Texas Metro News 2-4-21

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THIS IS BLACK HISTORY!

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• Vol. 9 • Feb. 4-10, 2021

MY TRUTH

By Cheryl Smith PUBLISHER

Can you be lovable?

I consider Chuck D, of Public Enemy fame, to be one of the great minds of our time!

A consummate professional and thought-provoking deep thinker with great work ethic; he is phenomenal. I also consider him a friend.

I picked him up from the airport once during a visit to Dallas, and I told him I had a stop to make because it was payday.

When I arrived at the building that housed Service Broadcasting - the parent company of K104, KKDA-AM and KRNB, Chuck came inside with me.

Always gracious, he greeted folks and chatted while I took care of my business.

When he was in the company of those who were in a position to effect change at the station, Chuck urged them to be kinder to the locals. He wanted locals to be showered with love on the way up, instead of waiting until they hit big time and then jumping on the bandwagon.

Which brings me to my truth.

Dallas has so many smart and talented people — people who are going places. I’ve always prided myself on being able to see the good in people.

I also see the bad and ugly, but that’s another story for another day.

Anyway, I applauded Chuck for looking out for those who don’t have. It’s amazing we live in a world where the person who could purchase the entire restaurant is offered a free meal but not the person who doesn’t have a pot or a window (you get my point?)

See MY TRUTH, page 8

Rachel L.Proctor elected Mayor of DeSoto P-12

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A LIFE OF PURPOSE

UTSW to host talk on increasing Black male doctors

Dr. Marc Nivet

Cicely Tyson 1924-2021

Cicely Tyson was an award-winning film, television and stage actress, notable for her roles in ‘The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman,’ ‘The Help’ and Broadway’s ‘The Trip to Bountiful,’ among others.

An honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.,

Ms.Tyson built a successful career by carefully choosing roles that exemplified quality and depth. She won accolades and awards for her performances on TV, stage and in film, with credits including Sounder, Roots, The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, Oldest Liv-

ing Confederate Widow Tells All, and The Help. Tyson won three Emmy Awards and a Tony Award, among other honors, over the course of her acting career. She was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1977.

See TYSON, page 12

The importance of increasing the number of Black male doctors in the United States will be the subject of a virtual panel discussion at UT Southwestern in advance of the release of a documentary on the issue.

For the past decade, Dale Okorodudu, M.D., an African American pulmonologist and critical care specialist who is an assistant professor of internal See UTSW, page 11

Mrs. Verna McKenzie celebrates 105th Birthday!

By Marva J. Sneed Staff writer

It was a real celebration for Verna McKenzie as she celebrated her 105th Birthday.

Credit: Marva Sneed

Family members, friends and community members celebrated the 105th birthday of Mrs. Verna McKenzie with a Drive-By Birthday Extravaganza.

A former teacher at John Neely Bryant Elementary School, she retired from DISD in 1978.

She was also the First Lady

Birthday Drive-By at Bethlehem Baptist Church, Greater Mount Olive Baptist Church, and Southern Crest Full Gospel Baptist Church.

Her cousin Jacqueline Bell was among the many who showed up to shower the “Birthday Girl” with cards and gifts. The Drive-By caravan was

led by a local Corvette Car Club from Oliver Wendell Holmes Middle School to the honoree’s home. Decorated cars lined the streets as drivers honked their horns, waved, clapped, and shouted well wishes and birthday expressions.

Mrs. McKenzie said after the last car drove by and the drumline sang Happy Birthday to her, “You have made my year, not just my day, my Year.”

BLACK COLLEGE CLASSIC MOVES TO ARLINGTON

By Valerie Fields Hill News Editor

A historically Black college football game that had been played in the Cotton Bowl will move to Globe Life Park in Arlington, giving that city its first Black college classic game.

The Arlington Football Showdown will feature a matchup between two storied football programs, Texas Southern University of Houston and

Southern and Texas Southern to play on October 9

Southern University of Baton Rouge, La., promoters said at a press conference to announce the event at Globe Life Park Wednesday morning.

The game will be played Oct. 9. It is expected to draw between 15,000 and 20,000 black college football fans, alumni from both universities and North Texas-area high school

students and their families, promoters said.

“What we have done is reimagined Globe Life Park,” said Matt Wilson, vice president of sports and events for the Arlington Convention and Visitors Bureau. Globe Life Park is the previous home of the Texas Rangers professional baseball club. The club moved to Globe

Life Field last season.

“We love our friends in Dallas,” he said, “but to bring an event of this nature is a huge coup for us.”

Sports officials at both schools lauded the move to Arlington.

“We’re just trying to give our fans in the D/FW area a chance to see the Jags play,” said RodSee FOOTBALL, page 6

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DELIVERING NEWS YOU CAN USE

• Vol-9

• Feb. 4-10, 2021

The Scholarship & Educational Support Committee of Dallas Alumnae Chapter recently announced the scholarship recipients for 2020 and the

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upcoming 2021 scholarships to be awarded to high school graduating seniors in Dallas County.

Spring 2020 scholarships were awarded in the amount of $22,500. Two $10,000 Frederica Chase Dodd Scholarships were awarded to Kenadi Houston, a freshman at the University of Texas in Austin and Treasure Okey-Ilo, a freshman at Texas A & M University - Commerce.

Yasziara Anderson was the recipient of the Joy Scott Woodfork Community Service Scholarship in the amount of $1000. She is currently a freshman at Dillard University.

Additionally, in 2020 the

During the month of February, DeSoto ISD will observe Black History Month with a series of social media discussions ending each week with a Zoom panel discussion to be broadcast live on the district’s Facebook page. The schedule and topics are:

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Publisher : Cheryl Smith Editor: editor@myimessenger.com Address: 320 S.R.L. Thornton Freeway Suite 100 Dallas, Tx 75203 Website: www.texasmetronews.com Phone: 214-941-0110

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.

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DELTA SIGMA THETA SORORITY, INC., DALLAS ALUMNAE CHAPTER, AWARDS SCHOLARSHIPS

Dr. Andrea Hilburn, President

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BRIEFS

• Feb 1 - 5 HBCU - Historically Black Colleges and Universities • Feb 8 - 12 Divine 9 - Black Greek Letter Organizations

• Feb 15 - 19 Social Justice - Civil Rights and The Black Voter • Feb 22 - 26 “Black Enterprise” - Black Business ventures

sorority awarded three $500 book scholarships to the following recipients: Journi Crow, who is a freshman at The University of North Texas; Rahmo Bare, a freshman at Texas Woman’s University; and Kasey Johnson, a freshman at Prairie View A&M University.

Scholarship applications for 2021 are currently being

accepted and more information may be found at www. dallasalumnae.org or contact the counselor at your high school.

Chapter President Dr. Andrea L. Hilburn said, “We will be awarding more scholarships in 2021 than we did in 2020! Don’t miss the March 4, 2021 deadline to apply.”

Ed Bell Construction Company An Equal Opportunity Employer February 1, 2021 Ed Bell Construction is a Dallas based heavy highway contractor doing business in the North Texas market since 1963. With clients such as TxDOT, Dallas County Public Works, and the Cities of Dallas, Fort Worth, Richardson and Mansfield (plus many others), we have a strong backlog of work in the highway market locally.

We are currently hiring for the following positions: • • • •

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NAACP discusses racist call

By Ashley Moss

against the accused suspect.

Neither the District Attorney’s office, the grand jury intake coordinator, nor A White Garland resident apologized the public information officer’s office this week to members of the NAACP after returned phone calls left for them on the organization received a threatening, Tuesday. race-tinged message about Dr. Martin NAACP Interim Branch President Luther King, Jr., on the weekend of the Annie Dickson gave an update to holiday celebrating the life of the slain members and community residents on civil rights leader. the case.

“I’m so sorry for that one phone “One of the things I’m proud of is that call,” Garland resident Lee Lutz, who is it was reported,” Dickson said to the white, told members of the organization group. “When you don’t report things, it on Tuesday night. “I feel like I should gives permission to say ‘It’s OK’.” apologize for everybody. I think that’s “Whether or not they do anything, it ugly and I hope he gets prosecuted.” was reported and it was addressed,” she The apology garnered nods said, “and I’m pleased with of approval among the nearly that.” two dozen Garland residents Dickson told those and NAACP members who gathered for the meeting gathered virtually for the that the suspected caller group’s regular membership was a white man “of age.” meeting Tuesday night.

