02.05.2026_Defender-e-FULL

JACK YATES HIGH TURNS

100

NEWS

INFOCUS

CHRISTIAN MENEFEE

100 YEARS CELEBRATING A CENTURY OF BLACK HISTORY

Houston’s newest Congressman n outlines priorities after winning 18th District seat.

Volume 95, issue 16 February 5, 2026

facebook.com/defendernetwork twitter.com/defendernetwork

instagram.com/defendernetwork defendernetwork.com

FREE

2 | February 5, 2026 |

DEFENDER NETWORK

DN To the POINT CONCERTS

THEATER

GOSPEL

Don Lemon’s arrest and Elon Musk’s rage tweet about a rumored casting move underscore why this Black History Month must be the blackest ever. Credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images.

Community Reporter’s Message GALAS

Yeah, we have a calendar for Black Events.

check it out

wealth, Musk has never been mistaken for One of the most memorable Chappelle the smartest person in the room (any room).

Show skits featured the late Charlie Murphy So, he may very well not know that Helen of sharing personal stories about his encounTroy was a fictional character. But if he does, ters with the late Rick James. During one of in posting that nonsense, Musk continued Murphy’s engrossing tales, he talked about the longstanding tradition of whitefolk losing how James was notorious for engaging in their minds when anyone but a white person acts that crossed the line between what was is cast to play fictional people they assume allowed or sensible and what was insane and should be white. Here’s a free Black History foolish. In fact, Murphy said James was a Month fact: If Helen of Troy was supposed to “habitual line-steeper.” That tag fits y’all’s be the most beautiful woman on the planet, Aswad Walker president perfectly. He, like all tyrants of that role was literally written for a soul sister. history, makes it a strategic point to cross the line of morality, common sense, fairness, etc., to see just The Blackest ever how much the general public will allow him to get away with.

By now, you should know that Black History Month 2026 The arrest of journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort was a marks the 50th anniversary of the month becoming “official” distraction from the Jeffrey Epstein files and growing white in the eyes of the “gubmint” via then-President Gerald Ford’s anger about their own people being murdered by “them laws” designation. But more importantly, 2026 marks the 100th as if they were Black. It was a scare tactic, meant to silence anniversary of Dr. Carter G. Woodson’s founding of Negro truth-telling journalists for fear they could be next. It was History Week, now Black History Month. So, for that reason an affront to democracy and the rule of law. But most of all, alone, this BHM should be the blackest ever. How can we do it was Donald Trump trying to see how far he can go before that? Learn and teach a nugget of Black history every day this “We the People” push back. Trump will continue stepping month. Vote. Learn a new skill. Improve upon the skill(s) you over the line. The question is, will we continue to step up already have. Join a community that is unashamedly for the and push back? empowerment of Black people. Align your purpose and your skills with a problem in your community that needs solving, White fragility gone wild and solve it. Do something to make yourself and your world Everyone knows that Black women are the global standard better today than it was yesterday. We don’t need anyone’s of beauty. Point blank. Period. Even the most ardent racist permission to move toward becoming our best selves and to knows this to be an objective fact, even though they proclaim create a world around us that reflects our greatness. Is that otherwise. Enter Elon “colonizer” Musk–proclaiming oth- Black enough for you? erwise. When rumor spread that stunning African beauty Lupita Nyong’o might be cast as Helen of Troy in filmmaker On the web Christopher Nolan’s upcoming movie, The Odyssey, Muskrat • Dallas County exonerates Tommy Lee Walker 70 years lost his mind. On X, Musk posted, “Helen of Troy was fairlater. skinned, blonde, and ‘the face that launched a thousand ships’ • Artist Alexus Rhone embodies ‘She’s Gotta Have It’ spirit. because she was so beautiful that men started a war over • Chavez wrestling is moving from afterthought to her… Chris Nolan has lost his integrity.” Despite his immense contender.

Habitual line-stepper

February 5, 2026 |

DEFENDER NETWORK

| 3

DN News

Christian Menefee set priorities as he steps into the longvacant 18th Congressional District seat.

Credit: Jimmie Aggison/ Houston Defender

18TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT WINNER

Christian Menefee outlines priorities

By Tannistha Sinha

After securing victory in the race for Texas’ 18th Congressional District, Christian Menefee said his first priority in Congress is to make sure residents finally feel represented again.

Menefee, the former Harris County Attorney, was sworn in on Feb. 2, stepping into a seat that has been without full representation for nearly a year following the deaths of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and then Congressman Sylvester Turner. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott did not schedule the first round of voting until November.

“I want people in our communities to know that they have an office that they can go to when they’re having issues with Medicare, the VA hospital, social security, a place that they can go to get their questions answered and their problems solved, whether it be immigration case work or anything,” Menefee said.

Menefee and Amanda Edwards were the top two finishers out of 16 candidates in this past November’s special election. Since both fell short of the 50% threshold, they had to face each other for the January runoff.

Menefee won the special runoff election, amassing 68.38% of the vote compared to Edwards, who received 31.62%, according to the Harris County Clerk’s Office.

He will have to immediately campaign again for this seat in the Democratic primary

against Edwards and U.S. Rep. Al Green, the incumbent representative from TX-9.

Restoring everyday stability

In an interview with the Defender, Menefee framed his agenda around lowering costs and strengthening the economic footing of working families, saying the promise of a stable, middle-class life has slipped out of reach for many.

“My focus has always been making sure that people who live in our districts get more money back in their pockets and that we drive costs down so that folks can afford to have a great life in this country,” he said.

Pointing to increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit, Menefee said he would advocate for raising the federal minimum wage from $7.25 an hour.

He also promised support for small businesses and speeding up FEMA disaster aid after storms.

Bipartisanship through relationships

With the U.S. House narrowly divided, Menefee said progress will depend on interpersonal relationships across party lines.

He touted his practice as county attorney to advance measures that his colleagues in Congress might not support.

“I’m no stranger to being able to partner with people who view the world differently

than I do,” Menefee added.

Balancing governance and campaigning

Menefee’s win comes during an unusual election cycle.

While he takes office now, a March Democratic primary will determine who runs for a full term under newly redrawn district lines.

When asked by the Defender how he will balance constituent services and the ongoing campaign for the March elections, Menefee joked, “The answer is yes.”

“It’s going to be major work for sure, but

My focus has always been making sure that people who live in our districts get more money back in their pockets, and they we drive cost down so that folks can have a great life in this country.”

CHRISTIAN MENEFEE

what people expect out of their member is to be able to juggle all those things,” he said.

“I’m up for the job. I know how to walk and chew gum.”

Menefee cast his new role as part of a long legacy of outspoken leadership from the 18th District, invoking figures such as Barbara Jordan, Mickey Leland, Craig Washington, Jackson Lee, and Turner.

The victory speech

In his election night speech, Menefee repeatedly returned to personal and community stories as the backbone of his campaign.

He spoke about families struggling with food insecurity while facing cuts to nutrition assistance programs, tying that to his own family’s experience benefiting from WIC. Menefee also shared his brother’s battle with cancer, made survivable, he said, because of military health benefits that covered costly treatment.

Those stories, per the new Congressman, explain why he supports strengthening the social safety net, protecting SNAP and WIC, and pushing for universal health coverage.

“This is always a campaign about stories about the good that government can do, that government can be an instrument of good if you have public servants who put people first and who work hard,” he said in his speech.

4 | February 5, 2026 |

DEFENDER NETWORK

DN InFocus HEAR THE LION ROAR

Jack Yates HS celebrates

100 years

By Aswad Walker

Houston ISD’s Jack Yates High School is celebrating its centennial.

Yet, across the city, there is barely a whisper about it.

Yates is not only a storied athletic powerhouse, iconic Third Ward institution, and Houston ISD fixture, it’s Houston history.

Immediate significance

Houston’s first Black high school — the Colored High School, later renamed Booker T. Washington High School — opened in 1893 in the Fourth Ward and served as the city’s only secondary school for Black students for decades.

That changed in the 1920s, when Yates and Phillis Wheatley high schools opened. Yates, Houston’s second segregated high school for Black students, officially opened on Feb. 8, 1926, with 17 teachers and 600 students.

Tuere Omodele Chew, Class of 1977, represents a multigenerational Yates family.

“My son was on the back-toback state basketball team,” Chew said. “My grandson’s children come here too. I’m really proud of all my kids that came through here.”

Chew credits Yates’ coaches, staff, and leadership, including current principal Stephanie Square, for sustaining that legacy.

A principal shaped by Yates

Square’s connection to Yates runs deep. A 2002 graduate who was voted “Most Athletic,” she returned as a teacher in 2007 after graduating from Texas Southern University (TSU). She later earned Teacher of the Year honors and an MBA from Rice University.

“I joined pretty much any alumni group that was out A powerful name there,” Square said.

The original Yates cam“I remained engaged pus stood at 2610 Elgin until I returned in St., now home to the 2023 as principal.”

Baylor College of MediSquare realYates’ cine Academy at Ryan — ized early Yates’s alumni named after Yates’ first specialness. share principal, James D. Ryan, “As a ninth grader, favorite who led the school from all I would hear is, memories.

1926 to 1941.

‘You’re so lucky you Yates was named go to Yates,’” she said. after Rev. Jack Yates, a formerly Riding buses across Houston, enslaved man who became one of she saw that pride firsthand. the most influential Black leaders “The number of cars that beeped in 19th-century Houston. and said ‘JY’ and ‘Go Lions’ — that As enrollment grew, Yates sense of pride became instilled in moved to 3703 Sampson St. in me very early.”

1958. In 1978, the nationally recognized School of Communication Living history was added. In 2018, Yates relocated Alumna Madeline McElroy to its current campus at 3650 Ala- Johnson, Class of 1961, carries bama St., a state-of-the-art facility Yates’ institutional memory. that still upholds the century-old “I was editor of the yearbook, motto: Character and Achievement. The Lion, 1961,” said Johnson, whose father, George McElroy, Generational pride taught at Yates.

That motto lives on through Johnson recalled the arrival of generations of Lions.

Principal John Codwell in 1958.

