T E X A S
MetroNews DELIVERING NEWS YOU NEED
• Vol. 10 • Jan. 6 - 12, 2022
MY TRUTH By Cheryl Smith PUBLISHER
Can you dance? I’m dancing every day that I am on this earth. I might start doing the Duck, Philly Freeze, Hustle, Funky Chicken, Smurf, Tootsie Roll, Twist, ChaCha, Cha Cha Slide, Electric Slide, Charleston, Macarana, Salsa, Percolator, Humpty Dance, Cupid Shuffle, Camel Walk, Da Butt, Wop, Butterfly, Wobble, Stanky Leg, Moonwalk, Whip, Nae Nae, Mambo, Robot, Jerk, Lindy Hop, the Dog, Bop, Mashed Potatoes, Dougie, Running Man, or bumping — which I will do against the wall if I don’t have someone with me! Who knows? I may break out into Voguing, Chicago Stepping, Boogalooing, Popping, Swinging, or Cabbage Patching. Give me a beat! When I am on the dance floor, I will be Debbie Allen, Alvin Ailey, James Brown, Chris Brown, Fred Astaire, Bill Bojangles, Martha Graham, Gene Kelly, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Amber Pickens, Janet Jackson, The Fly Girls, Gregory Hines, Rudolf Nureyev, Katherine Dunham, Misty Copeland, Savion Glover, Joaquin Cortes, MC Hammer, Michael Jackson, Shakira, Fayard and Harold Nicholas, Janet Collins, Paula Abdul, Shane Sparks, Anna Pavlova, Sammy Davis Jr., Michael Flatley, ReRun, Rita Moreno, The Les Twins, Ciara, and Ann Williams; all in one night! Which brings me to my truth. Joy is so important. Do you know what brings you joy? Is someone else stealing or depriving you of joy? Whatever you do, stop the madness today! See MY TRUTH, page 11
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41 Forever – Mavs Celebrate Dirk
By Dorothy J. Gentry
Dirk Nowitzki expects something special. “I want to keep it that way. I want to be of course surprised that night and be emotional and have an unbelievable experience like I had at 41-21-1 once,” he said, referencing
his retirement ceremony. Nowitzki is the only player in NBA history to play 21 seasons with the same franchise. His illustrious career and legacy was celebrated when the Dallas Mavericks retired his #41 jersey with a ceremony after the Mavericks hosted the Golden State Warriors, Wednesday night.
Humanitarians Jessica and Dirk Nowitzki volunteering
Dirk Nowitzki addresses media on Tuesday
Sports Editor
MVP Dirk Nowitzki
Photos Credit: Dallas Mavericks and Dorothy J. Gentry
Opal Lee: The Dallas Morning News 2021 Texan of the Year By Dallas Morning News Editorial Board When she turned 89, Opal Lee decided she hadn’t done enough. It was a surprising conclusion coming from a woman who had worked herself through college raising four children in 1950s Texas. Who became a teacher in the segregated Fort Worth school system making so little she had
This story, originally published in The Dallas Morning News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas.
to take a night job, too, to feed those children. Who for 50 years has run a food bank that has fed untold thousands. Who just a few years ago started a farm on the levees of
the Trinity River to make sure people in need have fresh vegetables to eat. A woman whose very life was already a symbol of what it means to live for others. But that was her feeling. She had to do something more. And people who know Opal Lee know that when she starts, she is not going to stop. So she started walking. And she kept walk- An artist's rendering of Dallas Morning News Texan See OPAL LEE, page 4
of the Year Opal Lee.
Photo Credit: (Dale Stephanos)
President Biden Proclaims January as National Human Trafficking Prevention Month By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire
Human trafficking – whether in the form of forced labor, sex trafficking, or other offenses – counts as an abhorrent abuse of power and a profoundly immoral crime that strikes at the safety, health, and dignity of millions of people worldwide,” President Joe Biden said in a statement declaring January as “National Human Trafficking Prevention Month.”
President Joe Biden
“We reaffirm our commitment to protect and empower survi-
vors of all forms of human trafficking, to prosecute traffickers, and to bring an end to human trafficking in the United States and around the world,” President Biden stated. The heightened awareness of human trafficking comes on the heels of an HBO documentary that finally spotlighted the world of the Black and Missing Foundation, headed by Washington, D.C.-based sisters-in-law Derrica and Natalie Wilson.
The film, BLACK AND MISSING, pulled back the curtain and explored how systemic behaviors and attitudes stem from centuries of deeply rooted racism. It exposed the stark disparity in the media coverage of white and Black missing persons. The intimate look at Derrica and Natalie’s personal crusade to locate missing Black people also highlighted stories of hope and closure as the Black and Missing See HUMAN TRAFFICKING, page 11