I Messenger 7-1-22

I MESSENGER VOL XI NO 43 July 1, 2022

NNPA-CELEBRATING THE BLACK PRESS! NNPA, Transformative Justice Coalition Announce National GOTV Campaign

I Messenger An IMM LLC Publication MAILING ADDRESS 320 S. R.L. Thornton Freeway Suite 220 Dallas, TX 75203 WWW.TEXASMETRONEWS.COM 214-941-0110 Cheryl Smith PUBLISHER - EDITOR editor@myimessenger.com www.myimessenger.com S. Curet GENERAL MANAGER stewartcuret@myimessenger.com EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Marva Sneed EDITORIAL TEAM Anthony Council Chelle Wilson Dareia Tolbert Dr. Felicia N. Shepherd Dorothy J. Gentry Eva Coleman Monique P. Stone Lajuana Barton Rebecca Aguilar Vincent Hall

SAVE THE DATE 2022

SELF-CARE fair

FREE Community Event and Feminine Hygiene Supply Drive Beaumont Saturday, July 9th 9am-3pm

Dallas Saturday, July 16th 11am-3pm

Houston Saturday, July 23rd 10am-2pm

Fort Worth Saturday, July 30th 10am-2pm For More Information

DESIGN/LAYOUT FzanStudio WEB/SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR

Free - Take One

PRESENTED BY:

CIRCULATION/DISTRIBUTION MB Distribution

.EWSSTANDS IN

Rowlett AT .EWSSTANDS IN esquite d,Rowlett ardson Mesquite chardson .Dallas

Free - Take One

editor@texasmetronews.com

Editorial submissions

Health & Beauty. Giveaways.

Vendors. Screenings. Games. Family Fun!

Proposals are being accepted for South Dallas Fair Park Opportunity Fund

& E.Dallas

450-13971 Year 1 Year Subscription $45.00 3)(903) 450-1397 Subscription $45.00

I Messenger

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.

July 1, 2022

I MESSENGER

Non Profit Organizations are invited to apply for funding to provide human development programs or services directly benefiting residents of the South Dallas Fair Park community. Applications for the 2022 Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the South Dallas/ Fair Park Opportunity Fund (SDFPOF) will be accepted through July 8, 2022.

The SDFPOF provides loans and grants to promote economic development and support human development initiatives in neighborhoods surrounding Fair Park. NOFA provides the form of application and scoring criteria for the human services grants. A maximum of $100,000 will be awarded to fund the projects and services.

Proposals will be submitted on the City of Dallas Bonfire system https://dallascityhall.bonfirehub.com/portal no later than 5 p.m. July 8, 2022.

To apply for the 2022 Notice of Funding Availability, visit https://sourcedallas.org/2022/01/21/ south-dallas-fair-park-opportunity-fund/

2

myimessenger.com

INSIDE

QUIT PLAYIN’ “The major problem confronting the United States today is there aren’t enough white babies being born. If we don’t do something about this and do it now, white people will be in the numerical minority, and we will no longer be a white man’s land.” –”The Birth Dearth” by Ben Wattenberg

THE BLACK CARD

TO BE EQUAL

Lucille “Big Mama” Allen’s lessons are always appropriate for the time. When I first heard them, I did not give them the intense reverence I give them now. I hear Lucille “Big Mama” Allen in other people all the time.

In the 50 years since Father’s Day became an official national holiday, this is the second time it has fallen on June 19 — Juneteenth, which was designated a federal holiday just last year. While the timing may be a coincidence, the intertwining of the two holidays is an opportunity...

p6

p20

p23

Food trucks receive a green light, Plus - A special announcement: OUR VOICES

BY CAROLYN KING ARNOLD

Great food, good prices, an excellent time to try something new and convenient; Those are some of the things people say about mobile street food vendors- Food Trucks.

The council members (unanimously) approved the rewriting of the code governing food trailers, trucks, and carts.

In months to come, Kiest Park will be programmed with more family fun events for all.

The City Council approved this Food Truck Pilot program for Kiest Park which reduces some of the red tape that is normally required for truck vendors to be on site for events.

Special programming of events in the heart of our commyimessenger.com

Food Trucks

West Kiest Blvd.is truly a family-friendly destination stop, surrounded by trees, a creek, and a nature trail. It features a championship softball complex, auxiliary softball fields, a baseball field, a soccer complex, sand volleyball courts, tennis courts, a recreation center and now an experimental mobile-food-vendor park.

Special Announcement: Effective last Wednesday I received a council seat upgrade to Mayor ProTem. The Mayor Pro Tem acts as Mayor in the absence of the Mayor and shall

Kiest Park

munity will be a major plus for our premier park.

Interested Truck and Cart vendors can contact the D4 Staff at (214) 670-0780. Volunteers for the upcoming events can also reach out to the D4 staff for my details on planned events.

Kiest Park, located at 2324

3

have the same duties and powers as the Mayor when doing so.

My appreciation to my colleagues for placing their confidence in me to lead from this position. My pledge remains to District 4 constituents and the City of Dallas residents to make this a place we can all be proud of.

Together we will transform today’s District 4 into a thriving district where jobs, community pride, respectable affordable housing and the essentials of quality of life are commonplace for all residents.

July 1, 2022

MY TRUTH by Cheryl Smith Publisher

July is Uterine Fibroid Awareness Month Twenty years ago my doctor told me that doctors he consulted with didn’t expect me to live.

You see, going into surgery, there was going to be some moving around of “stuff” inside of me and there was a possibility that some blood clots would break away and rush to my heart.

Death would result.

I survived and still today I thank Dr. William Glaze for not throwing in the towel on me.

A few other things happened 20 years ago.

Because of my surgery I was unable to attend my annual Don’t Believe the Hype Celebrity Bowl-a-thon; someone I adored, Paula McClure passed; and one of my best friends, someone who I looked forward to sharing war stories with in our senior years, veteran journalist Lawrence Young, died.

It was a rough time for me. But there were some memorable times, too.

I also had extended visits from my mother, father and stepmother July 1, 2022

You may have met her out in the community, attending events, participating in community fairs and educating folks on fibroids; or you may have heard her on KRNB 105.7, interviewed by the Diva with A Voice, Lynne Haze.

Technology is far more advanced in 2022 than it was last century and I am happy for those who have benefited from the advances and efforts of Dr. Slonim, who realizes that Black and Latina women are more susceptible to fibroids.

Are we genetically predisposed to grow fibroids?

While some believe that if their mom had fibroids they will automatically have them; this is not the case.

Now if you eat some of the same things and lead the same type of lifestyle as your mom; well, you just might find yourself contributing to the “hereditary” narrative.

When I was diagnosed with fibroid tumors, Dr. Glaze and I had a

Paula McClure

— all at the same time — in my house!

Heavy sigh.

They too have since transitioned, and there are no words to express how much I would love to be able to entertain them today!

Which brings me to my truth.

As I look back on the past 20 years and vividly recall the words of Dr. Glaze, who I absolutely love; I can’t help but think about the designation of July as Uterine Fibroid Awareness Month.

I’ve known Dr. Suzanne Slonim and her wife, Pam Gerber for years. I was especially interested in Dr. Slonim because of her work with women suffering with fibroid tumors. She’s considered an expert!

I MESSENGER

4

Dr. Suzanne Slonim

talk about what path to take. There were several paths: myomectomy (an operation to remove fibroids while preserving the uterus), hysterectomy (surgical procedure to remove the womb - uterus), wait and see, participate in a UT Southwestern (UTSW) program to reduce the tumors, or take shots at home as a way to reduce the tumors.

Now sometimes I can be a little utilitarianistic (here I am making up a word); thinking I could save the world.

I opted for the UTSW study because if they could find out something and fix the problem; I could be part of saving wombs around the world!

In addition to self-admyimessenger.com

ministered daily shots I had to change my diet: no hormone-induced meats (tumors feed off of them), no caffeine, nicotine or dairy products.

What does that tell you?

Some things are not good for you or the tumors!

At the end of the UTSW program, there was a significant reduction in my tumors. But the damage was done and I remember celebrating until they returned and in 2002, it was determined that surgery was necessary.

After the surgery, I spent the next year writing columns focused on females, specifically younger women; telling them things I wished I had been told when I was growing up.

Hopefully I made a difference in someone’s life then, today and the days in between.

As each day passes I have been committed to making those who prayed for me proud that I made it out of surgery and back into the world.

Through the efforts of many, maybe, just maybe fewer women will have to go under the knife and suffer the many symptoms and discomforts associated with fibroid tumors.

This July, I hope you will join me, and others, in learning and sharing more about fibroids. Plan to attend the Self-Care Fair, Saturday, July 16, 2022 at 11a.m., at After 8 to Educate (Fannie C. Harris Youth Center) 4212 E. Grand Avenue in Dallas. There are also events throughout the month. Just log on to https://www.eventbrite. com/e/dallas-self-care-fair-texasfibroid-awareness-month-tickets368394867967?aff=ebdssbeac. myimessenger.com

credit: https://uniqueinterventional.com/

5

July 1, 2022

The Real Problem!

QUIT PLAYIN’

BY VINCENT L. HALL

“The major problem confronting the United States today is there aren’t enough white babies being born. If we don’t do something about this and do it now, white people will be in the numerical minority, and we will no longer be a white man’s land.” –”The Birth Dearth”

by Ben Wattenberg My best childhood memories are divided evenly between my maternal grandmother’s house in South Dallas, and my paternal grandmother’s in “The Bottom.”

Well, we called it The Bottom then.

Nowadays, most of you call it the historic 10th Street District. New name. New faces and new prices will follow.

I’m sitting on the porch at 611 Millard St. sometime in the 60s, ear hustling while my paternal grandmother and a neighbor were talking. We didn’t have no internet, so in-person gossiping was our social media.

The woman from two doors down said that Pete and Nelly’s daughter died while she was away in college. Apparently, that’s why Pete was drinking so heavily and Ms. Nelly was so distraught.

Honestly, I had no visual recollection of her, so I made up her image based on what I heard. Maybe that’s how we got all those life-size murals of “White Jesus” in our baptismal pools. Hmm? Martha was said to have been beautiful, but “fair-skinned” like her mother and not like Pete. Pete was that shiny, well-minted hue of black.

Pete fit the bill if you needed a model for a “John Henry, the Steel Drivin’ Man” poster. His big bruised hands and bristled brows looked like he was working even when sitting down.

The lady said that Martha wasn’t Pete’s child. She didn’t know if Martha had been “born out of wedlock” or not. All she knew was that Martha bled July 1, 2022

I MESSENGER

to death. There was something about a coat hanger found in her dormitory room.

Children in our day were quite literal.

I remember my mother telling one of my aunts that their cousin in Houston had lost a child. I waited until it was established that Mama had hung up the phone. In those days, you didn’t say “one damn word” until your mother was off the phone.

I asked, ”Mama, did Aunt Evelyn lose the child in the neighborhood?”

AstroWorld was new and close to

Aunt Ev’s house, so maybe the child had been lost there. I was horrified then, but one day in my 30s, the two events merged.

My Aunt Evelyn had a miscarriage.

“Lost her baby” was the community standard before graduating to “miscarriage.” She was shattered because she wanted another baby and couldn’t carry the child to full term.

But Martha, one of those rare Black college students in her day, didn’t want a baby. She wasn’t ready for motherhood. Martha or someone helping tried to terminate her pregnancy the way

6

hundreds of thousands of other young women in her generation did. I still can’t grasp what happened. Far be it from me to understand all the ins and outs and questions surrounding abortion.

However, any Black man my age will testify to two conversations. First, our moms had a conversation reminding us that we are Black and prone to suspicion and official oppression. Secondly, most of us have a girlfriend or significant other who called us to say that something was missing and something might be coming! Hint, hint!

Because of stories like Martha’s, especially white Marthas, unwanted pregnancies have been addressed safely and discreetly for over half a century.

The United States Supreme Court ended Roe V. Wade, and stories about coat hangers and botched abortions obviously had no bearing.

Roe passed in 1973, but in 2022, the national maternal mortality rate in the U.S. is 17 per 100,000 live births––but 43 per 100,000 live births for Black women.

These are rough times for women and blackness only multiplies the misery.

Pro-lifers are for you while you’re in the womb. Of course, once the umbilical cord is cut, they don’t give a sh!t about you! Next up, same-sex marriage cause that “protected class” ain’t producing enough White babies either!

Your grinning, shuffling, jive-ass Uncle Thomas has already said so!

The old adage was that “anything the White man didn’t want you to know, he put in a book.”

You might want to peruse the pages of Birth Dearth.

The truth is that every policy decision in this nation begins with and ends with race.

And that Mr. Wattenberg is the “major problem confronting the United States today!”

For RED America, it ain’t about your Rights, it’s all about the Whites.

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

myimessenger.com

myimessenger.com

7

July 1, 2022

Your Ad belongs here, Contact: 214-941-0110

myimessenger.com

8

I MESSENGER

July 1, 2022

What product do you offer to your customers?

Put your products on your customer’s phone.

PHOTOS CAN DRIVE MORE TRAFFIC INTO YOUR BUSINESS “IT’S A WIN WIN BUSINESS APPROACH” Why choose us?

E-mailing photos has proven to be a better effective way to get your product's information to a specific group of customers. Our innovative system allows your company’s logo to be delivered to your customers within seconds. Your business contact information is stored until the customer removes the image. Customer enjoy taking photos. ✓ Your business branding with a customer photo is a great concept. ✓ If your customers have a cell phone, why wouldn’t you use the services. ✓ Our goal is to drive more customers to your business.

Our service prices is $550.00, mpoc2 will set up our innovative system with a camera, lights and a photo of your business information is printed on each picture and sent to the customer’s phone. Call and arrange an intital meeting today at (972) 684-0855.

We offer that system that send your products information.

Distribution channel on the internet.

Your channel will have your company information and its logo in –their phone.

Call today, don’t delay MPOC2 PHOTOBOOTH & PHOTOGRAPHY SERVICES 2837 DUSK LANE (972) 684-0855 WWW.MPOC2.COM Email:mpoc2photobooth@mpoc2.com

Wear the masks, wash your hands and show love!

––--

myimessenger.com

9

July 1, 2022

Travis Wortham debuts new book Creating Monsters or Raising Champions: “What’s Wrong with Deez Kidzs?”

I WAS JUST THINKING...

NORMA ADAMSWADE The white clothing on the majority of the guests at Travis Wortham Jr’s book signing and reception Sunday June 26 was an immediate sign that the author and his team had designed the occasion to unify and uplift guests.

The event lived up to expectation with about 200 guests hyped to take on the challenge Wortham presented while debuting and signing his new book at the Fair Park Hall of State.

The book is Creating Monsters or Raising Champions: “What’s Wrong with Deez Kidzs?”

“We are in the 4th quarter and there’s no more overtime,” Wortham Jr. stressed as he urged guests to join him in his crusade to win the battle and save the lives and futures of today’s youth.

“With how crazy our world has become, we’ve got to go out there and get these kids,” Wortham urged. “Politicians

Gang prevention activist Antong Lucky talks with the audience.

July 1, 2022

I MESSENGER

Moderator Robert Ashley and author Travis Wortham preparing to speak.

Businessman Robert Pitre explains his Life Guide for America map.

can’t fix this.”

Practically everyone in the room knew what Wortham was talking about and had come to show their support for his cause. The book is a primer on how to avoid mistakes parents make that produce troubled and at-risk children and in turn how to raise successful children.

Wortham Jr. told the audience that the book had been on his heart for about 40 years and that he has been refining and completely it during the last five years -- resulting in the book launching and signing Sunday.

A counselor, trainer, speaker, and consultant on all youth and family issues, Wortham’s background includes some 40 years as an administrator with troubled and at-risk youth in juvenile residential facilities in Texas and also counseling their families. He founded and owns The Wortham Group consortium of resource professionals on family and youth issues, some of whom gave input

for his book.

Speaking at the book signing, the Bishop College and Texas A&M University-Commerce graduate said his book gives many examples of behaviors and happenings that cause parents to fail in raising their children. Then, on the other hand, he also gives many examples of practices and routines that allow parents to successfully raise champion children.

He gave examples of chapters that detail mistakes men make as fathers and husbands and, conversely, actions and behaviors that help fathers reverse bad behaviors and learn to succeed at parenting.

The book also includes a chapter that counsels women about how to improve their parenting and family relationships.

Additionally, the book explores topics that include gangs, drugs, sex offenders and sex trafficking, bullying and aggressive behavior. Positive topics include building wealth, pre-marital counseling,

10

myimessenger.com

Wortham’s son Travis III, (standing at Lt) talks with the audience.

Poster of Wortham’s book signing.

myimessenger.com

and restoring men to their families.

Many of his resource associates were at the book signing and more than 20 associates gave brief remarks about their areas of expertise and how they have collaborated with Wortham throughout his career.

Radio personality Robert Ashley moderated the program. Those who gave remarks included Vincent Gaddis, Dr. Richard Broussard, Rev. Carey Dowel, Vince Nelson, Rev. Chris Simmons, Amon Rashidi, Antong Lucky, Nia Maat Khepera, Phyllis Bills,

Joy Weaver, Darrin Hemphill, Michael Bland, Jan Tennyson, Steve Robinson, Robert Pitre, and Nicole Craig, I was just thinking…how much better would the world function if much of Wortham’s advice from his book were practiced in families, schools, and society?

Wortham is available to discuss and sign his book at various public and organizational gathering. Contact him at cell 214-399-7171 and email travis.wortham@att.net. To purchase the book, contact Derrick I. Temple Sr., founder/ managing member with Ur-

11

ban Publishing House, LLC, P. O. Box 1684, Oxnard, CA 93032, phone 805-609-4951, email urbanceo@urbanpublishinghouse.com, web www. urbanpublishinghouse.com.

Dallas native Norma Adams-Wade is a University of Texas at Austin journalism graduate, and retired senior Staff writer at The Dallas Morning News. In 1974, she was The News’ first Black full-time reporter who covered news city-wide. She followed her mentor Julia Scott Reed, hired in 1967 as first Black on staff, who wrote a column about the Black community. Adams-Wade is a National Association of Black Journalists founder and was NABJ’s first southwest regional director. norma_adams_wade@yahoo.com.

