GREATER TEXAS AREA
FEBRUARY 16, 2020
OPINION & EDITORIAL
YOUNG HEADS Truth And Love By Isaiah Robinson
We’re young and “grown,” but damn we have so much to learn about being grown! It feels good to be free and no one can tell you nothin’ or what to do because you’re an adult. We tend to think we know everything when evidently, we don’t right now. We young millennials have so many dreams for ourselves and plenty of goals that we’ve set for the future; however, we catch ourselves in webs and traps that we may have heard when we were younger from our parents about the real cold game of LIFE. If we want to learn about the game, we’ve got to learn from those who have a joystick in their hands now or the ones who’ve punched in their last time clock. The “old heads” before us may come at us foul about how to play this game and what we need to know, but don’t kill the messengers; they know what this game is like and some have been dealt a bad hand and/or even worse. As we collect the jewels the elders give to us to
hold on to, be attentive to the gems that are given to you. Some of those who’ve come before us may be jealous of the younger generation because of the path that we’re on that they never took, but now know they should have; so, they give you a tainted jewel to misguide you. But there are many more who are sincerely trying to guide us. As we grab those pearls of wisdom from our teachers, we have to collect the diamonds from our own bad mistakes and experiences and learn from them. Some of our young heads have already felt what life when we take the wrong path, and for others, well, that path is right around the corner. We’ve seen, heard and --for some--observed what will happen if we take the road that leads to our own destruction; so, it’s up to us to decide if we learn from what the older generation and our parents tell us. The truth doesn’t feel good, but our predecessors only tell us because they care, and they’ve been down the road we’re walking through. Our people don’t want us to feel the same pain they did. We have a lot to learn about “being grown,” and the only person in the way of our dreams is ourselves. At the end of it all, we just need to LISTEN!
FROM H-TOWN TO HOLLYWOOD
‘HAIR LOVE’ AT OSCARS
AFRAMNEWS.COM 3
HIGHLIGHTING NATURAL BLACK HAIR IN HOLLYWOOD
Whoopi Goldberg
De’Andre’s story grabbed headlines when the Barbers Hill Independent School District told him he could not walk with the graduating class. He was invited to the Academy Awards by former NBA player Dwyane Wade and his wife, actress Gabrielle Union.
LOS ANGELES, CA. – From being told to remove his dreadlocks or don’t attend graduation, to walking on the red carpet at the 92nd Annual Academy Awards, De’Andre Arnold is proudly showing everyone he will not be bullied into chopping off his hair, which is now the center of national attention. “It’s like, look at me,” the Texas teen said in an interview with the New York Times. “The little kid with dreads is at the Oscars. While all the people at home are mad? I’m at the Oscars.” De’Andre was invited to the Academy Awards by former NBA player Dwyane Wade and his wife, actress Gabrielle Union, who were producers of the animated short film “Hair Love,” which took home Oscar gold. The Wades paid for travel and accommodations for De’Andre and his mom, while Dove paid for their hair, makeup, wardrobe, and tickets. The touching animated short features a Black father who learns how to do his young daughter’s hair while his wife is in the hospital. The film was written, produced and directed by Matthew A. Cherry, a former pro football player, and co-produced by Karen Rupert Toliver. The film also features the
voice of Issa Rae (“Insecure”). When asked about what excited him the most about going to the Oscars, De’Andre said, “I’m excited to see all the celebrities, just being close to them you know. Just breathe the same air as them, I guess.” De’Andre’s story grabbed headlines when the Barbers Hill Independent School District told him he could not walk with the graduating class if he did not change his hair. Even though he has worn his dreadlocks throughout high school, he was suspended in December. De’Andre, who is African-American with Trinidadian descent, has been growing his dreads for years because of his culture and believes the policy is sexist and a violation of his civil rights. The teen’s parents removed him from Barbers Hill High School and placed him in another school. De’Andre has gained support from Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and Cal. Governor Gavin Newsom. And during the Oscars, he received a shoutout from Cherry during his acceptance speech. Congratulations De’Andre! Continue to celebrate the beauty, uniqueness, and power of your hair.
Bob Marley
Ava DuVernay
Wale
