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• Vol. 13 • May 29 - June 4, 2025

MORE HISTORY LESSONS Who are they and what are they to us?

Clergy addresses Target’s stance on DEI. Pictured- Dr. Frederick D. Haynes III leads movement on Sunday

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Glenn Heights - a Best Southwest favorite

Special to Texas Metro News

Cheryl Smith

MY TRUTH I used to love to sing the song “Who is he and what is he to you.”

Eloise Lundy Credit: Dallas Municipal Archives Bill Withers sang: I don’t know who he is But I think that you do folks’ business and little if Dadgummit any attention to the things Who is he, and what is he that should matter. to you When you consider all that’s going on in the world, I couldn’t sing this verse, you really could ask yourbut loved the group Cre- self if you are focusing on ative Source’s version: the right things.

You’re too much for one There’s going to be a dedman ication of a park this week, But not enough for two The Eloise Lundy RecreDad gum it, who is he ation Center.

And what is he to you Thanks for the invitation Councilwoman Carolyn Today I ask the question King Arnold. because of the overconSee HISTORY, page 22 sumption of being in other

METRO SPOTLIGHT

Stephanie Hamilton

GLENN HEIGHTS – For years, the City of Glenn Heights was a “best-kept secret” in southern Dallas County and northern Ellis County. These days, Mayor Sonja A. Brown said, “We are a thriving, multi-faceted, and forward-moving community with incredible potential.”

The city has indeed come a long way since it was incorporated in 1969.

In 1980, the city saw a population of 1,033, which has now catapulted to 19,883 in 2025.

The growth is more than just new rooftops and roadways, though.

Brown said, “It’s about vision, purpose, and people. We are intentional about how we grow, prioritizing innovative devel-

Council Member Sherron Mosley, Council Member Harry A. Garrett, Council Member Laymon M. Lightfoot, Mayor Sonja A. Brown, Council Member Travis Bruton, Council Member Stephanne Hale, & Mayor Pro Tem Cornel Benford II

opment, strategic infrastructure investments, and a high quality of life for every resident. From welcoming new families and businesses to improving

public safety and walkability, we’re building a city where people don’t just live - they belong, engage, and thrive.”

Glenn Heights has also

See GLENN HEIGHTS, page 8

From Fighting Fires to Igniting the Community, Westbrook is a Blazing Force of Change

By Sylvia Powers Correspondent Texas Metro News

DeSoto ISD is proud to celebrate its top teachers who were selected by their peers as a 2024-2025 Campus Teacher of the Year.

Stephanie Hamilton teaches at Amber Terrace Early Childhood Learning Center.

received high accolades over the past few years with the completion of its Government Center.

Some may know her as a fire investigator by day and a concert promoter by night, but the community knows Simmeana “Simmie” Westbrook simply as an agent of change.

“I’m always coming across people during a catastrophic time in their lives—something bad has happened.

Whatever the situation, it allows me to be of assistance, to show compassion, and to help in any way I can,” said Westbrook.

Westbrook joined the Air Force right out of high school and served for 10 years before deciding to return to Dallas.

With a career rooted in firefighting and a passion for concert promotion, Simmie Westbrook is always ready for the next challenge—especially if it means a win for the community.

Photo by Chanelle Harris

“Once I decided to come back to Dallas, I saw the fire department

was hiring. It seemed simple at the time—I’d just try to get a job with them,” she recalled.

That decision turned into a lifelong career of public service. She worked as a fire prevention officer in the Dallas Fire-Rescue team and retired in 2021 as a section chief. She now works as a fire investigator for an engineering and forensic firm.

In 2015, her passion for public service expanded into community engagement after attending a poorly organized concert.

“I was standing in my bathroom after the event and said to myself, ‘I could do this better.’ I had no idea where to start, didn’t know who to See FIGHTING FIRE, page 16

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Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announces Georgia Gubernatorial Bid

By April Ryan NNPA

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE – It is official: Former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is running for governor of the state of Georgia on the Democratic ticket.

At 6 a.m. this morning, Bottoms made her decision official.

The 55-year-old mother, wife, politician, and lawyer served as the city of Atlanta’s 60th mayor and now runs on the Democratic ticket to be governor of the state of Georgia. Bottoms was also on the shortlist for consideration as Joe Biden’s vice-presidential pick. A few years later, President Biden courted her for the position of Public Liaison in

the Biden administration.

In the lead-up to this decision and announcement, Lance Bottoms talked with Maryland Governor Wes Moore about her run.

She has enlisted his campaign manager, Ned Miller, for her gubernatorial efforts.

The former mayor of Atlanta says, “300 thousand people are in this state who don’t have access to health care because we have not expanded Medicaid.” She also focuses on tariffs that have impacted “600 thousand people in Georgia who have jobs directly related to the port of Savannah; that impacts their bottom line.”

Agrobusiness, better known as farming, is the No. 1 industry in that southern state. “They are having to absorb the costs as-

Keisha Lance Bottoms

sociated with the tariffs Trump is implementing,” added Lance Bottoms. If she wins this race, she will emphasize how she can “best deliver as governor to make it easier for you to make a living.”

Keisha Lance Bottoms is not the first Black woman to run for

the Georgia governor’s seat. In 2018, Stacey Abrams ran a gubernatorial campaign. Abrams won the primary but lost the general election. For Bottoms, there are lessons learned, “You take a look at those elections, you take the lessons, you see what went right, and you also see what you can do better and what you can build upon.”

During her conversation with Black Press USA, she was direct in her plans not to take the Black vote for granted. “We can’t take anybody for granted. I’ve never taken any of my supporters for granted. I’m gonna work to earn the support of Black people, white people, Asian people, Hispanic people, however you identify, I’m gonna work to earn your support

in this election.”

“What African Americans want is the same thing that other people want: they wanna know what will our elected officials do for us. How will our communities be stronger? How will they be better, and can we look to you in our time of need to make sure that we have elected officials who were thinking about us and fighting for us.” The former lawyer acknowledged, “That transcends race.”

By the way, Keisha Lance Bottoms is the executive producer of a Netflix show, She The People, which follows a fictional character, a Black woman elected Lieutenant Governor in Mississippi.

“The timing was not what I orchestrated. I think it’s great timing,” boasted Lance Bottoms.

George Floyd Five Years Later: Was it a Moment or a Movement?

Marc Morial

TO BE EQUAL “All Americans are entitled to live with the confidence that the law enforcement officers and agencies in their communities will live up to our Nation’s founding ideals and will protect the rights of all persons. Particularly in African-American communities, we must redouble our efforts as a Nation to swiftly address instances of misconduct.”

— Presidential Executive Order on Safe Policing for Safe Communities, June 16, 2020 None of us can forget the moment we saw the murder of George Floyd unfolding before our very eyes.

The sight of a white officer’s knee squeezing the life from a helpless Black man in handcuffs as he begged for mercy shocked the nation — a nation that had already seen police kill at least 17 other unarmed Black people just five months into the year.

I know what I felt at the time,

and I’m sure you know how you felt. But let me share the immediate reaction of someone else: “It should never happen, should never be allowed to happen, a thing like that. I understand the hurt. I understand the pain. The family of George is entitled to justice, and the people of Minnesota are entitled to live in safety … Americans will honor the memory of George and the Floyd family … It’s a horrible, horrible situation.”

Those were the words of President Donald Trump.

In the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, President Trump issued an executive order to reform policing. It included a directive to create a publicly searchable database of substantiated misconduct and excessive force claims against federal police officers. It tightened use-offorce rules, banned chokeholds and encouraged law enforcement to better address the needs of vulnerable populations.

Five years later, with Trump once again in the Oval Office, that commitment to accountability not only has dried up, but reversed itself with a vengeance.

George Floyd

Last month he issued an executive order to “unleash” violent police, and his supporters are urging him to pardon George Floyd’s murderer.

At this critical moment, the nation must ask itself the essential question: Did we seize the moment to build a lasting movement, or did we squander the chance for transformative change?

The National Urban League’s new report, “George Floyd Five Years Later: Was It A Moment, Or A Movement?” examines the ways in which government, institutions, advocates and the business community mobilized in the five years since George

Floyd’s death to advance policing reform and racial justice.

It also traces the rise of political and cultural backlash that has challenged, and in some cases reversed, that progress.

During the first year after the murder, corporations pledged more than $66 billion to racial justice. These commitments included increased funding for minority-owned businesses, supplier diversity programs and DEI initiatives. S&P 100 companies grew their U.S. workforce by more than 323,000 in 2021 — and 94% of their new hires were people of color.

But in the backlash that followed, DEI job postings declined 44% from 2022 to 2023.

Major companies like Google and Meta cut DEI programs supporting Black talent.

Anti-DEI rhetoric gained traction, and anti-equality activists like Edward Blum mounted successful challenges to racial equity programs.

Federal policies followed a similar trajectory. President Joe Biden issued an executive order immediately upon taking office, directing all agencies to create

racial equity plans. The administration partnered with the National Urban League and other civil rights groups to not only to develop specific policies to address racial inequities, but to ensure fairness in initiatives like American Rescue Plan, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS and Science Act. Under Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Kristen Clarke, the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice convicted more than 180 police officers for civil rights violations and investigated 12 police departments and launched prison abuse investigations. President Biden issued an executive order to track police misconduct, ban chokeholds and strengthen de-escalation training.

The second Trump administration eliminated all DEI initiatives across the federal government on Day One. It rescinded Biden-era executive orders, including those advancing voter registration and equitable Census outreach. It froze all open See GEORGE FLOYD, Page 11

Mary Allison Starks Blair

IN MEMORIAM

Mary Blair

Mary Allison Starks Blair was born on February 26, 1939, in Dallas, Texas to William Allison Starks and Julia Mae Walker Starks.

She was raised in a loving and close-knit family that included five siblings.

She is preceded in death by her parents and siblings William (Billy), Jr., Birdie, Gretchen (Baby Sister), and Bettie Joe.

As a fourth-generation descendant ofn one of the founder’s of New Hope, Emma Starks, Mary was baptized at an early age by Reverend Dr. O.M. Locust.

She was recognized by the church as having been a member for over 75 years, where she served in various church ministries, including New Members Committee; Showers of Blessings Outreach Ministry at the MLK Center; Seasoned Saints Ministry (Chairperson); and the Solace Committee (Chairperson).

Mary attended Booker T. Washington High School until the family moved to

Mary Blair with daughter, Dawn Courtesy

South Dallas. While attending “The Great” James Madison High School, Mary was a star twirler as a member of the Whirl Wind Club. She graduated in 1957.

She married Johnny A.

Blair and to this union, one child was born, Dawn Maria, who was the LOVE of HER LIFE. Mary’s professional career began at Texas Instruments (TI), however, after Dawn started school, she joined the Dallas Independent School District (DISD) to align their schedules.

She retired from the DISD after serving more than 30 years.

Mary was a long-time, faithful member of the Wa s h i ng to n - L i n c o l n Alumni Association of Dallas, Inc. (WLAA). For many years, she served as the Registrar for their National Conventions.

A Legend of Black Politics in Harlem and Beyond, Congressman Charlie Rangel Dies at 94

By Lauren Burke

NNPA Correspondent

Charlie Rangel, the long-term Congressman and a heavyweight in New York politics as a member of Harlem’s “Gang of Four,” has died at 94.

His colorful and charismatic personality, bowties, and raspy voice made him a character on Capitol Hill who was impossible to forget. Rangel was simultaneously larger than life but also approachable and engaging.

Rangel was the last living member of the “Gang of Four” made up of powerful African American leaders in New York: David Dinkins (19272020), Basil Paterson (1946-2014), and Percy Sutton (1920-2009).

The four dealmakers were powerbrokers at a time when political decisions were made in smoke-filled rooms over poker games. In 2010, President Obama suggested that Rangel resign from Congress “with dignity” after he was targeted by an ethics investigation that would eventually mean he had to give up the Chairmanship of the Ways & Means Committee.

“This guy from Lenox Avenue is retiring with dignity,” Rangel would lat-

Congressman Charlie Rangel

er tell reporters as he departed Congress on his terms and at the time of his choosing.

Rangel ignored Obama and remained in Congress for another six years with an aura that made many forget about the ethics investigation.

Before serving Congress, Rangel did about every job in politics that existed. In 1961, Rangel was appointed

by Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy to be an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York.

Rangel was also a legal counsel for

the New York Housing and Redevelopment Board. Charlie Rangel was born in Harlem in 1930.

He would go on to represent one of the most storied parts of Manhattan for 46 years in the U.S. Congress.

Along with the late John Conyers, Rangel was also a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus.

“We all have a large stake in preserving our democracy, but I maintain that those without power in See CHARLIE RANGEL, Page 12

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Senator West Applauds Passage of House Bill 6 on School Discipline AUSTIN – Today, the Texas Senate resoundingly approved House Bill 6, a landmark school discipline bill by a 29-2 vote. House Bill 6 includes provisions that will protect teachers against student violence, allowing them to more effectively manage classroom behavior, while ensuring due process for students involved in disciplinary proceedings with the goal of minimizing the learning losses that occur when students are removed from class.

With S.B. 6’s passage, State Senator Royce West had the following statement: “Today, the Texas Senate passed H.B. 6 to ensure that teachers and school districts are equipped with all the tools in the toolbox needed to effectively manage classroom behavior.

Unfortunately, we have seen an unacceptable increase in violent behavior towards our teachers.

It is urgent that we continue to ensure the safety of teachers, while we safeguard the ability to deliver the quality education our children need and deserve.

I was able to work closely with fellow Senators Charles Perry, Paul Bettencourt, Jose Menendez,

Chairman Brandon Creighton and Representative Jeff Leach, to make certain that H.B. 6 balances the needs of both teachers and students. As part of our discussions, I offered an amendment that ensures students sent to in-school-suspension (ISS) receive instruction comparable to their peers in the standard classroom setting. The goal is to prevent students from falling behind in their studies during their removal from class for disciplinary reasons.

With the amendments adopted, H.B. 6 represents a true bipartisan effort to protect students and teachers from harm and mitigate the identified learning losses suffered when student behavior warrants their placement in an alternative learning environment. I am proud to have had a role in support of this important legislation.

I thank my legislative colleagues, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and our collective staff for their dedication and hard work to ensure H.B. 6 is good public policy.”

For more information, contact LaJuana Barton or Kelvin Bass at 512-463-0123.

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Don’t Hate- It’s Not the End!

founded in 2012

Publisher: Cheryl Smith editor@texasmetronews.com

320 So. R.L. Thornton Freeway, Ste. 100 Dallas, TX 75203 www.texasmetronews.com 214-941-0110 Texas Metro News is your premier statewide news source, delivering comprehensive, inclusive, coverage of news, sports, features, opinions, and more. Stay informed with our diverse range of content designed to keep you engaged and informed.

The Texas Metro News’ mission is to inform, educate, enlighten, inspire, entertain, educate and empower, by providing thought-provoking news, photos, stories and commentary.

Texas Metro News, a Texas-based publication is published daily on www.texasmetronews.com with new and breaking news from a respected group of journalists and media professionals, and hits newsstands every Thursday, in addition to being distributed to an extensive list of social media sites, media lists and the Texas Metro News database.

In strategically placed bins, you can purchase copies of Texas Metro News for $1 per copy or you can have delivered to your home for $100 annually.

Additionally there are more than 200 sites across the state: including churches, public buildings, libraries, schools, restaurants and businesses where you can secure copies.

We welcome your submissions but do not guarantee publishing, unless submission includes an executed insertion order. We are not responsible for errors in advertising, however we will work to make good on our errors.

We are local and global, for you!

CREDO OF THE BLACK PRESS The Black Press believes that America can best lead the world away from racial and national antagonisms when it accords to every person, regardless of race, color or creed, full human and legal rights. Hating no person, the Black Press strives to help every person in the firm belief that all are hurt as long as anyone is held back.

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Vincent L. Hall

QUIT PLAYIN’

“Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay. In time, their foot will slip, for their day of disaster is near, and their doom is coming quickly.”

Growing up in the 1960s in the parsonage of a preacher who didn’t play with sin or sinners, there were a lot of rules to abide by.

I’m talking about back in the day when Holiness among the “set apart” was more than a notion.

In Pastor Z. R. Figures’s home and within his purview, a multitude of sins could get you challenged, chewed out, or chastened!

Jesus was “real,” but so was the devil, and my grandfather gave them equal time.

There were a lot of things you could not do.

No cards, no dominoes, no betting. No one could call anyone a liar, a fool, or the N-word. And if you wanted to get your plump derriere tanned, say that you hated anyone.

My grandfather, Reverend Figures, would never even allow you to say you hated the devil. That’s why you will never hear me say I hate Donald Trump.

He may be the latest iteration of Satan, but Christians must avoid the temptation of hating him.

Martin King Jr.’s father, Martin Sr., talked with a reporter just 14 months after the 1968 assassination at the Lorraine Motel. When asked about his commitment to traveling the nation preaching on brotherhood, he rejected the notion of hating anyone.

As “Daddy King” sat in a

Rev. Martin Luther King, Sr.

New York studio with Bill Turpie on a show called Turning Point, the elder King said that after being unjustly arrested as a boy by a White cop, he had sound reason and could have hated all Whites for the balance of his life.

However, his mother dismissed his anger and convinced him that hate is wrong. He accepted her words and lived in their truth for all of his life. The murder of his son was the ultimate test.

“When I was a boy, I saw

so many mistreatments to Blacks. But you don’t get rid of what someone does to you by hating them; you don’t get no benefit out of it; you get the worst of it.”

The reporter made it personal and put Reverend King’s remarks to the test, but his retort was as swift as it were sure. He never batted an eye and did not mince words.

“I don’t bear ill will in my heart against any man. I don’t hate anybody. It’s easy for me because I know this is not the end!”

What Pastor King did was to exegete a passage of scripture that far too many Black folks, liberals, and fatalists look over when it comes to Donald Trump and the evil he is perpetrating in America and around the globe.

Deuteronomy 32:35 makes God’s word as

plain as day and vets Reverend King’s humility.

“Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay.

If the Reverend Martin King senior or junior were alive today, they would argue against the outright hatred being poured on Donald Trump. Each of them made the “ultimate sacrifice” for this nation.

God watched and endured the lynching of his son, and so did Daddy King.

I know that hating Donald Trump is the trendiest thing to do, but some of us are getting sick because of it.

If Love is the Christian mandate, we have no reason to Hate. Daddy King said it best; “It’s not the end!

A long-time Texas Metro News columnist, Dallas native Vincent L. Hall is an author, writer, awardwinning writer, and a lifelong Drapetomaniac.

What Happened to Due Process Under Trump?

Bobby Henry, Sr.

OUR VOICES Due process is the idea that everyone should be treated fairly under the law no matter who you are. But during Donald Trump’s time in office, this basic American right is pushed aside in favor of politics and power.

Let’s look at something symbolic but telling: Trump refused to recognize Indigenous Peoples Day alongside Columbus Day. This isn’t just about holidays, it’s about respect. Millions of Native people have long fought to be recognized and heard.

By ignoring that, Trump sent a clear message: we will Whitewash your history too. He has made it apparent only certain histories matter to him, and it’s not the full American story.

Then there’s the issue of executive orders. In just the first 100 days of his second term, Trump signed over 140 of them.

That means he made big decisions on his own, without going through Congress or hearing from the public.

This kind of trickling down governing leaves everyday people especially Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities out of the conversation, and (SOL)with no chance

to speak up or push back.

We saw Trump’s Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, shut down a Department of Defense program designed for women in the military. There was no public debate, no explanation.

For women especially women of color serving their country, this felt like, yet another door slammed shut, without any due process or respect for their service.

Thank God and some brave people, the nation recently honored the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion an all-Black, all-female unit from World War II, with the Congressional Gold Medal. Known as the “Six

Triple Eight,” these women processed over 17 million pieces of mail in just three months, boosting troop morale overseas.

Despite their monumental contributions, they returned home to a country that largely ignored their service, reflecting a long history of systemic inequities faced by people of color.

Several accounts in our history highlight troubling disparities. While some benefit from swift political intervention, others wait decades for recognition and justice. True due process means equal treatment for all, regardless of race, gender, or political connection.

As we reflect on these

events, it’s imperative to recommit to a justice system that upholds fairness and equality for every American.

Further exacerbating concerns about due process and historical representation, the Trump administration has taken steps to alter the narrative presented in national cultural institutions.

An executive order signed by President Trump mandates the removal of what he terms “divisive narratives” and “improper ideology” from Smithsonian museums, with a particular focus on the National Museum of African American History See UNDER TRUMP, page 6

OPINION

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Topsy-Turvy Toxic Policy — Oppressed South Africans?

Dr. Julianne Malveaux

THE LAST WORD Critical thinking has taken a leave of absence. Reality is unreal. History is inverted, so the villains become the victims, and the victims the villains. Shakespeare captured it in “Macbeth” when the witches say, “fair is foul, and foul is fair.” Sounds like the policies that emanate from this 47th president.

I could write treatises about the illegality and illegitimacies of this president’s policies, and many of them — the arrest of Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Ras Baraka; the precipitous firing of Library of Congress leader Carla Hayden, just the latest, but so many breaches of decency and protocol. This president does not care about decency, nor about protocol. And clearly, with his amusing executive order “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” he neither cares about truth or history. It is the executive

order – not a law, not enforceable, but simple rhetoric that has both sparked lawsuits and caused museum executives to return historic items to their donors.

I never thought anyone would make me long for former President George W. Bush. We used to joke about how little he must have read, when we spied him reading the upside down comic book after September 11. But whatever he read, he had enough sense to help establish the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

He had enough sense to increase U.S. assistance to Africa through HIV global funding, economic development assistance through the African Growth and Development Act and other legislation. He had enough sense to meet with 35 African heads of state, including, in 2001, South Africa’s Thabo Mbeki. I wonder, today, what the two presidents talked about when they met. I am certain they did not talk about the way Afrikaners who colonized South Africa and exploited its Black natives were “oppressed.”

Our current president does not

value history, though. He makes it up as he goes along, and he has an unfortunate coterie of power-hungry sycophants who know better but muffle themselves for fear of being exiled from their lying leader. So White South Africans, the oppressive Afrikaners who exploited Black labor for generations (hello, Mississippi), are now feeling “discriminated against” because the new South African constitution allows people to take back some of the land that was stolen from them.

Inversive thinking. Down is up and up is down. A president who says he wants to eliminate “fraud, waste and abuse” sent a plane to pick up “oppressed” South African land barons, grant them refugee status, and offer them resettlement assistance (fraud, waste and abuse) here in the United States. Our president has prioritized White South Africans, perhaps because his purchased co-president is from that country. Of the approximately resettlers, how many are his relatives or friends? And since he is so flush with cash, will he reimburse our government for his costly attempt

to impose racial hierarchy in foreign policy?

Does our elected president and his purchased co-president Musk hope to resettle the entire Afrikaner population to the United States, providing them with monetary assistance to compensate them for “discrimination?” Sounds like fraud, waste and abuse, along with a warped form of affirmative action to me. But Executive Order 14151 — “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing” — eliminated that, along with Executive Order 14173 — “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit Based Opportunity.” — seems to preserve preference for white people, especially exploitive Afrikaners who were only able to accumulate property in South Africa by aggressively wiping out the lives of Black South Africans. Topsy-turvy toxic policy that reinforces our president’s anti-Blackness as well as his ignorance of history.

