African-American News&Issue

DECEMBER 5 - 11, 2016 | FREE

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VOL. 21 ISSUE 46

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American News&Issues

Editorial & Opinion

New Public Safety Chiefs Understand Houston’s Diversity Hon. Sylvester Turner City of Houston Mayor

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n 2017, our Houston police and fire departments will be under new leadership. Art Acevedo of Austin is assuming the position of Houston police chief and El Paso’s Samuel Pena

Roy Douglas Malonson Chairman Shirley Ann Malonson President/C.E.O. Chandra Jarmon

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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, 9am - 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. African-American News&Issues is not responsible for any claims made by advertisers.

The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the publisher.

African-American News&Issues assumes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs and other material, unless accompanied by a self-address stamped envelope.

Letter to the Editor

W

e welcome all original responses from our readers to content found in 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.

will take over the fire department.

I want to thank Acting Police Chief Martha Montalvo and Acting Fire Chief Rodney West for their service. They performed exemplary in dealing with some challenges and we are indebted to them. Chief Acevedo and Chief Pena will be part of the City management team that carries us into 2017 and beyond. We are going to build upon the successes of 2016 and be even more transformative, innovative and responsive.

Not only do I want capable managers, it is also important to have a leadership team at City Hall that is able to understand the different populations they serve.

I know there is a lot of concern about the future these days. In Washington we are seeing the transition of power from one administration to another and that has caused worry for some of our residents. Please know that Houston has always been a welcoming city and that is not going to change no matter who is in the White House. I chose Chief Acevedo and Chief Pena because they understand this and share my strong commitment to keeping our residents safe.

Chief Acevedo has served as Austin’s police chief since 2007.

His 30 years of law enforcement experience began as a field patrol officer in East Los Angeles. In Austin, he oversaw a department with more than 2,400 sworn officers and support personnel and a $370 million annual budget. He joined the department at a time when relations with minorities were strained due to questionable police shootings. He has been credited for a commitment to police legitimacy, accountability and community policing and engagement. His accomplishments in-

clude creating a special investigative unit to criminally investigate officer involved shootings and a new disciplinary matrix. Chief Acevedo holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration from the University of La Verne, is a graduate of the FBI’s National Executive Institute and speaks fluent Spanish.

Chief Pena joined the El Paso Fire Department in 1995 and then rose through the ranks to the position of fire chief, which he has held since 2013.

He has previous experience as a fire fighter, paramedic, media spokesperson, advanced medical coordinator, Combined Search and Rescue Team member, Hazardous Materials & Special Rescue Task Force member and academy training chief. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Texas at El Paso.

He is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force where he served for four years as an air control specialist.

Like Acevedo, he is fluent in Spanish.

We are a dynamic, diverse and growing city. We will keep growing regardless of the policies that are made, and we will continue to nurture our strong connections to the rest of the globe. It’s time for all of us to roll up our sleeves and join together to move our City and country forward. There are many challenges ahead that will need all of our talents and hard work for the benefit of everyone.

Chief Acevedo and Chief Pena will be by my side as we tackle what lies ahead.

Please join me in welcoming them to Houston!

Texas • December 5 - 11, 2016

Identity Politics And Rumors Of Its Death Are Premature Rev. Al Sharpton

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President, National Action Network

ver the last couple of weeks, we’ve heard many people say that the recent Presidential election was the death of so-called identity politics. That we can no longer identify groups African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, women, the LGBTQ community, etc. - to get specific support and should instead deal with a broad message that appeals to all groups. While I agree that people seeking national or statewide office must have a vision that will address and resonate with all constituencies, it is a misconception that identity politics is defeated or repudiated by this last election. And let’s be clear, those groups didn’t ‘identify’ themselves; they were victimized by those that made unemployment, immigration, wages, criminal justice and more unequal for them.

Since the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into a law, there were any number of efforts from both the right and left to stop candidates from dealing with specific identifying groups and their concerns. Throughout the decades, whether it was angry White men, or Democratic leadership of the ‘90s, or the Tea Party movement, or others, there was no new outcry to listen to and address those that have suffered from systemic racism or have been historically disenfranchised. Instead, we saw a build up of an alternative reality that later led to a false proclamation that the Obama election made us somehow ‘post-racial’. The truth is, we have much work that remains before us.

Those that don’t want to deal with institutional racism, gender bias, Islamophobia, homophobia and more, quite naturally don’t want

to see candidates or office holders address inequities. While it is crucial that we tackle income inequality and class warfare, we cannot do so without addressing racism and discrimination. Society must still deal with bias based on race, religion, gender and sexual orientation even if we resolve income inequality. Rich Blacks still face racism that Whites who are equal financially do not face. The same holds true for women and those in the LGBTQ community in many areas.

So when you have a drumbeat from the media, the right-wing and even Bernie Sanders saying that identity politics is dead, it’s important to note that it was never alive from those communities that they failed to have a track record fighting with and on behalf of.

In the context of this discussion about the Presidential election somehow being an indictment on certain things, it’s important to note that Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by more than 2 million votes.

Clearly, her message resonated with more Americans than Trump who would like to make up unfounded claims of ‘voter fraud’ to excuse his loss in the popular vote.

And what is perhaps most striking in all of this is the fact that the champion of identity politics in the 2016 election was none other than Donald Trump himself. He used racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia and more to appeal to an element of White blue-collar workers who he will now have to deliver promises that seemed far-fetched at best.

After such a grueling, vicious and long campaign cycle, there will be a thorough examination and parsing of what transpired. What messages worked, which ones didn’t? Why did some voters stay home and not participate in the process? What really galvanized some to vote for an individual who openly made disparaging comments about so many different communities?

To continue reading online visit Source: huffingtonpost.com

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TEXAS • DECEMBER 5 - 11, 2016

Editorial & Opinion

Why Hillary Is Right To Back A Recount, But...

Earl Ofari Hutchinson Author & Political Analyst

D

emocratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is right to back a vote recount in the three states — Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania — that gave Trump the White House. But there’s a big “but” after that.

First, here’s why she’s right to support the recount and how it will work.

She conceded too quickly on election night. Yes, President Obama reportedly urged her to concede in part because it appeared that she had little chance to win the three contested swing states, and in part because the established and near-sacrosanct truism in American presidential politics is that there must be a quick, fast and orderly transition to the Oval Office.

The horror of what happened in Florida in the Gore versus Bush tiff in 2000 still hung in the air.

However, 2016 is not 2000.

There’s a cloud over how the vote totals were gathered in some precincts in Wisconsin. Michigan is still up in the air with the state yet being too close to call. As for Pennsylvania, it’s one of a handful of states that still use electronic voting machines that are old, outdated and with no paper ballot back-ups to cross-check the totals.

It’s true that the bulk of the two to three million popular vote bulge that Clinton got over Trump came from the two-big lock down Democratic states, California and New York. The fact is that the pre-election projected vote differentials between Trump and Clinton were skewed heavily toward the Democrats. Put simply, more Democrats were projected to vote than Republicans in these states, and not one of them had voted majority for a GOP presidential candidate in recent presidential election cycles.

This doesn’t mean that that didn’t change this election. And that the GOP got more of its voters out than the Democrats. That’s certainly what the GOP and Trump claim, and they may be right. But Clinton did get a record breaking majority of popular votes over Trump, and that makes it imperative for Clinton to ensure that the vote count was as fair and accurate as possible.

The recount will also continue to stir the healthy debate and discussion over how America elects presidents. If Democrats keep getting popular vote majorities, as is almost certainly the case in future presidential elections, the great danger is that this will permanently jade voters — deepening the perception that the process is unfair, even “rigged,”— and this will badly taint the notion of what and how a true democracy should work when it comes to elections.

Nearly one hundred million adults didn’t bother to show up at the polls this election. That number could swell even higher in coming presidential contests if men or women keep winning the presidency with a minority of the nation’s votes.

All the exhortations in the world about being a good citizen, doing your civic duty and guilt-tripping people about how many died for the right to vote will fall on deaf ears with millions who will continue to shrug off going to the polls.

Now here’s the “but” part of the recount call. It almost certainly won’t change anything. Clinton campaign officials have pretty much said as much. The number of votes Trump got over Clinton in Pennsylvania appear to be too great to overcome, even if irregularities are found in some voting districts.

This means the electoral vote win Trump got in the state will stand.

Though there is suspicion about the vote in some precincts in Wisconsin, there as yet is no tangible evidence of theft, tampering or hacking to boost Trump’s numbers there.

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African

American News&Issues

The “Mexican” and the “Mis-Educated Negro”

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ecause African-American News&Issues is a publication that thrives off of reporting and addressing current and historical realities affecting our communities; I chose to highlight issues that are often overlooked in our community, but have existed to weaken our communities as well.

Firstly, I have to state that I have absolutely no problem whatsoever with education. In fact, I believe that education is one of the most important assets that a person can attain. However, it bothers me when some of these Africans living in America receive so much education that they actually become too educated. In situations such as these I deem these type of people to be the, “mis-educated”.

It bothers me that the more miseducated we get, the more it is that we think we have arrived. Some members from our community, go get all dressed up with a cap and gown on and a degree and ain’t got no damn where to go. Things that they used to do, they don’t do no more; places they used to go they don’t go no more; people they used to know they don’t know no more and homes they used to live in are no longer good enough for them to live in. This is the attitude of the “mis-educated” Negro. But the sad reality is that this mentality is constantly invading and destroying the future of our communities.

On the other hand, our Brown brothers and sisters (HispanicAmericans) from across the borders of Mexico are getting wiser and stronger in a nation that our parents, grandparents and progenitors have helped to build. But we can’t blame nobody but ourselves for what is happening. Because here we are in the year of 2016 and a great number of Mexicans ain’t got no education, but they are constantly thriving as a race of people. I tip my hats off to them for their efforts, because they take advantage of the opportunities that have been presented

before them. They don’t go around walking with their heads sticking in the air, thinking that everything is beneath them. Hispanic-Americans do what it takes to survive, a precious commodity that used to be a part of our culture.

The “mis-educated” Negro has gotten so important that he doesn’t even want to work to make money no more. Parking cars, construction work, landscaping and clean yards and legal hustles are just not in the view of some of our “mis-educated” Negroes.

I mean it is bad, because they just don’t want to do nothing because they done got “mis-educated” and think that they have arrived.

Some people may not get where I am going with this and may not even see how the “mis-educated” are hurting our communities.

So, I want to challenge the faithful and loyal readers of African-American News&Issues to consider this next question….

How is it that our parents and grandparents were uneducated with no formal education and yet were able to send our educated selves off to school and here it is in 2016; many of us are broker than they were? They had money and no education and here it is many of us have education and very little money. Once again, I’m not knocking education; but with education if you can secure a trade and learn how to do something on your own, it would make a world of difference. Why? For the simple fact that now we have all of these “mis-educated” people that can’t do anything. Instead, they have to call a plumber, electrician, yard man, painter, get their car washed at the car wash, amongst many other elements because they have become too good to do these things themselves. In the process of races and cultures are capitalizing and making money off of jobs and trades that Black people used to dominate in the workforce with.

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We MUST Understand

BLACKS SPEND $1.3 TRILLION; IF WE COULD CIRCULATE OUR DOLLARS WITH BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES, WE COULD HAVE

POWER AND ECONOMIC FREEDOM ~Roy Douglas Malonson, Publisher~

We MUST Understand

that a person can teach you anything and it be misleading or incorrect, but if you teach and research some things for yourself no one can take that knowledge away from you. So I am not attempting to demean or belittle our Hispanic-Americans, matter of fact I am complimenting them for being smart and doing what it takes to make it. My problem is with the members from our community who feel and believe that they are too important to get out and do what it takes to make it. It is true that no one can take your education away from you but they can take away the employment that you need to survive with all of the education that you have gained to acquire it. But, if you have a trade or something that you can do on your own you will never have to worry about making a living and supporting yourself of your family. I am expressing these things because we need to get back to doing for ourselves and becoming self-sufficient as a race of people again. So to all of our “mis-educated” Negroes, I urge you to go back to the drawing board and reexamine the paths that you have laid out for yourselves.

Take inventory and watch the other cultures around you and look and see that they are making it happen and they are doing it together. Stop, look, listen and learn!

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African

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HOUSTON – Some people live a lifetime sorting through various careers and are still unable to attain the perfect match to satisfy their fulfillment. On the contrary Marketta R. Rodriguez, owner of Serious Sounds Etc., has not. On December 14, 1991, she set out on a mission that nestled both her hobby and career in unison. Twenty-five years later, she is in the process of celebrating her stint of success operating as a Black business owner in the same community she was raised in.

Marketta Rodriguez is a native Houstonian of South Park. Her parents Joseph and Grace Rodriguez reared her and her brother Joseph Nathaniel, as devout Catholics at the St. Peter’s Catholic Church. Her passion for music developed at an early age. As a child, every Saturday morning she and her brother were required to do chores. While doing so, her mother always turned on the stereo for background music. During those days, there was no specific classification for genres of music aired, back then it was a sea of different tunes and melodies. Lou Rawls’, You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine could be heard one minute and Dolly Parton’s, I Will Always Love You, the next. Another facet of her life that added to this passion came when he mother sent her for piano lessons at the age of six. From this experience she began playing the piano and performing in various recitals and competitions, until she discovered a love for sports. Though she briefly traded her music book for basketball, volleyball and track, she never forgot her first love.

Rodriguez attended, St. Peter the Apostle Middle School and graduated high school from St. Agnes Academy.

Afterwards, she enrolled at the University of Texas. Initially, she began her studies as a Computer Science Business major but soon found herself, “bored” within the first semester. She decided to transition to the Liberal Arts department because it sparked her interest. Ultimately, she earned a degree in Sociology, with a minor in Philosophy.

FORMATION OF SERIOUS SOUNDS ETC. Once she’d completed her studies, she returned home with employment awaiting her. Previously, she’d secured a job with Exxon downtown. She was living in Third Ward at the time and vividly recalls visiting her mother on a Saturday morning to do chores. In doing so, she heard a record on the radio that she wanted. After finishing up, she went up the block to the local record store she grew up frequenting. Much to her chagrin, things had taken a drastic shift since her stretch in college. Though the TX- 4

Cover Story

local record store was still stationed there, everything but records was being sold. Once she scoped out the scenery, she immediately got in her car and went to her mother’s to inquire of where she could get a record from. Her mother didn’t have any answers because all of the record stores they’d known were closed down. After phoning a friend, she found that the only choices for her were between the Sound Warehouse in Meyerland and Sound Waves on Main (Downtown).

Filled with fury, she got in her car and drove to Meyerland to purchase this record that she just had to have. She shared that even though she made the trip she was mad the entire drive. She remembered wondering, “Why do I have to leave my neighborhood to give my money to White folks and I want to buy a Black record?” However, she was side-tracked when the Holy Spirit spoke to her and said, “You mad??? Well then do something about it!”

With merely one degree, a fervent love for music, a good job but no capital, an unction from the Holy Ghost and a mountain of determination; she made up her mind in that instant to, “do something about it”!

She brought all of her normal activities to a swift halt and submerged herself in researching avenues to launch a music store. From countless hours in the library to visiting record stores across the city, she remained dedicated to this newfound mission. Though she encountered opposition, it never detoured her from continuing on in her course. After going through this process for nearly a year, she finally placed and received her first shipment of music from UPS (25 albums, 50 CD’s and 100 cassettes). While picking up her supplies, she was questioned by a worker in regards to her plans. She explained her intent to the gentleman and he proceeded to ask her the whereabouts of the store that she was pursuing. After telling him, he said, “Man…. They are going to rob you blind on that corner!” At the tender age of 25, she still recalls receiving that type of response from various individuals. Nevertheless she insists that, it was more of an incentive and ignited an internal fire to make her work even harder.

During our interview I asked about the derivative of the name, Serious Sounds Etc. She explained that she had a childhood friend who owned a car stereo installation service at the time. The name of his shop was Serious Sound. After talking to her friend, Pat she had an ingenious idea. Rodriguez told him, “Once they install the stereos, they are going to want music. So I should call my shop, Serious Sounds Etc, because I’ll have the etcetera!” This concept proved to be a good

idea, in addition to being one that suits her personality. Because to know Rodriguez is to know that she is definitely Serious about Sounds! Unfortunately, her friend closed his shop some years later, but the name lives on…

When she first opened, she was still working at Exxon. Exxon did not necessarily approve of employees pursuing their own businesses’. So she would work early in the morning and maneuver her schedule to accommodate operating her shop from noon until close. She continued on in this fashion for about a year, when she realized that the business was suffering because she could not commit her undivided attention. Stepping out on faith, she decided to totally trust God and leave Exxon and completely provide all of her attention to Serious Sounds. That was January of 1993. It was a decision to this day, she does not regret. For what started out as a simple hobby, evolved into a 25-year mile mark in the historical, South Park. Rodriguez found that once she was able to dedicate her total participation, things quickly picked up for her. In places like California and New York, where the music decisions are made, she was then able to become a major player in retail.

STRUGGLES AS A BLACK FEMALE ENTREPRENEUR As one would assume, operating as a genuine 100% Black-owned business owner has definitely had its fair share of ups and downs. Firstly during that time, of all the independent retailers across the country less than ten percent of them were women. The average retailer in the music industry then, was usually a Black male around 60-years of age. Therefore, Rodriguez identified this element as being “intimidating”. Though it was a challenge, she could not let that discourage her goal. She knew at the age of 25, that she was equipped with fresh and new ideas. Initially, when attending conferences and other arenas for independent retailers, she would sit quiet. As time progressed on, she knew that she had to voice her ideas, concerns and opinions for the sake of her customers. Upon doing so, and finally being accepted she noticed the impact that it placed on continual growth of Serious Sounds.

In most cases, in order to be an integral ornament in the music industry; it is nearly a necessity to be a part of the nightlife and scenery. Deals are often made after hours amongst constituents of the culture. Be that as it may, Rodriguez never had a desire to mix and mingle because it was not her style or personality. Undoubtedly, this made her struggle even the more difficult. She said, “I always had to fight for whatever deals I

TEXASTexas • DECEMBER - 11, 2016 • August512-18, 2013

MARKETTA R. RODRIGUEZ

got because I wasn’t at the table when they were handing them out.” “There were times that I beat myself up, thinking that I could have at least played the part; but that just wasn’t who God wanted me to be.” As a result, she feels that she has been rewarded for maintaining her integrity because, many of her counterparts from back then are no longer in business.

Over time, other challenges would arise when criminals would break into her store.

To this day, she remembers the very first heartbreak that she experienced in reference to these violations. Rodriguez said, “When I walked in and saw everything that I’d worked for vandalized it broke my heart.”

She continued, “But I remember telling my mother, I know that I can’t keep them from coming in, but I can protect myself and make sure that my insurance stays paid.” “If they want to make sure that I’m down, they are going to have to knock me down so hard that I can’t get back up,” she added. Her mother encouraged her and instructed her to always keep that attitude. Since that time, the store has been broken into an additional six times or more but she has recuperated each time.

During Hurricane Ike, when residents were without power for weeks; criminals took the time to invade the store everyday for nearly a week. The effects were so devastating that she boarded the store up. She also put up a sign stating, “Hurricane Ike didn’t take us out the neighbors did!”

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TEXAS • DECEMBER 5 - 11, 2016

The Eagle’s Nest Newspaper

MISSION STATEMENT

“The faculty and students of Booker T. Washington High School for the Engineering Profession are striving for the successful outcome of its students through learning, companionship, research, and diligence.”

A Divided America

An Interview with Cadet Senior Chief, Jose Rojas

The students at Washington High see those who are involved walking the halls here and there wearing their club shirts and showing their school pride, but we rarely get an opportunity to know exactly what goes on in their organizations. Every Tuesday our cadets show their patriotism by dressing in uniform.

Many times, despite negative comments of some students who don’t see the value in their program, they continue on and even excel.

Kierrona Harris states, “The ROTC uniforms are lame, and who wants to walk around with their shirts tucked in.”

Another student, Rashaad Nora, added, “I would never want to be in ROTC because they have too many rules.”

Even with these opposing opinions, many student are passionate about what the program can do for them. One of those is Jose Rojas.

James: What do you think about our ROTC program?

Jose: “I think this program teaches about life. I feel great about the program as well as the program can do many things about people or cadets they can change their perspective on things and how the world works and they will prepare you for the real thing when you step outside of the program. The program will help me in the outside world by time management as well as public speaking as well as leadership.

My instructors are the best kind of teachers I can have they help me out with many things I’ve had troubles but I can turn to them as well as I love the way they run the class, the fellow cadets make the unit fun I like it.

Brian: How do you think your teachers can help you?

Jose: My instructors are the best kind of

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teachers I can have. They help me out with many things. I’ve had troubles, but I can turn to them. I love the way they run the class. The fellow cadets make the unit fun and I like it. As proof, I am standing here in my third year of the program as Cadet Senior Chief Rojas- and that’s the best part.

James: What does your rank mean?

Jose: It means that not only have I just been in the program for three years, but I have been acknowledged as showing leadership qualities and have performed community and unit service projects.

Brian: Why did you join the program?

Jose: It’s funny because at first I was just put in the program and I didn’t think it was entertaining at all. Then I really gave it a chance.

I realized that I want a career in the Armed Forces. I know that I want to help people in need, even people in other faraway places.

James: Would you risk your life to help people?

Jose: Yes James: What inspired you?

Jose: All of the events, whether positive or negative, that I read about and see on television that have happened around the world, especially like 911, problems with Isis and terrorism have really made me pay attention. I respect what the soldiers do to make people and places safe. I want to do this even though my family is not completely supportive of my plan. I’m still working on convincing them that I’m serious.

Brian: What would you tell a ninth grader who is thinking about joining Washington’s ROTC program?

Jose: I’d tell them not to listen to anyone.

See for yourself and give it a try. It is a great experience. It will help them prepare for their future dreams. I see personally how it opens opportunities in and out of school.

By:James Powell and Brian Dimas, BTW Students

With the nation still dealing with a case of election hangover, many Americans are now worried about the future of our nation. We all know the hot topics of immigration and hate that really highlighted the division among us in a country that is based on freedom and the acceptance of people no matter their religion, race, or culture.

This election was a diagnostic on American society as a whole and how we see each other. We got to see how citizens viewed living in the U.S, as well as their feelings towards the undocumented people and this put Trump and his supporters on a sizzling hot seat. Who knew that with after eight years with an African American president that we still have open wounds on race? These

wounds evidently were not healing, but festering.

We saw how times have changed with technology in which Clinton caught controversy with those thousands and thousands of emails that were leaked which caused Americans to raise their eyes with distrust of her. It really left America to decide between a liar and an extremist. Without a wave of young voters who were excited about the election process and a candidate, there was no positive electricity that made people passionate enough to go out and vote for sensibility and tolerance. We debated in front of the television, at work, at school and for some, even at church.

Any other time, debate is what we are proud of.

It is what brings conversation and compromise to the discussion table, but it brought to the table discussions about exclusion, hate and crude behavior. These deep tears in society makes cooperation hard to accomplish and tolerance seem light years away. So here we are- a divided nation. We are a country of three hundred and twenty five million twenty five thousand seven hundred seventy people and so even though one solution definitely will not work for everyone, that solution must at least consider everyone and strive to respect the needs of all citizens.

To continue reading, visit us online @ AframNews.com | By Jeffery Bonilla

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