Today is a very special day for me. It’s my birthday. Every birth day, I spend my mornings writing three letters: one for Aaricka 10 years ago, one for Aaricka in this new age and one for Aaricka 10 years into the future. It’s how I choose to reflect and honor what I’ve been through, where I am and where I’m headed.

My birthday falls a couple of weeks before the end of the year, so you can actually join me in this deep reflection as we review the year. How far have you come this year? What are some of your successes this year — big or small? What are some of the things you want to improve in the upcoming year? I’m sure there’s a lot of concerns on your mind as we enter a new presidency next month.

How will you show up for yourself and your community?

Please email me back your responses. (You can just hit reply.) I would love to hear them!

This is our last newsletter of the year. Catch you on the flip side in 2025!

“AfroLA stands as a vibrant force in Los Angeles, unmatched in its passion and fearless approach to journalistic storytelling. For me, it's been a profound platform to dive deep into the untold stories of the city that shaped me—a chance to spark meaningful conversations that capture the multifaceted essence of my people. AfroLA isn't just a media outlet; it's a beacon of truth and a cornerstone of the community, embodying the strength, resilience and beauty of our collective narrative.”  - Ural Garrett, AfroLA reporter  

“AfroLA has the courage to take on big stories to serve our readers and their communities. It is this service mindset that fuels our solutions stories, our investigations and other projects. This focus on serving our readers so they have the information to make a more equitable world drives me as a journalist and is the reason I am so privileged to work with this organization.”  - Katie Licari, AfroLA reporter 

“I am a freelance health reporter, and I primarily write for nonprofit outlets. It’s a privilege to work with AfroLA, because I share their mission of serving our community. Their reporting doesn’t just chronicle problems, they also highlight solutions from — and for —  the community. Truly, their work merits your support.” - ChrisAnna Mink, AfroLA reporter

FEATURED STORY

The algorithm says crisis. The social worker says trust. 

by Ethan Ward 

Can artificial intelligence predict homelessness before a crisis happens? Los Angeles County social workers think so. They're now using AI to find people at risk of being unhoused.

“Prevention programs, historically, have been referral based,” said Dana Vanderford, associate director of the Homelessness Prevention Unit within the L.A. County Department of Health Services. “Our data-driven program identifies and serves a completely distinct group of folks who are unlikely to connect to resources on their own.”

The program shows early success, but national experts warn about privacy and consent when gathering personal data from vulnerable people without their knowledge. Read Ethan Ward's latest story about how this new program that could shape the future of AI in social services nationwide, and the concerns about safety, oversight and community input.

WEEKEND WATCH

World renowned poet, activist and professor Nikki Giovanni died this week on Dec. 9 at age 81. She was a prolific intellectual and a Black woman who wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. She was like a slice of home and one of my favorite poets of all-time. I highly encourage you to watch the 2023 documentary Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project on Max. Before you watch the documentary, read this exceptionally well-written interview with her and one of my favorite writers, Hanna Phifer where she talks about her life and the documentary.

SUPPORT AFROLA

We know you have a lot going on this season, so we will get to the point. We’ve grown this year at AfroLA, but we need your support to keep this momentum going. As you know, for Black communities, there is a lot at stake and the stakes are high!

There is something you can do about this predicament. Our NewsMatch campaign is well underway. For the rest of 2024, all donations up to $1,000 will be triple matched! Your dollar to AfroLA goes so much further this season. Please click the link and donate today. We need to raise $3,500 more by Dec. 31. Sometimes people wait until the last minute to give. Please be part of us reaching our goal by giving to AfroLA today.

THE ROUNDUP

Prison telecom providers are shifting strategy by exploiting tablet services 

By Tatiana Walk-Morris (Prism)

From the very first line, Tatiana’s article caught my attention.

For Prism, Tatiana wrote about how technology companies — like Securus Technologies and ViaPath Technologies — were charging incarcerated people extremely high prices to phone or video call people in the outside world. One of her sources said they spend over $300 a month on phone calls and e-messages. Meanwhile, the same source said he made less than a dollar an hour.

Now, federal and state regulators are battling the technology companies over the expensive prison phone, video and messaging services. But there’s another twist to this, these companies are pivoting to offer tablets and other digital media to make money.

Read her story to learn more.

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Climate change is deepening HIV inequities for Black Americans

by Adam Mahoney (Capital B)

HIV may be out of the mainstream consciousness of America, but there are still thousands of people who are newly infected by the virus every year. Many of them happen to be Black Americans. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black people make up two of every five new HIV infections in the U.S. Capital B’s Adam Mahoney wrote about how the impacts of climate change — like extreme record-breaking hurricanes – is disrupting the supportive services that Black people who are living with HIV, and in climate-vulnerable communities, need to survive. Read his story to learn more about the climate vulnerability and HIV risk in Black America.

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The Best Albums of 2024

By: Njera Perkins, Erin E. Evans, Taryn Finley, Jillian Capewell, and Alexandra Niforos (Huffington Post)

This year was one for the history books when it comes to groundbreaking albums. If you ask me, I have at least three albums (Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, Kendrick’s GNX and Doechii’s Alligator Bites Never Heal) that are competing for number one in MY household. The folks at HuffPost came up with their own list and to my surprise, I missed a few albums this year. Read their breakdown on each album and email me if you agree!

MORE STORIES

Medical mistrust drives low COVID-19 vaccinations among Black people 

By ChrisAnna Mink 

Holiday season is here and so is the return of winter viruses, like COVID-19.

Are we ready for it? The short answer is no.

This is especially true for Black Americans. Less than 1 in 7 Americans, and fewer than 8% of Black Americans, had received the updated COVID-19 formulations by the end of October, though the updated vaccines have been available since last August.

“I got immunized for a couple of reasons: one - I considered the alternative was to risk death,” Lauren Dorsey, a Black businesswoman said, “[And] my father is a [kidney] transplant recipient. I knew he was at greater risk, so it was important for me to stay COVID-free.”

So why aren’t more Black Americans getting vaccinated?

“A big part of the low uptake is the lack of trust in medicine and science,” said Anastasia Williams, a Pasadena-based, African American pediatrician.

Where does the mistrust come from?

Kimberly J. Martin, a social psychology postdoc at Yale University, said that the “mistrust precedes the pandemic”.

Martin and her colleagues found that current inequities and mistreatment were the primary causes of medical mistrust among Black Americans, even more than historical injustices, such as the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment. Black study participants reported not feeling cared for by their own doctor as a major factor for their mistrust.

“It’s not that history is unimportant, but it’s that continuation of mistreatment in health care that was motivating people’s (vaccine) hesitancy,” said Martin. Read Chris’s story to learn more about how medical professionals are addressing Black Americans’ hesitancy to get vaccinated and what are some of the current barriers to the vaccination itself.

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