It is a slap in the face of the heralded South African President Nelson Mandela, as well as an attack

of generations of anti-apartheid activists, including Randall Robinson, Mary Frances Berry, Ron Dellums, Dr. Dorothy Height, Harry Belafonte and others. While Black Republicans were not notable activists, many played quiet roles in our nation’s (contested) opposition to apartheid. So Gen. Colin Powell helped implement parts of the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act (1986) after it was passed over by President Reagan’s veto.

But Black Republicans, especially at the local level, were reluctant to challenge their president for fear of political consequences (sound familiar?).

We can expect more topsy-turvy toxic policy from this administration, where down is up, up is down, victims are villains and villains are victims. The peculiar distortion of South Africa’s history is especially egregious, but not unexpected.

What’s next?

Dr. Julianne Malveaux, a former college president, is an economist, author and commentator based in Washington, D.C.

Wake Up and Stay Woke: Does He Know the Laws?

E. Faye Williams

WAKE UP AND STAY WOKE I’ve come to wonder: Is it a requirement — or even a basic expectation — for someone running for public office in the United States to know what the laws of that position actually require? Ever since the orange man began operating our government with seemingly no knowledge of the laws — or worse, no interest in following them — those working for the would-be king have served him, not the people, allowing him to disobey with impunity.

Now, he’s wasting taxpayer dollars investigating former FBI Director James Comey over an Instagram post with the numbers

8647. Yes, an Instagram post. He’s throwing resources at trying to prove criminal intent based on that? Meanwhile, he’s calling Comey a “dirty cop,” while Comey once accurately compared the orange man to a mafia boss. You decide which label fits which man better.

Frankly, if the orange man were a cop, both terms might apply. The way he governs, it wouldn’t be a stretch. Sadly, I believe the wrong person is being interviewed by the Secret Service.

His latest tax bill failed in the Budget Committee. No worries — the committee says they’ll try again on Sunday. That gives the orange man just enough time to return from his latest mischief-making trip in the Middle East. Then he’ll do what he does best: twist arms and bully his GOP dissenters. It seems some of those GOP hardliners are waking up to the fact that everything he’s

pushing on the budget isn’t working. Or maybe — just maybe — they realize an election is coming, and their constituents won’t support budget cuts that hurt them.

Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana claims the objective is to extend tax cuts. Beyond that, I doubt many people can understand what he’s saying. I’m from Louisiana, and I still can’t figure out how he got elected to such an important position. A lot of what he says makes no sense. I often wonder if using his teeth might help us understand him better!

Meanwhile, the orange man is once again violating court orders and disregarding our laws — this time by trying to deport immigrants under the Alien Enemies Act. What he’s doing has been called a horrific abuse of presidential power. Why would he care? He keeps breaking laws and getting away with it. He

thrives on doing the wrong thing.

Judges keep letting him slide. And when it comes to human rights, he clearly couldn’t care less. Ask his own family. His niece and nephew have warned us again and again about who he really is. They’ve lived it.

Since the orange man became president, the U.S. credit rating was cut by Moody’s because of rising government debt. What a surprise!

These are the same people slashing aid for the poor while increasing spending for the president’s rich friends. They’re shutting down programs that serve struggling families. That’s the DOGE way — serve the orange man, not the people.

He’s also targeting immigrants with alleged gang ties — like those he claims are part of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang — without evidence or due process. In one outrageous case, the administra-

tion deported a makeup artist to a violent prison in El Salvador simply because their tattoos were mistaken for gang symbols. Innocent lives are being upended to serve his hateful, fear-based agenda.

Recently, a judge ruled that the administration must provide hearings to any migrant accused before deportation. The judge even noted that literal Nazis once had more rights to challenge deportation than some immigrants do in the U.S. today. That should shake every American to the core. This is a fivealarm fire we cannot ignore.

Even Bruce Springsteen called the orange man treasonous. Judging by his actions, I’d say the Boss had good reason — and it sure sounds criminal to me.

E. Faye Williams is president of The Dick Gregory Society (www. thedickgregorysociety.org).

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• May 29 - June 4, 2025

AFT Prez on FAMU Hire: ‘They’re Trying to Run our Minds’

By Stacy M. Brown

Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

The hiring of Marva Johnson by Florida A&M University is a calculated political strategy to control Black institutions and influence how future generations think, said Fedrick C. Ingram, secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of Teachers.

“They are trying to change the mindset, get into the brain trust of young people to try and change history, to try and change a cultural mindset,” Ingram asserted. “And we can’t allow that to hap“They want to control institutions that shape how Black students see the world and see themselves.

If we allow something like this to happen at a flagship school like Florida A&M University, then we have a bigger, broader problem.

It’s the same thing that’s happening at Harvard University. It’s the same thing that’s happening at Columbia University.” pen because what they’re trying to do is eradicate history, have revisionist history so that these young people will promote something different in the future.”

Representing 1.8 million educators and professionals, Ingram didn’t hold back in criticizing the FAMU board of trustees for selecting Johnson — a longtime ally of Gov. Ron DeSantis — despite widespread protests, concerns about her qualifications, and growing backlash from students and alums.

Fedrick C. Ingram

Credit:

“I think we all need to be concerned about the politics that is being inserted directly into not only our K-12 classroom, but our colleges and university systems, and now specifically to our HBCUs,” he said. “Marva Johnson’s only track record in education has been to be the state board chair of the education board,” Ingram explained. “And she was appointed to that board by Governor DeSantis. And previous to that, she was appointed to a number of boards by former Governor Rick Scott, who is also an ultra-conservative and has done our colleges and universities and K-12 schools in Florida no justice.”

He stated that Johnson “has never been a teacher, has never been an instructor, has never been an adjunct instructor, has never been a professor, has never served on higher education administrations.”

“To have her at the very last minute be inserted into a flagship university like Florida A&M University — a school that we all hold dear and is a public institution — to have her inserted even in the process and then have the board of trustees carry the See AFT PREZ, page 7

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Why Recruiting from HBCUs Is Not Just About Diversity—It’s About Talent In light of recent legislative changes affecting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts—particularly on college campuses—we’ve started to hear from some of our partners who are reevaluating or even pausing their engagement with organizations like ours at HBCUConnect. com.

One recent message stood out: “You may know that redacted university eliminated its office of diversity and inclusion and has paused any DEI-related activities.

Due to the passage of the senate bill… I do not anticipate being able to interact with your organization.”

— A former client To be clear: this isn’t just about politics. It’s about priorities. And we want to offer a clear reminder to organizations, employers, and decision-makers navigating this changing landscape: Recruiting from HBCUs should never be solely categorized as a DEI initiative.

It’s a smart, strategic, talent-based decision.

At HBCU Connect, we’ve always believed that the students and graduates of

Historically Black Colleges and Universities represent some of the most resilient, high-performing, and underutilized talent pipelines in the country. Many of the employers who work with us don’t just check a diversity box—they see the return on investment when they hire talent from our community. They come back because the results speak for themselves.

Here’s the reality: • Some organizations are mislabeling inclusive recruiting efforts as “DEI-only,” failing to realize they’re missing out on top-tier, qualified professionals.

• The most competitive companies are widen-

Under Trump cont. from page 5 and Culture (NMAAHC).

This directive has led to the removal of significant artifacts, including the original Woolworth’s lunch counter from the 1960 Greensboro sit-in, a pivotal symbol of the Civil Rights Movement.

Additionally, the museum has faced criticism and pressure leading to the removal of educa-

tional materials, such as a chart discussing aspects of “whiteness,” intended to foster conversations about race and culture.

These actions raise concerns about the politicization of historical narratives and the potential erasure of critical aspects of American history, particularly those highlighting the struggles and contributions of mar-

ing—not narrowing— their talent outreach strategies, especially in today’s tight labor market.

• If you close the door to organizations like ours under the belief that it’s “just DEI,” you’re not just signaling a shift in values—you’re cheating yourself out of great talent.

We’re continuing to bridge the gap between top talent and opportunity at our upcoming Annual Conference and Career Fair in Washington, D.C., this June 26–28. View event details here.

Leading companies across industries—from tech and healthcare to figinalized communities.

You would think that in a democracy, the integrity of our legal and cultural institutions is paramount.

Yet “they” use selective amnesia by applying justice when they manipulate historical narratives, it not only undermines due process but also threatens the very fabric of our society.

As we honor the achievements not only of the Six Triple Eight but of all those who have “endured to per-

nance and education— are stepping up to engage with the kind of talent that doesn’t disappear just because some institutions now treat them as a checkbox. These forward-thinking employers recognize the value, skill, and drive that HBCU grads bring to the table.

We understand that compliance with new laws is complicated. But let’s not conflate political pressure with smart business strategy. If your goal is to hire the best people, you need to be where the best people are.

And that includes HBCUs. Now more than ever, we need leaders in education and industry to have the courage and clarity to say: “We’re not going to stop investing in diverse talent, because we’re not going to stop investing in the best talent.”

Let’s not allow policy shifts to quietly undo decades of progress in workforce development and opportunity access. Let’s keep the doors open.

— Will Moss Founder & CEO, HBCUConnect.com Connecting Top Talent from HBCUs to Opportunities Since 1999

severe,” we do so while our nostrils are filled with the stench of injustice—the bitter odor of a system that pardons the Proud Boys and uplifts the privileged.

In this contrast, we are reminded of the urgent need to advocate for a society rooted in fairness, inclusivity, and truth for all.

Bobby Henry, Sr. is the publisher of the Westside Gazette and chair of the National Newspaper Publishers Association-NNPA

EDUCATION

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Xavier University of Louisiana Raises More Than $2 Million at Centennial Gala, Including $500,000 Pledge from NBA Legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson The pledge was made during Magic's surprise tribute to Dr. Francis, who was honored at Xavier's Centennial Gala along with the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament

Photo by Gavin Goins. L to R: Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Xavier President Emeritus Dr. Norman C. Francis, and Bryant Gumbel.

NEW ORLEANS - Xavier University of Louisiana raised more than $2 million at its Centennial Gala, presented by Ochsner Health, on May 8. Hosted as part of the university’s 100th-anniversary fête to pay homage to a century of excellence and community impact, the event honored the historic legacy and ongoing contributions of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament and President Emeritus Dr. Norman C. Francis. It was hosted by actor and comedian Bill Bellamy, with a performance by R&B/Soul legend Jeffrey Osborne, and remarks from journalist Bryant Gumbel.

“When Saint Katharine Drexel founded Xavier University, she dared to imagine a world where education is an instrument of justice, a force for healing, and a path toward leadership for those the world too often overlooks”, explained Xavier President Dr. Reynold Verret. “She planted a seed of hope that

has flourished with every generation. We honor the incredible legacy that brings us to this centennial celebration and look ahead. The funds raised through the gala — every gift, every act of generosity — will directly support scholarships, ensuring that more students have access to the education they deserve and the future they dream of.”

One of the most notable contributions came from NBA legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson, who pledged $500,000 to Xavier in honor of Norman C. Francis, a graduate of Xavier who went on to lead the University for 47 years as president. Under his leadership, Xavier became a leader in sending Black students to medical school, the campus community expanded, enrollment tripled, and the university’s historic legacy began to shape. Dr. Norman C. Francis is celebrated as a trailblazer in education and civil rights who

has made profound contributions to the nation.

“The mark of a great man is who shows up,” said Magic Johnson in his tribute to Dr. Francis at the Gala. “Because the man that you are, all the great things that you’ve done in your stellar career. And all the people that you helped. You became successful through your great leadership at Xavier… In your honor, I’m going to give Xavier $500,000.”

“Our Centennial Gala was a beautiful success,” said Phillip D. Adams, Vice President of Institutional Advancement. “Not just that it honored Xavier’s storied legacy, but that we raised more than $2 million to secure the futures of deserving students who choose a Xavier education.