July 1, 2022

Community Advocates Fight for Freedom Regarding Affordable Housing Call for equity and fair treatment elevated

By Sylvia Dunnavant Hines In the aftermath of Juneteenth, local community activists are still pursuing freedom when it comes to affordable housing in the Southern Sector of Dallas.

Although the Dallas City Council recently approved more than $7.9 million in federal funds for a planned affordable housing community in District 4, those working in the trenches of that community still don’t feel that enough is being done to break barriers that are keeping the minority community from being homeowners.

“You don’t need affordable housing in areas where the housing is already affordable” said Darryl Baker, a local fair housing advocate with the Group Fair Share for all Dallas. “My greatest input has been on the fair housing side regarding what the city is doing and not doing. Affordable housing can’t just be relegated to be built in South Dallas.

It needs to be built throughout the city.”

Currently the new community development will be an apartment complex of 300 units. The project is called The Terrace at Southern Oaks, and the first units are anticipated to be available as soon as Fall 2023. Non-subsidized rates will range from $900 up to approximately $2,000 monthly.

“The money the city is spending for apartments could be better used to help July 1, 2022

Commissioner Lorie Blair

people in the community become homeowners of single-family homes,” said Baker.

“This would be a better use of our tax dollars than paying developers for building an apartment complex.

“I understand that home ownership is not for everyone, but some of the funding could be used to help give assistance to those that are facing challenges in getting their own home.”

Baker and his organization recently filed a complaint with the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to investigate the City of Dallas’ policies and practices regarding affordable housing.

The complaint includes allegations that Dallas clusters subsidized affordable housing development in the Southern Sector of Dallas.

Baker is committed to working on providing equity in housing for all minorities.

“When affordable housing

I MESSENGER

is truly implemented it will no longer look like there is a rich part of town and poor part of town,” he said. “I think that is where we must at least start. People who work in lower paid jobs need to have affordable options closer to where they work. Ideally, they should be able to live within a 30-mile radius of where they work.

“Many times, people live in South Dallas, but they work in North Dallas, Plano, or Frisco.

They are making an 80-mile round trip to low wage jobs with no benefits. There is no doubt that all work is honorable. You have people that work as clerks and cashiers, and housekeepers. At the end of the month, they barely have enough money to pay rent, put food on the table and pay for transportation to and from work.”

As a community advocate, District 8 Planning and Zoning Commissioner Lorie Blair is also focusing her efforts to make sure that decades of injustices in housing don’t continue to plague residents of South Dallas.

“It infuriated me that as we celebrate Juneteenth, the city is still wishing to be segregated and prey upon those that have little or nothing,” said Blair. “One of the developers suggested that in order to get past the rule that states a single family and multifamily dwelling must have a buffer, he will get permission to build a lot next to a single-fami-

12

ly home with the promise of building an 8-foot fence.”

Blair realized that just having an 8-foot fence as a barrier between a multifamily dwelling and a single-family home could present some potential problems. She also questioned if this solution would be acceptable in other areas of Dallas.

Blair said she doesn’t want unsuitable work arounds to impact those in her community. She is aggressively working to make sure that living conditions are improved and that affordable housing is not just affordable but also attainable.

Both Blair and Baker say they are committed to making sure that affordable housing means freedom to those in the minority community that have had to historically deal with various inequalities in housing in the Southern Sector of Dallas.

“I just want to know, when is the city going to stop and say the minority communities are worthy to have the same dignity and respect as every other community.,” added Blair. “Just because they don’t have the finances doesn’t mean they don’t have the right to live in circumstances that are comparable to the least of other communities.

“They are entitled to live comfortably and with dignity like everyone else. I don’t care who you are as a minority, everyone is entitled to live with some sort of dignity.” myimessenger.com

myimessenger.com

13

July 1, 2022

Weighing in on Supreme Court decisions MIRANDA Since 1966, citizens could count on protection against self-incrimination by prohibiting sanctions against police officers who fail to advise a suspect of their Miranda Rights: You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in court. You have the right to talk to a lawyer for advice before we ask you any questions. You have the right to have a lawyer with you during questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you before any questioning if you wish. If you decide to answer questions now without a lawyer present, you have the right to stop answering at any time.

The Supreme Court has voted to limit the ability to enforce those rights, noting that suspects who aren’t warned about their right to remain silent can no longer sue an officer under federal civil rights laws.

ROE v. WADE In 1973, the Supreme Court issued a 7–2 decision that protected a pregnant woman's right to an abortion.

This month, both decisions were overturned.

Here are perspectives from members of our Editorial Team: ANGELINA LIU

Miranda Rights: Miranda Rights not being read impacts uneducated people. Educated people are protected because of their knowledge about Miranda Rights. People from lower economic backgrounds are not and that is unfair.

Angelina Liu is a senior at Coppell High School.

Roe v. Wade I’m annoyed and angry that Roe v.

Wade was overturned. I believe that the government should not decide what women do with their bodies. Women should have a choice when it comes to their bodies. Being pro-choice is not pro-abortion. Pro-choice gives her and other women an option on whether they want an abortion or not. Overturning Roe v. Wade is a step backwards.

July 1, 2022

I MESSENGER

NYCORTA MABRY, JR. Roe v. Wade It seems like there's so many other issues that should be focused on which makes me question why it is so important to them. Obviously, they want some type of control, but I feel like it has to be deeper than that. What is it that they're gaining with overturning those rules?

With everything taken away and stripping women of their right to think for themselves, we’re trying to get back to a place of freedom; financial and emotional.

Miranda Rights: My parents are police officers, so I

14

know a bit about Miranda rights and how important they are. There are several instances when officers have not treated brown and black individuals with the same spirit that they might with others.

So you've already had that situation happen and then you add this into the equation. It just gives us another opportunity for an officer whose job is to protect and serve to use his authority to demean.

Now, because they're protected by law, they can legally do it.

Nycorta Mabry, Jr. is a junior at Grambling State University

myimessenger.com

MAYA PALAVALI

Roe v. Wade It’s a catalyst to who is in charge. It is worrisome for everyone, especially in minority communities, but it’s important for us to not lose hope. I found out on Instagram, but I’m honestly numb to it because we’ve become so desensitized to the things going on in the world as a result of social media.”

Miranda Rights: I think it is disappointing. I was just finding out about the Miranda Rights situation but there are communities that will be affected.”

way to make it happen.

This is actually going to harm so many people. Because of this one decision along the process, you have to think about so many other different situations like people who have been assaulted, or young women or people who are pregnant and they have to carry a baby full term, but that doesn't guarantee that they're gonna make it through the pregnancy.

Miranda Rights: It will cause a lot of damage more than anything because people should know their rights, but some people are not knowledgeable about that stuff. So if they were to be arrested, there are possibilities that they will incriminate themselves.

INIYA V. NATHAN

KENDALL WASHINGTON

ASIA N. ALCORN

myimessenger.com

Kendall Washington is a senior at Bishop Dunne High School.

Asia N. Alcorn is a Senior at the University of North Texas.

Maya Palavali is a senior at Coppell High School.

Roe v. Wade I am a mother. It's just a lot to take in. It was a tough decision, but I made the decision that was right for me and what I believe in, and I also believe that women should have a choice.

It's very frustrating to see men making rules about women's bodies, what they can and cannot do. I'm very disappointed.

The decision isn't going to prevent people from getting abortions. It's just gonna prevent women from getting or anyone from getting safe abortions because people if they want one, they will go out of their

Miranda Rights "I believe that Miranda Rights being taken away from citizens is definitely wrong because a lot of people need to understand what they're entering when they are being arrested and being taken under police custody. A lot of people don't know the rights that they have. They may be uneducated, they may be homeless and they don't know what's going on. They don't know the current events. So I believe it is unfair that people aren't being read their rights."

Roe v. Wade "I believe Roe v Wade being overturned is unfortunate, especially when the people who made the decision were concerned about babies being murdered. They were more concerned about the white population declining because the white people were afraid of being the minorities. I also believe that the reason why people get abortions most of the time isn't because they don't want to have a baby is because of their health reasons. Or in some cases, because the woman was raped and she doesn't feel comfortable having the baby or because she can't afford to have the baby, or because it may be sick, and it needs to, it wouldn't be able to make it. So there's a lot of reasons why people behind why people have abortions. I also believe that the people who are pro life really aren't pro life, and that they should be more concerned about getting rid of the death penalty. They should be more concerned about African American men being killed by police."

15

Roe v. Wade It was a shock to see in the beginning they were even thinking about overturning Roe v. Wade. I hoped if the majority of the people didn’t want it to be overturned then it wouldn’t be. However, we know that now to be false. I wish the people had more knowledge about what was going on before a decision was made. It’s not fair for someone to just say, ‘Well, I’m conservative and anti-abortion, so therefore abortion shouldn’t be legal.’ The entire point behind the initial ruling is people should have a right to privacy. Now, I’m trying to comprehend how this new ruling is going to affect everyone else and other rulings related to privacy.

Miranda Rights: I genuinely don’t see any good coming out of this ruling. People should know their rights when they get arrested; it’s a basic norm. These rights were created specifically to prevent self-incrimination. There's a possibility people could be arrested falsely and or unfairly. I feel as though this new ruling only protects the police and not the victims.

From a political standpoint, I believe protecting the police over the people isn’t the right thing to do right now.

Iniya V. Nathan is a senior at Coppell High School.

July 1, 2022

July 1, 2022

I MESSENGER

16

myimessenger.com

myimessenger.com

17

July 1, 2022

After Juneteenth—Reparations Now THE LAST WORD BY DR. JULIANNE MALVEAUX

Juneteenth, or June 19, 2022, was marked with fireworks and concerts, parades, and proclamations, a big difference from Juneteenth a year ago when President Biden signed the executive order making Juneteenth a federal holiday just two days before its actual occurrence.

Last year’s hastily implemented plans were replaced by well-orchestrated programs this year. Last year’s celebration merited brief chats; this year, there was a nationally televised concert. This year, the media has gone to great lengths to explain Juneteenth, perhaps doubling their coverage from a year ago.

Corporations and other organizations are observing or commemorating Juneteenth.

I was surprised, for example, by receiving notices of Juneteenth observations from not one but two of the financial services organizations I deal with.

A white man at the airport wished me a “Happy Juneteenth” and while I somewhat appreciated his greeting, it didn’t make me happy, mainly because I don’t think the word “Happy” should be applied to Juneteenth.

Big Dot of Happiness, a company out of Wisconsin, has produced cringe-worthy “Happy Juneteenth” greeting cards. An online search will yield all kinds of products, many presumably not owned by Black people, commercializing Juneteenth with t-shirts, stickers, stationery, and more.

Commercialization is the way of predatory capitalism, so I’m July 1, 2022

not surprised at those who hope to extract surplus profits from the people who want to observe the day when formerly enslaved people were reminded that their enslavement was over.

Many who heard the announcement in Galveston back in 1865 were elated, some were angry at being exploited, and some understood that the quality of their lives was not to change immediately or soon.

Jim Crow laws, peonage and the sharecropping system, and economic lynching emerged

and ongoing legacy of slavery, and rededicate ourselves to rooting out the systemic racism that continues to plague our society as we strive to deliver the full promise of America to every American.

This Juneteenth, we are freshly reminded that the poisonous ideology of racism has not yet been defeated — it only hides.”

Now that the fireworks have faded, the barbeque has been digested, and the red soda water has been consumed, President Biden might do more to attack

immediately after the passage of the 13th Amendment. The holiday observation of Juneteenth is a vital way to inject the issue of enslavement into the popular lexicon, if only once a year. But the holiday transcends symbolism only if coupled with decisive action to combat contemporary economic exploitation and virulent racism.

President Biden set the right tone when he issued a proclamation a few days before Juneteenth.

He described the day as “a chance to celebrate human freedom, reflect on the grievous

the hidden, and not so hidden, ideology of racism.

Has his administration sufficiently tackled pay disparities in federal employment? On Equal Pay Day 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration issued a forceful pay equity statement. Yet, gaps remain, and many are the result of the hidden racism that Biden referred to in his Juneteenth statement.

African Americans are more likely than others to work for the federal government and experience smaller pay gaps with the federal government than in the private sector. At the same time,

I MESSENGER

18

pay gaps remain, and Black employees are more likely to be clerical workers in the federal government than employed in the Senior Executive Service (SES).

Connecting the Juneteenth proclamation to a strong statement about economic equity in federal government employment would have been impactful.

There are still opportunities for this focus, perhaps incorporating a statement about workers’ rights with a strong message about Black federal workers.

HR 40, the legislation to study reparations and offer remedies for economic discrimination against Black people, has enough votes to pass the House of Representatives.

Still, it cannot pass the Senate, given its current composition.

President Biden has been urged to, through an executive order, establish an HR 40 Commission to examine the reparations issue thoroughly.

He could do this with the simple stroke of a pen, putting action behind the strong words he issued on Juneteenth.

By embracing reparations to remedy historic racial economic exploitation, President puts teeth behind his lofty sentiments about hidden racism.

The federal observation of Juneteenth is an important step forward in our nation’s recognition of enslavement and its foundational contribution to the wealth of this country.

Reparations are the necessary next step. We must move from recognition to remedy.

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

myimessenger.com

myimessenger.com

19

July 1, 2022

“When You Can't Change the People around You, Then You Must Change the People Around You" BIG MAMA SAID BY TERRY ALLEN Lucille “Big Mama” Allen’s lessons are always appropriate for the time. When I first heard them, I did not give them the intense reverence I give them now.

I hear Lucille “Big Mama” Allen in other people all the time. This one ‘change people” statement is resonated by communication powerhouse, Eddie Reeves, all the time during our Zoom calls.

My biggest regret is that I had to hear her speak wisdom and I took IT lightly until another influencer repeated them to me again before Lucille “Big Mama” Allen’s playbook resonated. Let me remind you that we lived in a house built by my grandfather and grandmother.

Born in 1906, Lucille “Big Mama” Allen’s was right in the midst of in the era of lynching, Jim crow and segregation. Right there in the middle of strife, she was an influencer. Today, she could be compared to modern influencers like Michelle, Kamala, Gayle,

July 1, 2022

Oprah and Iyanla.

Lucille “Big Mama” Allen wanted us to know that no matter what knocked us down, we could get back up and be the purveyors of change and prosperity.

Her playbook recipe, “You can’t change the people around you, but you can change the people around you,” was saying we, when we do not have the power to get others to change then we

town Law Center on Poverty and Inequality released Girlhood Interrupted: The Erasure of Black Girls’ Childhood, a report that presented the findings from our quantitative analysis of a form of gendered racial bias against Black girls: adultification.

1. This bias is a stereotype in which mainstream Americans view Black girls as less innocent and more adult-like than their white peers, devoid

ROLLING BACK ROE V. WADE SAYS TO AMERICANS VOTE CHANGE NOW AND ALWAYS. must gather ourselves up and be around people who support our best outcomes.

Be mindful that Big Mama was a Black woman who lived in the 1900s. I saw what Big Mama experienced years after she had spent decades suffering from issues that would make today’s woman falter.

She had no power, yet she was the perfect example of a Black Girl Rocks role model.

In June 2017, the George-

I MESSENGER

of any individualized context.

In other words, adultification bias is not an evaluation of maturity based on observation of an individual girl’s behavior, but instead is a presumption — a bias applied generally to Black girls.

2. I saw what Big Mama experienced years after she had spent decades suffering and it shocked me then as it does now.

So now with the lawma-

20

kers of the land overturning Roe V. Wade, I see millions of women mostly non BIPOC taking to the streets to protest.

A small representation of America has made the decision that the majority of US adults disapprove of and about half of the US call the decision a step backward for America.

So, we see millions protesting.

Big Mama would say “You can’t change the people around you, but you can change the people around you.”

Big Mama knew she could not publicly protest but she could vote. So, while protests are good, it is time to use the voting power to change people.

We need you to vote. Big Mama because of you, I will vote.

I hope you will understand just how crucial it is to incubate empowering relationships.

Email me if you can change people and make an impact at TerryAllenPr@gmail.com Terry Allen is an NABJ awardwinning Journalist, PR professional and founder of 1016 Media, the charity - City Men Cook and Dallas Chapter President of NBPRS-DFW

myimessenger.com

Briefs

What Texans Need To Know About Monkeypox UTSW

By Helen King, M.D.

Internal Medicine - Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine

The recent headlines about monkeypox have people around the world worrying whether we’re facing anothHelen King, M.D. er potential global pandemic. So far, the outbreak – a term for clusters of disease in unexpected places or in higher-than-average numbers – includes fewer than 2,000 confirmed cases worldwide. About 70 of those are in the U.S. The current outbreaks started as travel-related infections and are now being spread person-to-person in at least 40 countries including the U.K., U.S., Spain, and Portugal. At the time of this writing, there was one confirmed case in Texas, in Dallas.

Monkeypox is not a novel virus; though we have not seen person-to-person spread to this scale in the past.

Prior to 2022, the most recent notable outbreak of monkeypox in the U.S. occurred in 2003 and was limited to 47 cases in six Midwest states.

Even during the current outbreak, getting infected with monkeypox in the U.S. is unlikely. If exposed, an overwhelming majority of patients will develop only mild symptoms, which can include: • Backache • Chills • Development of “poxes,” blister-like skin lesions • Fatigue • Fever • Headache • Muscle aches • Swollen lymph nodes in the neck and underarms • Rash Over the course of the infection (usually 2-4 weeks), the rash will change from flat patches, to bumps, to flumyimessenger.com

id-filled lesions that scab over. When the rash and sores break out the patient is considered contagious.

Early reports of the current outbreak in the U.S. suggest some unique features of the rashes. The CDC reported on June 14 that many patients are developing rashes that start on mucosal surfaces, such as the mouth, genitals, or rectum rather than the face as traditionally seen with monkeypox. Additionally, many of the rashes have been scattered or localized to specific areas of the body rather than spreading from the face to the extremities. So far, a lower percentage of people are developing fevers, malaise, headaches, and swollen lymph nodes in this outbreak.

