jackie rae

California's Three Strikes law began in 1994. Under this law, a person convicted of any new felony, while having a prior felony conviction, would be sentenced to state prison for twice the term otherwise provided for the crime. 

If the defendant was convicted of any felony with two or more prior strikes, the law mandated a state prison term of at least 25 years to life. The law was designed to be “tough on crime,” but in reality, it was tough on Black and Latino communities. 

African Americans make up the largest group of second and third strikers followed by Latinos. According to a study by the Justice Policy Institute, Black people are disproportionately impacted by the three-strikes law. Although only 6.5% of California’s population is Black, 44.7% of inmates serving out sentences for third strikes are Black.

These are the statistics Allan McIntosh fell victim to in 1998. A previous robbery and theft conviction were his first two strikes. McIntosh was searched after being stopped by LBPD for riding his bike with a broken light and not using the crosswalk. McIntosh, who was living in a gang-infested community, had a weapon. That was his third strike and he was sentenced to 25 years to life on a non-violent charge. 

Luckily, McIntosh was a cellmate with Cesar McDowell who started Unite the People to help provide aid to people who were unjustly sentenced. With the help of McDowell and a documentary made about McIntosh’s life called Q-Ball, Allen McIntosh will be released from prison on Monday, June 29, 2022.  

On today’s episode of “The Word” podcast, Jackie Rae speaks with Unite the People Founder Cesar McDowell and Macintosh’s wife Daviena to discuss how they reached this point.

You can learn more about Unite the People here.

Long Beach has a thriving LGBTQ+ community. From the outside looking in, this is the ideal place to live for anyone in the gay community.  

Identical twins Kyro and Monalise Rose Davis, say those pleasantries often do not extend to the Black LGBTQ+ community. They say the politicians in Long Beach, have neglected to address the needs of their community. But those feelings of abandonment extend far beyond politics.  

The twins say they started “Lesbians Are Life” to make sure people pithing their community had a place to go to learn about resources, build together, and express their frustrations of the lack of acceptance they feel from the Hetro-Black Community.  

We learn more about their experiences on this week’s “The Word.” 

If you would like to take part in the “Lesbians Are Life” social group, you can find out more but visiting the LB GRRRL Collective on their Instagram.

Sickle cell anemia is a blood disease that causes blood cells to take the shape of a sickle and restricts the flow of blood. One in 12 African Americans are born with the trait, which means they are carriers but don’t necessarily have the disease.

Unfortunately, education about the disease is not common. Often, African Americans don’t even know they have the sickle cell trait. The lack of understanding has also provided cover for law enforcement. The New York Times cited 46 cases of people with the disease who were tased, pepper-sprayed and deprived suspects of oxygen by police. When those actions resulted in death, police cited natural causes due to the presence of the sickle cell trait.

On this episode of “The Word,” we are going to learn more about this rare blood disease from someone who not only has the disease but, is helping people living with chronic illness.

Lathan Singleton III is not only living with sickle cell, he has lost family members to the disease. Now, he is using his experience to help others. Singleton is the founder of the Unspoken Hero Society. The nonprofit organization provides support, advocacy,  and tools to those affected by chronic illnesses.

And, because blood donors are vital to those living with Sickle Cell and other chronic illnesses, the nonprofit is organizing a blood drive on June 17 at Christ Second Baptist Church, 1471 Martin Luther King Blvd.

You can find out more about the blood drive, donate, or seek assistance with any chronic illness by visiting the Unspoken Hero website.

The word Communism often causes a very negative reaction in most Americans. That is probably why there are very few politicians who have run on the communist ticket and won. But, it is not an uncommon ideology. Civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. W.E.B DuBois and Fred Hampton all embraced some basic principles of Communism. Those being equality, access to adequate health care, employment, housing, and education for everyone.  

Those facts are common knowledge but, when thinking of Communism, most people will think of Stalin or Mao. It’s safe to say that a lot of us believe these are the kind of people think our men and women in the Armed Forces have and should fight against.  

So it was surprising to learn that right here in Long Beach, we have an Army Veteran who is running for District One City Council on the Communist ticket. His name is Steven Estrada and we meet him on this episode of The Word with Jackie Rae.