Vol 27 Issue 17

May 15, 2022

GREATER HOUSTON EDITION

African-American News&Issues

“Addressing Current & Historical Realities Affecting Our Community”

Vol. 27, Issue 17 Warning! Your democracy is under attack. Your vote, your education, women’s rights, and your life. History is repeating itself.

- Roy Douglas Malonson

CURTIS GRAVES

THE FIGHT FOR CHANGE Cont. on Pg. 3

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May 15, 2022

EDITORIAL

President/Chief Editor

Chelsea Davis-Bibb, Ed.D.: Associate Editor Nick Jones: Afram TV Tristar: Layout Design

News:

Partin’ the Waters

By Omowale Luthuli-Allen

Office: (713) 692-1892 Wednesday – Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

GREATER HOUSTON EDITION

Who speaks for Me and my DNA Someone just received a gift, and someone received a curse. A draft ruling of the Supreme Court leaked into the public and has stirred anxiety driven pandemonium. Both sides of the political spectrum are hesitant about looking a gift horse in the mouth.

The implications of this decision casts ominous clouds over the 2022 midterms and the Presidential election of 2024.

We will consult on the midterms and national election in a later serious polemic, but today I ask the question, who speaks for me. Who speaks for a brother that firmly believes that women and men-both get pregnant? Who speaks for the brother who believes that there is a shared responsibility for the well-being of a child? Who speaks for the responsible brother who would like to know that his genetic material is going to be destroyed? Do men deserve a voice in the decision to keep or terminate a pregnancy?

The Honorable POTUS Biden did not write the draft opinion and must

contend with the Democratic Executive Committee. He also must contend with Jill Biden. Both are devout Catholics. Making the DNC unhappy is one thing but making Jill Biden happy is another thing. Consider Mama in your decision. If you go too far out on the limb, expect a revolt. The saying, Happy wife happy life is true. I guarantee you that POTUS Biden has had a family discussion.

I plead that we have a family discussion about the sanctity of genetic material. In cases of rape or incest, maybe the woman has veto power, selfishly determining who has the power of reproductive control. After all, many men are merely sperm donors and Peter Pans who don’t want engagements or responsibilities.

What about those who kill and eat bullets to protect family and country. When Baytown native blues singer Joe Tex sang about the woes of a foxhole in Vietnam, he was thinking about mama and family.

If we can’t have equality in mutual decision making, perhaps we can be complementary, combining angles to make a triangle. Some of us love the product of our lovemaking.

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Think About It

By Dr. John E. Warren

Roe v Wade, Voter Suppression, and “We” The Voters The current uproar over the leaked draft of the U.S. Supreme Court’s anticipated Decision on Abortion Rights is another example of the Republican Right Wing effort to eliminate democracy under the cover of the very Constitution which provides all our democratically protected rights. We have seen the attack on Voting Rights by the actions of the Republicans in the U.S. Senate who refused to support not only the Voting Rights Act but also the John Lewis Act and the legislation coming out of the George Floyd murder.

These are the same Republicans who we now know plotted to overthrow the U.S. Government on January 6, 2021, with their efforts to stop the certification of President Joseph Biden as President of the United States. These are the same Senators who prevented former President Obama from making a United States Supreme Court nomination while

these same Republican Senators rushed through two conservative nominations who are now a part of the long-awaited overthrow of Roe v. Wade.

What we do know is that Primary Season is upon us and that we all have a chance to make some choices and changes if we look closely at who is running for what offices around this country and in our own backyard. “We” the people, must not lose control of the U.S. House of Representatives, nor the U.S. Senate. The Senate hangs on “one” vote tied at 50/50 because of the two Independents that vote with the Democrats.

We now know that what we saw with Voter Suppression laws in over 22 States was just the beginning. Roe v. Wade is the second step in the attack on Civil Rights following Voter Suppression. Next, we are seeing references to changing such Constitutional rights as the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection and Due Process guarantees, as well as provisions of the Civil rights Act. We should not get overwhelmed with the magnitude of the attacks but rather understand and remember that our votes represent the solutions to preserving our For more visit rights. aframnews.com

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May 15, 2022

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POLITICS

THE FIGHT FOR CHANGE By: Chelsea Davis-Bibb, Ed.D.