Most patients will fully recover at

West African. However, researchers are rallying to rename the disease due to the discriminatory and geographic stigmas associated with it.

There has been a concentrated effort to move toward more scientific names not tied to specific geographic regions – that’s why the novel coronavirus became COVID-19, for example. According to The Guardian, the World Health Organization is working with partners globally to rename the monkeypox virus strains.

Monkeypox belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus, which includes several animal-associated poxes that can infect humans, such as camelpox that is found in Asian and African camels. Smallpox, which was eradicated in 1980, also belongs to this genus.

Monkeypox virus cells, as seen under a microscope, are spread through direct contact with infected animals, an infected human’s skin lesions, items that have been in contact with the lesions, or prolonged close proximity with an infected person’s respiratory droplets.

home without medical treatment. In rare instances of severe infection, effective treatment is readily available.

While the threat to the general population in the U.S. remains low, the COVID-19 pandemic taught us that cautious optimism must be balanced with appropriate precautions. Understanding how monkeypox spreads and what to do if you are exposed is a good first step in containing the outbreak.

History of monkeypox The monkeypox virus is named due to its origins in the Congo, and the two predominant strains are Congo and

21

In 2003, the U.S. monkeypox outbreak was tracked back to human exposure to rodents that had been shipped to Texas from Ghana, and then to Illinois.

That outbreak was quickly contained to the Midwest, and we hope the spread of this iteration will be contained swiftly as well.

How monkeypox spreads Being bitten by or exposed to an infected animal can transfer the virus to humans. The current outbreak appears to be travel-related and from person-to-person spread.

Stateside, the virus has been spread

Monkeypox skin lesions usually flare up, scab over, and fall off without intervention.

among people through direct contact with monkeypox sores or bodily fluid, such as the fluid that seeps from a patient’s sores or close, prolonged exposure to respiratory droplets.

Unlike COVID-19, monkeypox virus is not novel and we have a basic understanding of the disease progression of monkeypox infection and how to contain the spread. Infections typically last 2-4 weeks, and symptoms generally begin 1-2 weeks after exposure. Mild symptoms such as fever and fatigue may come first, followed by skin lesions that flare up, scab over, and fall off without intervention. However, not all cases during the current outbreak have had fever before the rash.

Approximately 99% of patients with the current strain of monkeypox make a full recovery, though in severe cases infection can be fatal. Learn more from the CDC. Anyone exposed to the virus can be infected. People who are at increased risk include: • Individuals who have been bitten by or exposed to a live or dead infected animal • Those with immunocompromising conditions such as cancer or HIV/ AIDS • Gay and bisexual men comprise many of the current U.S. cases, according to the CDC, though the agency emphasized that anyone can contract monkeypox through close personal contact regardless of sexual orientation.

See WHAT TEXANS NEED, page 22

July 1, 2022

Briefs

Global Game Changers Announces 6 Ways Kids Can Honor The 4th Of July And Share Their Patriotism For Red, White And Blue!

Global Game Changers Children’s Education Initiative, Inc. (GGC), a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization providing social-emotional learning (SEL) and character and leadership development curricula for pre-K through 5th-grade students, encourages parents to share these six ways their kids can honor the 4th of July and learn more about Independence Day and our American heritage.

Explore an historical site.

Get in the mood for Independence Day by finding an American historical site near your home and making a trip to learn more about it. Did you know that there are more than 2600 places designated as National Historic Landmarks by the National Park Service? You can find a list by state on their website: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/ nationalhistoriclandmarks/list-of-nhls-bystate.htm. If you know of a location in your state that’s not included, you can nominate it to be included!

Learn about the flag and make one.

The flag is a ubiquitous symbol around the 4th of July, but do you or your kids know why we have the flag we do? Each artistic choice on the flag is intentional. Its 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies that fought for and won independence from Great Britain. There are 50 stars, one representing each state. Remind your kids that there weren’t always 50 states, and visit the National Flag Foundation website to show them some of our country’s previous flags.

Once you’ve learned about the flag, you can

make one easily using popsicle sticks, paint, and glue. Global Game Changers has directions on its site 911lesson.org.

Put together a playlist for your bash!

Most kids enjoy music, whether it’s making it, dancing to it, or just listening.

Get them on board with the party spirit by identifying songs that remind you all of our country. Share the song that taught you the names of the 50 states and seek out new versions, like “Tour the States” by Renald Francoeur or old classics like Animaniacs’ “States and Capitals.” Add in classic patriotic songs like “Battle Hymn of the Republic” or the hymns from each branch of the military. And don’t forget to identify popular songs that connect with our country

July 1, 2022

Dive into American History Our nation’s birthday is a great time to learn about all that has happened here since 1776. Independence Day is a holiday, so find ways to learn about history that don’t feel like teaching school. Explore an event

through oral history by asking an older relative, neighbor, or friend to discuss it with your family. Consider viewing some or all of Hamilton to see history from the perspective of someone who was there at the nation’s founding. Read an adventure from the I Survived series of books and graphic novels, featuring stories like the American Revolution, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Joplin Tornado, and the Battle of Gettysburg. Or visit 911lesson.org for some easy and fun resources – beyond your personal memories — to educate kids about the attacks of 9/11.

About Global Game Changers Global Game Changers Children’s Education Initiative, Inc. (GGC) is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization providing social-emotional learning (SEL) and character and leadership development programs that empower students to overcome apathy, feel empathy, and foster a sustainable connection to service. To support this mission, GGC offers a free superhero-themed curriculum (MY TALENT + MY HEART = MY SUPERPOWER!®) to schools, after-school programs, and summer programs reaching more than 1,000 schools and 250,000 students in 49 states and 13 countries around the world.

The pre-K through 5th grade curriculum is made possible by the Novak Family Foundation, who believes in equitable access for all educators and students. For more information or to get involved, visit globalgamechangers.org.

monkeypox defies preliminary data and surges. One silver lining of the COVID-19 pandemic was defining and refining a swift and expedient vaccine distribution process.

Right now, there is no directive for mass vaccination like we saw with COVID-19 – even for healthcare providers – due to the very low number of cases and limited spread. However, if you have been exposed, talk with your doctor about whether you need to be vaccinated. People planning to travel to Western Europe or Africa

should follow the CDC’s travel notice information to protect themselves and others.

Just as we’ve been doing the last few years, make sure to follow basic self-protection guidelines: wash your hands regularly, pay attention to potentially suspicious symptoms, and keep your distance from others if you are experiencing even mild symptoms.

We will be diligent in providing the most up-to-date information about monkeypox and how to guard against infection.

4th of July Tips Help Kids Honor our American Heritage, and Learn More About Independence Day and The History of the 4th of July in America like Ray Charles’ “Georgia on My Mind,” Toby Keith’s “American Soldier,” and Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA.” Make a mobile decoration Create a 4th of July decoration that you can use every year. Cut paper stars from red, white, and blue construction paper and hang them with string or ribbon at different lengths from a wire hanger to create a patriotic mobile. Encourage kids to write or draw something on the star that enhances the spirit: Americans they want to honor or

What Texans Need cont. from page 21 What to do if you are exposed If you don’t feel well, stay home and avoid close contact with others including pets – especially if you have an unusual rash. Call your doctor if you have symptoms and discuss your next steps.

Currently, people in the U.S. with monkeypox are advised to quarantine at home until symptoms resolve. The majority of

remember, reasons they love living in the United States, facts about our country or its history, or come up with your own patriotic theme.

patients will recover without medical intervention. In severe cases, patients may require hospitalization and medication to clear the virus.

Vaccines and treatments that are effective against smallpox also have effectiveness against monkeypox. These vaccines have been stockpiled globally in the event smallpox makes a recurrence – or

I MESSENGER

Create your own time capsule.

As you learn about America’s past, remind your kids that today’s events will become history. Create a time capsule to help citizens of the future learn what it was like to live in the United States in 2022. Ask your kids what items to include, or what they think people will want to know about how we lived. Bury your capsule and imagine how the United States might look different on July 4, 2072!

Take advantage of these tips to add more meaning to your 4thof July, while keeping it a fun and enjoyable experience for the whole family!

22

myimessenger.com

We Celebrate #BLACKDADS “What it meant to be a newly freed Black man and a father in 1865 mirrors what it means to be a Black man and a father today: providing for and protecting your family, nurturing your children’s sense of selfworth and identity, defying stereotypes, resisting oppression, keeping the faith, and reckoning with the understanding, as Smithsonian Institution secretary Lonnie Bunch observed, that emancipation is ‘process that is still unfolding — not simply a day or a moment of jubilee.’”

— Johnathon Briggs

TO BE EQUAL

BY MARC MORIAL

In the 50 years since Father’s Day became an official national holiday, this is the second time it has fallen on June 19 — Juneteenth, which was designated a federal holiday just last year. While the timing may be a coincidence, the intertwining of the two holidays is an opportunity to reflect on the unique nature of Black fatherhood — both today, and on the day when Union Army general Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to deliver General Order No. 3 informing the people of Texas that all enslaved people were free.