“He left a voicemail saying The meeting came one some very derogatory week after the branch filed things about Dr. King,” a complaint with Garland Dickson said. “A detective in Police that a caller had the Criminal Investigations left the organization’s Unit spoke to the man, who Annie Dickson members a voice message Garland NAACP President expressed that to this day he on its business phone line has the same opinion that referring to Dr. Martin Luther King by he had when he left the voicemail.” the N-word and making light of his Dickson said the case had sparked assassination. conversation beyond just members Members have said they believe the of the NAACP, the nation’s oldest civil intent of the message - and its timing rights group. over the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day “I talked to my daughters and holiday - was to be threatening. granddaughters, who’ve never seen the Last week, Garland Police said they things we’ve seen or (who have never) identified and interviewed the suspected experienced what we’ve experienced,” caller and would seek charges of she said. “ They can’t believe that we harassment against him. went through that.”

Police Lieutenant Pedro Barineau Branch Secretary Chonda Williams said that the department had referred said, despite the caller’s intent to harass the case to the Dallas County District or scare members of the group, the Attorney’s office for consideration by a caller’s action would do neither. grand jury. A grand jury will determine “We are not going to give in to whether sufficient evidence exists to intimidation or prejudice or fear, that’s bring an indictment of harassment not going to happen,” she said.

Staff writer

MetroNews

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• Vol-9

• Feb. 4-10, 2021

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School to be named after Dr. Frederick D. Haynes III

Pastor Haynes with family, friends and Paul Quinn Family.

On the very land where his parents walked, where he attended Bishop college/chapel, and where he pledged Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., it’s the place that has been home to Paul Quinn College for almost 30 years and soon there will be a school, bearing his name - Dr. Frederick D. Haynes III. This isn’t a distinction afforded to many, especially those still living, but Dr. Haynes will join the ranks of Rev. Dr.

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Zan W. Holmes, Jr., and the Hon. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) The school will be for grades 6th thru 12 and according to DISD officials, the secondary IB (international baccalaureate) school is taking applications for those entering into the sixth and seventh grade next academic school year.

Dr. Haynes is shown on the far right, with his wife, Debra Peek-Haynes.

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• Feb. 4-10, 2021

First Concession, Last Concession?

QUIT PLAYIN’

By Vincent L. Hall As we approach the shortest month of the year and the one reserved to celebrate Black History Month, the time for reflection is again at hand. Rather than center on personalities and prominence, we can delve into the philosophies and wisdom that “got us over!”

If “how we got over” missed you, you must’ve missed church, so let us start there.

The Black Church was hewn from the Black pulpit. Liberation theology was our only hope. The Reverend Dr. Freddy Haynes continually reminds us that America is full of churches with Black folk, which do not represent the “Black Church” tradition.

The “Black Church,” which was Black by law and Black by necessity, used scripture to liberate rather than incarcerate.

The Black Church did not always have walls and floors. No ceilings, just skies!

The early Black Church met in brush harbors, barren cotton fields, and “Down by the riverside!” The mission of the Black church was to repeal and replace the God of White slave-owners. The Black church moved us from coerced obedience to conscientious objection.

Preachers John Marrant, Peter Durrett, Richard Allen, Jarena Lee, and others were tasked with leading slaves from silence and submission to rightful defiance and self-actualization.

Black preachers would not grant their consent to the evils of chattel slavery. “Thirty pieces of silver” goes a long way today, but not in the Black Church.

The Black preacher was forced to stand tall and resist

Dr. Zan Holmes and Vincent L. Hall

the Christian capitalists who professed “Liberty and justice for all” while consigning a 3/5 share of that modest liberty to men and women of the darker hue.

When Charles Pinckney offered the “Three-Fifths Compromise,” he faced no measure of challenge from the “White Church or its avowed clergymen.” Black preachers faced terrorism and personal ruin alone.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH SERIES Richard Allen and Absalom Jones pastored in Philadelphia, where the Constitutional Convention was being held.

Allen and Jones had a moral obligation to fight Pinckney.

Even when social and moral compromises are in order, concessions must be strategic and just. Three-fifths was a costly concession.

Dallas’ “Archbishop Emeritus” Dr. Zan Holmes often made this point about costly concessions using one of “Aesop Fables.”

“The Trees and the Axe” has been repackaged by several philosophers. However, George Tyler Townsend’s sounds closest to the Reverend Holmes’s recitation.

“A man came into a forest and asked the Trees to provide him a handle for his axe. The Trees consented to his request and gave him a young ash-tree.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Both of the above mentioned Faith Leaders, Drs. Zan Wesley Holmes and Frederick Douglass Haynes III make no concessions to their faith and community commitment. There are two schools in the Dallas Independent School District named for each of them.

No sooner had the man fitted a new handle to his axe from it than he began to use it and quickly felled with his strokes the noblest giants of the forest.

An old oak, lamenting when too late the destruction of his companions, said to a neighboring cedar, “The first step has lost us all. If we had not given up the rights of the ash, we might yet have retained our own privileges and have stood for ages.”

My father was not a preacher, but he had a similar word of caution. Daddy used to say, “Give a White man an inch, and he’ll take a mile. Give him a rope, and he wanna be a cowboy!”

And whether you are stuck with the image of the ax handle or the cowboy’s lasso, the effect leads us back to Zan’s sermonic title, “Our first concession, became our last concession!”

Unveiling “Hidden Figures” is always apropos; however, we also need to survey our trees.

We must admit that we provided some of the axes that destroyed our forest. Concessions have consequences!

Have we conceded our children and the Black Church?

Have we conceded our futures to America’s body politic? Did we consent to the inch of convenience that turned into a mile of misery?

No answers this Black History Month, just questions!

You need to study for yourself.

Ignorance is the worst concession!

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

During Black History Month, let’s reflect on the past to move toward the future

By Norma Adams Wade

This is the first Black History Month since the disastrous year of 2020. We want to close that door and move toward hopeful opportunities ahead. Right?

But is forgetting the past more productive than remembering it?

That’s the question a Dallas pundit of African-American history is asking as we enter this exhaustive 28day historical marathon.

Clarence E. Glover Jr. is one of many scholars who will be cramming more than four centuries of Black history into this short span of time. The former diversity educator for Southern Methodist University and Dallas ISD is a minister, urban gardener and drummer who often presents an African interpretation

ral fruit.”

He said he will build on the 2021 national Black History Month theme — “Black Family: Representation, Identity and Diversity” — and will title his own lecture “E Pluribus Unum: African Families and the American Dream.” The graduate of Grambling State University and SMU’s Perkins School of Theology said both topics give him space to explore current developments, including the new Biden-Harris administration’s emphasis on restoring national unity.

But some folks may reject his surprising point that “unity is nothing new for America.”

The nation’s founding motto of unity — E pluribus unum, or Latin for “out of many, one” — seems to have gotten lost in recent racial and political turmoil on American soil,

“Where there are no roots, there are no fruit,” said Clarence E. Glover Jr. (left), shown in a drum circle at the 2019 Harambee Dallas Festival at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center.

“We as African-Americans must recognize our historical and cultural roots in order to produce quality and cultural fruit.” Note: Melody Afi Bell, who died last week, is on drums.(File)

of Biblical scriptures and sometimes lectures as his ancestral alter-ego character “Professor Freedom.”

Glover said he will be probing for answers to his what-have-we-learned question as he begins his busy schedule of lectures, libation ceremonies and community outreach projects. He also will spend much time leading Sankofa ceremonies that honor forgotten and unknown laborers and change-makers from the widespread African diaspora.

His consulting agency, Sankofa Education Services, highlights the West African Sankofa symbol — showing a mythical bird moving forward but looking back — to promote the value of learning from the past.

“Where there are no roots, there are no fruit,” Glover said. “We as African-Americans must recognize our historical and cultural roots in order to produce quality and cultu-

Glover said.

A large portion of the “many” includes ignored enslaved Africans and their descendants who provided all-day, back-breaking labor, Glover said. The laborers planted and harvested crops including cotton, tobacco, wheat, lumber, rice, corn and indigo — goods that formed the economy upon which the colonies and new independent nation were built.

“We must accept the fact that the dream of the American nation, 1776, was built on the backs of enslaved African families,” said Glover, who was born on Shreveport farmland his family has owned for centuries.

So, he will honor the millions of forgotten enslaved Africans and their descendants, buried in and outside cemeteries, where many bear no headstones to even recognize them as “unknown.” Glover said he likes See FUTURE, page 14

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• Vol-9

Power Leaks

FAITHFUL UTTERANCES

By Dr. Froswa Booker-Drew It’s easy to get overwhelmed and pulled in a number of directions. That was my week.

It was a week filled with calls and responsibilities. On one call with a fabulous group of ladies that feed my soul, I was reminded about energy leaks. The consequences of our energy slowly leaking can be detrimental. A great analogy is to think about a house that leaks energy.

Without proper insulation, energy costs can increase by at least 20%. Energy leaks through unsealed cracks and insufficiently sealed windows and doors as well as other unsuspecting areas in our homes. Leaking energy is expensive and requires repairs that if we do not take care of them in time, the consequences can be pricey and time consuming.

This same concept applies to our body, mind, and spirit. There are many cracks that are in our lives that we may not even be aware of.

When we do not take care of what flows in and out of us, we can lose a lot of energy, time, rest, and even peace of mind. Sometimes these cracks are distractions. They seem as if they are good opportunities that we are being presented but they will cost us peace and ultimately, the money isn’t necessarily worth it. A dear friend of mine reminded me that there is a difference between good opportunities and God opportunities. Often, we miss the opportunities God has for us because we are bogged down with so much good stuff to do. Those good things can block our ability to receive the great one because we are too busy, too tired, or too distracted. Those are also cracks draining our energy.

It was interesting when Jesus was on his way to heal someone that he

encountered someone else who needed him. Luke 8:4048 states: “40 Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. 41 Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house 42 because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him.

43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years,[a] but no one could heal her.

44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. 45 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked.

When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” 47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet.

In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”

I think there are some key lessons we can take away from this passage: 1. When you are heading somewhere, there will always be interruptions.

Sometimes we can be so fixated on getting where we are going that we don’t see the opportunities to be a blessing to others.

Jesus could have easily told her, “I don’t have time for you. I’m on my way somewhere else.” How can we be clear and open to possibilities that may seem like distractions at first but are actual opportunities to change us and others? How do we discern between these God moments and the distractions?

2. Jesus recognized that in helping someone, power left him. Each time we

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interact with others, power leaves us. The difference between many of us and Jesus is that He knew His power was gone. We can go for days without realizing we are depleted. How can you notice the energy leaks and power drainers in your life? How are these impacting your mental, physical, and spiritual life?

Who or what is pulling on you?

3. How often are we so busy that we miss the opportunity to touch the garment of Jesus? Our wounds can keep us from reaching out to the get help we need. As we are moving toward our goals and dreams, are we being intentional in reaching out to Jesus to get replenished and healed to move forward? Otherwise, we will bleed out for decades seeking relief but never getting restoration.

4. Watch out for the people who tell you that what you are experiencing is not real.

Peter told Jesus what he felt should be dismissed. Just because they don’t get it doesn’t mean you should stop identifying what you know to be true in your spirit.

Leaking out energy can cost us more in the long run. Leaks in a house are sealed with insulation. Our insulation is spending time with God so that when we are distracted, attacked, and tired, we can withstand what we face. Even during a crazy week, I’m grateful for spaces that feed me and replenish me. I also know that I need God even more on this journey and if I am not being deliberate about spending time in God’s presence to mediate, refresh, and rejuvenate, it doesn’t matter where I am going if I can’t arrive intact.

Dr. Froswa’ Booker-Drew is the host of the Tapestry Podcast and the author of three books for women. She is also the Vice President of Community Affairs for the State Fair of Texas. To learn more, visit drfroswa.com.

• Feb. 4-10, 2021

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Joe Simon: “Don’t Give Up, You Can Make It If You Try, You Can Win” WAKE UP AND STAY WOKE

By Dr. E. Faye Williams NEW YORK - PRLog -- Spickum Publishing reporting....Dr. E. Faye Williams, National President of the National Congress of Black Women, has plenty of good things to say about The Autobiography of Joe Simon, the life story of the Grammy Award-winning former R&B singing star now known as Bishop Joe Simon.

“He tells his life story in his own words,” says Dr. Williams. “When you read this exhilarating book, as I have more than once, it’s going to enlighten the reader and enhance your passion and your wisdom and appreciation for those who succeed no matter what.

And that’s what I see Joe having done.

The book is really a masterpiece for living and for learning----to adjust to whatever you’re facing in life.

“Often a message hits deeply that speaks to the heart, the mind, the soul, and the community. Joe does just that.”

The Autobiography of Joe Simon relates in riveting fashion how Bishop Simon overcame tremendous hardship and poverty as he grew up in Simmesport, Louisiana to beat the odds and embrace stardom in the rhythm and blues arena during the 1960s and ‘70s, only to give it all up to follow a higher calling that continues to this day.

“I’ve been talking about it wherever I am. I tell people about the book and the lessons there,” says Dr. Williams.

“Because he did have a very hard time, even after he left Simmesport. But he overcame it. It didn’t matter what happened in his life. He found a way to get around it and still could be successful.

I don’t know many people who had as many successful songs as Joe had. I guess they came through very difficult times. When you read the book, you will learn about some of them.

“His is still great music, even though he doesn’t do it anymore. He just no longer cared about the R&B lifestyle.

I don’t think it was a problem he had with his music, because it’s still great. He made a choice that some of us didn’t understand at the time. But thinking back over his decision, we see a lot of people who were ruined by that

very lifestyle. And I’m just glad to call him my friend, and I feel blessed that he did leave some of these things behind. He’s doing something even more wonderful. We still enjoy his music, and I will always be a fan of his.”

Young people are sure to find major inspiration when reading Bishop Simon’s amazing life story. “Probably at the time, people had no idea of the struggle he had,” says Dr. Williams, whose radio show Wake Up and Stay Woke airs every Wednesday at 10 a.m.

EST on WPFW/Pacifica Radio 89.3 FM in Washington, D.C. and can be heard worldwide at www.wpfwfm. org. “In the book, you will read about his living in a chicken coop. In a real chicken coop! In a way it’s funny, but at the same time you understand that sometimes you have to go through these things. He even made a song that sounds like that: ‘It Be’s that Way Sometimes.’ He never allowed any-

Dr. E. Faye Williams

thing to stop him from succeeding at what he was doing.”

During the 1960s and ‘70s, Joe Simon was one of the foremost stars in the soul and R&B field. He launched his secular singing career on the West Coast, proceeding to post a string of stirring ‘60s hits for John Richbourg’s Nashville-based Sound Stage 7 Records, including “Let’s Do It Over,” “My Special Prayer,” “Nine Pound Steel,” and the Grammy-nominated “(You Keep Me) Hangin’ On.” Simon’s 1969 smash “The Chokin’ Kind” topped the R&B charts and won him a Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.

Moving over to the Spring label, Simon continued his winning streak through the ‘70s with more massive sellers led by “Drowning in The Sea Of Love” (Grammy-nominated), “Power Of Love,” “Theme From Cleopatra See YOU CAN WIN, page 14

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Football from page 1

ney Kirschner, senior associate athletic director for the Southern University Jaguars Athletic Department.

The game announcement came after nearly six months of meetings between event promoters, Arlington Convention and Visitors Bureau officials, civic leaders, officials in the Southwestern Athletic Conference and both universities’ sports administrators, said April Watson, vice president of Lone Star Sports, LLC, the game’s promoter.

“I’m excited,” she said. “We’ve had, probably since August of last year, no less than 25 meetings. This has been very strategic. They have really vetted us.”

The Showdown will be the first time that Arlington, a city of 400,000 residents, has hosted a Black college football event.

Dallas has hosted the State Fair Classic, a matchup between historically Black Prairie View A&M University and Grambling State University at the Cotton Bowl, since 1985.

The Showdown has its beginnings in 2017 at the Cotton Bowl, where it was to be played for three years between the two teams. It was canceled last fall due to COVID-related restrictions prohibiting large gatherings at sporting arenas.

In light of the cancellation of the 2020 game, the original promoter sold his rights to the game to Lone Star Sports, LLC., a Dallas-based marketing and events promotions company whose management saw Globe Life Park as a better fit for the two universities’ fans, some of whom had complained, among other things, of limited parking at the Cotton Bowl, poor traffic management and lengthy walks from parking areas to the stadium.

The Arlington Showdown comes amidst a resurgence of interest in Black college sports matchups.

Last month, for example, the Greater Columbus Sports Commission in Ohio announced the return of the HBCU “Classic for Columbus” after a 20-year hiatus. The game and surrounding activities will take place Aug. 25-29, 2021 in downtown Co-

lumbus and will feature Central State University, a public historically black college located in Wilberforce, Ohio and Kentucky State University, a 135-year-old HBCU located in Frankfort, Ky. Similarly, Hollywood actor Michael B. Jordan announced in December he had organized the “Hoop Dreams Classic,” a basketball event showcasing four women’s and four men’s HBCU teams on Dec. 18, 2021 in Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. There’s also recent interest in HBCU sports programs among professional athletes.

This week, ESPN reported that the NBA is considering highlighting Historically Black Colleges and Universities during a rescheduled NBA All Star game on March 7 in Atlanta. The plan reportedly is being championed by Chris Paul of the Phoenix Suns, a vocal supporter of HBCU athletes.

Finally, of course, in a move widely reported by mainstream media outlets last fall, former Dallas Cowboy Deion Sanders left his gig as a regular football analyst to coach at historically Black Jackson State University, luring with him his own son, a four star recruit, and a constant stream of other four and five-star athletes, some of whom had committed to play at highly-ranked predominantly white programs.

David Squires, a sports journalist who has written about Black college sports events since the early 1980s, said that while HBCU classic games have been played for decades, some cities are coming to a fresh understanding of their economic impact.

Squires, who has covered sports for national outlets including BlackVoices.com and The Undefeated, said the Arlington Football Showdown is “a good idea” to lure out-of-town visitors to spend dollars in the

local community.

“People will come from as far away as Oklahoma and Louisiana to these games,” he said.

“You’re in a big football area.”

“People put these (Black college football) classics on their travel schedules a year in advance,” said Squires, a journalism lecturer at the historically Black North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University in Greensboro, N.C. Aside from Dallas’ State Fair Classic, there are at least a half dozen other longstanding Black college classic games across the nation which attract scores of fans, including:

• The 31-year-old Southern Heritage Classic, a duel between Jackson State University and Tennessee State University played each year at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis. More than 48,000 residents, alumni and others attend this annual event.

• The 36-year-old Circle City Classic, which pits Kentucky State University and Central State University at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. The event drew about 23,000 sports fans, in 2015.

• The 80-year-old Magic City Classic, one of the largest in the nation. This matchup between state rivals Alabama State University and Alabama Agricultural and Mechani-

cal College is held at Legion Field in Birmingham. In 2015, the game drew 64,000 attendees to Birmingham for an entire week of fanfare, parties, a concert and other events.

• The Bayou Classic, considered the grandfather of Black College classic games because of its commercial appeal and annual broadcast appearance on network television.

This event brings cross-state rivals Grambling State University and Southern University of Baton Rouge, La., to Mercedes Benz Stadium in New Orleans. The 46-year-old tradition includes a pageant, golf tournament, concerts, a Greek show and Battle of the Bands.

Black college classic events bring families to dine in local restaurants, stay multiple nights at hotels and entertain themselves at nearby music halls, Squires said, so some cities are jumping on the bandwagon to lure such events.

“I think every year, somebody is trying to do a new classic,” he said.

Wilson, the vice president of sports at the Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the Football Showdown fits into Arlington’s long-range plan of attracting entertainment events, such as horse shows and big truck competitions, that appeal to the city’s diverse residents.

“We’ve really embraced, as a city, the moniker ‘Arlington: The American Dream City’,” said Wilson.

“We’ve seen our African American population grow,” he said. “We want to make sure we’re meeting the needs and wants of this population.”

The Arlington Football Showdown could not have come at a better time, economically speaking.

Economic development staffers have been challenged in recent months to bring events to a

city that has been hit hard by retail closures, limited attendance at both Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers events and slowdowns at its two amusement parks, Six Flags Over Texas and Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, due to the Coronavirus pandemic restrictions.

“In this environment, we have one or two choices: We can pack it up…or you can give people a choice,” said Wilson, explaining that economic development executives had the undesirable choice of allowing venues to remain empty – or figure out novel ways to fill them, but do so safely.

“Too many people are counting on a paycheck – waiters, waitresses, hotel staff. They can’t afford to wait to see what happens,” he said.

The Arlington event will follow the blueprint of other Black college football classics. The Showdown will include four days of activities.

Beginning on the Thursday before the game, promoters will host a college fair showcasing academic degree programs at various HBCUs and career information and an evening Scholarship gala.

On the Friday prior to the game, the lineup includes a golf tournament, Battle of the Bands, a Greek Step and Comedy show and alumni parties.

Saturday’s activities include a yet-to-be-named high school game to be played before college matchup and on the Sunday following the gameday, promoters will host an Alumni and Friends Brunch.

The Showdown’s activities will be held at venues such as Texas Live! in the Arlington Entertainment District.

Watson said the event’s sponsors, who are based in Texas, favored activities that engage local residents who potentially would patronize their establishments.

“For our sponsors, that’s a big deal,” said Watson, who herself lives in the Arlington-Fort Worth area.

Tickets to the Arlington Football Showdown will sell for $20 pre-sale and $25 at the gate.

They can be purchased through the Texas Rangers Box Office.

Tickets go on sale Feb. 1.

For more information on the event, click here: www.theArlingtonFootballShowdown.com

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Virtual and liVe Community Calendar

BLACK HISTORY MONTH Living with Low Vision ZWHJCOC Lunch & Learn Session, with Dr. Stephanie Fleming, O.D. 11:30 am-12:30 pm. Via Zoom at www.zwhjcoc.org.

Dallas Black Dance Theatre’s DBDT: Encore!

Reminisce reflects on the Civil Rights Era, music tribute - Andra Day, Aretha Franklin & Gladys Knight & The Pips 7 pm. DBDT. com.

Advancing Social Justice, Health Equity, and Community, by The Hastings Center.

Feat: Professor Patrick T. Smith of Duke Univ. Online: thehastingscenter-org.zoom. us. 11 am. CST.

Business Alliance Ball at The Attaché Cigar, 4099 Camp Wisdom Rd. #101. 7 pm. Tickets: www.theattacheclub.com.

FEBRUARY 10

Reimagining “We The People” Hosted by Reimagining We The People National Conference. 9 am- 5 pm. CST. Reg: http:// bit.ly/2Y7YP6b.

2021 Allstate Hot Chocolate 15k/5k Dallas. Host Hot Chocolate 15k/5k. Dallas’s sweetest 15k/5k at 7 am-12 pm. CST. Register: http://bit.ly/2GBBIZ8.

Civil Rights Legacies: Martin, Malcolm, Gwen, and Julian.

Event by Schomburg Center for Research in Black Online: Eventbrite.com. 5:30 pm CST.

The LOVE Expo 2021. Event by Boss Hogg Productions and Brianna Hogg at South Oak Cliff High School, 3601 S. Marsalis Ave. 2-6 pm. CST. Info: www.eventbrite.com.

