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• Vol. 11 • January 18 - 24, 2024
MY TRUTH By Cheryl Smith PUBLISHER
THE REMIX I am excited about the Healthy Living Expo 2024 REMIX! Initially, we were all geared up for Dr. Martin Luther King Day on January 15, 2024. There would be the parade and then where the parade ended, we’d have an overflow crowd at the Realizing the Dream Healthy Living Expo at the African American Museum in Fair Park.
Couple’s Passion Leads to Launch Rochelle Brown blazed of New Smoothie King Franchise a trail in D/FW
Special to Texas Metro News
Well, the weather forecasts, that we had been following for 11 months, suddenly changed and snow was on the horizon. We understand the weather significantly impacted plans for many and we opted to continue with the program because some could not be rescheduled. Also, we know the Texas weather can be “different!” So, we checked with the facility and received full support from Dr. Harry Robinson and his team to come back on Saturday, January 20, 2024, with the parade, which had been postponed. We shared this information with the vendors on Monday See MY TRUTH, page 4
From Staff Reports
Husband and wife team, Kyle and Jamillah DeGroat’s passion for building a family legacy and creating a healthy lifestyle has led to the launch of their first Smoothie King franchise. Located at 7718 Forest Lane, the official grand opening celebration will kick off with a ribbon-cutting ceremony taking place on Saturday, January 20 at 11 a.m. The event is open to the public. See SMOOTHIE KING FRANCHISE, page 13
Rochelle Brown
Jamillah and Kyle DeGroat - Smoothie King Franchise Owners
Celebrating a KING
Dallas was on fire, despite the weather, at annual King Banquet!
Willis Johnson
Tramond Smith “Not your Granny’s Pound Cake” came in second place.
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Commissioner John Wiley Price and Dr. Frederick Haynes (r) with scholarship recipients.
JBJ Management was proud to be the first African American firm to be the title sponsor of the Dallas MLK Gala with Dr. Frederick D. Haynes III as keynote speaker and the Trailblazer Award to Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price. Scholarships were also presented to students and Willis Johnson of JBJ Management was on hand with remarks.
Long-time award-winning journalist Ellen Rochelle Brown, will be remembered in services this week. Word traveled fast of her death on Saturday, after a brief illness, and tributes rolled in from across the country. Known for her bubbly personality and wide smile, as well as her attention to detail and expert story-telling, Rochelle, as she was called by many, was a highly respected journalist and television producer. A product of Dallas Independent School District, she attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas where she received her B.F.A. degree in broadcast See ROCHELLE BROWN, page 11
Realizing the Dream Healthy Living Expo Dr. Suzanne Slonim, Sanko and Ayanna Smith were the judges for the pound cake contest.
Photo: Cheryl Smith/TMN
held at African American Museum
Ozell Graham (front) of Frisco reacts as American Red Cross employee Joe Wiseman places the puncture needle during Realizing the Dream Healthy Living Expo on, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, Jan. 15, 2024, at African American Museum of Dallas. The Don’t Believe the Hype Foundation, in conjunction with the annual Dr. MLK Parade and the City of Dallas, presents the 7th year of the Realizing the Dream Healthy Living Expo. Photo: Shafkat Anowar/Staff Photographer/DMN
This story, originally published in The Dallas Morning News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas.