01.15.2026_Defender-e-FULL

2026 Why the MLK economic justice plan still matters

Volume 95, issue 13 January 15, 2026

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DN To the POINT Megan Thee Stallion stars in Dunkin’s new “Dunk N’ Pump” campaign, promoting the brand’s Protein Milk menu with a retro fitnessinspired ad.

Credit: Dunkin’

Message from the Managing Editor promised that a $1,400 investment could From a Popeyes franchise owner to a proturn into $11,000, claiming the “blessing” tein-powered pop culture icon, Megan Thee was a form of collective economics. In Stallion continues to demonstrate how star reality, it was a classic pyramid. While the power, business savvy, and joy can coexist. couple lived a life of luxury, approximately Her latest move? Teaming up with 90% of participants lost money.

Dunkin’ for its playful new “Dunk N’ Pump” The Moores now face decades in prison. campaign, promoting the brand’s Protein But the real cost was paid long ago by famMilk menu. In the ad, Megan appears as ilies who trusted familiar faces, invested “Pro-Tina,” a retro workout instructor who hard-earned stimulus checks or savings, and serves up 1980s aerobics energy, signature walked away with nothing. It’s a sobering ReShonda Tate humor, and, of course, Hot Girl confidence. reminder: Anything that requires you to The campaign is a masterclass in modern marketing; it rec- recruit your friends, your church, or your community to ognizes that Megan’s audience values fitness and strength get paid is most likely not a blessing - it’s a business model just as much as they value a good beat. built on loss.

It’s fun. It’s strategic. And it’s another reminder that Megan isn’t just the face of campaigns — she’s shaping how brands Racism is the new normal on X talk to culture. Her business portfolio is becoming as diverse Since Elon Musk acquired X (formerly Twitter), many as her discography.

Black users have noticed something unsettling…not just Beyond the “bag,” there is the impact. In an industry that more racist content, but how quickly it became normalized. often tries to put women in a single box, Megan is successfully Slurs surged, disinformation spread, and outrage fatigue set navigating the worlds of luxury fashion, fast food, health, and in. That complacency should end now. hip-hop simultaneously. She is doing what she’s always done: The data support the “vibe shift” many have felt. Research Showing up, getting the bag, and redefining what success from groups like the Center for Countering Digital Hate looks like on her own terms. Yes, THAT girl is representing (CCDH) reveals that in the months following the takeover, H-Town well, proving that being a mogul is the ultimate the use of the N-word on the platform increased by nearly workout.

500%. This wasn’t just a glitch in the algorithm; it was a byproduct of a “free speech” policy that effectively dismantled A $25m scam comes full circle the teams responsible for curbing hate speech and protecting Remember that viral “Blessings” craze a few years back? marginalized groups.

The one wrapped in faith language, urgency, and promises Musk recently endorsed a white nationalist post arguing of quick returns? One such “blessing” has now ended where that “white solidarity” is necessary for survival, amplifying many of us suspected it would: In a federal courtroom. language that mirrors extremist talking points.

A North Texas couple, Marlon Moore and LaShonda Platforms shape culture. When the owner of a global town Moore, has been convicted for orchestrating a massive $25 square engages with content that suggests Black people are million pyramid scheme. Prosecutors revealed the scale of “low IQ” or “inherently violent” - claims that have seen a the deception was staggering, targeting more than 10,000 resurgence on the platform - it signals to others that the victims during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. At guardrails are down. Silence enables harm. The question a time when families were facing job losses and economic isn’t just whether Black users should stay or leave. It’s also uncertainty, the Moores launched “Blessings In No Time” whether we’re paying attention to what’s being normalized (BINT), a program that leaned heavily on church networks, right in front of us. community trust, and the couple’s reality TV visibility to sell a lie of “risk-free” wealth.

On the Web The demographic data in the case is particularly sober• Black Wall Street reborn: How a modern movement is ing. Federal investigators found that the scheme specifically building collective Black economic power. sought out Black investors, leveraging shared cultural values • Top 7 most sanctified moments in Black church history. and spiritual language to lower people’s guard. The Moores • OpEd: AI is not your enemy.

Megan Thee Stallion is THAT girl

January 15, 2026 |

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| 3

DN News

A December 2025 audit identified the findings as “priority” risks that threaten the university’s fiscal integrity. Credit: Aswad Walker/Houston Defender

FUNDING FREEZE

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick calls TSU audit ‘beyond disturbing’ management functions, failed to account for Texas Southern University faces an uphill millions of dollars in assets, and submitted climb to regain financial autonomy as it late and inaccurate financial reports to the enters 2026 under a crippling state funding State of Texas. freeze.

The audit reviewed TSU’s procurement Following a financial audit that exposed and asset management practices from Sepsystemic mismanagement, the university tember 2022 through July 2025, along with must now navigate intense state oversight to financial reporting for fiscal years 2023 and demonstrate that it can be trusted with its 2024. own finances.