FEBRUARY 4

Grand Opening of See Us Now Staffing! Host Irving Hispanic Chamber & the Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce. 4 pm. 500 Riverside Dr. Bldg. 6 #100E, Irving. Info: 972-441-2887 Dallas Black Girl Magic Museum at Black Girl Magic Museum, 2620 Gus Thomasson Rd. #116, Mesquite, 12-7 pm. Tickets and times: Eventbrite.com.

FEBRUARY 5 13th Annual DMV Links Red Dress Event.

Event by DMV Links go red. Special guest: Joy-Ann Reid of The ReidOut Online: reddress.eventbrite.com. 6-8 pm. CST. Rhythm In Black: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow – A Black History Month Event. Event by Andy Street LB. Tickets Online: eventbrite. com. 11 am CST. Pink GOes RED for Heart Health!

Virtual Zumba and Yoga Session.

Hosted by AKA Gamma Omicron Omega Chapter Tyler. 6:30-6:45 pm. Zoom: bit.ly/3iIH1b2 ID#: 94828613328 code: 778985.

Virtual 1st Fridays-Black History Month Int’l Celebration & Showcase. Host is First Fridays. Online event tickets: Eventbrite.com. 2-5 pm. CST. FOUR HUNDRED SOULS: A Community History of African America from1619-2019. Event by National Civil Rights Museum. Online: www.civilrightsmuseum.org . 6 pm CST. Trap n Paint Dallas at Trap n Paint 2414 Converse St, Dallas.

Tickets: http://bit.ly/2NFFtmQ. 7-9 pm.

Knowledge is Power - Black History Month Celebration.

Buffalo Soldiers Celebrate Black History Month at Cedar Hill State Park, 1570 FM 1382, Cedar Hill. 11 am-5 pm. CST.

FEBRUARY 6 1st Saturday Harvest Project Food Rescue Free Fruit and Veggies, at the Pan African Connection 4466 S. Marsalis Ave. 10 am-3 pm. Email: Panafric@airmail.net or Call 214-943-8262.

22nd Annual Super Bowl Gospel Celebration On BET 7 pm. CST. Host Rickey Smiley Theme: “Nothing Can Stop Us” Super Bowl LV. Dear Black Man Videoshoot. Event by Lyre Luciano at Rochester Park, 300 Rochester St. Dallas. 10 am.

Irving Black Arts Council Black History Month Art Exhibition The Jalen Law Collection at Irving Black Arts Council, 3333 N MacArthur Blvd, Irving. 1 pm.

1964 - After 12 days of debate and voting on 125 amendments, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by a vote of 290-130

54 Miles to Justice, by Not My Son at Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, 2922 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. 8:30am-12pm. Eventbrite.

Galentines - Goal Setting & Manifesting Workshop by Brittani Rettig, GRIT by Brit at GRIT Fitness Addison, 4288 Spring Valley, Farmers Branch. 12-2 pm. Tickets: Eventbrite

FEBRUARY 8 Marvelous Marriage Mondays at Friendship-West Baptist Church Register for Virtual event, \friendshipwest.zoom.us/.../upcpcOmhqz4rqNU 7-8 pm.

The Bear Creek Food Distribution 11 am-3 pm. 2700

Finley Rd. Irving. Drive-Thru.

FEBRUARY 9 2021 Free Human Rights Lecture Series host SJSU Human Rights Institute. Feat: Teach-In Panel w/ Drs. Bettina Aptheker, Barbara Ransby, and Neferti X.M. Tadiar: 5-8 pm CST. Reg: http://bit.ly/3oZWaal Irving Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Café Con Nosotros.

8:30 am. Reg: irvinghcctx.chambermaster.com//register2308.

In The Middle with Ashley Moss.

“Talking about topics that Matter” Join in on Facebook/@TexasMetroNews and BlogTalkRadio. com at 11 am-1 pm. CST. Mondays.

Join the conversation call 646-2000459.

Michael “Hollywood” Hernandez Live on Facebook @HollywoodHernandez, at 2 pm.

Celebration - spotlighting 3 Contemporary Black Women Inventors, Aprille Ericsson, Ayanna Howard, and Arlyne Simon. Reg: Online via Eventbrite.com. 11 am-12:30 pm.

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

FEBRUARY 11-13 Affairs of the Heart Virtual 5K Walk/Run. Hosted by National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. - Dallas Metropolitan Chapter Online: runsignup.com.

Valentine Makeover 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.

FEBRUARY 11

FEBRUARY 7 Ubuntu Market (Small Business Marketplace) at Pan African Connection 4466 S. Marsalis Ave. 12-5 pm. Shop Small Businesses. Info email: Panafric@airmail.net

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 646-200-0459. on An-

bit.ly/3oZWaal

2021 Free Human Rights Lecture Series host SJSU Human Rights Institute.

Keynote Lecture by Dr. Angela Davis. http:// go.sjsu.edu/HRI3. 7-9 pm. CST. Reg: http://

Facebook Live: Protecting Loved Ones From Financial Scams & Fraud. Event by AARP Programs. Reg: https://bit. ly/36bt5Bw 6-7 pm CST.

FEBRUARY 12 An Evening Of Blues Valentine Weekend, Feat: TJ Hooker Taylor at The Warehouse, 1125 E. Berry St. Ft. Worth.

7 pm. Tickets: JimAustinOnline.com.

FEBRUARY 13 56th Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee Symposium for Social Change. Interactive workshops & live Q&A feat: Activist Nina Turner & Dr. Sekou Franklin. Reg: selmajubilee.com.

Sophisticated Lady Productions presents Triple Threat Valentines Celebration at The Warehouse 1125 E. Berry St. FT. Worth. 7 pm. Tickets: JimAustinOnline.com.

Dr. Carter G. Woodson Sixth Annual Luncheon: Feat. Deah Berry Mitchell. Online tickets http://bit.ly/3r3Ir2T. 2 pm. CST Feeding The Forgotten, by PEER 2 PEER Wholewellness. The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center, 1818 Corsicana St. Dallas, 11 am-2 pm.

for the Homeless.

Event by Help Is Help at Dallas International Street Church, 2706 S. 2nd Ave. Volunteer or donate go to www.helpishelp. com. 2-4 pm. CST.

I Was Just Thinking with Norma Adams-Wade “History Class is in Session” Join in on Facebook/@ TexasMetroNews and BlogTalkRadio.com at 11 am -1 pm. CST. Wednesdays. Join the conversation call 646-200-0459.

From Marva with Love with Marva Sneed from11 am -1 pm. CST, Fridays on Facebook Live/@TexasMetroNews, and BlogTalkRadio.com. Call in and join the conversation at 646-2000459.

BLACK LIVES MATTER

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My Truth from page 1

And that’s a message we should all take under consideration. Look at the person next to you, in the next room, in your house, at your school or workplace.

Are you spreading and showing the love?

Does someone else have to come to you and tell you how great someone close to you is or are you seeing the greatness?

Sure some say familiarity breeds contempt. That is sad.

During a visit to the nation’s Capitol, I watched as people seemed to part the waters for U.S. Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson. At home I hear people saying “we need term limits” or criticizing with blanket statements that provide no context or research.

In Washington DC, the

only other persons I saw getting any real attention were senior legislators (like Mrs. Johnson), or the young Kennedy legislator (yeah, you know of THE Kennedys!)

There are places where seniority is respected and actually necessary!

It’s important to note that just like when you are looking for a leader, you should look in the mirror; you shouldn’t overlook the greatness that is right

there amongst you!

Try pulling back on the negativity and counter by showing love, volunteering support, giving a shoutout or happy face emoji — something that shows that your heart is capable of loving.

Dick Gregory would always ask, “Are you capable of being lovable?”

If you are you will see and appreciate more of what is offered during your lifetime.

How to get a COVID-19 vaccine If you are a Parkland patient: Parkland patients (at least one appointment in the last year) will be contacted by Parkland when it’s their turn to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

If you are not a Parkland patient: Please follow these steps to register to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

1.

Go to the website of Dallas County Health and Human Services:

www.dallascounty.org/covid-19/covid-19-vaccination.php

2.

Click on the green rectangle to register:

3.

Fill out the form and click Submit. You are now registered.

4.

When it is your turn, you will be contacted to schedule an appointment to get the vaccine at one of the hub sites (such as Parkland, UT Southwestern, Dallas County Health and Human Services, etc.)

Getting the vaccine will protect yourself and the people around you.

The vaccine will help stop the spread of the virus in our community and end the pandemic.

Not able to register online?

Call the Dallas County Health and Human Services Vaccine Registration Hotline at 469-749-9906, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Registration help is available in English and Spanish.

Until more people are vaccinated, please stay safe.

Wear a mask

Wash your hands

Clean surfaces 01/21/21

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MO’ BETTAH WINGS 11am-10pm Monday-Saturday 12-8 Sunday 2860 E. LEDBETTER DR. (Inside Valero) DALLAS, Tx.75216 (469) 899-7927

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No More Hugs and Kisses...

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Fire Up Your Mixers: State Fair of Texas Announces Texas-Themed Cookie Decorating Contest

The State Fair of Texas is excited to announce the 2021 Virtual Creative Arts Contests, kicking off with Texas Theme Cookie Decorating. In addition, the 2021 Virtual Creative Arts Contest Handbook is now available online. With four brand-new virtual contests, Texans can celebrate their creativity year-round. Whether participants are showing off their patriotic-themed decorated mantel, shelf, or tablescape, or cooking up some fun Texas-themed, decorated cookies, Big Tex cannot wait to see how Fair fans celebrate eve-

UTSW

from page 1 medicine at UT Southwestern, has been working to increase the number of young Black men going into medicine through his initiative Black Men in White Coats.

Now he has produced a documentary by the same name alongside director Micah Autry.

The film, produced independent of UT Southwestern, will be screened virtually by medical schools nationwide throughout the month of February.

On Feb. 4, UT Southwestern, along with Southwestern Medical District partner institutions Children’s Health and Parkland Health & Hospital System, will host a virtual panel discussion around issues presented in the film.

The panel will include Okorodudu; Quinn Capers IV, M.D., associate dean for faculty diversity at UT Southwestern; Barry-Lewis Harris II, M.D., medical director of correctional health services at Parkland; Cameron Holmes, a third-year medical student at UT Southwestern; and Marc Nivet, Ed.D., executive vice president for institutional advancement at UT Southwestern, who will moderate the discussion.

Both Capers and Nivet are featured in the documentary, in which Black doctors share their experiences of going to medical school, discuss the challenges

rything from their favorite holiday to Big Tex himself, through their creativity. Introduced in 2020 as a way for Fair fans to continue creative celebrations from the comfort of their own home during the COVID-19

pandemic, the contests were so popular, the new virtual contest tradition will continue in 2021.

The four contests in 2021 include: • Texas Theme Cookie Decorating – Stir up some Lone Star spirit by decorating Texas-themed cookies. Texas is filled with tons of symbols – bluebonnets, Dr Pepper®, armadillos, yellow roses – so you’ll have more than enough inspiration to choose from to decorate your six cookies.

• Patriotic Celebration – Bring the celebration of America to your indoor décor! To

celebrate the Fourth of July, commemorating the birth of American independence, decorate a mantel, shelf, or tablescape with your best stars and stripes.

• Big Tex Cake Decorating – Say “Howdy, Folks!” using your sugar art skills. Design, embellish, or decorate any cake or cupcake of your choosing – the only requirement is that your dessert features the spirit of everybody’s favorite 55-foot-tall talking cowboy, Big Tex. • Holiday! – Have a favorite holiday? Take your pick of

any celebrated holiday and decorate a food item or décor piece (mantel, shelf, or tablescape) to celebrate. Who says you can’t decorate for Valentine’s Day in December?

To enter, just submit a photo of your masterpiece through the Fair’s online registration portal, available at Creative.

BigTex.com. With different age divisions for each contest, participants of any age are welcome. The entries must be the work of the contestant, and contestants may only have one entry per specified contest category.

faced in their careers, and reinforce the importance of creating a pipeline to produce more Black male physicians.

“What I want people to take away from this is a sense of empowerment,” Okorodudu says.

“I hope when people watch this film they understand the problem impacts them and that they can have a role in fixing it and providing solutions – whether it’s serving as a mentor or, for the Black student, working hard so that you can become a medical professional.”

Register for the virtual panel discussion on Feb. 4.

Struck by the dismal statistic that only 2 percent of U.S. doctors are Black men, Okorodudu in 2013 committed himself to galvanize the academic medical community and the public to tackle the problem. The issue was amplified in 2015 when the Association of American Medical Colleges released a report, based on a study led by Nivet, that revealed the number of Black male medical school applicants was lower in 2014 than in 1978.

Diversity advocates say closing the diversity gap is critical to eliminating mistrust among African Americans about the American health care system based on experiences of bias and a history of unethical medical experimentations performed on Black patients.

This mistrust is a contributing factor to existing health care disparities affecting Black patients, including the disproportionate

impact of COVID-19 on the African American community.

“Research shows that more Black physicians will result in more Black people getting vaccines, following preventive health measures, and having open heart surgery. In short, more Black male doctors will translate into more lives saved,” says Capers, who is a cardiologist and holds the Rody P. Cox, M.D., Professorship in Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern.

But significant hurdles remain for academic medicine in correcting the problem. Researchers point to several reasons for the low levels of medical school enrollment among Black men, including insufficient pre-college education and economic obstacles rooted in systemic racial divisions, negative stereotypes about Black males, lack of exposure to the profession, and few role models in the field.

“It’s often hard to become what you can’t see, so initiatives like Black Men in White Coats and the film produced under that banner are critically important to change the perception among Black boys and young Black men about who can become a physician,” says Nivet. “Although we have a huge challenge to overcome throughout the continuum of education, UT Southwestern is strongly committed to helping create a pipeline that will lead to more Black male doctors.”

Advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion is a priority in UT Southwestern’s Six-Year Strate-

gic Plan. Among ongoing efforts, the institution recently moved to hire new deans focused on diversifying the student body and faculty in all three of its schools – the UT Southwestern Medical School, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and the School of Health Professions.

As this conversation continues, Okorodudu says he wants

patients of all races to understand that creating healthy communities will benefit everyone.

“We’re all connected because we live in a global world. If people didn’t believe that prior to 2020 – all they have to do is look at the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he says.

Visit BMWCMovie.com to learn more about the film.

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children.

Ms. Tyson had a well-known commitment to community involvement. She co-founded the Dance Theater of Harlem after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, and when a school board in East Orange, New Jersey, wanted to name a performing arts school after her, she only agreed to accept the honor if she could participate in school activities. In addition to attending meetings and events, Ms. Tyson even taught a master class at the school.

EARLY LIFE Born in New York City on December 19, 1924, and grew up in Harlem, New York; at the age of 18, she walked away from a typing job and began modeling. Ms. Tyson was then drawn to acting, though she had not been permitted to go to plays or movies as a child. When she got her first acting job, her religious mother, feeling that her daughter was choosing a sinful path, kicked her out of their home.

NOTABLE HONORS

‘ROOTS,’ ‘THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MISS JANE PITTMAN’ AND MORE Despite her mother’s initial disapproval, Tyson found success as an actress, appearing onstage, in movies and on TV. In 1963 Tyson became the first African American star of a TV drama in the series East Side/West Side, playing the role of secretary Jane Foster. She went on to be nominated for an Academy Award for 1972’s Sounder. She also portrayed notable roles on television, including Kunta Kinte’s mother in the adaptation of Alex Haley’s Roots and the title role in The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, which earned Tyson two Emmy Awards in 1974.

Moving to Broadway in 1983,

Ms. Cicely Tyson is presented with Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2016.

she was the lead in The Corn Is Green, a play set in a Welsh mining town. In 1994 the actress nabbed her third Emmy in her supporting role as housemaid Castalia in CBS’ miniseries television adaptation of the Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All. However, her career trajectory wasn’t a smooth one; at times, she had trouble simply finding work. She flatly refused to do “blaxploitation” films, or to take parts solely for the paycheck and was selective about the roles she chose. As she explained in a 1983 interview, “Unless a piece really said

something, I had no interest in it. I have got to know that I have served some purpose here.’’

