Houston Defender: March 14, 2013

LOCAL WILL NEW PROPOSAL SAVE NORTH FOREST SCHOOL DISTRICT? P2

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NEWSTALK GERALD WOMACK joins group to help homeowners

P2 NATIONAL OPINION

U.S. REP. LUIS GUTIERREZ promotes immigration reform

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Black America

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P3 BUSINESS CARLA LANE partners with Urban League

P8 SPORTS RUSSELL SHEPARD has high hopes for pro day

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Benjamin Bratt enjoys role

It’s hard to believe that actor Benjamin Bratt has been in the entertainment business more than 25 years. He currently stars opposite Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in a new movie. Why was he drawn to the role? How does he feel about playing a bad guy? What does he reveal about his personal side?

Andrew Harrison leads team Fort Bend Travis basketball standout Andrew Harrison has earned a reputation as a star athlete, and he didn’t disappoint fans in Austin.

Find out why Harrison is a Most Valuable Player. Discover his plans for the future. Hear what his equally talented twin Aaron has to say.

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DEFENDER | MARCH 14 | 2013

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Will plan save North Forest?

Former North Forest ISD board member Rev. Willie Jones speaks as Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and others listen.

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upporters of the North Forest ISD hope a new proposal will prevent the district from being annexed into HISD next school year.

Under the proposal, three top-performing charter schools – KIPP Houston, YES Prep and Harmony – will

operate the district. Supporters said details still have to be ironed out, but hope the proposal will save North Forest, which has a history of academic and financial problems.

Texas Education Agency Commissioner Michael Williams, however, said the decision to close North Forest still stands.

“While I was certainly aware of a last-minute effort

Community groups unite to save homes

to save the district, no detailed plan has been submitted to me for formal review,” Williams said.

“Without knowing the specific details of the proposal announced today, I cannot know if this latest effort – one of many turnaround efforts over the past several decades – will in fact meet the needs of all students in the NFISD. I look forward to reviewing Continued on Page 4

By TIFFANY L. WILLIAMS Defender

A partnership between two community groups and an area business seeks to educate homeowners and save them from experiencing foreclosures and unnecessary taxation.

The Houston Black Real Estate Association (HBREA), O’Connor & Associates and the Baptist Ministers Association in Houston & Vicinity announced they will launch an education and community awareness project this month that will help decrease home foreclosures and raise awareness about over-taxation.

“This is an initiative that we hope will make a significant difference in the lives of residents in the community so that we can ensure that all homeowners are aware of their rights,” said HBREA president Gerald Womack of Womack Development & Investment Realtors.

The project will focus on Settegast, Kashmere/Trinity Gardens, Clinton Park South Park, OST/South Union, Estes/Jensen Drive, Pasadena, Gulfcrest, Northside/Northline, Hobby Airport, East End, Galena Park and other areas most affected by foreclosures Gerald Womack and unnecessary taxation.

“We identified neighborhoods where the over-assessed ratio was 110 percent or higher – meaning the assessed values were 10 percent or more than the median sale prices in the area,” said Pat O’Connor, president of O’Connor and Associates. “So if the median home sale was $100,000, the typical assessed value would be $110,000. That’s unreasonable.”

Through community rallies, a speaker’s bureau for area churches and community events and an extensive advertising campaign, the organizations believe they can encourage the Harris County Appraisal District to fairly value homes in Houston’s low-income areas.

They also want to educate residents about their rights to protest their property valuation, obtain property tax exemptions if warranted and how to select a professional tax consultant to assist them when needed.

The Baptist Ministers Association in Houston & Vicinity, headed by Pastor Max Miller, represents more than 100 area churches and will serve as one of the primary vehicles to reach homeowners.

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localbriefs A PLAN TO MERGE JONES AND STERLING High Schools has been put on hold by the HISD school board. Under the plan, students from both schools would be combined into a single campus.