“Back in the day, Fifth Ward and Third Ward did not match up,” she said. “But Codwell was the best thing that ever happened.”

Her daughter, Georgette Johnson, Class of 1993, says Yates’ alumni culture is unmatched.

“We continue to keep Yates alive and well,” she said. “It’s like an HBCU, but it’s a high school.”

Sports and beyond

Yates’ athletic legacy is legendary — from the undefeated 1985 football state championship team to the boys’ basketball dynasty of 2009–2014.

“There was a sign that read, ‘Your #1 mistake is playing Yates,’” recalled Yates linebacker Glen Kelso, Class of 1984. “The expectation of good things happening was planted in us.”

Yet alumni emphasize that Yates produced far more than elite athletes. Graduates include Debbie Allen, Phylicia Rashad, Roland Martin, Garnet Coleman, and generations of educators and leaders.

“When I went to Yates, students understood they were part of the continuum,” said Michon Benson, Class of 1986. “We had a sense of responsibility and duty.”

Yates’ 2610 Elgin (original) location. Courtesy Yates.

Yates cheerleaders circa 1985.

Credit: jackyatesarchives/IG.

Yates’ 2025 football team during their playoff run.

Screenshot: Fox 26.

Yates majorettes circa 2008. Credit: jackyatesarchives/IG.

A centennial call

As Yates celebrates its 100th year, alumni remain committed.

“Lions are everywhere, and we are watching,” Benson said, a professor and assistant dean at TSU. “We are ready to usher new Lions through the den.”

Square, whose three children graduated from Yates, hopes the city takes notice.

“This is not just Jack Yates’ history,” she said. “It’s the City of Houston history.”

At 100 years old, the Lions still roar — and Houston should listen.

For information on Yates’ centennial events, visit www.jynaa.org or Facebook: The JYNAA.

VOLUME 95, NUMBER 16 - FEBRUARY 5, 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

February 5, 2026 |

DEFENDER NETWORK

DN Education How the Texas school voucher program works

By Tannistha Sinha

Texas has rolled out its first statewide private school voucher system, a $1 billion program that will allow families to use public dollars for private school tuition and other educational expenses starting in the 2026-27 school year.

The applications opened on Feb. 4 and will remain open until March 17. To apply, visit www.educationfreedom.texas.gov.

The program, created by Senate Bill 2 and branded as Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA), is structured as an education savings account (ESA) overseen by the state comptroller’s office and run day-to-day by a private contractor, Odyssey.

How the voucher program works Under SB 2, eligible families will receive money in a digital ESA that they can use to pay tuition at approved private schools or buy education-related services and products from approved vendors.

Most K-12 students using the program are expected to receive about $10,300 per year, equal to 85% of the estimated statewide average per-pupil funding.

Other amounts are set in law and in the comptroller’s final rules: • Students with disabilities can receive up to $30,000 a year.

• Homeschooled students can receive $2,000 a year.

• Pre-K students at private programs can receive the full K-12 amount (around $10,000) if they also meet the state’s free public pre-K eligibility rules, a change from earlier draft rules that would have limited them to $2,000.

Funds will flow through education savings accounts managed by a “certified educational assistance organization,” or CEAO, the middleman selected by the comptroller to run the platform, pay invoices, and police whether spending is allowed under state rules.

The rules adopted by the comptroller establish a new subchapter in the Texas Administrative Code (Sections 16.401– 16.410), outlining definitions, participation rules, approved providers, allowable expenses, suspension procedures, and appeals.

Timeline: When does TEFA start?

The voucher program will launch at the start of the 2026-27 school year.

Behind the scenes, the state and its chosen vendor, Odyssey, a New York-based company that already operates voucher platforms in several other states, is building the

The Texas Education Freedom Accounts program is set to begin in the 2026-27 school year with a $1 billion budget. Credit: Getty Images

digital infrastructure.

Those already serving students with disabilities in an existing state initiative began applying to participate in December. Here are more key dates from the rules and contract: • February-mid-March 2026: Families apply for vouchers for the 2026-27 school year.

• Early May 2026: Families receive decisions on their applications.

• Early July 2026: The tuition and payment platform is expected to go live.

• 2026-27 school year: Students can first use TEFA money for eligible expenses.

Who gets priority and who still may not get in Although lawmakers branded the program “universal,” not all applicants will get an account if demand exceeds the $1 billion allocated for the first biennium. Instead, applications are sorted into tiers: • Students with disabilities from families at or below 500% of the federal poverty level (around $160,000 for a family of four) • Families at or below 200% of the poverty level (about $64,300 for a family of four) • Families between 200% and 500% of the poverty level (~$64,300-$160,000) • Families earning above 500% of poverty, capped at 20% of the program’s budget (roughly $156,000 - $160,000) Access is not guaranteed. Unlike public schools, private schools can decide who to admit and how many voucher students to take.

They can also later dismiss a voucher student for reasons that would not be lawful grounds for exclusion or expulsion in a public school, such as academic performance, disability-related needs, behavior, or a family’s inability to pay tuition beyond the voucher amount.

