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MY TRUTH
By Cheryl Smith Publisher
THURSDAY MARCH 4, 2021 VOLUME X
FAMULY Royalty
I Was Just Thinking... By Norma Adams-Wade
We believe Erika Johnson is latest to wear the Miss FAMU crown Dallas Black protest and Johnson, has served Florida A&M our lying By Skylar Boone University with dignity and grace while lifting her voice in service planning eyes! Some would say that a profile and praise of the University,” of the Johnson family would have said FAMU President Dr. Larry Too many women belong sites-Part II been ideal for February during Robinson. “She has successfully to an elite club that no one in their right minds would want membership in. If you’ve ever seen Haile Gerima’s movie, Sankofa, a mother’s pain is excellently portrayed and has been part of my psyche for decades. Her anguished cries were reminiscent of the moans I’ve heard so many times from mothers who have lost a child. Which brings me to my truth.
Erika Nicole Johnson Miss FAMU 2020-2021
African American History Month, but when you have a family like theirs, full of accomplishments; any day and any month is a good one for a celebration. And celebrate is what this family and many, still observing social distancing measures, will do when they witness yet another milestone this weekend, with all eyes on the youngest Johnson. Erika Nicole Johnson, at her Miss Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) coronation. Although she has reigned the entire year, this weekend is her big weekend and she is more than deserving of all the pomp and circumstance that comes with this honor. “Miss FAMU 2020-21, Erika
fulfilled the legacy of Miss FAMU and within her own family, succeeding her mother and sister, both outstanding alumnae. She was one of the student recipients of the FAMU MLK Leadership Award for her commitment, dedication, and leadership. She has reigned supreme as Miss FAMU.” And reigning supreme comes naturally for Erika’s family.
MEET THE JOHNSONS: Dr. Vivian Bradley Johnson is the Senior Vice President of Clinical Services at Parkland Hospital Systems and a proud graduate of Florida A&M University (FAMU), where the names Bradley and Johnson are legendary; almost as
Last week, there could have been another member inducted into that “club” of women who lost sons to police violence/brutality. Outrage is mounting across the country as video of Plano (TX) police arresting a young Black man, 18-year-old RJ Reese, walking home after working the late shift at Walmart. Police say they responded to a call about a man in shorts and t-shirt, stumbling in the street during the winter storm. The situation escalated. All I could do was clench my teeth and shake my head as I watched the officers try to “help” RJ before taking him to jail. They ask if he was okay and he responds that he lives a short distance away and didn’t need any help. They persisted, offering a ride. He declined. He just wanted to go home.
Rodney Reese, 18, was arrested at 10:45pm on February 16 in Plano
A Class C misdemeanor, could have cost RJ his life. It was a case of majoring in the minors! Now charges have been dropped but RJ will probably always remember that night in jail. He’s not a criminal and his actions weren’t either. An inquiry is expected. We can’t condone or excuse the handling of that encounter. And for those who have alternative narratives, it is refreshing that you are becoming the minority.
From staff reports The 56th Anniversary Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee, the largest annual civil rights event in the nation, will take place March 5-7 to honor the past, examine the present and look forward to the future of the fight for equity and justice. This year’s theme, “Beyond the Bridge: People Power, Political Power, Economic Power,” encourages unity. This epic undertaking is making history in a brand new way by going global and virtual for the first time ever! The Jubilee will be a time of celebration,
education and commemoration, with activities for people of all ages -- and the entire weekend is designed for participants to stay engaged, stay safe and log in from anywhere in the world. You won’t want to miss: • A special appearance by legendary civil rights leaders, Ambassador Andrew Young and Dolores Huerta • A tribute to the late Congressman John Lewis • Powerful stories of Foot Soldiers in the movement, in their own words • Step Show and Battle of the Bands Competitions
article about the “Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male,” that appeared in the magazine, “The Atlantic.” Dr. Vivian Bradley Johnson, Parkland Senior Vice President of Clinical Services, said she was pleased when she heard that the commissioner was taking the vaccine. “I’ve been waiting for Commissioner Price to take it,” she said. “I believe he will help get others to accept it. If he is taking it then they feel that others will trust it.” According to Dr. Johnson said health officials have been working to get influencers, “individuals See PRICE page 7
See THINKING, page 5
See ROYAL DYNASTY page 8
• A soul-stirring Gospel Concert • Virtual Music and Film Festivals • The Virtual Crossing Reenactment across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, • and so much more! Organizers are committed to the commemoration and preservation of the spirit of the struggle for the right to vote in this country and the world. The goal is to inspire people of all ages and ethnic backgrounds to respect and appreciate the power of their vote. See JUBILEE page 7
Price gives history lesson before taking vaccine By Cheryl Smith Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price is 70 years old, and according to established guidelines, he could have been at the head of the line to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. While many may have assumed that he, like so many other elected officials in his age group, had already taken the COVID-19 vaccine; he had not, until Monday. At a press conference at the Ellis Davis Fieldhouse Complex, one of the sites selected in January to administer drive-thru and by-appointment-only vaccinations, Price discussed the Coronavirus and encouraged citizens to join him in line to get the vaccine. There’s nothing ‘politically/ phobia-motivated or back-room concocted to explain why it has taken Price more than two months after the first vaccine was administered on December 14, 2020 in New York, to get his shot. Instead, he has been working to ensure fair and equitable distribution of services and vaccines; while also educating his constituents on information as quickly as it becomes available. “Since the introduction of the Pfizer vaccine, I have been inun-
John Wiley Price, the Dallas County Commissioner for District 3, speaks to the media following his COVID-19 vaccination at the Ellis Davis Field House in Dallas, Monday, March 1, 2021. Credit: Tom Fox / Staff Photographer- The Dallas Morning News
dated with questions from people in this community and frankly across the country,” he said. “The doubt and skepticism around this issue concerns me.” In addition to encouraging citizens to register and take the vaccine at their earliest opportunity, Price focused on dispelling and dismissing some of the misinformation and conspiracy theories surrounding the issue. “Too many people in our community refuse the treatment based on an erroneous belief about the infamous ‘Tuskegee experiment,’” he explained, citing author James Jones’ book, “Bad Blood” by James Jones, and a June 2016
Credit: The Dallas Morning News
Shall we gather at the river… or City Hall, Kennedy Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center? Where? In Black history, our people gathered at the river or in the dense woods to plan strategies for gaining freedom and fighting inequities. I was just thinking…. Traditionally, where have Dallas Black people gathered to plan and protest? Here is Part I of a two-part review: 1. Kennedy Memorial, Main and Market Streets in downtown Dallas. During the 1970s and after, this monument’s central location drew protest and commemorative crowds of different ethnicity with diverse causes in common – a wrongful death, a significant anniversary, an immigration, foreign policy or discrimination issue. They also gathered to remember the nation’s 35th president, John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated Nov. 22, 1963 in Dallas. The memorial is about 200 yards east of the assassination site at the Dealey plaza/grassy knoll/triple underpass site. New York architect Philip Johnson designed the “open tomb” memorial concept shortly after the assassination. The concrete structure was dedicated more than six years later on June 24, 1070. In recent years, fewer groups gather at the site as other locations become more convenient with more accessible parking. 2. Moorland Branch YMCA (now headquarters for the Dallas Black Dance Theatre) at 2700 Flora St. in the downtown Arts District near Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. This historic building, build in 1930, is almost a shrine to African-American history in Dallas. As the saying goes, “if these walls could talk” in Moorland, what a story they would tell! Moorland was a significant hub of Black Dallas where all aspects of “Negro life” planning and development happened. Significant figures in local and national Black history, including former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, who then was a prominent NAACP attorney, strategized civil rights activities at meetings in the building. Also, many well-known national Black entertainers stayed overnight in the sleeping quarters when here for engagements, as local hotels did not admit Black people during that era. The history of Moorland and its place as a planning site for African-American progress,
JUBILEE 2021 See you in Selma, virtually! Rodney “RJ” Reese
Street protest in Dallas.
GarlandJournal
2 16THURSDAY MARCH 4, 2021
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Virtual and liVe Community Calendar
WOMENS HISTORY MONTH
17th Annual Women Empowering Women’s Conference. Event by Daughters of Deborah, Inc. Reg: Eventbrite.com. 9:30 am. CST. Online: http://bit.ly/3selYAK.
March 4 Policing Reform for Racial Justice. Feat: Detective Marquez “Marq” Claxton Event by Anna Julia Cooper Center. RSVP: https:// bit.ly/3az3gwG. 5-6:30 pm. CST. Financial Planning for Women. Event by Savvy Chicks Rule & EA Wealth Management. Event: Eventbrite.com 6:30-8 pm. ALL STAR WEEKEND Talent Competition. Host HBCU Heroes. 7 pm. Event is live on @ twitch.tv/hbcuheroes.
Girl Sip (Sisters in Pursuit) Event by Renew Church - Arlington, La Quinta Inn & Suites, 2131 W. 1-20, Grand Prairie. 12-1 pm. CST. Tickets: http://bit.ly/2NMaAh3. Daiquiris & Chill 5 at Blends Daiquiri Lounge. Event hosted by The Socially Astute, DjDre Day. Blends Daiquiri Lounge, 2810 E Trinity Mills Rd #145, Carrollton. 4-9 pm. CST. Energy Delivery and Texas. Event hosted by Coffee and Politics 101. Message: Coffee and Politics 101. Virtual on: youtube.com 10-11 am CST.