Once the new Sterling campus opens in late 2016 or early 2017, all students currently zoned to Jones would be rezoned to the new school. The school board voted to close Ryan Middle School over strong objections from Third Ward community members……..TWO POLICE OFFICERS’ GROUPS each endorsed different candidates for mayor. The Houston Police Officers’ Union endorsed Mayor Annise Parker in her bid for a third

term and presented her with a $10,000 campaign contribution. The African American Police Officers League unanimously voted to endorse Ben Hall for mayor……..A WALK TO FIGHT COLORECTAL CANCER takes place Saturday, March 23, at 8:15 a.m. at Tom Bass Park, 15108 Cullen Blvd. The annual walk-a-thon is sponsored by Hope Through Grace and coincides with National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month observed in March. Registration is $30 per person and includes a commemorative T-shirt. For information visit hopethroughgrace.org or call 713-668-4673……..TEXAS CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL is part of a new collaboration with

the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio and Baylor College of Medicine to help ensure that the children of San Antonio and South Texas will have access to world-class pediatric care. Texas Children’s Hospital will provide consulting and clinical expertise for the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio, while Baylor College of Medicine will recruit, employ, and oversee physicians. “The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio will not only be a great resource for the families of San Antonio,” said Mark A. Wallace, president and CEO of Texas Children’s. “We know it will ultimately benefit all the children of Texas, and we are very excited to be a part of that.”

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MARCH 14 | 2013 | DEFENDER

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Unemployment may worsen for Blacks

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job growth.

“The only concern would be what happens over the next few months because of the sequester,” said Steven Pitts, an economist at the Labor Center at University of California at Berkeley, Calif.

The sequester and a number of measures planned by Congress and the president, could erase more than 700,000 jobs from the books, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Pitts said lawmakers should focus on targeted job programs for Blacks and addressing discrimination in hiring practices that often contribute to the 2 to 1 unemployment gap between Black work-

By FREDDIE ALLEN NNPA Washington Correspondent

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he economy beat expectations in February by adding 236,000 jobs, nearly doubling 119,000 jobs created in January, according to the Labor Department.

Overall, the unemployment rate dipped to 7.7 percent, but the Black jobless rate stalled at 13.8 percent, unchanged since January.

According to some labor experts, the numbers could signal a tough year ahead, especially if Washington lawmakers continue down the sequester path of cut first and ask questions later.

Including February’s report, the three-month average Black unemployment rate was 13.9 percent, more than twice the rate of white workers who posted a 6.9 percent three-month average jobless rate.

The unemployment rate for Black men at least 20 years old dropped from 13.4 percent to 12.9 percent in February and for white men looking for work, the number decreased from 6.6 percent to 6.3 percent. For white women, the jobless rate also decreased from 6.4 percent to 6.0 percent.

But Black women continued to lose ground posting a 12.5 percent unemployment rate, an increase from the 12.3 percent the previous

month. That represents the highest unemployment rate for Black women since October 2012.

“We’re having a very weak recovery. We are creating jobs, but we’re not creating jobs at a strong enough pace to dramatically decrease the unemployment rate,” said Algernon Austin, director of the Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy program at the Economic Policy Institute.

“That’s why we need more stimulus activity not budget cutting at this time.

Even though the increase in the number of jobs added was a welcomed surprise, economists remained cautiously optimistic about the latest jobs report as the effects of the punishing budget cuts, known as sequestration, threaten

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ers and white workers.

The public sector shed 10,000 jobs in February and 21,000 jobs in January averaging a loss of 12,000 every month over the past three months.

Most of the losses in the public sector happened at the state and local level. In 2011, Black workers accounted for 20 percent of the public sector workforce.

“An important part of having a healthy economy is having a public sector,” Austin said. “We should be worried for Black workers, because of the hit to the public sector and because of the weak job growth overall.”

Immigration reform topic of discussion VOLUME 82 • NUMBER 20 - MARCH 14, 2013 Publisher Sonceria Messiah-Jiles Advertising/Client Relations Selma Dodson Tyler Strategic Alliance Manager Clyde Jiles Multimedia Manager Tiffany Williams Online Editor ReShonda Billingsley

Print Editor Marilyn Marshall Art Director Tony Fernandez-Davila People Editor Yvette Chargois Sports Editors Max Edison Darrell K. Ardison Contributing Writer Aswad Walker

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 2013 copyright. (No material herein may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher).

One of the nation’s leading advocates for immigration reform said something must be done about the “broken” system.

Congressman Luis Gutierrez of Chicago, chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Immigration Task Force, was the guest at a townhall style community forum hosted by Houston Congressman Al Green.

Several speakers – including Gutierrez – spoke in English and Spanish.

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee also spoke to the Houston crowd.

The program included multiple personal stories of struggles to gain American citizenship.

As each speaker put a face on immigration, they described their fears and how they wanted to stop living under the stigma of third-class citizenship. “We ask for respect and appreciation because we are honest people,” one speaker said.

Gutierrez reflected on how Green, along with other members of the Congressional Black Caucus, helped pass the Dream Act, pointing out that the legislation helped 450,000 students. He emphasized that America must “stop the deportation of our young people.”

In fact, Gutierrez said, “That’s really what immigration reform is all about – keeping families together.”

Congressman Luis Gutierrez

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Area state legislators file bills Reynolds also filed HB 2540, which will create a new high school graduation plan requiring students to take basic core foun-

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Several Houston legislators recently filed bills during the current session.

State Sen. Rodney Ellis joined three other legislators in filing SB 1377 and SB 1378, which would tap the $12 billion Rainy Day Fund to restore cuts to education and financial aid from last session, and to pay for a down-payment to expand Medicaid.

Both SB 1377 and SB 1378 draw $4 billion from the fund and add it to the Foundation School Program. SB 1378 also draws $500 million for TEXAS Grants and other financial aid programs, and $50.4 million to expand Medicaid.

State Rep. Senfronia Thompson and State Sen. Wendy Davis filed legislation to assist sexual assault victims.

Senate Bill 1191/House Bill 2560 would ensure that survivors are never turned away when they wish to have evidence collected. Senate Bill 1192/House Bill 2559 would empower survivors of sexual assault to be more involved and knowledgeable about the status of evidence collected from them and the status of an ongoing investigation.

State Rep. Ron Reynolds filed House Bill 2261, which will require the comptroller and state agencies to give preferences to small businesses when purchasing goods or services with a value less than $500,000.

State Sen. Rodney Ellis

State Rep. Ron Reynolds

State Rep. Senfronia Thompson

North Forest..Continued from page 2 the specific details of this proposal.

Until then, the current process at the Texas Education Agency to close the NFISD will continue.”

North Forest ISD attorney Chris Tritico is fighting the closure and supporting the proposed partnership.

“I can promise you that moving into the Houston Independent School District will not improve the lives of these children at all,” Tritico said. “This partnership will do it rapidly and within a year.”

Rod Paige, former HISD superintendent and U.S. education secretary, was among those gathered at Shadydale Elementary School for the partnership announcement.

“To see three stellar charter organizations come together and

hold hands in Houston is highly significant,” said Paige, a KIPP board member.

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee called the proposal “exciting” news.

“This consortium with these three public charter schools and the board will protect the children, the teachers, the assets and the education of the children,” Jackson Lee said.

“This district is looking ahead to May 2014 when the first class of seniors will graduate and go on to college from Yes Prep School.

My mission for the NFISD remains unchanged: I am committed to providing an exceptional education for students in the North Forest community.”

dation courses, while providing the opportunity to take additional courses that will prepare them for a career path.

MARCH 14 | 2013 | DEFENDER

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entertainment Benjamin Bratt

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looks at his latest role B

By KAM WILLIAMS Special to the Defender

enjamin Bratt was born in San Francisco in 1963. His career has successfully spanned movie and television for over 25 years. His impressive resume includes such films as “Traffic,” “The Woodsman,” “Miss Congeniality” and “Love in the Time of Cholera.”

Television audiences recognize Bratt from his award-winning role of Detective Rey Curtis on NBC’s “Law & Order.” He also starred in A&E’s miniseries “The Andromeda Strain” and served as series lead and producer on A&E’s “The Cleaner,” for which he received an ALMA Award in 2009.

Bratt is married to actress Talisa Soto Bratt. They live in Los Angeles with their two children, Mateo and Sophia.

Here, he talks about his latest outing as El Topo in “Snitch,” an action thriller co-starring Dwayne Johnson, Susan Sarandon and Harold Perrineau.

KW: What interested you in “Snitch?”

BB: A few things, actually. I really liked the script. [Director] Ric Waugh happens to be an old friend of mine. We sort of came up together. His father, the great Fred Waugh, was the stunt coordinator on the first series I ever did, “Nasty Boys.” And Rick, believe it or not, was a kid who happened to be a great stuntman.

I didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to come full circle working together again, but in an actor/director relation-

ship. You might look at my part on the page and think, hmm, it’s a little small, and maybe not worth flying to Shreveport three times for just a few days’

Benjamin Bratt has found success in film and on TV.

worth of work.

But the truth of the matter is, I was excited to reconnect with him and also to play a part that certainly looms large over the story as a kind of ominous presence of danger, not unlike the role I played in “Traffic.”

KW: When you play a hardcore bad guy like El Topo, is it a different mindset from when you play someone in law enforcement?

BB: One might think so, but surprisingly, the answer is “No.” I think most law enforcement people would tell you that there’s a very fine line between going one way or the other. On some level, as a career criminal, you’re a soldier…In the case of someone like El Topo, it’s not so much that he’s evil, but that the director is very keen to point out that he’s a man, a father, just as Dwayne Johnson’s character is. He has a job to do. He’s a businessman. Yes, he happens to sell drugs but, at the end of the day, he has to get the job done and take care of his family.

Is there a remake of a classic you’d like to do?

BB: I think every actor would like to be in some version of “The Godfather.”

KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?

BB: Pasta Bolognese. Cooking is one of my favorite things to do at home with my wife. I also make my own homemade sausage with kale and pasta.

KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?

BB: I see a father, and a husband, and someone who is very content.

what’sup EDDIE MURPHY’s famous screen role could be coming to CBS in the fall. The network is interested in a pilot of “Beverly Hills Cop,” starring BRANDON JACKSON as Axel Foley’s son, Aaron. Murphy is one of the show’s executive producers and would have a recurring role. Jackson, a stand-up comic and actor, has appeared in such films as “Tropic Thunder” and “Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son.” In the pilot, he follows in his dad’s footsteps as a street-smart detective solving crimes in Beverly Hills……...ALICIA KEYS has teamed up with Greater Than AIDS to launch “Empowered,” a new public information campaign to reach U.S. women. The campaign includes targeted public service ads and community engagement opportunities. “When I became aware that women accounted for one in five new HIV

infections occurring in the U.S. each year, it shook me to the core and I realized this is an issue we all need to pay attention to,” Keys said. “Whether HIV positive or negative, we all have the opportunity to educate ourselves and make a difference.” The first phase of the campaign features Keys in conversation with five HIV-positive women……..EVAN ROSS, the son of DIANA ROSS and the late Norwegian businessman Arne Naess, is the newest addition to the cast of VH1’s upcoming TLC biopic. Ross will portray Dallas Austin, TLC’s longtime producer and the ex-boyfriend of group member ROZONDA “CHILI” THOMAS, who will played by KEKE PALMER. TLC emerged as one of music’s hottest girl groups in the 1990s. The group’s other two members were LISA “LEFT EYE” LOPES, who died in a Honduras car accident in 2002, and

TIONNE “T-BOZ” WATKINS ……..Trouble continues to follow the biopic about the late MARVIN GAYE. Rocker LENNY KRAVITZ was set to portray the Motown crooner on film, but quit the lead role. He is being replaced by former “Law & Order” star JESSE L. MARTIN, but Gaye’s ex-wife Janis Hunter, is reportedly asking Martin to step down as well. Hunter said the last thing Gaye would have wanted is a movie about his life. “Ultimately, I think it was Lenny’s heart and soul and conscience that caused him to step away,” she told the New York Daily News. “Hopefully, that touches Jesse in the same way.” According to Eurweb.com, however, the decision to replace Kravitz was actually a legal move. Marvin Gaye III, the late singer’s son, threatened legal action against the filmmakers.

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DEFENDER | MARCH 14 | 2013

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Black Press: A catalyst for chan

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ince the founding of Freedom’s Journal in 1827, the Black Press has played a significant role in the lives African-Americans.

Following are examples of the impact of Black publications through the years.

Established a joint venture benefiting the community with a communication vehicle. Freedom’s Journal was the formation of a joint venture between the Black Press and the Black church, two of the strongest institutions in the community today. The objective was to cover our existence as a people, tell our own stories and establish a communication mechanism to inform and educate the Black community. No longer would others define us.

Created a campaign to end slavery by raising the consciousness of Blacks and whites. The North Star, founded in 1847 by Frederick Douglass, established the Black Press as a tool of abolitionism, and was the most influential Black antislavery paper published. Its readership included presidents and members of Congress, who used the paper to keep abreast of the activities of the antislavery movement.