Patrick said he, along with Gov. Greg Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick issued Abbott and House Speaker Dustin a New Year’s Eve ultimatum Burrows, has frozen all non-essento TSU: Fix the “disturbing” tial spending at the institution. At financial mismanagement the same time, a criminal invesdiscovered in the December tigation by the Texas Rangers 2025 audit, or the legislature remains ongoing. will step in and do it for them.

“Everyone involved must be “It is my hope, for the sake held accountable, from school of the students at the univeremployees to contractors, going READ MORE sity, that TSU can continue,” back as many years as there are ABOUT Patrick said in the post. questionable records and pracTHE AUDIT “However, to do so, dramatic tices. Let the facts lead where they ONLINE. and permanent changes must may,” Patrick said. occur immediately to comply with state standards… I will do everything What does the audit say? within my power to be sure that not one addiAuditors at the State Auditor’s Office found tional taxpayer dollar goes unaccounted for that TSU regularly violated its own procureever again at TSU.” ment rules, allowing departments to purchase State Rep. Harold Dutton, Jr. (D-Houston) goods and services without required approvresponded with a message of his own. “These als, budget checks, or documentation. In all clowns should look in the mirror. Any prob- 60 invoices sampled by auditors, totaling lems at TSU must be directed to the Board $102,100, departments ordered directly from of Regents. And who appointed them for the vendors before completing purchase requisilast 30 years? The clowns in the mirror,” he tions, a process designed to ensure spending posted on social media. is authorized and funds are available.

In the procurement process, key findings Systemic failures from fiscal years 2023 through 2025 include: The December 2025 state audit found significant and systemic failures in TSU’s finan- • The university’s contract database was ridcial operations, concluding that the HBCU dled with errors. Ninety-seven percent of repeatedly bypassed procurement safeguards, vendor records reviewed contained incorshowed “significant deficiencies” in its asset rect contract dates, amounts, or approval

By Tannistha Sinha

statuses, and some contracts were missing entirely.

• More than 8,000 vendor invoices across the university were dated before requisitions were created.

• Auditors found that 743 invoices were paid on contracts that had already expired.

In asset management:

• TSU had not completed its required annual physical inventory since 2019, a lapse that auditors say directly contributed to the university’s inability to locate 50 of 60 assets tested, representing $3.2 million in purchase value.

• The university did not consistently track asset disposals. Many assets lacked assigned custodians or were still attributed to former employees.

• TSU maintained a separate Microsoft Access database containing more than 7,700 assets that were not recorded in Banner, the university’s official system of record. Auditors described this dual-system approach as “a significant breakdown” in accountability.

make adjustments to the state’s annual financial report.

The university’s defense

TSU President J.W. Crawford III has concurred with the audit’s findings. He attributed much of the oversight failure to 200 staff vacancies, including critical roles in IT and finance, which he says created “cascading effects” and operational vulnerabilities.

“Texas Southern University is deeply appreciative for and highly values the work of the Texas State Auditor’s Office (SAO), which has provided recommendations to strengthen the compliance, integrity, and effectiveness of institutional financial and business processes, including asset management. The university has adopted all SAO recommendations and concurs with the auditor regarding the importance of predictable regularity of financial operations and timely, repeatable processes. The university’s full management response to the audit is available for review,” TSU said in a statement to the Defender.

In financial reporting:

• TSU failed to provide timely and accurate financial information to the Office of the Comptroller of Public Accounts. The financial statements for fiscal year 2023 were submitted 10 months late, while fiscal year 2024 statements were filed four months past the deadline.

• Unaudited financial data submitted to the state contained major errors, including misstatements of debt payments by $86.5 million in FY 2023 and $77.3 million in FY 2024. While these errors were later corrected in audited statements, the delays forced the Comptroller’s Office to

These clowns should look in the mirror. Any problems at TSU must be directed to the Board of Regents.

And who appointed them for the last 30 years? The clowns in the mirror.”

HAROLD DUTTON, JR. State Rep. (D-Houston)

4 | January 15, 2026 |

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DN News ELECTION WATCH

Who’s on the ballot for Houstonians in 2026?

Four members of the Texas Supreme Court will be on the ballot, including Chief Justice (Places 1, 2, 7, and 8), three Members of the Court of Criminal Appeals (3, 4, and 9), and three Members of the 15th Court of Appeals (Places 1, 2, and 3).

By Tannistha Sinha

Harris County is one of the most populous counties in the U.S. and increasingly influential in Texas politics.

For Black communities in Houston and the surrounding region, local and county-level offices often carry more immediate impact on housing, schools, disaster recovery, public health, and business equity than statewide races alone.

Tracking key contests in 2026 is therefore essential. Here are the primary elections to watch in 2026.

