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In the spirit of love
Romance is in the air. (A welcome reprieve from wildfire smoke.)
Aaricka Washington
February 14, 2025
Have you told yourself “I love you today?”
It’s still early so you have plenty of time. Make sure that before you see another face, you give gratitude to the one staring at you from across the mirror. It’s undeniable though…
The sweet smell of that four letter word is in the air.
Before many of you are start getting ready for a romantic night out with your boo or the crew, I want to share a few things I have a deep affinity for: I love being Black every day of the week. My Black pride extends 24/7, 365, not just during Black History Month. I love that I have the freedom to love myself. I love GOOD books (my current read is Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler). And I love the fact that there are Black women journalists I admire who have new books. I want to give a huge shout out to two Black women journalists in particular:
Arionne Nettles, a Florida A&M University journalism professor, culture reporter from Chicago, Illinois. She just wrote TWO books back to back that I LOVE: We Are the Culture: Black Chicago’s Influence on Everything and Journalism for Dummies.
Char Adams, a NBC BLK Reporter whose book Black-Owned: The Revolutionary Life of the Black Bookstore gets published later this year.
Here are some other books by Black journalists you should check out:
Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop by Danyel Smith
The Movement Made Us: A Father, a Son, and the Legacy of a Freedom Ride by David Dennis Jr.
It Was All A Dream: Biggie and the World That Made Him by Justin Tinsley
I want to hear from you. Who or what deserves some much appreciated love today? Email me at [email protected].
FEATURED STORY
Dr. Rashida N’gouamba, a Pasadena OBGYN has cared for more than 5,000 patients in the past five years and has delivered at least a dozen babies since January's wildfires.(William Jenkins/AfroLA)
In Los Angeles County the rates for premature birth were highest for Black Angelenos at 12.5% of babies born, compared to 8% for white residents. Black pregnant women of all socioeconomic statuses already have an increased risk of preterm births and pregnancy complications.
The disastrous wildfires in January won’t make things any better.
The lingering smoke, ash and toxins released during the fires may worsen the risks for Black pregnant Angelenos and their infants.
“I’m always on high alert,” said Dr. Rashida N’gouamba, an African American obstetrician and gynecologist, who has been practicing for nearly two decades. She lost both of her current and childhood homes in Altadena.
She returned to work that next day.
“When I make a commitment, I stay in that mood. Babies don’t stop.”
Read pediatrician and reporter ChrisAnna Mink's story to learn more about the impacts of L.A.'s air pollution and how you can protect yourself and your infant.
BONUS
Videographer William Jenkins created a video featuring Dr. Rashida N’gouamba, her practice and her personal story.
SUPPORT AFROLA
It’s a day full of love. Why not best show your love for us this day?
Our reporters are doing their due diligence, working hard on the ground, to provide you the news you need. We need a little affection…in the form of some generous donations. Help us continue to deliver quality journalism right into your inbox.
We love you!
Donate to us today. We need your support to keep this momentum going.
BLACK HISTORY MONTH COLLAB WITH THE THREAD
For Black History Month, AfroLA partnered with journalist Ethan Ward from The Thread newsletter to highlight everyday people who are integral and impactful to our communities but often overlooked, especially after they’re gone. This aligns with our shared missions of shining light on stories you might not otherwise hear. The Thread transforms obituaries Through responsible AI analyses of obituaries, The Thread helps us uncover these stories, matching our approach and AfroLA’s ethos, to integrating AI in the newsroom.
Each week in February, we will share excerpts from carefully curated “exhibits” from The Thread centered around stories of Black Los Angeles.
Learn more about The Thread, and subscribe to get a fresh issue every Sunday.
Week One: AfroLA x The Thread: Life, death, and transformation in the City of Angels
🧵Thirty-eight Los Angeles residents took their final breaths, leaving behind stories that span nearly a century of city life. Their obituaries trace the paths of people who arrived from Tennessee cotton fields, Mexican ranches, Hawaiian shores, and countless points between. Some were born in Los Angeles, others chose it, but all became part of its living history.
Among these thirty-eight lives, Juanita Mae Trice moved to Los Angeles in 1965, seeking greater opportunities beyond her hometown of Montezuma, Tennessee. Her decision, inspired by her sister Mozell’s earlier move to California, marked one of countless migration stories that shaped Los Angeles.
The pull of paradise
The city drew people from across America and around the world. In Juanita’s case, she left behind a life as the daughter of sharecroppers in Tennessee, where she had been valedictorian of her high school class and the first in her family to attend college. In Los Angeles, she quickly found work at the Department of Motor Vehicles, later building a career with the California Department of Corrections.
Flora Arai‘s path to Los Angeles was etched in tragedy. Born in Compton in 1933, her family was sent to the Santa Anita Assembly Area and then to Rohwer internment camp in Arkansas during World War II. When her father chose to move the family to Japan rather than remain in the camp, they settled in Hiroshima, where he was killed by the atomic bomb. Flora and her remaining family eventually returned to Los Angeles, where she graduated from Gardena High School in 1953.
Javier Rodriguez came to Los Angeles in 1970 with his wife Ofelia, moving first to Venice. His work history in Los Angeles included making shoes and carpets in factories, washing dishes in restaurants, and picking produce in Central California’s fields. He spent his final 25 years before retirement as a maintenance engineer at Custom Hotel near LAX.
Week Two: AfroLA x The Thread: Love, life and death excerpt
Love remembered through tokens of devotion
This week’s exhibition from The Thread is guest curated by Candy Boyd, owner of Boyd Funeral Home.
