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Volume 86 | Number 16
FEBRUARY 23, 2017 |FREE
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NEWSTALK KIM OGG decriminalizes marijuana in Harris County
P2 NATIONAL ELIJAH CUMMINGS
CBC to meet with Trump
P3 FEATURE JARREN SMALL changing the way we see history
P4
TOP EVENTS
TSU LANDMARKS College buildings named after Blacks H PAGE 6 JeCaryous Johnson
back on stage
The Houston native is bringing his highly-anticipated touring stageplay, “Married But Single Too” to the Hobby Center. The play deals with life, love and marriage.
Elaine Chen, Dr. Reagan Flowers, Roxann Chargois attend “The Obama Years” screening.
P12
Montrelz Harrell
worth the pick
The 6-foot-8 power forward was a top pick for the Rockets. After a forgettable rookie season, he’s making significant contributions to the team’s success in year 2.
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DEFENDER | FEBRUARY 23 | 2017
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newstalk
Policy reignites marijuana debate
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Defender News Services
ome state officials are fuming at Harris County’s forthcoming policy to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana, while others say local jurisdictions should have discretion when it comes to enforcing laws. The policy, announced recently by Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg and set to begin March 1, will mean that possessing fewer than four ounces of marijuana won’t result in an arrest, ticket or court appearance if the offender agrees to take a drug education class. While the Legislature is unlikely to take any statewide action on marijuana legislation, District Attorney Democrats and Republicans in Kim Ogg the House and Senate had strong and conflicting opinions on the issue. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has already condemned the policy, comparing the debate over marijuana decriminalization to the debate over “sanctuary” policies. “[Patrick] does not believe that law enforcement has the discretion to choose what laws to enforce and what laws to ignore,” spokesman Alejandro Garcia said in a statement. The top two members of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee are similarly at odds over the new Harris County measure. “They have discretion at the DA’s office. You’ve just got to get the public safety job done,” said state Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, the committee’s chairman. “The people enforcing this are elected officials; it’s not like they parachuted
in out of nowhere. They simply decided they will apply the law in a different manner.” Whitmire said the shift in policy would be a “real practical approach” that is “tough and smart on crime.” “If you listen to experts and professional law enforcement officers, they believe it will allow them to use their resources more effectively by going after dangerous violent offenders,” Whitmire said. “How could I question [the policy], if I can call an officer and he or she is going to be at my house quicker [because they are not busy] messing
around with low-level marijuana offenders?” But the committee’s vice chairwoman, Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, said that while she supports some programs, such as pre-arrest diversion for first-time youthful offenders, the Harris County policy “goes too far.” “It’s bad for the County, bad for our kids, and good for the drug dealers,” she said in a statement. Members of the Texas House also had conflicting opinions about whether Harris County had the discretion to diverge from state rulings.
localbriefs THE STATE OF TEXAS IS FACING MORE SANCTIONS for blowing past deadlines and ignoring a court order to hand over thousands of pages of documents in a lawsuit challenging its voter registration practices. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office’s “months-long delay” in producing the documents “has been disruptive, time consuming, cost consuming” and has burdened plaintiffs in the lawsuit, a U.S. District judge ruled. The Texas Civil Rights Project last March sued on behalf of four Texans who allege the Department of Public Safety denied them the opportunity to cast a ballot — and violated federal law — by failing to update their voter registration records online……
TEXAS SCHOOLS NO LONGER TEACH SEX ED, according to a new study released by the Texas Freedom Network. The study found that a quarter of Texas public school districts offered no sex education at all during the 2015-2016 school year and nearly 60 percent of districts used abstinence-only education programs over the same period. While 58.3 percent of school districts in Texas taught abstinence-only programs, that’s down from 94 percent in 2008, according to the study. Meanwhile, the number of school districts that adopted an approach known in education circles as “abstinence-plus,” which still encourages abstinence but also discusses accurate information on other
pregnancy prevention methods and sexually transmitted diseases, rose from 3.6 percent to 16.6 percent of all districts. Texas ranked fifth highest in the nation in teen birth rates in 2015….RESIDENTS OF SOUTHWEST HOUSTON will gather for a community town hall meeting with the top four law enforcement and emergency officials, including the new district attorney and the new fire chief. Sponsored by Council members Dwight Boykins and Larry Green, the event is designed to allow residents to address some of their most pressing concerns. The town hall will take place at the Kingdom Builders Center, 6011 West Orem, on Sat., Feb. 25th at 10am.
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FEBRUARY 23 | 2017 | DEFENDER
national
U.S.briefs THE COST TO COVER TRAVEL FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP and his family in one month is on track to far surpass that of the Obama family’s costs for the entire year. One report estimated that if the Trump family’s “elaborate lifestyle” continues at the clip it racked up during the first month of his presidency, he will spend hundreds of millions more than his predecessor. Trump’s three trips to the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida since the inauguration reportedly cost approximately $10 million in travel, security and more. President Obama spent roughly the same in travel ($12 million) for an entire year…….U.S. REP. JOHN CONYERS IS PUSHING FOR REPARATIONS. Conyers, the longest serving congressional member, hosted a Capitol Hill briefing recently that drew activists, legal experts, scholars, politicos and community leaders from across the country. Since 1989, Conyers, a lawyer and ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, has repeatedly introduced HR.40, a bill that would establish a commission to examine the institution of slavery in the U.S. and its early colonies, and recommend appropriate remedies……. THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSINMADISON’S student government is demanding free tuition for African-American students. The Associated Students of Madison adopted a resolution saying African-Americans were legally barred from education during slavery and that the school remains out of reach for students of color. State lawmakers set tuition rates. The resolution demands free access, tuition and housing be offered to AfricanAmerican applicants, including former inmates. University officials are reviewing the resolution. The proportion of Black students at the school has grown from 11 percent to 15 percent over the past 10 years. A series of racially tinged incidents have marred campus life in recent months, including a fan wearing an offensive costume to a football game and the arrest of an African-American student for anti-racist graffiti.
VOLUME 86 • NUMBER 16 FEBRUARY 23, 2017 Publisher Sonceria Messiah-Jiles Ad/Client Relations Selma Dodson Tyler Digital Editor LaGloria Wheatfall Art Director Tony Fernandez-Davila Proofer Maia Shelby
Editors ReShonda Billingsley Marilyn Marshall Contributing Writers Aswad Walker Jasemine Knowles Amber Vernon Sports Editors Max Edison Darrell K. Ardison
The Defender newspaper is published by the Houston Defender Inc. Company (713-663-6996.. The Defender is audited by Certified Audited Circulation. (CAC). For subscription, send $60-1 year to: Defender, P.O. Box 8005, Houston TX 77288. Payment must accompany subscription request. All material covered by 2012 copyright. (No material herein may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher).
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Black lawmakers will finally meet with Trump
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Defender News Services
embers of the Congressional Black Caucus are preparing to meet with President Trump and said they are taking a host of issues to the table. Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, a member of the CBC, said that Trump answered the caucus’ Jan. 19 request for a meeting and he expects a meeting will occur after Congress returns from a weeklong break, the week of Feb. 27. The Democratic lawmaker said they will meet about lowering the cost of prescription drugs – a goal Trump endorsed during the campaign when he talked about using the federal government’s negotiating power to reduce prices – as well as voting rights and job growth. While Trump has spoken at length about voter fraud and asserted that between 3 million and 5 million illegal immigrants voted, giving Hillary Clinton a lead in the popular vote, Cummings said that disenfranchisement of minority voters is a bigger issue. “He doesn’t talk about all of the millions of people who have been denied the right to vote because of suppression. So I want to talk about things like that, also,” Cummings said. Trump, whose political agenda includes trying to improve the lives of inner-city Americans, said recently that he wanted to meet with Cummings but that Cummings canceled because such a meeting would be bad for him politically. Cummings said in response, “I have no idea why President Trump would make up a story about me like he did.” The situation escalated when Trump, during a press conference, was asked by a Black reporter about the meeting, and he responded by asking her to set up a meeting. CBC member Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., said later that he detected “an element of disrespect” in Trump’s comment to journalist April Ryan. “He’s not going to ask any other reporter to do that for any other group, so why did he do that to her?” said Clyburn, also a member of the House Democratic leadership. “I think that was pretty instructive to me.” When asked whether Trump was implying that all Black people know each other, Clyburn said, “I don’t know what his implications were, but that’s my interpretation.” Ryan is a longtime White House reporter and Washington bureau chief for American Urban Radio Networks. She specifically asked Trump whether he planned to include the CBC “in your conversations with your urban agenda, your inner-city agenda.” The president responded by asking Ryan whether the CBC are “friends of
yours” and remarking, “I tell you what, do you want to set up the meeting?” Ryan later tweeted, “I am a journalist not a convener! But thank you for answering my questions.” The CBC tweeted that the group sent Trump a letter in January outlining areas where they could work together, “but you never wrote us back. Sad!” The chairman of the CBC, Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-La., issued a statement saying the White House had reached out to schedule a meeting with the 49-member organization. Richmond’s statement said it was remarkable that Trump had not responded to their letter earlier. “President Trump has been in office for almost a month and the Congressional Black Caucus – which at a historic 49 members is almost a fourth of the House Democratic Caucus and represents millions of AfricanAmericans – did not hear from the White House until we introduced ourselves on Twitter after the White House press conference,” Richmond wrote.
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Maryland Congressman Elijah Cummings
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DEFENDER | FEBRUARY 23 | 2017 defendernetwork.com
Black ‘Present’ Month celebrates today By JASEMINE KNOWLES Defender
Typically, Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by pioneering Black Americans from the past, often leaving out current movers and shakers who are making a difference in the community today. Two local millennial entrepreneurs, Jarren Small, founder and CEO of Legends Do Live, and Warren Luckett, COO at Branwar Wine Distributing Co., set out to change this fact. Together they teamed up to launch Black Present Month in honor of Black “present-day” trailblazers. “Having [Black History Month] confined to just Jarren Small Warren Luckett 28 days and only touching on past history is tiring because history is happening right now in our commuKirbi Smith, CEO/founders, Active Faith Christian prenities,” Small said. mium sports apparel; and Joy Sewing, fashion journalist, “Black Present Month is all about highlighting present Houston Chronicle. history. The concept pays forward the current entrepreThe first session is open to 50 high school students neurs’ [rise] in the Black community and millennials creat- from Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center, ing change and challenging the status quo.” where they will have the opportunity to engage and learn To commemorate the month, Small and Luckett are from the entrepreneurs. The second session is open to hosting a social gathering on Monday, Feb. 27, at 6 p.m. at adults. the Houston Museum of African American Culture, 4807 “The pop-up is open to students so they can get a Caroline. chance to not only learn from entrepreneurs thriving It will showcase four presenters: Andremica Scott, in business, but from millennials they can relate to as executive chef, Sweet Cayenne Catering and founder of opposed to historical figures they learn about in history Feisty to Feed; Ange Hillz, visual paint artist; Lanny & class,” Luckett said.
Small said it’s important for youth to not only follow their dreams but also to “think creatively and ambitiously.” “We’re ultimately dispelling the myth that millennials are lazy and entitled,” Small said. “We are creative and innovative and students will get a chance to witness that firsthand.” In addition, students will have the chance to write an essay on their career goals and what they’ve learned at the pop-up. “The lucky winner of the essay contest will have it published in a publication and will be given a passport,” Luckett said. “Travel is key in education. It offers a variety of educational experiences and it gives youth an even greater idea of what is really going on in the world they live in.” Small said the quest to show students and the public that “legends do live” will continue. “This is something Luckett and I plan on doing annually on any given month with a different theme, to consistently highlight present day entrepreneurs,” he said. For tickets visit www.eventbrite.com/e/black-present-montha-interactive-pop-up-museum-tickets-29329118182.
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FEBRUARY 23 | 2017 | DEFENDER
entertainment
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Houstonian JeCaryous Johnson’s
“Married But Single Too” stageplay debuts
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By RAQUEL ROGERS
ove, life and relationships have always been a staple of a JeCaryous Johnson play. With his trademark wit, thoughtprovoking dialogue, hilarious one-liners and side-splitting comedy, the native Houstonian made a name for himself entertaining audiences across the country for more than two decades. Now, the award-winning writer/ director is returning home with his latest offering, “Married But Single Too,” the highly anticipated follow up to last year’s sold-out stage play. Currently touring across the country, “Married But Single Too” heads to the Hobby Center March 10-12 and stars Carl Anthony Payne, LisaRay McCoy, La’Myia Good, Skye Griffin, Bill Bellamy, Chanté Moore, Chante Moore, Skye Griffin. Here, the Defender talks with Johnson about what we can expect from “Married But Single Too.” Defender: While “Married But Single Too” has all of the usual singing, comedy and drama, at it’s core, is there a particular message you want fans to get? JeCaryous Johnson: This piece is really about issues. I recently got married, and as a newlywed, you realize you are two individuals with your own separate lives and are kind of thrust together to become one and things are supposed to be perfect; and that’s really kind of an impossibility unless one person negates who they were and conforms to who someone else wants you to be, but that’s not marriage. Contrary to
popular belief, marriage is not a give and take, it’s not a sacrifice and a compromise. It is developing an acquired desire to want to do something for someone else and that becomes the impulse. Not out of resistance, but out of love, I want to do this for you. We deal with issues of singleness because married people want to be single and single people want to be married. We all are looking at each other’s situation and saying the grass is greener on the other side, but at the end of the day, everything has weeds in it. But if you don’t pluck the weeds and put the right fertilizer on whatever your situation is, it can’t grow to be something beautiful. Defender: While this is a follow-up to your previous successful stageplay, you’ve said people can see part two, regardless of whether they saw the first show. What made you want to continue this saga? Johnson: The original play was met with such overwhelming response that I had to give my dedicated fans
and new fans some more of the pandemonium and drama that real relationships and this thing we call love provide. While traveling with the show and interacting with audiences, I discovered many wanted to see more from their favorite characters and also find out what happens JeCaryous Johnson next with them. So, that’s what “Married But Single Too” will give them. They will experience more singing, more of the love, more of the fun and more of the funny.” Defender: Why do you love doing theater? Johnson: I love the energy I get from the audiences. There’s a whole thing about doing live theater. The cheers from the audience, the meet-and-greets afterward, the general enthusiasm in the room. It’s a phenomenal experience. Defender: You are one of the country’s premiere stage playwrights. Why do you think you have longevity and success in this field? Johnson: Because I respect the fans and make sure that I bring them quality productions. People don’t know this but I toil and agonize over a script until I get it right because if people are willing to spend their hard-earned money to support me, I want to make sure I’m giving them my best. So I start with a quality script, that makes them laugh, cry, reflect, then I work with some of the best talent in the business to execute the vision. That’s a recipe for success. For more information or tickets visit jecaryous.com/
what’sup DONALD GLOVER will play Simba along with JAMES EARL JONES’ Mufasa in the Disney new live-action “Lion King” movie. This is just the latest in a string of successes for Glover. His FX show “Atlanta” has been more than wellreceived and he will be playing a young Lando Calrissian in the brand new “Star Wars” spinoff. Jones will play Mufasa for the second time as he voiced the character in the original 1994 movie…….JAY Z’s music streaming service Tidal has partnered with social justice organization, Sankofa.org, to exclusively premiere “17,” a 17-minute visual EP inspired by the men, women
and children who have fallen victim to racial and police violence, including TRAYVON MARTIN who died at the age of 17 nearly five years ago. The short is a beautifully shot homage to Black life. It follows a day in the life of 17-year-old Jacobi Nelson, and his tragic encounter with racial bias and police violence. To coincide with its release, Sankofa.org and Tidal have launched the social campaign #IAM17 encouraging people to share and post their own stories about where they were and what they were doing at 17…….. Singer FAITH EVANS has settled her lawsuit with a promoter over the Bad Boy Reunion Tour.