Among the many horrors of the “peculiar institution,” as white southerners euphemistically referred to slavery, perhaps the most agonizing was the wrenching of children from their parents.

“Night and day, you could hear men and women myimessenger.com

screaming … ma, pa, sister or brother … taken without any warning,” a formerly enslaved woman told an interviewer from the Federal Writers Project in 1938. “People was always dying from a broken heart.”

After emancipation, thousands of formerly enslaved people placed newspaper ads hoping to reunite with loved ones. Last Seen: Finding Family After Slavery, an online database of these ads, calls them “testaments to their enduring hope and determination to regain what was taken from them.”

But the brutality of family separation as a means of maintaining white supremacy did not disappear with emancipation. Jim Crow took over where the slave auctioneer left off.

In 1965, a federal report, “The Negro Family: The Case For National Action,” commonly known as the Moynihan Report, popularized the enduring myth that absent fathers are the biggest obstacle to obstacle to racial economic and political parity.

23

The Moynihan Report is not just a classic case of blaming the victim, it is the original case. Psychologist William Ryan actually coined the phrase in direct response to the report.

“By focusing our attention on the Negro family as the apparent cause of racial inequality, our eye is diverted,” Ryan wrote. “Racism, discrimination, segregation, and the powerlessness of the ghetto are subtly, but thoroughly, downgraded in importance.”

In the decades since its publication, research has debunked not only the conclusion of the Moynihan Report, but its premise. Not only are missing Black fathers to blame for racial inequality, Black fathers aren’t even missing. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the majority of Black fathers actually live with their children. And, whether they live with their children or not, Black fathers are more involved with their children than those of other racial and ethnic groups —

70% were likely to have engaged in childcare tasks every day, compared with 60% of white fathers and 45% of Hispanic fathers.

The myths about Black fatherhood have never aligned with the loving and joyful experience that most of us know. I was blessed with a wise and loving father who was my greatest mentor and role model. I have been triple blessed to be a father to three children who are the source of overwhelming pride and unending joy. The ugly stereotypes of the past are being replaced with loving images of Black fathers pushing strollers, fixing their daughters’ hair, dancing, cooking and playing with their children.

The National Urban League wishes a happy Father’s Day — and happy Juneteenth — to every family as we take our inspiration from everyone working to create a better world not only for their own children but for all children.

Marc Morial is president/CEO of the National Urban League.

July 1, 2022

The Chains That Bind After Juneteenth OUR VOICES DR. JOHN E. WARREN

As so many of us completed celebrating our second national holiday, this time in honor of the delayed announcement that all slaves had been freed more than two years before the Juneteenth announcement, the question remains as to whether we all got the message?

All one has to do is look at the voter turnout during these midterm primaries in all places other than Geor-

July 1, 2022

gia.The Black vote, needed now more than ever, has begun to fall away. The chains and bondage of slavery have been replaced with chains of apathy and selfishness. These traits are evidenced in the detachment that many of us reflect in our lack of interest in issues that we don’t see affecting us directly. Too many of our minds are still chained to drugs, alcohol and violence on ourselves, often exceeding anything that racist and white supremists inflict on us with gun violence. As a matter of fact, we kill more of ourselves than mass shooters

I MESSENGER

24

with assault weapons.

The solution to removing these chains is a reflection and awareness that they exist and then a conscious decision to focus on the inclusion of concern for others. We must remember that we, as Black people, have come this far from Juneteenth as part of a collective effort. No one person has made the difference alone.

The good news is that there is a new wave as evidenced by those who have marched in protest against the ongoing murder of Black men by law enforcement entities. But

we must grow our numbers. Using the hard fought right to vote is one major step toward removing the chains; stopping the violence against ourselves represents another major step forward.

Bottom line, let’s add to our celebrations a commitment to building upon the sacrifices of those who came before us. Let’s remove the chains and bondage with the personal involvement mentioned here.

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

myimessenger.com

myimessenger.com

25

July 1, 2022

July 1, 2022

I MESSENGER

26

myimessenger.com

myimessenger.com

27

July 1, 2022

Nena's Finds 215 W. Tyler St. Gilmer, Texas 75644 (903) 680-3333

July 1, 2022

I MESSENGER

28

myimessenger.com

Armed gang invades Haiti’s main courthouse, further crippling justice system

BY JUHAKENSON BLAISE

PORT-AU-PRINCE — Armed bandits took over the Port-au-Prince Palace of Justice building last week in a brazen confrontation that left one person shot and scores of government prosecutors, judges and lawyers too afraid to report to work.

During the June 10 invasion, the fourth attack on the courthouse since May, workers said members of the “Five Seconds” gang shot a security guard as they bum rushed the property, broke open its windows, vandalized the judges’ courtrooms and seized court files. The gang, based in Villagede-Dieu and led by a man who goes by Izo, also made off with several commissioners’ vehicles.

“I just escaped death. If it weren’t for God, I would’ve been dead on the spot,” attorney Arnel Rémy said to The Haitian Times. “As a lawyer, I have a responsibility to demand that no one, lawyers, judges, clerks should not come to the Courthouse for the moment.”

Rémy was speaking moments after fleeing in a vehicle with five others from the courthouse, as shots were fired at the car. Rémy’s driver lost control of the car, but no one was injured.

In the days that followed, similarly gripping stories flooded social networks and local radio as judges, lawyers, litigants and prisoners relayed how they narrowly escaped injury or death. Some scaled the walls of the courthouse or climbed on prisoner’s backs, desperate to flee.

Police officers – whose agency was celebrating its 27th anniversary over the weekend – were assigned to guard the courthouse. But they proved powerless as the bandits overpowered them with higher caliber guns.

The attack is the fourth on the courthouse, which has been burglarized by unidentified armed individuals on May 10, June 5 and 7. To many victims and observers, the assault is yet another indication of the Haitian government’s careless attitude about securing the myimessenger.com

Residents walk past the Port-au-Prince Court of First Instance in an undated image.

courthouses and ensuring that Haiti has a functioning judicial system.

Members of the courts were already reeling from the lack of progress made in prosecuting several high-profile murders, including that of assassinated President Jovenel Moise and constitutional law expert Monferrier Dorval.

In the past, members of the judicial system have pleaded with Haiti’s government to relocate the Court of First Instance, as the facility is called, from the dangerous Bicentenaire area. They complained that the building is in a state of chronic dysfunction, due to increased violence and kidnappings in the area.

In April, lawyers in Haiti’s Bar Association held a sit-in to demand that the government relocate the civil court to a safer area. Days earlier, the Dean’s Office was relocated to expedite urgent cases, instead of the entire courthouse, as lawyers had requested.

Attack pushes justice system “to its knees” Lafontant, the government’s top prosecutor, has said after each court-

29

Credit: via Le Nouvelliste

house attack that an investigation was underway, but no official findings have been made public.

Each time, Lafontant assured that no sensitive documents were stolen. However, judges and lawyers said they have lost client files as they fled the violence.

Some attorneys also said on local radio that police tried to remove a large safe used to keep important files, weapons seized and other potential evidence.

It’s unclear what happened to the safe, they said.

The Moise case files are among those kept at the facility.

Rémy said on local radio Caraibes on June 13 that this attack “brought Haiti’s justice system to its knees.”

During the Friday attack, the gangsters stole four vehicles belonging to different commissioners, said Jacques Lafontant, government commissioner of Port-au-Prince, on local radio. Eyewitnesses said the bandits pushed the vehicles toward their base in Village de Dieu, also located in Bicentenaire.

That weekend, gangs also hijacked two buses carrying at least 30 passengers in Martissant.

July 1, 2022

July 1, 2022

I MESSENGER

30

myimessenger.com

Call issued to Support Black Businesses CAMP EXPOSURE

Buy Black!

By Cheryl Smith Texas Metro News

When Dr. Frederick D. Haynes III, of Friendship-West Baptist Church, announced 100 Days Dr. Frederick D.Haynes III of Buying Black in acknowledging the 100th Commemoration of the Tulsa Race Massacre, we joined the movement. December 31, 2021 marked 100 days of featuring Black Businesses. and we decided that the struggle continues and we must also. So enjoy reading about more Black-owned businesses and please support.

TONYA BEAUTY HAIR AND MAKEUP ARTIST

Tonya graduated from Ogle Beauty school and received her license in 1994. She has been a platform artist for several well known beauty brands and she always stays on the top of her game by attending advanced classes and seminars. She loves what she does and she will make sure that you are satisfied with your beauty goals.Tonya Beauty offers one on one attention, a professional upscale environment, healthy hair, waxing, makeup ,and fashion styling.

Call 817-874-7662. or check out www.tonyabeauty. com

SUNDAYS COMFORT FOOD

Sundays Comfort Food is a full-service catering company. We cater breakfast, lunch, and dinner events. myimessenger.com

Whether you are preparing a special occasion meal for two or a family reunion for 200, our catering staff is ready to make your event special! (214) 405-2208 cooking@ sundayscomfortfood.com

HETTIE MAES PLACE

WELCOME! THE BEST POUND CAKE YOU NEVER TASTED UNTIL YOU DO! Talk about baked with love, Hettie Maes Place provides just that and you will absolutely love each bite of one of their pound cakes.