8. State Board of Education

1. Governor

The upcoming race for Texas governor in November 2026 is already shaping up as one of the most consequential in state history.

Current Governor Greg Abbott formally announced his bid for a fourth consecutive term in November 2025, highlighting his aim to become Texas’s longest-serving governor.

Several candidates are vying to challenge Abbott, including former U.S. Rep. Chris Bell, State Rep. Gina Hinojosa, Bobby Cole, a rancher and retired firefighter, and Evelyn Brooks, an educator and State Board of Education member. The primary election is scheduled for March 3, with the general election on Nov. 3.

2. County Judge: Harris County

The office of county judge is the most critical executive position at the county level in Texas, overseeing budget, disaster response, and the county court system.

Incumbent Democrat Lina Hidalgo announced she will not seek re-election in 2026, opening up a competitive race.

The general election is scheduled for Nov. 3, 2026, with the primaries on March 3.

Former Houston mayor Annise Parker, former City Council member Letitia Plummer, and Matt Salazar, a real estate agent, are the Democratic candidates, while six Republican candidates have filed to run.

3. U.S. House of Representatives: Texas seats

All 38 Texas congressional seats will be on the ballot in 2026.

Texas’ governor’s race will test Greg Abbott’s bid for a historic fourth term amid growing statewide challenges. Credit: Getty Images

These seats are significant, especially after the redistricting saga that set off a national trend.

Initially, Republicans explicitly aimed to pick up to five additional U.S. House seats in the 2026 elections through newly redistricted maps. A lower court blocked the implementation of the new congressional maps. However, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed Texas to use its controversial new congressional redistricting map for the 2026 election.

4. U.S. Senate: Texas seats

The U.S. Senate election in Texas will be held on Nov. 3, 2026, to elect a member to represent the state of Texas. Primary elections will be held on March 3, 2026, with a runoff election held on May 26 if no candidate receives a majority in their respective primaries.

The statewide Senate race features incumbent four-term Republican Senator John Cornyn, who was re-elected in 2020, and is now running for re-election to a fifth term in office. Cornyn is facing a primary challenge from Rep. Wesley Hunt and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Democratic candidates include Texas State Representative James Talarico and U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett.

Republicans have won every U.S. Senate election in Texas since 1990, and an incumbent senator has not lost a primary since 1970.

5. Texas State Senate and House races

The 2026 election cycle marks one of the most consequential moments in Texas’ recent political history.

Credit: Getty Images

Sixteen Texas State Senate seats and all 150 seats in the Texas House of Representatives will be on the ballot in 2026, setting the stage for significant shifts in state policymaking.

State Senators serve four-year terms, while House representatives serve two.

6. Notable races

Other notable races include those for the Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Comptroller of Public Accounts, Commissioner of the General Land Office, and Commissioner of Agriculture, all of which have four-year terms.

Meanwhile, the Railroad Commissioner’s term lasts six years, which will also be on the ballot.

7. State judicial offices

The Texas Secretary of State’s guide shows that 2026 will include judicial offices (district and county courts) on the ballot.

Eight of the 15 seats on the Texas State Board of Education will also be on the ballot in 2026, influencing how curriculum standards, textbook approvals, and graduation requirements are determined for the state’s five million public school students.

The districts up for election include Districts 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,13, and 14. These members collectively represent diverse regions from the Gulf Coast through Central and East Texas, including large parts of the Houston metro area and surrounding counties.

9. County offices and local judicial seats

Beyond statewide and legislative contests, Harris County voters will help decide the outcome of dozens of judicial and county-level offices in 2026.

Voters will also choose various District Judges, Criminal District Judges and Family District Judges, alongside an array of county offices with four-year terms, including those of County Judge, County Commissioners for Precincts 2 and 4, County and District Clerks, County Treasurer, County Surveyors and Justices of the Peace.

VOLUME 95, NUMBER 13 - JANUARY 15, 2026 Publisher | CEO Sonceria Messiah-Jiles Strategic Alllance Clyde Jiles Managing Editor ReShonda Tate Content Manager Terrance Harris Community Reporter Aswad Walker

Culture/Lifestyle Reporter Laura Onyeneho Special Assignments Reporter Tannistha Sinha Sports Terrance Harris Jimmie Aggison Video Editor Bryan Erdy

The Defender newspaper is published by the Houston Defender Newspaper Inc. and audited by Alliance for Audited Media (AAM). Only digital subscriptions are available at: www.defendernetwork.com/subscribe No paper subscriptions available. All materials covered by 2026 copyright. No materials herein may be reproduced without the written permission of the Publisher. 713-663-6996 | P.O. Box 8005, Houston, TX 77288

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DN InFocus

D

By Aswad Walker

aily, more people are realizing that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. we were taught growing up represents only a fraction of the man and his mission.