A concert promoter accused the singer of cheating him out of $100k, but both sides have signed a confidential deal to dismiss all claims against the other…….NICK CANNON shocked NBC when he recently quit as host of “America’s Got Talent” after he said executives planned to fire him over an N-word-laden joke about his Black card. “I wish ‘AGT’ and NBC the best in its upcoming season, but I cannot see myself returning,” he said, vowing to stand up against what he called network’s “Do-as-I-say mentality.” He added, “We gotta be aware that the system wasn’t designed for us.”
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DEFENDER | FEBRUARY 23 | 2017
TSU LANDMARKS College buildings named after Blacks
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By JASEMINE KNOWLES Defender
istoric Black leaders, though their influence is undoubtedly widespread, are sometimes ignored in education and history, where narratives highlighting white success tend to dominate. However, on HBCU campuses you can find schools named after various leaders to honor their legacy. The Defender takes a look at some of the pioneers honored by Texas Southern University by having buildings and colleges named after them.
Thornton M. Fairchild Building
Thornton McNair Fairchild, an educator and businessman, was born in Houston on Dec. 14, 1875. He received his early education in the Houston public schools and later attended Prairie View College (now Prairie View A&M University). He served for a time as principal of Black high schools in Navasota and Hempstead and taught in the Houston public schools for several years. Early in his business career, Fairchild established a funeral home, which by the 1940s was recognized as one of the oldest and best-equipped Black mortuaries in Texas. He also founded the Watchtower Life Insurance Company, which became one of the leading Black insurance companies in Texas, and served as its president and major stockholder. He died in Houston on Dec. 22, 1941. After his death, his wife, Mary, gave a major donation to then Houston College for Negroes (now TSU), where the oldest
building on campus was named in his honor.
Thomas F. Freeman Honors College
A TSU professor of philosophy since 1949 and an educator for over 70 years, Thomas F. Freeman was born on July 27, 1920. After graduating from college at the age of 18 and serving as a Virginia Union University professor in his 20s, Freeman was hired in 1949 to teach philosophy at what was then Texas State University for Negroes (now TSU). Freeman is best known for coaching TSU’s highly-acclaimed debate team, which has won hundreds Dr. Thomas Freeman of awards and traveled the globe. Freeman and the TSU team worked with Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington and his cast for the movie, “The Great Debaters.” Freeman’s notable debate students include Barbara Jordan, Mickey Leland and the late Otis King, the first Black city attorney in Houston. Today, Freeman is still director of the Honors College – located at the Robert J. Terry Library – and a minister at Mt. Horem Baptist Church, where he’s been pastoring
Thomas Freeman Honors College
for over 65 years.
Spurgeon N. Gray Hall
Spurgeon Nathaniel Gray, a pioneering Black pharmacist whose career spanned almost 60 years, was born on May 10, 1877 in Lawrence, Kan. Gray practiced pharmacy in Kansas, Washington, D.C., and Louisiana before opening the first Black-owned pharmacy in Southeast Texas called Gray’s Pharmacy in Beaumont in 1903. Over his long career, he also opened pharmacies in Liberty and Port Arthur. Gray served as an important health provider for Blacks throughout Southeast
Texas during the first half of the 20 His customers, largely denied acce white hospitals and clinics, often d on Gray’s Pharmacy to meet their healthcare needs. He also established the Southe Texas Medical, Dental, and Pharm Association; and opened a medical the Bonwell Community Center, to needs of the Black community of B Gray was an early champion o its School of Pharmacy, supporting financially and professionally thro early years. Gray retired in 1956 a Jan. 14, 1960, at the age of 84.
defendernetwork.com • Serving th
0th century. ess to depended multiple
east maceutical l facility, o meet the Beaumont. f TSU and g the school oughout its and died on
Barbara Jordan
Mickey Leland
he Houston area for over 85 years
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Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs
As a member of the House Judiciary Committee, she gave the influential opening speech of Richard Nixon’s 1974 impeachment Houston Congresswoman Barbara Jordan was hearings. born on February 21 in 1936. Jordan rose to She retired after three terms in Congress to the national stage after graduating from TSU, become a professor and policy advocate. She died becoming a defender of on Jan. 17, 1996. the U.S. Constitution Jordan was succeeded See more landmarks at and a leading presence in Congress by George in Democratic Party DefenderNetwork.com Thomas “Mickey” Leland, politics for two an anti-poverty activist decades. who was born in Lubbock She was the first on Nov. 27, 1944 and grew up in Fifth Ward. He Black woman elected to the Texas State served in the Texas Legislature before becoming a Senate and the first Black Texan in Congress. congressman from the 18th District and chair of
Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs
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the Congressional Black Caucus. Leland graduated from TSU’s School of Pharmacy in 1970 with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy. He served as an instructor of Clinical Pharmacy at his alma mater from 1970-71, and set up a door-to-door outreach campaign in low-income neighborhoods to inform people about their medical care options and to perform preliminary screenings. Leland also organized and led the Black Citizens Action Teams –”Black Cats” – to protest against police brutality. During his time in politics, he advocated for health, children and the elderly. Leland died on Aug. 7, 1989, while on a humanitarian mission to Ethiopia.