‘THE HELP,’ BROADWAY’S ‘THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL’ More recently, Ms. Tyson appeared in The Help (2011) as maid Constantine Bates, for which she received many awards for being part of the ensemble cast and also worked on several Tyler Perry movies.

And after a 30-year absence from Broadway, she returned with a role in Horton Foote’s The Trip to Bountiful. The ac-

tress traveled to Texas in an effort to better understand her part in the acclaimed production — dedication that paid off when her performance won Tyson the 2013 Tony Award for best performance by an actress in a leading role in a play. In 2017 Ms. Tyson appeared in director Richard Linklater’s film Last Flag Flying, an adaptation from the 2005 novel of the same name.

PERSONAL LIFE She was married to jazz musician Miles Davis for seven years in the 1980s and had no

Ms. Tyson received numerous acting awards and nominations and became a member of the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1977. She was also been honored by the Congress of Racial Equality and by the National Council of Negro Women. And in 2010, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People presented her with its 95th Spingarn Medal — an award given to African Americans who have reached outstanding levels of achievement.

In 2015 Ms. Tyson was nominated for an Emmy for her guest-starring role in ABC’s How to Get Away With Murder and was a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors. The following year, she was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.

The Grammys 2018 week ended with a celebration for the acclaimed activist and actress and to help raise funds for the National Cares Mentoring Movement. Created by Editor Emeritus of Essence Magazine, Susan L. Taylor, soon after the Katrina storm in 2006, the Cares Movement recruits and trains Black adults to mentor children in need and in crisis.

Our Queen transitioned on January 28, 2021. “I have managed Miss Tyson’s career for over 40 years, and each year was a privilege and blessing,” her manager, Larry Thompson, said in a statement. “Cicely thought of her new memoir as a Christmas tree decorated with all the ornaments of her personal and professional life.

Today she placed the last ornament, a Star, on top of the tree.”

-Biography.com

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• Vol-9

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FROM MARVA WITH LOVE

By Marva J. Sneed

means of the movie.

AT Washington and Malek spend the THE entire movie tryMOVIES ing to catch a serial

By Hollywood Hernandez killer, played by a very creepy Jarod With a stellar cast, Leto.

Denzel Washington, In the movie DenRami Malek and Ja- zel is a burnt out cop rod Leto, I had high with a tortured past expectations for the and Malek is a young, Crime Drama THE hotshot detective who LITTLE THINGS, needs some work on but in this thriller a his social skills. great cast can’t overTogether Washcome a weak script. ington becomes a Longview, Texas na- mentor to the young tive, John Lee Han- hotshot teaching him cock (who wrote the some unorthodox 2009 football biopic methods of catching THE BLINDSIDE), a killer. both directed and The movie has a wrote THE LITTLE throwback feel to it THINGS and he similar to SILENCE missed his mark with OF THE LAMBS and both the script and his KISS THE GIRLS. direction of the film.

However, the movie The movie runs at a never reaches the levslow pace and is just el of those two films simply boring (I nod- and simply has the ded off at one point feel of a 90’s knockoff. in the film). Almost The movie is rated R the entire movie is for violence, language delivered at a slow and nudity. and tedious pace. It’s On my “Hollywood only the last twen- P o p c o r n ty minutes that had Scale” I rate some action and gave this murder a thorough explana- mystery a tion of what the title MEDIUM.

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Eat.Sweat.Undress.

The name of this company had me curious. I wanted to know more. It’s a female-founded and led brand that offers fitness, wellness, beauty, and fashion products and services to enhance the lives of women. Alexia Hammonds is the Founder and CEO of Eat.Sweat.Undress.

Alexia was First Barre Instructor (ballet exercise) She’s a classically-trained Pilates Instructor, dancer, and yoga instructor. The First-ever Pilates Instructor globally to introduce virtual Livestream platform (Pilates Live.) Now she’s credited as the first Black woman to craft a signature perfume collection in Grasse, France, the historical home for all perfumes. Her new lifestyle brand is, Eat.Sweat.

Undress. We talked about her newest product, a new hair perfume collection.

MS: Eat.Sweat.Undress. I love that name. I was telling a co-worker about it and she said that sounds sexy. Alexia, tell us a little about yourself and how you got here.

AH: Hello everyone, and thank you for having me. My name is Alexia P. Hammonds and I am from Atlanta, Georgia. I live in Dallas, Texas, a place I’ve loved on and off since about 2008. That’s a long time. I like to call myself a Lonestar peach. Texas has my heart, especially Dallas.

I’m classically trained in ballet. I went to undergrad at Grambling State University to study Political Science. I moved to Dallas on a whim not knowing what I wanted to do with my life. I joined this nice fitness club. The fitness instructor knew that I had a background in dance and she was about to have a double hip replacement and she asked me If I would teach this new bar Pilates program for her this summer. I taught the

whole summer.

MS: From being a Pilate’s instructor and creating a position with a Pilate’s equipment company that John Pilates used in his Pilates studios what was next?

AH: I wanted to do something with beauty and fitness. Being in fitness when you’re sick or need time off, you ‘re not getting paid.

My dad told me I needed a product. In 2012 I created Eat. Sweat.Undress but I didn’t

Alexia Hammonds

take it seriously. It was just a blog, I sold some tee-shirts and a friend had her bath and body products and she created a white label for me.

It was just like a hobby for me. I realized that I wanted to create something that would bring generational family wealth.

MS: Tell us about The Alexia P. Hammonds Hair Mist Collection.

AH: The products are formulated with a special keratin protein and cashmilan.

The fragrances are beautifully aromatic as well as functional for strengthening, softening, and conditioning the hair. My hair is blown out and I use it on my hair. I wanted to blend two things that I love, to make our perfumed Hair Mist stand out in the market of hair care and fragrances…

To hear the full interview with Alexia P. Hammonds tune into BlogTalkRadio.com/ Cheryl’s World link: http://bit. ly/38nW6eO and on Facebook. com/TexasMetroNews to From Marva with Love. Visit eatsweatundress.com and follow them on IG, FB, and Pinterest.

“From Marva with Love” BlogTalkRadio.com/Cheryl’s World Texas Metro News email: marvasneed@myimessenger.com

• Feb. 4-10, 2021

13

DeSoto and Glenn Heights Elections held

Proctor, Bruton win seats

By Cheryl Smith Economic accountability, a transparent government, the COVID-19 pandemic and unemployment were issues that DeSoto’s new mayor talked about on the campaign trail and some say the message resonated with voters as former Mayor ProTem Rachel Proctor handily defeated Mayor Kenzie Moore with 60.67 percent of the vote to fill the unexpired term of DeSoto Mayor Curtistene Smith McCowan, who died in late 2020.

Throughout the campaign, she stressed taking the city back to the basics, focusing on the ABCs of her vision: “A for accountability; B for bringing us back together; and C for communication.”

“We have to get on the same page with the school district to serve the students, communicate, connect and build that bridge with the school district,” she explained, adding that the Council needed to “restablish regular meetings with our school board, looking at a joint strategic plan.”

In a candidate’s forum sponsored by the Southwest Dallas County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, the 2015 DeSoto High School Alumni Hall of Fame inductee from the Class of 1999 said it was important also, to look at DeSoto’s response to the pandemic and what that response needed to be in the future.

“Stricter accountability measures are needed,” she said. “It was made more difficult than it should have been. We have to put things in place that make it easy

and gives our residents the most help in the shortest amount of time.”

An author and entrepreneur, Ms. Proctor was first elected to the DeSoto City Council in March 2013. In May 2014 she was re-elected and from May 2016 through May 2019 went on to serve as Mayor Pro Tem. She then ran for mayor but in a three-person race, was defeated by Ms. McCowan, who garnered 60 percent of the vote.

No stranger to politics, she held several positions, including Student Council and Sophomore Class President.

A graduate of UTA with a Bachelors degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, she is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority (yes, she is sorority sister to current Vice President Kamala D. Harris), and a licensed minister.