For many Black people over 25, kindergarten through college education emphasized MLK the dreamer, while downplaying his sharp critique of economic inequality. Yet in the final years of his life, economic justice became not a side issue, but arguably the centerpiece of King’s work.

Why did that part of his vision receive so little attention? What exactly did King propose to address economic injustice? And more than 60 years later, do those ideas still matter for Black communities and the nation as a whole?

King’s economic justice vision King argued that civil rights without economic security were incomplete. He called for an Economic Bill of Rights as the next phase of the freedom struggle, a vision most fully expressed through the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign. King named racism, poverty, and militarism as interconnected “triple evils,” insisting that none could be defeated in isolation.

His economic justice plan included full employment with living wages and union protections, a guaranteed income, guaranteed jobs for those unable to find work, affordable and safe housing, and access to land and capital, allowing marginalized communities to build wealth. Just Assata Richards, as important, King Ph.D. believed impacted communities should have a voice in how government programs were designed and administered.

Assata Richards, Ph.D., founder of the Sankofa Research Institute, views King’s Diego Castillo economic thinking as evolutionary.

“What was underpinning the need for civil rights was economic justice,” Richards said.

She argues King understood that racism itself was “underMichael Tubbs pinned by capitalism,” noting that enslavement fueled wealth accumulation for one group at the expense of another.

Diego Castillo, a product of Alief, TX, and a student of Africana Studies at Brown University, notes King’s intellectual shift following the passage of the Civil Rights Act.

Why the

MLK Economic Justice Plan Still Matters

The music that powered a movement.

MLK’s little-known push for a guaranteed income and an economic bill of rights are ideas that are decades old, yet remain remarkably relevant in the modern era. Credit:Wikimedia Commons.

“If you look at what happened after 1965, you see MLK turning increasingly to economic justice,” Castillo said, referencing King’s 1967 book Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?, which focuses heavily on guaranteed income and employment.

Castillo, an organizer with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, adds that King’s multiracial approach posed a unique threat.

“What really harms the interests of the capitalist class is a multiracial, mass popular working-class movement,” he said.

That reality, he argues, helps explain why this phase of King’s work is rarely emphasized.

Guaranteed income At the heart of King’s economic plan was a guaranteed income. In Where Do We Go From Here, King wrote, “The solution to poverty is to abolish it directly by a now widely discussed matter: The guaranteed income.”

He called poverty “socially as cruel and blind as cannibalism” and urged its “total, direct and immediate abolition.”

King did not frame guaranteed income as charity. He argued that people must be made consumers either through full employment or guaranteed incomes, and that new forms of socially beneficial work should be created when traditional jobs were unavailable.

Former New York State Assemblymember Charles Barron stresses that this was not about welfare. King, Barron said, advocated a supplemental income that would lift working people to a living wage, while creating jobs

King saw that racial justice and economic justice were intertwined.”

MICHAEL TUBBS FOUNDER, MAYORS FOR A GUARANTEED INCOME

for the unemployed.

“He was fighting for a living wage, a guaranteed income,” Barron said, adding that King believed this would allow people to reach their fullest potential.

Today, guaranteed income has reentered the mainstream debate. Former Stockton, Calif., Mayor Michael Tubbs, founder of Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, credits King with shaping his thinking.

“King saw that racial justice and economic justice were intertwined,” Tubbs said,

referencing the “triple evils” King identified.

Tubbs’ Stockton pilot program demonstrated that guaranteed income did not reduce work effort, but rather provided people with stability during a crisis.

Economists remain divided. Critics, such as MIT economist Daron Acemoglu, warn that a universal basic income could be prohibitively expensive and destabilizing without significant trade-offs. Supporters counter that targeted or locally designed programs can reduce poverty, improve health outcomes, and restore dignity.

The Poor People’s Campaign King’s commitment to economic justice culminated in the Poor People’s Campaign.

In a 1967 speech at Stanford University, he declared, “We can end poverty in the United States. Our nation has the resources to do it… The question is whether our nation has the will.”

The campaign aimed to unite the “two Americas” through militant civil disobedience. According to Barron, King planned sustained civil disobedience in Washington, D.C., including the creation of Resurrection City, blocking airport traffic, and hindering the functioning of government offices until Congress passed a multibillion-dollar anti-poverty package.

“Dr. King was a revolutionary,” Barron said.

“King was assassinated in Memphis while supporting striking sanitation workers, underscoring that his final struggle centered squarely on income inequality.”

Child Supplemental Poverty Rates

by Race & Ethnicity, 2021-2023 25.9%

22.0% 20.7% 19.7%

19.5% 18.3%

14.0%

9.9% 8.4%

8.3%

7.4%

7.2% 7.2%

5.1% 2.7%

White

Black 2021

Hispanic

AIAN

2022

2023

Asian

Note: AIAN refers to American Indian and Alaska Native. Race and ethnicity are mutually exclusive for all groups except Asian and AIAN (i.e. White non-Hispanic, Black non-Hispanic, Asian, AIAN and Hispanic any race.)

Source: EPI analysis of United States Census Bureau

King’s critique of capitalism King’s economic justice plan cannot be separated from his critique of capitalism.

Over several years, he openly questioned whether capitalism itself was compatible with justice.

“There must be a better distribution of wealth,” King said in 1961. By 1967, he warned that racism, economic exploitation, and militarism were “all tied together” and required a “radical redistribution of economic and political power.”

Richards believes King’s democratic socialist leanings have been intentionally minimized.

“We celebrate people by how much money they make,” she said, “and we don’t ask at whose expense.”

Barron argues King was “frozen in history” at the moment most comfortable to the power structure. By the late 1960s, King was questioning not only integration but capitalism, a critique Barron contends posed a greater threat than King’s opposition to the Vietnam War. Author Malaika Jabali situates King within a broader Black radical tradition that included Malcolm X, Ella Baker, Claudia Jones, and W.E.B. Du Bois, all of whom challenged capitalism’s role in producing inequality.

Why King’s plan still matters Economic inequality remains stark. Children of color are still far more likely than white children to live in poverty, and debates over

universal basic income, healthcare access, and affordable housing continue to shape national politics. Andrew Yang’s 2020 presidential campaign, built around a $1,000 monthly “Freedom Dividend,” brought guaranteed income back into mainstream discourse.

For Richards, King’s relevance goes beyond federal policy.

“The idea that people deserve certain material conditions just for being alive is very different from how we think in this country,” she said.

Charles Barron Through community land trusts, cooperatives, and food systems, she sees local efforts as living expressions of King’s vision.

C astillo b elie ves teaching the full scope of King’s economic ideas would “radically change” how people engage with Malaika Jabali politics today. Barron agrees, arguing that King’s critique will remain relevant “as long as capitalism is around.”

More than half a century later, the question King posed still hangs in the air: Does America have the will to end poverty? His economic justice plan suggests that the tools exist. What remains unresolved is whether the nation is prepared to confront the systems that made such a plan necessary in the first place.

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DN InFocus

More than 50 years after the Poor People’s Campaign, housing affordability remains a civil rights issue. Credit: Poor People’s Campaign

UNFINISHED FIGHT OF MLK

Dignity of labor when rent keeps rising

By Tannistha Sinh

When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. traveled to Memphis in 1968 to support striking sanitation workers, he was simultaneously fighting against segregation and poverty.

King was explicit about the link between racial justice and economic survival, arguing that dignity meant little without the ability to afford basic necessities, such as food and housing. More than five decades later, that unfinished struggle echoes in cities like Houston, where rents now routinely approach or exceed $1,700 a month, placing intense strain on working families.

However, studios and one-bedrooms remain somewhat affordable.

According to Apartments.com, in December 2025: • The average rent in Houston was $1,180 per month, 28% lower than the national average rent of $1,632/month.

• For two-bedroom apartments, the rent increases to $1,492, and for three-bedroom apartments, it is $1,900.

Still, the steady rise of Houston rents has frustrated renters.

Despite an increase in rental inventory, per the Houston Association of Realtors, the average lease price was $2,262, the lowest lease price since February 2025.

Meanwhile, the minimum wage in Houston has remained unchanged at $7.25 per hour since 2009, the same as the federal minimum wage.

“I don’t know what they expect people to do when $15 hourly jobs constitute $2,400 a month. Take $1,400 for rent, $300 for car insurance and gas, $300 for utilities, $200 for food ($50 a week). Try not to spend that

For Shaka Von Thomas, rising rent has come with declining upkeep, turning housing into a source of confusion rather than security. Credit: Aswad Walker/Houston Defender

GameChangers in the Movement: Black Women Reimagining Dr. King’s Legacy

remaining $50 a week in one place and forget about savings!” said a Reddit user.

A modern-day reflection on King’s campaign

In the final year of his life, King launched the Poor People’s Campaign, calling poverty a moral crisis created by policy choices, not personal failure.

That economic message feels particularly urgent in modern Houston. According to data from Apartment List and Zillow, average rents in the region have climbed dramatically over the past decade, outpacing wage growth for many workers.

The city’s median renter now spends

a far higher share of income on housing than recommended by federal affordability standards.

Houstonians weigh in

For renters like Shaka Von Thomas, the increase has not been accompanied by improved living conditions. Thomas, 32, said he has watched his rent rise steadily over the past decade while services have declined.

“It’s been a very confusing situation,” Von Thomas said. “I’ve seen the prices go up, but the quality of service and different upkeep actually go down within the property. If you were staying in Houston 10 years ago, you would’ve been living in a very nice property

that had an okay rent.”

Thomas currently pays nearly $1,300 for a one-bedroom apartment in Katy, an amount that would have been considered luxury pricing a decade ago.

That confusion reflects a broader national pattern. Federal Reserve data shows that real wages for low- and middle-income workers have failed to keep pace with housing inflation in most major metro areas. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data show that wages increased 1.4% from 2024 to 2025, far below housing price growth, leaving middle-class families squeezed, particularly in cities outside mid-sized.

King warned against precisely this imbalance, arguing that labor without living wages traps families in cycles of instability.

Houston historian Whitney Brantley, who rents in the Galleria area, said housing affordability has become a survival strategy rather than a guarantee. Brantley pays $1,454 for a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment she shares with her 11-year-old son, but only because she rents from a private owner in an older building.

“I usually stay in older places, like they were built in the seventies,” Brantley said.

“That’s really all I live in, all bills paid.”

King understood housing as inseparable from labor justice. During the Memphis sanitation strike, workers earned poverty wages while risking their lives on a daily basis. He framed their demands as moral, not radical, which is the right to fair pay for necessary work. Today, service workers, teachers and retail employees form the backbone of Houston’s economy, yet many struggle to afford the very city they sustain.

January 15, 2026 |

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DN Feature

Charity Carter

Transforms blighted Fort Bend corner with $35M center

By ReShonda Tate

Charity Carter didn’t wait for a miracle to save the intersection of Fuqua Street and Blueridge Road; she went out and built one.

For nearly three decades, the former Kroger at the Willowridge Shopping Center stood as a hollowed-out reminder of economic flight.

While many saw a “blighted” retail center, Carter saw a multi-million dollar opportunity.

Through sheer grit and a refusal to let the Fort Bend-Houston community be overlooked, the Edison Arts Foundation executive director has successfully turned an abandoned shopping plaza into a sprawling, 79,525-square-foot engine for change.

The momentum reached a fever pitch recently with a historic $1.5 million investment from H-E-B. The donation isn’t just a check; it is a validation of Carter’s years-long crusade to bring elite arts education and economic stability to an area that has navigated decades of disinvestment.

“This project has been a journey, one of faith, perseverance, and a deep commitment to the people who call this community home,” Carter said. “We’ve had to navigate so many hurdles, but the vision keeps us going.”

Grassroots grit vs. The ‘Calvary’

The transformation of the 12 ½-acre site, nestled between the Fort Bend Tollway and Beltway 8, is a testament to what Carter calls “revitalization without gentrification.” It is a rare example of a community-led project that scales to the size of a municipal landmark.

The initial seed funding came from Carter’s father, Robert Edison. District K Councilwoman Martha Castex-Tatum noted that Carter’s ability to rally $23 million to date - from federal funds secured by U.S. Rep. Al Green to support from the George Foundation - is a masterclass in local leadership.

“These people are not professional fundraisers; they are not professional athletes; they are not big business owners,” Castex-Tatum said of the Carter family. “They didn’t wait for the calvary…they had an idea, and they put in the work.”

The impact is already visible. Though there was an official ribbon-cutting recently, Carter had already anchored the neighborhood with the Edison Lofts. Built in 2021, the 126-unit affordable housing complex ensured residents wouldn’t be priced out of the very progress they helped build.

The H-E-B investment: A catalyst for growth

The $1.5 million from H-E-B serves as the cornerstone for the center’s educational mission. Beyond the immediate grant, H-E-B plans to allocate additional funding as new programs

Charity Carter, executive director of the Edison Arts Foundation, joins Mayor Pro Tem Martha Castex-Tatum and local officials to cut the ribbon on Phase 2 of the Robert & Bertha Edison Cultural Arts Center. Credit: Edison Arts Center

emerge, sticking to its pledge to return 5% of pre-tax earnings to Texas communities. This partnership ensures that the Edison Afterschool Arts Academy remains a sustainable haven for “latchkey” children who need a safe, creative space during the high-risk afternoon hours.

“At its heart, the Edison Cultural Arts Center is about access,” Carter said. “We are opening doors for young people, emerging artists, and families who deserve meaningful opportunities to learn, create, and see themselves reflected in the arts.”

Flat Tire?

We Got You

Reclaiming the “Mo City” legacy

The project sits at a unique geographic intersection, carrying a Missouri City address but located within the City of Houston and Fort Bend County. Historically known as “Mo City,” the area was once “in full bloom,” according to U.S. Rep. Al Green, who recalled a thriving strip mall and McDonald’s that eventually vanished.

By the summer of 2026, the center will restore that vibrancy with a massive multiphase footprint.

With two theaters, dance studios, a performance hall, a grand lobby, a festival park, restaurants, a food hall, a co-op kitchen, retail space, and more, the center is expected to draw more than 208,820 visitors annually, said Carter.

Despite hurdles like the COVID-19 pandemic and rising construction costs, the doors are finally swinging open. Carter is expecting to begin enrolling students next month. Phase 3 of the project, which will include retail partners and the theater, is expected to be ready in July or August.

For more information about upcoming programs and membership, visit www.edisonartsfoundation.org.

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10 | January 15, 2026 |

DEFENDER NETWORK

DN Sports

Houston coaches

Share thoughts on legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King

By Terrance Harris

Without question, Dr. Martin Luther King made a profound impact on the world, opening doors and fostering compassion for Black people where there had been none before.

That included the realm of sports, where player integration at the professional level was still in its infancy and the SEC still wasn’t allowing Black players to compete, even as King was fighting for civil rights in all aspects of life. Black people were gaining acceptance on the field. Still, the idea of Black people as coaches and leaders in the front office wasn’t a common occurrence, except in Boston, where Bill Russell held the unheard-of distinction of being a player-coach for the Celtics.

While the numbers still aren’t exactly balanced, we have coaches, general managers, athletic directors, and even some minority owners represented at almost every level of sports. Most will agree that this is the case because of the work King did and the impression he left, even after his 1968 assassination in Memphis, Tennessee, while standing up for sanitation workers.

University of Houston basketball coach Kelvin Sampson, Texans coach DeMeco Ryans, and Texas Southern men’s and women’s basketball coaches Johnny Jones and Vernette Skeete talked with the Defender about what King’s legacy means to them as we celebrate his birthday.

Kelvin Sampson Sampson remembers riding his bike home as a teenager on April 4, 1968, and finding his entire family in tears. And he heard the news that Kin ng had been assassinated, tears from the sense of loss overcame him, as well.

“I remember crying because my family was Sampson crying two times in my life over something like that. One was Nov. 22, 1963, and I was in the third grade, and President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated. And the second time was when Martin Luther King was assassinated.”

Today, the future Hall of Fame coach remembers King for who he was, what he stood for, and for the change he brought about.

Martin Luther King has been a hero of mine. I’ve read his speeches, I’ve read words, and I’ve written things down to use with my team. He talks about times of convenience and times that need courage.

Those things relate to life, and also relate

Houston coaches DeMeco Ryans (top left), Kelvin Sampson (top right), Vernette Skeete (bottom left), and Johnny Jones (bottom right) were all inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King and his legacy in some way. Credit: Credit: Texans, University of Houston and Texas Southern University

to everything we do in life… having the courage to stand up for what’s right when it’s not convenient. Martin Luther King’s legacy will live for others, other people, and I think that is what makes him a giant.”

DeMeco Ryans What Ryans feels strongest about King’s legacy is his selfless sacrifice for the betterment of others.

“For what he did and the sacrifice that he made for everyone, just for the equality.

When you see somebody who sacrificed Ryans and fought like he did, it wasn’t about him. It was about the sacrifice. It just teaches us to this day that when you truly care about people, you are willing to sacrifice, you are willing to go that extra mile to make sure you do what’s right.

That’s the thing that stood out about him; he did what was right and what was needed at the time. It was not only him, but he had a lot of support that has allowed myself and others to be in the positions we are in today to have the jobs and the success and things

that we have now. It’s all attributed to what he has done and his sacrifice with starting the movement of civil rights, making sure everybody has equal rights. It’s very important for where we are now as a society. I think it’s a credit to where people have moved up and done really well.”

Vernette Skeete The TSU women’s basketball coach recognizes and honors King for putting his life on the line for what he believes.

Skeete pays homage to King’s legacy by the fearless way she coaches and inspires her student-athletes.

Skeete encourages her players to remember to have that fight and drive, whether it’s on the basketball court, in the classSkeete room, or in life.

“It’s funny because I saw when it’s game time, I’m ready to die out there. I’m giving it everything. That fight is important.

I think a lot of things... Hopefully, it’s a good thing, but we miss the fight in our lives. What we are fighting for, justice and

freedom, is still there. But we don’t have to be on the frontlines as we used to on the ground level every single day. It’s taken away from our culture, and that’s what we love about HBCUs: It’s a constant reminder that we are fighting for something.”

Johnny Jones The longtime TSU men’s basketball coach still remembers the scream he heard from his mother in the other room. She had just gotten word of King’ gs assassination that day in 1968.

Jones felt the pain, but it was years later that he fully understood why.

Jones “As I’ve gotten older, I understand the impact that he made in society. What I loved most about him was the story about him and who he was fighting for. It wasn’t about himself.

He wasn’t a guy trying to go out there and make money for himself or just his family.

He was trying to change society for people.

He wanted to make sure that everybody had an equal chance.”

January 15, 2026 |

DEFENDER NETWORK

| 11

DN Sports

North Shore Mustangs

Win sixth football state championship

By Jimmie Aggison

December has a familiar rhythm at North Shore, with cold air, bright lights, and meaningful football.