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DEFENDER | FEBRUARY 23 | 2017 defendernetwork.com
HISD explores schools named after Blacks
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Defender News Services
ISD is celebrating Black History Month by exploring schools named for distinguished African-Americans. The district has more than 30 schools that recognized the contributions of African-Americans, ranging from renowned educators to legislators to community leaders. Here’s a look at some of them at the elementary level. Martin Luther King Jr. Early Childhood Center – One of the first facilities built by HISD to serve prekindergarten students exclusively, this school opened in the fall of 2004. It is named for revered civil rights leader Dr. King (1929-1968), who advocated nonviolent social protest in the pursuit of racial equality. Blackshear Elementary – The son of two slaves from Montgomery, Ala., Edward Lavoisier Blackshear (1862-1919) served as the first principal of Emancipation Park School before becoming the principal of Prairie View State Normal and Industrial College (now Prairie View A&M University), a preparatory school for Black teachers. This school named for him was built in 1916 and expanded in 1960, 1965 and 1980. Bruce Elementary – Built in 1920, this school was named after Blanche Kelso Bruce, a distinguished former slave who founded a school for Blacks in Missouri during the Civil War. Bruce went on to hold a number of important political posts before becoming the first African-American elected to serve a full term in the U.S. Senate (18751881). He subsequently served as registrar of the U.S. Treasury until his death in 1898. An HISD replacement facility was completed in 2007. Burrus Elementary – Originally opened in 1899 as Independent Heights County School, Burrus was renamed in
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1924 after James Dallas Burrus (18461928), a former slave who became a successful African-American educator. Born in Tennessee, he went on to become the first African-American professor of mathematics at Fisk University in 1882. Dogan Elementary – Matthew Winfred Dogan (1863-1947) was the author of the pioneering study “The Progress of the Negro,” and for many years he was president of Wiley College in Marshall, Texas. He held a Ph.D. from New Orleans University and honorary degrees from Rust College, Walden College and Howard University. The school named for him was built in 1949. Elmore Elementary – Elmore was named after Bennie Carl Elmore (19091973), a highly regarded North Forest ISD principal and pioneer in AfricanAmerican education. The school opened as a high school in 1957, was converted to a middle school in 1972, and began serving elementary students in 2013. Hines-Caldwell Elementary – Jean Hines Caldwell (1930-2013) grew up in Houston’s Fifth Ward and graduated from Wheatley High School. After earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Prairie View A&M, she began her career with HISD as an audiologist, working with elementary schools in the district before returning to Wheatley as a teacher and counselor. She worked at Wheatley for 38 years before retiring. N.Q. Henderson Elementary – Nathaniel “Nat” Q. Henderson (1866-1949), for whom this school is named in 1956, was one of the earliest graduates of Prairie View State Normal and Industrial College (now Prairie View A&M University) and served as principal of Houston’s Bruce Elementary School from 1909 to 1942. Known as the “mayor of Fifth Ward,” Henderson helped establish the first African-
ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR
Project LEAP 2017
Project LEAP (Learning, Empowerment, Advocacy, Participation) is a free comprehensive 17 week advocacy training program for HIV affected or infected individuals. The purpose of Project LEAP is to train people to become active participants on local HIV/AIDS planning bodies.
Classes are on Wednesdays April through July 10:00 am - 2:00 pm -or- 5:30 pm - 9:30 pm A brief application & interview are required Application Deadline: Friday, March 3rd at 5:00 p.m. If you have questions about the program or would like to request an application please contact Diane Beck at 713 572-3724 or diane.beck@hctx.net Or apply online: www.surveymonkey.com/r/PLEAP2017 RYAN WHITE PLANNING COUNCIL OFFICE OF SUPPORT
2223 West Loop South, Suite 240; Houston, TX 77027 Phone 713 572-3724 Fax 713 572-3724 TTY 713-572-2813 www.rwpcHouston.org
Matthew Dogan
Jean Hines Caldwell
Thurgood Marshall
Rod Paige
American library, nursery, and home for African-American girls. Marshall Elementary – Marshall was named for Thurgood Marshall (1908-1993), the first African-American justice on the Supreme Court who fought for desegregation of public schools. He successfully argued Brown v. Board of Education, a 1954 decision that ruled segregated public schools unconstitutional. Marshall Elementary began serving students in 2013. McGowen Elementary – The school, formerly known as Houston Gardens, was renamed in 2013 in honor of the late Houston City Councilman Ernest McGowen Sr. (1925-2012), who also served as a trustee on the HISD Board. He was a lifelong champion of public education whose efforts helped establish the first vocational technical high school in HISD. He also secured the observance of Dr. King’s birthday as a paid holiday and helped establish Houston’s
Minority and Women Owned Businesses program, which is still active today. Paige Elementary – This school is named for Dr. Roderick “Rod” Paige (1933-), who first served on the HISD Board of Education from 1989 to 1994, and became the district’s superintendent of schools. He left the district in 2001 to become the first AfricanAmerican to serve as U.S. secretary of education. Paige is a former teacher, coach and dean of the Texas Southern University College of Education. Robinson Elementary – This school honors the first African-American City Councilman in Houston. Judson Robinson Jr. was elected 10 times to the council and served twice as mayor pro tempore. He worked toward better working conditions for employees in Solid Waste Management and fought for minority hiring by the Houston Police Department and the Houston Fire Department. See the complete list at www.DefenderNetwork.com
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FEBRUARY 23 | 2017 | DEFENDER
opinion Civil rights will suffer under Atty. Gen. Sessions
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By REV. JESSE L. JACKSON SR.