In just 100 years, Xavier has amassed various accolades, solidifying itself as a leader. I’m honored that we have been able to steadily raise necessary scholarship funds, and I look forward to what we

can achieve in our next 100 years of excellence.”

Founded in 1925 by Saint Katharine Drexel and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, Xavier has made momentous strides in 100 years. It continues to be recognized as a leading undergraduate institution for the formation of Black doctors, a top producer of African American pharmacists, and professionals with graduate degrees in STEM. The university also recently achieved Research

Colleges and Universities (RCU) designation in the newly restructured Carnegie classifications for its phenomenal research and engagement initiatives.

Moreover, Xavier alumni are walking representations of creating a more just and humane society as many lean towards realizing a better world locally and globally. It is because of these graduates that the university is praised for its impact.

At the root of Xavier’s impact is the enduring vi-

sion of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for educational excellence and social justice, which has prepared this leading HBCU and top Louisiana university for 100 years of good work. The order, founded by Saint Katharine Drexel, changed society by implementing its mission to challenge all forms of racism and other deeply rooted injustices in the world. Establishing a significant university in the Deep South in the 1920s presented numerous challenges, but the Sisters persevered and continue to serve and nurture the university even to this day.

All proceeds from the gala went to support student scholarships.

AFT Prez on FAMU hire cont. from page 6 water for this governor is, again, it’s troubling,” Ingram said. He pointed to her silence during moments of statewide controversy as further disqualification, including sitting silently and nearby as DeSantis incredulously claimed that slavery was good for the enslaved.

Ingram said this isn’t about a single hire — it’s about gaining control over institutions that have historically developed Black leadership.

“They’re not trying to simply run schools — they’re trying to run our minds,” he said. “They want to control institutions that shape how Black students see the

world and see themselves. If we allow something like this to happen at a flagship school like Florida A&M University, then we have a bigger, broader problem.

It’s the same thing that’s happening at Harvard University. It’s the same thing that’s happening at Columbia University.”

With thousands already signing a petition calling on the board to reverse Johnson’s appointment, Ingram said now is not the time to let up.

“Let me tell you what we’re up against,” he said. “We’re up against a state that has been riddled by President Trump and Governor DeSantis

in the same state. I’m letting the alumni know, the community knows, and those people who care about this HBCU to keep a watchful eye and keep a loud voice going, because that is the only way you’re going to make change,” Ingram said. “The question is not what the alumni will do,” Ingram concluded.

“The question is, what is Marva Johnson going to do for FAMU when the pressure comes down from the governor’s office or from the President of the United States to say, do this and carry our water? Will she resist, or will she give in and give up on one of our treasures?”

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Glenn Heights - a Best Southwest favorite Known in the community as the City Center, it was completed in 2022 and marked a new chapter in service and accessibility for Glenn Heights’ residents.

The City Center consists of three purpose-driven buildings: City Hall, Public Safety, and the city’s first-ever Community Center. The latter, a hub for connection and enrichment, hosts a variety of programs and events for residents of all ages, “The Glenn Heights City Center is more than a group of buildings. It’s a beacon of civic pride and community advancement, built to serve today and designed to meet the needs of future generations,” Brown said, adding “Our beautiful City Center, the continued expansion of residential and commercial developments, and our commitment to preserving green spaces and small-town charm are the heart of Glenn Heights. Our partnerships with DeSoto and Red Oak ISDs reflect our dedication to educational excellence, and our community programs are shaping the next generation of leaders right here in Glenn Heights.”

The City Center has also added tremendous value to the City of Glenn Heights through improved access to services, enhanced public safety, increased community engagement, economic and developmental momentum, and as a symbol of identity and pride transforming Glenn Heights, not just structurally but socially, econom-

Nicholas C. Williams

Cliff Blackwell

Fire Chief

City Manager

ically, and symbolically, while bringing lasting value to the city and its residents.

Another of the city’s proud accomplishments is the creation of the All-Abilities Park. Designed with inclusivity at its core, the park ensures children of all abilities, regardless of physical, cognitive, or sensory challenges, can experience the joy, freedom, and connection that play brings.

Other city highlights include: • Glenn Heights is the southernmost member city of Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) with a Park & Ride facility offering residents access to express bus service to Downtown Dallas and the Southwestern Medical District. The city is also served by DART GoLink, an on-demand ride service offering flexible transit options for in-city and limited local travel. Overall, this connectivity has been a

Credit: Facebook

game-changer for mobility, making it easier for residents to access jobs, education, and healthcare across the metroplex.

• Glenn Heights fosters unity and neighborhood pride through community events such as an annual event that brings neighborhoods, city staff, and city leaders together through block parties, while encouraging a strong sense of belonging among residents.

• Numerous community engagement events throughout the year include a Black History Expo, Small Business Expo, Hispanic Heritage Festival, and much more.

• In 2025, Glenn Heights will launch a Sunset Concert Series, bringing music, culture, and community together.

• The Glenn Heights Back-toSchool Bash has, for a number of years, been equipping students and teachers with essential supplies and services as they prepare for the new academic year.

• A strong social safety net through partnerships and programs that include healthcare & food assistance with resources like CHIP, SNAP, and partnerships with local food pantries and health clinics.

• Senior Support Services, including home-delivered meals for qualifying residents.

• A comprehensive Community Resource List with access to shelters, medical services, and employment assistance.

Cont. from page1

Dr. Glynell Horn Jr. Chief of Police

Motivated by the increasing mental health struggles in communities, Mayor Brown also launched the Guardian Program to ensure individuals facing mental health challenges and special needs are met with compassion, understanding, and protection.

With her strong passion for high-quality education, Mayor Brown also introduced the Academic and Citizenship Excellence (A.C.E.) Awards to celebrate the bright young minds shaping the future of Glenn Heights. She also created the S.P.A.R.K. Ambassador Program for youth in grades 3–12 to experience civic engagement through service, participation, advocacy, responsibility, and knowledge.

As part of her ongoing efforts to advance the city, Mayor Sonja Brown has unveiled her 21st Century City Initiatives, a strategic vision for progress and innovation. The whole plan can be viewed at https://sonjaabrown. com/21st-century-initiatives.

Councilman Travis Bruton introduced the CVS Prescription Discount Program a couple of years ago, allowing for every household in Glenn Heights to receive a free prescription discount card, regardless of insurance status or income level, with no enrollment fees, no age restrictions, and no limits on usage.

The Season of Service is an annual initiative by Glenn Heights to support residents during the Thanksgiving and Christmas

holidays, providing free meal baskets to families in need.

Through a recent collaboration with United MegaCare, Councilman Sherron Mosley helped secure turkeys and holiday meals to feed over one hundred families in need during the holidays.

Additionally, Councilman Mosley has introduced home ownership to the city’s youth through his “Legacy of Wealth Home Buyer Seminar.” Councilman Mosley is also set to launch the Blue Line Mentorship Program, an initiative aimed at fostering meaningful connections between Glenn Heights youth and local law enforcement officers.

Mayor Pro Tem Cornel Benford II introduced the Close-Up Program to the city and youth of Glenn Heights, taking four scholars from DeSoto ISD and four scholars from Red Oak ISD to Washington, D.C. for a weeklong immersive experience to engage directly with lawmakers, participate in civic education activities, and gain invaluable insight into the legislative process.

In addition, Mayor Pro Tem Benford introduced a free Financial Literacy Program, “Get Lit,” aimed at empowering the youth of Glenn Heights with essential financial knowledge and skills.

With these initiatives and successes throughout the community, commercial and residential development is also poised to steadily increase.

The vision for future commercial development in Glenn Heights is centered around creating a vibrant, well-balanced local economy that serves the everyday needs of residents while also attracting new visitors, businesses, and investment opportunities.

“As a city, we are actively working to expand commercial options, including the addition of grocery stores, restaurants, retail centers, and service-based busiSee GLENN HEIGHTS, Page 21

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Faith in Action: Dallas Leadership Foundation Debuts Leadership Hub

By Anthony Council Correspondent Texas Metro News Faith has been the blueprint in shaping the vision of the Dallas Leadership Foundation (DLF) as it officially opens the doors to the new Dallas Leadership Center, a long-awaited hub for collaboration, transformation, and servant leadership in the heart of Dallas.

A bold new chapter in community empowerment began Tuesday with the ribbon-cutting ceremony for this state-of-theart facility.

The vision for the Center has been a decade in the making, with Wil McCall, President and CEO of DLF, leading the charge.

After an intense 10-month, two-week construction timeline, McCall’s dream has come to life.

Witnessing this moment is beyond what he could have ever imagined.

“I’m overwhelmed with gratitude,” McCall said. “I’m over the moon. My jaw dropped. I can’t put it into words adequately... but I’m ready. Ten toes down.

We’re going in hard.”

Wil McCall, President and CEO of the Dallas Leadership Foundation, shares the faith and vision behind bringing the new Leadership Center to life. Credit: Anthony Council, Texas Metro News

The Dallas Leadership Foundation’s new building stands proudly in the heart of Dallas, marking a new chapter for community transformation and servant leadership.

Credit: Anthony Council, Texas Metro News

More than just a building, the Leadership Center embodies McCall’s deep, personal faith and represents a communal resolve to bring Dallas’s diverse voices together. Regardless of race, gender, or denomination, the space is meant to welcome all.

“Faith is trusting the Lord and what the Lord says,” McCall reflected. “When God gives you a vision or an assignment, you go

all in. It’s done. Your job is to be faithful and commit to what you heard.”

Despite facing challenges along the way, McCall remains steadfast in his faith. “There have been times when I haven’t been faithful,” he admitted. “But my Lord, Jesus Christ, is faithful beyond human measure. So I go back, ask for forgiveness, turn from what got me off track... and

get back to work.”

Today’s event was more than just opening a new facility; it celebrated radical hospitality and unity. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by an overflowing crowd, including friends, family, and many who played a part in bringing the Leadership Center to life. Even with the wet weather, the event was packed, showing the over-

Wil McCall, President and CEO of the Dallas Leadership Foundation, stands among a crowd of family, staff, builders, and supporters who helped bring the Leadership Center vision to life.

Credit: Anthony Council, Texas Metro News

whelming support for McCall’s vision.

The Dallas Leadership Center is designed to foster “radical hospitality, home to all and owned by none,” as McCall puts it. This intentional design invites every corner of the community to the table, from civic leaders and clergy to residents and citywide influencers. The space will facilitate partnerships, dialogue, strategy, and shared impact.

Aligned with DLF’s mission to strengthen neighborhoods, develop leaders, and transform communities, the Leadership Center serves not just as a headquarters but as a movement made tangible. It is envisioned as a gathering space for leaders, civic organizations, and changemakers from all walks of life to collaborate and build solutions for Dallas’s most pressing challenges.

Today’s launch marks the beginning of a new rhythm for leadership in Dallas: bold, collaborative, faithful, and rooted in love.

Anthony Council is a recent graduate of the University of North Texas And a member of the National Association of Black Journalists.

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REMEMBERING GEORGE FLOYD AND SPEAKING OUT ABOUT INJUSTICES

FRIENDSHIP-WEST BAPTIST CHURCH IS ON THE FOREFRONT May 25, 2020, George Floyd was 46 and he took his last breath as Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck. The world spoke loudly. People were outraged. Was this the first time that such a horrific crime was perpetrated?

Not at all, but this time a courageous 17-year-old Darnella Frazier captured

the murder.

Her documentation of the brutal assault not only resulted in her receiving an honorary Pulitzer Prize citation, it was a key piece of evidence in the trial that eventually ended with Chauvin in prison.

A lot of promises were made in the wake of protests and calls for justice, fairness, and also repa-

rations. Corporate execs made promises, which many have reneged on, and some have seemed to have forgotten their promises of focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); or, they bowed to pressure from the Trump administration, and chaos and uncertainty are the order of the day.

Five years later, ac-

cording to Dr. Frederick D. Haynes III, of Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas, at least 50 churches were gathering across the country, outside of Target Stores, to remember George Floyd and also call attention to what some consider to be one of the main corporations that reneged on their commitment to DEI.

Members of the megachurch, other area churches, and community members and leaders joined Dr. Haynes--shortly after noon CDT at the Target Store located in Southwest Dallas County, not too far from the Church.

For months, the Black Clergy, Black Press and activists have been waging a strategic campaign that

included selective buying.

Consumers were encouraged to shop at businesses that supported DEI. Since the campaign began, Target has reported significant losses. Organizers have developed a list and have already begun targeting other Corporate giants, like Walmart.

Stay tuned for more on this developing story.

George Floyd cont. from page 2 DOJ civil rights investigations.

It is of the utmost urgency that we rise to defend not only the progress made in the years immediately after George Floyd’s murder, but of the past 60 years.

The National Urban League met the moment in 2020 by establishing a new division, Equitable Justice and Strategic Initiatives, to advocate for a fair justice system and equal access to participation in democracy and civic processes.

We developed “21 Pillars for Redefining Public Safety and Restoring Community Trust” as a national framework for police reform.

We developed a new phase of civil rights and social justice advocacy and activism, “D3,” based on three guiding principles — Defend Democracy, Demand Diversity and Defeat Poverty.

Immediately after Inauguration Day this year, the National Urban League convened the Demand Diversity Roundtable, an emergency strategy session to confront immediate threats posed by the new administration’s anticipated attacks on civil and human rights.

Represented by the Legal Defense Fund and Lambda Legal, we and our co-plaintiffs National Fair Housing Alliance and the AIDS Foundation of Chicago filed a lawsuit challenging the administration’s unconstitutional anti-equity executive orders.

We launched the Fair Budget Coalition to advocate for an inclusive federal budget.

History will judge us — not by how we responded in the days after George Floyd’s death, but by what we are building five, 10 and 20 years later. The fight for justice, safety and dignity is far from over — and the stakes for our democracy could not be higher.

Marc Morial is president/CEO of the National Urban League.

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Student-Led Exhibition Sheds Light on the Untold Stories of Veterans of Color

DALLAS, TX – Beneath the uniform lies a story rarely told. On Thursday, June 5, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Honor Endures: The Blind Spots of the Uniform will debut with an open-

ing reception at The Cliff Gallery at Dallas College Mountain View Campus.

This student-led photography and documentary exhibition offers a moving, multidimensional expe-

Charlie Rangel cont. from page 3 our society, the Black, the Brown, the poor of all colors, have the largest stake not because we have the most to lose, but because we have worked the hardest, and given the most, for what we have achieved,” Rangel once said.

Rangel was the first African American to serve as Chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. As chair and as a member of the Committee, Rangel played a central role in shaping U.S. tax legislation.

He advocated for pro-

gressive tax reform, closing corporate loopholes, and increasing tax equity.

Rangel was also a strong supporter of Social Security and Medicare and defended and expanded programs aimed at reducing poverty and supporting working-class families.

The legendary Harlem Congressman also championed federal investment in affordable housing and urban infrastructure, especially for Harlem and other underserved communities.

In a noteworthy policy move, Rangel also pushed

rience that amplifies the voices of military veterans of color.

Presented by Operation Tiny House and funded by the City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture, the exhibition blends visual storytelling with personal testimony to reveal the unseen challenges and enduring strength behind military service, particularly for veterans of color whose stories often go untold.

Created by a group of Dallas College photography and media students, the exhibition includes dramatic portraits, candid environmental photography, and a compelling short documentary. The stories featured come from a diverse group of veterans across the Dallas-Fort Worth area, including participants connected to Operation Tiny House, a nonprofit dedicated to restoring dignity and purpose to veterans.

“This project is more than an exhibition; it’s a

platform for truth, connection, and healing,” says Keith Vinson, Executive Producer and one of the student artists. “These are stories of courage, yes— but also of invisibility, resilience, and reclamation.”

The project team includes Dallas College students: Keith Vinson, NiEtta Reynolds, Tarik Warren, and Alex Leffall Honor Endures is more than a visual journey—it is an urgent call to recognize the full humanity of veterans who live at the intersection of race, service, and systemic challenges.

to reinstate the military draft during the Iraq War— not to promote it, but to spark debate on the fairness of who bears the burden of war.

Rangel earned a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for his service in the Army during Korea. Rangel served as a member of the New York State Assembly from 1967 to 1971 and went on to defeat another New York political legend — Adam Clayton Powell Jr. in a primary, before winning in the general election in 1970.

Rangel retired from Congress in 2016 at 86 years old. At a time when many

are discussing the age of members of Congress and the many who have died in office over the past two years, Rangel was an exception who departed on his terms.

Rangel’s seat in Congress would go to Dominican-born Adriano Espaillat. The moment represented a shift in Harlem’s demographics and the power of the Latino community in the Bronx.

Rangel’s wife Alma Carter, passed away last year.

The two met in the 1950s at the famous Savoy Ballroom in Harlem. They married in 1964 and have two children.

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Queens Tour unites four iconic voices and their music

Patti LaBelle

Gladys Knight

By Derrel Johnson

LaBelle’s birthday four days before Knight’s

Iconic soul singers Patti LaBelle and Gladys Knight have countless things in common.

Born just four days apart, chart-topping Grammy Award winners both started in groups: Cindy Birdsong, Nona Hendryx, and Sarah Dash joined LaBelle to form the group of the same name, and Knight by siblings and other family members to form Gladys Knight in the Pips.

The two songbirds, who have catalogs that go back to the early 1960s, had the enviable task of determining what songs to perform during a tour across America.

Listening to their September 2020 Verzuz is the perfect appetizer to the show, as the pair performed many of the songs they performed that night, albeit in separate sets.

Queens in Brooklyn The woman nicknamed the “Empress of Soul” opened the evening at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center and performed several of her biggest hits, including “Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye),” “Midnight Train to Georgia,” “Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me,” and “Love Overboard.”

The Atlanta native, who celebrated her 81st birthday on May 28, also performed her collaboration with fellow icons Dionne Warwick, Elton John, and Stevie Wonder, “That’s What Friends Are For,” and even took the crowd to church by performing the Donnie McClurkin classic “Stand.”

LaBelle, who also celebrated her 81st birthday on May 24, performed many of her biggest hits, including “Isn’t It a Shame,” “My Love, Sweet Love,” and “Love, Need, and Want You. ” She was joined by one of her male background vocalists, Aaron Marcellus, for Michael McDonald’s verse for the duet “On My Own.” The Philadelphia native left the stage for a wardrobe change and returned to close out her set with “Somebody Loves You Baby (You Know Who It Is),” “If Only You Knew,” and “Lady Marmalade,” complete with crowd participation from men from the audience.

Stephanie Mills, the youngest woman on the tour at 68, performed between Knight and LaBelle and brought a lot of energy, powerhouse vocals, and hits to the stage. The Tony and Grammy Award winner performed “What Cha Gonna Do With My Lovin’,” (You’re Puttin’) a Rush on Me,” “Something in the Way You Make Me Feel,” “I Have Learned to Respect the Power of Love,” “Never Knew Love Like This Before,” and perhaps the hit she is best known for, “Home.”

Chaka Khan closed out the night.

The first leg of the Queens tour continued in Brooklyn on May 24, Chicago and Cincinnati at the end of May, and Indianapolis on June 1.

The second leg kicks off on Sept. 19 in Greensboro, N.C., and will stop in Atlanta, Atlantic City, Cleveland, Detroit, Memphis, Milwaukee, Newark, N.J., and Washington, D.C.

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MetroNews LIFESTYLE/CULTURE Texas-Born, Legacy-Built:

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Black Beauty Entrepreneurs Redefine Ownership

By Alicia Wilson

Special Correspondent Texas Metro News

At this year’s International Beauty Show in New York City, Black beauty wasn’t just trending—it was testifying. Inside the Powerhouse Pavilion, amid the buzz of products and professionals, Sadiaa Black Beauty Guide hosted a conversation that felt like both a homecoming and a reckoning.

The panel was called “Building Legacy Brands: The Future of Black-Owned Beauty Businesses,” but it was much more than that. It was a reminder that legacy is a choice. A calling. A strategy. And for many of us, it started right here in Texas.

That legacy lives in names like Comer Cottrell, the Dallas-based beauty pioneer who changed the game with Pro-Line and the Curly Kit. His impact was generational—economic, cultural, and communal. And that impact was in the room, alive and thriving, through his granddaughter, Autumn Yarbrough, and through trichologist Rodney Barnett, who once worked side-by-side with Cottrell himself.

Yarbrough, now the founder of Nu Standard, carries not only her grandfather’s legacy but her mother’s as well—creator of the beloved Just For Me line. But she’s not just preserving history. She’s expanding it. She spoke with clarity and conviction about what it means to build something that’s innovative, rooted in wellness, and rooted in us.

“Legacy to me is about impact, integrity, and inspiration,” she said. And when she said it, you knew it wasn’t a tagline—it was a lived mission. For her, building legacy means creating products that aren’t just trendy but trustworthy. Products that are tested, studied, safe—today and five years from now. And more importantly, products that pour

Stephenetta “Isis” Harmon, Rodney Barnett, Autumn Yarbrough and Corey Huggins

Autumn Yarbrough

back into the same community that built the brand.

Barnett echoed that sentiment, reminding us that the ‘80s and ‘90s weren’t just about style—they were about ownership. “There were so many Black brands created back then,” he said. “But what happened to them? The problem wasn’t cre-

Credit: Alicia Wilson

Rodney Barnett

ating the business—it was passing it on.”

That passing down, that generational handoff, is where so many legacy stories fade. Barnett’s three words for legacy?

“The next generation.” And he wasn’t just talking about bloodlines—he was talking about infrastructure. Systems. Knowl-

Credit: Alicia Wilson

Credit: Alicia Wilson

edge. Ownership that lasts beyond the founder.

Moderator Stephenetta (isis) Harmon, Sadiaa founder and cultural curator of all things Black beauty, made it plain: “Legacy isn’t something that’s handed to us—it’s something that we build, protect, and pass on.” And passing it on means

inviting the community into the process. That includes stylists, barbers, salon owners—the very people who’ve always been the frontline educators in our beauty stories.

If you’re looking for the blueprint, look no further than those chairs and backbars. “Stylists and barbers are the most powerful educators,” Barnett said.

“But they were never taught how to retail.” It’s a gap the panelists agreed we can close—with intention, with investment, and with community loyalty.

Huggins, founder of Ready to Beauty, brought fire and truth to the mic when he reminded us that it’s not just about visibility— it’s about control. “I don’t want a seat at the table,” he said. “I want to own the team. I want to own the manufacturing company that built the team.” That line got an audible reaction from the crowd—and rightly so.

Corey Huggins challenged the audience to think beyond individual wins. Too often, he said, we chase trends, seats, and press—but what about legacy?

“Every time we get a little sauce in our game, they try to take it away from us… We are America’s culture. We’ve built this. We’re sustaining it. We’re the sauce.”

What struck me most was how grounded this conversation was in Southern truth. Dallas wasn’t just a footnote—it was a foundation. From Cottrell’s early hustle to Yabrough’s reimagined vision for the future, it’s clear that the South has always had something to say when it comes to beauty, brilliance, and Black business.

This wasn’t a conversation about hoping for change. It was a call to keep building. To build for impact. To build for each other. And to build something that our children’s children will still be proud to claim.

Legacy doesn’t wait. And in rooms like this, it doesn’t whisper either—it roars.

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MAY

STATE OF FAMU NAA, AWARD & RECOGNITION LUNCHEON 12 noon MAY 30

Tosin Opaleke - Comedy Special Recording. Tosin Opaleke performs live at the Bishop Arts Theatre – you never know what to expect, but it’ll be a good time! 7 - 11 pm. Bishop Arts Theatre Center, 215 South Tyler St., Dallas. https://bit.ly/3RZob22 African American Cemetery Tour in Honor of Memorial Day. Step back in time with us on a moving guided bus tour through Dallas’ African American cemeteries this Memorial Day weekend. 10 am - 2 pm CDT. Doors at 9:30 am. 1408 N Washington Ave. Dallas. https://bit.ly/43jGUv

30

29 Ensemble Auditions 2025 @ DBDT studios. If your student is interested in performing on a regular basis representing Dallas Black Dance Academy, come audition for one of the academy ensembles! 6-8:30pm DBDA 2025-2026 Ensemble Auditions

*** Summer Enrichment 2025 @ DBDT studios (Ages 9-16 years old) Experience intensive training during the summer with DBDT professional company members. June 2-13, 2025 (Monday – Friday 8:30am-3:00pm) Dallas Black Dance Academy Summer Enrichment 2025

Duncanville High School’s Class of 2025! Graduation at Globe Life Field, 734 Stadium Dr, Arlington. 6 pm duncanvilleisd.org

www.famualumniconvention.com *** In celebration of Women’s Golf Day, the PGA of America and Omni PGA Frisco Resort & Spa are hosting a Women’s Golf Day event on Friday, May 30, at PGA Frisco for women of all ages and golfing abilities. In recognition of the organization’s 10th year, this event celebrates Women’s Golf Day as a global event that celebrates women and girls playing golf and developing skills to last a lifetime.

31 Fire Truck Pull 2025 in Duncanville, 16th Anniversary by Duncanville Police Department. They team up with the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office for an action-packed day of community spirit and friendly competition. 9 am at 100 James Collins Blvd. Donate: https://bit.ly/42K4QIa

COMMUNITY CALENDAR Island Pavilion, this year’s festival features performances by Rick Braun, Kevin Ross, Lindsey Webster, Latin Express, and Richmond Punch, promising an unforgettable blend of jazz, soul, and R&B. In addition to the music, attendees will enjoy curated experiences like: Q&A panel and meet & greet with viral influencer group The SilverFox Squad, Blackowned tasting tent (with a portion of proceeds benefiting the Chris Howell Foundation) Cigar lounge experience, and more! *** 16th Anniversary Fire Truck Pull.

By Duncanville Police Department, Duncanville Special Events. Pull for a cause! Join us at Fire Truck Pull 2025 in Duncanville as we team up with the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office for an action-packed day of community spirit and friendly competition. 9 am at 100 James Collins Blvd, Duncanville. https://www.classy.org/.../ fire-truck-pull-2025.../e666224 *** African American Cemetery Tour in Honor of Memorial Day by Remembering Black Dallas, Inc. Step back in time with us on a moving guided bus tour through Dallas’ African American cemeteries this Memorial Day weekend, rain or shine! 10 am – 2 pm CDT. Doors at 9:30 am at 1408 N Washington Ave. Dallas. https:// bit.ly/43jGUvD

***

Jazz on the Trinity returns with Grammy Award-winning vocalist Lalah Hathaway headlining a star-studded lineup. Held at Panther

Duncanville ISD Job Fair: They’re looking for passionate educators and professionals ready to build their future with Duncanville ISD. 4-6 pm at the Teaching and Learning Center (9240 County View Rd, Dallas. Register: dville.it/JobFairSignUp

6 DALLAS WINGS host CHICAGO SKY at 7p.m. It's Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Night

JUNE

1 Poet’s & Jazz #5 by The Black Theatre of Arts and Letters. GEMINI, the mother spoken word artist, rapper, and singer from Houston.

At Clarence Muse Café, 1309 Canton St., at 9 pm. Tickets: https://www. ticketmaster.com/poets-n-jazz-5

SOUTHERN SOUL RISING STARS FEATURING MARCELLUS THE SINGER, FPJ, JAY MORRIS, YOUNG GUY AND DALLAS’ OWN FAT DADDY BRING A SOULFUL NIGHT OF GROOVES AND GOOD VIBES UNDER THE STARS IN THE PICTURESQUE STRAUSS SQUARE. DON’T MISS THE ONLY DALLAS TOUR STOP FOR THE HOTTEST NEW GENRE OF R&B, SOUL AND BLUES MUSIC. A BEAUTIFUL NIGHT OF LOVE SONGS AND GREAT STORYTELLING GROOVES LIKE MARCELLUS THE SINGER “TOXIC”, FPJ “STILL WITH HER”. JAY MORRIS “KNEE DEEP”, YOUNG GUY “TAKE HEED”, AND FAT DADDY “MAIL MAN”.

SOUTHERN SOUL UNDER THE STARS FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER IN THE PRESTIGIOUS STRAUSS SQUARE.

Cut-A-Rug Tour Dukes & Boots by Thibodeaux’s Cajun Cookin’ and Jackie Jadiva Smith. The event featuring Prince DJAE & the Vibe Crew on June 1st! Also performing is Bodacious - “Big Bo”! Don’t miss it. 4 pm at Thibodeaux’s Cajun Cookin’, 107 N Cedar Ridge Dr, Duncanville. https:// thibodeauxscajuncookin.com/ ***

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Music in the Park: by Cedar Hill Parks and Recreation Department.

On Friday nights in June, bring your lawn chair or blanket and enjoy a free concert by various artists while relaxing under the stars. Food trucks will be on-site to purchase food and drinks—8 pm. at Valley Ridge Park, 2850 Park Ridge Dr, Cedar Hill. Cedarhilltx.com/pard, or 972-291-5130.

Live Music: Nnamdi and K Cooks Jazz Night by Nnamdi from 9 – 11 pm at Mudhook Bar & Grill in Cedar Hill. (formerly named Black & Bitter Coffee) 305 W. FM 1382 #410 Great drinks and food! www.mudhoookbar.com 214-613-6589.

day, June 7th at 8 a.m. at Beverly D. Humphrey Tiger Stadium at Lancaster High School (200 E. Wintergreen Rd., Lancaster, Texas 75134). Registration continues through June 7 at www.wisebigmancamp.com

13

Remembering

4

2025: Disney Presents The Lion King, Wed • Jun 4, 2025 • 7:30 PM -- Thru - July 3, 2025. Music Hall At Fair Park 909 1st Ave, Dallas. Tickets: $35 - $125+ Ticketmaster: https:// bit.ly/44VKMUN

7 Les Miserables at 1:30pm Music Hall at Fair Park - Dallas, TX

***

Pathways Summit 2025, a dynamic event dedicated to empowering women entrepreneurs! This year’s summit, themed “A Path to Grow Beyond Limits,” will take place on June 6th and 7th at Cedar Valley College, bringing together over 200 aspiring and established businesswomen.

We are accepting vendors for our Pathways to Connection Expo o 2025 Wise Big Man Camp on Satur-

Joyce Ann Brown

February 12, 1947- June 13, 2015

14 The 7th Annual DFW HBCU Alumni 5K Run/Walk by DFW HBCU Alumni and Jennifer Scoggins. The event aims to celebrate the legacy and impact of HBCUs while promoting health and wellness within the community—7 am at The Epic 2960 Epic Pl, Grand Prairie. Tickets: www.dfwhbcu5k. raceroster.com

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From Fighting Fires cont. from page 1 bring, how to contact artists, or anything about the industry—but I knew I wanted to produce a concert,” said Westbrook.

Armed with only passion and vision, she hosted her first event—The Love Jones Experience—on May 14, 2016, at the The Black Academy of Arts and Letters (TBAAL)- in the Bruton Theater, and featuring Musiq Soulchild and Lalah Hathaway.

“The event sold out. It was an amazing ride. I had no idea how I pulled it off, but it became the beginning of my promotion company—Poetic Visions,” she said.

Less than a year later she hosted another successful concert with Rachelle Ferrell, Avery Sunshine at Music Hall. It was at that point that she had thoughts of broadening her horizons to produce a full-scale music festival.

“I’ve always loved outdoor events—that comes from my mom. She would take us to free outdoor concerts with James Brown, Chaka Khan, and all those amazing artists back in the day,” Westbrook said.

The idea of hosting her own festival wouldn’t leave her spirit. So she reached out to a promoter in California who was hosting a soul music festival in Los Angeles.

“I asked if I could shadow him. When he said yes, I grabbed my best friend, and we went to California.

We worked the festival, and he showed me everything I needed to do,” said Westbrook.

The following summer, she hosted her first Jazz on the Trinity festival in Fort Worth.

“There’s only one word I have for Simmie West-

brook: inspiring. She doesn’t accept ‘no’ for an answer,” said Chris Howell. “I met Simmie during her first concert, The Love Jones Experience. She hired my communications company to do video and photography. It was successful, but I knew it wasn’t easy. I remember asking, ‘Who else is helping you pull this together?’ It was just her—and she was self-funded.”

Howell even recalls Westbrook showing up to his office in fire gears so

that they could work out the final details for her concert.

That long-standing relationship made it easy for Westbrook to select the Chris Howell Foundation as the charitable recipient for this year’s Jazz on the Trinity festival on May 31.

“I wanted to honor his nonprofit through this show. His organization is doing a lot of work in the DFW area—feeding the homeless and making a difference in the community,” said Westbrook.

Simmie Westbrook Credit: Courtesy of Sarah Bethea

Howell noted that the donation comes at a critical time, following budget cuts that have impacted his organization.

For those who can’t quite connect the dots between the firefighter

and concert promoter, the common thread for Westbrook is clear: service to the community.

“I think my two life passions intersect in helping the community. I’ve always wanted to serve the public.

That’s where the concerts come in. I want people to forget everything else going on and just come together. Enjoy the outdoors, good food, good music, and one another—even if it’s just for a day,” she said.

As she works through the many moving parts of putting on a full-day festival—with food, drinks, and live entertainment— Westbrook doesn’t claim

to know what’s next. But she does know how she’ll decide.

“I call them ‘Adventures with Jesus.’ Everything that’s happened in my life has been the next adventure. I’ve learned to move with faith and trust that God made me exactly as I am for this season. I don’t put God in a box, and that allows me to move freely and experience Him in everything I do,” she said.

Sylvia Powers is an award-winning author, accomplished writer, gifted photographer, and nationally recognized breast cancer advocate with a deep passion for empowering others.

Black-Owned Businesses Face New Threats

By Stacy M. Brown

Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

Black-owned businesses have experienced historic growth in recent years, but that progress is now under threat.

A sharp decline in small business optimism, coupled with sweeping anti-diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) executive orders from the Trump administration, is creating new hurdles—particularly for African American entrepreneurs who remain vastly underrepresented in the U.S. economy.

According to Pew Research Center, the number of U.S. firms with majority Black ownership surged from 124,004 in 2017 to 194,585 in 2022. Revenues also soared by 66%, reaching $211.8 billion. Yet Black-owned businesses still accounted for just 3% of all classifiable firms and only 1% of gross revenues that year, despite Black Americans making up 14% of the population.

More than one in five Black adults say owning a business is essential to their definition of financial success, and most of those who own businesses depend on them as their primary income source. The vast majority—71%— have fewer than 10 employees, and they are disproportionately concentrated in sectors like health care and social assistance (26%), professional and technical services (14%), and transportation (9%).

However, as the Pew report shows gains, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) paints a far more troubling picture of the broader small business climate.

The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index dropped to 95.8 in April, marking the second month in a row below its 51-year average. Small business owners reported declining expectations for real sales, fewer capital investment plans, and significant difficulties finding qualified labor. Only 18% of owners said they plan to make capital outlays in the next six months—down from previous months and the lowest level since April 2020.

The policy environment com-

pounds the problem for Blackowned firms.

In January, President Donald Trump signed executive orders EO 14151 and EO 14173, effectively dismantling many federal DE initiatives.

These orders direct agency heads to align all federal programs—including contracts and grants—with so-called “merit-based opportunity,” opening the door to deprioritizing race-conscious support programs.

While the administration cannot eliminate statutory set-aside programs like the SBA’s 8(a) Small Disadvantaged Business designation without congressional approval, it is already moving to gut enforcement and reducing goals. SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler issued a memo in February announcing her intent to reduce the 8(a) contracting goal from 15% to the statutory minimum of 5%, citing alleged disadvantages to veteran-owned businesses. The administration is also expected to cease auditing compliance with subcontracting goals for minority-owned firms, which could severely impact opportunities for small and large companies that depend on federal contracts.

These moves are especially worrisome for Black business owners, who are already navigating disproportionate barriers to access to capital and markets. While Whiteowned businesses make up 84% of all classifiable firms and account for 92% of total revenue, Blackowned businesses remain a small sliver despite their rapid growth.

With small business optimism waning and federal support shifting away from equity initiatives, many Black entrepreneurs now face a chilling reality: a promising rise in business creation and growth may be undermined by policy changes designed to erase the very programs that helped level the playing field.

“Uncertainty continues to be a major impediment for small business owners,” NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg said, noting that labor shortages, declining sales expectations, and inflation remain pressing concerns.

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The People’s Union Organizes Boycott Against Walmart’s ‘Corporate Greed’

By Jeroslyn JoVonn

www.blackenterprise.com

The People’s Union is launching a second nationwide boycott against Walmart to combat the retailer’s “corporate greed.”

On May 20, People’s Union Founder John Schwarz took to Instagram to urge shoppers to boycott Walmart from May 20 to 26. The grassroots group behind the one-day economic blackout on Feb. 28 is now calling for a weeklong boycott of Walmart, Sam’s Club, and affiliated brands like Great Value and Equate.

The latest blackout comes in response to Walmart’s planned price hikes that the retailer has tied to Trump’s tariffs.

“Because after all the record profits, all the tax loopholes, all the corporate greed, Walmart now once again wants to raise prices,” Schwartz said in the video. “But this time, because of the tariffs, as if they’re not already raking in billions, as if they can’t absorb the cost. As if you and I should carry this burden.”

Since Feb. 28, the People’s Union has held weekly boycotts, targeting companies like Amazon and Nestlé. The group plans to continue these actions through July 4, when it will escalate with longer campaigns. These efforts run alongside separate protests by other organizations against retailers like Target, criticizing their rollback of DEI initiatives.

Target has faced significant profit losses amid ongoing boycotts. Coupled with the impact of Trump’s tariffs, the company has

revised its full-year outlook, now projecting a slight decline in net sales, which is a backtrack from its earlier projections.

Walmart’s price hike announcement was met with criticism from the president, who took to social

media to tell the mega-retailer to “EAT THE TARIFFS.” In response to the latest boycott, Walmart reissued a statement released during The People Union’s first boycott in April.

“As one of the largest

corporate taxpayers in the country, not only do we pay our fair share, we are an economic force multiplier strengthening communities nationwide through job creation, supplier growth, and over $1.7 billion in cash and in-kind donations last year,” the statement read. “We remain dedicated to earning the business of all Americans and giving our time and resources to causes that uplift and unite communities who rely on us every day.”

The People’s Union has future boycotts planned throughout June into July: June 3-9: Target June 24-30: McDonald’s July 4: Independence Day Blackout

Ed Bell Construction Company An Equal Opportunity Employer May 1, 2025 Ed Bell Construction is a Dallas based heavy highway contractor doing business in the North Texas market since 1963. With clients such as TxDOT, Dallas County Public Works, and the Cities of Dallas, Fort Worth, Richardson, and Mansfield (plus many others), we have a strong backlog of work in the highway market locally.

We are currently hiring for the following positions: • • • • • • •

Laborer (Earthwork) Pipelayer (Underground) Boom Mobile Crane (CDL) Loader Operator (Earthwork) Excavator Operator (Earthwork) Motor Grader Operator (Earthwork) Fuel Service Truck Driver (CDL Hazmat)

Available: multiple openings Rate: Negotiable Must have own transportation.

Years of Experience required will vary, from 6 months to 2 years (depending on position) Physical and Drug Screen Required Must have a Clear Background Must be at least 18 years old (CDL Driver, 21 yrs.)

Must APPLY IN PERSON at 10605 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75220 from 7am-11am Mon-Fri. Please visit our website: www.edbellconstruction.com/careers Or email your resume to: careers@edbellconstruction.com

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June 7, 2025, JOINT RUNOFF ELECTION CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES COUNCIL DISTRICTS / BALLOT ORDER

Council District 8 1 Erik Wilson 2 Lorie Blair

Council District 11 1 Bill Roth 2 Jeff Kitner

DALLAS COUNTY EARLY VOTING DATES / TIMES / LOCATIONS *May 27-30

Tuesday-Friday Saturday Sunday Monday – Tuesday

May 31 June 1 June 2-3

8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

12 p.m. to 6 p.m.

7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

VC#

LocaGon

Address

VoGng Area

City

E0004

Elec8ons Training/Warehouse

1460 Round Table Dr Dallas, Texas, 75247

Vote Center

Dallas

E0024

North Garland Branch Library

3845 N Garland Ave, Garland, Texas, 75040

Program Room

Garland

E0022

Vietnamese Community Center

3221 Belt Line Rd, Garland, Texas, 75044

Senior Room

Garland

E0038

Royal Lane Bap8st Church

6707 Royal Ln, Dallas, Texas, 75230

Vickrey Hall

Dallas

E0041

Makkah Masjid Idea

3301 W Buckingham Rd, Garland, Texas, 75042

Back Mul8purpose Room

Garland

E1096

Pleasant Grove Dallas College

802 S Buckner Blvd, Dallas, Texas 75217

PG 108

Dallas

E1723

South Garland Branch Library

4845 Broadway Blvd, Garland, Texas, 75043

Program Room

Garland

E1708

Garland Center-Dallas College

675 W Walnut St, Garland, Texas, 75040

Gallery

Garland

E2052

Fretz Park Library

6990 Belt Line Rd, Dallas, Texas, 75254

Black Box Theater

Dallas

T E X A S

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June 7, 2025, JOINT RUNOFF ELECTION CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES COUNCIL DISTRICTS / BALLOT ORDERVoGng Area Address

VC#

LocaGon

E2604

Valley Ranch Library

401 Cimarron Trl, Irving, Texas, 75063

Mee8ng Room

Irving

E2927

Rowle] Community Centre

5300 Main St, Rowle], Texas, 75088

Room C & D

Rowle]

E3073 E3064

Council District 11Auditorium Highland Hills Library Council District 6200 8 Bonnie View Rd, Dallas, Texas, 75241

1 Erik Wilson 1 Bill Roth Friendship West Bap8st Church 2020 W Wheatland Rd, Dallas, Texas, 75232 2 Lorie Blair 2 Jeff Kitner

City

Dallas

Banquet Hall Foyer

Dallas

E3080

Kleberg-Rylie Recrea8on Center

1515 Edd Rd, Dallas, Texas, 75253

Small Room

Dallas

VC# E3605

LocaGon Disciple Central Comm Church

901 N Polk St,Address Desoto, Texas, 75115

VoGng SanctuaryArea

City DeSoto

E2604 E4071

Valley Ranch Library Oak Cliff Government Center

401 Cimarron Trl,Lobby Irving, Texas, 75063 Main

Room 702 EMee8ng Jefferson Blvd

Irving Dallas

E2927 E4607

Rowle] Community MainBlvd, St, Rowle], Texas,75060 75088 / TIMESMain C&D Irving City Hall Centre 8255300 WVOTING Irving Irving, DATES Texas, Lobby DALLAS COUNTY EARLY /Room LOCATIONS

E3073 E4502

Highland HillsLibrary Library Be]y Warmack

6200 Bonnie Dallas, Texas, 75241 760 Bardin Rd, View GrandRd, Prairie, Texas 75052

E3064 E4642

Friendship WestCenter Bap8st Church Irving Arts

2020 W Wheatland Rd,Irving, Dallas, Texas, 75232 3333 N Macarthur Blvd, Texas, 75062

*May 27-30

May 31 Kleberg-Rylie June 1Recrea8on Center June 2-3Comm Church Disciple Central

E3080 E3605 E4071 E4607

VC# E0004

Tuesday-Friday Saturday 1515 Edd Rd, Dallas, Texas, 75253 Sunday Monday Tuesday 901 N Polk–St, Desoto, Texas, 75115

Auditorium Empower Room

8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Banquet Art LabHall 1 Foyer 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Small 12 p.m. toRoom 6 p.m.

7 a.m.Sanctuary to 7 p.m.

DALLAS COUNTY EARLY VOTING AND ELECTION DAY LOCATIONS: Oak Cliff Government Center Main Lobby 702 E Jefferson Blvd LocaGon Address VoGng Area h]ps://www.dallascountyvotes.org/voters/elec8on/060725-joint-runoff-elec8on/

Rowle] Irving GrandDallas Prairie Dallas Irving Dallas DeSoto

CityDallas

IrvingElec8ons City HallTraining/Warehouse

825 W1460 Irving Blvd,Table Irving, Texas,Texas, 75060 Round Dr Dallas, 75247

Main Lobby Vote Center

DallasIrving

Irving Vietnamese Arts CenterCommunity Center

3221 Belt Line Rd,Irving, Garland, Texas, 75044 3333 N Macarthur Blvd, Texas, 75062

Senior Room Art Lab 1

Garland Irving

*Note E4502 for Early VoGng: On Monday, MayBranch 26, 2025, which is3845 Memorial Day andTexas, a legal holiday, early voGng Be]y Warmack Library 760 Bardin Rd, GrandAve, Prairie, Texas 75052 Empower Room will not take place.

Grand Prairie E0024 North Garland Library N Garland Garland, 75040 Program Room Garland E4642

E0022 E0038 E0041 E1096 E1723

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE CITY SECRETARY’S OFFICE: Royal Lane Bap8st Church 6707 Royal Ln, Dallas, Texas, 75230 Vickrey Hall Bilierae Johnson (214) 670-5654 or Miroslava MarGnez (214) 670-3809 Makkah Masjid Idea

Dallas

3301 W Buckingham Rd, Garland, Texas, 75042

Back Mul8purpose Room

Pleasant Grove Dallas College

802 S Buckner Blvd, Dallas, Texas 75217

PG 108

Dallas

South Garland Branch Library

4845 Broadway Blvd, Garland, Texas, 75043

Program Room

Garland

DALLAS COUNTY EARLY VOTING AND ELECTION DAY LOCATIONS:

h]ps://www.dallascountyvotes.org/voters/elec8on/060725-joint-runoff-elec8on/

Garland

*Note for Early E1708 VoGng: On Monday, May 26,College 2025, which is675Memorial Day and legal holiday, early voGng will not take place.

Garland Center-Dallas W Walnut St, Garland, Texas, a 75040 Gallery Garland E2052

Fretz Park Library

6990 Belt Line Rd, Dallas, Texas, 75254

Black Box Theater

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE CITY SECRETARY’S OFFICE: Bilierae Johnson (214) 670-5654 or Miroslava MarGnez (214) 670-3809

Dallas

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The Strong One

By La Juana Barton

Check on the strong one.

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Always checking on others.

They'restrengthexpendedholding everyone else up.

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Glenn Heights cont. from page 8

“The ultimate vision is to make Glenn Heights a destination city, not just a place to drive through but a place to stop, shop, dine, and stay,” Brown said.

“With thoughtful planning and community input, we’re creating a commercial landscape that supports our residents, respects our character, and positions Glenn Heights for a prosperous future. In short, our approach to commercial development is rooted in responsiveness, responsibility, and results.

We’re growing on purpose and with purpose to meet the needs of today while building the Glenn Heights of tomorrow.”

New home builds are also driving the growth in Glenn Heights. Within the last five years, the city has seen a 26% growth rate in population and

MetroNews 21 • Vol-13

• May 29 - June 4, 2025

Public Notice

24 Hour Wrecker Serv

nesses that will enhance the convenience, quality of life, and economic sustainability of our community,” Brown explained.

The city’s future-focused development approach includes: • A grocery store and food access, prioritizing fresh, affordable, and healthy food options, as well as regional and national grocery chains and independent grocers.

• More shopping and dining options focused on mixeduse development that blends shopping, restaurants, and walkable public spaces.

• Innovative and sustainable growth with intentional commercial development while preserving Glenn Heights’ small-town charm.

• Enhancing infrastructure, improving roadways, and streamlining permitting processes to create a business-friendly environment.

• Creating a destination, not just a stop.

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has more than doubled its taxable property values from $764 million to $1.7 billion.

Currently, there are three new housing developments that will add over 1,100 new single-family homes to Glenn Heights within the next five years.

Glenn Heights City Manager Cliff Blackwell said, “The builders are very bullish about Glenn Heights. They favor its proximity to the Dallas metro area and the school districts.

In addition, they claim the real estate in Glenn Heights is affordable.

They have a better working relationship with our city leaders than most other cities, and they think the future Loop 9 will bring lots of visibility to the area.”

In preparation for the new growth in the residential and commercial sectors, Glenn Heights is also in the necessary planning stages for expanding its capital infrastructure, such as roadway, water, and sewer.”

“Growth is exciting,” Brown concluded. “But we’re not just growing; we’re evolving with purpose and heart. Glenn Heights is becoming a model of progress wrapped in community spirit. As mayor, I will continue working to ensure that every step we take forward is thoughtful, all-encompassing, and centered on the well-being of our residents. The future of Glenn Heights is bright, and we’re just getting started.”

The following vehicles will be sold at public auction on Monday 6/2/2025 if not released to register owners. Any announcements made the day of sale supercede any advertised announcements.

The auction will be held at On line at www.jdnewell.com.

If you have any questions,please call 972-227-5188.

Year/make, VIN, Tag. ALL VEHICLES ARE SOLD AS IS.

Vehicle

VIN

2000 Dodge Durango 2003 Ford F150 2005 GMC Savana 2006 Honda Cbr600rr 2006 Subaru Forester 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt 2007 Honda Accord 2007 Honda Element 2008 Honda Odyssey 2008 Saturn Vue 2009 NISSAN Altima 2009 NISSAN Maxima 2010 Ford Fusion 2011 BMW 528I 2011 Ford Escape 2011 Hyundai Sonata 2012 NISSAN Maxima 2013 Chevrolet Spark 2013 Kia Sportage 2013 Toyota Rav4 2014 Hyundai Elantra 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee 2017 NISSAN Sentra 2018 Jeep Cherokee 2018 LOAD TRAIL trailer 2019 Kia Soul 2019 NISSAN Altima bigtex trailer

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36TH Texas Black Invitational Rodeo returns to Fair Park Coliseum DALLAS – Saddle up! Dust off those cowboy boots and giddy up to the 36th Texas Black Invitational Rodeo on Saturday, July 26, at 7 p.m. at the Fair Park Coliseum (1438 Coliseum Dr., Dallas, Texas 75210). Doors open at 6 p.m., with the Grand Entry Parade beginning at 6:30 p.m. and the competition at 7 p.m.

Presented by and benefiting the African American Museum, Dallas, the family-fun rodeo showcases Black cowboys and cowgirls competing for cash prizes in bronc and bull riding, calf and steer roping, barrel racing and a Pony Express relay race.

The evening also features on-field kids’ activities, trick lasso performances, live music, concessions, and more.

Aside from the thrills and spills, the popular rodeo – which has sold out in advance in recent years-- provides a powerful glimpse of the historical contributions African Americans made in settling the western U.S. “This rodeo isn’t just entertainment – it’s a living tribute to the strength, courage and legacy of Black cowboys and cowgirls in America,” said Margie Reese, interim executive director of the African American Museum, Dallas. “We’re proud to spotlight this rich culture through a fast-paced, family-friendly event that keeps the spirit of the West alive.”

To date, the sponsors of the Texas Black Invitational Rodeo are Cavender’s; City of Dallas’ Office of Arts and Culture; Dallas Mavericks; Dallas Tourism Public Improvement District; Johnny Rogers/Trinity Review Services, Inc.; Oak View Group and Toyota.

Media partners are NBC 5 and Telemundo 39, Majic 94.5 and 97.9 The Beat, and Texas Metro News, Garland Journal and I Messenger.

Season sponsors of the African American Museum, Dallas, are Oak View Group, Visit Dallas and the City of Dallas’ Office of Arts and Culture.

TICKET DETAILS With proceeds benefiting the African American Museum, Dallas, rodeo tickets are $15 and VIP seats are $43 (plus fees) at fairparktix.com. Tickets are also available at the museum and at the coliseum on the day of the event (although last year’s event sold out early).

For more information, go to aamdallas.org. For the latest updates, follow the Museum on Instagram and Facebook.

SPORTS

Super Bowl Champion Deatrich Wise, Brothers host Free Football Camp LANCASTER, Texas – Former New England coach Bill Belichick, one of the winningest coaches in NFL history, and future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady, who earned seven Super Bowl rings, taught Deatrich Wise so much about the game that the nine-year NFL veteran feels compelled to share that knowledge with the next generation.

That’s one of the benefits of attending the 2025 Wise Big Man Camp on Saturday, June 7th at 8 a.m. at Beverly D. Humphrey Tiger Stadium at Lancaster High School (200 E. Wintergreen Rd., Lancaster, Texas 75134). Registration continues through June 7 at www.wisebigmancamp. com.

The camp is free.

“I’m not looking to get paid off this camp. I’m not looking to exploit the kids.

I’m not looking to charge prices up just so I can have money in my pocket,” Deatrich Wise said. “The main reason it’s free is so everyone is welcome to this camp.”

“Everyone has an oppor-

More History Lessons cont. from page 1 I hope to attend the unveiling and ribbon cutting and I typed in Eloise Lundy’s name because I wanted to know who was she and what was she to me?

Especially during these times, we need to know who these people are and what they mean to us. We need to share their stories and keep their legacy alive.

What better way to add to the legacy of the Black Press than to have us keep alive the names of those who gave

so that we could have what we needed in our communities?

They are equally important as the entertainers, athletes, and others who capture headlines.

Let’s balance those headlines.

So who was Eloise Lundy and what was she to us? The park that was named in her honor was the first park in the City of Dallas dedicated solely for use by African Americans.

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Born in Dallas, she was known for her work with parks citywide, according to the Dallas Park and Recreation Instagram page. She served as a district supervisor over 45 parks.

I’m sure there is much more to her story. We need to find and share those stories about Ms. Lundy and others. Her work for decades must serve as an example for others. Clearly she cared about her community and especially our children.

tunity to learn. Everyone has an opportunity to get these fundamentals and techniques so you can apply what you learned to your life. We give you the tools you need to have a great season. All you have to do is apply it.”

The camp is for athletes entering 7th through 12th grade. Check-in begins at 7 a.m., and camp activities occur from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Each camper will receive a T-shirt, swag bag, breakfast, and lunch.

Deatrich Wise, a defensive tackle who spent eight years with New England, has 34 career sacks. He signed as a free agent with Washington in March.

“I learned practice intensity from Tom Brady.

He told me he treated every practice like game day and tried to throw a perfect spiral every time he threw the ball,” Deatrich Wise said. “Obviously, I don’t throw the ball, so I focused on perfect hand placement and perfect pass-rush technique because hands are so important.”

“Belichick taught me don’t let what you can’t do

Deatrich Wise

stop you from doing what you can do. If they’re taking one thing away, find another way to get it done.”

Current and former NFL and college players and coaches will provide hands-on instruction.

Players will be measured, weighed, and timed in the 40-yard dash and participate in some combine-like drills, and that information will be shared with college coaches. They will also receive brand-building tips.

“I enjoy giving back to the kids and see it translate to their season,” said Daniel Wise, who played for Washington in 2021 and 2022. “They come in hungry and want to learn, and they know you’ve been

YOU ARE INVITED ESTAS INVITADO

Eloise Lundy Park

Playground Rendering Unveiling & Ribbon Cutting Representación del patio de juegos Inauguración y corte de cinta

Thursday Jueves

MAY 29 29 de mayo

3:00 PM

Carolyn King Arnold Dallas City Council District 4

Harrison Blair Dallas Park & Recreation Board District 4

Eloise Lundy Park Parque Eloise Lundy

1228 Reverend CBT Smith Street Dallas 75203

Join Carolyn King Arnold, Dallas City Council District 4, and Harrison Blair, Dallas Park and

Recreation Board member District 4 for this community event. Following the cermony, there will Recently in a conversa- parks. Whether there were be a Family Night Out, for residents to enjoy the newly renovated park amenities, including pickleball games, baseball and soccer drills, 5K walk on the new trail, and lite refreshments. tion about Dallas and oth- basketball games until the Acompañe a Carolyn King Arnold, del Distrito 4 del Concejo Municipal de Dallas, y a Harrison Blair, er cities, mentioned how de Dallas, wee hours ofevento thecomunitario. night, an miembro I de la Junta de Parques y Recreación del Distrito 4, en este Después de la ceremonia, habrá una Noche Familiar para que los residentes disfruten de las we made great of our Negroejercicios Baseball instalaciones del parqueuse recientemente renovadas, impressive que incluyen juegos de pickleball, de béisbol y fútbol, una caminata de 5 km por el nuevo sendero y refrigerios.

Bringing Communities Together

where they want to go. It’s fun to share information and energy and see the kids feed off that.”

The Wise Big Man Camp is the culmination of a dream that began when Deatrich Wise, his brothers – Daniel and Solomon – and their childhood friend, Seth, sat around as high school students discussing their future.

Deatrich Wise couldn’t find any local camps for offensive and defensive linemen when he played football in middle and high school. The camps, it seemed, were geared exclusively toward quarterbacks, receivers, and skill position players.

Deatrich Wise vowed to change that when he made it to the NFL. “There was nothing to show how I moved or played,” Wise said. “I told them the first thing I do once I get to the league is create a camp just for the big guys.”

WHAT: Wise Big Man Camp WHEN: June 7, 2025 WHERE: Beverly D. Humphrey COST: FREE

League game, concerts featuring the Moments or other groups, or daily cookouts; our parks were the place to gather.

I know Harrison Blair and other Parks and Recreation Board members would love to have our area parks with equally equipped facilities, a safe environment, superior equipment, and a bustling crowd of all ages taking in the sun and activities.

As we continue to honor folks, we must ensure that those coming after them will know who they are and what they mean to us!

SPORTS

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Juneteenth Festival Celebration at Mary Heads Carter Park from 10:30 to 3:00 At 2300 Heads Lane, Carrollton, TX 75006

Carrollton Juneteenth Festival, Celebrate 60 yrs! Program will include Music band, Singing, Dances, Speakers, Food, Poems, and Speeches.

Come join CCC’s Rev. Willie Rainwater and Friends, Mayor and City Council, CFB-ISD Board Members, Community Groups, The Church of the Latter Day Saints, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, Churches, Schools, and Organizations.

Juneteenth Celebration Juneteenth (short for “June Nineteenth”) marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, TX in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed.

Two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth honors the end to slavery in the United States and is considered the longest-running African American holiday. It was around 1979 when Texas declared Juneteenth a State Holiday, and on June 17, 2021, it became a Federal Holiday.

Please Make Donate: $50, $100, $500, or $1,000!

MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO:

Christ Community Connection, Inc. P.O. BOX 116227, Carrollton, TX 75011 Rev. Willie Rainwater 972-242-0933

ChristCommunityConnection@Gmail.com

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