I Messenger 4-8-22

I MESSENGER VOL XI NO 31 April 8, 2022

SUPERB WOMEN MARCH 2022

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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 8, 2022

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Finally -- Another First with the Confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson Sorry, “Ms. Jackson.” for pioneering activist Constance Baker MotThose words ring in my ears - to the tune ley; economist and attorney Sadie T.M. Alexof the same song by hip-hop’s legendary Out- ander; trailblazing attorney Charlotte E. Ray; Kast.

Judge Jane Bolin, the first Black woman to Yes, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is owed graduate from Yale Law School and the first an apology for the treatment she received to become a judge in the United States, and during her recent Senate confirmation hear- too many others to mention in this space. ings.

The Constitution does not require Supreme I won’t hold my breath, though.

Court Justices to be lawyers or have attendWhile many social media posters ques- ed law school. So I can’t help but question tioned what messages our children would whether some Black women, including U.S. glean from “the slap heard around the world” Rep. Barbara Jordan of Texas; journalist Ida B. at the 2022 Academy Awards, I wondered Wells Barnett; educator, activist and philanwhat take-aways our children would glean thropist Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune; and civil from the awful “verbal slaps” of disrespect rights activist Dr. Dorothy Irene Height all and mid-sentence cut-offs lodged against the might have received the nod. That is had it brilliant jurist, Ms. Jackson. not been for the racial norms of their day.

These jabs appeared OK to many.

There are many others who have come However, Sen. Cory Booker before us who were eminently (D-NJ), former mayor of Newqualified but denied opportuark, my birth city, didn’t have nity. time for foolishness.

It’s important to pay homHe eloquently – and respectage to Black women who were fully - addressed Judge Jackson, refused the privilege of serving affirming her skills and abilities at higher capacities, including and, by extension, those of so legal scholar Lani Guinier and many other accomplished womprofessor and attorney Cheryl Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson Wattley. en.

I call it his finest moment.

I applaud efforts like “Because What will future generations say when of Them We Can,” a digital space in which Euthey look back at these “slaps,” I wonder. nice Jones Gibson devotes to teaching and reDecades from now, my descendants will freshing “Black history while connecting the read my thoughts and feelings during the dots between the past, present and future.” historic vote to confirm Judge Jackson to the Because of Them We Can features “sherSupreme Court. oes” like Judge Jackson. It serves as a remindMy heart raced at a faster pace than usual. er that we have so much to be proud of.

Part of me now wants to go into a secluded, I absolutely love that Judge Jackson publicly dark room away from everyone, where I can acknowledges the giants on whose shoulders just release every emotion imaginable. she stands.

Poet extraordinaire Nikki Giovanni encourFuture generations, I believe, will view her ages this practice. I find it helpful for my bal- with pride: She will serve as a role model to ancing act and emotional stability. many.

Tears, laughter, silence, screams, prayers! I I know the work is not over. We must conwould let it all out! tinue urging people to VOTE. At some point, I probably would dance.

On April 7, 2022, I needed a little time for I would be cheering for Judge Jackson, this “me.” I needed to absorb the moment. country’s first Black woman to serve as a I am, like philosopher, scholar and humanUnited States Supreme Court judge. itarian Pastor Frederick D. Haynes III says, I would reserve some moments of elation “feeling peacock proud and hyena happy!”

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INSIDE

WAKE UP AND STAY WOKE

I remember it well! It hasn’t been that long ago and I’m sure that it’s still practiced in culturally anachronistic pockets of this nation — like the U.S. Senate. I speak of that circumstance in which the best a Black woman can expect from (some) white folks is to be called by her first name...

THE LAST WORD Chris Rock crossed the line when he ridiculed Jada Pinkett Smith for her alopecia in his mediocre Oscar performance last week. But I fell off the Chris Rock bandwagon years ago. His “humor” is too often misogynistic. He sometimes laughs so hard at his jokes that the rest...

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I WAS JUST THINKING...

You have to get to know Kevin Brown, his family, and up-bringing to understand his motivation and way of life.

The Dallas native is founder and managing partner of Simply Custom, a residential and commercial construction company that builds lives while building structures.

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HISTORY CONFERENCE THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD FROM TEXAS TO MEXICO AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM Dallas, Texas Friday, April 8, 2022 Dinner and Opening Reception for Conference Participants – 5:00/6:00 p.m.

10:00 a.m. – Keynote Address by Dr. Daina Ramey Berry, University of Texas, Austin “Teaching About Slavery and Movement in Texas” 11:00 a.m. – Mr. Kyle Ainsworth, Stephen F. Austin University “Choices and Challenges for Runaway Slaves in Texas.”

Dr. Alaine Hutson, Huston-Tillotson University “Teaching the Underground Railroad at An HBCU to Black and Brown Students.”

12:00 p.m. – Lunch 1:00 p.m. – Ms. Roseann Bacha Garza, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley “Pathways to Freedom Along the Antebellum Rio Grande: Mixed Race Settlements and the Fluid US-Mexico Border.”

Dr. Alice Baumgartner, University of Southern California “Slavery’s Other Border: Mexico, Freedom Seekers and the Road to the Civil War.” 2:00 – Panel Discussion and Conference Wrap up Session 6:00 p.m. - Opening Reception for the Exhibition: Yanga: Journeys to Freedom

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Saturday, April 9, 2022

April 8, 2022

MY TRUTH by Cheryl Smith Publisher

Parents, you need a time out!

I now know who the culprit is and it is Y-O-U! Now full disclosure, I didn’t just find out about you because I have had my suspicions all along.

Then the truth hit me like a ton of bricks as my students revealed to me the bane of my existence. Although I’ve heard similar sentiments, I didnt’ want to believe that parents were leading their children astray.

I’ve often said that I can’t tolerate disrespect from these young children/ teens/young adults — whatever you’d like to call them. I was brought up to not be disrespectful and I expected to be afforded the same.

I also didn’t feel comfortable blaming the young, as I have heard done so often because I have contended that these rude, self-absorbed children were left to their own devices too often and they are, after all, our children.

They weren’t airlifted to planet Earth by someone who was trying to get rid of bad-ass kids.

No, these are our children and while I don’t condone violence; I do believe in speaking a universal language that is quick to translate.

Equally disturbing was the brainwashing that my students told me about.

“My parents said that if someone who had no business doing so said something disrespectful to me, no matter how old they are, I can fire back at them,” said one student proudly.

Other students nodded their heads approvingly and echoed those sentiments. They had been told the same April 8, 2022

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thing in varying forms, like, “we’re all God’s children,” “no one is better,” and “you get what you give!”

Clearly I was in the minority in this class.

But I stood my ground (gosh it pains me to even use that phrase, just like I haven’t had a Skittle since that fateful day in Florida a decade ago when Trayvon Martin was murdered — but I digress!)

Which brings me to my truth.

There’s only one me.

In order for me to be the best I can be, who I am can absolutely not be based on how people treat me.

Over the years and decades, I’ve run into so many people — some good and some bad, some misguided and some downright dirty.

I hope I took the best that each person I encountered had to offer and left the rest behind because life is too short to carry around some of the baggage that others are carrying or worse, they leave with you.

I told my children that there’s a place for adults and a place for children. “If someone says something out of whack or inappropriate and disrespectful, come and tell me and in the words of Biggie Smalls, ‘I got you!’”

That’s right. I will always have their back when they are doing the right thing.

We will work through the not so right things but a teenager stepping to a 40-year-old is a situation we could do without and is totally wrong.

In contrast, I will tell the adult (depending on who they are), if my child

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does something inappropriate, they can check them and then call me and I will check them again.

Now everyone is not afforded that pass.

There are some people who had better not think about disciplining anybody remotely connected to me. Instead, call me, and I will come running!

And when I get there, I am expecting to have to deal with one bad act — the adult.

Parents will have more to deal with if they have their children thinking the field is level when getting into something with an adult.

Sure we can tell the child about how we all have the same blood, etc. but we could send a better message than putting them in a situation where they most likely are outmatched.

Instead talk to our young about reacting versus acting.

Tell them the African proverb: “A man who pays respect to the great paves his own way for greatness.”

One philosopher said, “Self-respect is the cornerstone of all virtue.”

Don’t let someone else dictate who you are and how you act.

Try authenticity.

Can you be authentic?

Or are you a person who changes like the weather?

A central African proverb says, “A youth that does not cultivate friendship with the elderly is like a tree without roots.”

And sadly, if you live long enough you will become elderly, then what will be your expectations? myimessenger.com

Three Men and a Boy MIND OVER MATTER BY DR. BRENDA WALL What do Will Smith, Chris Rock, Clarence Thomas and Emmett Till all have in common?

Beyond the fact that all of them have been in the news headlines this week for varying connections to varying degrees of violence in our country, all have been inextricably identified and defined by their culture of origin. Black men.

Even 14-year-old Emmett Till was targeted not as the child he was, but as a Black man. Because we see these males in terms of their racial identity, they become talking points for us, references for how to better understand ourselves.

Will Smith is widely loved and many grew up with him from hip hop to Bel Air to stratospheric success.

Many know the marriage, the children, maybe even his autobiography; all which have earned him an uncritical pass from many.

When forced to address the cognitive dissonance represented in the slap which will surely supersede the accolade of winning an Oscar for his brilliant performance in King Richard, we defensively proclaim that he was protecting his wife’s honor.

Maybe. He did not realize the price he would pay.

Then there’s Everybody myimessenger.com

Hates Chris, which might presciently explain the mixed support Chris Rock has received for sustaining a public assault without losing his physical balance or grace at the Academy Awards. He started it with a joke about GI Jane, which was funny enough to make Will laugh. At first.

Chris did not know what was coming for him.

He too, would pay a price.

After a 100-year effort, the racial violence that killed Emmett Till is finally against the law: lynching is a federal hate crime. The Emmett Till Antilynching Act of 2022.

It was in August of 1955 that the brutal death of this 14-year-old was boldly shared with the world by his mother, Mamie Till Mo-

The work is to understand how three men and a boy have seized national headlines traceable to a complicated, violent, racial oppression, an oppression which contaminates us all.

Clarence Thomas headlines do not capture the attention of the Black masses in the same way. He is thrust back in the headlines for his conservative consistency reflected in his wife’s involvement in the January 6th insurrection. She was there, but it was not known of Ginni Thomas’s extensive involvement in attempts to have the 2020 presidential election overturned. Clarence Thomas refused to recuse himself in his lone Supreme Court vote against the release of White House papers to House investigators of the violence against the Capitol.

bley. It became an impetus for the civil rights movement that December when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus in Montgomery.

Not far away is the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, where the known, unknown, named and unnamed Black victims of lynching are commemorated including Emmett Till. Emmett like so many others did not know what lay in store.