With a 8.55 percent voter turnout, the seat vacated by Mr. Moore, who was Mayor Pro Tem, representing Place 7, at the time of Mayor McCowan’s death, was won by Letitia Hughes, who defeated John W. McCalib and Calvin Graham; garnering 57.47 percent of the vote, according to unofficial Dallas County Elections results.

Both victors will be back on the campaign trail in a year as the unexpired terms end with a May election in 2022.

With 171 votes cast in the Glenn Heights Special Election to fill the City Council Place 3 seat, which became vacant after the resignation of Jeremy Woods, Sr.; Travis Bruton was victorious over Austin T. Kelley with 54.39 percent of the vote.

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WITH EACH NEW YEAR The shadows are parting and the New Year brings me hope.

That memories and His grace will help me to cope.

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Dr. E. Faye Williams is President of the National Congress of Black Women and host of “Wake Up and Stay Woke” on WPFW-89.3 FM.

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Brown, D-Ohio, that the Senate passed unanimously in December. The bill, which awaits a House vote, would establish a national network to document, preserve and maintain African-American burial grounds across the nation.

As he does yearly, Glover invites people of all cultures to join him as he lays

a commemorative wreath and hosts a brief memorial at 3 p.m. Feb. 28, the last Sunday in Black History Month, at Freedman’s Memorial Cemetery in Dallas, 2525 N. Central Expressway at Lemmon Avenue. To participate or learn more, email clarencegloverjr@ aol.com or call 214-5463480.

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Remembering Our Griot A special storytime in celebration of African American History Month was to feature Melody Afi Bell at DeSoto Library on February 8. it was to celebrate African culture through music, stories, language skills and more.

But Ms. Bell will not be in attendance and expressions are pouring in upon hearing of her transition.

Friends say Dallas Black community cultural icon Afiah Bey died of a broken heart, Jan. 29, 2021 – an exact month and one day after her youngest son, Isaac Bey, was killed in front of her home on Dec. 28, 2020.

Afiah, whose birth name is Melody Bell, was a well-known and respected griot storyteller, poem, drummer, singer and a former 10-year DISD special education teacher.

She later became self-employed as a professional griot/storyteller and cultural teacher/entertainer.

She frequently visited local schools demonstrating drumming

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Sis. Afiah

and telling African-culture stories.

Sis. Afi, as some people called her, was born and grew up in Dallas and was a staple at annual Kwanzaa, Juneteenth, and Black History Month activities.

She was quite knowledgeable about African history and traditions and showed a great respect for the culture.

Sis. Afi was well liked and adults and children flocked to her during her demonstrations, one friend said.

• Feb. 4-10, 2021

15

Remembering two ICONS Arthur Joe Sr. and Edwin Washington II were long time friends. And co-founders of the Dallas-based civil rights non-profit organization, Black Citizens for Justice Law and Order (BCJLO). Mr. Washington transitioned on November 17, 2020 and Mr. Joe died on January 10, 2021 at ages 98 and 95, respectively.

Mr. Washington is the father of Ashira Tosihwe, who along with Emma Rodgers, coowned Black Images Book Bazaar that operated in Dallas for 29 years and closed in 2006.

Washington’s widow is Billie Washington.

Arthur Fred Joe, Sr. was born in Palestine, Texas. He proudly served in the United States Navy and was a World War II Veteran. He was active in the civil rights movement and was a founding member of the civil rights organization Black Citizens for Justice, Law, and

Arthur Joe Sr. Oct. 16, 1925 - Jan. 10, 2021

Edwin Washington II Jan. 26, 1922 - Nov. 17, 2020

Order (BCJLO) in 1969. The Baylor University Institute for Oral History published his oral memoirs in 2015 documenting his civil rights activism in Texas. He leaves behind his loving wife of 53 years, Daisy E. Coleman Joe of Dallas; daughters, Barbara Joe-Jones of South Orange, New Jersey, Earnie A. Joe of Dallas, and son, Arthur F. Joe,

Jr. of Dallas; 3 grandchildren; a host of nieces, nephews, family members, and friends.

Mr. Joe was a staunch local civil rights worker who, with his wife, Mr. Washington and a group of loyal and devoted workers, helped file many cases with the local EEOC office; picketed corporations and businesses; and addressed societal ills.

Mavs Coach Carlisle, former colleague remember Sekou Smith

By Dorothy J. Gentry Sports Editor

To say Sekou Smith touched the lives of everyone whose path he crossed is an understatement.

He inspired, uplifted and encouraged many and left an impression on everyone, including Dallas Mavericks Head Coach Rick Carlisle who talked about Smith on Wednesday, a day after he passed.

“Our thoughts, prayers and condolences go out to the family of Sekou Smith, a guy many of us knew very, very well,” Carlisle said. “He covered the Pacers when I was there for a couple of years and then went on to a very productive television career.

“This guy was universally liked, loved, and respected. He was a completely authentic person with great credibility,” Carlisle continued. “It is very, very sad at age 48 for a life to end. So our prayers go out to his family and he will be missed.”

Smith, a well-known and respected NBA reporter and analyst for more than two decades died on Tuesday at the age of 48 from Covid-19.

Smith worked for NBA TV and

wrote for NBA.com since 2009.

Tributes from coaches, players, fellow journalists and more continued to pour in as the reality of his death hit home.

A statement from Turner Sports, which broadcasts and operates NBA TV and NBA.com read: “We are all heartbroken over Sekou’s tragic passing. His commitment to journalism and the basketball community was immense and we will miss his warm, engaging personality.”

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver issued a statement that read in part: “The NBA mourns the passing of Sekou Smith, a beloved member of the NBA family. Sekou was one of the most affable and dedicated reporters in the NBA and a terrific friend to so many across the league. Sekou’s love of basketball was clear to everyone who knew him and it always shined through in his work.”

NABJ Sports Task Force released the following statement as well: The passing of Sekou Smith due to Covid-19 complications hits so many members of the NABJ Sports family extremely hard. He

Sekou Smith 1972-2021

was more than a colleague; he was a friend and brother to us and so many others. Our deepest prayers go out to his wife Heather and children.

Mavs.com writer and longtime sports journalist Dwain Price wrote on social media: “I am so sad to hear about the passing of my friend, Sekou Smith.

Sekou was a true gentleman and a class act and one of the best people I’ve ever met. He will truly be missed. R.I.P.” A colleague of Smith’s from Atlanta - sports journalist, photographer and blogger Jameelah Johnson, who covers the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks,

WNBA’s Atlanta Dream, NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and more shared her thoughts with Texas Metro News on the passing of her friend. Here are her unedited words on what Sekou meant to her: “Where do I begin with Sekou Smith’s impact?

Whenever Sekou walked into a room, you knew he was there. I remember thinking to myself, “Who doesn’t he know?!” But it’s not that Sekou knew everyone, it just seemed that way because he spoke to almost everyone he encountered.

Whether it was a greeting in passing or stopping to have a conversation, Sekou made you feel comfortable. It translated into his work as well.

“I would learn from him when I watched how he interacted with the players. It never came across as forceful or contrived, he spoke to them like they knew each other from way back when. Before I applied for credentials for my first Summer League, I reached out to Sekou. I asked him if he’d be attending. I wanted to find people I could connect with while I was there. Sekou reassured me when I mentioned requesting credentials and then offered to

introduce me to people after I told him I’d only know one person out there. I didn’t even have to ask him. That’s just how he was.

I’m mourning his loss selfishly because I’ll miss talking to him at the games. I’ll miss us chopping it up and joking on each other.

I’ll miss hearing his thoughts on the Hawks’ latest moves. I’ll miss him reminding me how he’s been on that Hawks flow for many, MANY years. I’ll miss seeing him at Media Day. I’ll miss seeing him on NBA-TV and saying “My guy, Sekou!” More than anything, I’ll just miss him.

“How Sekou made many people feel is what I admired most about him. I’m thankful to have known him. He had this much of an impact on me and we were friends. I can’t imagine what those in his daily life are experiencing. I’m praying for his wife and children, family and loved ones.”

Smith started his career as a sports reporter at The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Mississippi, then moved on to The Indianapolis Star and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution before joining Turner Sports.

He will be missed.

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