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• After Don Lemon's
• Arrest, Black Officials Raise Concerns
• About Independent Black Media

By Joe W. Bowers Jr. | California Black Media

EON

On January 30, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass attended inde- pendent journalist Don Lemon's federal court appearance at the Edward R. Roybal Federal Court- house following his arrest in Los Angeles by federal authorities for conduct tied to his reporting on a protest nearly 2,000 miles away in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Shortly afterward, Bass con- vened a Zoom roundtable of Black elected leaders, city officials, and journalists to discuss what the case signaled -- not just for Lemon, but for journalism more broadly.

Elected leaders joining the call included U.S. Rep. Syd- ney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA-37), Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell (2nd District), Assemblymembers Tina McKin- nor (D-Inglewood), Mike Gipson (D-Carson), and Sade Elhawary

(D-Los Angeles), and State Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles). While the meeting was prompted by Lemon's arrest, the discussion quickly moved beyond him, turning to growing concerns about the vulnerability of Black journalists covering protests and dissent.

While Lemon was being arrested, Georgia Fort, an award-winning Minneapolis journalist, was also arrested and charged in connec- tion with her coverage of the pro- test inside the Cities Church in St. Paul reportedly targeted because a pastor worked as field director for Immigration and Customs En- forcement (ICE).

Both Fort and Lemon have said became one of the highest paid they were reporting.

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RIVERSIDE, CA--- The Civil Rights Institute of Inland South ern California (CRIISC) announc- es a new pop-up exhibition The Legacy of Clarence Muse: Arti- facts from the Collection of Dr. Norman Towels.

The pop-up exhibition will be on view at the Civil Rights Insti- tute of Inland Southern California from Wednesday, February 4th through Friday, March 13th. Visi- tors can see the pop-up exhibit for free during CRIISC's open hours: Wednesday through Friday from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

The pop-up exhibition, running during Black History Month, fo- cuses on the life of onscreen leg- end Clarence Muse who acted in over 219 films and was a pillar of the Perris Valley community. During his career Clarence Muse

Black actors during his time, he helped bring water to the Good Hope Community, pushed against racist stereotypes in films, and in-

• WESTSIDESTORY NEWSPAPER
• The Legacy of Clarence Muse:
• Artifacts from the Collection of Dr.
• Norman Towels Comes to Riverside
• Alpha Phi Alpho

FRATERNITY

Dr. Norman Towels' home is filled with historical items. He has served as the Historian for his fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha. (Photo Courtesy of CRIISC)

stituted the long-standing Perris Arts festival but still this prolific actor, singer, director, and philan- thropist has not received the rec- ognition he deserves.

CRIISC's new pop-up exhibition brings to life the incredible story of Clarence Muse through materials from the collection of Dr. Norman Towels. Dr. Towels, an educator and history collector, is commit- ted to preserving the Black his- tory in Inland Southern California and beyond. Over the decades Dr. Towels has amassed an incred- ible collection of artifacts includ- ing historic advertisements, com- ics, university yearbooks, posters, books, and movies. A sliver of his collection related to Clarence Muse's life will be on display, in- cluding various films from Muse's career. Dr. Towels will provide a special showcase of his collection on Thursday, February 19th from 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM, all are wel- come to attend.