Thursday, May 7, 2026 | Vol 40 No 8

Black Orgs Stand with Other Groups to Request Extension of Stop the Hate Funding

By Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media

STOP THE HATE

CALIFORNIA IS FOR EVERYONE

On April 28, Black-led organi- the Hate program, and I am here zations from across California in support of them extending the that fight prejudice, hostility, or funding," Pryor told CBM. "As violence directed at individuals you probably read in the Attorney based on their race, ethnic origin, General's report, the Black com- or skin color, joined with other munity is the number one target of anti-hate groups at the California hate crimes in California." State Capitol for a "Stop the Hate Day of Action."

The gathering, featuring the Black Youth Leadership Project (BYLP) and the NAACP Califor- nia Hawaii State Conference (CA/ HI NAACP), was organized to advocate for the renewal of state funding for the program, which is currently scheduled to sunset on June 30, 2026.

Lorreen Pryor, president and CEO of BYLP, told California Black Media (CBM) that her or- ganization was at the event and news conference to make sure the Black community was "vis- ible." She highlighted the fact that Black Californians continuously face racism across the state.

"We are a grantee of the Stop

The Stop the Hate (STH) Pro- gram is a statewide initiative de- signed to support victims of hate crimes and incidents while fos- tering community healing and prevention. It is operated by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), which funds a network of over 180 community- based organizations (CBOs).

The STH program has been op- erating with a total investment of approximately $250 million since its inception in 2021, and provides grants to community-based orga- nizations (CBOs) for victim ser- vices, prevention, and outreach.

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SAN BERNARDINO, CA- - San Bernardino City Unified School District's (SBCUSD's) Captain Leland F. Norton Ele- mentary School was honored by the California Department of Edu- cation (CDE) on April 9 as a 2026 Green Achiever School, the high- est distinction possible under the California Green Ribbon Schools Award program.

"I'm so proud of how Norton SHINES by following through on the Vision 2030 pillars of high ex- pectations for academics through its environmentally friendly STEM program and promoting nutrition, health and wellness through its school gardens," said SBCUSD Superintendent Maur- cio Arellano. "And I'm especially proud that now everyone in Cali-

WESTSIDESTORY NEWSPAPER

Norton Elementary Earns

Top Honors as a CA Green Ribbon School Award Green Achiever School

Norton Elementary School fourth-grader Jessie Holguin harvests a carrot from the school's garden, one of many programs that earned Norton the Green Achiever Award from the California Department of Education. (Photo by Corina Borsuk and provided courtesy of SB- CUSD)

fornia will see why I am so proud to serve the students and families of not just Norton Elementary, but all of San Bernardino City Uni- fied."

The California Green Ribbon

Schools (CA-GRS) Award recog- nizes California K-12 public and private schools and local educa- tional agencies that have demon- strated progress in reaching the U.S. Department of Education's Green Ribbon Schools Pillars, which include:

Reducing environmental impact and costs

Improving the health and well- ness of schools, students and staff Providing effective environmen- tal education that incorporates

See "Nortan..." page 8