SoulJazz Thursdays Feat: Vandell Andrew. Hosted by Sandaga 813, 813 Exposition Ave. 8 pm-12 am. sandaga813.com.
March 7
Williams Chicken Presents Entrepreneurs are Innovators! Panel Tim Williams, Carlos White, Carl Shields, & Victor J. Elmore. Webinar Series. Reg: www. williamschicken.com 5:30-7 pm. CST.
From Marva with Love, with Marva Sneed. 11 am -1 pm. CST, Fridays on Facebook Live/@TexasMetroNews, and BlogTalkRadio.com. Join the conversation at 646-200-0459. Every Friday Night Don Diego and The Razz Band at Club Odyssey, 7439 Westmoreland Rd. 6 pm. Face Mask Required.
Spring THINGZ featuring Johnnie Blu & Shugga. Event by Allure Jazz & Cigar Lounge, 110 S. Cockrell Hill #A. DeSoto. 8-11:59 pm. Tickets: Eventbrite.com.
Developing and Leading Multi-Ethnic Congregations: Host: Rev. Dr. Joseph W. Daniels, Jr. Online: prophetic-activism. org. 11:45 am-1:15 pm. CST.
Ubuntu Market for Small Business. Hosted by Pan African Connection, 4466 Marsalis, Dallas. 12-5 pm. For vendor Info: Email: adjwoahogue@yahoo.com, or call 214-943-8262.
March 8
Against Gravity: Flying Afrikans and Other Urban Legends. Event by Hi-ARTS, Renegade Performance Group and André M. Zachery. 5 pm. CST RSVP at bit.ly/hiartsRSVP.
The Roast of Royce West. (Virtual) Special Appearance: Dale Hanson. Event by Dallas County Democratic Party. 3 pm. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/springroast.
March 15 In the Middle with Ashley Moss. From 11 am -1 pm. CST On Facebook Live/@TexasMetroNews and BlogTalkRadio.com. Call in and join the conversation at 646-200-0459. National Women’s History Month Series. Elizabeth & Emily Blackwell the first woman in America to receive an M.D. Reg: Eventbrite.com 3-4 pm. CST.
March 11
Virtual Book Club Meeting for Women’s History Month: The Colour Purple. Host: Haringey Libraries. Celebrating Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize Winning 1982 novel. Reg: Eventbrite. com 8-9 pm. CST.
Ralph David Abernathy was born in1926 Lunch & Learn: Understanding the Sales Game. Event by Zan W Holmes Jr Community Outreach Center. Feat: Audrey Brown Event online: zwhjcoc.org. 11:30 am CST.
March 12
BLACK LIVES MATTER
From Marva with Love, with Marva Sneed. 11 am -1 pm. CST, Fridays on Facebook Live/@TexasMetroNews, and BlogTalkRadio.com. Join the conversation at 646-200-0459. AARP Fitness Friday, Aerobic Dance. Event by AARP Florida. Online: local.aarp.org 8:30-9:30 pm. Black Mental Health Matters. Event by Circle of Arms.2 pm. CST. Reg: http://bit.ly/3bNuobN.
March 9 T:5”
These Texas Lottery Commission scratch ticket games will be closing soon:
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Ask Dr. Amerson with Dr. Linda Amerson. 12 pm. CST @DFWiRadio.com, and Live on Facebook @DrLindaAmerson.
Women of Impact: Celebrating Women in Photography! In celebration of International Women’s Day, join Nikon Ambassadors Tamara Lackey, Ami Vitale and Michelle Valberg. Reg: Eventbrite.com 7 pm. CST
LEGAL NOTICE Game #
Saxophonist Andre Cavor performing songs by: Drake / Jay Z/ Snoop Dog. Live on Facebook @ Saxophonist Andre Cavor. 6-7 pm.
Phyllis Mae Daley, first of four African American Navy Nurses to serve in WWII in 1945
In the Middle with Ashley Moss. From 11 am -1 pm. CST On Facebook Live/@ TexasMetroNews and BlogTalkRadio. com. Call in and join the conversation at 646-200-0459.
March 6
Eli Whitney patented the Cotton Gin in 1794
Women’s History Month HERstory Conversation. Host Shanon Skipworth. Feat: Syreeta Martin of WURD Radio, and State Representative Joanna McClinton. Reg: Eventbrite.com. 1-2:30 pm CST.
I Was Just Thinking with Norma Adams-Wade. From 11 am -1 pm. CST On Facebook Live/@TexasMetroNews and BlogTalkRadio.com. Call in and join the conversation at 646-200-0459.
International Women’s Day
Elevation Comedy Tour 2021. Host Shavonda with a V. Feat: Anastasia The Bold. 9 pm-1 am. Tickets: Paypal.me/CarlJ23. Flores Ballroom, 4615 Singleton Blvd.
March 14
March 10
Women Make History. Event by Eventura Event Planning a celebration of International Women’s Day. Reg: Eventbrite. com. 1 pm. CST.
Texas became a Slave State in 1865
Pop Up Day-Smooth Jazz Edition. Event by DFW Social 40. The Dojo-Dallas Fashion District2414, Converse St, Dallas. 4-9 Pm. CST. Pre Registration-Online Only www.dfwsocial40.com
March Town Hall w/ Rep. Crockett. Hosted by Rep. Jasmine Crockett. Online event: http://bit.ly/301RAO9. 7-9 pm. CST.
Andrew’s World with host, Andrew Whigham III on BlogTalkRadio.com 8-10 am. Sundays. Tune in for thought-provoking, enlightening, informative, and entertaining news and commentary. Join the call at 646-200-0459.
March 5
Deep Dive into Money In Politics. Event by American Promise - North Texas. Online Register: us02web.zoom.us. 10:30 am–12 pm CST.
Dallas Mavericks vs Denver Nuggets. 9 pm. CST in Denver at the Pepsi Center.
LitNight Reading Series. Event by LitNight. Zoom Meeting https://smu.zoom.us/j/91910236244, Meeting ID: 919 1023 6244 Passcode: 967699 7-8:30 pm.
March 5-7 56th Anniversary of Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee. A Historical Crossing Goes Global as a Virtual Event to fight COVID-19. Commemorating “Bloody Sunday.” Register: selmajubilee.com.
In 1932 the first Black Daily Newspaper was published
DFW News & Tings with Jirah Nicole. From 11 am-1 pm. CST Tuesday’s on Facebook Live/@TexasMetroNews and BlogTalkRadio.com. Join the conversation at 646-200-0459.
Happy Birthday to Eva D. Coleman
The Impact of Medicaid Expansion on Food and Financial Security. Event by Dallas Coalition for Hunger Solutions Reg: https://bit.ly/2MxDP6C 1-2 pm. CST.
March 13
THE DOC SHEP SPEAKS SHOW! From 11 am. CST on Facebook Live/@TexasMetroNews, @fnsconsulting, and You Tube @ docshepspeaks
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Love Delayed / Love Always Photos and Story By Eva D. Coleman
Lifestyle & Culture Editor
It was an extravagant event with an elite clientele! I’m so grateful to event planner extraordinaire Lesia Ramsey of Extravagant Events for entrusting me to execute her vision for the Delta Mu Boulé - Sigma Pi Phi Fort Worth chapter’s St. Valentine’s Gala, that was actually postponed a week due to the Texas Winter Storm. I served as the Virtual Event Producer, handling Zoom technology, customizing video elements, graphics, playing music and more.
Crowd laughs during chat with Nanette.
It was an entertaining and heartfelt evening for 30 couples, with Archons professing their love for Archousai through setting the atmosphere from a custom box filled with everything needed for their table decor, complete with setup
Secrets were presented to Archousai as well. Most touching was a portion of the program, “Expressions of Affection,” where selected Archons shared sentiments of appreciation for their loved one’s commitment in times
T:10”
Dr. Arlene Barnett opens archousai gift of commissioned jewelry.
Txlottery.org is the official source for all pertinent game information. Game closing procedures may be initiated for documented business reasons. These games may have prizes unclaimed, including top prizes. In addition, game closing procedures will be initiated when all top prizes have been claimed. During closing, games may be sold even after all top prizes have been claimed. Must be 18 or older to purchase a ticket. For help with a gambling problem, ncpgambling.org. © 2021 Texas Lottery Commission. PLAY RESPONSIBLY.
Lobster dinner is served at Delta Mu Boule St. Valentine’s Gala
Extravagant events CEO Lesia Ramsey decorates table in Barnett Home.
instructions and photo guides; with meals featuring steak, lobster, salmon, veggies and dessert catered and delivered to each of their homes by The Date. The virtual event was emceed by Lynne Haze of Smooth R&B 105.7, featuring a hilarious dinner chat with celebrity comedienne Nanette Lee and poetry by renowned artist Hank Stewart from Atlanta. Surprise gifts of commissioned jewelry and custom chocolates from Chocolate
of trials and triumph. The emotions permeated the screen. It was heartwarming and inspiring to see love on display, albeit via multiple video screens. The Delta Mu Boulé was determined to continue their annual Valentine’s Day tradition. The smiles and laughter of the 60 attendees spoke volumes. While internet connectivity may have occasionally been spotty, one thing is for certain. Love never fails.