They call it “Sweet Homemade Goodness.” At a recent event, the line was long and excited as they waited for their slice of this cake, baked from scratch. This is a family business and the love for one another, as well as their love for baking and putting smiles on the faces of satisfied customers, is very important. Check them out on Facebook and get your ice cream, fruit or numerous other ingredients ready; or you can eat it plain. Same results; it is perfect!

Place your order today at 737-881-1079

DAKIDDCUSTOMZ

DAKIDDCUSTOMZ founder is an artist who customizes shoes with any cartoon, logo, design or color.

Located in Jacksonville, Fl, shipping is available. Check out works on instagram, TikTok (@dakiddcusomz) or Facebook.

31

The Camp Exposure Football Invitational (“Camp Exposure”) is a free, all-inclusive, three-day overnight football camp specifically curated for under-represented high school athletes. The highly anticipated event returns for its third annual installment from July 8-10th with on-the-field training at Highland Park High School, and personal and professional development off-the-field sessions at Embassy Suites of Dallas Park Central. CHeck them out on Facebook or at http:// thecampexposure.com/

COSMOS AND LILLIES

Samundra Cooper is founder and designer of Cosmos And Lillies.

Cosmos And Lillies is a brand made to share her creations with the world. With the use of quality fabrics and unique patterns, Cosmos And Lillies exemplifies a Classy Lifestyle! Check her out at www. cosmosandlillies.com

BACCUS 50 MIN CLEANERS

For more than a half of century, Baccus Cleaners have been providing quality service; founded by local businessman Jasper Baccus. There were two locations with one in sunny South Dallas. You can take your laundry to 3509 Sunnyvale St, Dallas, TX, Get prices at (214) 372-2600 July 1, 2022

NNPA, Transformative Justice Coalition Announce National GOTV Campaign

NNPA Secretary Jackie Hampton, Attys. Daryl Jones and Barbara Arnwine, with NNPA Second Vice Chair Fran Farrer, President/CEO Ben Chavis, Chair Karen Carter Richards, Treasurer Cheryl Smith and First Vice Chair Janis Ware.

By Stacy M. Brown Ahead of the all-important 2022 midterm elections, reports show that more than 55 million Americans remain unregistered to vote – and about 10 million are African Americans who are eligible to vote but who are unregistered.

Whether the reason is because of apathy, suppression, or other means, the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) and the Transformative Justice Coalition seek to get to the bottom July 1, 2022

of why, with so much at stake, voter registration and GOTV mobilization remain lacking notably among Black Americans across the nation.

During the national convention marking the 195th -anniversary celebration of the Black Press of America in New Orleans, leaders of both organizations announced a get-out-to-vote campaign aimed at registering and mobilizing GOTV for 10 million more African Americans to vote in time for the 2022 midterms.

“The NNPA has talked

I MESSENGER

about the vote, and there is no better time for us to show our power,” NNPA Chair Karen Carter Richards said during the announcement, at the national convention in the Big Easy.

“Let us take the lead and not be on the tail-end so we can show the present-day power of the Black Press,” continued Richards, who publishes the Houston Forward Times.

Attorney Barbara Arnwine, the founder, and president of the Transformative Justice Coalition, and her board chair and fellow lawyer Daryl

32

Jones, told a captivated panel that their organization had recorded 72 voter suppression tactics to prevent a large population from casting ballots.

Among them are strict voter laws in many Republican-led states, deceptive practices like robocalls; early voting cuts; and voter intimidation.

“Black voters did our share in 2020,” Arnwine remarked, adding that “This is a great opportunity for us; we’ve got to make this happen.”

“Ninety-three percent of all eligible Black voters regmyimessenger.com

istered in Georgia. Yet, in the 2021 Georgia Senate run-off, 93 percent of all registered Black voters turned out. That’s why people don’t understand where the real power is.”

Along with NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., Richards, NNPA Executive Board members Janis Ware, Fran Farrer, Cheryl Smith, and Jackie Hampton, Arnwine and Jones announced that the groups would utilize a multi-vehicle “VOTERCADE” to get out the vote.

They said individuals riding in new and COVID-safe tour buses would hit swing states ahead of the November elections to register and mobilize GOTV for 10 million new Black voters.

Chavis said artists from Roc Nation, the company run by hip-hop magnate and business mogul Jay-Z, would accompany the VOTERCADE in some cities.

Music superstar Stephanie Mills also pledged to “get on the bus with the Black Press and the Transformative Justice Coalition.”

Chavis said he’s convinced other celebrities will also join the national GOTV campaign.

“The first form of voter suppression is self-suppression,” Dr. Chavis asserted. “This last primary election showed that some of us were keeping ourselves from voting. There are 55 million unregistered Americans eligible to vote, and 10 million are African Americans.”

He continued, “What if those 10 million were registered? We wouldn’t have worried about Donald Trump or the craziness of what the U.S. Supreme Court is doing now.

Elections have consequences.

The overturned Roe v. Wade, the overturned gun laws – are consequences of elections.” myimessenger.com

Attorneys Daryl Jones and Barbara Arnwine of the Transformative Justice Coalition

With more than 235 African American-owned newspapers and media companies serving as members, the NNPA represents the Black Press of America.

The Transformative Justice Coalition’s mission includes the systematic change that achieves racial justice, gender, economic and social justice, and human rights through public education and engagement initiatives that attend equally to hearts and minds as well as the social systems and structure in which they exist.

Further, the coalition dedicates itself to informed civic engagement and equal voting rights for everyone.

They use a voting rights map of shame to inform the public of threats to America’s democracy, how to protect

their voting rights, and steps to take to ensure the ability to cast a ballot and make sure it’s counted.

The organization also seeks the restoration of voting rights for ex-felons. “[Anti-voting rights organizations and individuals] have trained 10,000 people to be poll disruptors to go to only Black polling sites,” Arnwine said. “They’re not sending them to white polling sites, and if you watched the [Jan. 6] hearings, this is a concentrated effort to disempower Black voters.”

According to Davis, more than 18 million people are eligible to vote but don’t know it.

“They are the felony disenfranchised,” Davis explained.

“They are confused. It’s intentionally done in various

33

states. For example, in some states, you never lose your right to vote, and in some states, you can run for office if you’re incarcerated.”

The VOTERCADE would help educate voters and explain what’s legal, among other things.

“We’re calling on all 235 NNPA members,” Dr. Chavis encouraged. “That call and response from our brothers and sisters are vital. It’s movement time, it is time Get-Out-The-Vote.

“With the Transformative Justice Coalition, the NNPA will help move our people forward to get out this vote.

In 2022, we will make the critical difference in the midterm elections in terms of increasing Black voter participation throughout the country.”

July 1, 2022

NNPA-CELEBRATING THE BLACK PRESS!

July 1, 2022

I MESSENGER

34

myimessenger.com

myimessenger.com

35

July 1, 2022

July 1, 2022

I MESSENGER

36

myimessenger.com

myimessenger.com

37

July 1, 2022

July 1, 2022

I MESSENGER

38

myimessenger.com

myimessenger.com

39

July 1, 2022

July 1, 2022

I MESSENGER

40

myimessenger.com

myimessenger.com

41

July 1, 2022

July 1, 2022

I MESSENGER

42

myimessenger.com

myimessenger.com

43

July 1, 2022

SHE’S THE FIRST BLACK WOMAN ARCHITECT TO EARN A DOCTORATE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AT MANOA

By BOTWC Staff Danielle McCleave holds a bachelor of fine arts degree, with an emphasis in sculpture and painting from Belmont University. From there she pursued her doctorate at UH Mãnoa, winning the Hawaii Architectural Foundation award for her thesis entitled “Redesigning the Hood: Using Culturally Aware Wellness as a Tool to Inform Architectural Design.” Now McCleave has made history, becoming the first Black woman to earn a Doctor of Architecture professional degree from UH Mãnoa in the school’s 115-year-history.

“When I first found out I would be the first Black woman to obtain this degree, I was hit with a variety of emotions.

I was excited to be in this position of trailblazing, and I knew it would be encouraging for other Black women looking to get into design,” said McCleave.

Of the 116,242 architects in the country, Licensed Black architects account for only 2% of that number, Black women architects making up only 0.4% of the 2%. For McCleave, representation is critical to changing those numbers and ensuring the sector feels like a viable option to others who may be interested.

“We have learned time and time again that representation matters…Black women are deeply underrepresented as architects and designers. I strongly believe that great design is a right not a privilege, and for that to happen, there July 1, 2022

She’s blazing a trail! needs to be designers that are a part of and deeply understand the communities they are designing for,” McCleave explained.

During her time at UH Mãnoa, McCleave devoted a lot of time to researching equitable housing and culturally aware design practices in architecture, work she plans to continue incorporating into her practice. McCleave said while the doctorate program was challenging, the reward was worth it, albeit bittersweet.

“I was…proud to have been here, this program is not easy, and I had to overcome a lot to accomplish it, but I was also saddened that in 2022, there are still firsts like this to be had. It honestly is overdue, and I feel like there is room for improvement in the ar-

I MESSENGER

chitecture world, and in the architecture curriculum to highlight and showcase more [women] and people of color designers,” McCleave told reporters.