The program sets aside larger amounts, up to $30,000, for students with disabilities.

| 5

NOTICE OF PUBLIC COMMENT METROPOLITAN TRANSIT AUTHORITY OF HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS (METRO)

At its January 22, 2026, meeting, the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO) approved the FY2025 Urbanized Area Formula, the FY2025 State of Good Repair, and the FY2025 Bus and Bus Operating Facilities Programs of Projects. These Programs of Projects will become the final Program of Projects and are funded with grant support from the United States Department of Transportation, Section 5307, Section 5337, and Section 5339.

Visit RideMETRO.org/PublicHearing for the complete FY2025 Program of Projects.

Members of the public may submit comments or request a public hearing by contacting GrantApplications@RideMETRO.org or 713-739-4697. Requests for a public hearing will be accepted until 5:00 p.m., Friday, March 6, 2026. The Main Street location is fully accessible for individuals with disabilities. Individuals with hearing impairments may phone 713-635-6993 for TDD/TTY access.

Further information may be obtained by contacting GrantApplications@RideMETRO.org or 713-739-4697.

RideMETRO.org Call or text 713-635-4000

6 | February 5, 2026 |

DEFENDER NETWORK

| 7

DN InFocus

In

By Laura Onyeneho

February 1926, historian Carter G. Woodson launched Negro History Week, driven by his frustration with American textbooks that omitted Black contributions and academic institutions that ignored Black scholarship altogether.

Woodson, the second African American to earn a doctorate from Harvard, understood that history was being weaponized through omission.

One hundred years later, the observance Woodson founded has grown into Black History Month, a federally recognized fixture of American cultural life. Yet the centennial arrives during another era of historical erasure. Across Texas and nationwide, legislative efforts seek to ban books, restrict curriculum, and reframe the teaching of Black history as divisive. Who controls the story of America, and what happens when entire communities are excluded from it?

Why Negro History Week began On Sept. 9, 1915, Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), which aimed to promote the scientific study of Black life and history. In 1916, the association launched The Journal of Negro History, the first scholarly journal to publish research on the historical achievements of Black individuals.

He deliberately chose the second week of February, aligning it with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass, who spearheaded the abolition movement in the country, and Abraham Lincoln, who issued the Emancipation Proclamation that declared the end of slavery.

Woodson believed that if Black children could see themselves and their ancestors as historical actors, they would understand their present in a different light. He responded to textbooks that portrayed enslaved people as content, Reconstruction as chaos, and Black intellectual life as nonexistent.

“I’m thinking about the fact that Black History Month is a hundred years old, we are almost being forced to do what Woodson did for Black History a hundred years ago,” says Dr. Melanye Dr. Melanye T. Price, director of the T. Price Ruth J. Simmons Center for Race and Justice at Prairie View A&M University. “We are in a moment where they are dismantling all of the formal structure in place for students to be educated about Black history.”

The well-known change-makers in African American history never took a formal Black Studies class. Price explains that what they learned about Black people and Black studies came through alternative means, such as civic organizations, their neighbors, and the church.

For decades, Negro History Week was celebrated in Black institutions, including churches, historically Black colleges and universities, community centers, and progressive school systems. Educators built lesson plans. Cultural leaders organized programs.

Celebrating

100 years

of Black History Month By the 1960s, amid the Civil Rights Movement and a growing Black consciousness movement, students and activists pushed for expansion. In 1976, during the nation’s bicentennial and 50 years after Woodson’s founding, President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month.

What began as a tool of Black self-determination became, in some spaces, a box to check, a month of sanitized figures and feelgood stories that avoided the structural violence Woodson had documented in his book The Mis-Education of the Negro.

Bishop James Dixon, who leads both the NAACP Houston Branch and the Community of Faith Church, has made Black history education a weekly practice at his church. Every Sunday includes a Black history moment with videos and educational content. He sees religious and civic institutions as essential to filling the gap left by restricted classroom education.

“Black social justice organizations, civil rights organizations, and Black churches play a significant role in becoming the educational centers in our community that maintain our history, and that educate new younger generations about

who we actually are, what our story actually is,” Dixon says. “The Black church is still the largest Black institution in our community. We have more people in our churches every Sunday than any other organization can boast, which gives us an opportunity and yet a responsibility.”

Texas has become a testing ground for how far historical restrictions can go. Since 2021, state legislators have introduced bills targeting “critical race theory,” a term now applied broadly to any curriculum examining racism’s structural dimensions. Books by Toni Morrison, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and others have been challenged or removed from school libraries.

The implications reach beyond classrooms.

Public libraries face pressure. Museums reconsider exhibitions. When Black history acknowledges oppression and resistance, it becomes a source of controversy.

This isn’t unique to Texas. Florida, Tennessee, and other states have enacted similar restrictions.

Nationally, PEN America documented over 10,000 book bans during the 2023–2024 school year, with books by and about people of color disproportionately targeted.

Houston’s historic African American Library at the Gregory School is a landmark in Freedmen’s Town. Credit: The African American Library at the Gregory School, Houston Public Library

Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservatory hosts educational camps for youth. Credit: Houston Endowment for the CultureVerse Summer Camp

“Educators are not volunteers. They have families to feed. They have responsibilities, mortgages, car notes, student loan debt, and all the things that they need,” Price says. “Educators are trying to find a safe ground where they can be responsible to the subject matter that they’re teaching, but also be adherent to the fact that they have responsibilities in their own life. It’s a challenging time for teachers.”

Houston as a site of resistance and preservation Houston’s Freedmen’s Town, one of the earliest post-emancipation communities in Texas, has always been a site where Black people told their own stories. Today, the Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservatory continues this work, preserving archives, oral histories, and cultural memories that would otherwise be lost.

“The threat right now with political control over curriculum really saddens me because there’s so much that can be learned from places like Freedmen’s Town. There’s never been a broad framework for our stories to be told, even though there’s been this honoring of Black History Months through schools,” said Sharon Fletcher, executive director of the Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservatory. “We always hear about the same figures, and not that these figures are not important, like Martin Luther King and the Rosa Parks, and Frederick Douglass, but it gives the impression to our kids that Black history only started in the 30s or the 40s or the 50s or the 60s, and that’s just not true for the existence of the African and African-American race who’s made contributions, not only here in the United States, but also globally as well.”

The conservatory hosts various educational activities, such as The Porch Talk, an intimate series of panel discussions that aims to shed light on the untold stories of Texas’ Freedmen’s Towns and honor their contributions to the state’s cultural and historical landscape. Their visitor’s center hosts youth literacy, history, and technology activities in partnership with the community, such as Reading with a Rapper.

“It’s important to host space, but also creating, continuing to create spaces that allow you to come in and experience the very places that people are saying don’t exist,” Fletcher says. “It’s also the 100th year of the Gregory School, which is in Freedmen’s Town as well. We’re also seeing advocates and allies push through all that noise, like Project Row Houses, Fifth Ward, and Deluxe Theater. This is something to celebrate.”

Similarly, events like the Woodson Black Fest at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston reclaim Black History Month as a community-led educational initiative.

Emanuelee Bean is the former Houston Poet Laureate and curator of the 5th annual Woodson Black Fest. The festival, which honors Woodson’s legacy, introduces the community to the power of the arts through spoken word, poetry, and musical performances.

He is also a teacher through Writers in Schools, a program that connects children and youth with professional writers and spoken word artists to unlock the joy and power of storytelling.

“Every day to me is Black History Month, because without African-Americans on this soil, this country has no culture whatsoever,” Bean says. “America’s greatest export is cultural and entertainment. Art is not meant to be consumed.

It’s meant to be experienced.

Woodson didn’t wait for permission to teach Black history. He built the infrastructure himself, archives, journals, and networks of educators, because he understood that communities must control their own narratives.

“I teach in a very untraditional way. I believe education is a very communal practice. As a collective, we are trying to educate kids from an individualistic mindset,” Bean said. “These events are workshops and are free. What you are paying for is time. And that time is a seed.”

NAACP Houston Branch President Bishop James Dixon leads community march in Houston. Credit: NAACP Houston branch

Woodson Black Fest reclaims Black History Month as a community-led educational initiative. Courtesy: Woodson Black Fest

Learn more about what Houstonians are doing to keep the celebration alive.

8 | February 5, 2026 |

DEFENDER NETWORK

DN Feature Students use debate for justice, dialogue

By Laura Onyeneho

In the 2007 historical film The Great Debaters, Denzel Washington played the role of poet and professor Melvin B. Tolson, who taught at the predominantly Black Wiley College in 1935 Texas.

He decides to start a debate team of strong-minded, intelligent young students, and they became the first Black debate team to challenge Harvard’s prestigious debate champions.

The movie inspired a new generation of debaters and sparked broader conversations about perseverance, racial injustice, and the power of education.

“Gentlemen and lady, debate is combat, but your weapons are words,” Washington’s character famously says in the film. “Debate is blood sport, you must destroy your opponent, not only verbally but physically…We are here to debate, to use our minds.”

That moment was history drawn from real HBCU (Historically Black colleges and universities) students who, during segregation, used logic and language to challenge power in a world that silenced them.

Nearly a century later, that spirit lives on through students in today’s tumultuous political climate. The revival of interest in debate competition encourages them to use intellectual discourse as a tool for change and a formidable weapon against misinformation and inflammatory online rhetoric.

Houston Urban Debate League (HUDL) • Serves dozens of HISD middle and high schools.

• Focused on engaging Black and Latino students in competitive debate.

• Offers coaching, tournaments, and college prep support.

• Harris County Department of Education – CASE Debates • A program within HCDE’s “CASE for Kids” division, providing debate opportunities for underserved youth at no cost.

• Partners with schools and training programs to build debate skills in students who might not otherwise have access.

Texas Southern University debate team members are practicing for a competition. Courtesy: Texas Southern University/via Facebook

Dr. Gloria Batiste-Roberts, director and coach of the world-renowned Texas Southern University Debate Team, keeps that same lesson alive in a debate program that has long offered Black students a stage to build power for the last 50 years.

“Debate gives students a passion to develop resources, define truth, and communicate clearly,” Roberts said. “It’s the greatest form of mentorship.”