None of these Black men knew the flood of controversy and debate that would swirl around them

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because of a human moment. Nor could any of the four divorce themselves from the national analysis of a personal moment.

Regrettably, our analyses tend to be superficial. We quickly take sides without fully acknowledging how complicated even a personal moment is when understood through the inescapable racial prism.

How does a speech impediment go so wrong and end up in a lynching? How does the very phrase a high-tech lynching capture the indignity that even Ivy League, wealth or an aspirational wife fail to neutralize?

Compassion for alopecia, but fewer know what it takes for Chris Rock to overcome his nonverbal learning disorder (NVLD) and its related childhood trauma, which we glimpsed at the Oscars.

This time the trauma was embodied in Will Smith, who himself openly shares his demons of abuse and toxic masculinity, a masculinity which rarely emerges from healthy spaces.

This nation of violence and those who have been its most abused recipients are contaminated by its hatred.

Taking sides is easy. Most of us hate hate.

The work is to understand how three men and a boy have seized national headlines traceable to a complicated, violent, racial oppression, an oppression which contaminates us all.

April 8, 2022

History: Best and Worst!

QUIT PLAYIN’

BY VINCENT L. HALL

It was one of the proudest moments of my life. But, of course, all the proud moments in my life have been watching either of my three daughters navigate life and separate it from bullshit. The one thing that I never wanted to do was to raise clueless women!

And to parents, parenthetically. If the only thing you teach your daughter is how to wear a lace front, high heels, and eyelashes longer than her index finger, you are failing and they will too.

Black women have far too much to do for themselves for their race and for this nation to spend inordinate amounts of time on vanity and style.

Instead, virtue and substance must be our primary goals in “raising a village.”

Hailee was accepted into Vanderbilt. They prevailed over the field of colleges and universities that have filled my mailbox for three years. So we boarded a plane and went to Nashville. We accepted the invitation and went to take a peek at the campus and student life.

We were awestruck at the majesty of the college and hospital there. Cornelius Vanderbilt and the Rockefeller Family dominated my reading time during my sixth-grade year.

Now I was standing on the “Commodore’s” eternal endowment!

Finally, as we sat around what looked like a bunch of affluent White prospective stuApril 8, 2022

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dents, our personal tour guide arrived. As soon as we exited the door, my daughter blurted out something that surprised me. Can you take me to the Black student union building? Even this young brother gawked.

What kind of freshman would want to go there first?

And then I remembered what my parenting mentor, Lynetta always says. She grew up in your house Vincent!

Hailee is an officer in the

to know Black history! Jewish children go to school regularly to learn about their history. So why do we hide the atrocities we have endured on these shores? What about our achievements?

You cannot, with any fervor or faith, declare “never again” if you never knew what happened in the first place. We quote the Bible passage, “The truth will set you free.”

As former enslaved, incapacitated, and invisible hu-

Hailey Hall and Vincent Hall at FAMU

Dallas Chapter NAACP Youth Council and holds a regional position on the State Board.

Hailee is pro-Black, without being anti-white, brown, Hindu, or Jew. But on our way to Nashville this summer, we will stop off on the campus of Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan. Our final pre-college field trip will be to the “Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia.”

This active strain of the neo-racist movement is a byproduct of “Jim and Jane Crow discrimination.” Black teens and young adults need

mans we still yearn to be free.

Consciously and subconsciously.

Ok. I would say that I’ll get off my soapbox, but if you don’t know the history behind speeches and soapboxes, your perception of my words is skewed at best. You feel me?

“The Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia is the nation’s largest publicly accessible collection of artifacts of intolerance. The Museum contextualizes the dreadful impact of Jim Crow laws and customs.”

In addition, the Museum seeks to promote a more just society.

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The Museum sits on the campus of Ferris State University in Big Rapids, MI. Admission is free for all visitors. Their motto is “Teaching Tolerance with Objects of Intolerance.”

So yes, all our kids can go and probably need to. Here is a sample of the many articles that the museum features.

“There are, for example, anti-Obama objects that call into question his humanness. In May 2008, Mike Norman, owner of Mulligan’s Food and Spirits bar in Marietta, Georgia, gained a measure of national notoriety by selling t-shirts that featured Curious George, a cartoon monkey, peeling a banana, with “Obama in ‘08” underneath.

Mr. Norman argued that, although he knew Blacks were sometimes compared to monkeys before and during the Jim Crow period, the t-shirts should not be viewed as racist because the Illinois senator and the cartoon monkey “look so much alike.”

As long as there are racists that use old racial tropes and stereotypes as a means of devaluing our lives and livelihoods, our children need to grasp the enormity of racial and ethnic discrimination that is replete in every era of American history.

Like all my daughters, Hailee has been the source of my proudest moments. However, neither of them can afford to underestimate America’s worst moments and the peoples who caught the brunt of its brutality.

Vincent L. Hall is an author, activist, and award-winning columnist.

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South Carolina Wins NCAA Women’s Championship; Coach Makes History The No. 1 ranked South Carolina Gamecocks basketball team won the NCAA Women’s Championship Sunday night after defeating No. 2 ranked UCONN 64-49 in Minneapolis, site of the Final Four.

It was the 2nd national championship for the Gamecocks who won their first in 2017, both under Head Coach Dawn Staley who made history by becoming the first Black coach to win multiple Division I basketball national championships. The Hall-of-Famer is also just the sixth head coach in women’s NCAA tournament history to win more than one national championship.

“Our path was divinely ordered,” Staley said after the victory. “I mean, this journey of being a coach has been truly gratifying. I have to reflect on this part of it. Like it comes with a great deal of pressure,

Aliyiah Boston - Most Outstanding Player

pressure because we were the No. 1 team in the country throughout the entire season, pressure to come into the NCAA Tournament and be the favorites, by most people not all. Certainly not who we went up against today. I think that changed the narrative a

little bit because of the success that UConn has had in our tournament.

“I felt a great deal of pressure to win because I’m a Black coach. Because if we don’t win, then you bring in so many other -- just scrutiny.

Like you can’t coach, you had

South Carolina Celebrating

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enough to get it done but yet you failed,” Staley continued.

“You feel all of that, and you feel it probably 10 times more than anyone else because we’re at this platform.”

Aliyah Boston, the NCAAW’s National Player of the Year, was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player after averaging 17 points, 17 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 blocks per game in Minneapolis. She recorded her 30th double-double of the season in the championship game with 11 points and 16 rebounds.

South Carolina finished the season with a 35-2 record and were the 12th team to go wire to wire as No. 1 in the Associated Press poll all season long and then win it all.

Destanni Henderson scored a career-high 26 points and the Gamecocks handed Geno Auriemma’s Huskies their first loss in 12 NCAA title games.

Head Coach Dawn Staley

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April 8, 2022

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April 8, 2022

A ward W inning

Sunday Brunch B U F F E T

M a k e Yo u r R e s e r v a t i o n s TO DAY !

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SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

NAACP Texas Afro-Academic Cultural Technological Scientific Olympics www.texasact-so.org ACT-SO is a yearlong enrichment program designed to stimulate, improve and enhance academic and cultural achievement among African-American high school students. Students can select up to three competitions from a total of 32 offerings in STEM, Business, Humanities, Performing Arts, Visual Arts, and Culinary Arts.

ELIGIBILITY

Students interested in participating in NAACP ACT-SO must meet the following eligibility requirements: • Must be a citizen of the United States or hold a permanent resident visa card.

• Must be enrolled in grades 9-12 at the time of application • Must be an amateur (having not received wages for professional services) in the categories of competition.

• Must compete in a local ACT-SO competition in order to qualify for the national competition.

Contact the Program Closest to Your Residence Austin

Melinda Walker ericsnina8@hotmail.com 512-293-6554

Fort Worth

Sundra Davis SundraDavis@att.net fwactso20@yahoo.com

Garland

Joyce Miller garlandtxactso@gmail.com garlandtxnaacp.org/actso

Houston

Avelina Holmes actso@naacphouston.org

San Antonio

Konise Millender actso210@gmail.com

Wear the masks, wash your hands and show love! myimessenger.com

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April 8, 2022

Unquestioned Competence WAKE UP AND STAY WOKE DR. E. FAYE WILLIAMS, ESQ.

I remember it well! It hasn’t been that long ago and I’m sure that it’s still practiced in culturally anachronistic pockets of this nation — like the U.S. Senate.

I speak of that circumstance in which the best a Black woman can expect from (some) white folks is to be called by her first name, and if she’s older, Auntie! She can never dream of the expectation of conversational courtesies in tone or expression.

In modern America, the same type of blatant and benign contempt of never speaking in tones of equanimity or affording an individual the respect of using a Mrs. or Ms. (or Mr.) and a last name has been reflected in the tone and tenor of (certain) Republican senators during the confirmation hearings of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson.

In the past few days, an exceptionally qualified jurist who has received Senate confirmation on three separate occasions has been subjected to interrogation no better than if she were herself a criminal.

I am sure that without the razor-thin majority of Senate Democrats, the Supreme Court would have to wait for the election of the next Republican president to reach its full complement.

It is clear that (Senate) Republicans deeply embrace an anti-abortion philosophy, unfettered access to commercially available firearms, the influx of “dark” money in the political process, and a disregard for the management of climate issues.

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Their goal of ending protections for same-sex couples and families, and irrefutable acceptance and endorsement of white supremacist values as an integral part of Republicanism (Trumpism) are common to the interests they support.

In recent days, a Republican senator from Indiana has even opined that the Supreme Court erred in guaranteeing the legality of interracial marriage. A Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson would be a strong voice against this reactionary agenda.

Dr. Ketanji Brown Jackson

The confirmation hearings were not easy for me to watch. The longer I viewed them, the more disgusted I became. My disgust was directed at the ridiculous, mindless inquiries of Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and their failed and repeated attempts to entrap Judge Jackson in an ill-considered response.

My disgust was only tempered in the juxtaposition of Judge Jackson’s record against those of her inquisitors.

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Her multifaceted experience in the justice system will serve to enhance her position on the high court. At all levels, she has been credited by and for exemplary performance.

Moreover, her lived experiences provide a myriad of perspectives that are not currently available to current Justices. Additionally, she has received endorsements that span divergent political viewpoints far too numerous to list in this space.

We must remember Josh Hawley in the context of Jan. 6, 2020, and as the fist-pumping U.S. senator who participated in inciting the traitorous, insurrectionist mob to storm the U.S. Capitol.

There is significant contrast between a judge whose life’s work has been upholding the law and a rookie senator who has played an integral part of an insurrection against our Constitution.

Sens. Blackburn, Cruz, Kennedy, Cornyn and Cotton feebly attempted to entrap Judge Jackson in a discussion of nebulous, irrelevant topics which all appeared to serve as soundbites for future campaign ads tinged with a huge dose of racism.

And then came Lindsey Graham! Not only could his behavior be characterized as arrogant and self-righteous, but his conduct violated the committee’s confirmation rules and his public use of profanity was inconsistent with the decorum of the body and the office.

Most impressive was Judge Jackson’s grace and controlled demeanor. She has rightfully secured her claim to a seat on the Supreme Court.

Dr. E. Faye Williams is national chair of the National Congress of Black Women, Inc. Contact her via www.nationalcongressbw.org.

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Empowering Charity: A New Narrative of Philanthropy FAITHFUL UTTERANCES

BY DR. FROSWA BOOKER-DREW I have been really blessed to work in philanthropy and elated to share my experiences in my new book, Empowering Charity: A New Narrative of Philanthropy.

For years, I had been on the other side asking for money for nonprofits. As Vice President of Community Affairs at the State Fair of Texas and serving as co-founder of HERitage Giving Circle, these two experiences have been impactful and changed my perspective.

I am proud to say that in the nearly six years I have been at the Fair, my team and I have been deliberate in changing the narrative of philanthropy. More than 70% of the organizations or programs funded have been led by people of color. This is typically not the case in philanthropy. HERitage is one of the first Black women giving circles in the state of Texas.

It has been an honor co-laboring with Akilah Wallace, Dr. Halima Francis and the amazing Black women who donate their funds to help organizations led by Black women. .6% of funding in this country is donated to organizations led by Black women. For communities to myimessenger.com

thrive, it is going to be important that we do not expect the changes we expect to see to rest solely on nonprofits to solve.

It is going to require a vastly different way of thinking that involves listening to those most proximate with the lived experience, collaboration, leveraging our gifts and talents, bringing our social networks to the table, and analyzing the way we give. Giving is not about having power or control—it is about the power of partnering.

As Christians, giving is not an option. We are required to give. Although our time and talent are so important, our treasure (Matthew 6:19-21) in the right context is also necessary. Many of us make a variety of excuses about why we do not give.

We typically find fault or have doubts which allows us to absolve our responsibility by blaming others. It is important to make sure that you are sowing into good ground which requires you to do your due diligence if it is not a place that you have a personal relationship with.

It is your job to be a good steward of your gift and that requires research and building relationships.

Seek out organizations that are not necessarily on the radar or notable but the ones that really need the support, serving those who are marginalized, vulnerable, and are working in un-

der-resourced communities with a team and leadership that reflect those communities.

Secondly, it is important to recognize why we give as Believers. If our desire is recognition (Matthew 6:1-4) or a tax write off, we are missing the entire point of why God commands us to give. I think many of us fail to understand the power of giving and what God says about its importance: • Giving should not be an obligation. It is what we are to do. God honors you when you honor others in your giving. “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:6-8) • Your willingness to help others will impact your life. “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”

(Proverbs 11:25) • God gives to us, and everything belongs to God. It is a matter of trusting God’s ability to honor your giving. “Everything in heaven and earth is Yours,

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O LORD. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. “God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name. But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.” (1 Chronicles 29:12-14) • You cannot talk about God’s love and withhold from others when you see their need. “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?” (1 John 3:17) Want more information on how you can be more effective in your congregation and community? I share many strategies, tools and tips in my latest book entitled, Empowering Charity: A New Narrative of Philanthropy published by Baylor University Press. Visit https://baylorpr.es/EmpChar for details.

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.

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Black Women Under Attack THE LAST WORD BY DR. JULIANNE MALVEAUX

Chris Rock crossed the line when he ridiculed Jada Pinkett Smith for her alopecia in his mediocre Oscar performance last week.

But I fell off the Chris Rock bandwagon years ago. His “humor” is too often misogynistic.

He sometimes laughs so hard at his jokes that the rest of us can’t hear them. His Oscar-losing reference to a more than 20-year-old movie, GI Jane, was cringingly yawn-worthy, and it was unnecessary. Jada didn’t like it. She sat in the audience, in her glorious baldness, and rolled her eyes, which was all the response Rock deserved.

Will Smith took it to another level, charging the stage and slapping the spit out of Rock, finishing with a profanity-laced rant. No, Smith had no business striking Rock, and now he has had to pick up the pieces.

At the same time, part of me cheered him because only infrequently does anyone stand up for Black women. We stand up for ourselves.

In 1991, as members of the United States Senate were attacking Anita Hill, sixteen hundred of us, including my Mom and my three sisters, all signed the myimessenger.com

proclamation published in the New York Times and other major newspapers.

We called ourselves African American Women in Defense of Ourselves, declaring that “no one will speak for us but ourselves.”

We wrote, “In 1991, we cannot tolerate this type of dismissal of any one Black woman’s experience or this attack upon our collective

was a horrible display of his bullying, but it was also a reminder that no matter how far Black women have come, we have so much work to do so that our daughters, perhaps, won’t have to experience these kinds of biases.

I have developed the rather unfortunate and time-consuming habit of reading the comments posted online after some articles.

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson

character without protest, outrage, and resistance.”

Fast forward 30 years or so.

Now another Black woman, Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, sits before the Senate Judiciary Committee, and a whole bunch of white Republican men (and a few women) have viciously attacked her.

Texas Ted Cruz insultingly asked if she was “soft” on child pornography. Actually, he didn’t ask, he ranted and raved and wouldn’t let her finish a sentence. It

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There are three or four times (or more) comments about Chris Rock and the slap than about Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and her abuse from Ted Cruz and his cronies. And despite Judge Brown’s composure and amazing grace, there were too few who had her back.

So while Katanji is no Jada Smith, nor vice versa, these are two Black women who have experienced violent attacks in the last several weeks. And while it is not

helpful in a civilized society to talk about slapping or fisticuffs, some of Cruz’s antics are enough to make one forget her religion and resort to extreme measures.

Between Jada Smith and Ketanji Brown Jackson, we are all reminded that no matter what you have achieved as a Black woman, you can still be torn down by the hateful words and deeds of misogynistic men, regardless of race.

Accusing someone of being “soft” on child pornography or terrorism is serious. Making such false accusations in belligerent and blustering tones is bullying.

Maintaining poise and dignity makes Justice Katanji a shero and role model and makes Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham look like babbling idiots. The same is true of Chris Rock, who may not have known about Jada’s alopecia. It’s a condition that affects millions of women, and they, like Jada, weren’t laughing.

The Supreme Court confirmation is exponentially more important than the slap. And the abuse of Black women in this country is disgusting. Let’s focus more on the former than the latter and focus on rooting out the verbal and physical abuse of Black women.

It isn’t funny.

Dr. Julianne Malveaux is an author, economist, and social commentator.

April 8, 2022

Texas Star Ricardo Pepi Could Be A World Cup Breakout Candidate This Year

Credit - https://www.instagram.com/jenson521/

We’re a little ways away from the 2022 FIFA World Cup, with the opening match set for November 21st. However, as Sporting News explains, the USMNT sits in a April 8, 2022

I MESSENGER

good position to qualify (and erase the pain of missing out on Russia 2018...).

What’s most interesting at this stage, arguably, is debating what

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the final first team will look like if and when the U.S. heads to Qatar –– and what impact one of Texas’s own might have. Head Coach Gregg Berhalter can only take 23 myimessenger.com

players to Qatar, and plenty of airtime and column inches will be devoted to speculation over who might make the cut. For our part though, it’s only right to begin with Ricardo Pepi.

The man himself 19-year-old Pepi was born in El Paso. With family from both sides of the border, he was eligible to play for either the U.S. or Mexico, and attended training camps for both countries at the Under-17 level. Raphael Wicky brought him into the American fold for the 2019 CONCACAF U-17 Championship, where the youngsters went all the way to the final before losing in overtime to Mexico. Berhalter later inducted Pepi into the senior side in August 2021 Pepi has amassed nine first-team caps, scoring three times. At the club level meanwhile, he spent three seasons in the MLS with FC Dallas before transferring to Germany’s FC Augsburg just this past January. The transfer fee was reported by NBC News to be $20m, plus add-ons. This made him the most expensive American player to move from the MLS to Europe, and if rumors are to be believed, Augsburg had to beat out interest from Manchester United, Inter Milan, and Ajax to secure Pepi’s signature.

The competition Coach Berhalter has shown he has no qualms about fielding young players –– particularly with regard to strikers. Timothy Weah, Josh Sargent and Brendan Aaronson have 57 caps between them, and are all just 21 years old. Likewise, playing in the Bundesliga will do Pepi no harm in the eyes of the staff; USMNT stalwarts from Alexi Lalas myimessenger.com

and Eric Wynalda through to Christian Pulisic have plied their trade in Germany, and even this year Berhalter will also be keeping a close eye on the form of Dortmund’s Giovanni (son of 112-times-capped Claudio) Reyna, Leipzig’s Tyler Adams and Wolfsburg’s Kevin Paredes.

With three goals in nine international appearances, Pepi has a better strike rate than anyone outside of Reyna, who has four in the same number of games.

Berhalter showed a preference for having options up front with his last 24-man squad, which was built to play Canada, El Salvador and Honduras, and featured eight attackers. He generally likes to play three forwards, and the last three matches have seen an assortment of Pepi, Weah, Pulisic, Aaronson, Jordan Morris and Gyasi Zardes getting starting nods. Zardes and Morris both play in the MLS, and with no disrespect to the league, if Pepi can flourish against the tougher defenses in Germany, he’ll stand out by comparison.

The Tournament 2022 sees a break from the traditional format of the World Cup being played in summer, when the European leagues are on their summer break. In November, the MLS will have completed a 34game regular season plus postseason schedule, whereas the Premier League, Bundesliga and Serie A will only be approaching the halfway point in their domestic campaigns. This may lead to Berhalter favoring players based in Europe for fatigue and fitness reasons.

The head coach also has the players available to field a competitive team. The USMNT missing out on 2018 was a particularly sore blow,

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because when they do qualify, they tend to do well.

Since 1990 they’ve qualified from the group stages more often than not and reached the round of 16 at both South Africa 2010 and Brazil 2014 against stiff competition. It’s a bit early for specific projections this time around, but the match odds at Coral include some early looks at the World Cup with the U.S. listed below the top tier of presumed contenders, but in the mix with some very competitive nations (and only a notch beneath recent heavyweights like Uruguay and Croatia).

The chances Regarding those early odds, the Americans are specifically priced at 80/1 –– the same as Mexico –– and if that sounds quite high, it’s tighter than Chile (100/1), who’ve taken the Copa America twice in the last 6 years. USMNT is also seen as a likelier bet than Ghana, Nigeria and Sweden, who’d typically have been viewed as higher caliber sides than the U.S. in decades past.

Relative optimism around the USMNT however stems from the fact that there’s something to be said for the pressure-immune abandon of youth.

If we can’t cast our minds back to a 17-year-old Pelé lifting the Jules Rimet Trophy with Brazil in 1958, then we can certainly remember Kylian Mbappé terrorizing Argentina in the quarters and scoring in the final of France’s 2018 triumph at 19 –– the same age Ricardo Pepi will be when Qatar 2022 is played.

There will be many twists and turns both in the MLS and the European Leagues that will play a part in the selection of the final 23 who will represent the U.S. in November.

April 8, 2022

The U.S. Supreme Court, Judge Jackson, and Republicans OUR VOICES DR. JOHN E. WARREN

The attack from within on democracy has never been as clear as the demonstration we witnessed during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for the U.S. Supreme Court.

What we witnessed was half of the democratic process upon which our constitution stands, abandoning its duty to “uphold the laws and to protect this nation from all enemies, foreign and ‘Domestic.’”

When we refer to “half” of the democratic process, we mean that the process involves both parties, the Democrats and the Republicans.

Historically, the two parties have represented the conservative and liberal policy attitudes of the nation.

But this has been within the confines of the Constitution and its guidance.

We saw the same White Republicans who praised the nomination of the less qualified Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, attack Judge Jackson on legal issues while ignoring her qualifications for the job based upon an established record with more than 500 opinions which were available for review.

The many attacks on her decisions

April 8, 2022

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in criminal cases as well as some of her actions as a defense attorney were never expressed to Judge Barrett.

There were many questions on abortion rights and how Judge Jackson might rule, while Barrett, during her hearings, was allowed to simply state that she could not speak on matters either before the court or that might come before the court.

confirmation is expected to be one of 50 Democratic Senators voting for her and 50 Republican Senators voting against her with Vice President Harris, as President of the Senate, being the tiebreaker in favor of Judge Jackson, This same U.S. Senate never held a confirmation hearing until Louis Brandeis, a Jew, in 1916, who was confirmed by a vote of 47-22. He

America should look very closely at how the Senate votes and remember those who oppose such a qualified nomination for what clearly is no reason other than race.

The difference was clearly race related when one considers that Judge Jackson has survived three Senate confirmations prior to this one, with many of the same Republicans voting for her.

The difference: this vote would place a Black Woman where many of them think she should not be, despite her qualifications.

In addition to her being a federal judge with a proven track record; her Harvard law education and U.S. Supreme Court clerkship with the very Justice she would be replacing, her

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went on to serve for 23 years with respect and influence.

Clearly, that has established that White nominees are treated differently than some people of color. Such an attitude is racist on its face and makes a hypocrisy out of the idea of “equality under the law.”

America should look very closely at how the Senate votes and remember those who oppose such a qualified nomination for what clearly is no reason other than race.

Dr. John E. Warren is publisher of The San Diego Voice and Viewpoint.

myimessenger.com

Moving in Mysterious Ways CONVERSATION WITH MILES

By Miles Jaye

When I was a kid, grown folks were quick to say, “the Lord works in mysteries ways.” I wonder how many knew the phrase was actually taken from a William Cowper poem, “God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform; He plants his footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm.”

These words came to mind when a recent epiphany stopped me in my tracks.

Is it just me, or does SCOTUS nominee, Judge Ketanji Jackson Brown, bear an uncanny resemblance to Anita Hill?

I haven’t heard anyone mention it in broadcast news or online streaming.

I watched the daily confirmation hearings and with all the drama, antics, and histrionics, I don’t recall anyone commenting on the comparison.

I recently described Judge Jackson as having the full facial features of a broad nose, high cheek bones, full lips and dark chocolate brown complexion, a description that perfectly fits Anita Hill. The irony of an Anita Hill look-a-like sitting on the court only chairs away from Associate Justice Clarence Thomas is seismic; the odds of such an occurrence, nothing less than astronomical. myimessenger.com

This is an epic. I can only imagine the thoughts going through the minds of Associate Justice Thomas or Professor Anita Hill at this time.

Who can forget the contentious confirmation hearings of Thomas, the Coca Cola can, the pubic hair and Thomas’ claim that he was nothing less than the victim of a modern-day lynching?

Who can forget the heated exchanges between opposing Senators and Ms.

ident of the United States and two sitting justices on the Supreme Court, the highest court of the land, are interracially married.

The more compelling question is, what impact should the spouse of a VP or any sitting Justice have on their service? In theory, little to none, in practice and today’s reality, quite a lot.

As of today, Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, wife of Associate Justice Clarence Thom-

Thomas now finds himself under the scrutiny of those who are calling for everything from sanctions to impeachment. This means, one possible outcome of this untidy mess is the removal of a sitting Supreme Court Justice, taken down, not by someone out to get him, not as a result of a modern-day lynching, but by the hubris, miscalculation and poor judgment of his own wife Ginny.

Hill, who, in 1991, accused her boss of sexual harassment and Justice Thomas, who denied all such accusations?

I leave it to coincidence that both Thomas and Jackson are married interracially. It only adds a level of interest and intrigue if not complexity to the story.

Consider these historical times when the Vice-Pres-

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as, is under fire for damning emails bearing her name and her appeals to Mark Meadows, former senior advisor to Donald Trump, to take measures to overturn the 2020 election.

To make matters worse, Justice Thomas was the sole dissenting vote of nine on the court who voted against halting or in any way blocking or preventing the in-

vestigation of the January 6 attack on the capitol. In a story ripe with ironies, it was the ruling in the case of Virginia v Loving which struck down anti-miscegenation laws preventing interracial marriage.

The nagging question is why Thomas failed to recuse himself from taking an official position on any matters pertaining to the January 6 attack. He should never have voted knowing his wife’s position on the matter and her active participation in the movement to restore the former president to office.

Thomas now finds himself under the scrutiny of those who are calling for everything from sanctions to impeachment. This means, one possible outcome of this untidy mess is the removal of a sitting Supreme Court Justice, taken down, not by someone out to get him, not as a result of a modern-day lynching, but by the hubris, miscalculation and poor judgment of his own wife Ginny.

At present, this all rises no higher than to the level of mere speculation, however, consider the irony. Clarence Thomas may be forced to step down from a life-time appointment on the Court, while remaining would be the splitting image of his accuser, Professor Anita Faye Hill, professor of law, social policy, and women’s studies at Brandeis University. The Lord works in mysterious ways… www.therealmilesjaye.com www.milesjaye.net

April 8, 2022

Superb Women March 2022

Our Superb Women!

Cheryl Smith

School in Quantico Virginia followed by Naval Justice School (NJS) in Newport Rhode Island. Epps graduated with honors from NJS and was certified as a Judge Advocate in the United States Navy. She served 10 years on active duty holding a variety of positions including Defense Counsel, Trial Counsel, Chief Military Justice Officer, Chief Civil Law Officer and Chief Legal Assistance Officer.

VONCIEL JONES HILL The honorable Vonciel Jones Hill has a voice that makes you sit up and pay attention! A strong mediator, she has also served as a municipal judge.

By Cheryl Smith Texas Metro News

author who helps communities reduce the wealth gap by empowering families and organizations to help students attend college, debt-free. Tandy attended the University of Texas at Dallas and she has a Master’s degree in educational/Instructional Technology from Nova Southeastern University. The author of “The 30Day Full Ride Scholarship Guide,” she taught school in the Miami-Dade system and is now an expert debt-free college strategist. Through her business, CollegeMode Academy, she has helped students secure over $20 million dollars in scholarships, grants, and fellowships.

2021 was the "Year of the Woman," especially the Black Woman! For 10 months we dedicated this space to uplifting Black women and spreading a message that we need to show love and empower people with love instead of destroying them with hate and disrespect. We celebrate Black Women and call them SUPERB! AND WE ARE KEEPING THE CELEBRATION GOING IN 2022!

DEAN FELECIA EPPS

Felecia Epps is UNT Dallas College of Law Dean and Professor of Law and she served as Professor of Law at (FAMU) College of Law and as Dean. In 1980 she received a BA from Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. After graduating Magna Cum Laude from Creighton University School of Law in Omaha, Nebraska in 1983 she attended The Basic April 8, 2022

I MESSENGER

Former Dallas City Councilwoman Vonciel Jones Hill has plenty of receipts. Not only is this Alpha Kappa Alpha woman heavily degreed, with enough degrees to share; she is eloquent, conscientious, compassionate and no-nonsense. She has a Doctor of Humane Letters Paul Quinn College; Master of Divinity Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University, with Honors; Juris Doctorate University of Texas at Austin School of Law; Master of Arts Rice University, History; Master of Library Science Atlanta University; and Bachelor of Arts University of Texas at Austin, History and English! In addition to serving on the Dallas City Council, she was elected to the AME Church Judicial Council and been member of the NAACP since 1958!

TANDY CARAWAY Tandy Caraway is just the person anyone contemplating college needs in their lives.

Tandy Caraway is a Dallas native who attended Lincoln Humanities and Communications Magnet and graduated from Skyline High School. She is a leading educational consulting expert, speaker, and

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KENNEISHA THOMPSON

Hailing from Arlington, TX, Kenneisha Thompson graduated from James W. Martin High School and earned a BA degree in broadcast journalism at Hampton University. Also a producer, she made her acting debut as a radio personality and has appeared in more than 30 film, televisionw and theatre productions. She was also a national spokesperson for Long John Silver’s and Eyemart Express. In 2015 myimessenger.com

Kenneisha was honored with Broadwayworld.com’s Best Supporting Actress award for her role as “Dussie Mae” in a regional theater production of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Kenneisha is the voice of “Lady Aurelia Hammerlock” in the Borderlands series. She’s taught acting and created an inspirational coaching company, Christ & The Craft.

BARBARA PARKS HAWKINS Barbara Parks Hawkins does the work and makes a difference. She spent 32 years in corporate America before bringing her talents to help HBCUs.

Association of Texas, Unity Church on Greenville, The Mauzo Group and South Dallas Business and Professional Women’s Club, Inc. where she is the Chair of the Economic Development & Employment Committees. She is a member of the Regional Hispanic Contractors Association and American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers. A graduate of Leadership Southwest (Dallas, County), she was appointed to DART’s D-2 Stakeholder Advisory committee. She is a 2010 Quest for Success recipient and a 2010 graduate of the SBA’s Emerging 200 (E-200); a nationwide SBA training initiative for CEOs which immerses participants in an intensive 13 week curriculum to enhance their business knowledge and experience.

JADA BURTON Jada Burton is a born leader. Confident, educated, involved, well-prepared and focused, she’s the epitome of womanhood and leadership.

For decades Barbara Parks Hawkins was “something special in the air’ as she helped American Airlines have a presence in communities of color as the manager of community relations. She remains something special in the hearts of many as the president of the Texas Association of Developing Colleges. She calls Dallas home and she is a graduate of Lincoln High School.

Barbara received a BA Degree in Organizational Management from Paul Quinn College. Graceful and compassionate, Barbara is a joy to be around and she is always supportive of causes centered around education and building stronger communities.

AFRA B. COBB Afra B. Cobb established Cobb Professional Services, Inc., a privately held company.

Afra is a Director on the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce Board, and a member of Black Contractors myimessenger.com

director of development, fundraising and special events at Sheila B. Ministries. A member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Alicia recently launched her own podcast.

Hailing from Columbus, MS., she graduated from S.D. Lee High School. Always impeccably dressed, she is a “social butterfly” with a commitment to service and her faith.

LATARA THOMPKINS LaTara Thompkins is known for her commitment to the arts and youth as she provides “productive activities for youth and teens” to help transform their free time from a threat to their safety and security into opportunities to participate in enriching and lifechanging programs.

Walking into a room, she’s going to turn heads and she will own the room! Jada Burton hails from Port Arthur, TX and graduated from Port Arthur Lincoln High School. She has held senior management positions at FedEx, TMX Finance Family of Companies, Baylor Scott & White Health, Border Media, and Radio One. Jada received her Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) in Strategic Management from Amberton University after graduating from the University of North Texas with a Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.), in Accounting/Finance. She has served as president of the North Dallas Suburban Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, and she’s a member of the National Black MBA Association and Media Financial Management Association.

ALICIA BROWN YOUNG Alicia Brown Young believes life is to be lived and celebrated. Any time spent with her is a celebration!

Right now Alicia Brown Young is coming into her own, spending some time focusing on time she spent studying Journalism at Mississippi State University.

She held numerous jobs as a Digital Remote Territory Manager at Colgate, former senior pharmaceutical rep at Eisai Taiwan, and Eli Lilly and she also served as

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LaTara Thompkins, is the founder and artistic director of N.I.A. Kids. She is also a founding member of the local gospel group, “Devotion.” In addition to being a proud alum of Prairie View A&M University, the member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., has dual degrees from Texas Woman’s University. This wife and mother implements programs for youth to get formal training in artistic disciplines. A Dallas native, LaTara is committed to NURTURING, INSPIRING and AFFIRMING and our youth, families, schools and communities are better as a result. And, she also is the founder of Soldier Girl Brand, a clothing brand that represents the strength and resilience of the female. She’s a real game changer!

April 8, 2022

CAROL HAMPTON Carol Hampton is a party Stylist. That’s right! If you are having a party, you need a stylist and Carol is the ideal person to ensure that your party is perfect!

likes to travel, cook and entertain. A lover of reading and writing, she also loves motorcycles and “really fast cars!” Tamra loves being a Chef of The People!

COLETTE HAIGLER Colette Haigler is a survivor. Like her mother, who died when Colette was nine years old, Colette was diagnosed with breast cancer and following her treatment, she began focusing on helping patients “get through cancer.”

A graduate of Prairie View A&M University and David W. Carter High School, Carol Hampton is the owner of The Date Catering, an event planning company that manages corporate events, non-profit events, social events and weddings. Carol has enjoyed stints as an events assistant at SMU, Corporate Event Planner at RealPage, Inc. and associate operations manager for Uplift Education. She provides the services and expertise while letting the food, ambiance, decorations and hosts be the show. Whether it is a small intimate group or several hundreds; upwards of 1,000, Carol has you covered. She’s committed and focused, respected and well-liked.

CHEF TAM Chef Tam is putting a smile on the faces of those who frequent Chef Tam’s Underground Cafe and in Texas too at Chef Tam’s Express.

LIZ MIKEL Liz Mikel is one of Dallas’’ brightest stars! An amazing talent she continues to make her home people proud.

Colette Haigler received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Prairie View A&M University and is a Family Nurse Practitioner in Oncology; practicing for almost a quarter of a century. She also has a master of Science from Texas Woman’s University. A member of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, this wife and mother is about service and community involvement. In addition to fundraising for various non-profit organizations, she lends her efforts to Food Pantries, Go Red for Women and the March of Dimes. A wine enthusiast, she loves traveling, reading, outdoor sporting events, going to the beach and weather tracking. Colette is a member of American Association of Nurse Practitioners, North Texas Nurse Practitioners Association and Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Society.

CLEO GREENE

The Owner-operator at Chef Tam’s Underground Cafe in Memphis and a self published author born and raised in Fort Worth, TX, Tamra Patterson, affectionately known as “Chef Tam,” comes from a long line of cooks, baker and restaurant owners. She debuted on the Food Network in 2018, on Guys Grocery Games; and she has competed in A Burger Battle for Champions on Guys Grocery Games, and then later in the summer was a featured competitor on Ultimate Summer Cook-Off. Her books include a cookbook and baking guide. Chef Tam April 8, 2022

I MESSENGER

life and has fond memories of childhood summers visiting grandparents in Jamaica. Cleo Greene is the weekend morning anchor and social media reporter at WFAA-TV Channel 8 in Dallas, TX, after stints at KSTP-TV in Minneapolis St. Paul area, WBOC-TV in Maryland, WRDW News 12 in Augusta GA and at PBS in St. Croix, An alum of Rowan University, she is the daughter of immigrant parents from Jamaica and Guyana. Cleo says health and wellness are important to her. A member of the National Association of Black Journalists, Cleo grew up in New Jersey, a military brat.

She is married and “focused on my spiritual growth and maintaining my position as a role model to young women and men,” while also training for marathons!

Cleo Greene grew up watching news, with her family. What a natural transition into journalism where this self-proclaimed “foodie,” is excited about

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An alum of David W. Carter and Booker T. Washington High Schools, and Texas Southern University; many say Liz Mikel is best known for her role as Corinna “Mama” Williams, mother of star running back Brian “Smash” Williams, on the NBC television series Friday Night Lights but she is known for any role she takes because she is such a memorable force -- whether it’s A Christmas Carol, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Welcome Home Roscoe Johnson or in the biopic Get On Up. A songbird and award-winning actress, Liz stood in for Oprah Winfrey in a special 2008 performance of The Vagina Monologues. She’s performed as part of American Repertory Theater, WaterTower Theatre, Dallas Children’s Theater, Jubilee Theatre Lysistrata Jones, Theater Three and The Muny.

She is our treasure!

THANA HICKMAN-SIMMONS Talk about a heart of gold, that’s Thana HickmanSimmons. She came from the southside of Chicago and she is helping to make Dallas a better place — starting in Sunny South Dallas.

Thana Hickman-Simmons is the founder and executive director of Viola’s House, an emergency placement shelter for teen mothers who have an unplanned pregnancy. Thana faced an unexpected myimessenger.com

SHANEIKA NELSON FRAZIER Looking for energetic and results driven leadership with a genuine passion for community outreach and engagement, look no further than Shaneika Nelson Frazier.

federal court, the Northeast Louisiana University graduate is also a member of the Tarrant County Criminal Defense Lawyer Association and the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.

DANA LESTER

pregnancy at 17 and made the decision to keep her unborn child because of her support system. In 2008 she opened Viola’s House after seeing that teen mothers often became homeless and didn’t have resources. To date, Viola’s House has helped more than 240 homeless teen mothers in South Dallas through housing, licensed counselors, mentors and educators.

Thana attended the University of Phoenix and has a bachelor’s degree in business administration. She is a certified life coach and holds a license of ordination in ministry. She is an angel for so many.

MISHA STURNS Misha Sturns believes that, “You have one life to live….Live it to the fullest with zero regrets!”

Shaneika Nelson Frazier is the community outreach manager at Dallas College. Armed with a bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Texas at Arlington, she also is certified in event planning and project management. Shaneika has enjoyed stints with the Child CareGroup, Head Start of Greater Dallas, Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Texas Department of Protective Services, AT&T. A member of Southern Gateway Park Advisory Council. Shaneika calls Dallas “home.” Engaging, committed, and focused; this beautiful woman possesses an equally beautiful spirit that will put a smile on your face and she cheerfully goes about taking care of her business, which she does so well!

ATTY. LESA PAMPLIN She’s more than a former prosecutor and police officer. Lesa Pamplin is a servant of and for the people.

An Award winning sales executive, Misha Sturns has shown her brilliance as a Specialty Account Manager at Biofusion IVIG, Territory Manager at Allergan and Senior Vaccine Specialist at Merck & Co.. She also worked as the executive director for the Heart of A Warrior Foundation. A graduate of Western Hills High School She studied Mass Media Arts/Public Relations at Clark Atlanta University and she was: a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and the Public Relations Student Society of America, a Student Government Association Board Member, 1st. Attendant to Miss Clark Atlanta University and Miss Junior.

Talented, smart, innovative, beautiful and enterprising, Misha is a joy to be around and serves as a mentor.

Hailing from Fort Worth, TX; Misha is a member of Links Inc. and is involved in community service and uplifting other women and her community. myimessenger.com

Lesa Pamplin specializes in criminal defense law. A graduate of the Texas A&M University School of Law, she is the president of the Law Office of Lesa Pamplin.

P.C. A member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Lesa worked as an Assistant District Attorney in Tarrant County and she was an officer on the Arlington Police Department. Licensed to practice in the state of Texas and in the northern and eastern district of Texas in

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Dana Williams Lester is the owner and program manager at Able Family Services. A long-time volunteer for Junior League of Collin County, Dana has worked as an Oncology Sales Specialist for Publicis Touchpoint Solutions/Archimedes Pharma, Assistant Director of Community Relations for the Texas Rangers Baseball Club and Ticket Services Re/Community Relations Assistant for the Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball Club.

Dana was also a Publisher’s Rep for McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Hailing from Washington PA, the graduate of Trinity High School received a B.S. Degree in Marketing Management/Supply Chain Management from Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management.

TAMECKA GRATE-FRAZIER Tamecka Grate-Fraizer made headlines decades ago when she was brutally attacked and survived an extensive surgery and recovery only to go on and do great things for so many.

Tamecka Grate-Frazier went from employee relations manager at AT&T, to a motivational speaker and best-selling author. A graduate of Northwood University, this wife and mother is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and the CEO of Exclusive Cutz. In her book, Life After, Tamecka tells of her journey as April 8, 2022

she rebuilt her strength, confidence and faith. Tamecka is passionate about children, education, health, human rights, science and technology. She is a community servant and is enjoying life to the fullest.

NICOLE KING Nicole King is the entire package as she manages a business and family. This wife and mother is passionate about helping others.

Her volunteer efforts are extensive, including as the Vice Chair of the Plano Phototraffic Safety Committee, a tutor and mentor for We Teach Science Foundation, food pantry volunteer at St. Philip’s Community Center, and working with Aunt Bette’s Community Pantry and Friendship West Baptist Church.

DEANDREA FLEMING The Honorable DeAndrea Fleming is involved. She co-hosts a community-focused online radio show and serves as the Director of Missions at Trinity Disciple Outreach Church in DeSoto.

Zenetta Drew is the Executive Director at Dallas Black Dance Theatre and an Adjunct Professor in SMU’s M.A./ M.B.A. Arts Management Program. She has also held several management positions at ARCO International Oil and Gas. The Alumni Association of Texas A&M UniversityCommerce honored Zenetta Drew as a Distinguished Alumna. She received a BBA degree in accounting there and also received a management certificate in nonprofit leadership from Dallas College. She has participated in executive programs at Harvard Business School and the University of Michigan. She strengthens her leadership skills at Leadership International, Leadership Texas, Leadership Dallas and Leadership Arts.

SHERILYN K. SMITH She fields invitations from around the country because Sherilyn K. Smith is in demand as a speaker or to ensure your event is a success.

Nicole King is a personal trainer and nutrition consultant who is dedicated to helping clients achieve their fitness goals. A Summa Cum Laude graduate with a bachelor of business administration degree from Jarvis Christian College, she is the owner of NicFit LLC, a weight loss, nutrition and personal training company.

She enjoyed stints as a program director for Jenny Craig and a Manager and Nutrition Counselor for Slim 4 Life Weight Loss Center.

NATALIE CRAWFORD Talk about servant leader. Natalie Crawford is just that.

The Honorable DeAndrea Fleming has been a teacher, department chair, instructional coach, assistant principal, principal and district administration professional. Currently serving on the DeSoto ISD Board of Trustees. She earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing with a minor in African American Studies from the University of Houston and holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration from Prairie View A&M University. Fleming also holds dual Master of Education degrees in Training and Development and Education Technology from Texas A&M University-Commerce. An advocate of lifelong learning, Fleming is currently pursuing a doctorate with an emphasis in Ministry at Dallas Baptist University.

ZENETTA DREW A member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Zenetta Drew is a consummate professional who is highly respected and loved.

A graduate of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management and an MBA, Natalie Crawford is a Global HR Partner, and leader at AT&T. She’s a past President of the Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter of the FAMU Alumni Association and a member Jack and Jill of America, the National Black MBA Association and Junior League of Collin County.

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Sherilyn K. Smith is the owner/president/CEO of Enigma LLC Marketing Agency. A graduate of H. Grady Spruce High School, she attended TSTC in Waco and Tuck School of Business. The former marketing director at Dallas Weekly, Sherilyn is an event planner, a marketing guru and strategic PR manager who specializes in advertising, social media management and engagement, online marketing, team building, business development, media relations, and fundraising A devoted mother, Sherilyn is a member of Iota Phi Lambda Sorority.

AMYE THOMPSON HOLLINS Amye Thompson Hollins has a servant heart and a desire for public service.

Amye Thompson Hollins is an HR expert with more than 20 years of experience. A product of Dallas ISD and graduate of W.T. White High School, she has a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology from Texas A&M University, College Station and she has a Master of Business Administration in Human Resources from the University of Dallas. A member of Central Pointe Church of Christ, she is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and the immediate past president of the Metropolitan Dallas Alumnae Chapter. Her public service includes executive board chair of the T. myimessenger.com

Boone Pickens YMCA, parliamentarian of Sam Houston Elementary School PTA and League of Women Voters.

She’s a devoted mother and mentor.

JESSICA WASHINGTON Talk about comfortable in her skin, the statuesque and confident Jessica Washington is a businesswoman, wife and mother.

Hailing from the city of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia, PA., Jessica Washington attended Hillcrest High School before attending college to study psychology at Southern Arkansas University. Currently she is the Chief Operating Officer and Director of Finance for the Dallas Weekly. Jessica has enjoyed stints at Washington Media Co., Faulkner Design Group, Accountemps, Technifax OfficeSolutions, Bay Bridge Administrators, LLC., and Greenleaf Book Group. Jessica is comfortable in her skin and focused with her eyes on the prize.

With a beautiful smile and no-nonsense attitude about taking care of business.

KARON ”KAYE” FLEWELLEN Karon Flewellen is a business owner, community activist, keynote speaker and author who is carrying on a great legacy.

Dallas’ own Kaye Flewellen attended South Oak Cliff High School before going on to Baylor University where she received a BS Degree in Communications/Public Relations. A former technician at Design Essentials, she also worked at Navarro College of Cosmetology myimessenger.com

as an adjunct instructor. The owner of Flewellen’s Hair Salon, this highly regarded entrepreneur is a bestselling author of Unleash the Greatness Within and A Mane Attraction. She is also a business coach at Beyond the Chair Coaching, where she coaches beauty industry professionals. Always impeccably dressed and hair stylishly coifed, Kaye is a celebrity stylist.

KENA WILLIAMS BACCUS Kena is a motivational speaker and definitely a person to watch as her star continues to shine brighter and brighter, like the glowing faces of her satisfied customers.

The beautifully talented Kena Williams Baccus is celebrating 30 years in the beauty industry and she’s leading in a big way. MOCCA Cosmetics is this mother and businesswoman’s vision and she uses it to uplift aspiring entrepreneurs and her community. She just opened a store in Red Oak, TX but you can order online and gather product anywhere in the world. But if you ever come to Texas, you definitely want to visit the store and get that special treatment. She takes care of everyone with her skincare products and regimen. Kena is a jewel. She is a joy and brings joy into the lives of others because of her loving and supportive spirit.

ALISA PEOPLES Alisa Peoples is one half of that wonderful duo, Grammy nominated Yarbrough & Peoples.

A graduate of W. H. Adamson High School, Alisa

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Peoples attended Bishop College, graduating in 1976 with a degree in business. She is a singer/musician/ actress/producer/vocal arranger and all-around beautiful person. Alisa attends North Park CME Church where she is the. Minister of Music and this wife and mother, still performs in stage plays and continues to write and produce songs at Yarbrough & Peoples Productions. She has won awards for her music and she also received an honorary doctorate degree from Grace International Seminary.

DR. TIFFANY CLARK Dr. Tiffany Clark says education is her passion and we can’t get enough of educators who their job! And, she is a trustee for DeSoto ISD.

Dr. Tiffany Clark, born and raised in DeSoto, attended DeSoto schools and graduated from DeSoto High School in 2007. She then received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Houston, a Master’s in Education with a concentration on School and Community Counseling from the University of North Texas and completed her Doctorate in Education with a concentration in Conflict Resolution – at Abilene Christian University. A member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (Upsilon Lambda Omega, DeSoto, TX), she is a faithful and proud member of FriendshipWest Baptist Church. She is the owner/manager/CEO of Akkomplished Experience and she’s a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant.

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April 8, 2022

Developer builds lives along with homes, businesses I WAS JUST THINKING...

By Norma Adams-Wade You have to get to know Kevin Brown, his family, and up-bringing to understand his motivation and way of life.

The Dallas native is founder and managing partner of Simply Custom, a residential and commercial construction company that builds lives while building structures.

Simply Custom is a family-owned business on a mission. Its main goals are to empower the African-American community to rebuild itself while helping community home and business owners to close the wealth gap between the haves and have-nots.

“We can become the #1 employer of our own people,” said Brown. “We can rebuild our communities, yes South Dallas, ourselves.”

Brown grew up around builders and had nearly a decade of professional building experience when he founded his company 17 years ago. Simply Custom’s self-empowerment and wealth building plan, so far, has produced more than 1 million square feet of residential and commercial construction for families and business owners throughout Dallas-Fort Worth and surrounding towns, Brown said.

Family Involvement You could say building is in Brown’s blood. His mother, Jeannette Brown-Sneed, also a Dallas native, broke ground April 8, 2022

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Ribbon-cutting at 1st GAP-built home. Kevin Brown (4th from right).

Kevin Brown, Simply Custom owner/ managing partner. Credit: Simply Custom

as the city’s first Black female Public Works project manager in the Architecture Division in the 1970s and oversaw capital improvement for the Dallas Public Libraries. She managed multi-million budgets and helped lead major improvement projects for the Dallas Public Library system, Dallas Convention Center, and Hall of State building at Fair Park. After nearly 30-years with the city, Brown-Sneed retired as Library Facilities Manager in 2004, then joined her son’s business as Design Services manager.

Brown’s sister, Howunna Johnson, was a financial management executive for major global financial institutions

Standard modern home in DFW.

when she retired three years ago to join her brother’s company as chief operating officer.

Brown’s wife, Kelly Houston Brown, fills various roles, as do other family members including his son, two daughters and brother-in-law.

Wealth-sharing plan Brown speaks with fervor about his mission and vision for upgrading his hometown communities. He envisions a self-empowered Dallas Black community that resists gentrification and keeps economic spending -- “Black dollars” -circulating within the community. But not just in DFW. He already has made steps to expand

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Credit: Simply Custom

Credit: Simply Custom

to Houston.

“I know this sounds like a mission impossible,” he declares fervently. “But I believe that given the right opportunity, plan of action, and tools, we will win. …We can restore the legacy of our ancestors who build pyramids in Mother Africa. …We forgot how to build. We’ve got to get back to building our own community.”

How the plan works When a client hires him to build their home or business, he in turn hires them as superintendent under a 1099 tax form contract and pays them $2,000 a month for six months.

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Fit Social Club on Mockingbird in Dallas.

Credit: Simply Custom

selects and orders building supplies and décor and performs other such duties with Brown’s staff coaching. He said the plan gives the client immediate equity when the project is finished and increases their cash flow and net worth.

Also, since the client essentially is building his or her own home with guidance, Brown said his fee is about 6% to 8% below the national market fee, which further frees up money for the client. He said the average price of Simply Custom homes is about $350,000, but he has built some homes in the $200,000 range. And among his proud projects was constructing a mixed-use office/retail/ resident facility that uses the address as its name: 1808 So. Good-Latimer Expwy in the Cedars neighborhood near Deep Ellum and downtown Dallas.

GAP Team and meaning Sam Anderson IV, a financial advisor and educator, came to Dallas from Detroit nine years ago and moved into a thennew South Dallas/Fair Park townhouse – part of a city-sanctioned project to bring new life and progressive residents to the area traditionally labeled a “ghetto.” Anderson was progressive but liked the small urban feel of the neighborhood, he said. myimessenger.com

Driving along Al Lipscomb Way in the neighborhood one day, Anderson said his eye instantly caught the distinct architectural modern townhome style of an almost-finished new house he saw some men completing.

“I parked my car, got out, went and knocked on the door,” said Anderson. “It was something different that I had not seen in South Dallas. It was a unique concept to see this house going straight up in the air there.”

One of the men explained that Brown was the contractor.

Anderson, who already had strong opinions about revitalizing urban areas and increasing Black-family wealth, was intrigued.

“I just had to meet this guy,” said Anderson who later met Brown, formed a friendship, and joined what Brown called his GAP Team.

Modern single-family townhome in South Dallas/Fair Park.

GAP and Black Wall Street Brown said he formed GAP as homage to the historic Black Wall Street, a once long-thriving, Black-owned business district in Tulsa, Oklahoma that a racist White mob burned to the ground in 1921. In Brown’s business plan, GAP has dual meanings: (a) closing the gaps

Oak Street Health in Pleasant Grove.

The Team is comprised of like-minded folk who want to improve and empower the Black community. Originally, 14 individuals each pooled $500, and with that $7,000 began building a home on their own, from the ground up, divvying up various responsibilities. They held a ribbon-cutting when they finished and closed on selling the home in November 2021, Brown said. Since then, he said the GAP Team has increased to almost 300 members.

Credit: Simply Custom

of deficiencies that Brown says have crippled African-American communities: including wealth, education, health, and social justice gaps and (b) honoring Tulsa’s historic Black Wall Street intersections of Greenwood Avenue and Archer and Pine (GAP) streets in Tulsa.

Future generations I was just thinking… Will Brown’s concept carry forward?

He already is ahead of me and is preparing the next generation by training and mentoring

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Credit: Simply Custom

though his Young Black Builders Club. The youths help with some building projects and receive guidance in handling personal finances and intergenerational wealth building.

Challenges His work does not come without challenges. The coronavirus pandemic made many supplies and workers unavailable. During the pandemic, he refunded recently invested money, waited out the worse period, then picked up where he left off. Overcoming community mistrust remains a feat because the Black community has been shortchanged and socially mishandled for centuries, Brown acknowledged. Yet he continues to stand on his family’s long-held Christian belief in love and caring for others, as well as the African-American Kwanzaa tradition of unity and cooperative economics. *Dallas-area journalist Linda Jones contributed to this report.

Norma Adams-Wade, is a proud Dallas native, University of Texas at Austin journalism graduate and retired Dallas Morning News senior staff writer. She is a founder of the National Association of Black Journalists and was its first southwest regional director. She became The News’ first Black fulltime reporter in 1974. norma_ adams_wade@yahoo.com

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To advertise, call: 214-941-0110 myimessenger.com

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195 Years of the Black Press: Westside Gazette Publisher Bobby Henry’s Spiritual Journey

By NNPA Newswire Since the first issue rolled off the press in 1971, the Westside Gazette newspaper has maintained the professional, insightful and reader sensitive reporting that has gained the trust and respect of South Florida’s African American community.

In its relenting effort to empower the community with information, the Westside Gazette newspaper has remained sensitive to the special needs of its readers.

Publisher Bobby Henry said the newspaper’s belief is that the most potent tool with which to face the challenges and opportunities of this new century is the dissemination of information.

As Broward County’s oldest and largest African American-owned and operated newspaper, Henry said it’s the newspaper’s responsibility to inform, education, and reinvest in the Black community.

In observing the 195th anniversary of the Black Press of America in 2022, Henry described the mission of his newspaper and the Black Press as a spiritual one.

He offered the following: We are forever indebted because of God’s grace and mercies as He protected, provided for, nourished and put in place that which we needed to continue over these 51 years.

For those (Levi and Yvonne Henry) to whom God granted the vision to plant the seed (Westside Gazette) and those who work in the vineyard (everybody that ever worked, April 8, 2022

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Publisher Bobby Henry said the newspaper’s belief is that the most potent tool with which to face the challenges and opportunities of this new century is the dissemination of information.

wrote, lend a hand, offered an encouraging word, even the naysayers) to the ones who offered fertilizers (advertisers) that kept us going and all of the benefactors, we thank you with all of the promises that God has given to us and ask for your unending support!

That which is worth having is worth fighting for.

As I look back over the 51 years of our involvement in the dissemination of information to our readers, I am overwhelmed and bursting with joy of how the community has supported us and how God has shown us favor.

It is not always a pleasurable chore to serve and to be a servant. What appears to be a joyful moment of basking in bliss quickly fades away faster than a snowflake over an open campfire.

Be that as it may, we are honored to be in the business of ‘Pleading our on cause’ as ‘Soldiers without swords.’

We vow to continue to be a preeminent example of the Black Press of America no matter how ‘Stony the road we trod’ or having feet no less beautiful than those who preach or print the gospel.

Throughout our 51 years, one thing has been for certain: The loyal commitment of our readers and advertisers to support this publication.

There was not a whole lot of advertising in Black newspapers, so they were able to stay in business because Black people supported them literally by buying the papers off the streets.

Now is the time when every Black organization, like churches, NAACP, Urban League, Fraternities, Soror-

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ities, Lodges, Orders, Clubs, Associations, must come together to support each other and their causes.

Relationships, which have been the cornerstone of the Black community and the Black Press for 195 years, have always been its messenger in cementing that bond.

Thank you all for everything that you have done. It has made us who we are. We embrace and affectionately cherish these 51 years of mutual respect, admiration and responsibility to our readers, supporters and the advertisers that understand and welcome the true spirit of reciprocity.

‘And the Lord said, who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?’

Luke 12:42 (KJV) Yes, we have been blessed for 51 years and counting. Therefore, we must be a blessing to others, and we will as long as God sees fit to be in the blessing business.

From the family of the Westside Gazette, those who come by blood and those who may have come through the backdoor, those born and yet unborn may we always remember, understand, and appreciate Deuteronomy 8:3: ‘And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word[a] that comes from the mouth of the Lord.’– (Amplified Bible) myimessenger.com

South Dallas

Business and Professional Women ’s Club, Inc. “Women Working in the Community”

5 8 t h A N N U A L V. A LYC E F O S T E R

V I R T U A L AWA R D S C E R E M O N Y “A Legacy of Resilience, Empowerment and Service ”

Saturday - April 23, 2022 12:00pm

KATHRYN MITCHELL

V. ALYCE FOSTER

ADA ADAMS

OLLIE GILSTRAP, PRESIDENT GWENDOLYN HUNT, ESQ. CHAIRPERSON Register at the link below https://forms.gle/2WnKBUL3SeeTJqE3A

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April 8, 2022

South Carolina State University National Alumni Association DFW CHAPTER

SCHOLARSHIP FUNDRAISER GOLF TOURNAMENT

You are Invited!

Friday, April 22, 2022 Bear Creek Golf Club 3500 Bear Creek Ct Dallas, TX 75261 Registration begins at 10:00 A.M. Putting Contest starts at 11: 00 A.M. Golf Shotgun Start at 1:00 PM Format: 4 Person Scramble Please join us for a relaxing round of golf at DFW’s preeminent resort golf and event venue $100/player, (early bird by Mar 1, 2022- $90.00) Cost includes 18 holes of golf, cart, dinner (following tournament) & prizes RSVP by Friday, April 1, 2022 For more information: Contact Chris Sales at (214) 597-3550

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Will Texas’ Paul Quinn become the first HBCU in California?

By Valeria Olivares Dallas’ Paul Quinn College wants to be the first historically Black college in California.

President Michael Sorrell, who made the announcement as Paul Quinn celebrated its 150-year anniversary, said on Friday that the school is launching a committee that will explore the idea of expanding the college into the West Coast. California only has one such graduate school in Los Angeles, the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science.

“The dream was always to create a network of urban work colleges,” Sorrell said. “That’s what we’re going to do … We will become a system, that’s absolutely where we’re headed.”

Officials are specifically considering a campus in Oakland, part of the Bay Area. The school will begin a feasibility study this summer, but officials have not yet finalized the members of the committee.

Loren Taylor, a city councilman in Oakland who is running for mayor, got to know the college while it was recruiting students in the area.

Nearly half of students at Oakland Unified School District are Hispanic or Latino and about 22% are Black, according to the latest data from the California Department of Education. And about 40% are from families struggling financially.

Before the pandemic, about 58% of the district’s students enrolled in college, compared to nearly 66% of students across California, according to data from the 2017-18 school year.

Paul Quinn is known for actively recruiting students from historically underserved, lowincome neighborhoods that many other colleges overlook. After getting to know the school and its leaders, Taylor said he’s “overwhelmed” at the way that it leads its students toward success, adding that his

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The historically Black college is exploring the possibility of a West Coast campus to begin creating a national network of schools.

Paul Quinn President Michael J. Sorrell announced the formation of an exploratory committee to potentially open a campus in California — which would create the first historically Black college in the state — during the college's 150-year anniversary celebration on Friday, April 1, 2022.

Credit: Lola Gomez / Staff Photographer

constituents will benefit greatly from its presence.

Historically Black colleges and universities, such as Paul Quinn, “came about because of the community recognizing that we can’t rely on others who aren’t connected, aren’t deeply ingrained into our community to really educate and take us to that next level,” he said.

A group of African Methodist Episcopal Church preachers founded Paul Quinn, then called Connectional High School and Institute, in 1872 in a church basement in Austin. It originally aimed to educate freed slaves.

The campus was moved to a former slave plantation in Waco before settling in southern Dallas.

Paul Quinn was on the brink of closure about 15 years ago. In efforts to stabilize its finances, leaders worked on creating partnerships with other colleges and companies to provide revenue and support that allows it to not rely so heavily on tuition to function.

In 2008, the school had about 441 students and one of the country’s lowest graduation rates, which was lower than 1%. It has since designed

programs — such as a series of summer classes for incoming freshmen and free mental health clinics — to support students, many of whom are the first to attend college in their families.

The school has prioritized providing its students with career and internship opportunities that help them gain experience and pay for college.

In 2017, Paul Quinn was federally recogni-zed as one of the country’s nine work colleges — a designation for institutions that engage students in the integration of work, learning and service. It’s the only school of its kind found in an urban setting, and campus leaders want to expand that model to Oakland.

Sorrell, the longest-serving president in Paul Quinn’s history, said the model has helped reduce debt for the college’s students from $40,000 to less than $10,000 and improve its graduation and retention rates by nearly 40%.

The urban work college model is “lifting our students into career opportunities they never would have imagined,” Sorrell said. “The model works, so we’re going to take it on the road.”

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And as Paul Quinn seeks such an ambitious expansion, the school launched a five-year fundraising campaign to further support its students and build its endowment.

Meanwhile, during Friday’s anniversary celebration, the college also surprised 225 Lancaster ISD graduating seniors with college acceptance letters for themselves and two of their family members or friends.

The automatic admission is offered to every Lancaster senior who is Pell Grant-eligible, which is based on financial need, with at least a 3.0 grade average. Family members who choose to attend can opt for online courses or a Paul Quinn program that teaches new skills and provides credentials.

The college announced a similar partnership with Fort Worth in February.

The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.

The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from The Beck Group, Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Garrett and Cecilia Boone, The Meadows Foundation, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University and Todd A. Williams Family Foundation. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.

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

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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!

214.623.7314 nenafinds17@gmail.com Schedule your Sip n Shop, Trunk Show, Girls Nite Out or Wardrobe Revamp with Nena’s Finds today! myimessenger.com

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Metro Community Calendar powered by Black Lives, Black Letters: Primary Sources in African American History Until Apr 15, 2022 · 9:30 AM – 6:00 PM at Fondren Library at SMU

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Palm Sunday

Biennial Texas African American History Conference - The Underground Railroad from Texas to Mexico at the African American, April 8-9 — Register at www.aamdallas.org 8 1974: Henry Aaron, hit his 715th home run and replaced Babe Ruth as all - time major league champion.

This exhibition features rare books, pamphlets, broadsides, sheet music, prints, photographs, manuscripts and ephemera documenting aspects of the Black experience in America from the colonial period to the present. It includes artifacts from Phillis Wheatley, Toni Morrison, Frederick Douglass and Barack Obama as well as from less familiar, sometimes anonymous, figures from the past, in literature, education, politics, religion, business, sports, the performing arts, domestic life, and popular culture.

APRIL 7 1915: Legendary jazz and blues singer Billie Holliday is born.

11 1908: Jane Bolin born - first Black woman to graduate Yale Law School ( 1931). Became first Black woman judge in U.S.

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9 1908: Actor, athlete, singer, and civil rights activist Paul Robeson is born.

1989: “Sugar” Ray Robinson, 5 time middleweight boxing champ, died. Considered the most exciting boxer of his time.

Underground Movement Festival · 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM at McCall Plaza Urban Movement Festival brings the culture of underground hip-hop movement out into the open skies of Downtown Plano. Join us for 2-versus-2 Dance Battles, B-boy/B-girl battles and dance team showcases.

Turtle Creek Spring Arts Festival at Reverchon Park at Sat, Apr 9, 2022, From 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM - Sun, Apr 10, 2022, From 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM This event will feature up to 125 painters, photographers, sculptors, leather and metalwork, glass blowers, jewelers and crafters. The festival will also offer artist demonstrations, live acoustic music, a children’s play area, plus festival foods and beverages with healthy alternatives.

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1964: Sidney Poitier becomes first Black man to win Best Actor Academy Award (for Lillies of the Field).

1758: Francis Williams, first U.S. Black college graduate, published a poem in Latin.

Celebrate over eight consecutive weekendsfrom April 9 to May 30. Expect a variety of new shows and artisans along with long-time favorites. The festival will feature themed weekends, games and rides, a photo contest, food, shopping and more.

14 Dr. John Hope Franklin was appointed to faculty of the Univ. of Chicago on 4/14/1963.

In 1982 he became the James B.Duke Prof.

Emeritus of History and Prof. of Legal History in the law School at Duke University.

THE FULL CIRCLE TOUR: The Smooth R&B 105.7 Smooth Spring Groove with KEM and Babyface and special guest host Sherri Shepherd at the Texas Trust CU Theater

DeSoto ISD opened the Parent Resource Center in partnership with local 501c3 organization, Serving with a Purpose (S.W.A.P.), to assist families with practical as well as educational needs. The open house is scheduled from 6 to 7:30 pm at the former East Middle School campus, 601 E. Belt Line Rd., in DeSoto.

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The World According to Andrew on BlogTalkRadio.com 8 am.-10 am. CST. Sundays Tune in for thought-provoking, enlightening, informative, and entertaining news and commentary. Join the call 646200-0459 on Andrew’s World.

See Eric Bellinger & Sammie Live in Dallas, April 14th @ The Echo Lounge & Music Hall

1947: Jackie Robinson signs with Brooklyn Dodgers to become first Black player in Major League Baseball.

Don’t miss Jazzmine Sullivan Live at the Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving

The Dallas Farmers Market is open Easter weekend and full of Easter-themed activities.

Enjoy natural Easter egg dyeing for Little Farmers, an Easter Egg hunt at City Futsal and an Easter photo opportunity. Local farmers, makers, and artisans will be in The Shed 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Spring Garden Party with Chef Amanda.

Experience a hands-on, chef-led planting class where Chef Amanda will share tips on how to plant herbs and vegetables. Guests will be able to plant a small pot to take home with them.

2:00 PM – 4:00 PM at Sheraton Dallas Hotel Starting at $30

Doc Shep Speaks Show! A fresh perspective, but still entertaining!

Welcome to The Doc Shep Speaks Show!!!. Tuesdays at 11 am. CST Live on Facebook/@TexasMetroNews, @ fnsconsulting, and YouTube Live @ docshepspeaks.

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15 1960: Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee ( SNCC) was formed in North Carolina. It advocates militant direct action instead of nonviolence.

I Was Just Thinking with Norma Adams-Wade “History Class is in Session” Join in on Facebook/@ 1959: “Youth TexasMetroNews and BlogTalkRaMarch for dio.com at 11 am -1 pm. CST. Integrated Schools” drew Wednesdays. Join the conversation 30,000 students call 646-200-0459.

Good Friday Passover

16 1947: Famed basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is born.

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Lifestyle Metro Calendar powered by APRIL

Stomp Wars at COLLEGE PARK CENTER. Starts at 9:30pm at 600 S. Center St., Arlington, Texas, 76019

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*** Dallas Millennial Market Presents: DMM Happy Birthday Market, 1:00 PM 6:00 PM at Four Corners Brewing Co.

Wear blue for Child Abuse Awareness

Dallas Public Library Celebrates the Central Library’s 40th Birthday with 1980s-themed Events DALLAS - The J. Erik Jonsson Central Library is turning 40 years old in April, and Dallas Public Library is marking the occasion with a series of events April 5-9 celebrating all things 1982, including an after-hours party.

For information on the many free programs and services available at Dallas Public Library, visit www.dallaslibrary.org.

8 Hybrid Open Office Hours: Cultural Organizations Programs City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture Online:https://dallasculture.org/cultural-organizations

12 Breakfast with the Easter Bunny at Joe Farmer Recreation Center 1201 E. Bethany - Allen, TX Bring your camera to join the Easter Bunny for breakfast and pictures! Have fun socializing with your friends while you create fun spring crafts, enjoy a visit with our furry friend and playtime at Tiny Tots. 9-11:30 am

Kings of the West with Snoop Dogg & Ice Cube at Dos Equis Pavilion 7pm-10pm Get Tickets at: http://www.ticketmaster.com

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DeSoto ISD Parent Resource Center open house scheduled for 6 to 7:30 pm at the former East Middle School campus, 601 E. Belt Line Rd., in DeSoto.

*** Eggcellent Family Adventure Apr 9, 2022 · 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM at Allen Civic Plaza Kids can visit tables hosted by local organizations and businesses for eggs, candy and other goodies. Activities include games, crafts, face painting and a bounce house.

For more details, call 214-509-4707.

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Easter Egg Hunt at Armstrong Park, 100 James Collins Blvd. sponsored by the City of Duncanville. Call 972-780-5070 . The Easter Egg Hunt features an egg hunt with over 7,000 eggs filled with tasty treats and goodies, fun games for the kids to enjoy, bounce houses, music, and of course, the Easter Bunny!

Be sure to bring the camera to capture special moments in one of our most beautiful parks!

Stomp Wars held April 8th, 8:00am to April 10th, 9:30pm at COLLEGE PARK CENTER, 600 S. Center St., Arlington 76019

Dallas Public Library celebrates J. Erik Jonsson Central Library’s 40th Birthday! Dance Party, 80’s Trivia with geeks who drink and 80’s mixtape, 4pm - 8 pm, 1515 Young Street Dallas, Tx 75201. Presented By: Latino Arts Project *** The Community Grand Opening Celebration of the new exhibition: YANGA Journeys to Freedom will be held at the African American Museum of Dallas, 3536 Grand Ave Dallas, Texas 75210, Gate 5. There will be Live Music | Food Trucks | Fun. For more info visit: www.visityanga.com *** The annual Easter Egg Splash is back at the Apex Centre in McKinney. This fun-filled day includes a floating Easter egg hunt, pictures with the Easter Bunny and face painting.

9-11:45 AM

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Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center Egg’stravaganza Dallas Park and Recreation welcomes families to a citywide Easter event where children will receive candy-filled plastic Easter eggs and other goodies., at 4p.m. Treats will be available while supplies last.

Registration is requested; call the recreation centers to sign up.

Keller Spring Fun Festival at Keller Town Center This family and pet-friendly festival will feature vendors, shopping, food and an Easter egg hunt. 9a-3p 1100 Bear Creek Pkwy, Keller

23 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Ernie Roberts Park, 515 E. Pleasant Run Road, DeSoto, TX 75115

Easter Weekend at the Arboretum April 15-17, celebrate Easter at the Dallas Arboretum with fun activities for the whole family.

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As part of a special spring concert, the Denton Black Film Festival is featuring Grammy Award-winning MonoNeon during this exhilarating evening of music hosted by famed DJ Frances Jaye. The concert will take place at 8 p.m., at the Margo Jones Performance Hall, 1100 Oakland St, Denton, TX 76201, located on the campus of Texas Woman’s University.

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*** Capoeira Workshop with Mestre Preto Velho at the South Dallas Cultural Center, 5 - 7 pm: Capoeira 7 - 9 pm: Maculele

Dallas ReggaeFest 2022 at the Addison Cir, Addison, Tx 75001, 12- 11pm. Tickets: dallasreggaefestival2022.eventbrite.com

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Send your calendar items to: editorial@texasmetronews.com

Anita Martinez Recreation Center Egg’sellent Outdoor Party Dallas Park and Recreation welcomes families to a citywide Easter event where children will receive candy-filled plastic Easter eggs and other goodies. Families can enjoy games, crafts, and an egg hunt. Treats will be available while supplies last. Registration is requested; call recreation centers to sign up. ***

10 Dallas ReggaeFest 2022 at Addison Cir, Addison, Tx 75001 at 12 pm - 11pm. For tickets: dallasreggaefestival2022. eventbrite.com *** Selena Movie Party at Alamo Drafthouse Lake Highlands, 6770 Abrams Rd. Tickets are $15.16 at drafthouse.com at 1p Celebrating 25 years since its release, Alamo Drafthouse Lake Highlands hosts a special interactive screening of Selena.

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April 8, 2022

April 8, 2022

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www.grandpasecret.com

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April 8, 2022

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 8, 2022

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