On the biggest stage Texas high school football has to offer, the Mustangs once again looked right at home. Head coach Willie Gaston captured his first state championship, while delivering North Shore’s sixth title and reinforcing why “North Shore football” isn’t just a style of play but a standard sustained year after year.

“I thought it would feel a little different, but at the end of the day, it’s always good when you win it,” said Gaston. “I know what we went through to get to this point and what we had to overcome. That’s what I’m most proud of. But it’s truly not about me.

It’s about what these kids did and bought into, and the coaches I get to work with every day.”

North Shore secured its sixth state title by defeating Duncanville 10-7 in the 2025 Class 6A Division I state championship game.

“I’m excited to get here, but I’m not satisfied,” said Gaston. “I want to keep working, developing kids, and making sure we have an opportunity to be here year in and year out.”

The game unfolded as a battle between two dominant defensive fronts. North Shore held Duncanville to 103 rushing yards on 27 attempts and limited the Panthers’ quarterback to under 200 passing yards on 18-of-36 completions.

“When the game began to swing our way, we had to focus on continuing to play our game, not trying to do anything extra, but on continuing to do what the coach was telling us because it was working,” said North Shore defensive lineman Za’Qwaun Nunn.

Nunn, a Louisiana Tech commit, finished the game with eight total tackles, three solo stops, two sacks, and two tackles for loss.

With the defensive line consistently pressuring the quarterback, North Shore’s secondary kept busy denying Duncanville’s receivers space downfield.

“After the interception, our intensity was super high,” said North Shore junior defensive back Tony Guillory. “I could feel it as we started making stops and forcing tough throws. The energy picked up, we communicated more in the secondary, and we knew if we kept locking in, it was going to go our way.”

Keeping Duncanville’s quarterback uncomfortable was the unified message from North Shore’s relentless defensive line.

“We didn’t want him to be comfortable

North Shore is the winner of the 2025 UIL 6A Division I State Championship. Credit: Jimmie Aggison/Defender

in that pocket,” said Nunn. “We wanted to close as fast as possible and be dominant at every level of the ball.”

“Defensively, I thought we settled in for the entire game,” said Gaston. “We came here with a game plan and executed. Normally, we’re super aggressive and go for a lot of fourth downs. But we changed that up, knowing we were going to play a field-position battle and try to make them go the length of the field.”

That control wasn’t accidental; it was the product of a defense built for moments like this.

“Playing North Shore defense means flying around, being physical, and locking in on your assignment,” said Guillory. “As a contributor on defense, it’s about trusting technique, communicating, and not giving up big plays.”

Discipline against elite offenses is essential to sustained dominance.

“We just do our job,” said Guillory. “You can’t guess or panic against teams like Duncanville. The way Coach Garrett Cross, Coach Nick Flores, Coach Sam Richardson, and Coach Gaston prepare us during the week is top-tier, so we can go out there and execute at a high level when it’s game time, relying on film, communication, and playing smart football.”

Dominance in December, however, doesn’t begin in December. Program consistency, offseason work, and accountability are established long before kickoff.

“When I first got hired by Coach David Aymond, I remember him saying, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’” said Gaston. “We have a good recipe here. We have tremendous support from our administrative staff and buy-in from our community.”

That consistency is passed down, one class at a time.

“As a quarterback at North Shore, I have to hold myself to a different standard,” said North Shore senior quarterback and Utah State commit Kaleb Maryland. “We’ve had several quarterbacks before me, like Kaleb Bailey and Dematrius Davis Jr., who won state while also holding themselves to an amazing standard.”

Veteran leadership and communication kept the younger players engaged and prepared when their moment arrived.

“We keep them locked in by being honest with them, holding them accountable, and uplifting them from time to time,” said Nunn.

“The senior class has taught me a lot,” said Guillory. “Most importantly, how to lead and stay focused,” said Guillory.

Beyond the locker room, the standard

resonates throughout the community.

Johnny Cloud moved to the Galena Park area in 2013. Since then, he has coached youth football, mentored young athletes, and watched his son graduate from North Shore High School in 2025. A supporter of the program for more than 12 years, Cloud understands that December football is expected at North Shore High School.

“It’s a standard and an expectation to reach the highest goal, which is a state championship,” said Cloud. “Kids know from elementary school that the standard for our football program is excellence and always being #1. They don’t know any other way but to win. It’s bread in the Eastside culture.”

With another state title secured, the focus shifts forward.

“Our kids know that in a couple of weeks we’re going to get into the off-season,” said Gaston. “We’re going to work because last year’s 2025 team won state. We’re going to move on to 2026 on Jan. 6 once we get back to school.”

While the trophy will eventually gather dust, the standard will not. North Shore’s greatness isn’t tied to one roster or season; it’s rooted in preparation, belief, and expectation.

“North Shore is still North Shore, and you should never doubt us,” said Nunn.

12 | January 15, 2026 |

DEFENDER NETWORK