It was Margaret Mead who said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” For Curtis Graves, a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, has fought his entire life for change.

His great grandmother was born into slavery with her White father and slave mother. She was one of eight children, and out of all the children, she was the only one who was purchased by her White half-brother who then freed her in 1861. During her enslavement, she convinced her half-brother to sell she and her husband some of the land he owned, and so he did. By 1881, they were not only free, but were landowners.

His mother was also born on that same property. As he reflected, Graves stated, “That kind of shaped my upraising because I was raised in a house with my mother, my mother’s mother and my father.” He discussed how this is what people did back then and how we should be doing it now. a lot of my “I credit

Curtis Graves

understanding of history to the Graves’ blood as his father was fact that I was raised with these a board member of the NAACP two old people who had a wealth (National Association for the of knowledge that I would have Advancement of Colored People) never picked up on if I was just and was “always involved in visiting them once every month anything political.” His mom was on a weekend.” a dressmaker who did clothing for Growing up, Graves’ the wealthiest people parents sheltered him in town. He learned from “having to face a lot from life by the humility” his simply watching mom experienced his parents. as a child when His parents she couldn’t go were not into the church going to let for a White anyone treat wedding them as if when she they were had attended nothing. “I the church was raised before in a house several where times. people L to RDue to cared about Commissioner this, she one another Rodney Ellis vowed to and Curtis and cared keep her Graves about not children being treated from the like they were less realities of than.” segregation.

Before he moved to Houston, The lies they told him were, he attended Xavier University for “We rode in the back of the bus two years, and then left because because it was cooler…or we sat he wanted to get away from home. upstairs in the theater because it He then transferred to Texas was a better seat. His parents “had Southern University (TSU) a lie for everything.” where he met Eldrewey At the age of ten, he came to Stearns, a law student at TSU. his senses and realized what was Stearns had gotten stopped going on. His mom then explained one night for a traffic to him what segregation was, but violation and when he took for Graves, he never felt like he out his wallet to show his was “less than anybody,” stating, driver’s license, there was “That shaped my life because… a picture of a White Girl, I’ve always been the kind of and “they roughed him up person who’s going to fight for just for having a picture.” what I think is right.”

Stearns went to the city Politics has always run in council to discuss what

happened and the city council, who was made up of White guys dismissed the case. Not satisfied, and with advice from someone close to him, he demanded action. “He went back to campus and gathered a few of us who were like minded and we had a meeting in one of the rooms in the administration building…and we decided tomorrow (that day was March 4, 1960), we would walk down from the campus to the Weingarten store and sit-in and desegregate the lunch counter.”

This was the beginning of the sit-ins west of the Mississippi River. Graves further stated, “It was a tumultuous time and we all committed ourselves to try to do this in a nonviolent way.”

Rev. William A. Lawson, founding pastor of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, was the new campus minister at TSU during that time, and Graves and the others consulted him and asked if he would train them in nonviolence.

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L to R- AD Marks, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Curtis Graves

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May 15, 2022

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EDUCATION

SUCCESS WITH THE BAR

By: Laisha Harris

HOUSTON - Twice a year, the Texas Board of Law Examiners has what lawyers call a “Bar exam.”

Before a lawyer can engage in the practice of law, they must pass a comprehensive multi-tiered exam filled with multiple-choice and essay questions. At Thurgood Marshall School of Law, there are a handful of students who began their studies at the peak of the COVID pandemic yet passed the Bar exam with scores high enough to practice law in multiple jurisdictions.

Historically, the justice system has been implemented against Black men and women. In 1946, the Texas Constitution mandated segregation in schools. Herman Marion Sweatt applied to the University of Texas Law School but was denied because he was a Black man. Shortly after, the Texas State University for Negroes was formed, providing higher learning in law, education, and medicine for Black students in Houston. As Thurgood Marshall was a judge who heard Sweatt’s case, the law school was named the Thurgood Marshall School of Law. As of 2021, only 5% of Texas attorneys are Black, although they represent 12% of the Texas population. At Thurgood Marshall, 59% of the law students are Black. As we continue to make strides towards equity in our communities, students like Tedrick Hawkins, Justyn Edwards and Derick Grandoit are doing their part to Protect It, Improve It, but most importantly, Pass It On. This past Sunday, ThurGreat esquires hosted “Free Game” to share their tips and success on how they conquered the Febru-

ary Bar Exam. “Seventy days, almost 12 hours every day,” says Hawkins. “I started with 25 practice questions. As I got closer to the bar, I would do more than 50 questions a day. I made sure to see every subject each week. Con[stitutional] law was my hardest class in school, but that was my highest score on the bar.”

them into flashcards. Repetition and frequency with multiplechoice questions provided foundation of their success. “There’s only so many ways to ask a question,” says Grandoit.

How did they remain consistent? “Knowing the why. We would have conversations about what we

Justyn Edwards

Tedrick Hawkins

Derick Grandoit

Amongst the three, test taking resources like Barbri and Kaplan were used, but later abandoned for Adaptibar. While there was a wide array of questions, the explanations weren’t very clear. Edwards shared that he looked at the most frequently tested rules and made

wanted to do when we passed the bar. We would make a list and now that we’ve passed, we can start crossing off those things,” says Grandoit. “Also, studying in a group. Being in the same room low-key forces you to hold yourself accountable to get-

ting your studying done. I would pick up my phone and then look around, I’d see Derick and Teddy weren’t on their phone, so I’d put it down and get back to studying,” shared Edwards.

What do they recommend to other students who anticipate taking the bar in the future? “Just graduate and when it’s time for the bar, go overboard with your grind,” says Hawkins. “Take the bar prep classes at school!” The trio shares that if you start studying early, by the time you get to your bar course, you’re fine tuning your bar skills and can be more prepared for the exam. “Have a group that knows your why and everybody is working towards the same goal,” says Edwards. “Prioritize the subjects you study.

Be sure to give more time to the subjects you need more help on so you can improve by the time bar comes around,” says Grandoit.

These three Class of 2023 graduates perfectly exemplify the values of Thurgood Marshall School of Law. While the road they were on is less travelled, having been the first law school class to endure a global pandemic, they are truly blazing a path. Hawkins will continue to work for a corporate firm. Edwards and Grandoit plan on opening their own firm, specializing in criminal defense and personal injury.

“Coming from a family with no lawyers, I was focused on becoming the first in my family to do so,” says Edwards.

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May 15, 2022

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COMMUNITY

STEPPINGSTONES TO GREATNESS By: Crystal Toussant

HOUSTON - Renee Logan, Dr. Janice Beal, and Dr. Carla Brailey were the masterminds who conceived the idea to partner with the Holocaust Museum Houston to bring grade school Black girls ages 10 – 13 years old from the Greater Houston Metropolitan Area to view the Notorious Ruth Bader Ginsberg (RBG) Exhibit.

Renee is one of the sponsors of the RBG Exhibit and was approached by the Chief Executive Officer, Kelly J. Zúñiga, Ed.D. to develop an event to engage Black Girls and Women. These dynamic accomplished women wanted to expose intercity Black girls to RBG’s journey and the legacy of her esteemed law career.

The event Steppingstones to Greatness was conceived out of the desire to make certain that each young lady knows the importance of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s extraordinary career of beating the odds, which served as an inspiration for our first African American Supreme Court Justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson.

Each young lady was given a free tour of the Notorious RBG Exhibit where they completed a scavenger hunt to learn about the intricate details of the people, places, and things that influenced her career and life’s work. Notably, Paulie Murray was one of RBG sheroes in law. Paulie was an openly lesbian Black attorney who clerked for Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, whom we all revere as the first Black Supreme Court Justice in the United States of America.

The Holocaust Museum Houston’s exhibit on Ruth Bader Ginsberg is a testament to the perseverance, dedication to justice for all, and indomitable spirit of a woman who knew she was destined to help change the world. Each of the hosts of Steppingstones to Greatness is an amazing woman in her own right.

Renee is a philanthropist, and long-standing businesswoman as the President and C.E.O. of Access Data Supply, which is responsible for forecasting and budgeting, strategic partnering, client development, and engagement, along with business development and marketing from a national platform. Dr. Janice Beal is the Clinical Director of Well Being in Color and Primary Therapist where she has served 8,500 students in New York and Houston to be at the forefront of solution-oriented mental health work during the pandemic.

Then there is the trailblazer, Dr. Carla Brailey, who is the first Black woman to run for Lieutenant Governor, Senior Fellow of the Barbara Jordan Institute of Policy Analysis, and a Professor at Texas Southern University.

The awesome hosts had the vision to invite some of the greatest legal minds in Harris and Fort Bend

Counties to share a little Black Girl Magic from the bench. These well accomplished, caring, and generous Black Women Judges headed the call to action: Judges Latosha McGill Clayton, Ramona Franklin, Tamecia Glover, Jeralynn Manor, Kali Morgan, Fredericka Phillips, Toni Wallace, and Wanda Adams.

From the Notorious RBG, to the Illustrious KBJ (Ketanji Brown Jackson), to the examples of Black Girl Magic on the bench, every young lady’s face in the room lit up with joy as the judges County took time out of their busy schedules to put on their robes and gracefully glided to their rightful places on the stage to share a wealth of insight,

knowledge, and encouragement.

It was empowering, inspiring, & motivating to everyone in the room. Every judge had a unique perspective that turned on light bulbs for everyone. During the event, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee called in from a Pro-Choice Rally, which was a testament to her dedication to serving our community on every level. We were then blessed with the insightful and loving support of Councilwoman Dr. Letitia Plummer, who reminded every young lady that you can create your own path.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED: TO SIT IN

By Chelsea Davis-Bibb, Ed.D.

HOUSTON-Inspiring, powerful, educational, historic, and phenomenal are just a few words I would use to describe the play, “You Are Cordially Invited To Sit In,” which was written by ShaWanna Renee Brown and directed by Aaron Brown.

The play takes place in Houston TX, spring of 1960 in The Eldorado Ballroom. The play is centered around the lives of four Black college freshmen, who want to have fun, fall in love, pledge, and be successful. They are living in a time where the world is segregated and on their educational journey, they team up to join the fight against inequality and racism. They also learn things about

themselves along the way.

One thing that made this play such a great production was that it was based on a true story surrounding the 13 Texas Southern University (TSU) students who made an impact in Houston on March 4, 1960, when they peacefully chose to sit-in at the “whites only” lunch counter at Weingarten’s grocery store. These students were motivated by the first group of students in Greensboro, North Carolina who did the sit-in at a Woolworth’s lunch counter.

The purpose of the sit-ins was to help desegregate Houston and other parts of the country during a time where Blacks had little to no rights and were considered

L to R- Rayevin Johnson, Stephanie Jones, and Sarah Sachi PHOTO CREDIT: Melissa Taylor

L to R-Kaleb Womack, Rayevin Johnson, Sarah Sachi, and Jordan Okeke PHOTO CREDIT: Melissa Taylor

less than. For these students, it was their bravery, their courage, and passion for equality that led the TSU-13 to demand change.

Their efforts were not in vain as a few months later, some Houston businesses desegregated. The amazing part of this story is how they made change in Houston in a peaceful manner unlike some other parts of the country who experienced great violence during that time.

Playwright ShaWanna Brown wanted to showcase the history in Houston and “tell the story of these brave Texas Southern University students, celebrate their accomplishments, and publicly recognize how we benefit from their brave actions.” As a native Houstonian, the history of Houston means a lot to her, and she mentioned the importance of preserving history. She stated, “Change is inevitable, but erasure is a choice: We need to keep all the historical aspects of all our neighborhoods intact.”

Back then, there were many migrations that occurred during the 1930s through the1960s where many Blacks moved to the south for a better life, including the migration of ShaWanna Brown’s grandparents, Leo (played by Jordan U. Okeke)

and Mae Florence Mays (played

by Sarah Sachi). She wanted to honor her grandparents, and include their love story, their dreams, their challenges, and their determination to reach those dreams despite all odds against them. Okeke and Sachi did an amazing job portraying her grandparents and the love they had for each other. Through these characters, it was a love story the audience could connect to.

Furthermore, the acting overall was phenomenal. The characters were truly engaged, connected to their roles, and the chemistry between them made everything seem real. The storyline was not only sensational but included educational elements such as displaying pictures and excerpts from that time period to educate the audience and give them a true visual of what was going on.

In addition, this play was also a musical and showcased many relevant great hits during that time such as Mr. Big Stuff, sung

by Charline (played by Rayevin Johnson), Ain’t Too Proud To Beg, sung

by Elijah (played

by Kaleb Womack) and Leo.

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