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AROUND GARLAND
M a rch 4
Made Fresh & Local: Pop Cultura Concert #2. Event by Garland Parks, Recreation & Cultural Arts. The fresh and local concert experience is back by popular demand and headed straight into your living room! Out with the old and in with the new, as we kick off 2021 the right way! So grab some popcorn, drinks and your best friends to get a front-row seat to our Made Fresh & Local virtual concert series. Performances featuring some of the area’s best musicians and artists occur every other Thursday night through April 2021. For more series information, visit http://bit.ly/madefreshandlocal. Made Fresh & Local presents: @popculturaband, featuring a fun mix of Latin and American (English) Top 40 hits. Streaming will start at 7 p.m. Streaming right here on Facebook, PlayGarland YouTube and CGTV. https://youtu.be/NOpC46S5mQg.
GarlandJournal TBAAL receives $150,000 BLACK SEED Grant Now in its 44th season, The Black Academy of Arts and Letters (TBAAL) has received a $150,000 special BLACK SEED project grant launched and spearheaded by the New York-based Billie Holiday Theatre, in collaboration with three additional Black-led theatre institutions: the Craft Institute, Plowshares Theatre Company and WACO Theater Center. The Black Seed Fund is made possible by a philanthropic cohort, with a lead gift of $5 million from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Ford Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation and the New York Community Trust. The Black Seed’s three-year initiative has a fundraising goal of $10 million, comprised of private and public funders, as well as individual donors. “We are incredibly excited to receive this special project grant,” said Curtis King, TBAAL Founder and President. “It is a testament that persistence, and the hard work we continue to do, have not gone unnoticed in Dallas and around
M a r c h 8 -1 2 & M a r c h 1 5 -1 9
FYI Sports Academy Spring Break Basketball Camp. Is your child ready to compete and expand their skills? Granger Recreation Center is home to FYI Sports Academy Spring Break Basketball Camp. Learn the fundamentals of dribbling, passing, and shooting. Enhance basic ability, build valuable ball-handling skills, gain vital teamwork skills, encourage confidence, and improve game discipline. Camp meets Monday - Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to Noon. Register daily for $45, weekly for $175 or sign up for both weeks for $300. Camp times M-Thu: 9 am-3 pm. F: 9 am-Noon. Registration Link - http://apm.activecommunities.com/pla.../Activity_Search/9836 Granger Recreation Center,1310 W. Avenue F, Garland. 972-205-2771 GRC@GarlandTX.gov GarlandParks.com.
M a r c h 1 5 -1 9 Holfor Spring Break Camps Mad Science of Dallas for “Bubbles, Smoke, Explosions!” and Skyhawk’s Sports for “Extreme Sports” at Holford Recreation Center this spring break. Space is limited. Register early at PlayGarland.com. At the Holford Recreation Center 2314 Homestead Pl. Garland. 972-205-2772. Bubbles, Smoke, Explosions 11 am-1 pm, for ages 6-12. $100.00, per person. Extreme Sports: 1-4 pm. Ages: 6-10. $149.00 per person. HRC@GarlandTx.com.
M a rch 1 9 Garland Symphony Orchestra Garland Symphony Orchestra’s Concert VI of the “A Ludwig Shindig” Season features clarinetist Jonathan Jones! Don’t miss performances of: Mozart’s “Clarinet Concerto in A Major” Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 8 in F Major. 7:30-9:30 pm Tickets: 972205-2790 GarlandArtsBoxOffice.com in-person at the Granville Arts Center Box Office.Streaming: virtual viewing available at http://www.garlandsymphony.org/tickets-livestream. Cleaning and safety protocols are being followed at the Granville Arts Center and Plaza Theatre. All staff are wearing masks or shields and the facility is cleaned thoroughly before and after each production. Seating is assigned following the state guidelines of two seats in between each couple or group and every other row is left empty. All patrons are required to wear masks according to the Governor’s guidelines, including while seated in the theatre.
the country. We’re glad to be a grantee among the group of more than 100 celebrated Black American Theaters.” Black Theatre institutions across America will receive a one or two year grant, ranging from $10,000 to $150,000. The funding is a national
Curtis King
strategic initiative focused on creating impact and “thrivability” for American Black Theatre institutions. “The Black Seed stands on the shoulders of Black theater leaders who came before and centered the work by us, for us, about us and near us,” said India Etwaroo, the Executive Artistic Director of the Billie Holiday Theater, who conceptu-
alized and worked with other theatre partners to create the Black Seed initiative. “The goal for the grants is to develop and leverage national partnerships and support for new artistic commissions.” The TBAAL grant is to specifically support the Dress Performance Theatre Series, Sunday Evening Professional Theatre Stage Readings of African American Theatre Classics and new plays by young and promising African American playwrights from six historically African American institutions of higher learning Theatre Departments/ Programs: Jackson (Mississippi) State, Texas (Houston) Southern, Grambling (Louisiana) State, Alabama (Montgomery) State, North Carolina (Durham) Central, and Bethune Cookman (Daytona, Florida) universities. One of the project’s highlights and centerpieces will be to work with the Universities Theatre Directors to identify two promising young Black playwrights from each school whose work will be published in TBAAL’s Black Theatre Seed Anthology of New Plays.
Tarrant Area Food Bank to continue Mega Mobile Markets through May
M a rch 7 ”En Avant” - Dallas Ballet Company This annual dance event features all levels of DBCo as well as Dallas Ballet Center Tap Connection and DBC Modern class. Highlights include works by renowned choreographers Silas Farley, Jason Fowler, and Christiana Ghiardi. Tickets: 972-205-2790. 3-5 pm. GarlandArtsBoxOffice.com 300 N. Fifth Street, Downtown Garland. COVID-19 Update - Cleaning and safety protocols are being followed at the Granville Arts Center and Plaza Theatre. All staff are wearing masks or shields and the facility is cleaned thoroughly before and after each production. Seating is assigned following the state guidelines of two seats in between each couple or group and every other row is left empty. All patrons are required to wear masks or face coverings according to the Governor’s guidelines, including while seated in the theatres.
THURSDAY MARCH 4, 2021
Photo Courtesy Tarrant County Food Bank
Fort Worth ISD will continue working with the Tarrant Area Food Bank and will open the Herman Clark Stadium gates (Herman Clark Stadium is at 5201 C.A. Roberson Blvd.) each Friday morning through May 21 for the Mega Mobile Mar-ket. The National Guard will continue assisting with food distribution. Distribution times will be Fridays in February from 10 am to 1 pm. The Tarrant Area Food Bank has
provided meals through the Mega Mobile Mar-ket to families since last September. Organizers planned to provide meals for 1,500 families, many of whom are dealing with unemployment due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but the number of families served weekly has climbed to 3,000. In January, approximately 7,000 families received food. Each attending family receives a variety of high-quality, nutritious food.
3
Leadership in Collin County
Kimberly Y. Evans
Kimberly Y. (Divers) Evans JD, MBA is President & CEO of Purposed Consulting, LLC; Executive VP of Five Rings Financial and President of the Collin County Black Chamber. Purposed Consulting was founded in 2006 primarily to participate in educating the community in areas of home buying, credit, taxes and financial planning. We strongly believe that the more information a person has, the better decisions they make resulting in a better quality of life The Collin County Black Chamber of Commerce has been building economic prosperity within Collin County for over five years, with a direct link to today’s affluent and progressive African American business professionals in Collin County and the state of Texas. The goal is to build economic prosperity and enhance the quality of life in Collin County by promoting, maintaining, and supporting African American businesses through leadership opportunities, community support, and business-building programs. General meetings are held the 2nd Thursday of every month, beginning at 6:30 P.M., at different locations within Collin County.
Terry joins City of DeSoto as Marketing Manager
Speak Loudly Speakers Bureau Say It Loud! Readers and Writers is pleased to announce the launch of Speak Loudly Speakers Bu-reau, its outreach, contact, and engagement portal representing a growing list of professionals, authors, educators, artists, and entertainers, who are available to fulfill your organization’s needs. We are pre-pared to set up immediate connections with our clients for your upcoming conference, meeting, lecture series or cultural event. Since its inception, Say It Loud! has partnered with some of the most well-recognized voices in the liter-ary, academic, artistic, and entertainment communities. All of these individuals believe that the Say It Loud! mission to reach a wide-range of audiences, starting with the youth, is key to cultivating a life-long love of literature and literacy. They have also come to rely upon the Say It Loud! networking capa-bilities and expansive reach across the country. With this new venture, the Speak Loudly Speakers Bureau will become the natural hub for programming, conferences, speaking venues and enhanced learning and teaching opportunities.
