Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Esther Gatica
In Focus with Black Voice News - 1/9/26
You’re listening to 91.9 KVCR. This is In Focus with Black Voice News, where we highlight stories you may have missed. I’m Esther Gatica. We begin this week and this year with a special look-back by BVN’s executive editor Stephanie Williams with her editor’s picks for 2025.
In Focus with Black Voice News - 12/12/25
You’re listening to 91.9 KVCR. This is In Focus with Black Voice News, where we highlight stories you may have missed. I’m Esther Gatica. Our opening story this week is part of the Black Voice News series BlackLash 2025 where we are exploring the impact of President Donald Trump’s infamous Project 2025 on local nonprofits supporting Black life in the inland region.
In Focus with Black Voice News - 12/5/2025
You’re listening to 91-9 KVCR. This is In Focus with Black Voice News, where we highlight stories you may have missed. I’m Esther Gatica. Our opening story this week, Rev. Dr. Queen Shamala Smith Celebrates Art and Healing at Solo Exhibition, features Rev. Dr. Queen Shamala Ifawuyi (E-Fa-Woo-E) Bessie Davis Smith, a retired high school English teacher, counselor and magnet school principal, who recently held a solo exhibition and book signing at the Art by Wash Community Center in Compton, CA.
In Focus with Black Voice News - 11/21/2025
You’re listening to 91-9 KVCR. This is In Focus with Black Voice News, where we highlight stories you may have missed. I’m Esther Gatica. I would like to begin this week with an essay by Kellie Todd Griffin, President and CEO of the California Black Women’s Collective Empowerment Institute titled, The Hidden Toll, Federal Rollbacks Threaten Black Women’s Health in California.
In Focus with Black Voice News - 11/14/2025
You’re listening to 91-9 KVCR. This is In Focus with Black Voice News, where we highlight stories you may have missed. I’m Esther Gatica. Our first story this week is focused on the recent passage of Proposition 50 by California voters which Congressman Pete Aguilar says will hold Donald Trump and Republicans accountable for their attempts to steal the 2026 midterm elections.
In Focus with Black Voice News - 10/3/2025
You’re listening to 91.9 KVCR. And this is In Focus with Black Voice News, where we focus on stories you may have missed. I’m Esther Gatica. This week, I would like to begin by highlighting Part 2 of our Black Voice News Series: BlackLash 2025, titled, Black-led Doula Collective Faces Challenges as Trump Targets Diversity Programs, Black Voice News health reporter Breanna Reeves examines the impacts federal actions are expected to have on The Sankofa Birthworker’s Collective of the Inland Empire.
In Focus with Black Voice News - 9/12/2025
You’re listening to 91-9 KVCR. And this is In Focus with Black Voice News, where we focus on stories you may have missed. I’m Esther Gatica. In the first story I would like to feature this week, Democratic members of Congress have urged the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to reverse its guidance that prevents LGBTQ+ students from participating in federal anti-hunger programs, including the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program.
Remembering Dazrene “Daz” Patterson: A Life of Faith, Music, and Service
Esther Gatica Dazrene Argree North Patterson passed away on August 8th, 2025. Dazrene was born on February 23, 1941, to Benjamin and Lucille Franklin North. One of twenty-two children, previous to her transition, she was one of only two surviving siblings alongside her brother, John Carter Gardley. From the very start, Dazrene’s life was marked by her radiant intelligence and unshakable spirit. At just fifteen years old, Dazrene graduated at the top of her high school class.
Southern California Residents Face Unprecedented Fires and Power Shut-offs Due to Santa Ana Winds
Breanna Reeves Southern California residents are once again facing a series of unprecedented fires with the Palisades and Eaton fires rapidly spreading across Los Angeles County. The fires erupted following strong gusts of Santa Ana winds that stoked the fires, with other smaller fires breaking out across the Hollywood Hills and Sylmar.
Hometown Hero Reverend Bernell Butler has Passed but His Impact Lives On
Last Updated on January 10, 2025 by Esther Gatica A courageous and resilient advocate, activist, Navy veteran and beloved minister, Reverend Bernell Florence Butler Sr. passed away on Friday, January 3, 2025. A close friend to many and an integral part of the Black Voice News and IE Voice legacy, he, along with family, clergy, and community leaders, organized nonviolent protests to demand justice in response to the tragic death of fellow Riverside native Tyisha Miller, on December 28, 1998.