Laura McGuire, assistant professor of architectural history, theory and criticism at UH Mãnoa, said McCleave’s historic graduation is critical for the sector and the University’s School of Architecture.

While they are one of the most diverse architecture schools in the U.S., the University has still only graduated a handful of Black students, McGuire hoping that McCleave’s story will help attract other Black students.

“Historically, architecture has been a predominantly white and male profession and it remains so. But with graduates like Danielle that

44

will hopefully change. It is vital that architects represent all walks of life and cultural experiences and Danielle’s achievement is a significant step in that direction,” said McGuire.

McCleave credits her teachers, family, friends, and peers with helping her navigate this journey. She is also grateful for her contributions to the whole of architecture thus far and is looking forward to a more inclusive future at UH Mãnoa.

“I am excited to see the future of the architecture department and UH as a whole as it becomes more and more diverse and equitable,” she added.

Congratulations Danielle!

Because of you, we can!

Photo Courtesy of Danielle McCleave/UH.edu myimessenger.com

DR. KIKI BAKER BARNES NAMED FIRST BLACK WOMAN COMMISSIONER OF GULF COAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

By BOTWC Staff Dr. Kiki Baker Barnes is a Louisiana native who made a name for herself as a star athlete at the University of New Orleans. While she never saw herself in basketball, initially wanting to be a cheerleader, she credits her former coach Elliot Gilbert with helping her develop a passion for the sport.

“He was just an amazing man - and he worked us to death, let me tell you that. I learned the game of basketball - and I learned I wanted to be really, really good. I wound up being a halfway decent player. I got a scholarship!,” Baker Barnes recalled.

As the years went by, she found herself staying connected to athletics, eventually taking a position as athletic director at Dillard University in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Baker Barnes worked hard to rebuild player participation, growing the HBCU athletic department over the last decade and a half by establishing scholarship endowments, a Hall of Fame, and the highly anticipated Bleu Devil Classic basketball game she hosts annually against Xavier University.

“I’m most proud of the efforts of the Dillard community. Though I am the person who received awards for the leadership part, people had to buy into what you’re selling.

The Bleu Devil Classic became a cultural phenomenon, our highest money generator, and a family affair that everybody looks forward to. It became our highest money generator, myimessenger.com

helping us raise funds to honor and connect our past to our present and secure our future,” said Baker Barnes.

Now 16 years later, Baker Barnes has announced her departure from the beloved HBCU, set to take over in a new historic position as the first Black woman commissioner of the GCAC, a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics conferences dedicated solely to historically Black colleges and universities. Over the last

two years, Baker Barnes has been working as interim commissioner while also serving as AD at Dillard.

“It’s been tough. But on the other hand, I was made to do

of the university. We are going to elevate our institutions and our student-athlete experience. And we are going to have a good time doing it…It is my hard work. It is my passion.

Now I am helping young girls get connected. It’s about them knowing that it’s possible. And I feel like because of my path, I have an obligation to ensure they are aware of what those opportunities look like, and how they can successfully navigate and achieve their goal in leadership,” she explained.

She’s set to step down from her current role on June 1. In her new role, she’s focused on

She’s one of only four Black women to ever hold the position! that. I’ve been juggling 20 million different things all my life,” said Baker Barnes.

She is now one of only four Black women in the nation to hold such a position, already formerly making history as the first woman and first Black commissioner of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the only woman athletic director in the state of Louisiana. Baker Barnes hopes to continue empowering Black women in sports through her new position and the mentorship program she started in 2017 called “So You Want A Career in Athletics?”

“Athletics is the front porch

45

helping more people and really empowering the community.

“It won’t be just helping one HBCU but a conference of HBCUs…It means I’ve got a lot of work to do. My goal was never to be a trailblazer. I didn’t wake up one day and say I’m going to trail blaze. I wake up every day and say I want to make a difference. I want to make an impact, so I always ask myself how can I do that with the gifts and skills that I have in the place that God has planted me,” she said.

Congratulations, Dr. Baker Barnes!

Photo Courtesy of Sabree Hill/Dillard University July 1, 2022

Metro Community Calendar powered by JUNE

30

BLACK MUSIC MONTH PRIDE MONTH Black Male Health Month

1980s Nostalgia Night · 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM at Arlington Museum of Art

Tracy Morgan Live @ The Texas Trust CU Theatre at Grand Prairie

11-12

23

Kevin Hart live August 11th & 12th @ The AAC in Dallas!

JULY 2

14 The Weeknd live August 14th at The AT&TStadium in Arlington

Liberty by the Lake 6:30 AM – 11:00 PM at Colony Five Star Sports Complex

16

*** Outlaw Music Festival: Willie Nelson and Family, 3:15 PM at Dos Equis Pavilion *** Independence Day Celebration 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM at Klyde Warren Park

3 Addison Kaboom Town 5:00 PM – 11:00 PM at Addison Circle Park *** SoESE Management and Round the Clock Entertainment present R&B Saxophonist Tim Cunningham at Soul Food Restaurant, 925 W. John Carpenter Frwy, Suite 100, Irving, TX For more info contact Mr. Crawford at 817.583.0019

4

Fair Park Fourth 4:30 PM – 10:00 PM at Fair Park

Kendrick Lamar w/ special guests Baby Keem & Tanna Leone @ The AAC in Dallas

27 Burna Boy live @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory

AUGUST

8-10 The Camp Exposure Football Invitational (“Camp Exposure”) is a free, all-inclusive, three-day overnight football camp specifically curated for under-represented high school athletes. The highly anticipated event returns for its third annual installment from July 8-10th with on-the-field training at Highland Park High School, and personal and professional development off-the-field sessions at Embassy Suites of Dallas Park Central.

7

Wiz Khalifa w/ special guest Logic at the Dos Equis Pavilion in Dallas!

22

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.

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 Chris Brown I Was Just Thinking with Norma & Lil Baby @ Adams-Wade “History Class is The Dos Equis Pavilion in Dallas! in Session” Join in on Facebook/@

TexasMetroNews and BlogTalkRadio.com at 11 am -1 pm. CST. Wednesdays. Join the conversation call 646-200-0459.

July 1, 2022

I MESSENGER

46

myimessenger.com

Lifestyle Metro Calendar powered by JUNE Black Music Month LGBTQ+ Pride Month 30

27

9

Parker County Peach Festival 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM at Downtown Weatherford

Family Empowerment Expo Waxshachie Civic Center, 2000 Civic Center Lane, Waxahachie 10a-6p

10

30

From Risk to Reasons Performance & Workshop

The 2022 ILIVE Women’s and Girls Wellness & LifeStyle Expo!

University of Texas at Arlington, Texas 10a- 2:30 p 300 W. First Street Arlington, Texas, TX 76017

5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

2700 Swiss Event Space 2700 Swiss Ave. Dallas, TX 75204 Hosted by Dr. Jasmine Ward, Black Ladies in Public Health For providers pushing Black women’s power and pleasure in HIV prevention and care

JULY TEXAS FIBROID AWARENESS MONTH 1 What’s Your Truth?

Self-Love Soul Sesh with Taylor Morgan 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

2700 Swiss Event Space 2700 Swiss Ave. Dallas, TX 75204 Celebrating and elevating Black women’s sexual health and power

2

Kendrick Lamar w/ special guests Baby Keem & Tanna Leone @ The AAC in Dallas

24

BAMM, Being a Melanin Mom, Inc. cordially invites you to Second Annual Black Owned Experience Summer Expo!

11:00 AM – 3:00 PM CDT Lofty Spaces, 816 Montgomery Street Dallas, TX

AUGUST

14

3-7

Bastille on Bishop 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM at Bishop Arts District

National Association of Black Journalists / National Association of Hispanic Journalists Convention in Las Vegas

15

SWING AND LINE DANCE CLASSES

****

at The Warehouse, 1125 E. Berry St. in Fort Worth. Class starts at 7pm. Join Brenda and Reginald Rhodes at SwingLineDanceClass.Eventbrite.com

4

The Denton County Democratic Party (DCDP) will hold its LBJ-Obama Dinner at the HIlton Garden Inn, 785 State Highway 121, Lewisville. The keynote address will be given by former Texas State Senator Wendy Davis and the guest speaker will be Texas House Rep. Jasmine Crockett.

For tickets call 972-835-7301.

The 7th Annual iLIVE Expo is North Texas largest Wellness and Lifestyle Expo of its kind!

Send your calendar items to editor@texasmetronews.com

2022 Texas Democratic Party State Convention

Self-Care Fair free community event and feminine hygiene supply drive at After 8 to Educate (Fannie C. Harris Youth Center) 4212 E. Grand Avenue, Dallas.-11AM-3PM 17 Family Festival / Fiesta de la Familia 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM at Kimbell Art Museum

23 Karaoke Lic Sync Battle 7225 University Hills Blvd in Dallas 6p.m.

myimessenger.com

47

July 1, 2022

July 1, 2022

I MESSENGER

48

myimessenger.com

www.grandpasecret.com

myimessenger.com

49

July 1, 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 July 1, 2022

I MESSENGER

50

myimessenger.com