We invite you to our webpage to formally meet this diverse group of authors, artists, activists, and scholars and more. https://www.speakloudly. com/speak-loudly-speakers-bureau/
Patrick M. Oliver
What the Speak Loudly Speakers Bureau offers: • Access to a diverse and dynamic group of authors, artists, scholars, entertainers and more • Monthly and quarterly forums focusing on current issues, cultural conversations, and speakers’ spotlights. • Media coordination to help with the success and publicity of your specific event. • Inclusion in the Speak loudly
and speaker bureau calendar of events. Our expanding list of speakers who are available include: publisher and poet Dr. Haki R. Madhubuti, authors and co-publishers Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis-Hudson, two-time Kirkus Prize winner Derrick Barnes, poet and publisher jessica Care moore, nutritionist and Associate Professor Dr. Jenelle Robinson, Super Bowl drummer Cora Coleman, storyteller and poet Xelena Gonzalez, award-winning illustrator R. Gregory Christie, Associate Vice Provost and author Dr. Stephanie Helm-Picketts, SMU assistant professor Dr. Sanderia Smith and others. Founder Patrick M. Oliver is a literary arts and education consultant as well as recipient of numerous community service awards, contracts, and grants. Experience and expertise include serving as director of sales and marketing Third World Press (Chicago), program director Open Book Program (Chicago) and senior contract administrator in the aerospace industry (Los Angeles). Editor and author of five books. Founder and executive director Say It Loud! Readers and Writers.
Tenille Terry
Tenille T. Terry has been named the Marketing Manager for the City of DeSoto. In this role Ms.Terry is responsible for the City of DeSoto’s marketing initiatives in ad-dition to the city’s upcoming rebranding efforts. The Louisiana native and three-time graduate of Southern University and A&M College in Ba-ton Rouge, LA, with an MBA in Human Resources Management & Supply Chain Management, a Master of Arts in Mass Com-munication (Journalism) and a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication/Marketing; has more than 13 years of experi-ence in marketing and communications. Ms. Terry’s has added value to a number of regional and statewide entities, in ad-dition to several companies, including Johnson & Johnson, Neutrogena, and H&R Block.
Lawsuit claims neglect, poor winter storm response caused Houston man’s death
Prairie View A&M receives new grant to increase teachers of color
The family of an elderly Houston man who died after spending more than two days without electricity or natural gas filed a lawsuit against electricity grid manager ER-COT and electricity transmission company CenterPoint Energy. The lawsuit alleges that electricity grid manager Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and CenterPoint disregarded recommendations following a federal investigation of similar grid failures in 2011 and 1989. During the blackout, the temperature dropped as low as 11 degrees in Houston and to 40 degrees or less inside Mr. Austin’s home. Mr. Austin, who was born and raised in the historically African-American community of Acres Homes in northwest Houston, was found unresponsive and pro-nounced dead by emergency responders on February 16. Trial lawyer Larry Taylor, managing partner of The Cochran Firm in Houston and Dallas, said similar public health emergencies were common throughout the state during the historic winter storm, and residents of historically underserved lower-income
Prairie View A&M University’s (PVAMU) Whitlowe R. Green College of Educa-tion received a $1.5 million Houston Endowment grant, which will be used to ad-vance the college’s Educator Preparation Program, aimed at increasing the number of qualified teachers of color and prepares them for long-term success. Currently, the college offers three undergraduate degrees and 14 graduate de-grees. Houston Endowment funds will enable the college’s faculty, staff, and administra-tors to design and implement programs and services to impact student learning, such as integrating state-of-the-art technology and the recruitment of first-time, fulltime freshmen and community college transfer students. In 2020, the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) recognized PVAMU’s Educator Preparation Program in two areas: Preparing the Educators Texas Needs, which is the number of prepared teachers who identify as teachers of color; and Preparing Educators for Long-term Success, or encouraging teacher retention as a Texas public
Photo Courtesy Stock Footage/Canva
neighborhoods were among the hardest hit. “This shouldn’t happen to anyone, whether you’re in rural or urban America,” Mr. Taylor said. “This lawsuit is about us getting answers and accountability for people to make sure this never happens again.” “Ample warnings were not enough for these companies to do the right thing,” Mr. Taylor added “Sadly, we now have to ask a jury to hold these companies account-able.” The lawsuit is Linda Brown, individually, as next kin of Doyle Aron Austin vs. Electric Reliability Council of Texas, Inc., and CenterPoint Energy, Inc., filed in Harris County district court.
Photo Courtesy Prairie View A&M University
school professional for at least five years. “Minority teacher representation is critically low nationally,” said Michael McFra-zier, Ed.D., dean of the WRGCOE. “Although the country is becoming more di-verse each year and is expected to have a majorityminority population by 2044, the teaching force is not keeping up with the changing racial makeup of America’s youth. Fewer than 20 percent of teachers are minorities nationwide, and only two percent are black males.
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THURSDAY MARCH 4, 2021
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A Black Culture Renaissance!
Quit Playin’ By Vincent L. Hall
This final installment of our Black History Month series relies on the concept that Black Culture was pivotal as we rose from slavery to self-sufficiency. The Black Church, Black Preacher, and Black women laid the foundation, but our culture built the walls. The kidnapped Africans dropped on these shores arrived with social norms and art forms that ranged from ritualistic to spiritualistic. The mind, body, and soul of the same African who tended the cradle of civilization still moors us to a semblance of sanity. The fact that Africans in America in 2021 are not stark raving mad is partly because of our culture of
resiliency and our commitment to formal and informal scholarship. The Black Renaissance period was the pinnacle of that cultural awareness. It’s time for the 2.0 version. Horace Meyer Kallen, a Prussian emigrant, mastered philosophy at Harvard University so well that before being elected president, Woodrow Wilson hired him at Princeton. In 1908, Kallen returned to Harvard and earned a doctorate. While studying at Harvard, Kallen became friends with Alain Locke, the first African American Rhodes Scholar. There were no more until the 1960s. “Cultural pluralism,” according to Kallen, declared that different ethnic groups have enriched the American way of life. As immigrants and native-born citizens learned new cultures, America was fortified. The art, food, education, history, music, and other differences became assets to the unique national experience. Locke made an appearance as the guest editor in the March 1925 issue of the periodical “Survey Graphic.” He headlined a special
edition, ”Harlem, Mecca of the New Negro.” Locke waxed eloquently and effectively on the virtues and communal benefits of the Harlem Renaissance. Cultural pluralism was in full view. December of 1925, saw Locke expand the issue into “The New Negro.” It was a collection of writings by him and other African Americans and it was called the “first national book” of African America. Locke contributed five essays: the “Foreword,” “The New Negro,” “Negro Youth Speaks,” “The Negro Spirituals,” and “The Legacy of Ancestral Arts.” The New Negro did more than educate the masses about Black culture. Locke’s writings and theories coagulated the diverse and warm-blooded artistic ability of former slaves. He was immediately hailed as the “Father of the Harlem Renaissance.” The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy further widened the historical aperture to give us a more vivid snapshot of Locke’s philosophical value and worth. “Locke was a distinguished scholar and educator and during his lifetime an important philoso-
Black History Month Series pher of race and culture. Principal among his contributions in these areas was developing the notion of “ethnic race,” Locke’s conception of race as primarily a matter of social and cultural, rather than biological, heredity.” African Americans continue to suffer from external beliefs that our biology and heredity make us less than. The Harlem Renaissance was important because it proved
that we accomplish whatever we desire when we define ourselves and dismiss our naysayers. It is past time for us to prioritize and promote our own creativity and culture. European art, thought and culture cannot be the yardstick for the “Black experience.” If Henry VIII could have developed gospel, blues, and jazz music, he would have. We can never lose sight of the advantages that our disadvantages have granted us. Lemonade without lemons leaves little to celebrate! The church, the preacher, our women’s strength, and our cultural ancestry serve to reprove our viability on this earth. The 11th and unspoken Commandment of our credo must be that we define ourselves for ourselves. Therefore, the best advice that this writer can give you sums up this Black History Month series: Stay with the Black church, listen to the preacher, do what your mama tells you and be the best of who you are. Vincent L. Hall is an author, activist, and award-winning columnist.
Looking for answers during this challenging time?
Wake Up and Stay Woke By Dr. E. Faye Williams This coronavirus that has us sheltering in place has taken some through many different emotions. Some have experienced fear, concern, stress and
many negative feelings. There are some who have used this time to do positive things that carry with them hope and good feel-ings about what they’ve been able to do for themselves and for others. I find there is always something out there that makes me smile. Even though I have on my mask and gloves, I bow my head each time I come near anyone just to let them know I see them, and I acknowledge their humanity. I can’t always tell if they acknowledge my recognition of them, but I feel good knowing I have acknowl-edged them.