The Hechinger Report reports a decline in civics education in schools nationwide, citing fear among teachers and principals of discussing such topics in a divided society. Social media amplifies misinformation, and the costs of competition can lock out students from low-income communities.

For young Black students, these problems compound longstanding barriers, under-resourced schools, fewer coaches from similar backgrounds, and circuits where HBCUs are often the only Black teams.

“We’re fighting misinformation and teaching kids how to verify what they see,” Roberts said. “Everything that you read is not always the truth. Debate teaches them to differentiate truth from fiction.”

Edison Sanon, a longtime debate judge and coach who’s been involved in forensics since the 1990s, says the landscape is shifting in promising ways.

“Kids are now getting recruited at the middle school level,” Sanon said. “By the time they reach high school, they’re not just trying to find themselves, they’re ready to go.

It’s amazing to watch that growth.”

Sanon sees debate as more than an extracurricular activity. It’s training for life.

“They have to research both sides of an issue, even the one they don’t agree with,” Sanon said. “That makes them wellrounded. It teaches them that not everything is black and white. There’s a gray area.

Debate helps them see that.”

To contact HUDL, visit www.houstonurbandebate.org.

HOW STUDENTS GO FROM THE CLASSROOM TO THE PODIUM

Your Safety Our Priority HCTRA toll roads are monitored around the clock and if you need help, we offer free roadside assistance.

Keep it moving – get an EZ TAG today!

HCTRA.org • 281-875-EASY (3279)

February 5, 2026 |

DEFENDER NETWORK

| 9

DN Profile

George Anderson Leads Hiram Clarke/Ft. Bend TIRZ

By Aswad Walker

Part of what fuels George Anderson’s passion for the Hiram Clarke/Fort Bend-Houston area is his ability to see what others cannot — the beauty, opportunity and promise that exist beyond perception.

He also operates with profound faith in his Creator, in his abilities and in the potential of the residents and businesses that call the community home. That faith is paying off.

Investments are flowing in, transformational projects are underway and the area’s future looks bright.

The Hiram Clarke/Fort Bend Redevelopment Authority (HCFB), also known as Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ 25), was created in 2013. Anderson and other founding members were appointed by the late Houston City Council member Larry Green.

Anderson began as vice-chair and later assumed the chairman’s seat.

TIRZs stimulate economic development in designated areas. Under Anderson’s leadership, TIRZ 25 has fulfilled that mission — and expanded it to uplift the spirit and dignity of its residents.

A literal calling Anderson’s journey to Houston was a matter of faith.

“The church — Fountain of Praise — actually brought me here,” he said. “The pastor, Dr. Remus Wright, is my uncle, and I came to assist him with growing the congregation.”

But Anderson’s purpose extended beyond ministry.

“My calling and passion are around reinvigorating communities,” said Anderson.

“When I landed at the church, one of my first assignments was to get to know the community — the leaders, the main stakeholders — and understand what were the needs.”

That work became a mission.

“My love for serving God’s people and for bettering our communities, especially those that are Black and Brown, is what George Anderson loves doing,” he shared.

A special community Coming from Indianapolis, Anderson had to learn his new city and community.

“Once I landed here, I was introduced to the community elders,” stated Anderson. “They had passion for this community.

I learned very quickly that this is a very engaged community.

They did their own patrolling and cleanups. They were willing to do what was necessary to protect the investments many had made back in the early seventies.”

That spirit of self-determination became the foundation for Anderson’s work with TIRZ 25.

Fighting misperceptions If there’s one thing that brings out Anderson’s fire, it’s hearing his community unfairly labeled.

“Some of the challenges are dispelling the negative perceptions about Hiram Clarke/ Fort Bend-Houston,” he said. “I get very upset when I see the news painting our community as crime-ridden or gang-infested. We are the opposite.”

He said too many outsiders see the area’s Black and Brown demographics and jump to the wrong conclusion.

The Fountain of Praise Church. Credit: Aswad Walker.

My calling and passion are around reinvigorating communities... When I first landed at the church, one of my first assignments was to go to the community.”

GEORGE ANDERSON

“And I would say that we are hood — but we are great hood,” he said with a laugh. “We have some of the lowest crime rates in the city… It’s a great place to live and worship.”

He added that the community’s resilience has proven itself over time.

“Thanks to those elders and early initiatives, we don’t have the flooding that other communities battle. During all the major storms, we didn’t flood. We’ve got a lot going on here,” said Anderson.

TIRZ 25 board member Teeba Rose praised Anderson’s leadership.

“George Anderson is a well-respected, hard-working, smart supporter of the community in every way,” Rose said. “From the boards he sits on, the church he attends, the students he mentors, and the fraternity he embodies, he gives of himself to ensure others succeed. And I am a product of his support.”

TIRZ 25 highlights Under Anderson’s guidance, TIRZ 25 has launched and supported a series of projects that have visibly transformed the area.

“One of the highlights was our inaugural

project,” Anderson shared. “We partnered with Hines Development to do the Southwest Business Corridor — also known as the Beltway Southwest Business Park — which brought economic development, jobs, and purpose to a major intersection.”

Another major development is the Edison Arts Project, transforming a long-vacant Kroger site.

