I Messenger 4-30-21

I MESSENGER VOL X NO 33 APRIL 30, 2021

f o e f i L A

e c i v r e S e l a d s g a Diane R

IMessenger An IMM LLC Publication MAILING ADDRESS 320 S. R.L. Thornton Freeway Suite 220 Dallas, TX 75203 WWW.TEXASMETRONEWS.COM 214-941-0110 Cheryl Smith PUBLISHER - EDITOR news@texasmetronews.com S. Curet GENERAL MANAGER stewartcuret@myimessenger.com Jessica Hayden STAFFWRITER EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Marva Sneed EDITORIAL TEAM Anthony Council Chelle Wilson Dareia Tolbert Dr. Felicia N. Shepherd Dorothy J. Gentry Eva Coleman Monique P. Stone Lajuana Barton Rebecca Aguilar Vincent Hall MARKETING TEAM Carlton McConnell Terry Allen PR DESIGN/LAYOUT FzanStudio

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Established 2011 CREDO OF THE BLACK PRESS The Black Press believes that America can best lead the world away from racial and national antagonisms when it accords to every person, regardless of race, color or creed, full human and legal rights. Hating no person, fearing no person, the Black Press strives to help every person in the firm belief that all are hurt as long as anyone is held back.

April 30, 2021

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Has America come any closer to Dr. King’s dream?

This year marked the 53d anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination. Over half a century. Has America come any closer to his dream?

He would be pleased at some of our progress. Segregation is no longer the law of the land. The Voting Rights Act helped open doors. Dr. King would be pleased that a majority of Americans joined to elect and re-elect an African American president. Georgians just elected a black minister from Dr. King’s own historic church to the U.S. Senate. There are now 60 African American members of Congress, 54 Latino members, 20 Asian American or Pacific Islander Americans and 5 native Americans.

Yet the reconstruction has brought reaction. By a 5-4 decision, right-wing judges on the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act, even after overwhelming majorities of both parties voted to reauthorize it. Now across the country, Republicans, fearful of the growing involvement of minorities and the young, are seeking to impose restrictions that make voting more difficult.

Dr. King would be marching with those who seek to make it easier to register and to vote. He’d be urging the Senate to pass S1, the For the People election reform bill that would go far to limit voter suppression, gerrymandering and counter the role of secret big money in politics. He sure-

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Rev. Jesse L. Jackson

ly would be delighted that African American business leaders of major corporations and banks have joined in urging the corporate community to speak out against efforts to suppress the vote.

George Floyd’s murder would appall but not surprise Dr. King. The shameful mass incarceration of African Americans and the structural racial inequities of our criminal justice system demand reform. Again, Dr. King would be marching with the Black Lives Matter movement and would be encouraged by the multiracial outpouring of largely peaceful, nonviolent protests demanding reform.

Economic justice was the third movement of Dr. King’s civil rights symphony — and the most incomplete. The pandemic has once more stripped the veil off of America’s structural racial inequalities. African Americans and Latinos were the most likely to be infected, the most likely to lack health care, the most likely to be frontline workers, the least likely to be able to work from home.

When the economy shut down, African Americans and Latinos suffered the largest loss of jobs, and the greatest collapse of incomes. We are also vulnerable to the most evictions and foreclosures. The schools our children attend are the least likely to have adequate ventilation or space for social distancing.

The level of economic violence suffered daily by poor and low-income families is immoral and unnecessary. Millions of Americans still lack the basic right to adequate health care. Dr. King’s legacy has helped to inspire a new Poor People’s Campaign, giving voice to the 140 million low income and impoverished Americans who struggle to survive.

Dr. King protested as the War on Poverty was defeated in the jungles of Vietnam. He understood that a bloated military budget, constant interventions across the world, the arms race that threatened all humanity sapped the resources, energy and attention needed to make America better.

Today, the military budget is even higher — in comparable dollars — than it was at the height of the Cold War. The U.S. maintains nearly 800 military bases in more than 70 countries. We fight endless wars on the other side of the world. And worse, we seem headed into a new Cold War, this time with both Russia and China, see DREAM on page 38

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INSIDE

What’s On Miles’ Mind

Yesterday, I, like the rest of the digitally and broadcast connected world, watched and waited for the Derrick Chauvin verdict-- a verdict vigil. That, after nearly a year of waiting for the trial to take place. We listened to just shy of two weeks of testimony. We heard 11 days of the prosecution’s 38 witnesses, much of it, heart wrenching and highly emotional, much of it, highly technical, scientific and procedural.

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A Life of Service In a way, Diane Ragsdale is an architect and construction worker. Technically, of course, she’s a long-time community organizers, advocate, registered nurse, and former Dallas City Council member.

But you see, she builds things. She does not carry a hammer and wear a tool belt. But she constructs communities and designs people.

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Faithful Utterances

It is very easy to become cynical and bitter. If you are not careful, you will become a person who finds fault in everyone. When I meet people that have nothing good to say or complain about everything, there is a reason that they have allowed their pain to pierce others. I find myself in awe of how mean people can be. People make fun and pick at individuals without any remorse and sympathy.

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April 30, 2021

MY TRUTH

It’s hard to imagine what members of the Class of 2021 are feeling.

And that was also pretty much the case with the members of the Class of 2020 who were not forewarned that a time they were working toward was going to be drastically altered, disrupted and many elements totally voided.

No one could prepare them because so few if any were around for previous pandemics.

And no other pandemics were quite as devastating, but if they were, folks didn’t know because there were no televisions or telephones; you just had “tell a friend.”

Today, depending on your status and fan base, telling a friend could equate to telling millions, thanks to social media.

It’s kind of hard to tell the Class of 2021 that “this too shall pass.”

They are living in the here and now where there is plenty of despair and sadness to go around.

That is if we let it.

Instead must be positive. We have to support each other without being overindulgent.

After all, we see what happens when we overindulge. We must also provide encouragement and exhibit resilience.

I only hope that this pandemic will be the worst pain and suffering that they all endure.

With that in mind, though they have to be equipped with survival tools: mentally, financially, emotionally and physically.

We’re trying to get through this together. It would be so great however if this class could be known for ushering in a period of love because we have definitely had enough hate for an eternity.

Go forth class of 2021, with love, respect, compassion, justice and faith. Work hard. Lift as you climb. Learn better, know better and do better. Lastly, bring receipts!

by Cheryl Smith, Publisher

Congrats to the Class of

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The life-taking oppressive knee on our necks comes in more ways than one THE WESTSIDE GAZETTE – “We hold these truths to be selfevident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”.

OUR VOICES BOBBY R. HENRY, SR.

Seeing the video of the torturous death of George Floyd stirs up inside of me emotions that are hard to suppress and what’s even harder is the will to want to stop them. I understand that we can’t always resort to our physical impulses in combating and destroying that witch does not receive us as human beings.

Yes my heart goes out to the family members of George Floyd and to his friends and sympathizers. Yes we want justice, yes we want to be recognized for our humanness and compassion. Yes, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”.

Are we to stop or are we to myimessenger.com

continue to forged on by any means necessary to obtain those unalienable unalienable rights? We will go to the ends of legitimacies even though our spirit tells us to circumvent and go straight to the quick to get our justice. Nevertheless, we fight on.

There is more than one kind of oppressive killing knee to our necks that we need to address.

Why do we spend our money and support those businesses who don’t support or respect us?

So many times we look at the news and we ride through our Black communities, and we see places that are deplorable in their conditions and they allow illegal and disrespectful things to happen on their premises, and we don’t say or do a damn thing to try to stop it?

I am appalled even more at a news story that I saw on Chan-

nel 10 recently where a young Black 19-year-old sister recorded an incident at Kwik Stop Rims & Tires, 3091 NW. 19th St. in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Stearlia Dormeus went to return a tire that was the wrong size. She said she asked if she could get her money back, and the guy with the gun said no and threatened to damage her car if she didn’t give him the tire she purchased or more money. The guy said he was gonna break her window if she didn’t take the tire out of her car because he was “the boss”.

If any of you Black men have seen this video, how can we sit idly by and watch our sister be disrespected and our brothers who are perhaps being manipulated because of their addiction to drugs and alcohol be used as puppets to do the orchestrated work of a menace to our society as this operator did

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when he told a ‘do boy’ to break her window.

These oppressive knees on our necks are an extension to deep rooted racism and communicable self-hate akin to a powder-keg waiting to ignite civil unrest in this country.

Brothers and sisters, we have to stop the madness one way or another. It is extremely difficult for anybody to put their knee on your neck when you are standing tall with your head held high.

Mama told us a long time ago to walk tall and straight with your head up! You ain’t got nothing to be ashamed of”.

The post The life taking oppressive knee on our necks comes in more ways than one appeared first on The Westside Gazette.

Bobby R. Henry, Sr. is Publisher at The Westside Gazette.

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Black Heritage Celebration

May 1 • 10am-4pm Join us at the Dallas Arboretum on May 1 for our first Black Heritage Celebration to kick-off the opening of our Summer of Sculpture exhibit and the return of ZimSculpt, an exhibit of Zimbabwean sculpture on display. The celebration features a vendor fair with over 20 Blackowned businesses, live dance and musical performances, a cooking demonstration and a fashion experience.

Sponsors (as of 4/15) Capital One, Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce, Dallas Weekly, Dr. Cristi Fletcher and Dr. Flaxie Fletcher, DeMetris Sampson, The Dallas Chapter of The Links, Inc. and the Dallas Links STEAM Academy, Mary Kay Global Design Studio, Texas Metro News, VisitDallas

Reservations required. No walk-ups allowed.

Face coverings required for all guests, ages 5 and older, for the duration of visit.

DallasArboretum.org 8525 Garland Road • Dallas, Texas 75218 • 214-515-6615 The Dallas Arboretum is a non-profit organization supported, in part, by funds from Dallas Park & Recreation.

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April 30, 2021

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West Dallas Vaccination Clinic: Let’s Build Covid-19 Immunity in the Community (First Dose) Wesley Rankin Community Center 3100 Crossman Avenue Dallas, TX 75212 • Pfizer vaccine provided • Pre-registration required • Transportation available upon request Call for more information: 214.742.6674 or 214.820.4846

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Day & time: Wednesday April 28, 2021 Time: 10:00 AM- 2:00 PM Register now at: bit.ly/westdallasvaccine Deadline: April 23, 2021

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April 30, 2021

Just what will Tomorrow bring for us?

WHAT’S ON MILES’ MIND

MILES JAYE Yesterday, I, like the rest of the digitally and broadcast connected world, watched and waited for the Derrick Chauvin verdict-- a verdict vigil. That, after nearly a year of waiting for the trial to take place. We listened to just shy of two weeks of testimony.

We heard 11 days of the prosecution’s 38 witnesses, much of it, heart wrenching and highly emotional, much of it, highly technical, scientific and procedural. We heard a mere 2 days of the defense counsel’s 7 witnesses, much of it aggravating, much of it boring. Surprisingly, it took the members of the jury, 6 white (2 men, 4 women), 4 black (3 men, 1 woman), and 2 multi-racial (both women), only 10 hours to reach a unanimous verdict. And we waited for the reading of the 3-part decision.

Waiting is something Black folks are very familiar with.

If you were raised in the church, as I was, you learned the meaning of tarrying at an early age. You may not have had a full appreciation of the Biblical context, but you knew it meant to wait. You knew about waiting on the April 30, 2021

Lord. “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

(Isaiah 40:31) As we grew older, we heard phrases like, good things come to those who wait and fools rush in where angels fear to tread-- both meaning, slow down and wait. We’re accustomed to waiting for anything of value and importance, but we were told that yesterday’s decision was a potential game changer.

They said a guilty verdict would be pivotal as it was a likely catalyst for change-not just in Minnesota, but across the U.S. and throughout the world, a world which had been watching murder after murder of unarmed black men in America go unpunished. Black folks have been waiting on justice since long before Civil Rights was a movement, so as I waited, I couldn’t help but anxiously wonder, and nervously speculate about tomorrow.

Would tomorrow usher in the end of the white superiority ethos in law enforcement communities?

Would tomorrow call for the end of a history of highly charged police aggression towards black men? Would tomorrow bring in the ringing of the church bells for

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the death of America’s systemic racism? Will tomorrow sound a trumpet blast, a clarion call for all to hear, across America’s urban centers and small towns, signifying that from this day forward, a zero-tolerance justice system will not allow a city cop, or a sheriff’s deputy to operate as judge, jury and executioner?

Wounded, scarred, and battle weary, yesterday, I was reluctant to celebrate the promise of freedom.

No high fives, no fist bumps, and as much as I would have loved to dance in the streets and fill the night air with fireworks, I was still numb from previous acquittals, and frankly, stunned by a verdict I never thought we would hear. What would I have been celebrating? We’re down 50 points in the 4th quarter and we score a goal?

Would I have been celebrating a single victorious battle in a long-standing war, a war for equality that has left my people in a constant and dismal state of PTSD? Would tomorrow’s dawn bring with it a future where I feel safe and equal as I go about my days and go about my ways amongst white people, predisposed to viewing me as a threat-- as dangerous?

Well, today is tomorrow, and I don’t feel the difference.

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I don’t feel any more hopeful or optimistic.

In fact, I’m waiting for the backlash from folks whose reaction to the verdict was outrage and indignance. Those who sought to try George for his own murder and are now seeking justice for Derrick.

They are some of the same folks who cheered for George Zimmerman’s acquittal. I would be naïve to believe the January 6th insurrectionists are taking this loss lying down. The money is flowing into the coffers of former President Trump and his minions throughout the Republican party. Their armies of Proud Boys and Oath Keepers remain ready, still standing by, waiting for their next call to action. I’m confident that the events of yesterday, with all of our celebrations and collective tears of joy, will only serve to bolster and motivate the cause of the hateful. I can only wait and wonder what tomorrow will bring. Perhaps tomorrow will bring significant policing reform ending Choke Holds, No Knock Warrants and Qualified Immunity, to begin, but I’m not hopeful, nor am I optimistic.

I hope I’m proven wrong. I’ll have to wait and see.

That’s what’s on my mind!

Website: www.milesjaye.net Podcast: https://bit.ly/2zkhSRv Email: milesjaye360@gmail.com

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Your Obituary Goes Right Here!

QUIT PLAYIN’ VINCENT L. HALL Editor’s note: This is a reprint from November 2020.

For years, my publisher Cheryl Smith has had a dream to print a weekly obituary page. Not just for the money, but because we continue to bury giants in this community without telling their stories. Ancestry. com needs us!

This story came during a funeral for the mother of a friend, Kevin Cowens, and his brother Kenneth. The history was so vivid and vibrant. We get syrupy about “Hidden Figures” from all over and know little about the heroes and sheroes who grew up in our own back yard.

Mrs. French L. Cowens was born French L. Jackson to Willie Mae and Willis Jackson in Gladewater, Texas.

She grew up in old North Central Dallas. As a little girl, she would walk to church on Sundays by herself to St. John’s Baptist Church.

On her way to St. John, caught the attention of sisters at the Sacred Heart of Mary convent from St. Peter the myimessenger.com

Apostle Catholic Church across the street. They were so impressed with the little girl they asked her mother if she could attend St. Peters academy and live in the convent tuition-free. Her mother gave permission, and she was raised there.

She went to daily mass, communion, and evening vespers daily. She excelled in academics and graduated at age 16 from high school with honors.

She attended the Xavier University School of Pharmacy in New Orleans. She completed the demanding five-year pharmacy program in three and 1/2 years with honors.

She pledged Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and become president of the Pharmacy Club. She was crowned, Miss Xavier (homecoming queen) in 1948.

After graduation from Xavier, French L. faced a dilemma. She was only 20 years old and too young to take the State Pharmacy Board. The required age was 21. She worked menial jobs for six months until she could take the Louisiana Pharmacy Board and passed. Upon returning to Texas, she faced the challenge of finding a pharmacy position. In the early 1950s, this qualified young African American woman could not get a job as

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a pharmacist in Dallas, Texas.

In the meantime, she began teaching Chemistry, Biology, and Algebra at Dallas Booker T. Washington High School.

There she met and married Edward L. Cowens and had two sons. The Pharmacy Administrator at St. Paul’s hospital (Sister Florence) hired Mrs. Cowens to run the pharmacy on the 3-11 shift for the 700-bed hospital. She would work alone, and she would arrive 45 minutes after the dayshift personnel left so they would not know she was Black.

One day a white pharmacist from the day shift made a medication error.

An irate surgeon went to the pharmacy that evening to confront the pharmacist.

To his surprise, he found Mrs. Cowens running the pharmacy, and the secret was out. Because her work was so impeccable, she was not terminated because of her race. She resigned after a newly graduated young White male pharmacist was hired to be her supervisor, and she was instructed to teach him his job.

Mrs. Cowens continued to pray. She opened a neighborhood pharmacy in North Central Dallas while teaching at her alma mater, S. Peters Academy. There she taught high school Chemistry and Biology. She served

as a powerful role model for hundreds of African American students. She was a practicing pharmacist at various outlets in the Dallas Fort Worth area. In 1964, the Forest Avenue Hospital was opened by three Black physicians and a Black entrepreneur, and she became the Director of Pharmacy.

It was her dream position.

The tiny 65-bed facility provided medical care to over 65,000 Black and Hispanic patients in the South Dallas area. She operated the Forest Avenue Pharmacy until shortly before its closure in 1979. Mrs. French L. Cowens was the first African American woman in the State of Texas to practice pharmacy.

Mrs. Cowens lived a life of courage and hard work. She bore great love for her family and her people. She referred to racial discrimination as “the civil war.” She fought it! And her sons; they both became medical doctors.

Everybody else resurrects the best part of their history.

Why should we keep burying ours?

(Thanks to Dr. Kevin Cowens for sharing your mom with us…again) Vincent L. Hall is an author, activist, and award-winning columnist.

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What’s Your Love Language?

FAITHFUL UTTERANCES

BY DR. FROSWA BOOKER-DREW

It is very easy to become cynical and bitter. If you are not careful, you will become a person who finds fault in everyone. When I meet people that have nothing good to say or complain about everything, there is a reason that they have allowed their pain to pierce others. I find myself in awe of how mean people can be.

People make fun and pick at individuals without any remorse and sympathy. As the verdict was announced in the murder of George Floyd, the Twitterverse was on high alert making fun of Jessie Jackson. Some of these individuals found it amusing to pick at this man who has spent his life as a civil rights leader fighting for many of the rights they benefit from.

They failed to acknowledge that he has Parkinson’s disease which is responsible for his gaze and movement.

There is something to be said about a world that has lost compassion and empathy.

It is very easy to feel sorry for others because we do not put ourselves in their shoes. It allows us to detach and see the person as ‘other’.

Sympathy does not require much of us. All we do is say or make gestures that appear myimessenger.com

kind and we can go back to our lives. What we are missing so much of in our lives is empathy. Empathy is more than feeling sorry for someone. It is truly placing yourself in the other person’s shoes. Empathy is about understanding what others go through and sharing with them in their pain. Empathy requires us to be vulnerable and connect to another through our emotions. Empathy is not about minimizing someone’s struggle to make your situation appear greater, it is about being with them and recognizing what they are experiencing.

Somewhere along the way, this has become lost. In building our self-esteem and pushing this narrative of putting ourselves first, we have lost the desire to care for others. There is nothing wrong with self-care AND caring for others---and not at the expense of either.

They can both co-exist.

Bu right now, our world is suffering and so are we.

The Bible says “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without selfcontrol, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than

lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. ... (2 Timothy 3:1-17)” Our world is at an extreme of self-centeredness.

If we are at the center and everyone is disposable, we often leave out space for God. God is then blamed for all the occurrences in the world when a choice was made to move God from the center.

God has been replaced by our own needs, our greed, and our desire to be first. The issues listed in 2 Timothy 3:117 all focus on preserving self. It is all about me at the expense and pain of others.

“Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead.

You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am.” (Mark 8:35 MSG) The solution for this selfcenteredness is simple. We

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must get out of our own way. This requires not only holding others accountable, but we must hold ourselves accountable. The standards for treating one another with kindness and compassion must return. It begins with recognizing that our love walk must be checked. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:3739).

Loving God is first. Loving our neighbors is second but if we do not love ourselves, it will be difficult to love our neighbors. Maybe the loss of empathy and compassion for others lies in the loss of love we have for ourselves and God. We cannot be for others what we are not willing to be for ourselves.

I thank God for Mr. Jackson and the many others who deserve our admiration, respect, and love.

Dr. Froswa’ Booker-Drew is the Founder and CEO of Soulstice Consultancy, specializing as a Partnership Broker and Leadership Expert for companies and organizations to thrive with measurable and meaningful impact. She also is the VP of Community Affairs and Strategic Alliances for the State Fair of Texas.

April 30, 2021

Top Ladies of Distinction continue to serve

In Spite of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trinity West Chapter of Top Ladies of Distinction, Inc. continued to serve the Dallas community in all 5 of the organization’s Major Thrust (Top Teens, Status of Women, Senior Citizens, Community Partnership and Community Beautification) and National Projects (TLOD Literacy, NAACP, UNCF, NCNW and Sickle Cell). President Lady Brenda King-Murphy April 30, 2021

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CDC Vows Partnership with Black Press on Vaccination Awareness NNPA NEWSWIRE — “I was on a Zoom in my office with Dr. [Anthony] Fauci when the verdicts came in,” Dr. Rochelle Walenksy, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recalled during a special live interview with the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s (NNPA) “Let It Be Known” breaking news program. “We were all relieved,” Dr. Walensky assured. “This is just a single moment. What we face as a nation is generations of racism and discrimination, and barriers for Black people.We can’t erase 400 years in one single verdict, but this is one huge step forward, and we have to make many more huge steps forward.”

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Like most of the world, Dr. Rochelle Walenksy, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, watched with nervous anticipation the jury verdict in the trial of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin.

And, like many others, Dr. Walensky was relieved with the guilty verdicts that brought a measure of justice to the family of George Floyd and, by extension, African Americans and people of color everywhere.

“I was on a Zoom in my office with Dr. [Anthony] Fauci when the verdicts came in,” Dr. Walensky recalled during a special live interview with the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s (NNPA) “Let It Be Known” breaking news program.

“We were all relieved,” Dr. Walensky assured. “This is just a single moment. What we face as a nation is generations of racism and discrimination, and barriers for Black people. We can’t erase 400 years in one single verdict, myimessenger.com

Dr. Walensky reiterated that she and the CDC enjoy the full support of the Biden-Harris Administration in its racism and health initiatives.

but this is one huge step forward, and we have to make many more huge steps forward.”

During the 30-minute interview, Dr. Walensky said the CDC is taking more steps to shift from looking at just markers of health and equity to looking at the drivers of health and equity.

“They are inextricably linked with race and require us to evaluate the structural barriers that exist for so many Black Americans, so many Latino Americans and Native Americans,” Dr. Walenksy offered.

“So, our work as a nation must be to address these drivers to make everyone safer and to make our streets safer and education more accessible.”

In the CDC’s efforts to reclaim the public’s trust – particularly among individuals of color, Dr. Walensky said it was imperative to announce that racism is a public health crisis publicly.

She pledged that the CDC would partner with the Black Press of America to get critical messaging to minority communities.

“One striking thing is that

the [pandemic] started in this country among the wealthy and moved rapidly to communities that didn’t have resources,” Dr. Walensky said. “It was clear to me that the health of our nation was not going to be better until we addressed the fact that everybody in the nation had to be better. Not just pockets, we needed to reach all communities.”

Dr. Walensky reiterated that she and the CDC enjoy the full support of the Biden-Harris Administration in its racism and health initiatives.

“We welcome [the Black Press] partnership, and I recognize that people who are not confident in the vaccine are those we need to meet where they are,” Dr. Walensky continued. “Some people don’t know where to get the vaccine, and for some, it’s not convenient. Some are worried that the science isn’t complete, and some have listened to misinformation.

“The real question is as we address concerns and questions, we need to have the person conveying the information to be a trusted messenger. I may

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not be a trusted messenger, but you [The Black Press] are, and I would like to work with you and create that partnership so that we can provide that information and package it as your viewers and readers want it and delivered by people they trust.”

More than 100 million people have received the covid vaccine after over 100,000 enrolled in clinical trials to ensure efficacy, Dr. Walensky said, adding that the CDC has safety monitoring in place and hasn’t seen anything troubling.

A third booster shot is being discussed by scientists and the administration only as extra protection and not out of fear or information that the vaccines would wear off, Dr. Walensky assured, noted that none were involved in clinical trials, but early results in about 700 baby deliveries have revealed good news for pregnant women.

“There is early data to suggest that if pregnant and you receive the vaccine, you can pass the antibodies to your babies, so there’s some potential that the baby might be protected as well,” Dr. Walensky said.

April 30, 2021

A Life of Service

Diane Ragsdale retiring from ICDC, planning different role

Diane Ragsdale as Dallas Deputy Mayor Pro Tem

In a way, Diane Ragsdale is an architect and construction worker. Technically, of course, she’s a long-time community organizers, advocate, registered nurse, and

former Dallas City Council member. But you see, she builds things. She does not carry a hammer and wear a tool belt. But she constructs communities and designs

people.

Now she wants to do more of that – but in a different way. So, after 35 years at the helm, she has retired as executive director of the South

Dallas’ own Diane Ragsdale makes sure sun always shines in Sunny South Dallas!

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Dallas-Fair Park Innercity Community Development Corporation (ICDC) at 4907 Spring Ave near Fair Park.

Ragsdale founded the nonprofit in 1986 while serving on the Council, from 19841991, and representing the area where ICDC is located. She will remain for six months to help train her successor, Venus Cobb, who took office April 16. We will learn about Cobb in next week’s column.

“I have retired from ICDC, but not from the movement for justice,” said Ragsdale who also was Deputy Mayor Pro Tem during part of her Council tenure.

I was just thinking how future Black community and Dallas city leaders will benefit unknowingly from the years of labor Ragsdale amassed, both at city seats of power and leading protests in the streets of Dallas’ underserved communities. In a future Part II of this column, we will explore Ragsdale’s assessment of her past contributions and her plans for myimessenger.com

Ragsdale with Marvin Crenshaw, Bobbie Seale, and Fahim Minkah. Seale is National Black Panther Party co-founder. Crenshaw and Minkah are Dallas Panther Party members.

adding more.

ICDC’s mission was and is to improve the quality of life in that underserved community by building affordable homes for families, helping residents find and prepare themselves for jobs, improving their education, and providing better business services through economic development. ICDC implemented its plans by partnering with other nonprofits, agencies and residents that can help provide these specific needs.

Ragsdale stressed the importance of acknowledging how others helped implement her original vision for ICDC. That vision began with a detailed land-use and zoning plan, using much of what she learned in earlier years when she was appointed to the Dallas City Plan Commission. She expressed gratitude for others who helped implement the ICDC plan and myimessenger.com

hired managers and staff.

Ragsdale played various roles, including as a volunteer, and finally in 2005 took the helm as managing director and founder.

“I was the visionary founder,” she stressed. “I want to show respect for others who were keenly involved.”

After retirement, Ragsdale says she wants to focus on areas of leadership that are vital, particularly in nonprofit leadership, but that often gets smothered under the day-to-day grind of keeping an operation afloat; that is, managing people, making payroll, raising funds, and such.

But when serving a community of people, where making their lives better is your goal, policy and advocacy are paramount, she says.

“My focus will be a new position as volunteer chair of policy and advocacy,” she announced.

In that role she seeks to create ways to transform old operating guidelines of people-serving entities that obviously do not work and advocate for changes that will work.

At ICDC, she will have more freedom to advocate on behalf of the nonprofit and space to consult and advise without daily pressures of management. Beyond ICDC, she said she can see herself tackling nagging community issues that beg for attention.

Poor relationships between police departments and people in underserved communities is a prime example, she suggests. This column’s Part II will further explore that idea.

ICDC board member Thomas Muhammad recounted many ICDC achievements he said Ragsdale facilitated: He said it set national trends for low- to moderate-income home-

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owners; earned a Housing and Urban Development (HUD) award for housing models that led the nation; was key in holding Dallas Police accountable for unjustified fatal shootings; helped sponsor neighborhood safety workshops and helped set up neighborhood associations for safety; brought banks to the area for the first time; led the way to creating the South Dallas Fair Park Trust Fund that helps businesses in under-served areas before the fund ended early.

At last count, Muhammad said ICDC had constructed about 400 homes in its target area. He gave Ragsdale major credit, saying her integrity, community compassion, and political sense were key.

“Diane was the force behind so many of these accomplishments,” Muhammad said. “She was a champion.

You could not buy her and you could not scare her.”

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April 30, 2021

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School named after Dallas’ own Albert Black

Albert Black

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Dallas businessman Albert C. Black Jr. joins the list of distinguished citizens who have schools named in their honor in the City.

W.W. Bushman Elementary School at 4200 Bonnie View Road, has been named Albert C. Black Elementary School.

Raised in South East Dallas, grew up in the Frazier Courts Housing Projects and went on

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to attend college at UT then on to SMU and UTD. He is the CEO and chairman of On Target Supplies and Logistics, a company he founded almost 40 years ago. He is married to Gwyneith and they have three children.

He served as the first African American chairman of the Dallas Regional Chamber and he is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. April 30, 2021

COVID-19 Vaccine Registration Need help with registration? We can help!

Baylor Scott & White Health and Wellness Center community outreach representatives are available to help residents register for COVID-19 vaccines (by phone or in-person): Call 214.820.4846 for: • Assistance with registration (online or mobile app) • Assistance with transportation (to appointments) • Assistance with vaccine education

LOCATION

ADDRESS

DAY/TIME

Baylor Scott & White Health and Wellness Center

4500 Spring Ave. Dallas, Texas 75210

Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Cummings Recreation Center

2976 Cummings St. Dallas, TX 75216

Monday - Thursday 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Beckley - Saner Recreation Center

114 W. Hobson Ave. Dallas, TX 75224

Monday - Wednesday 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Fireside Recreation Center

8601 Fireside Dr. Dallas, TX 75217

Thursdays 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Martin Weiss Park

3400 W. Clarendon Dr. Dallas, TX 75211

Tuesdays 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM For more information contact: Candace Thompson, MSSW, MPA, CHWI Community Outreach Manager BSWHWCMEMBERSHIP@BSWHealth.org

4500 Spring Avenue I Dallas, Texas 75210

April 30, 2021

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Dallas COVID-19 Resources

MO’ BETTAH WINGS

COVID-19 Call the hotline The bestHotline way to 24-7 protect yourself and others is to 214-670-INFO (4636) to get information regarding: stay at home.

•Current COVID-19 Regulations & Testing Locations •Employment Assistance •Federal Relief Payment Information •Volunteer/Assistance Opportunities •Rental/Mortgage, and Eviction Assistance •Small Business Assistance •Social Services (food pantry, childcare assistance, senior assistance, unsheltered resident assistance and mental health resources) •Utility Payment Assistance

Slow the spread of COVID-19 The best way to protect yourself and others is to stay at home.

Safer at home

2860 E. LEDBETTER DR. (Inside Valero) DALLAS, Tx.75216 myimessenger.com

11am-10pm Monday-Saturday 12-8 Sunday

Wash with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer.

Keep your mouth and nose covered while out in public.

Visit dallascityhall.com/COVID19 for a list of resources and up-to-date information about COVID-19.

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April 30, 2021

Briefs Texas Senate unanimously approves bills sensitive to social justice Members of the Texas Senate have voted 31-0 on SB2212 and SB68, bills primarily authored by State Senator Royce West (D-Dallas) and State Senator Borris Miles (D-Houston) respectively. SB2212 establishes a duty for officers to request and render aid to a person an officer observes to be injured during the course of the officer’s duties. SB68 would require that an officer act to intervene if the officer sees that another officer is using force he believes to be excessive that would be in violation of state or federal law.

“The past few years have been both troubling and crucial to us as a society when we recall the number of deadly force incidents that have taken place across America,” said Senator West. “SB2212 and SB68 passed the Senate just days after many Americans acknowledged a collective sigh of relief following the guilty verdicts rendered in the Derek Chauvin case for his role in George

Royce West

Floyd’s death.

“These bills today could mark a pivotal moment,” said Senator West.

“They acknowledge that things are not quite as they should be when we look at how some citizens and communities are treated when they come in contact with some who are sworn to protect them.”

If passed into law, SB2212 would require an officer to immediately request emergency medical assistance and to help a person who is injured

until assistance arrives. It also contains provisions related to officer safety if the onsite conditions pose danger. In addition to requiring an officer to intervene if the officer witnesses another officer using excessive force, SB68 calls for the officer who must intervene to promptly report the incident to the officer’s supervisors.

“As policymakers in this state and across the country, we cannot ignore these repeated incidents that in too many cases are have the appearance of officer misconduct,” said Senator West. “I want to thank my colleague Borris Miles and others in the Senate for their leadership in taking these initial steps to address social justice concerns and encourage them to take the next step, because our work on these issues is not complete.”

SB2212 and SB68 must now be approved by the Texas House of Representatives before they can become law. Less than 40 days remain in the 140-day, 87th Legislative Session.

Parkland to host mobile vaccinations in Dallas County this weekend Parkland Health & Hospital System will host two mobile COVID-19 vaccination events this weekend in Dallas County. Individuals over the age of 16 can receive their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine without an appointment between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 1 at Sarah Zumwalt Middle School, 2445 E. Ledbetter Drive Dallas, 75216, or Sunday, May 2 between 12 p.m. – 4 p.m. at Jaycee Zaragoza Recreation Center, 3114 Clymer Street Dallas, 75212.

Individuals will need to bring a valid ID and minors must be accompanied by an adult.

“Traveling distance, lack of public transportation, and limited access to April 30, 2021

medical care can make it difficult for some people to get vaccinated against COVID-19,” said Herron Mitchell, Director of Operations-South Region for the Population Health Division at Parkland. “Getting vaccinated will

not only protect you but also those around you. We hope bringing the vaccines to Dallas County neighborhoods will make it more convenient for residents. The more people who

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get vaccinated the closer we are to building herd immunity.”

Parkland will return to the sites at the same time on Saturday, May 22 and Sunday, May 23 to administer the second dose.

Individuals can also go to Parkland’s drive-through vaccine sites at Ellis Davis Field House, 9191 S. Polk St., Dallas, 75232, or Dallas College-Eastfield Campus, 3737 Motley Dr., Mesquite, Dallas 75150 to receive their COVID-19 vaccination without an appointment between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday – Saturday.

Both sites are open to those with an appointment from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The locations are closed on Sundays.

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Zan Wesley Holmes Jr. Community Outreach Center May 11 Free Wills Clinic Need a will? Get the help you need to prepare your Last Will & Testament at this Free Wills Clinic.

The Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program and the Zan Wesley Holmes Jr. Community Outreach Center have partnered to bring these free services to those in the community who need the help and are eligible for the service.

May 24 | 7 PM Cash Flow, Collateral and Leverage Orientation Registration Now through May 14 Learn How to Maneuver Your Finances through the Changing Economy. Get prepared for what’s next in this changing economy by joining the upcoming FREE Cash Flow, Collateral and Leverage sessions offered by the Zan Wesley Holmes Jr. Community Outreach Center. Learn how money operates, discover asset building strategies and more. Participants will have the opportunity to get an understanding of the financing tools for the new economy through lectures, discussions and book studies. Instructor: Frances Smith-Dean, Executive Director of the ZWHJCOC, and owner of the Financial Educator.

June 7 | 7 PM Financial Wellness Village for Women Registration now through May 3 The Financial Wellness Village will focus on women who have been affected by the challenges of Covid-19. This is a 12week coaching program that will provide a coach, case management, and financial techniques to help you thrive during challenging times.

The Wills Clinic will be conducted via phone. All other sessions will be via Zoom.

To register and to learn more about these sessions, go to www.zwhjcoc.org and click on Classes or contact info@zwhjcoc.org. myimessenger.com

Briefs More than 4 in 10 Americans breathe Unhealthy Air, People of Color 3 Times as Likely to Live in Most Polluted Places CHICAGO- A new report from the American Lung Association finds more than 4 in 10 people (135 million) in the U.S. live with polluted air, placing their health and lives at risk. The 22nd annual “State of the Air” report shows that people of color were 61% more likely to live in a county with unhealthy air than white people, and three times more likely to live in a county that failed all three air quality grades. While the report finds some improvements in the nation’s air quality, it is clear that in many parts of the country climate change is making air quality worse.

“As the 2021 ‘State of the Air’ report shows, communities of color continue to be disproportionately exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution, resulting in health issues such as asthma-related hospitalizations, heart attacks, strokes and even premature death,” said David Tom Cooke, M.D., FACS, chief of thoracic surgery at UC Davis and a volunteer medical spokesperson for the American Lung Association. “Everyone has a right to breathe clean air that won’t make them sick or shorten their life.

Until our nation addresses this burden on our at-risk communities, especially many Black and Brown Americans, and ensures clean air for everyone, we will

American Lung Association’s ‘State of the Air’ report finds air quality worsened by climate change, remains environmental justice issue not be able to fully address the health inequities in our nation.”

This year’s “State of the Air” finds that climate change continues to make air pollution worse, with many western communities again experiencing record-breaking spikes in particle pollution largely due to smoke from wildfires. Changing climate patterns fuel wildfires, and also drive warmer temperatures that lead to more ground-level ozone pollution. This degraded air quality threatens everyone, especially children, older adults, pregnant people, people of color and people living with a lung disease.

New research also shows that air pollution exposure can result in worse health outcomes from COVID-19. As the nation continues to respond to the pandemic and its disproportionate burden on hard-hit communities of color, reducing air pollution is critical for respiratory health now and in the future.

“This report shines a spotlight on the urgent need to curb climate change, clean up air pollution and advance environmental justice,” said American Lung Association President and CEO

Harold Wimmer. “The nation has a real opportunity to address all three at once – and to do that, we must center on health and health equity as we move away from combustion and fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy.”

“Too many people are breathing unhealthy air, and they are disproportionately likely to be people of color,”

Wimmer said. “Join us in calling on President Biden to promote environmental justice by prioritizing historically burdened communities for pollution cleanup and to receive the benefits of investments in the transition to electric vehicles and clean, renewable electricity.”

Learn more about “State of the Air” at Lung.org/sota and sign the petition for the Biden Administration to promote clean air, a safe climate and environmental justice.

WASH HANDS WEAR MASK AND

VOTE.

Election Day is May 1, 2021 myimessenger.com

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Briefs Biden administration expands USDA summer food program to feed over 30M school kids

Establishing Global Relationships

By Kelly McCarthy, GMA

By Arise Rejoice Media North Texas businessman and commercial real estate developer Edward Okpa recently met with Ambassador Shaikh Abdullah bin Rashid Al Khalifa, who represents the Kingdom of Bahrain in Washington, to discuss trade and business opportunities in that commercially viable Persian Gulf country.

Okpa, a former Dallas mayoral candidate and international economic advisor, said that issues of mutual benefit were discussed that could promote development in Bahrain and in the United States. The Bilateral Chamber hosted the meeting that was held in Irving, said Okpa whose wife, Ronke, also participated in the meeting.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a new effort on Monday that will feed more than 30 million children over the summer by expanding the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) benefits funded by President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan.

Low-income families struggle to put nutritious food on the table during the summer months when school is out of session, so these programs have acted as a lifeline for some families.

The summer food programs on average have reached less than 20% of those fed during the school year, but now the USDA will offer P-EBT benefits to low-income children of all ages.

“The expansion of P-EBT benefits over the summer is a first-of-its-kind, game-changing intervention to reduce child hunger in the United States,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement. “By providing low-income families with a simple benefit over the summer months, USDA is using an evidenced-based solution to drive down hunger and ensure no child has to miss a meal.”

P-EBT was established in March 2020 during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic to provide families with

payment to make up for meals missed when schools were closed. It was originally set to expire on Sept. 30, 2021, but the benefits from the ARP Act are now available for the duration of the summer months.

Previous summer P-EBT pilots proved successful at “reducing severe food insecurity as well as improving the quality of children’s diets,” the USDA said. “Recent research by the Brookings Institute confirms P-EBT also has a measurable impact on food insecurity, decreasing food hardship faced by low-income children by 30% in the week following benefit issuance.”

All children eligible who are eligible for the temporary nutrition benefit will receive an EBT card to be used to purchase food.

Typically, the families of eligible children receive $6.82 per child, per week day, which comes out to roughly $375 per child during the summer.

“Help is here for financially stressed families trying to put food on the table,” Stacy Dean, deputy undersecretary for USDA’s Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, said.

“Our nutrition assistance programs are powerful tools that are critical to America reaching a full and equitable recovery from the pandemic.”

VOTE

Election Day is May 1, 2021

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April 30, 2021

Dr. Amerson adapts to Temporary Business Closure Dr. Linda Amerson, Board Certified Trichologist, has adapted to the temporary closure of LA's Hair and Scalp Clinic. We continue to offer our award-winning products to consumers. Our exclusive products are manufactured by a facility in Garland, TX. Premium quality natural ingredients are used to assist with dry, oily, itchy, flaky, inflammed scalps, as well as hair breakage, hair thinning and regrowth.

Everyone may order from our website, and we will ship your product order to you. http://www.hairandscalpessentials.com We need your support.

In addition, we offer Video Consultations globally! We will schedule an appointment, give a diagnosis, them make a recommendation. We are available to serve you in the comfort of your home. Call us today - 817.265.8854 http://www.hairandscalpessentials.com We need your support.

April 30, 2021

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Nena’s Finds Boutique A Uniquely Stylish, Fashionable Boutique for women of all Sizes!

Ranging from Pretti and Petite to Pretti and Plus!

Nena likes to be a bit edgy, blingy ...

But she keeps it Chic with Sophisticated Style!

Nena’s Finds is your one stop shop for an Eccentric flare!

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nenafinds17@gmail.com Schedule your Sip n Shop, Trunk Show, Girls Nite Out or Wardrobe Revamp with Nena’s Finds today!

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Duncanville, Texas A&M standout looks to make waves in WNBA

By DOROTHY J. GENTRY Sports Editor Photo: Texas A&M University Sandy Brondello, head coach of the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, had one pick in this year’s WNBA draft.

She chose Duncanville’s Ciera Johnson, a top collegiate post player from Texas A&M. “Ciera had a really strong year during her senior season, and we have heard so many great things about her leadership,” Brondello said after last week’s draft.

She didn’t realize her pick was right on the money until the team’s training camp which began this week.

“I know she’s a good player, she was our 32nd pick, but she kind of is better than I even thought she was,” Brondello said Monday. “Just her ability, she’s creating open looks for perimeter players, but most of the time if you set a good screen, you’re the one that’s going to be getting benefits from that. She rolls and separates, and her hands are great and she finishes,” Brondello said, adding that the team, is already impressed with how ready the former Aggie is for the WNBA. With confidence in her abilities like that, Johnson hopes to make waves in the league. She credits her four myimessenger.com

Ciera Johnson

years at Texas A&M and playing in head coach Gary Blairs’ system in helping her to prepare.

“The way that the Mercury play in terms of setting a lot of screens and stuff like, pick and roll action, that was a lot of the action that we ran at A&M,” said Johnson. “And so I think that helped translate my game to now,” Johnson added.

A 6-4 center from Duncanville, Texas, Johnson was a McDonald’s All American in 2016. She played her final

three years of collegiate basketball for the Aggies after spending her freshman season at Louisville in 2016-17.

In just three seasons at Texas A&M, she finished her career with the third-most double-doubles (22) and sixthbest career field goal percentage (53.0 percent) in program history.

The 2020-21 team captain led A&M to its first Regular Season SEC Championship in program history. Johnson averaged 10.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game this past

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season, while shooting 54.4% from the floor. The Aggie became the first program’s first ever SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for her impact not only on the court, but in the classroom and in Aggieland.

Johnson finished her career third in double-doubles (22), sixth in field-goal percentage (53%) and was the 33rd member of the 1,000-point club for the Aggies.

The Texas native started in all 92 games she appeared in during her three years in College Station.

April 30, 2021

Virtual and liVe Community Calendar National Financial Literacy Month

May 1-Aug 8

Alcohol Awareness Month

Dallas Arboretum Presents the Return of ZimSculpt. Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Garden, 8525 Garland Rd. Purchase Tickets: https:// bit.ly/32wrhkw 9 am-5 pm. daily.

Autism Awareness Month Now-May 16

May 1

Jubilee Theatre Presents Pooled by Moses T. Alexander Green. Tickets: Box Office if you have any questions, Tuesday-Friday 12pm-5p as 817 338-4411.

April 29

AARP Texas Meditation Series: Meditation for How to Meditate. Reg: https:// bit.ly/3dswZtO. 2-3 pm. CDT. The Red Hats and Heels Virtual Gospel Tea. Guest Speaker, Rev. Dr. Gwendolyn Boyd. Host Southwest Dallas County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Reg. & Pay at: https://bit.ly/2QAS4sS. 11 am-12 pm.

Happy Birthday to Valerie Fields-Hill Happy Birthday to Rebecca Aguilar

AARP Texas Meditation Series: Meditation for Better Sleep. Reg: https://bit.ly/3dswZtO. 9-10 pm. CDT. Texas College Athletic Fundraiser KickOff. Cowboy Legend, Greg Ellis at Network Bar, 331 Singleton Blvd. 6:30-8:30 pm. Must RSVP: espy.lolwilson@gmail.com.

GAAP Grant Writing Training Virtual Workshop. Reg & Pay: www.gaapgrants.org Contact Annette for details at 214-4974260. 8:30 am-1 pm.

The Real Trap Yoga Fort Worth Texas, host The Real Trap Yoga at The Yard, 3017 Morton St. Ft. Worth, 10 am CDT. Tickets: Eventbrite.com.

Mother and Son Dance, Event by City of DeSoto Parks & Recreation Department, at DeSoto Civic Center, 211 E. Pleasant Run Rd. Tickets: bit.ly/3fLH8U3. 4:30-6:30 pm.

April 30 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.

The Bald Truth - My Journey From Victim To Survivor Documentary Premiere. Event by Angela Chatman, The Bald Truth. Free via Eventbrite.com. 6-8 pm.

Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance, A Hard Conversation with Anne Miskey and Dr. Froswa Booker-Drew MDHADALLAS. org. Go to: https://bit.ly/2RJjGgd. 12 pm. CDT.

May 2 The World According to Drew, host Andrew Whigham, III on BlogTalkRadio.com 8-10 am. It’s thought-provoking, enlightening, informative, and entertaining news commentary. Join the call at 646-200-0459.

Tomea’s Diva Tribute “Patti LaBelle” Host The Attache Cigar, 4099 W. Camp Wisdom #101. 9 pm. CDT. Tickets $15: https://bit. ly/2S9gKcY.

April 30, 2021

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.

Opportunities for Minority, Veteran and Women-Owned Small Businesses, host Shasta Cascade SBDC. Eventbrite.com.

12-1 pm. CDT.

M.A.D.E. Dallas, Makers-Artisans-Designers-Eats. Hosted by Dallas Farmers Market, 920 S. Harwood. 4-8 pm.

May 8

Cinco De Mayo

Raheem DeVaughn at Fair Park Music Hall, 909 1st Ave. 8 pm. Tickets: Ticketmaster.com.

Empower Hour 2021. Host Brem Foundation, celebrating 15 years of fighting Breast Cancer Together. Reg: www.bremfoundation.com. 5 pm. CDT. 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.

Ask Dr. Amerson with Dr. Linda Amerson.12 pm. CST @DFWiRadio.com, and Live on Facebook @DrLindaAmerson AARP Texas Meditation Series: Meditation for Older Adults. Reg: https:// bit.ly/3dswZtO. 6-7 pm. CDT. 5 de Parques: Anita Martinez Rec Center, 3212 N. Winnetka Ave. Dallas. 6:30 pm. FREE drive-in performance. Must reg: https://bit.ly/3anczjX.

Nelly Live at Lava Cantina, 5805 Grandscape Blvd. The Colony. 7-10-pm. Tickets: https://bit.ly/3gJNnbw Biggest Cinco de Mayo in Fort Worth. Host Landmark Kitchen and Bar, 3008 Bledsoe St. 4 pm-2 am.

Sunday Drum Circle. Hosted by Pan African Connection, 4466 Marsalis, Dallas. 2:30-4:30 pm. Email: Panafric@airmail.net.

May 6

May3

Developing and Leading Multi-Ethnic Congregations: A Black Church Choice.

Host: Rev. Dr. Joseph W. Daniels, Jr. Host The Centre for Prophetic Activism. prophetic-activism.org.11:45am-1:15 pm.

AARP Texas Meditation Series: Meditation for Healing. Reg: https://bit. ly/3dswZtO. 6-7 pm. CDT.

May 4

AARP Texas Meditation Series: Meditation for How to Meditate. Reg: https://bit.ly/3dswZtO. 2-3 pm. CDT. Crackin Jokes Catchin Chuckles Live Band And Comedy: at The Vault Arcade, 901 S. Polk St. #370. Tickets: Cash.me/ CracknJokes. Opens at 5:30 pm.

Cece Winans Livestream Concert From Hampton! 6-10 pm. CDT. @cecewinansaneveningofthanksgiving - Concert Tour. Online with Facebook Live.

May 9 The World According to Drew, host Andrew Whigham, III on BlogTalkRadio.com 8-10 am. It’s thought-provoking, enlightening, informative, and entertaining news commentary. Join the call at 646200-0459.

Sunday Drum Circle. Hosted by Pan African Connection, 4466 Marsalis, Dallas. 2:304:30 pm. Email: Panafric@airmail.net.

Taste of the Bishop Arts District Tour, Host Dallas Bites and Sights Food Tours at Hunky’s Old Fashioned hamburgers, 321 N. Bishop Ave. 1-4:30 pm. Tickets: www.dallasbychocolate.com.

BLACK LIVES MATTER

AARP Texas Meditation Series: Meditation for Better Sleep. Reg: https:// bit.ly/3dswZtO. 9-10 pm. CDT.

THE DOC SHEP SPEAKS SHOW! With Dr. Felicia Shepherd. From 11 am. CST on Facebook Live/@TexasMetroNews, @fnsconsulting, and You Tube @docshepspeaks

May 7

Skill Up with IBM: Get the job you want Online Event. Host Open P-Tech. Reg: Eventbrite.com 3 pm. CDT.

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May 5

Crisis in Indian Country: Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women. Event by Native News Online: On Native News Online/ FB Live. 7 pm.

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 214-9438262.

Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson hosts the Congressional Art Competition for high school students. Submission: bit. ly/3utJPOf. Info: Susan Zeb 214-922-8885.

“Soul Line Dance” Virtual Dance Sessions.

Event by BE Creative Arts Center Tickets: https://bit.ly/3tXSHvD 4-5 pm. CDT.

The Jirah Nicole Show with Jirah Nicole Mickle. From 11 am-1 pm. CST Tuesday’s on Facebook Live/@TexasMetroNews and BlogTalkRadio.com. Call in and join the conversation at 646-200-0459.

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Happy Birthday to Dr. Stacia Alexander

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I am ashamed of my sister ASK ALMA

BY ALMA GILL

Dear Alma, My younger, non-married sister is pregnant and she is going to ruin our standing in the community. I don’t know what she is thinking or how she could let this happen. She is only thinking about herself and being totally selfish. My father is the pastor of a very large church. My parents are very strong leaders, loving and supportive parents who taught us to be ambitious. I will graduate from college this

year with a business degree and plan to return to assist my parents in the ministry.

My brother is a sophomore in college, majoring in architecture. And here comes my baby sister, a high school junior, pregnant. I just can’t believe her. After she told my parents, my mother called my brother and me to let us know. I immediately rushed home and could see the pain and trauma on my mother’s face. This is the worst thing that could ever happen to my family and I’m not sure if we can recover. I am so angry right now, I just cannot speak.

Help me to explain to her that she has ruined, ruined our family. And Alma, how can I assist my parents in this

terrible situation?

Signed A Sistah’s Shame Dear Sistah’s Shame, You know what, I need you to turn all the way around and sit yourself down. I hear your story and I see where you’re coming from, but you need to slow your roll and calm down.

Let’s realistically review what your sister’s pregnancy is – unplanned, sure, unexpected, yep, traumatic…Aaah, I don’t think so.

Fortunately for your family, this isn’t your problem to solve.

This situation will be managed between your parents and your sister. I know it’s hard for you to believe or perceive, but your sister’s pregnancy is

a mere pimple on the face of your family. A pothole on your kinfolk’s path of perfection.

Does that make it right? No, but it does make it better than most.

Without a doubt, your parents will see your sister to the finish line. She will be provided with support, reassurance, medical treatment, food and shelter.

You’re suffering from embarrassment, sweet pea, and there’s no need to call the doctor, because it won’t kill you. If you can’t offer the love and support that’s needed at this time, step back, and allow yourself to be seen and not heard. For the next nine months, this isn’t about you or your parents, it’s about your little sister. see ASK ALMA on page 38

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April 30, 2021

Hubert contemplated suicide after

‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ Will Smith and Janet Hubert publicly ended their long-standing feud last November when they both were part of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion” show, which first debuted on HBO Max. Hubert was the original “Aunt Viv” on the classic comedy series for three years before being replaced by Daphne Maxwell Reid. After her departure from the show, Hubert’s career and personal life were in shambles and she and Smith traded jobs throughout the years before their reconciliation.

“You’re only as good as the last job you ever did. We also know that you can make money [and] the next day you can have no money,” she explained to PopViewers about her downward spiral.

“I also had just opened up a

Janet Hubert

studio, signed a 10-year lease at like $60,000 to $100,000 worth of equipment, had a franchise to develop…I not only had a house, a mortgage, a husband who wasn’t working at the time, I also had a business and a baby, an infant who needed me desperately.”

Hubert also revealed in the interview that she contemplated suicide after the show ended because of the nega-

tive comments towards her and a feeling of being blackballed and labeled “difficult.”

“It was hard. There were moments when I felt so broken. So low. I didn’t know what I could do. There were moments where I wanted to die. I figured I had a life insurance policy to take care of my son… I’m not gonna do this.

I can’t do this. I can’t make it, this is too much. ‘Cause everywhere I went people would attack and say hurtful things. [My son] was an infant. What was I gonna do?”

Fortunately for Hubert, she had something else to fight for. “He saved me. He really did. My son. Because I knew I had to take care of that little boy,” she further explained to PopViewers. “‘Fresh Prince’ had not gone into syndication yet, so there was no money for a few years until they did

Dream from page 2 and have launched a trillion-dollar program to build a new generation of nuclear weapons that we don’t need and cannot use.

Our priorities remain distorted. There were no Republican votes for Biden’s Rescue Plan to deal with the pandemic and the economic collapse. Many predict that there will be no Republican votes for Biden’s American Jobs Plan to rebuild and modernize our infrastructure and begin to deal with the existential threat of caApril 30, 2021

The post Janet Hubert contemplated suicide after leaving ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ appeared first on Rolling Out.

Ask Alma from page 36 Here’s a newsflash: From our problematic projects to our pretentious gated communities, every family in America is hosting homemade shickity behind closed doors.

Yours isn’t immune. Don’t let your child’s eye view of various manicured lawns dupe you.

A young, single woman who finds out she’s pregnant without support is hopeless, heartbreaking and traumatic.

Have a heart to heart talk with you mom and let her know how you feel. She’ll reassure you that these feelings

tastrophic climate change.

Yet there will be bipartisan support for a military budget far beyond our security needs.

Over half a century. We’ve come a long way, yet we still have so far to go. Hope is provided by a new generation — more diverse, more engaged, better educated, and increasingly on the march.

They are bringing new energy and new numbers to the struggle for justice and peace. About that, Dr. King surely would be pleased.

I MESSENGER

enough episodes to make syndication.

I was in the third season negotiating for the fourth season. It was hard. There were moments when I felt so broken. So low. I didn’t know what I could do. There were moments where I wanted to die.”

The veteran actress has bounced back however and will be starring in the upcoming film Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story. The film will also star Ledisi as the famed gospel singer and Columbus Short as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Check out her interview with PopViewers Chris Witherspoon on the next page.

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of disappointment will pass, and your family will rise to the occasion, continuing to be and serve as an example of forgiveness and love of family.

Once you and your family lock eyes with that petite package of sweet baby smiles, you’ll feel more than just joy in the morning.

Alma Alma Gill’s newsroom experience spans more than 25 years, including various roles at USA Today, Newsday and the Washington Post. Email questions to: alwaysaskalma@gmail. com. Follow her on Facebook at “Ask Alma” and twitter @almaaskalma.

myimessenger.com

MORTAL KOMBAT

Special effects a plus AT THE MOVIES BY HOLLYWOOD HERNANDEZ

MORTAL KOMBAT has been on life support since 1997 with a version of the film that was universally hated by critics and MORTAL KOMBAT fans.

A third MORTAL KOMBAT script languished in movie hell until Australian director Simon McQuoid had his name attached to the project in 2015. McQuoid first made a name for himself directing commercials, one of which was a 2011 spot for Play Station which brought together some of the games greatest characters. That earned him a shot at directing the movie.

MORTAL KOMBAT goes back to the basics as it tries to reboot the series and contin-

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ue with the movie franchise. It appears that he achieved his goal. In his first feature film he brings back a lot of the original characters from the game, like Sub-Zero and Scorpion. The premise of the film is that the earth’s fighters are locked into a series of MMA battles with fighters from another planet called, Outworld. If Outworld wins the battle they will also win the rights to takeover our realm. They currently lead the battle nine matches to 1.

The story of the movie was a little confusing but the special effects and the gory fight scenes redeem the film. It’s rated R for some intense violence and lasts just under two hours. On my “Hollywood Popcorn Scale” MORTAL KOMBAT rates a LARGE. It’s showing at theaters and streaming on HBO/ Max.

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April 30, 2021

ARRESTED

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 maybe YOU?

Crimestoppers 877-373-8477 April 30, 2021

I MESSENGER

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