STAY ACTIVE There are so many things one can do so as not to sit around and bemoan the fact that this virus may have changed our lives forever. It’s so important to be physically and mentally active. In my case I walk between four and five miles per day. One day during the past week, I walked 5.2 miles. Imagine how excited I was about that extra .2 miles! That may not sound like such a big deal, but I knew how long it had taken me to get there! I put that in my success column. You don’t have to do all the big
things immediately. Try a gradual approach to whatever it is you set as a goal. In my case, I’m ready to set a new walking goal. That helps to keep my mind off negative things I might be thinking if I just sat around saying, “Poor me.” DIVERT YOUR ATTENTION There’re so many great things you can do. In my case, along with Bishop Joe Simon, I’m soliciting un-registered voters. Along with members of the National Congress of Black Women, we’re teaching peo-ple how to register online. There’s another easy project you
can do to help while taking your mind off your fears. Adopt a nursing home. Call the director and find out what products would be helpful for you to donate. Ship the products without ever having to go to the nursing home. If you’re looking for answers, whatever you do, instead of sitting around in fear, think solutions by making a list of at least 10 things you’re capable of doing. Select from the list and do as many as you can. Don’t just sit around in fear. Dr. E. Faye Williams is President of the National Congress of Black Women and host of “Wake Up and Stay Woke” on WPFW-89.3 FM
Not Enough Oil
Faithful Utterances By Dr. Froswa Booker-Drew In my lifetime, I’ve witnessed much and I can add something new to my list. Although I’ve seen snow and even been in blizzards in Denver, Chicago, and Toronto, I’ve never gone through what I experienced recently. Monday, February 15, what I thought was going to be a temporary situation went from losing power two hours at a time to more than 11 hours. My house went from a temperature of the low 70s to the low 40s before we made the decision to go stay with a friend. We were not prepared for the possibility of electrical outages, freezing temperatures in the house, and flooding from pipes bursting. This was so different for me and I realized in that moment,
that even with the best intentions, we can grossly underestimate what can happen. I was expecting leadership to do the right thing and this was a wake-up call that our dependence on others to lead in moments of crisis lately has been disappointing and downright disastrous. We can learn a lot from Matthew 25 in this season. “At that time, the kingdom of heaven will be like 10 virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight, the cry rang out: “Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!” Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their laps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.” “No”, they replied “there may not be enough for both of us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and by some for yourselves.’ But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the
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wedding banquet and the door was shut.“ We often focus on the virgins who were prepared with the oil but not much attention is given to those who were not. I can imagine that those virgins got dressed up and ready to see the bridegroom. They did everything to make themselves ready but forgot something. How often do we do the exact same thing? We do everything we need to but later realize that we are vulnerable because we didn’t consider something critical. I’m sure that the virgins expected the bridegroom not to keep them out when they were trying to remedy the situation. I bet they also expected that these women who were with them would have
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helped them out. What happens when we do as much as we can and yet, life still happens? We may do all that we know how to do and still go through difficulties. The virgins didn’t know the bridegroom was going to be late. They knew he was coming. Ultimately, their assessment was incorrect, and they suffered expecting others to step up. Many of us are depending upon the generosity of family and friends in this time to get through. We expected our municipalities and leaders to do something and they didn’t. What we’ve learned is the depth of our resolve and our resilience in the face of adversity. No matter how prepared we may
be, disappointments happen. We may not have the door completely shut in our lives but we can count on times when we’ve done our best and we still miss out. We can’t give up or get frustrated. We learn from this situation to prepare our homes better, stay connected to neighbors and friends so when we are in need, we have relationships to depend upon, and elect leaders who care, not blame others, and do something. Even more importantly, the moments should remind us that God is present with us, sees all and knows all. We must know that no matter what we go through, there is still hope and the possibility of something different and better for our lives. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” We will get through this. Let’s check on others, give them assistance, and don’t shut others out when they need. Dr. Froswa’ Booker-Drew is an author of three books and the host of The Tapestry podcast. To listen to episodes of the podcast, visit https:// www.spreaker.com/show/the-tapestry_1 and to learn more about her work, go to https://drfroswa.com/
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THURSDAY MARCH 4, 2021
5
“RESURRECTIONISTS“
What’s On Miles’ Mind By Miles Jaye
It appears there remains some confusion surrounding the dysfunctional relationship between the medical community and the Black community and why reluctance or resistance to treatment exists. I’ve heard numerous compelling reports attempting to reveal and explain America’s history of evil abuses, medical atrocities, mistreatment and outright refusal to treat Blacks. This essay adds another chapter to the story of White Supremacy and the inhumane treatment of Blacks in America. Resurrectionists were service providers of the most heinous order, with clientele who could best be described as despicable.
The resurrectionist, also known as body-snatchers. grave-robbers, and night riders were tasked with providing cadavers, corpses (dead bodies) to medical doctors and medical schools for training and anatomical research. In the early days of the practice, it was common to claim the corpse of a deceased slave from the only party with any claim to it-- its owner. A sum of money might be paid, as it would, if it were any other head of livestock with a dollar value, living or dead. Next, came grave-robbing or the act of digging up a grave to steal the human remains for its cash value-- thus the terms body snatcher or resurrectionist. The practice of grave robbing, and the abduction of living humans, began as a business enterprise in 14th century Italy. England began the practice with acquisition of executed felons. Demand required other means and methods of acquiring bodies, including grave robbing. Ironically, England’s Burial Act of 1857 regulating burial grounds forbade the robbing of a coffin but not its contents. The practice continued in America, as the medical profession grew and more medical schools sprang up throughout the
North and South. Typically, no longer relying on cadavers, the aged, feeble, disabled, and destitute were targeted by the night riders. The Anatomy Act of 1832 required doctors to have a license to dissect human bodies. It also essentially removed executed felons from the list of eligible candidates. However, those with no family ties or anyone to notice their disappearance were also targets for abduction-- the indigent. Some unsuspecting drunk, wandering the streets in the dark of night, might be murdered, whisked away by body snatchers, and delivered to a medical school or a night doctor for dissection. This practice earned the purveyors, the peddlers of bodies the nickname, “sack-em-up boys”. In the South the Ku Klux Klan found the practice of night stalking and body snatching a highly effective method of terrorizing the Black community. The stalkers would dress either in Klan white hoods and robes or long white doctor’s coats and travel in the darkest hours of night giving the grave robbers the appearance of ghosts. Early reports of abductions and murders were discredited by the authorities as folklore and myth. Southern Blacks moving
North brought with them stories of ghosts that traveled by night, stealing people from the streets and robbing graves. The practice migrated North with the spread of medical colleges throughout the North and South. Accounts of these horrific practices have become so pervasive that they are no longer disputed. The threat remains and the terror continues. A full week hadn’t passed before it was announced that the danger of the deadly Covid–19 virus would have a disproportionately negative effect on the Black community. How could that be? I wondered. How could they know so quickly? Had there been time enough to gather sufficient empirical data to provide reliable statistics? Or was it more mind games, mental abuse, psychological harassment, brainwashing to render an entire community, 14% of the U.S. population, anxious and in fear of the deadly unknown? Fear fed minute-by-minute, 24-hour non-stop national reporting of fatalities from a mysterious airborne virus from Wuhan China of all places. Joe Biden, then Presidential candidate Biden, said of then President Trump, “You talk about helping African Americans? 1 in
1,000 African Americans has been killed because of the coronavirus. And if he doesn’t do something quickly by the end of the year, 1 in 500 will have been killed.” Apparently, someone is keeping score and I have only their word to believe as truth. I feel helpless as I don my humble paper mask, as protection against a deadly pathogen. I wear more protection facial protection if I’m sanding wood or painting a wall. And as I wash my hands for the 100th time in a day in 20 second increments, I don’t know who or what to believe. Now it’s time to have the Covid vaccine administered? If they’re to be believed, and I honestly don’t know who they are, Gates, Cuomo, Biden, but if they are to be believed, and this is not a test of a global distribution of a deadly airborne agent, a worldwide eugenics exercise, the resurrectionists will have their hands full and God help us all-- this won’t end anytime soon. That’s what’s on my mind this Black History month.
Website: www.milesjaye.net Podcast: https://bit.ly/2zkhSRv Email: milesjaye360@gmail.com
What if women didn’t talk?