Taylor Jones, Politicalcartoons.com
onald Trump’s first weeks in office have left Americans reeling from what Republican speechwriter Peggy Noonan called his “cloud of crazy.” His cabinet nominees seem intentionally perverse: an education secretary who has no clue about public schools; an energy secretary who wanted to eliminate the department; a treasury secretary from Goldman Sachs who ran a home foreclosure factory. So when a white nationalist sympathizer, Sen. Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III, was confirmed to be attorney general, it passed by as just another absurdity. The coverage of the confirmation battle focused primarily on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s outrageous muzzling of Sen. Elizabeth Warren as she tried to read a 1986 letter from Coretta Scott King criticizing Sessions. The muzzling was an unforgivable indignity. Lost in the furor was the thrust of King’s letter. She was writing to urge the Republican-led Senate of the time to reject President Reagan’s nomination of Sessions to the federal bench because he had “used the power of his office as U.S. attorney to intimidate and chill the free exercise of the ballot.” Sessions had opposed the Voting Rights Act, made racist statements and falsely prosecuted Black civil rights leaders seeking to register people to vote in Alabama. He was an ardent and unrelenting opponent of civil rights. The Republican Senate rejected his nomination. Sessions’ views have not changed. He opposed Supreme Court decisions striking down laws banning homosexual sex and same-sex marriage. He voted against equal pay for women
and against reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act and he argued that it would be a “stretch” to call grabbing a woman’s genitals – as the president boasted of doing – assault. He is a leading opponent of immigration reform and supported Trump’s ban on Muslims. Sessions remains a fierce advocate of states’ rights over civil rights. Even as he joined 97 senators in voting to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act in 2006, he gave a speech declaring its enforcement sections unconstitutional. When the Supreme Court’s conservative gang of five gutted the law, he praised their decision, saying preposterously, “[If] you go to Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, people aren’t being denied the vote because of the color of their skin.”
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Even as he was saying that, states across the South were preparing a raft of laws to make voting more difficult for AfricanAmericans and the young. Striking down the voter ID law in North Carolina, the federal appeals court found that the new provisions “target African-Americans with almost surgical precision,” while providing “inept remedies” for an alleged problem of voter fraud that is nonexistent. Now Sessions will take his states’ rights views to the Justice Department. He will have more power than the late Alabama Gov. George Wallace ever had. Wallace had state power. Sessions has national power with a state agenda, with thousands of lawyers under his command. He will help shape the Supreme Court. And simply by inaction – by refusing to enforce the Voting Rights Act as states act to restrict voting – he can do more to undermine civil rights than Wallace could by standing in the schoolhouse door. Every senator who voted for this nomination shares the shame. This isn’t or should not have been a partisan question. This is a question of whether the Constitution that Lincoln fought a Civil War to forge and Dr. Martin Luther King led a movement to enforce will be respected. Trump and the Republican Senate have put in office someone who is committed to undermining that Constitution. He is in position to poison the well of justice for a long time. On the campaign trail, Trump wooed African-American voters, saying given disproportionate unemployment and poverty, they should vote for him. “What have you got to lose?” he asked. By making Sessions attorney general, Trump has shown us what we have lost: a Department of Justice committed to equal rights, ready to defend the right to vote. People of color, immigrants, the LGBT and women are likely to experience justice denied directly, and the country as a whole will suffer as justice is defiled. Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. is founder and president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
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DEFENDER | FEBRUARY 23 | 2017 defendernetwork.com
sports
Rockets Dekker, Harrell elevating class of 2015 By MAX EDISON Defender
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ost basketball experts suggest that it takes at least a couple of years to truly evaluate a team’s NBA draft class. If that’s the case, Rockets GM Daryl Morey has to be pretty excited about the contributions of his 2015 NBA class. Sam Dekker, a 6-foot-9, small forward from Wisconsin, was the Rockets’ first-round pick (18th overall). Montrelz Harrell, a 6-foot-8 power forward from Louisville, was the team’s second-round pick (32nd overall). After a forgettable rookie season for both, they’re making significant contributions to the team’s success in year two, leading a dynamic group coming off the bench. Sam Dekker plays The Rockets were pleasantly above the rim for surprised when Dekker was still on the Houston. draft board at pick 18. As a two-time All Big 10 performer, Dekker led the Wisconsin Badgers to back-to-back Final Four appearances. Issues with his back virtually curtailed his entire rookie season. In year two the Rockets are getting what they expected, a real player. “The NBA is basically about taking advantage of the opportunity you’re given,” Dekker said. “It’s all about being prepared and putting in the extra work, so when your time comes you can take advantage of it. That’s what Montrezl and I have been able to do, work hard and stay ready and it’s paid off for us.” Despite the injuries in his rookie season, Dekker worked to find a silver lining out of his adversity. Montrelz Harre ll brings “a lot of energy.” “It was a struggle for me,” Dekker said. “Obviously, getting hurt is not something you want, but a huge part of my growth,” he said. “The way we there are a lot of ups and downs in life and in careers. play suits me well. It was good getting a new head People who have longevity are the ones who can coach and staff because everyone was able to get a respond to that adversity in a good way. I just tried fresh start. We all had to earn our time and prove we to take every day and learn from it, get better, get belonged on the court. stronger.” “I’ve always been It didn’t hurt that new head a guy who can play coach Mike D’Antoni installed above the rim, using my an offense that fit Dekker to a Will restroom proposal doom Houston’s athleticism. For people tee. chances to host another Super Bowl? who haven’t seen it I’m “Coach D’Antoni has been trying to show them
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more and more of it. It’s where I thrive and I’m very comfortable with it.” For Montrezl Harrell, his rookie season was a classic good news/bad news scenario. The good news, he was able to stay healthy. The bad news, he spent the majority of his rookie season in the Valley, playing for the D-league Rio Grande Valley Vipers. “It’s all about staying ready,” Harrell said. “At any given moment you could be thrown in there. “Some games, I go nights when I don’t play, but that’s normal when you’re the younger guy and you have a veteran guy like Nenê and a guy like Clint [Capela], who’s been in the lineup longer. The main thing is for me to stay ready. I don’t get down on myself.” The “stay ready” mindset served Harrell well earlier this season when starting center Capela missed six weeks with a broken leg. “When I was in the D [Developmental] League last year I took that time serious,” Harrell said. “I really worked on my game. I didn’t take any plays off. I knew at any given time something could come up. “Things happen, and in this case it was an injury to Clint. You don’t plan for them, but they happen. Bottom line is when your number is called you’ve got to be ready. With Clint being hurt it was my time to step up and I did.” The Rockets begin the second half of the season in the No. 3 position in the Western Conference, behind San Antonio and Golden State. In order to maintain their status it’s important to get quality play from their second unit. The play of Dekker and Harrell will be key. “We play as hard as we can for the minutes that we’re out there,” Harrell said. “We don’t worry about shots, we don’t worry about not getting the ball on the offensive end. We just go out there and play hard and the ball just seems to find us.”
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FEBRUARY 23 | 2017 | DEFENDER
h.s.zone
sportsbriefs
Hampton is Mr. Versatility for Sam Houston High By DARRELL K. ARDISON Defender
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About Henry Hampton
he Sam Houston High School Birth date – Sept. 12, 1999 boys’ varsity Birth sign – Virgo basketball team Favorite subject – History begins defense of its Region III-6A title Favorite hobbies – Playwith a full lineup card. ing other sports (football, That wasn’t the case baseball, track & field) in the regular season finale Favorite athlete – Jabrill when the Tigers needed a victory to win the District Peppers (University of 18-6A title outright. MissMichigan) ing were all-state point guard Kendric Davis and 6-foot-7 post Jacob Wiley. deal,” Hampton said. “I No stars, no sweat. just had to step up. We just Henry Hampton shifted have to go out and play over from his normal every night. Basically, I shooting guard position look at every game as a and handled the point playoff game. Just playing admirably. is a blessing.” Hampton scored a Sam Houston will open game-high 24 points as Sam the playoffs with Cy-Fair. Houston (also known as Barreras said Region Math, Science and TechnolIII-6A is wide open with a ogy High School) secured lot of parody in the greater the district’s top seed with a Houston area. 74-34 win over Chavez. “There are a lot teams “Henry’s a kid who that could walk away with brings a lot of toughness the title,” Barreras said. to the table for us,” said “I don’t think there’s a Tigers’ head coach Ralph real dominant team out Barreras. “He plays hard there. You’ve got [Fort Find out what Houston-area girls’ on the defensive end Bend] Bush, Pearland team is ranked No. 2 and does a good job of Dawson and Cy-Falls to spotting up and knocking mention a few. It’s just down his shots. about the team that gets hot and plays the best “Tonight he did a good job of leading us. now.” With Kendric out he had to handle the ball a lot Barreras admitted that playing in rugged and he did a great job with that,” Barreras said. District 18-6A has prepared the Tigers for the “I thought the rest of our kids competed well and playoff run. Bellaire, Lamar and Westside earned I’m proud of them.” the district’s remaining three postseason berths. Both Davis and Wiley will return for the “It’s the No. 2 ranked 6A district in the state playoffs, enabling Hampton to assume his regular by MaxPreps,” Barreras said. “Every time you duties. step on the court in this district you’re going to “I bring intensity and leadership on the get a good game. Hopefully it’s toughened us up defensive end,” said Hampton, a junior who came and made us better. off the bench last season when the Tigers ad“But the people that we’ll be playing against vanced to the Class 6A state tournament semifiare also very good,” Barreras said. “We’ll be gonals. “I can shoot the ball as well. ing up against a team from the Cy-Fair ISD. There “Playing the point guard was really no big are a lot of good basketball teams in Houston.”
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Trade bears watching In a move that ultimately could affect the Houston Rockets in the Southwest division, the New Orleans Pelicans have acquired the NBA’s top center, DeMarcus Cousins, from the Sacramento Kings. The Pelicans send Tyreke Evans, 2016 first-round draft pick Buddy Hield, Langston Galloway and first- and secondround draft picks this summer, in exchange for Cousins and Omri Casspi. The deal was struck shortly after the NBA All- Star game. Cousins, a Mobile, Ala. native, will now be paired with fellow Kentucky Wildcat Anthony Davis in what could be the most dominant front court since the Spurs paired David Robinson and Tim Duncan. It’s too early to tell how well the two will play together. Cousins is known for having a volatile temper and currently leads the NBA in technical fouls.
