African-American News&Issues

®

Vol. 18 Issue 52

Southeast Texas

“Your Money & Your Vote are the two most powerful things you have; Be careful who you give them to.” ~Roy Douglas Malonson, Publisher~

January 20-26, 2014 | FREE

The State of “The Dream” in 2014

Progression or Regression?

See MLK pg. 4

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Read us online! www.a f r a m n e ws .c om

First Cabinet Meeting of 2014

I’m glad to be able to pull together my Cabinet for the first official Cabinet meeting of the year, and I want to wish everybody a wonderful New Year.

We’ve got a lot to do in 2014.

As I’ve said before, this is going to be a year of action. We’ve seen the economy improve. We want to maximize the pace of our recovery, but most importantly, we want to make sure that every American is able to benefit from that recovery, that we’re not leaving anybody behind and everybody is getting a fair shot.

I was very pleased to see the House and the Senate agree to a budget and to put forward a bill that will fund our government at levels that allow us to take some important steps to provide the services and the help that Americans need and American families need in order to get ahead in this economy. And so I would urge that Congress pass that funding measure as quickly as possible so that all these agencies have some certainty around their budgets.

And Congress is going to have some additional work over the course of the next several weeks; specifically, it’s important that they do something about unemployment insurance.

Although we’ve seen improvements in the economy and job creation in our economy, I think we all know

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that there are a lot of hardworking Americans out there who are desperately looking for a job, and unemployment insurance is not only good for them and necessary for them, but it’s also good for our economy as a whole and will actually accelerate our growth if we go ahead and get that done. We know that we need to get immigration reform done -- a major piece of unfinished business from last year.

So Congress is going to be busy, and I’m looking forward to working with Democrats and Republicans, House members and Senate members, to try to continue to advance the economic recovery and to provide additional ladders of opportunity for everybody. But one of the things that I’ll be emphasizing in this meeting is the fact that we are not just going to be waiting for a legislation in order to make sure that we’re providing Americans the kind of help that they need. I’ve got a pen and I’ve got a phone -- and I can use that pen to sign executive orders and take executive actions and administrative actions that move the ball forward in helping to make sure our kids are getting the best education possible and making sure that our businesses are getting the kind of support and help they need to grow and advance to make sure that people are getting the skills that they need to get those jobs that our businesses are creating.

And I’ve got a phone that allows me to convene Americans from every walk of life -- non-profits, businesses, the private sector, universities -- to try to bring more and more Americans together around what I think is a unifying theme: making sure that this is a country where if you work hard, you can make it.

So one of the things that I’m going to be talking to my Cabinet about is how do we use all the tools available to us, not just legislation, in order to advance a mission that I think unifies all Americans -- the belief that everybody has got to take responsibility, everybody has got to

Politics President of The United States

work hard, but if you do, that you can support a family and meet the kinds of obligations that you have to yourself and your family but also to your communities and to your nation.

We’re already seeing some examples of that. In fact, this week I’ll be traveling tomorrow down to North Carolina to talk about a manufacturing innovation hub that we initiated, talked about in our State of the Union last year. It’s going to be moving forward. And there are a lot of folks down in North Carolina who are excited, because it’s a perfect example of the kind of public-private partnership that can really make a difference in growing our economy faster and creating the kinds of good-paying jobs that help people get ahead.

I’ll also be pulling together university presidents from all across the country to talk about how we can make college education more accessible to more young people around this country. And we’re going to be bringing CEOs from across the country to also have a conversation about commitments they can make to start hiring the long-term unemployed -- people who oftentimes have terrific skills, have a great work ethic, have wonderful experience, but because of the misfortune of having been laid off or lost their jobs during the depths of an extremely severe recession, have been out of work long enough that now we’re finding it’s very hard for them to just get in the door and make their case to an employer; that there’s some screening that’s taking place for people who have been out of work for more than a month or two and it makes it harder for them to get the kind of shot that they need. And we’re going to try to work with CEOs to make a pledge that we’re going to take a second look at these Americans

Texas • December 9-15, Texas January12-18, 20-26,2013 2014 Texas •• August 2013

New TTI Chairperson

Houston City Council Member Larry V. Green, presenting District K, has been appointed chairperson of City Council's Transportation, Technology, and Infrastructure Committee by Mayor Annise Parker.

The Transportation, Technology, and Infrastructure Committee (TTI), oversees the City’s Information Technology, General Services, and Public Works and Engineering Departments, as well as the Rebuild Houston streets and drainage and water resources and conservation projects. In addition, the TTI Committee oversees the interest of the City of Houston relative to the Harris County Metropolitan Transit Authority (METRO), the Port of Houston Authority, and the Houston Airport System. The TTI Committee oversees revenues and expenditures who are very eager to get back to work and have the capacity to do so, but aren’t getting the kind of shot that they need.

So, overall, the message to my Cabinet and that will be amplified in our State of the Union is that we need all hands on deck to build on the recovery that we’re already seeing. The economy is improving, but it could be improving even faster. A lot of people are doing better than they were in the depths of the recession, but there are still a lot of folks who need help. And I am absolutely confident that in 2014, if we’re all working in the same direction and not worrying so much about political points but worrying much more about getting the job done, that we can see a lot of improvement this year, and people will look back on 2014 as a year in which we didn’t just turn the corner in the aggregate for the economy, but everybody started feeling a little more optimistic about our futures.

Council Member Larry V Green TX Dist. K

garnered from the City's General Fund, Enterprise Funds and Special Revenue Funds. The Committee is comprised of 12 out of the 16 council members that serve on City Council.

“I respectfully thank the Mayor for appointing me as Chair of the TTI Committee. I’m looking forward to spearheading this Committee and moving the City’s transportation, technology, and infrastructure needs forward.

Through the collaborative efforts of my council colleagues, I'm confident this Committee will find solid solutions to Houston’s infrastructure needs," states Council Member Green.

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. ~Martin Luther King, Jr.

R.D. Malonson S.A. Malonson Darwin Campbell Chandra Jarmon Bria Taylor-Johns Rebecca S. Jones

Publisher President/C.E.O. Managing Editor Production Web

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by African-American News & Issues, Inc., 6130 Wheatley Street, Houston, Texas 77091, (713) 692-1892. Our office hours are Monday-Friday, 8:15am - 5pm. The entire contents of the paper are copyrighted by African-American News & Issues, Inc. All rights reserved. Material in this publication may not be reproduced in any form without the expressed written consent of the publisher.

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African

Texas • January 20-26, 2014

Edit rial & Opini n

Wishful Thinking Won’t Define 2014; Our Work Will Rev. Al Sharpton President, National

2014, the start of a fresh year. Everyone seems to hit the ground running with lofty resolutions and goals that most will unfortunately broke before Dr. King’s birthday. That is why we must pause and ask ourselves, what exactly will define this year? Instead of merely wishing, we must come to the realization that we have to put in work in order to see the change which we desire. This year in particular, we are at a crossroads. Will we see a shift in Congress?

Will we elect individuals that represent our interests and fight on behalf of us? Will we see immigration reform? Will we see a preservation of affordable health care for all? These issues and more will be determined by how much actual, concrete work we ourselves put in. The days of wishful thinking and flowery rhetoric are long gone; what matters instead is how much effort we’re willing to make and how we will turn a checklist into a reality. Time waits for no one.

In the fall, Americans will once again hit the voting booth.

And the importance of the midterm elections cannot be understated. In 2010, we saw the rise of the Tea Party that effectively swept their candidates into office. Not only did they alter the balance of power in

Congress, but by doing so, they helped determine the direction the country would move. It’s incumbent upon all to look at the 2014 midterms and ask: which way will we proceed? Will the Tea Party outwork progressives?

Will the left outwork the right?

Who will rally their base and rally consistently to make their base get out and vote? Who will be disciplined and focused, rather than distracted and emotional?

This year, more than other years, will outline the path of the next decade or two. In other words, the time for complacency is over, and the need for direct action is long overdue.

Recently, I delivered my new year’s sermon at National Action Network’s (NAN) weekly rally.

During my speech, I outlined NAN’s agenda for 2014 which includes preserving and protecting voting rights, tackling economic inequality, dealing with high unemployment, building businesses within the community and re-energizing the battle around a criminal justice system that works for everyone. These are some of the key goals that NAN will proactively address head on by implementing concrete steps and a plan of action. Whether it’s organizing on the ground in communities across the country, establishing voter education drives/registration, conducting job training programs, holding elected officials accountable, pushing for better schools or more, we will strategize and galvanize from coast-to-coast.

American News&Issues

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“We MUST never forget slavery, lynching, Jim Crow Laws, the disrespect of the Black race and the first Black president.”

Everybody is trying to Steal “Our Dream”

W

hile AfricanAmerican News&Issues has chosen to honor and celebrate the life and legacy of the late great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in this edition, there is one thing that came to my mind.

After seeing and witnessing the cries of his people (the Black race) fervently and consistently fighting for freedom in a land that was built upon the concept “In God We Trust”. Dr. King had a dream, a dream that he stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial building in Washington, DC, and declared as loud as he could to any and everyone that would listen.

Undoubtedly in his mind, I can’t help but to think that he was reminded of the hundreds of years that his ancestors, mines and yours endured while in slavery, oppression and bondage and at the same time losing their lives and freedom. King badly wanted for his generation and those that would follow, to have the same thing that White folks already had which was simply civil rights. That’s it, just a dream to be treated like a decent human being. Is that too much to ask for? Some may say, “No” but how I wonder…

Recently, I referred back to an article published in 1963, which stated that, “Congress were still debating whether Negroes or

human or property”.

Now, here it is over fifty years later and we Africans living in America are anxiously waiting for Dr. King’s dream to be made manifest.

You see, African-American News&Issues readers, I can remember as a child growing up in the heart of Acres Homes, there were only two races. Either you were Black or White, there was no in between. I remember when Hispanics, Asians, Chinese and all other races were considered and labeled as White. Back then, Black folks stood out on a platform all by themselves and fighting by themselves.

However, here we are in the year 2014 and now everybody is trying to benefit from the dream that our progenitors worked, fought and died for.

So in all actuality, I can’t help but think that everybody is trying to steal our dream. I state this because even though Dr. King was the originator of the I Have a Dream speech; as time went on his dream became our parents, ours, our children and even our children’s children dream. That speech ignited a spark within Black people all around the country and even though we knew we would not see justice and freedom totally at that time; I Have a Dream gave us the faith and hope that we needed to sustain us until

- Roy Douglas Malonson

We MUST Understand

By Roy Douglas Malonson, Publisher

that dream became a reality.

Nevertheless, here we are still fighting to attain the contents of that dream.

We MUST Understand that, even though there is currently a Black man occupying the highest seat in the nation that any man can and serving as president in the form of Barack Obama, we still have yet to make it to the mountaintop.

You can say what you want, but when the issues that plagued our race decades and centuries ago are still present today, but in modern forms. I would still have to state that we HAVE NOT arrived.

Concluding, I would just like to convey that, throughout the years that are a number of things that have been stolen from us. A prime example is the fact that, many of the inventions that are existent today are here because of Black inventors. Yet, this fact is never publicized, highlighted or expressed in textbooks or in great detail of American history. I stated that because, I just believe that we should stand together and declare that, “our dream” is “our dream” and we should unite together, lest more things are stolen from us!

all original responsLetter to the Publisher found Weesinwelcome from our readers to content the African-American

News&Issues. Letters to the Publisher may be sent via e-mail to news@aframnews.com.

Please keep all letters under 300 words. Be sure to include the author’s name, area of residence.

All letters and articles may be verified before they are published. All letters are subjected to editing or being cut for spacing purposes. Thank you in advance for your submission.

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African

American News&Issues

MLK from pg. 1

HOUSTON- While still honoring the achievements and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., many who marched with him in struggle after struggle have tough talk and offer a reality check for a generation they say has neglected to take the fight and dream to the next level.

“I don’t believe that Dr. King would appreciate what is going on now among our people and out community,” said Pastor F. N. Williams, lifelong Houston Civil Rights Activist and pastor of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church. “The dream is still good, but we have neglected our responsibility to fulfillment of the reality of that dream” Williams, now 85, comes from a long line of freedom fighters in Houston who have been on the front lines working for voting rights and for promoting saving African-American heritage in communities and neighborhoods.

Despite the gains, justice pioneers see that the AfricanAmerican community has stepped back from the dream at a critical time when attention is needed to fight critical issues such as the assaults on erasing Black history, economic justice, jobs for African-Americans and the alarming rates of incarceration of African-American males and females in the prison system.

He said one of his main concerns TX- 4

is how African Americans have quietly allowed protections and gains secured by King and others in the Civil Rights Movement to regress.

According to Williams, the emphasis on civil rights and voting rights has been under attack by state and federal governments and the courts, but Black have responded with little urgency or priority.

Martin Luther King Jr. devoted his life to fighting for racial equality, social justice and civil rights for all citizen. His work had great impact on the Black community and set the stage for African-American advancements in education, politics and business. That focus cost him his life being felled by an assassin’s bullet in Memphis, Tennessee in April 1968.

Williams, like other freedom fighters feel that today’s dream has transitioned from the social to working to ensure that the community not only survives economically, but that its residents can build and support stronger family and community structures.

“Dr. King gave his life for freedom and the cause,” Williams said. “We must hold the system accountable with the only power we have...The Vote.”

Other issues being neglected include moving from dream from simple social justice model to a new model that addresses eco-

Cover Story

nomic and criminal justice.

Pastor Virgil Wood, 83, a civil rights activist who marched and protested with King for 10 years in places like Boston, Mass. and Lynchburg, Va., said the state of the dream is in critical condition, but African-Americans hold the key to changing the state of that dream.

“The community has suffered a massive power outage,” Wood said. “The dream is in intermission, but it is time for that intermission to close and for the performance to resume.”

According to Woods, the dream has become too ceremonial and limited to lip service and remembering King instead of embracing a brave new fight to take the dream to the next level.

“It’s a disgrace to Dr. King to make this simply ceremonial outplay,” he said. “We need to stop jitterbugging on Martin’s grave and become serious and concerned about real injustices and the “De-niggerization” of America.”

Woods said that attack on the race by rich white established power structures is diluting the Black power base at every level and affecting our ability to follow in the steps of ancestors, who with little resources and education and under death threats and lynch mobs became successful inventors, infrastructure builders, established colleges, opened banks and held influential local and national political offices.

“We demand nothing and we get nothing,” he said commenting on the regressing state of the dream. “It is time we stop neglecting the present challenges, mobilize and bring the fight back to the people and the press (media) back to the struggle.”

Black Historical Society Executive Director Ovide Duncantell said advancing the

dream can only happen when we care about the dream first and foremost.

“The problem is us,” he said.

“It will not be important unless we stress it and demand it to be taught in our churches and as history in our schools.”

Duncantell added that it is imperative that young and old in the Black community start focusing on knowing facts about the struggle and important moments and people in Black history.

“The MLK dream is alive, but moving forward at a snail’s pace,” he said. “It needs to move faster and people need to develop a new sense of urgency and do our parts to see it through.”

According to Duncantell, now 77, one of the greatest problems African-Americans face in the future is the lack of knowledge about their past.

“We are blind because our history is not coming to us from the sources it needs to come from,” he said. “With a commitment to share that history, the younger generation will come forward if we lead them.”

Woods said Black people can only continue to progress when people redefine their commitment and goals in the struggle and work to eliminate the root causes of crime, poverty and restore economic conditions to the point where it fully addresses the needs and concerns of every part of the Black community.

“Advancing the dream means having a strategy, putting a game plan in place and a complete team on the field,” he said. “Today, there is too much competing and not enough cooperating. We hold each other back as long as we have that attitude.”

Woods stressed that AfricanAmericans must develop a the kind of community spirit that calls on the race to “rise together” and demands an economic justice plan that is designed to lift people up from the bottom of the economic

Texas••January August 20-26, 12-18, 2014 2013 Texas

ladder, not just help the middle class Americans.

“American model is a failure,” he said. “The poor have no place at the table and unless we go all the way down and pick them up and no longer leave them behind in the process.”

He also said if the Black community does not regain touch with its roots and history and the urgency of the dream, the dream is doomed to falter and wither.

Pastor William “Bill” Lawson of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church said the dream has hope if that dream can be revitalized in the community through parents, the family and children.

“History shows us the wonderful examples of fulfillment of Dr. King’s dream,” he said.

“However, it only represents partial fulfillment and progress.

The concept is here, but the reality is not. We have not arrived.”

According to Lawson, despite the election of a Black president, governors, mayors and having CEOs running top American companies, taking the next step is vital to preserving that dream and ensuring social, economic justice and political relevancy in the future.

His main concerns center on the increasing economic and earnings gaps between the rich and poor.

Lawson said the new dream must also be a conglomeration of ideas and concepts from Dr. King, Malcolm X, Mahatma Ghandi, Nelson Mandela and other worldwide figures who have made great strides and impacts fighting social, economic and criminal injustices.

“The dream is more complex than being able to drink at the same water fountain,” he said. “It is a human dream with an overall goal of true unity, quality and justice for all. Progress depends on taking the next step.”

Cover Story By: Darwin Campbell, African-American News &Issues

Texas •January 20-26, 2014

Erasing Black History

Community

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By: Darwin Campbell, African-American News &Issues

Trampling on AfricanAmerican history is common in the United States and now the U.S Postal Service wants to be the next government agency to do just that.

Officials want to close the site Southmore Station at 4110 Almeda- a move that is one more attempt to erase and dilute African-American history and heritage in the Houston area.

The proposal has enraged residents who want to site preserved, since it represents one of the most provocative and visible statements about African-American civil rights struggle in the 1960’s.

“This is just one more way the system is using to erase Black history,” said F. N. Williams, pastor of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church.

“We must stand up for this post office and any other historic site threatened with elimination. We will not allow history to be wiped out.”

The site marks the spot where the first sit-in demonstration was held to protest and challenge segregated lunch counters at the Weingarten Supermarket and resulted in changes helped usher in the era of integration.

Activists sent letters by

priority mail to postal officials in support of protecting Black history and the vital services provided to the poor and elderly living near the site.

“We will fight for this site because of its connection to history and need in the community,” said Kofi Taharka, leader of the National Black United Front Houston Chapter.”We will not be swindled by smooth talking officials or politicians.

We cannot allow the people living here or the history here be neglected or set aside.”

Taharka said the movement as a result of the proposal

has brought together a cross section of support from the community, including the elderly, college

TSU students stand at Texas Historic Marker commemorating first sit-in in Houston

students, business leaders, Blacks and Whites.

Ovide Duncantell, executive director of the Black Heritage Society, said the proposed closing is a cold slap in the face for community leaders and freedom fighters working to preserve a legacy of rich history and heritage throughout the Houston area.

“This is not a small thing,” Duncantell said. “It is up to us to let the powers that be know that our history is important and stake our claims to protect it, especially for the future of our young people.”

He also said the closing would create hardships for the elderly and poor residents who depend on the availability of postal service there.

The outcry has caught the

eye local representatives in Washington joining the fight to support efforts to keep the site open.

Congresswoman Shelia Jackson Lee said on the proposed closing of the of the post office, “History can never be undermined, and it can never be rebuilt.” She has vowed to work with citizens to resolve the issue.

In a letter to the Postmaster General, Congressman Al Green added, “I understand that the Postal Service has difficult decisions ahead of it due to financial problems that they continue to face,” Congressman Al Green said. “However, I ask that the historic importance of this post office, where the first sit-in demonstration in Houston occurred in 1960, be considered to a greater extent along with other factors before any decision to close or relocate this post office is carried out.”

Williams and Duncantell said their greatest concerns center on the constant open attack on school names, buildings and other sites with a significant community history linked to African-Americans. He also

noted how formerly predominant African-American areas of Houston have now been diluted, transformed, changed and renamed covering the history of the past.

“It’s part of the plan to erase from history and memory the wrongs that were committed,” Williams said. “If we are not vigilant and careful, our history will be wiped out to the point of not having a history or a past and that would leave us little direction or hope for the future.”

Duncantell added. “The most important thing we as a people can do is stand up for history.

I hope this starts a movement that will stop any activity that impacts the poor and elderly in our communities.”

Both believe it will also spark a new larger grassroots movement to preserve and teach respect for history.

Written comments in support of the station remaining open can be sent to: Sandra A. Rybicki, Real Estate Specialist, U.S. Postal Service, Southern Facilities Service Office P.O. Box 667180 Dallas, Texas 75266-7180 TX- 5

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Beware of New Rules for Home Loans

Soon, new rules for home loans will take effect. In fact, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and now FHA loans are all subject to the new Qualified Mortgage (QM) Rule. As part of the new regulations, most lenders will require that homebuyers’ debt not exceed 43%. For FHA loans this will also include student loans, fees and property taxes.

This comes five years after the big housing collapse and the formation of the new Consumer Financial Bureau. The Consumer Financial Bureau was created due to prior findings of a wide range of bad lending practices. Is it over reacting? Maybe, but the new regulations surely have everyone’s attention.

Unfortunately some of the new rules could be the barrier to accessing funds for most of our communities. Will obtaining a home loan be difficult? Yes, but definitely not impossible.

According to State of Housing in Black America

Andrea Hillard Cooksey Broker

(SHIBA) 2013 report, all racial and ethnic groups lost household net worth during the economic crisis; however, it has been much more severe among the African American and Latino communities than for non-Hispanic Whites.

Large investor pools are the average homebuyer’s competition. Investor pools do not need loans, and they are buying houses in our neighborhoods for cash with the intent to rent these homes back to consumers like you for five years. What happens in five years? Consumers like you were intimidated into believing that you could not purchase a home, will now pay a higher rate and increased value for the exact same property.

YOU HAVE BEEN ROBBED!

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African American News&Issues

Texas • January 20-26, 2014

What’s Happenin’ in 2014

January

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Saturday 100 Black Men Casino Couture 220 Main St Houston, TX 77002 From 8pm - 1am For more info contact: www.100blackmenhou.org

Jan. 30 - Feb. 23 Thursday - Sunday Ensemble Theatre The Meeting 3535 Main St Houston, TX 77002 *Various Showtimes* For more info contact: (713)520-0055 www.ensembletheatre.com

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Friday Houston Museum African-American Culture Film Screening “Mother of George” 4807 Caroline St Houston, TX 77004 Beginning at 6:30pm For more info contact: (713) 526-1015 www.hmaac.org

1

February

Saturday Acres Home Chamber for Bus. & Eco. Dev, Inc. Digital Computer Classes *Members Free* 6112 Wheatley St Houston, TX 77091 From 10am - 12pm For more info contact: (713) 692-7161 Fax: (713) 691-7131 info@acreshomecenter.org

Feb. 1 - Feb. 2 Saturday - Sunday

Houston S.H.O.P. Houston Creole Heritage Festival Mardi Gras Parade 6320 Madden Rd Houston, TX 77048 (2/1/14) From 6pm - 2am (2/2/14) From 10am - 12am For more info contact: www.houstoncreolefestival.com

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Saturday New Mt Olive BC Workshop 4706 E. Mt. Houston Rd Houston, TX 77093 Beginning at 6pm For more info contact: (713) 306-5020

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Saturday Houston Museum African-American Culture Film Screening “Brownstones to Red Dirt” 4807 Caroline St Houston, TX 77004 Beginning at 1:30pm For more info contact: (713) 526-1015

Feb. 4 - Feb. 5 Tuesday - Wednesday

Ministers Conference Opal Johnson Smith Auditorium Prairie View, TX 77446 Beginning at 9:30am For more info contact: (936) 261-3590 Thursday

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Feb. 8 - Feb. 9 Saturday - Sunday

HPD

Chief Charles A. McClelland

Acres Home Chamber for Bus. & Eco. Dev, Inc. Networking Luncheon 6112 Wheatley St Houston, TX 77091 From 11am -12:30pm For more info contact: (713) 692-7161 Fax: (713) 691-7131 info@acreshomecenter.org

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Friday St. Paul AME Church “God’s Army...The Fighting AME of St. Paul” 1554 Gears Road Houston, TX 77067 Beginning at 7:30pm For more info contact: (832) 722-1905 admin@stpaulamehouston.org

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Friday Buffalo Soldiers Nat’l Museum Black History Month Essay Contest Essay Submission Deadline: February 7, 2014 For more info contact: (713) 942-8920 info@buffalosoldiermuseum.com

Post Your Event Here!

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St. Paul AME Church Exhibition 1554 Gears Road Houston, TX 77067 (2/8/14) From 10am - 5pm (2/9/14) From 1pm - 5pm For more info contact: (832) 722-1905 Sunday New Mt Olive BC Men’s Annual Day 4706 E. Mt. Houston Rd Houston, TX 77093 Beginning at 3pm For more info contact: (713) 306-5020

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Sunday First Baptist Church FBC Praise Dancers 844 Fortune St Houston, TX 77088 Beginning at 11:30am For more info contact: (832) 892-5078

Email your Community Event information to

news@aframnews.com

2 weeks in advance

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Saturday Houston Museum African-American Culture “Troop 491: The Adventures of the Muddy Lions” 4807 Caroline St Houston, TX 77004 Beginning at 6:30pm For more info contact: (713) 526-1015 www.hmaac.org

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Thursday Houston Museum African-American Culture Film Screening “Sing Your Song” 4807 Caroline St Houston, TX 77004 Beginning at 7pm For more info contact: (713) 526-1015 www.hmaac.org

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Friday Buffalo Soldiers National Museum 14th Annual Gala Bayou City Event Ctr 9401 Knight Rd. Houston, TX 77045 Beginning at 6:30pm For more info contact: (713) 942-8920 buffalosoldiermuseum.com

Support those whom support you!

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Friday Houston Museum African-American Culture Forever, For Always, For Love 4807 Caroline St Houston, TX 77004 From 6:30pm-Midnight For more info contact: (713) 526-1015 Saturday Acres Home Chamber for Bus. & Eco. Dev, Inc. Digital Computer Classes *Members Free* 6112 Wheatley St Houston, TX 77091 From 10am - 12pm For more info contact: (713) 692-7161 Fax: (713) 691-7131 info@acreshomecenter.org

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African

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Educati n/Y uth

Texas • January 20-26, 2014

PARENTS STEP AHEAD WELCOMES NEW DIRECTOR

DALLAS– Tuccoa Polk brings 15 years of experience in education, child advocacy, and nonprofit management to her new director position at Parents Step Ahead.

“I am excited to join the Parents Step Ahead team. PSA has made a huge impact in the Dallas/Fort Worth area by empowering and educating parents on how to be advocates for their children’s academic success by increasing parent involvement,” Polk said. “I am honored to have the opportunity to continue fulfilling our Founder’s vision to reach more families and increase parental involvement statewide and across the country.”

“We are very happy to have Tuccoa Polk join Parents Step Ahead. Her expertise and skills will help us enrich and expand PSA’s reach in the community,” Lupita Colmenero, founder of Parents Step Ahead said.

Prior to joining Parents Step Ahead, Polk served as School Corps Regional Manager of Kleo, Inc. in Grand Prairie.

Her career experience has been devoted to education and child advocacy, managing statewide technical assistance and training centers in both California and Oklahoma. She has had great success working with parents by training, supporting and empowering them to be advocates

January proclaimed School Board Recognition Month

January 2014 is School Board Recognition Month—a great time to focus on the crucial role Aldine ISD Trustees play in the community and Aldine schools.

Plan now to show AISD school board members you appreciate their dedication and hard work. They are extraordinary people who voluntarily tackle the enormous job of governing Aldine ISD. Their actions and decisions affect the present and future lives of Aldine’s children.

“Our Board works tirelessly and devotes hundreds of hours to lead our students to success,” said Aldine ISD Superintendent Dr. Wanda Bamberg. “Setting aside time in January is one small way to celebrate their service to our community and say thanks for caring so much about the future of every child in Aldine.

“School Board Members shoulder critical responsibilities as advocates for our children. They face difficult challenges and make hard decisions with the overall goal of promoting student achievement,” Dr. Bamberg said. “They serve as the passionate voice for public education and help ensure the future of our state and nation. We truly appreciate every TX-8

Dr. Wanda Bamberg, AISD Superintendent

Board Member for voluntarily tackling the enormous job of governing our local school district.”

Recognizing Aldine ISD’s Trustees for their commitment and sacrifice takes a combined effort on the part of all those they serve: administrators, school staff, students, and the community. Even though showing appreciation should be a year-round process, taking advantage of the designated School Board Recognition Month in January ensures that these important people receive some of the thanks they deserve.

for their children, as well, as partnering with school districts to create campus cultures that encourage and support parental involvement.

Polk succeeds Valerie Braun-Reyes, who previously held the position of program director for four and a half years.

Braun-Reyes joined the Irving Independent School District as the new marketing & social media coordinator this month.

About Parents Step Ahead Since 2006, Parents Step Ahead, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, has devoted itself “to recognize, educate, enable and empower parents to take a proactive role in the educational

HOUSTON - Students receive information all year long about college and careers from teachers and school counselors, but on Spring ISD’s annual Alumni Day, they get to talk about those subjects and gain personal insights from former classmates.

Recent graduates from all over Spring ISD returned to their high school campuses on Spring ISD Alumni Day to speak about their own transition to life after high school.

At Westfield High School, the alumni represented graduating classes from 2002 through last year. They visited with students in classrooms and were available to answer questions throughout the lunch periods.

“It’s a joy to come back. It’s nice to pay it forward,” said Steve Lam. He went on to say that the students were asking questions about college life, and looking for advice about registering for classes and applying for scholarships.

“The transition from high school to college is big. You have to really work at your study skills, and I advise them to start preparing now,” said Lam. Westfield’s College Connections Counselor Dr. Clara Lauderdale is helping the students do just that - prepare. “Students have been

and personal development of their children.” The organization works in partnership with school districts, corporations and community organizations to offer a series of school-based programs for parents of all backgrounds throughout the school calendar year. Educators, motivational speakers, community volunteers and parenting experts present seminars on topics such as gang awareness, drug use prevention, underage drinking, computer literacy, Internet safety, raising kids with love and logic, and health and financial issues.

For more information contact Karina Ramirez, Communications, 214-357-2186,

Tuccoa Polk

karina@parentsstepahead.org or Lupita Colmenero, Founder, 214357-2186, lupita@parentsstepahed.org.

SPRING ISD ALUMNI DAY

Westfield Senior Briana Dawkins speaks with Westfield Graduate 1 1213_FAST_Ad_2x2.pdf Steve Lam during Spring ISD Alumni Day

applying to colleges all year, and now we are concentrating on applying for scholarships. The alumni have been urging our students not to wait to get those scholarship applications completed,” said Lauderdale.

Lauderdale helped organize the event at Westfield, and saw 37 alumni return to offer advice and encouragement to her students.

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Drama In The Church

Pastor Jamal Bryant

Pastor Jamal Bryant’s fall from grace began with an extramarital affair that tore up his congregation and destroyed his marriage. I went to his mega church, the Empowerment Temple in Baltimore, Maryland, to talk about the affair that ended his marriage, disrupted his congregation, almost destroyed his ministry; but changed him as a man and as a preacher. An interview retrieved from Roland Martin’s Reports revealed the following: MARTIN: Several years ago, all of a sudden you’re on TBN – PASTOR BRYANT: Yes. MARTIN: — and folks are saying, “Oh. He’s the next.” “He’s the next great preacher.”

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BRYANT: Right.

MARTIN: You’re being called by churches left and right – BRYANT: Right.

MARTIN: — and here you are, a young pastor – BRYANT: Yes. MARTIN: — [of a] thriving, growing church. And all of a sudden, those temptations meet you head on.

BRYANT: Well, I didn’t have a litmus test, you have to understand. I was a national televangelist since I was 29, and the whole world had opened up for me in every stage. I’m preaching in arenas, convention centers, mass – mega churches.

I was quickly becoming a household name. So, nothing in my mind ever said, number one, I would ever get caught; number two, that – [chuckles] – my wife would ever leave; number three, that my church would tank out.

MARTIN: Walk us through.

What happened?

BRYANT: I stepped, Roland, outside of my marriage and had an extramarital affair that ultimately ended in a divorce to an incredibly wonderful woman – not because anything was flawed in the marriage, or in her; but in my own immaturity for the level that I was getting ready to go into. And when that happened, I think I was one of the first – if not the first – I don’t want to take the honor – the first real black pastor to go through being castigated over the Internet. My oldest daughter is 15, and I had to go to Atlanta, where it is that she lives, because a teacher said something sideways to her, and she was absolutely traumatized.

If nothing else, this has been

Religi n

the most humbling process that you’ve got to keep reliving it and explaining it and dealing with it and defending it. And nobody really understands that when you’re in that public spotlight, you don’t have the opportunity to process in private.

So, when I went through a divorce, Roland, it wasn’t between just me and my ex-wife.

It was 12,000 people who were members of my church going through it at the same time, whose heart was broken, whose expectations were absolutely dashed. I had members arguing to protect my name in beauty salons and in supermarkets, and it was one of the most harrowing experiences of my life.

I lost, like, 17 pounds going through the stress of it. Had to go through therapy for a year [and] watch my ministry really disintegrate in front of my hands while I’m still trying to salvage what was left of what I was going to do in ministry.

And I’ll never forget a critical conversation I said to my dad.

I said, “Dad, you know, this is it. There’s no way I’m going to resuscitate.”

My father was in Los Angeles at the time, was bishop over that jurisdiction. “Dad, you[’ve] got to get me a church in California. Get me outta here.”

And my father, Roland, asked me a critical question: “Were you preaching for applause? If you were preaching for applause and for people, it was a performance. But if you were preaching because of your calling, your assignment, the same passion you had when there were thousands is the same kind of intentionality you’ve got to have now that it’s been reduced to hundreds.”

Texas • January 20-26, 2014

And I went to that pulpit some days broken, battered, depressed, stressed the heck out. I didn’t want to be there, and just kept preaching. And I watched, slowly, but surely, God beginning to rebuild it: new families, new groups, an absolutely different congregation. But God has been faithful even when I was unfaithful.

BRYANT: The last few years have been a ride for me. It’s – hallelujah. I’ve learned a lot.

I’ve suffered a lot. I’ve endured a lot. I’ve grown a lot. I’m scared to even tell you what my life looked like three years ago, but I never thought in my wildest dreams that three years later this is where I would be.

But God was training me for destiny.

MARTIN: Here, you preach one thing – BRYANT: Yeah.

MARTIN: — and then you talk about – and I’m sure in your sermons you were – BRYANT: Yeah.

MARTIN: — integrating your wife and children into those – BRYANT: Yeah, absolutely.

MARTIN: — and loving and caring. And they’re saying, “Okay, I’m hearing one thing, but you did this.”

BRYANT: Right.

MARTIN: “I’m confused.”

To continue reading visit our website at www.aframnews.com Sin 19 ce 94

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Texas • January 20-26, 2014

Texas HBCU Corner T:9.75 in

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HE CHALLENGED US ALL TO BUILD A BETTER AMERICA. His vision for us was a nation of possibilities guided by the ideal of freedom.

And grounded in a commitment to making sure everyone has the opportunities all Americans are promised.

T:5 in

Prudential is proud to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. And we’re committed to helping provide a more financially secure future for all of us.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington D.C. attracts millions of visitors annually. We’re honored to have helped fund its creation.

© 2014 Prudential Financial, Inc. Prudential, the Prudential logo, the Rock symbol and Bring Your Challenges are service marks of Prudential Financial, Inc. and its related entities.

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Leadership Program

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LaRachelle Smith, Danielle Hairston-Green, Jakari Bates, & Phillip

The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education. ~MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

PRAIRE VIEW - The College of Agriculture and Human Sciences recently completed a leadership apprentice initiative that seeks to empower students for life beyond college. The Student Leadership Apprentice Program (SLAP) puts a spin on the typical student worker experience by offering leadership training in addition to their traditional work duties.

Students who were selected for the pilot program participated in a daily leadership practicum, three focus groups, and completed a program evaluation at the end of the semester. During the course of SLAP, students held meetings with

seven members of the executive leadership team of CAHS to gauge their opinions, thoughts and understanding regarding several areas of leadership.

“The goal of this program is to groom students to be ready for leadership opportunities in the field of agriculture upon graduation, navigating through the workplace that is generationally different, in addition to supporting traditional text book mastery,” said Danielle Hairston-Green, a coordinator of the SLAP program.

The students were also responsible for disseminating the impact of the work done in the College to internal and external audiences

by way of the College’s Marketing 1/16/14 11:54 AM and Communications department.

According to Hairston-Green, the participating students were responsible for completing a Personal/Professional Leadership Plan which outlined their vision and goals. The plan allowed students to outline their reflections as well as the insights and new leadership perspectives gained from the program.

Hairston-Green and SLAP co-coordinator LaRachelle Smith traveled to Tuskegee University earlier this month to present the findings of the program during the 71st Professional Agriculture Workers Conference.

Support OUR Texas HBCUs! If WE don’t, then who will?

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