WISHING YOU THE BEST IN 2020!
VOL IX ISSUE 9 December 18, 2019
MY TRUTH
QUIT PLAYIN’ By Vincent L. Hall
Cheryl Smith Publisher
Begin Today Don’t you just love seeing women in positions of power, influence and leadership? In answering her question recently during the 2019 Miss Universe Pageant, Miss South Africa Zozibini Tunzi of Eastern Cape talked about women in leadership. The very favorable response to her
statement was encouraging and impressive. She ended up victorious, winning the title of Miss Universe! Now, too often, women are discouraged; sometimes we discourage ourselves from pursuing leadership roles because we are too young, too old, too big, too small, uneducated, over-educated, we don’t have the look, and I could go on and on. Sadly, some of us think that only men should hold certain positions of leadership. I love seeing the responses I get from women, young ladies, and girls; when I compliment them. Maybe if we affirmed one another more the world would be a much better place. Someone said, if women were running the world, we’d have fewer wars. Someone also said, if the woman of the house is not happy, nary a soul in the house will be either! I’ve seen, on numerous occasions, the marginalization of women. If we are absolutely truthful; there were men AND WOMEN who didn’t have a legitimate reason for not voting for Hillary Clinton for President of the U.S. Sadly, deep in their hearts, they couldn’t bring themselves to vote for a woman. There are still those who want to keep women out of the boardrooms, pulpits, locker rooms, and yes, the White House. Women deserve leadership roles. We don’t want to hear about “flaws,” because that hasn’t stopped men from serving. Women have shown up and shown out, time and time again. Women have always been the sounding board and the voice of reason. I am so grateful to have so many dynamic women who, some I have never met, but know their works, paved the way for me. Which brings me to my truth. On December 14 and 15th, Laverne Whitehead Reed was installed as the senior pastor at Warren Avenue Christian Church in Dallas, TX. I’m excited for her, the church, and the community for starters because she clearly has taken the necessary steps for this opportunity, for a time such as this. In her words, she is “grateful that God has given me this opportunity to serve.” Actually she has lived a life of service, living “God’s Plan versus Reed’s Plan.” She’s been a nurse, an educator and eventually, she became a Chaplain, before serving in various clergy positions at hospitals and churches. Currently serving as Southwest Regional Chaplain for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Dr. Reed has a number of firsts in her portfolio, including becoming the first African Methodist Episcopal Board Certified Chaplain (BCC) in the state of Texas by the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC), first African American to serve as Secretary of the Brite Divinity School Student Government, and first professional female and African American Chaplain at Baylor Carrollton Medical Center where she was responsible for the development of the Pastoral Care Department. Hailing from Memphis, TN, Dr. Reed actually marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Once she moved to Texas she earned an Associate of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Divinity See MY TRUTH, page 4
A Low Barr in History
By Chelle Luper Wilson
I think today, American people have to focus on something else, which is the sacrifice and the service that is given by our law enforcement officers,” Barr told the crowd. “And they have to start showing, more than they do, the respect and support that law enforcement deserves―and if communities don’t give that support and respect, they might find themselves without the police protection they need.” – William Barr, US Attorney General, Dec. 3, 2019
Laugh to Keep from Dying
I’ve watched and re-watched the documentary, Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am, more times than I can count. The scene that stood out most recently See QUIT PLAYIN’, page 5 was one featuring poet, activist, and scholar Sonia Sanchez, who also happens to be one of Morrison’s closest friends. She explained how Morrison’s work made you feel a full range of emotions. She talked about being so mad reading The Bluest Eye that she just threw the book against the wall. As only she can, Sanchez then described the tears that flowed from her eyes as she came back the next day to read more. She says, “You read Toni and you cry and you gotta laugh...If you don’t laugh; you don’t survive.” Her words, “If you don’t laugh; you don’t survive,” have haunted me ever since. As most children of Black parents, there have been times when we as kids, didn’t see the funny in many situations that amused the elders. However, I remember hearing my mother say a lot, “Sometimes you just have to laugh to keep from crying.” In the times we now find ourselves in, there are plenty of outrageous things happening that Miss South Africa Miss Jamaica ordinarily would warrant a good laugh, but right Zozibini Tunzi Toni-Ann Singh now, all I want to do is cry. Miss Universe Miss World Finding something that really made me State University who aspires to as president of the Caribbean laugh has been a challenge, until Eddie Murphy students association on campus. returned to my screen. I honestly didn’t know be a medical doctor. Previously she has worked how much I needed a good laugh until I had one—a really good one, the kind that makes you spit out your drink, causes your eyes to water, and requires you to hold on to your sides because they hurt from laughing. Recently, several people have told me I needed to see Dolemite Is My Name. I knew the story of Rudy Ray Moore wouldn’t be appropriate to watch as a family but finding time away from the kids to “Netflix and Chill” isn’t easy. On a 6am flight, a week or so ago, I paid for Wi-Fi and started watching it. I laughed out loud (and I do mean loud) so many times. Ordinarily, I’m a quiet flyer, especially at 6am, but the laughs came louder and quicker than I could stop them. It didn’t seem to bother the beautiful and distinguished seasoned Black woman seated next to me, and as we were landing, I said, “I hope my laughs did not bother you. I just watched Dolemite Is My Name.” She turned to me and said, “You did not bother me, and listen honey, I understand. I watched it last night.” Yes, Dolemite Is My Name, is very funny. The cast is phenomenal, Murphy has brought so much Black excellence together in this one film. I kept saying, “Wait, was that?” Yes, it was. Let me tell you, Wesley Snipes delivered as D’Urville Martin and said aloud what everyone, outside of the cast, had to be thinking. Surprisingly, it is also very heart warming. successfully navigated a career and sharing the information to It is a story of belief in self no matter what. It in radio, television, the big empower millions. is a story of authentic friendship. It is a story of screen, the World Wide Web Joyner earned the nickname representation. It is a story of community—the and in the streets; telling the “The Fly Jock” and “The way we come through and show up for one stories that wouldn’t get told, See WORDZ, page 2 See TRIBUTE, page 2
Miss Universe and Miss World From Staff Reports
Dr. Laverne Whitehead Reed
WORDZ OF WILSON
History was made! Miss South Africa, Zozibini Tunzi, was crowned Miss Universe on Sunday, December 8, 2019 in Atlanta, GA at the historic Tyler Perry Studios. With a degree in public relations, this passionate activist has engaged in the fight against gender based violence. Miss Jamaica, Toni-Ann Singh, was crowned Miss World on December 14, 2019 in London, Eng. She is a women’s studies and psychology student at Florida
Tribute to a Legend: The “Fly Jock” Drops the Mic
By FAMU Cheryl
Thomas E. Joyner is a media mogul. He’s our ninth Wonder of the World! He has
Keeper of the Treasure I WAS JUST THINKING... By Norma Adams-Wade Did I ever tell you that I hated history in school? My, how things can change. I was just thinking about Dr. Robert Prince Jr. and how he and other local Black pioneers helped change my mind about history. History and the history books I had read before my enlightenment were just wrongly presented to me, I
ultimately concluded. Basic United States history as presented to me as a young student really had little to do with me, I felt at the time. History was just about a bunch of dead people who did not look like me and who gave me the impression they did not care about me and my life as well. And then I
discovered Black history, and particularly history of African Americans in Dallas and the communities where they lived. Wow. What a treasure trove. Dr. Robert Prince Jr. was a keeper of the treasure. I did not get to pay homage to him when he died recently on October 16 at age 89. I knew Dr. Prince Jr., the physician, and his father, Prince Sr., Dallas high school math teacher, fairly well. It makes my head swim to think about the two Princes – royalty indeed -- and people like them who helped
fortify the foundation of Dallas’ African American community that we are left to preserve. I was just thinking about Dr. Prince Jr. after I ran across a book he wrote while I was looking for a historical reference on my bookshelf. I took the autographed copy down and began thumbing through the pages. Current years began to fall away and rich memories leaped forward. Prince Jr.’s 1993 book, A History of Dallas from a Different Perspective, regurgitates Prince Jr.’s countless recollections of
the Black Dallas he knew growing up as the child of accomplished parents in the historic State-Thomas Black community. As an adult, Prince Jr. lived on celebrated McShann Road, but that is fodder for discussion at another time. By the way, Prince Jr.’s late sister, Dr. Jeanette Elaine Prince Lockley, PhD, was no slouch either. Both she and her brother were born in Dallas at Black-owned Pinkston’s Clinic in that community. She earned her doctoral See THINKING, page 5