The Last Word
By Dr. Julianne Malveaux Patriarchy baffles me as much as white supremacy does. How do the men, birthed by women, consider us inferior? When we raise our voices, we are irrational or hysterical. When we are emphatic, we are hostile. According to former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, we talk too much in meetings when we talk. Mori offered this weak excuse when questioned about the scarcity of women on the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee, which he chairs. Later, the 83-year-old Mori apologized, citing criticism from his daughter and granddaughter. That’s Japan, not the United States, some might say. But show
me a woman who has sent in an executive, civic, or academic meeting, and I’ll show you a woman who has confronted patriarchal attitudes in meetings. Listening to men restate her point, which was ignored when she made it. Interrupted. Encountered the passive hostility that comes when men don’t want to hear women’s voices. But in this Black History Month, I pondered the impact of Black women’s voices and wondered what would happen if we were silent. What if Maggie Lena Walker didn’t encourage us to turn our pennies into dollars, as she formed the Penny Savings Bank in Richmond, Virginia? What would have happened if Sojourner Truth did not proclaim that “ain’t I a woman”? What would have happened if Harriet Tubman had not let hundreds out of enslavement by simply saying, “come on y’all”? What would have happened if Maxine Waters had not reclaimed her time, or if now-Vice President Kamala Harris, as a Senator, interrupted someone by saying, “I was speaking.” What would have happened if Shirley Chisholm had not proclaimed herself “unbought and un-
bossed,” leading the way for Congresswomen like Ayana Pressley (MA), Yvette Clarke (NY), Joyce Beatty (OH), and Cori Bush( MO) to proclaim the same? We appreciate former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court. How many of us know, though, of Julia Baxter Bates, the first Black woman to be admitted to Douglass College, the women’s college of Rutgers? ‘Baxter Bates graduated in 1938, hoping to teach in New Jersey schools, but segregation laws prevented her from chasing her dream. She earned a master’s degree at Columbia University and taught at Dillard University in New Orleans. Then, she led the NAACP research component, working with Walter White, WEB Du Bois, and Thurgood Marshall. Many say that her research influenced the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case. Did she talk too much, or just enough? Her nephew, Kevin Fields, a New Jersey entrepreneur, says that Justice Marshall considered her “a partner.” History belongs to she who holds the pen, and whether it is intentional or simply myopic, too many men, regardless of race,
Thinking
Price
and Black life in general, deserves its own section in the annals of Black life in America; and that also should include how the Dance Theatre saved the building for posterity. 3. South Dallas Information Center at 2808 Pennsylvania Avenue near Malcolm X Boulevard (formerly Oakland Avenue) in South Dallas. This was the primary community resource center and office/headquarters, opened in the early 1970s, by the matchless and unstoppable community advocate Albert Lipscomb. When there was a need, Lipscomb organized a protest. After he later became a high-profile Dallas City Councilman, Lipscomb was a gnawing thorn-in-the-side of powerful leaders when they tried to overlook the best interests of Dallas
who people listen to and respect,” in hopes that more people will sign up, get tested, and take the vaccine. “People respect him (Price) in the community and they trust him,” said Dr. Johnson, who acknowledged that, “Blacks have experienced mistreatment so they don’t trust every person trying to get them to be part of a study or take medications. Commissioner Price is very engaged.” While yet another COVID 19 vaccine has been approved for use, concerns have been raised not only about the disparity in doses distributed to African Americans, but also the refusal by many to take the vaccine. “This virus and its emerging variants are too dangerous for a demographic that is already vastly underserved in terms of healthcare delivery,” the commissioner said. “No one has lost more jobs, small businesses, or opportunities than the African American and minority communities. We have the hardest hit and we need to be the first ones to take advantage of any opportunity to secure our health and safety.” That people are referencing a study that lasted over 40 years,
from page 1
Kennedy Memorial
Credit: Wikipedia
from page 1
South Dallas Information Center Credit: The Dallas Morning News
Black citizens. Two of Lipscomb’s more memorable protests and take-a-stand positions include these: Once in his early days as an advocate, he jumped up and stood on top of a table at city hall to make his point. He told reporters later that he felt leaders in the room were not listening to him and he found a way to get their attention. He also once led a group of protesters from South Dallas to City Hall with protesters carrying a coffin to highlight unjust killings of Black people by authorities. There are various other sites in and around Dallas where planning and protests have become familiar. We will explore other sites in Part II of this review in a future report. Norma Adams-Wade is a veteran, award-winning journalist, graduate of UT-Austin and Dallas native. One of the founders of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), she was inducted into the NABJ Hall of Fame.
have shown resistance to Black women’s uplift. It becomes all too clear during Black History Month when too much is viewed through a patriarchal lens. For example, on February 1, folks commemorated the role four young Black men from North Carolina A&T State University played in desegregation by sitting at a segregated Woolworth’s lunch counter. How many know that the protest was planned at nearby Bennett College and women also played a role in that sit-in? Black women’s voices, women’s presence, and women’s history need to be more visible. Our legacy civil rights organizations, the NAACP, Urban League, 1932-1972; to justify their hesitancy to take the vaccine today should not be discounted, many say. At a virtual town hall meeting hosted by the NAACP recently, experts talked about the mistrust that runs deep throughout Black and Brown communities. Callers into the program were concerned that while Blacks and Browns were disproportionately affected by COVID-19, the vaccines appeared to be going primarily to other communities; and many cited historical “assaults” on people of color. Price pointed out that misinformation is an area that must be addressed if any effort is going to be successful, especially when you look at the devastating effects of those impacted by the Syphilis Study. “The Public Health Service officials followed 600 rural Black men in Alabama who had Syphilis, over the course of their lives, refusing to tell patients their diagnosis, refusing to treat them for the debilitating disease and denying some of them treatment,” he said. Price continued in his reasoning and rationale for taking the vaccine publicly. “The common misunderstanding is that Black men were injected with syphilis,” he explained. “That is an erred notion that has never been widely challenged in the public square. The real travesty was that health professionals had
and Rainbow PUSH, and the National Action Network must offer an example of shared leadership by emphasizing women’s voices in their organizations. I’m not suggesting that men “move over” for women, young people, or anyone else. I’m saying that if the CEO is the President and CEO, perhaps the Board Chair should be a woman. Women, after all, are more likely to be dues-paying members of these organizations. Do we talk too much? Perhaps our voices are entirely proportionate to our contribution. In any case, Olympic leader and former Japanese Prime Minister said what many men worldwide, and certainly in these United States, are thinking. Women talk too much in meetings. Really, dude? From my perspective, women don’t talk enough, and embracing women’s voices will improve our world. What if women didn’t talk? Our world would be much worse off. Dr. Julianne Malveaux is an economist, author, media contributor and educator. Her latest project MALVEAUX! On UDCTV is available on youtube.com. For booking, wholesale inquiries or for more info visit www.juliannemalveaux.com.
a cure and refused to share it with men who looked like me.” The Syphilis Study is just one of many atrocities that makes some say it’s no wonder that Blacks and Browns are hesitant about anything that is sanctioned by the government. Price said “too many of us have the wrong information about the study,” the virus and the vaccine. For Price, who also follows the science, as so many medical experts have implored, the vaccines that have been approved are the best bet for dealing with the pandemic. With efforts to get more vaccines to Dallas County, such as the announcement that an additional 6,000 doses would be available for those in jail, all hands are on deck working to achieve some form of normalcy, led by President Joe Biden, who Price praises for also being serious about stemming the tide and surpassing “his goal of 100 million vaccinated in the first 100 days.” Price admits, there’s more work to do and he’s going to continue doing his part. “I fight daily for those who have been underserved historically,” he said. “Our senior and indigent populations should at least get an equal shot at this vaccine. We need to take the Moderna, Pfizer, or Johnson and Johnson version as quickly as possible.”
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THURSDAY MARCH 4, 2021
As Americans, we must stand on the side of what’s right for all of humanity Our Voices By Donald J. Lee In response to text messages I’d gotten from friends outside of Texas Thursday, July 7, checking on my well-being as they followed breaking news reports of the fatal shootings of police officers in downtown Dallas, I posted on social media that I’d gone to the websites of two of Dallas-Fort Worth’s TV news stations to get a more in-depth report of what was going on. I mentioned that it was interesting that the news stations’ websites did confirm that there was an ongoing incident involving the sniping of police officers in a location at which peaceful demonstrators had converged to protest violence at the hands of police, but that I didn’t see where either said who the group was that was demonstrating. In response to my post, I got a couple interesting comments from an individual who (some kind of way) got it in his head that I was “condoning” violence against police officers.
Jubilee from page 1
This annual event in Selma, Al commemorates “Bloody Sunday,” which occurred March 7, 1965 when a group of about 525 African-American demonstrators gathered at Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church to demand the right to vote. They walked six blocks to Broad Street and across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where they were met by more than 50 state troopers and a few dozen possemen on horseback. When the demonstrators refused to turn back, they were brutally beaten. At least
His comment to me read: “We should all attempt to keep a watchful eye over the ones who try and protect us as citizens. While many don’t like cops they do keep a watchful (eye) over us and try to do the best they can.” My response: It’s the rogue cops that people have a problem with, not all cops. We’d be in a world of trouble if we didn’t have police. That’s a no-brainer. Therefore, we must pray for our police officers, I agree. But we also must pray for the civilians (all of them) that they accepted the charge to serve and protect. His response: “The way you reply, you’re condoning these acts. Since I’m white and writing on your … page you should stand against this violence since you are a pastor and a leader of the black community.” My response to his comment (and this is also my response to anyone who may erroneously confuse my stance for humanity with being anti-white or anti-police): No, Sir. I don’t condone these acts. I don’t see how you could actually think I would. I have not said one single thing that even remotely sounds like I condone violence against anybody. Period. I don’t have a problem with you because of your ethnicity.
For you to think that I do is an indication that you don’t know me nearly as well as you think you do. Make no mistake about it, my friend. I will speak out boldly against injustice whenever I see it, including when the human rights of people who look like me are being violated. White people — white friends of mine — comment on my social media pages whenever they feel like it. I welcome their comments. I welcome your comments. But when you accuse me of being racist, or you so much as insinuate it, understand that I’m going to have a response for you. What I’ll need you to do is put down your issue of race and join me in speaking out for an improved condition of humanity. You are getting all bent out of shape because you misperceive somebody, namely me, to be saying something that crystal clearly isn’t so. The only thing that keeps me from being appalled by your insinuation about me is that I’m taking into account that you don’t know me. And as for me being a pastor: Jesus doesn’t have any wimps in His army. His people are meek in one sense, yet bold when the situation at hand warrants it. You have absolutely no earthly idea that I prayed fervently for the families of all the white police officers who lost their lives in
Donald Lee is a pastor, author and free-lance journalist. He may be contacted at (225) 773-2248 or leedonaldj@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter at @donaldj_lee.
