Garland Journal 2-25-21

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MY TRUTH

By Cheryl Smith Publisher

Silence could be deadly In 2021, folks are still silent about HIV and AIDS. We can’t afford to be silent or nonchalant. I remember the first person I knowingly came into contact with who had full-blown AIDS. We sat for hours in a restaurant talking about his life, which had taken a devastating turn with his diagnosis. He had been shunned by his family, his church members and anyone else he held near and dear. At the time he was in his 30s and didn’t seem optimistic about making it to his 40s. The man poured out his heart to me because he wanted me to tell his story in hopes that James A. others would Washington be helped. I still remember, him saying to me, over 35 years ago, that more people were going to become infected and end up dying because they have their heads in the sand. He tried to make and off-color joke by saying that people like him, gay and Black, actually caught the disease from being in that very position. We’re talking about the mid 80s and so much was a mystery about HIV/AIDS. The young man talked of the hurt he felt because people did not want to be around him. He talked about as a gay, white male disease; HIV/AIDS was for many, he said, contracted because of “deviant sexual behavior.” Before we parted company, I assured him that I would tell his story with sensitivity and fairness. Then I did something that he said folks never did to him anymore. I took his hand and shook it. The look on his face, said it all. He seemed grateful that here I stood, not treating him as though that handshake would kill me or that I would contract the disease. I wrote the story and presented it to one publisher who wanted absolutely nothing to do with the story. Then I took it to James A. Washington and the story ran on the front page of the Dallas Weekly. Maybe that’s one of the reasons that Jim deserved to receive the National Association of Black Journalists’ 2019 Legacy Award. Just like he supported aspiring journalists, he was also committed to supporting and uplifting our communities. Right now we need more advocates like the aforementioned and Mr. Washington. Sadly the HIV/AIDS epidemic has gotten worse and we must work together. Ignorance is not acceptable. For that man who gave me the story, and for the countless who have died because of causes related to HIV/AIDS, we have work to do.

SERVING NORTH EAST TEXAS

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 25, 2021 VOLUME X

Here’s how Texans can apply for FEMA disaster assistance for winter storm damage

By Charles Scudder

The Dallas Morning News

Many Texans who have suffered winter storm damage can apply now for help from FEMA. President Joe Biden signed a major disaster declaration Friday for 77 Texas counties, including much of Dallas-Fort Worth. That allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency to distribute assistance for needs including temporary lodging, home repairs and uninsured property losses. FEMA said people

This story, originally published in The Dallas Morning News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News (Garland Journal). The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas.

should file insurance claims and begin to clean up and make repairs as soon as it’s safe to do so. It can’t duplicate insurance benefits, but it may be able to pay for costs that insurance doesn’t cover. FEMA suggest taking photos of damage and cleanup efforts to document repairs and to keep receipts for cleanup and

Sports Editor

Sunday afternoon was a stark contrast to the week before. The sun was shining. Temperatures were well into the 60s. Cars filled the streets and people were going about their daily business. But there are still people who are suffering the crippling effects of last week’s Winter Storm that paralyzed the entire state of Texas with ice,

Cynt Marshall Mavs CEO

snow and arctic air that dropped temperatures to below 0 over several nights. Many are still without

repair costs. People may apply online at disasterassistance. gov or by calling 800-6213362.

FEMA asks applicants to have the following ready: • A current phone number See FEMA page 8

electricity and water; food supplies are scarce and many have water damage to their homes as the result of frozen pipes that have burst. Seeing the needs all around him, Dallas Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban donated $1 million to Winter Storm Recovery efforts locally. His efforts were quickly followed by donations from CEO Cynt Marshall, Head Coach Rick Carlisle, players Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, Dwight Powell

and Tim Hardaway Jr., and members of The Mavs Foundation and the Mavs’ official jersey partner Chime. When it was all said and done, they collected over $1.25 million to donate in emergency grants and relief. “It’s a great thing to see and be a part of,” Carlisle said Sunday during his Zoom media session. “It’s much needed especially with the events of the last seven days. I’ve See MAVS page 7

Chef brings twist to Cajun Classics Photos and story By Eva D. Coleman

Lifestyle and Culture Editor

It’s small and intimate, yet bursting with flavor— ORNO Restaurant at 3908 Cedar Springs in Dallas, TX is the designated spot for celebrity chef Ty Frazier and his wife Denise Harper Frazier of Our Door to Yours Catering to deliver a dine-in or to-go experience. Known for his signature and mouth-watering Scrimp & Gritz, from previous brick and mortar establishments to crowds

Chef Ty Frazier and Denise Harper Frazier at ORNO Restaurant

lined up at his booth during the State Fair of Texas, Chef Ty often brings an elegant twist to Cajun classics.

