loans and recycle that and then for every million CDFI loans out to small businesses, they can support 18 businesses and create 31 jobs.

“Hence, if you take the $250 million and work through it, it’s thousands of businesses we’re impacting in such a positive way. We’re really proud of the opportunity we have to collaborate with CDFIs and particularly those who are led by diverse entrepreneurs.”

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Iconic Grammy and American Music Award winner Stephanie Mills is unapologetically pro-Black. On her social media pages, she often sends shoutouts to “talented Black men” and “Black Queens.” She observed Black Out Day and Juneteenth.

With one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary music, the Grammy and American Music Award-winning recording artist has five best-selling albums and ten Billboard #1 singles.

With a career that spans more than 35 years, Mills has distinguished herself as an actress and performer whom her manager says is just as much at home on the Broadway stage as in the recording studio.

Her endless string of hit records include, “Whatcha Gonna Do with My Lovin,’” “Never Knew Love Like This Before,” “If I Were Your Woman,” “I Feel Good All Over,” “You Putting a Rush on Me,” “I Have Learned to Respect the Power of Love,” “Something in the Way You Make Me Feel,” and “Home.”

She’s also known for her stirring duets with Teddy Pendergrass on “Two Hearts,” and “Feel the Fire.”

“You know, when I was recording with Teddy, he was like a brother to me, but I look back, and he was so phine… He could have been my husband!,” Mills laughed.

When BlackPressUSA reached out to her manager, Amp Harris, to invite the “Home” singer for an interview, her response was priceless: “BlackPressUSA, oh heck yeah, I’m doing it!” Mills declared.

Unfortunately, technology challenges prevented her from keeping our originally scheduled date. However, that didn’t stop Mills from tweeting, “I was scheduled to interview with BlackPressUSA and Stacy Brown. I had technical issues. However, I am a woman of my word. Plus, it’s a Black organization, so I had to make it right.”

Two days later, Mills more than made it right. She sat for an hour-long interview in which “The Wiz” star talked about her disgust over the police killing of George Floyd, her son’s new book, and her celebrated career.

“I’m crying now just thinking about that man who had his knee on George Floyd’s neck,” Mills stated, insisting on talking about police brutality and “that man in the White House.”

“I think there should be a federal law that has to be adhered to in Chicago, New York, and across the country when police do these things,” she proclaimed, adding that she’s working to help make that happen.

Mills is also promoting the 2020 Census. “Counting everyone helps ensure communities receive federal resources to support healthcare, education, accessibility services, and more,” Mills noted.

Hello my friends, I want you to join me along with @uscensusbureau
to get everyone in your household to be counted in the #2020Census. Counting everyone helps ensure #communities receive federal resources to support #healthcare, #education, #accessibility services & more. pic.twitter.com/BAzAp1xf67

— Stephanie Mills (@PrettyMill1) March 24, 2020

Her 19-year-old son, Farad J Mills, was also a fascinating topic of conversation. “He’s my greatest gift. He’s smart, intelligent, funny, charming, charismatic, handsome, and a wonderful young man,” Mills declared. Farad J, who has Down Syndrome, works with Mills and her manager, and he’s also written a book, “The Adventures of Farad J.”

“He doesn’t know how much he has fulfilled my life,” Mills said of her son whom can be seen dancing with his mom to one of Mills’ hit songs in a video she recently posted on Twitter.

#FBF two of my fav. Pp @PrettyMill1 and her son who is my heart, Farad J. in one of my favorite videos! Enjoy life❤️. The holiday weekend is here, take some stress off the current affairs. Dance, have fun, spread love, be nice to one another, this video brings so much ❤️❤️#WeR1 pic.twitter.com/7laxVg9hTt

— Amp Harris (@ampharris) July 3, 2020

BlackPressUSA saluted Mills at the end of the interview by playing the song and video, “Home.”

(from demings.house.gov)
Congresswoman Val Demings represents Florida’s 10th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Born in a two-room, wooden framed home in Jacksonville, Val Demings was the youngest of seven children. Her parents, Elouise, a maid, and James, a janitor, did all they could to support their seven children and instill in them the meaning of hard work.

Despite seeing few women in the ranks of law enforcement in the early 1980’s, Rep. Demings was inspired to move to Orlando to join the police force. She graduated from the police academy as class president, receiving the Board of Trustees’ Award for Overall Excellence, and quickly earned the reputation of a tenacious, no-nonsense cop.

During her 27-year career she served in virtually every department, including serving as Commander of the Special Operations, where she was responsible for some of Orlando’s highest profile tasks, including special events and dignitary protection. In 2007, Val Demings made history when she was appointed to serve as Orlando’s first female Chief of Police. Remarkably, the Orlando Police Department reduced violent crime by more than 40 percent while she was Chief.

Rep. Demings is eager to continue her record of public service as the congresswoman representing the people of the 10th District of Florida. Rep. Demings sits on the Judiciary Committee and the Committee on Homeland Security.