“It’s a phenomenal project that, in addition to affordable housing, will also do nice work in the area of performing arts,” Anderson said.

“They’re taking it from blight to a valuable community resource.”

Beautification has also been a priority.

Anderson points to the District Gateway Project, a $1.1 million initiative completed in 2021 that improved major intersections along U.S. 90A/South Main with better lighting, public art, and enhanced traffic and pedestrian safety. The project received a National Recognition Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) as part of the 2024 Engineering Excellence Awards — national validation of the TIRZ’s community-driven vision.

10 | February 5, 2026 |

DEFENDER NETWORK

DN Sports

CRYSTAL SCHULTZ

Thrives, evolves with Prairie View women’s basketball squad

By Terrance Harris

If there is a word to describe Crystal Schultz’s transition from wide-eyed freshman to sophomore at Prairie View, it would definitely be change.

The Fort Bend Austin product entered this basketball season with a new coach, increased demands on her game, and leadership expectations. While it can feel daunting at times, Schultz is embracing it all. That includes the new voices and demands of firstyear head coach Tai Dillard and her staff.

“It’s a big change, and I think it’s a great change, as well,” Schultz said in a recent conversation with the Defender following practice. “I have a great coaching staff. It’s four different personalities, but it all works out actually very good, surprisingly. To have a head coach who is very calm, but at the same time we all respect her. Everything that she says because she comes from experience.

She has played in the pros and collegiately.

We respect all of our coaches because they have been where we want to get to.

“It’s a great change actually, just getting us to where we need to be.”

So far, the skilled scorer has picked up right where she left off last season when she finished the year as the SWAC Freshman of the Year. Schultz is still getting buckets even as the 2-11 overall, 0-2 (SWAC) Panthers go through a gauntlet of a non-conference schedule that has the University of Texas, Sam Houston State, Oklahoma State, Texas State, and Texas A&M on the horizon.

The 5-foot-8 shooting guard leads SWAC in scoring with 15.7 points a game, while backcourt mate CJ Wilson is second in the conference with 15.3 points per game.

“It can be very, very frustrating, but I think once you love the game, this is what comes with it,” Schultz said of the Panthers’ unforgiving non-conference schedule,

Crystal Schultz, last season’s SWAC Freshman of the Year, is still excelling as a scorer for the Panthers while adjusting to a new coach and new expectations. Courtesy: Prairie View Athletics

where they are often overmatched and on the road. “You are going to have those frustrating moments, but when you have good teammates like I have; we’re sisters. So at the end of the day, we are going to have each other’s backs.

“It’s frustrating, but at the same time fun because we are getting better each game.”

Improving with each game has been the goal the coaching staff has set for not just Schultz, but the entire team, during this

Her ability to score is what stood out. Her ability to score and get a bucket in any situation no matter what and that just comes from confidence. You can see that confidence and of course coming in as a new staff, we wanted to make sure we had someone who was confident while we were still trying to gel and mesh together and have the ability to score, as well.”

PLENETTE PIERSON PV assistant coach

initial stretch of the season. Dillard, who was hired last spring after several years as an assistant coach at the University of Houston, scrambled to put together a schedule upon her arrival, but also sought a tougher non-conference slate to gauge the team’s competitiveness.

“After the first day we saw the preseason schedule, we knew it was going to be a rough battle,” Schultz said. “But at the end of the day, you have to go through times to get to where you want to do. It’s not going to be peaches and cream every day. Even in practices, we have rough practices and even those frustrating talks with our coaches. But at the end of the day, our coaches love us, and they want to see us succeed.

“So practicing and playing hard so that when we get to the SWAC, that’s going to be easy because we have already played the best of the best. We’ve already played UT, A&M; we’ve already played these tough teams, so we know what it takes.”

That’s exactly the takeaway their coaches desired.

“I wanted to see where we really are before we go into conference,” Dillard said. “I had

Prairie View guard Crystal Schultz has always been able to make buckets, but now she is working on her complete game. Courtesy: Prairie View Athletics

a feeling where we would be because we’re really young. We don’t have any seniors; even our two leading scorers are sophomores (CJ Wilson and Schultz). They are leaders, but it’s still a challenge for them, too, stepping out in that light, as well.”

Being a leader is an aspect of her game that Schultz may have thought she had time to develop, but with six freshmen on the roster this season, her maturation has had to accelerate considerably. Suddenly, she finds herself playing big sister to teammates who aren’t quite a year older than she is.

“I’m a big sister, but we are the same age.

It’s weird,” Schultz said. “I was just talking to my coach about it the other day. I’m not a captain or anything like that, but I think being able to talk to them, them being able to listen to me, and me giving good advice on the court and off the court.

“They know where you’ve been, so they know that if they don’t listen, they can’t really get to where you’ve been. I think it’s easier because we have a lot of people who are willing to listen and understand.”

February 5, 2026 |

DEFENDER NETWORK

| 11

DN Sports LAMAR HS WR

EN’RICO MOORE

Works his way back, showcasing skill in 2026 Bayou Bowl

By Jimmie Aggison

For most high school football players, momentum is everything. For En’rico Moore, it has been a matter of survival.

The Lamar High School senior wide receiver has endured two major knee injuries that stalled his recruitment and cost him valuable evaluation time. Yet, Moore never stopped producing or believing. Now, after playing in the 2026 Bayou Bowl which took place Jan. 3, 2026, at Barbers Hill Stadium, Moore has taken advantage of one final opportunity to show college coaches who he truly is.

“When I found out I was nominated as the only player from my district to play in the Bayou Bowl, I was honored to showcase my skills and happy to represent my team,” said Moore.

The Bayou Bowl serves as another opportunity for seniors to get one more look on film to catch the eye of potential coaches prior to National Signing Day, which took place on Feb. 4.

“I decided to play in the Bayou Bowl to gain recognition and show coaches that I can compete against competition from all over Texas,” said Moore. “I had something to prove not only to my peers but also to coaches.”

As an underclassman, Moore had the opportunity to learn by watching then-Lamar standouts Jordan Reaves and Tristen Brown, who currently hold the school record for most catches, receiving yards, and touchdowns by a wide receiver.

“I came in as a freshman and worked hard for a starting spot my sophomore year,” said Moore. “Playing with great seniors like Jordan Reaves and Tristen Brown helped me gain valuable football knowledge, and I held myself to a higher standard throughout those years.”

Moore’s consistency, early impact, and role at Lamar were undeniable. But his value to the program extended far beyond statistics.

“En’rico has been an incredible blessing to our team and is leaving a legacy. Specifically, the way he has carried himself with toughness and competitiveness is influencing all his younger teammates,” said Lamar head football coach Michael Lindsey. “He never complains and thoroughly enjoys the grind. He also scored one of the biggest touchdowns in Lamar history, a game-winning touchdown vs Ridge Point in the 2023 Area playoffs.”

A four-year varsity letterman and

three-year varsity starter, Moore’s role evolved from contributing underclassman to senior leader.

“My role as an underclassman was important because I had to step up for the team,” said Moore. “I took that responsibility with me into my senior year and shared it with my underclassmen to help keep them accountable.”

However, as Moore’s playing time increased, so did his risk of injury, forcing him to develop mental resilience alongside his physical recovery.

Moore suffered a torn posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) during his sophomore season and a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during his junior year. These injuries caused him to miss camps and spring ball, a crucial evaluation period when college coaches can interact with prospects in person.

“When I tore my PCL, I didn’t know about the recovery process and was impatient, which prolonged my recovery,” said Moore. “Then, when I tore my ACL, I fell into a depressing state of self-doubt, not knowing if I’d be able to play at the same level I did before the injury.”

For any athlete, injuries and recruitment rarely coexist smoothly.

“It’s definitely been tough,” said Lindsey.

“Recruiting for high school kids has been at an all-time struggle, and he has had to endure injuries and recovery for the past two springs and summers.”

When healthy, however, Moore remains a difference-maker.

“He’s dynamic,” said Lindsey. “He runs hard and is a big-play threat at all times.”

Last season, Moore helped lead Lamar to a 6A Region III District 18 championship and a playoff run, earning First Team All-District honors as a wide receiver.

During his senior season. He totaled 13 receptions for 222 yards and five receiving touchdowns, added two rushing touchdowns, and recorded 147 punt return yards for 421 all-purpose yards.

“Being named 1st Team All-District wide receiver after everything I’ve gone through is very important,” said Moore. “All the work I put in over the summer and during the playing season was noticed.”

A former track athlete, Moore also uses his speed to make an impact in the return game.

“I’m very fast and physical, so the return game lets me show my elusiveness,” said Moore.

ABOUT EN’RICO MOORE Class: 2026 IG: @sgrico6 Twitter: @ATHRICO1 Position: Wide receiver Height & weight: 5-feet-8, 180 pounds Favorite artist: Deebaby Status: Uncommitted Favorite subject: Engineering

Although Moore remains uncommitted, he currently has offers from Hardin-Simmons University, Graceland University, and William Penn University.

“The offers I have now give me confidence in my ability, knowing I have college talent and that coaches recognize it,” said Moore.

“I’m looking for a program with a coach who is great at developing and teaching. A coach who will give me an opportunity to play and a program that throws as much as they run the ball.”

“En’rico has a lot more football left in

his career, so I knew this would be a great chance to showcase his skills and character,” said Lindsey. “I also knew he would represent Lamar well on the field with his play.”

As his high school career draws to a close, Moore hopes his legacy extends beyond the field.

“I want Lamar High School to remember me as a humble person, both on and off the field,” said Moore. “One who was always competitive in any aspect of life and one who was a respected and respectful student-athlete.”

12 | February 5, 2026 |

DEFENDER NETWORK

One internet price.

Five years.

ZERO HESITATION

Unlimited data and equipment included. No contracts.

1-800-xfinity

xfinity.com/teamusa

Visit a store today

Restrictions apply. Not available in all areas. Select plans only. After five years, regular rates apply. Actual internet speeds vary and not guaranteed. For factors affecting speed, visit xfinity.com/networkmanagemeant. For complete details, visit xfinity.com/deals. All devices must be returned when service ends. © 2026 Comcast. All rights reserved. 36 USC 220506 NPA401387-0020