Whether kicked-up, seasoned and fried catfish or blackened and loaded with a special lobster, crawfish and shrimp

sauce; to a gumbo with a dark and rich roux so good you could drink it by itself, the Frazier duo behind this Our Door to Yours ORNO Takeover featuring Chef Ty are after something different. “What we’re doing is we’re going for the night life,” Denise Harper Frazier said. “Everybody’s got their niche in the City and we’re gonna niche in on the night life.” Frazier favorites are plated up for what Denise calls “Dinner Dine” from 5:00 -10:00 pm on See ORNO page 7

FINALLY! Pearson in Class of 2021 By Edward Hill

Super Drew Pearson, now in the NFL Hall of Fame, with Willis Johnson of JBJ Management. The two shared the microphone for years at Soul 73 KKDAAM.

Texas Metro News

Drew Pearson is probably still crying somewhere. But instead of tears of disappointment as they were last January when he was denied entrance into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of the 2020 Centennial Class; this time they’re tears of unbridled joy, pride and satisfaction. The legendary receiv-

er achieved football immortality last Saturday when it was announced that he would go into the Pro Football Hall of Fame with the Class of 2021,

By Norma Adams-Wade

Dallas Black protest and planning sites-Part II

Benny Henderson, 53, takes a look at his mother’s apartment ceiling at Westmoreland Heights in Dallas on Saturday, February 20, 2021, where it collapsed over the kitchen due to water damage after the snow storm Uri hit Dallas this week Credit: Lola Gomez/The Dallas Morning News

Mark Cuban, Mavs Organization donate $1.25 million for Winter Storm Relief By Dorothy J. Gentry

I Was Just Thinking...

officially correcting an egregious oversight and ending a personal 33-year wait for a man who made the No. 88 jersey a sacred symbol with the Dallas

Cowboys. Pearson was known as “Mr. Clutch” during an 11-year career with the Cowboys. He retired as the team’s all-time leader in pass receptions and passing yards and was linked to many of the legendary plays in Cowboys history that helped forge their “America’s Team” moniker and championship pedigree. The high school teamSee PEARSON page 6

Pythian Temple, headquarters of the Knights of Pythias.

We reviewed last week some sites where Dallas Black citizens traditionally gathered for protests, planning and strategizing to advance civil rights causes. In part II of the discussion, we again recall that in Black history, our people gathered at the river or in dense woods to plan ways to seek freedom and fight inequities. Here are additional Dallas sites where Black citizens and local and national Black leaders carried on that tradition in more modern settings. We continue with #4. 4. Pythian Temple, home of the “Colored” Knights of Pythias grand lodge, 2551 Elm St. in Deep Ellum. This historic building opened in 1916 as headquarters for one of the nation’s leading Black secret societies. It also housed retail storefronts and offices for prominent businesses and physicians. A 4th-floor ballroom was the go-to place for Black social events including parties and fund-raising banquets for Black organizations as well as performing arts and high school proms. Again, if these walls could talk, they would tell of the many fraternities, sororities and civic organizations that would meet inside to discuss action plans concerning issues of the day. Historians report that even Marcus Garvey and George Washington Carver lectured there. The building faced demolition but in recent years, has been restored and converted into an upscale boutique hotel. Pythian Temple is equally significant because it was designed by historic Black architect William Sidney Pittman who left his iconic mark on many of the nation’s landmark African-American commercial buildings and churches. Pittman additionally is memorable as the husband of Booker T. Washington’s daughter, Portia Washington Pittman. The couple lived in Dallas with their three children for a number of years where Mrs. Washington was a noted music teacher. Sadly, with all his brilliance and brimming talent, Pittman died a pauper after experiencing legal and personal downfalls. He is buried in the Glen Oaks Cemetery – also known as Pinkston Cemetery -- adjacent to L. Butler Nelson Cemetery and Lincoln High School on Elsie Faye Heggins Street in South Dallas. I was just thinking… In my own opinion, I maintain that Pittman’s genius mind could not abide the racism See THINKING, page 8


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Garland Journal 2-25-21 by Cheryl Smith - Issuu