Gordon 3-point champ If you’ve been following the Rockets this season, you might know what a marksman Eric Gordon has been from beyond the arc. Now fans around the nation know. Gordon defeated defending champion Klay Thompson and then edged 2013 champ Kyrie Irving in an All-Star weekend shoot-off to gain the title. Gordon, who came to the Rockets this summer as a free agent, formerly played for the Pelicans. A level of familiarity in New Orleans didn’t hurt his shooting eye. “I’m used to these rims here,” Gordon said. “I’ve been here for five years. I’ve always been a pretty good shooter. I’m just happy to win it.”
Patterson All-American Chasity Patterson of North Shore High School has been named to the 2017 McDonald’s AllAmerican Girls Team. The senior guard, who led her team to the Texas UIL Class 6A state tournament last year, is one of 24 high school girls selected nationwide to participate in the 16th annual McDonald’s All-American girls’ game March 29 at the United Center in Chicago. Patterson was honored with a McDonald’s All-American Hometown Hero jersey presentation at her school. The University of Texas signee averaged nearly 29 points per game this season and surpassed the 3,000-point plateau for her career in a win over Atascocita. She is ranked the No. 4 girls’ high school basketball recruit in the U.S. by ESPN’s HoopGurlz 2017 rankings. Patterson’s stellar prep career ended when Clear Falls defeated North Shore 52-51 in the area round of the state playoffs.
Yates boys win district It took an extra game but the Yates High School boys’ varsity basketball squad claimed the District 24-4A championship outright with a 73-72 victory over North Forest in a winnertake-all tiebreaker game at Delmar Fieldhouse. Jock Hughes and Mitchell Seraille led the Lions with 16 and 14 points, respectively. Yates led by as many as 25 points (48-23) before North Forest heated up from beyond the threepoint arc in the second half. Jermaine Drewey had four three-pointers and scored a gamehigh 25 points. Isaiah Davis (19 points) added four from distance and the last brought the Bulldogs within 70-69 with 31 seconds remaining. Hughes converted three free throws to seal the win.
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DEFENDER | FEBRUARY 23 | 2017
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Happening in Houston For event coverage email: events@defendermediagroup.com
topevents
AN EVENING WITH THE REMARKABLE ELAINE BROWN……..The and Charles Poe, and Comcast’s Yolanda Green Barnes and Ray Purser. Countless Shrine of the Black Madonna Cultural and Events Center hosted a lecture by others also attended, including Dr. Reagan Flowers, Janette Cosley, Kym King, Elaine Brown, former chairperson of the Black Panther Party (BPP). Brown shared Leonard Bailey, Phyllis Bailey, Councilmember Larry Green, Tara Dennis, countless intimate stories about her days in the BPP, and the impact they had on the Rita Ricard, Erina Gordon, Tiffany Griffith, Chanelle Coleman, Leslie Smith movement both then and even now. However, Brown, who signed copies of her book and Monica Simmons……..SHAPE AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM VISITS “A Taste of Power,” spent the lion’s share of her time discussing the state of Black GRIDIRON GLORY……..SHAPE Community Center’s After School Program people today, and the need for a resurrection of a movement for justice. Attendees sent its participants on a field trip to check out history at the Gridiron Glory exhibit included Bishop Kimathi Nelson, Nailah Nelson, Bobby in the Texas Southern University Museum. The exhibit highlights Reed, Alicia Gachett, Loryn Clark, Jasmin Weaver, Defender TOP EVENTS priceless historic items from the Pro Football Hall of Fame Kevin Johnson, Evvan Croll, Jackie Spivey-Wilson, dating from the humble beginnings of the game to the present. More photos on defendernetwork.com Walker Smith, Micah Decuire and many others……..THE Participants saw up close one of Hall of Famer Jim Brown’s game OBAMA YEARS: THE POWER OF WORDS…….. jerseys, the Vince Lombardi Trophy, and more. Museum curator The Smithsonian Channel, Comcast NBC Universal and the Houston Museum Dr. Alvia Wardlaw greeted attendees Tamara Marshall, Tamika Woods, Daniel Henry, Zena Barrett, Justin Wheat, Dillon Fillmore, Daelen Fillmore, Italo of Natural Science hosted a sneak preview of “The Obama Years: The Power of Words,” a documentary that focuses on six of President Obama’s legacy-defining Johnson, Casey Richardson, Cadence Richardson, Amari Walker, Eddie Kyle, speeches. On hand were Smithsonian Channel representatives Dr. E. Claire Jerry Hamdiya Madison Ali and many more.
Nailah Nelson, Elaine Brown, Bishop Kimathi Nelson
Elaine Chen, Dr. Reagan Flowers, Roxann Chargois
Nailah Decatur, Tamara Marshall, Amari Walker
Nick Muckleroy, Mekera McNeil
Anthony Barnes, Yolanda Green Barnes
Tamika Woods, Dr. Alvia Wardlaw
Tracey Rachel, Omari Marie Saddler
Chanelle Coleman, Tiffany Griffith
Dillon Fillmore, Casey Richardson
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