The Brightest Star Inc. Founder Letricia 'Lea' Michelle Cash has Passed
Esther Gatica Letricia “Lea” Michelle Cash, born February 17, 1952, in Fort Benning, GA, and grew up in Brighton, MA, passed away October 15, 2024. Cash would eventually relocate to Southern California and in her education endeavors acquire two Masters Degrees. Cash would go on to become a pillar of the Inland Empire foster, education and outreach communities. Her greatest legacy is being the founder, president and CEO of The Brightest Star Inc.
Beloved Educator and Community Member Alicia S. Lee Passes Away
Esther Gatica Alicia S. Lee, a beloved mother, grandmother, and community member, passed away peacefully on August 31, 2024. Alicia was born in Brushy Creek, Oklahoma, commonly known as Brushy Lake.
Marion Black Jr.: A Life of Service and Dedication Remembered
Esther Gatica Ecclesia Christian Fellowship Church hosted a Celebration of Life Ceremony for the incomparable Deacon Emeritus Marion Black Jr. Black was born September 23, 1937, in a small farming town in Kentucky to Marion David and Geneva Lenora Black. He attended what was then Kentucky State College, now Kentucky State University, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in commercial teachers education.
Attorney, accountant, and family man Richard Nevins passes away
Last Updated on April 4, 2024 by Esther Gatica Richard Nevins, a prominent attorney, accountant, church member, and beloved family man, passed away on March 17, 2024. He was raised in Cleveland, Ohio, and then pursued a BA degree in Journalism from Northwestern University. For three years he volunteered in the U.S. Peace Corps serving in Ngoral Guidal, Mauritania, and in Notse, Togo, West Africa.
PlayGround-LA Presents Season 12 BEST OF PLAYGROUND-LA
Get Access To Every Broadway Story Unlock access to every one of the hundreds of articles published daily on BroadwayWorld by logging in with one click. Email: Existing user? Just click login. PlayGround-LA has announced the selected plays and playwrights for our twelfth annual year-ending ten-minute play festival: BEST OF PLAYGROUND(LA) '24!, featuring works by Michael P. Adams, Damian Alejandro Arteaga, Esther Banegas Gatica, Rachel Harner, Cara Sanchez, and Evelyn Wu-Coffey.
A Life of Compassionate Service and Dedication to Veterans
Last Updated on January 23, 2024 by Esther Gatica “A life isn’t significant except for its impact on others.” Mark McKay Sr. lived such a life, a life of service and care for others in partnership with his wife Robin McKay. Together they served countless families through McKay’s Mortuaries, their family- owned business, with locations in Fontana, Riverside, Victorville, and Los Angeles.
Riverside Community Unites to Celebrate a Trailblazing Leader
Esther Gatica The Riverside community will gather this Friday, January 26, to remember and honor Ofelia Valdez-Yeager, a dedicated educator, advocate, and community leader. The memorial services will include a 10 am Mass at St. Francis De Sales Catholic Church in Riverside, followed by a gathering at the UCR Student Recreation Center at 12 pm.
Black Voice News
Last Updated on October 17, 2023 by Esther Gatica Theater is its own form of magic, a medium that allows illusion and reality to co-exist to tell necessary stories.
A Life of Service and Leadership
Esther Gatica Eliza Daniely-Woolfolk who lived a fulfilling life of service to her family, friends and surrounding communities, passed away on Tuesday, October 3, 2023 Among her many contributions to the community was her long and committed leadership as CEO of Alternatives to Domestic Violence (ADV), a multi-service agency serving the western Riverside County. Her relationship with the agency dates back 26 years to 1997.
Celebrating the Life and Works of Dr Joseph A. Bailey I
Last Updated on July 18, 2023 by BVN Esther Gatica Ancient African scholar, historian, author, philosopher, humanitarian, doctor, veteran, professor and philanthropist, Dr. Joseph A. Bailey, II, passed away on April 7, 2023. On Saturday, July 22, 2023, family and friends of Dr. Bailey are hosting a celebration of life, at the Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California, located at 3933 Mission Inn Blvd., Riverside, CA., 92501. The event will take place from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Esther
Contact Esther, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack