Garland Journal 4-21-22

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My Truth By Cheryl Smith Publisher Finally -- Another First with the Confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson Sorry, “Ms. Jackson.” Those words ring in my ears to the tune of the same song by hip-hop’s legendary OutKast. Yes, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is owed an apology for the treatment she received during her recent Senate confirmation hearings. I won’t hold my breath, though. While many social media posters questioned what messages our children would glean from “the slap heard around the world” at the 2022 Academy

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson

Awards, I wondered what takeaways our children would glean from the awful “verbal slaps” of disrespect and mid-sentence cut-offs lodged against the brilliant jurist, Ms. Jackson. These jabs appeared OK to many. However, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), former mayor of Newark, my birth city, didn’t have time for foolishness. He eloquently – and respectfully - addressed Judge Jackson, affirming her skills and abilities and, by extension, those of so many other accomplished women. I call it his finest moment. What will future generations say when they look back at these “slaps,” I wonder. Decades from now, my descendants will read my thoughts and feelings during the historic vote to confirm Judge Jackson to the Supreme Court. My heart raced at a faster pace than usual. Which brings me to my truth. Part of me now wants to go into a secluded, dark room away from everyone, where I can just release every emotion imaginable. Poet extraordinaire Nikki Giovanni encourages this practice. I find it helpful for my balancing act and emotional stability. Tears, laughter, silence, screams, prayers! I would let it all out! At some point, I probably would dance. I would be cheering for Judge Jackson, this country’s first Black woman to serve as a United States Supreme Court judge. I would reserve some moments of elation for pioneering activist Constance Baker Motley; economist and attorney Sadie T.M. Alexander; trailblazing attorney Charlotte E. Ray; Judge Jane Bolin, the first Black woman to graduate from Yale Law School and the first to become a judge in the United States, and too many others to mention in this space. The Constitution does not require Supreme Court Justices See MY TRUTH, Page 2

SERVING NORTH EAST TEXAS

THURSDAY APRIL 21, 2022

VOLUME X

Innovative Health Program Provides Dallasite Featured in Showtime’s Alternative for Sick Employees By Cheryl Smith Get sick at work and you have to take off to see a doctor or visit the emergency room; or you can just call it a day and go home in hopes your condition gets better. Medical experts are calling mobile clinics the future of healthcare. Productivity is impacted and loss wages are an immediate downside to work stoppage. The alternative is for the sick employee to report to work and if contagious, possibly infect others causing a major problem. For many, the idea of taking off work because of illness is not only stressful, it’s not an option. When Dallas-based Hardies Fresh Foods executives entered into an arrangement with Hamilton Health Box, it was seen as not only a cost-saving measure but

Dr. Glenn Davis with Nurse Paola Olquin, Melinda Munoz and Jennifer Hardie Austin

Program addresses healthier work environments also an investment in the more than 400 employees at the Dallas-based company. During a recent visit to Dallas, Dr. Glenn Davis talked about how the Houston-based company that specializes in mobile clinics is helping companies and their employees along with their families by setting up of-

fices on the premises to provide medical care. Doctors are available for checkups and minor health concerns. Dr. Davis praised the leadership at Hardies for investing in employees, saying it was a testament to visionary leadership. He said Hardies joins other companies in working to deal with

the health crisis and promote safer, healthier workplaces. Vice President Jennifer Hardie Austin and Human Resources Director Melinda Munoz echoed the doctors sentiments about the benefits of having a doctor on call. For them, it made good business sense. “The decision to go with Hamilton will benefit the company and our employees,” said Munoz. According to the doctor, the Hamilton Health Box preventative services model has an impressive track record, saving one company as much as a 1/2 million dollars annually. “We are able to diagnose symptoms earlier,” he explained, adding that the trained staff can prescribe medications and also make referrals and determine if a hospital visit is the next step. Having Hamilton on See HEALTHY PROGRAM, page 2

Women find a winning solution in dealing with hair loss By Sylvia Dunnavant Hines After Actor Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock during the Oscars for making a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, one word was echoed around the world – alopecia. From break rooms to the morning talk shows, people were asking, “what is alopecia?” Even though many people in the nation had no idea what this word meant, according to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation this condition affects both sexes and all ethnic groups can develop alopecia areata. “The definition of alopecia is hair loss from any cause. There are 100

different categories of alopecia,” said Dr. Linda Amerson, PhD, IIT, Tect, CCHHP/Scalp Doctor and Holistic Health Practitioner; who also is the owner of LA’s Hair

toms of this disease by the age of 30. “Some of my younger clients are more concerned with their physical image,” said Dr. Amerson. “They may not be