17 were hospitalized, and 40 others received treatment for injuries and the effects of tear gas. The attack, which was broadcast on national television, caught the attention of millions of Americans and became a symbol of the brutal racism of the South. Two weeks later, the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. and 3,200 civil rights protesters marched the 49 miles from Selma to the state capital, Montgomery — an event that prompted Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act. Every year on the first weekend in March, the Bridge Crossing Jubilee commemorates both the
bloody confrontation at the Pettus Bridge and the march from Selma to Montgomery that followed. Events include a parade, a Miss Jubilee Pageant, a mock trial, and a commemorative march to the bridge. Every five years, celebrants continue all the way to Montgomery.
Every year the Bridge Crossing Jubilee, Inc., hosts the commemoration of this historic event and the struggle for the right to vote by gathering at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in a festival of music, art and historical remembrance. See schedule of events on page 8.
that horrible act of violence in downtown Dallas. I prayed for their families just like I prayed for the families of the two men who were killed by those two police officers in Louisiana and Minnesota. Did you pray for them? If you prayed, did you pray for the families of those two men who were killed, too, or did you just pray for the police officers who were killed in Dallas? Before you try to pass unrighteous judgment on me, come and talk to me. Get to know me. Hopefully, what you’d hear would change your misperception of who you think I am. And if it doesn’t, then oh, well. Oh, and by the way. I’m not just a leader in the black community. I am a leader in the American community. Whose community are you a leader in? Remember, people, this profound quote from the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr: “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” Did you get that, (Texas) Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick?
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Wanted to Buy Wants to purchase minerals and other oil and gas interests. Send details to P.O. Box 13557 Denver, CO 80201 HE IS A SERIAL RAPIST
He targeted members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. but this is more than about a sorority. We’re talking about a community. Come on PEOPLE! Don’t you CARE? Will it matter when it is your sister, mother, aunt or grandmother or
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THURSDAY MARCH 4, 2021
7
BIG MAMA SAID
“My feet are paid for, Just walk your walk for God and Me” Black Card By Terry Allen My Grandmother, Lucille “Big Mama” Allen said many things to her children throughout our lifetime on her journey to heaven. This particular statement, “My feet are paid for, just walk your walk for God and me: was uttered as she lay in a hospital bed and I had just arrived at her medical bedside via a plane flight from NYC to Dallas. I was New York living in Westchester County and I spoke with
Big Mama frequently. I mostly dialed her number making homesick calls disguised as “Big Mama give that recipe again”calls. This time, I had gotten a call from my brother, the Bishop, the day before. He said, “Can you come home because Big Mama is in the hospital and this may be her last days?” OMG! As we celebrate Black History Month, I tell this story. I remember Big Mama’s religious upbringing and what feet meant to her. She would tell us that in the Bible, the mention of feet is a symbol for the traveling and effort required in bringing the Good News to others. Proverbs 4:26 Watch the
path of your feet. And all your ways will be established. I arrived at the hospital and one of my sisters said she had not been awake since she got there. She said she did not like the current doctor. I began to observe the Doctor’s bedside behavior and agreed with her! So much went on those seven days in the hospital room. During the week I was there, we all took turns talking to Big Mama. One night after my Aunt Mary and Uncle Charles came by I went to Big Mama’s side to rub her feet. I am not sure why because that is what my brother always did. As I rubbed her feet her eyes opened and she said,” Baby don’t worry about them feet they are
paid for, but you got to handle this for me.” And she went back into her coma. OMG! Big Mama just told me I had to act but had no idea what. I was shaken! I called my sis in Houston. She was on her way. I called a “community aunt” and she arrived with 5-6 other “aunts.” I then observed those ‘Aunts” gathering around her bed. They begin a 30-minute Bible toting “ring shout.” The entire hospital floor heard the wails, the moans and the chants. Nurses stopped working. Doctors stood by the door. Then all of sudden, “Big Mama” woke up! She smiled! Five hours later, upon her demand, we took
her home. She lived for a decade longer! Big Mama’s illness gave us a lesson in our African history and insights to our powerful cultural faith heritage. The ring shout, rooted in the ritual dances of West Africa and forged by the Atlantic slave trade, is believed to be the oldest surviving African American performance tradition of any kind. I learned how to walk for God and Big Mama that day. Acts 3:7 And seizing him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened. Terry Allen is an award-winning multi-media journalist and owner of 1016 media
Gina Grant continues to soar
From Marv With Love By Marva J. Sneed On From Marva with Love, we are celebrating Black Entrepreneurs for Black History Month. Gina Grant is the Founder and CEO of Women That Soar, a Dallas-based media and content development company. Her focus is all about empowering and inspiring women to overcome their obstacles and soar, both personally and professionally. Women That Soar has been hosting an award show since 2007 for women who have overcome those obstacles and celebrates their accomplishments. MS: Gina, tell us about some of the people that have received the
Women the Soar Award and how you found them. GG: Well, Women That Soar is the brand of the media company. It’s the brand, but the WTS Awards is named after the company and is all about honoring women who have courageous stories of going through the ups and downs of life and who are willing to share their stories with others about how they learn to soar. So we find the women based on other people just sending us stories. We look for women who have reached the pinnacle of success. But yet at one point in their lives, they were at the bottom. They were in the pit a lot of times. Nancy Lieberman and Gloria Campos were honored among others. MS: How did COVID affect your
Gina Grant
business? GG: COVID hit in March 2020, when we had just partnered with the city of Dallas. We had come off one event, on February 15. We had Yolanda Adams there, and this is where we made the big announcement that we were
going to do part two of the WTS Awards. We had filmed part 1 and in November 2020 were supposed to be part two. It was going to be a three-day event. We had every celebrity and we were bringing Hollywood to Dallas, and COVID hit and shut us all down. Honestly. I was in Prayer day and night. Productions were dying. Everyone was losing money left and right. We went in the hole, and God just started speaking to me and said, “share your story.” I started to writing. So every day I would get up and I just wrote my own story and I sent it to my producing partner, Reuben Cannon, and he said, “Gina, we’ve got to shoot a docuseries and it’s got to be focused on minority women.” I said, it has
to be about African American and Hispanic women. MS: Tell us about the docuseries. GG: Overcomers is an unscripted, pre-eminent docu-series that is like none other. It explores the raw, real-life stories of single mothers who have chosen to rise above their current circumstances and fight for a better future for themselves and their children… To hear the full interview with Gina Grant, go to BlogTalkRadio. com/Cheryl’s World link: http:// bit.ly/3qI42yp or Texas Metro News FB: https://bit.ly/2LZBOjj. Follow Gina Grant at www. womenthatsoar.com. Tune into “From Marva with Love” Fridays from 11 am-1 pm on BlogTalkRadio.com and Texas Metro News Facebook page. marvasneed@myimessenger.com
GAME CHANGE
State Fair Classic Spring Game day reset One of the largest HBCU classic, the State Fair Classic, a timehonored football tradition between Grambling State University and Prairie View A&M University, has been rescheduled, again. Typically held at Cotton Bowl Stadium during the State Fair of Texas each fall, the game was postponed to February 27, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the cancellation of the 2020 State Fair of Texas. Now, due to the recent winter weather crisis in Texas and the time required to assess the impact of the storm to the Cotton Bowl Stadium and what is needed to get the stadium game ready; the schools, ALW Entertainment, Fair Park, and the State Fair of Texas have made the difficult, yet prudent decision to move the event from Fair Park. The 2021 State Fair Classic Spring Game will now kick-off at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 13, 2021 at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas. “Unfortunately, due to the impacts of the recent inclement weather and the time required to assess what is needed to get Cotton Bowl Stadium ready, we collectively agreed with the State Fair of Texas and the promoter that
Warren Sapp
Dru Hill
the prudent decision is to move the event,” said Peter Sullivan, general manager of Fair Park. “We look forward to hosting this great event again in the future.” All previously purchased game tickets will be honored and tickets are still available and can be purchased at all outlets including Catfish Floyds, Smokey John’s Bar-B-Que, ticketmaster.com, TM locations, and Williams Chicken locations. Get more information on State Fair Classic events at StateFairClassicFootball.com. The State Fair Classic has been played on the grounds of the State Fair of Texas since the 1920s and between these two teams – the Grambling State University Tigers
and Prairie View A&M University Panthers – since the 1980s. However, like most Texans, Fair Park and Cotton Bowl Stadium are still assessing the potential impacts from the recent winter weather crisis we all faced this past week and do not feel it is wise to host the game at this time. We look forward to continuing the tradition of the State Fair Classic football game during the State Fair of Texas at Cotton Bowl Stadium in Fair Park this coming fall. “We are disappointed the State Fair Classic Spring Game is unable to be played in Cotton Bowl Stadium at Fair Park this coming weekend but are happy to see the game will continue to be played
in DFW,” said Mitchell Glieber, president of the State Fair of Texas. “Held for nearly a century, this game is a time-honored tradition at the State Fair of Texas, and we look forward to it returning in its grandeur to Cotton Bowl Stadium this fall.” A showdown for all, the game is known to only be half of the entertainment. Another highlight of the event is the “Battle of the bands” – the halftime face-off between the school’s marching bands in an impressive showing of the masterful musicians and talent at both schools. For this game, however, the bands will be unable to perform due to COVID-19 safety protocols. In lieu of this, there will be a halftime show featuring Dru Hill – an American R&B group known for soul, hip hop, and gospel music. Also, due to COVID-19, the spring game will be at a limited capacity of 25,000 attendees. The schools are urging fans to arrive early to make sure there is plenty of time to go through security and to adhere to the clear bag policy in effect for Globe Life Park. All fans are required to wear masks covering the nose and
mouth, for the duration of the event, unless actively eating or drinking. In addition, guests should maintain social distancing, putting six feet between themselves and other parties, wash their hands and use hand sanitizer regularly. Fans who are not feeling well or may have been in close contact with someone they suspect may be infected with COVID-19 should stay home and contact their doctor.
real life nomads, Bob, explains the group’s credo during a round table talk with the members, ”Good-byes are not final in this group. We just promise to see one and other again somewhere down the road.” The movie is hard to watch at times but at the same time it’s interesting and keeps your attention
throughout. The movie is extremely relevant to the times we’re living in and obviously the movie was shot before the COVID pandemic which would have effected the lives of these people even more. McDormand plays her character beautifully and director Chloe Zhao, who’s from China, has a firm grasp on the story of the American decline that many seemingly ignore. She doesn’t pull any punches in the story telling of a true American film. NOMADLAND isn’t glitzy or glamorous but it’s a story that holds a mirror up to the current situation that’s going on in the USA. It’s rated R for nudity and is currently showing at movie theaters and at home exclusively on HULU. On my “Hollywood Popcorn Scale” I rate NOMADLAND a LARGE.
A look at real nomads At the Movies By Hollywood Hernandez NOMADLAND is a very melancholy story about a woman, Fern, played by Frances McDormand, whose husband dies and she loses her job at a factory that makes drywall, when the business closes for good. The entire community in Nevada loses so many of its residents who depended on the factory for work; in just six months the town’s zip code is eliminated.
With no friends, no family and no job Fern heads out on a trek across the Western US, living in her van and having limited success in finding work. While on her journey she discovers a group of modern day nomads who band together to try and lend support for one and other. The group provides her with friendship and companionship which makes her life a bit more bearable. Director Chloe Zhao takes us on a scenic journey and weaves a beautiful tapestry of a story that has become a reality for many older Americans who don’t seem to have a place in today’s society. Companies aren’t hiring older workers and many are alone and
are forced to fend for themselves to keep a roof over their head. It’s a sad situation but amazingly Zhao manages to show the silver lining in the lives these people live. The movie also stars real life “nomads” who do an excellent job of showing their lifestyle as people who live out on the road. One of the real life nomads is a character named Swankie who confides in Fern that she has cancer and plans to spend her final days making memories touring the country rather than spending her final days in a hospital bed. The real treat of the movie is the telling of the story of the lives of these ordinary people that live an unorthodox lifestyle. Another of the
MARK YOUR CALENDAR • Grambling State University Tigers vs Prairie View A&M University Panthers Saturday, March 13, 2021 • State Fair Classic Spring Game Globe Life Park 1000 Ballpark Way, Arlington, TX 76011 2:45 p.m. – Pre-Game National Anthem Performance • Gospel Recording Artist Marvin Sapp 3:00 p.m. – State Fair Classic Spring Football Gamr Halftime Concert - National recording artist Dru Hill featuring Sisqo
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THURSDAY MARCH 4, 2021
GarlandJournal
Royal Dynasty from page 1
much as they are in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Frederick Johnson, Sr., a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, was a leader on campus, graduating from FAMU’s renowned School of Business and Industry (SBI). He brought those skills to Dallas and is a successful entrepreneur. Vivian served as Miss FAMU her senior year, in 1981, and she said she had no idea that she was beginning what many have dubbed “the royal dynasty” and a true Black History footnote. A member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and the Links, Inc., she is also a former Vice President of the D-FW FAMU National Alumni Association, and she and another FAMU Rattler were the inspiration behind the formation of the Dallas Metroplex Council of Black Alumni Associations. In 1980, Frederick graduated from FAMU and a job offer helped
The Johnsons
him decide to move to Dallas. Vivian graduated with a degree in pharmacy and then obtained her doctorate degree and completed a residency in New Orleans. Then the two Lake City, FL. natives tied the knot and settled in the Metroplex where a thriving economy was just the place for an enterprising and successful accountant and a brilliant pharmacist. They immediately became involved in their community; finding a church home at First Bap-
Miss FAMU 2020-21, 2017-18, and 1981-82
tist Church of Hamilton Park in Richardson, locating other FAMU alumni and friends from their home state and eventually following their plans to start a family. Little did they know it would be one of royalty, FAMU Royalty! Everyone knew that Vivian was a songbird and their three children were also gifted in the arts; whether it’s singing, acting or playing an instrument, so it was only natural that they would find their way to The Black Academy of Arts and Letters (TBAAL) where some of the most talented artists were either trained, like Erykah Badu; or commanded sold out audiences, like Miss Ruby Dee. TBAAL founder Curtis King describes Erika as “absolutely, totally amazing.” “Fifty years from now we’ll be talking about her, like we do other greats, like Leontyne Price,” said King. “She’s got that ‘it,’ thing. I recognize it in her. She is an amazing artist and singer and she’s going to be huge.” NOW MORE ABOUT THE DYNASTY Frederick II (you may recall seeing him on the Bachelorette as he tried to capture the heart of the first African American bachelorette Rachel Lindsay), graduated with degrees from both FAMU and FSU the same semester; all while serving as Mister FAMU. Then here comes Michelle Marva who followed in her mom’s footsteps and was crowned Miss FAMU in 2017. Both are products of Newman Smith High School and like their parents Frederick II is a Kappa and Michelle (her friends call her “Marva”) is an AKA.
And if that wasn’t enough Black History, here comes Erika Nicole, the baby of the bunch; who will be crowned Miss FAMU on March 7, 2021 (a little late because of COVID-19). The graduate of the prestigious Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing Arts knew she was going to be asked one question once people knew that she was from that family of not one, but two, Miss FAMUs and a Mister FAMU! Each Johnson heir to the throne took a different approach on their journey to the crown. Frederick II, was ready to make a change on FAMU’s campus, he was ready to make it “A Different World” as the 12th Mister FAMU. Marva was providing a dream with a “MARVAlous Beginning,” as the 111th Miss FAMU and Erika has recently just brought the university into a “New Era” on the Royal Court for the 2020-2021 academic year. Vivian said that the people, businesses, and loved ones in the Dallas area provided support during each of their campaigns. Getting support in Dallas was a team effort with the Johnson children and their parents. “The Dallas community has been very supportive of our family,” she said. It wasn’t hard to embrace the Johnsons because of their involvement and efforts at home, work, church, schools, and throughout the community. And that school in Tallahassee, FL where such local notables as former Dallas Cowboys Bob Hayes and Nate Newton, businessman and philanthropist Oscar Joyner, 94.5’s Indy B, and former Dallas City Councilwoman
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Tiffinni Young was always present in their lives. “Even though we were in Dallas, growing up we knew about FAMU and the significance the university had in our family’s hearts,” Erika said. Marva said her mother was very spirited growing up and that even in the church you could see the connection between her mom and other HBCU alums. She also shared she was nervous about running since her mom held the position but had to pray and reflect on her reason for running. “My mom is the person to remind you of the bigger picture when you are down,” said Marva. “She gives you hope by providing a new perspective on a situation.” The girls said their mom reminds them to look for the positive in everything. During their campaign weeks, each one shared how their mom supported them with encouragement and how their dad also was supporting them through much-appreciated prayer. REIGNING SUPREME The Johnson family is excited to celebrate the reign of Erika, the 114th Miss Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University for the 2020-2021 academic year. Erika successfully navigated the first-ever completely virtual campaign season in FAMU’s history, executing a well-put-together campaign during a pandemic. After yet another year of serving the college of love and charity with
innovation, the Johnson family has worked together to host a virtual crowning celebration before the coronation. Unlike most coronations that include a weeklong of activities with tens of thousands of alumni and friends participating, this new norm is the first of its kind and family and friends want Erika’s crowning moment to be just as special as in previous years. The pre-coronation event is “A Royal Celebration and Crowning AFFAIR.” The coronation will air via @famu_1887 Facebook, YouTube and the @famuroyalcourt YouTube page on Sunday, March 7, at 5 pm CST/ 6 pm EST. The link to register for the pre-coronation Royal Celebration is https://www. eventbrite.com/e/a-royal-celebration-and-miss-famu-crowning-affair-tickets-143304352175. Skylar Boone hails from Dothan, AL and she is a second year broadcast journalism student at FAMU, where she is a member of NABJ. You can reach her at skylar1.boone@famu.edu
“I want to see young people in America feel the spirit of the 1960s and find a way to get in the way. To find a way to get in trouble. Good Trouble. Necessary Trouble.”
- Hon. John Lewis
“If we want to honor the courage of those who marched that day, then all of us are called to possess their moral imagination. All of us will need to feel, as they did, the fierce urgency of now.”
- President Barack Obama