In times of loss, humans reach for tangible reminders of love. Boyd, who has guided L.A. families through their final farewells for nearly 18 years, shares objects that help people hold onto what matters most. Through these pieces, she shows us how love finds ways to remain.
Memorial Blanket
Year: 2020
Item Description: A custom-made blanket featuring photographs of the deceased, often including their name, dates, and meaningful images chosen by the family.
(Photo courtesy Candy Boyd)
Context: When Lydia Nunez passed away at 34 during the early pandemic, her mother faced the unimaginable – losing a vibrant young daughter who had spent her life capturing others’ memories as a photographer. In those raw first days of grief, the idea of physical comfort became especially meaningful. The memorial blanket Boyd Funeral Home created became more than a keepsake; it became a way to stay wrapped in her daughter’s presence.
What it Teaches: Some forms of love need to be touchable. A memorial blanket offers both comfort and connection — whether draped across a favorite chair or held close during difficult moments. What started as a simple offering at Boyd Funeral Home has become a cherished tradition, showing how the simplest objects can help love remain present in our daily lives.
THE ROUNDUP
By Emily Elena Dugdale and Hanisha Harjani
(The Dating Apps Reporting Project is an 18-month investigation. It was produced in partnership with the Pulitzer Center’s AI Accountability Network and The Markup, now a part of CalMatters, and copublished with The Guardian and The 19th)
After reading this story, you might want to think a little bit more critically about the way you use dating apps. Emily Elena Dugdale and Hanisha Harjani spent more than a year investigating how Match Group, the company that owns half of the online dating market globally including popular ones like Tinder, Hinge and OkCupid allowed abusive users to continue to use the apps even after their violent behavior towards women and after enacting their safety policy. How did they allow this to happen? You must read this important story.
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By Adrian Horton (The Guardian)
Last week, we learned that President Donald Trump got rid of the Biden-appointed board of the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, which caused many performers and members to be outraged.
This week, Issa Rae, Ben Folds, Shonda Rhimes and Reneé Fleming decided to take a stand by bowing out of their affiliation with the board.
Rae canceled her one-night-only show at the Kennedy Center. The sold-out show, An Evening With Issa Rae, was scheduled at the venue in March.
* * *
By Brandon Tensley (Capital B)
What’s next for DEI programs, the nation’s involvement with the World Health Organization and capital punishment? How might this administration treat Haitian immigrants who have escaped to the U.S. from violence and natural disasters? If you want the break down of some of Trump’s executive orders and how they will impact Black Americans, check out this article.
* * *
by Mikhail Zinshteyn (CalMatters)
Analysts are seeing a 25% drop in completed federal financial aid applications compared to prior years. They say that it may be because of worry about how the Trump administration might use their sensitive data to enforce strict immigration policies. CalMatters’s Mikhail Zinshteyn wrote about what analysts say could be future consequences if fewer high school students apply for FAFSA, and how federal and state financial aid issues aren’t new.
MORE STORIES
By Marina Peña
The book cover image of author Yesenia Moises’ book.
If you have kids that you take care of or you’re a K-12 educator, you know how difficult it can to find books that represent your multiracial kids.
Well, AfroLA has your back.
The scene for Afro Latine representation in literature has grown tremendously over the past few years. According to the University of Wisconsin’s Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC)—a leading authority on diversity in children’s and young adult literature—40% of children’s books in 2023 featured at least one BIPOC primary character or significant role.
This is an improvement from decades past when fewer than 15% of books featured multicultural characters or storylines.
Read Marina Peña’s interviews with seven authors who have written recent children books that center Afro Latine characters in their books.
* * *
By Marina Peña
Carmela Beyer with the book donations she’s received so far. (Courtesy Carmela Beyer)
Former preschool teacher Carmela Beyer knew she had to do something for the five school communities that lost their campuses in the Eaton Fire.
She launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds to buy new books for impacted children, give back to local businesses (like Octavia's Bookshelf) and help restock Pasadena Unified School District libraries.
“I live on the same block as Aveson and I realized that if my home burned down and their school was still standing, they would be helping me,” Beyer says. “I felt this need to stay connected to my community through what I know best: taking care of the kids.”
Already she's raised more than $42,000 and collected more than 630 donations. Beyer said that a portion of the funds will be allocated to teachers to help replace curriculum books and textbooks. In addition to monetary contributions, Beyer is also accepting donations of new or gently used books that are suitable for children in grades K-12 and considered classic library staples. Read Marina's story to learn more.
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Royal Ramey, Royal Ramey, co-Founder and CEO of the Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program, gives instructions to a group of firefighters. (Credit: Blue Chalk Media)
California's incarcerated firefighters work for little pay (they make between $5.80 and $10.24 per day) and often use outdated equipment. Despite their experience fighting fires, they still face barriers to employment once they are released from prison.
Two former incarcerated firefighters, Royal Ramey and Brandon Smith, decided to create a program called the Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program, or FFRP, so that other formerly incarcerated firefighters could find a path to stable employment upon their release.
"...For me, personally, it was the stigma – it was just like, how do I navigate the system?"
Ramey told AfroLA's Shady Grove Oliver. "Where do I go to get these sorts of certifications? How do I communicate effectively with somebody that might have some type of bias just based off my record – just based off of what I look like? And how can I convince them that I deserve an opportunity for the job?" Ramey said he was determined to figure it out. Shady Grove Oliver spoke with Ramey about his experience being a firefighter and what he hopes to see from the FFRP career support program.
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