Carmen Anderson displays her hair loss

and Scalp in Arlington, Texas. Although people of all ages can develop alopecia, studies have shown that many people start to experience symp-

as conscious about trying to take care of their scalp. They tend to wear wigs or other things to cover up their hair loss. “However, for those that are 40 or over, they

are more concerned with the regrowth of their hair based on the damage that has been done. Their main concern tends to be if their hair loss is reversible or irreversible.” According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), “Telogen effluvium is a type of alopecia where hair sheds in excess. It can happen suddenly, or hair can thin over time. Causes of telogen effluvium include medications, stress, childbirth, physical trauma, restrictive dieting, and life changes. According to Dr. Amerson there are over 300 medications that have a side effect that causes alopecia. See HAIR LOSS, page 2

African American Educators honored at Hall of Fame in-person luncheon I Was Just Thinking... By Norma Adams-Wade COVID-19 had to take a backseat to this determined group of educators who showed that they would not be stopped from giving honor where honor was due. The African American Education Archives and History Program (AAEAHP) inducted 10 standout educators into its Bobbie L. Lang Hall of Fame at an Induction Ceremony Luncheon Saturday April 2, 2022 at the Hilton Garden in Duncanville. These were inductees from the year 2020 in that the coronavirus pandemic forced public ceremonies to be postponed that year See AFRICAN AMERICAN EDUCATORS, Page 2

The inductees gather up front after the Induction Ceremony. They are: (Front row, seated lt. to rt.) Judge Kim Brown representing inductee Dr. Helen Young Jones who was ill, Dr. Delores Seamster, Lela Herron, Harnell Price Williams, Shirley R. Fisher. (Back row, standing lt. to rt.) Rev. Darrell Pryor representing his late father Rev. George W. Pryor who posthumously was awarded the Trailblazer Award, Carolyn Bailey, Carolyn Thompson, Orethann Price, Dr. Robbie Pipkins, and Billy Allen representing the African American Museum at Fair Park that displays inductees’ portraits. Inductee Willie Crowder was absent and not photographed due to illness.

The First Lady By Cheryl Smith

For more than 40 years, a picture of Hollywood actress Regina Taylor hung in the Oak Cliff beauty salon of her cousin, Vera English. There, at The Pink Palace salon, English proudly dropped gems to her clients about Taylor’s child-

Regina Taylor

hood and, later, how she held her own starring alongside leading men Denzel Washington and Samuel L. Jackson. Then, there was the time in the mid-1980s, that English couldn’t hold back sharing the news that Taylor had become the first Black woman to play Juliet Capulet in Romeo and Juliet on Broadway. Last Sunday, English, now in her late 80s, had a chance anew to brag on Taylor, a Southern Methodist University graduate, who portrayed Marian Shields Robinson, the mother of former First Lady Michelle Obama, in the new Showtime limited series, The First Lady. “I am so proud of my niece,” Mrs. English said. “She always takes care of home and she is such a beautifull, multi-talented person.” For her part, Taylor, reached in New York where she is working on several projects, said taking on the role of the former “First Mother” was sobering. “It was humbling playing this woman because I remember when she stepped onto the world stage and walked into the White House,” Taylor said. “(I said to myself,) ‘You know what Michelle, you brought your mama with you to keep things stable, to bring continuity, lineage, legacy and stability.’ You want that stability up in there!” The First Lady chronicles Obama and former First Ladies Betty Ford and Eleanor Roosevelt in Season One. Celebrated Hollywood veterans Viola Davis, Michelle Pfeiffer and Gillian Anderson play the first ladies, respectively. “Viola Davis does a smash up job playing Michelle Obama and I am very happy to be playing Marian Robinson,” Taylor said. The series offers viewers a peek at very distinguished women in very different times, how they became who they are and the people who shaped and supported them, Taylor said. The ensemble cast also includes Saniyya Sidney as Sasha Obama; Julian DeNiro, as a young Barack Obama; and Evan Parke as Michelle Obama’s longtime security agent, Allen Taylor. Lexi Underwood (Little Fires Everywhere, Will Vs. The Future) portrays Malia Obama, the former First Family’s eldest daughter. “I’m so honored to be in this series with so many actors who are doing what they love to do and they are excellent,” said Taylor, a graduate of Dallas’ L.G. Pinkston See THE FIRST LADY, page 6


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