Campaigned and increased Black representation in government. After the Civil War ended in 1865, emancipation from slavery sparked a new wave of Black newspapers, which were finally able to circulate in former slave states.

Blacks embraced their newspapers as a sign of freedom and a trusted source of information. The Black press played a role

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building communities of free men and women in the North and South.

Worked tirelessly to stop Jim Crow laws and lynching. The end of Reconstruction in 1876 signaled the end of many protections extended to newly freed slaves.

Thousands of Black men were murdered by white lynch mobs.

Though the attacks were unreported by mainstream media, Black Press pioneers such as Ida B. Wells, editor of the Memphis Free Speech, traveled throughout the South to report on lynching. In retaliation, a white mob attacked her paper’s office in 1892.

Contributed to the migration of Blacks from the South to the North. After establishing the Chicago Defender in 1905, publisher Robert S. Abbott helped spark the Black migration to the North by publishing the names of companies who were hiring workers, train schedules and advice on adjusting to urban life. When some Southern cities tried to ban the sale of the paper, Abbott secretly distributed it through Black Pullman porters working on trains.

Promoted the importance of Black organizations and collective work. Covering the formation of Black organizations such as the NAACP, the Urban League and fraternities and sororities, the Black Press encouraged and supported the social and service agendas set by these groups.

Recorded the artistic contributions of African-Americans. The Black Press paid a role in the Harlem Renaissance (1918-1937), which is considered the most influential cultural and creative period in African-American history.

Publications such as the Crisis, Opportunity, the Messenger

and Negro World were crucial to the moveme Defender published Gwendolyn Brooks’ poet Langston Hughes as a columnist.

Demanded the integration of the arme 1940, representatives of 21 Black newsp National Newspaper Publishers Associa NNPA committee called on President Franklin and demanded an end to segregation in the ar demand helped “start the ball rolling,” and in commission, drew up guidelines for ending se military.

Advocated equal rights for Blacks fro entertainment to lunch counters and h late 1940s and early 1950s, Black newsp the groundwork for the Civil Rights Moveme As the movement developed, the Black press events across the country, and sent reporters t experiences of being discriminated against. T ins, demonstrations, riots and speeches by lea Martin Luther King Jr. Fights for a fair share of opportu sures a historical record. By cov nities and challenges of the public the Black Press raises concerns regarding gov porate contracts, employment, leadership and benefit the Black community. Also, understan global society, our children must be afforded possible to compete in today’s society. In add Press provides documentation of our existenc

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ed forces. In papers formed the tion. In 1944, an n D. Roosevelt rmed forces. Their 1948, a Truman egregation in the

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Publishers discuss relevance today

By ELESKA AUBESPIN Defender

March 16 marks the 186th anniversary of the founding of Freedom’s Journal, the country’s first Black newspaper.

Its editors, Rev. Samuel Cornish and John B. Russwurm, proclaimed in the first edition, “Too long have others spoken for us…We wish to plead Jake Oliver our own cause.”

Each year, the National Newspaper Publishers Association – comprised of 200 Black newspapers – celebrates the milestone with Black Press Week. To mark the observance, the Defender interviewed four Black newspaper publishers for their thoughts.

They are: Jake Oliver, AFRO-American Newspapers, Baltimore/Washington, D.C., founded in 1892; Karen Carter Richards, Houston Forward Times, founded in 1960; James A. Washington, Dallas Weekly, founded in 1955; and Sonceria “Sonny” Messiah-Jiles, Defender Media Group, founded in 1930.

Defender: What is the secret to your publication’s survival in light of papers across the country folding?

Jake Oliver: We have never been shy about experimenting with technology, a key to our ability. Technology can reach more people faster and it’s cheaper.

We are the first Black newspaper to have a website. We have e-blast, iPad and iPhone applications, e-editions and are consistent in posting social media transmissions, so we are out there throwing our stuff everywhere and that’s the secret.

Karen Carter Richards: I believe our success has been the fact that the community has come to trust our publication. We have been reporting the truth without fear or favor for over 53 years and are very proud of the fact that we have never missed an issue. There is a special niche to the African-American market. We report on issues in a way that mainstream media will

he Houston area for over 80 years

Karen Carter Richards

James A. Washington

not report in our community.

James Washington: We are a communications vehicle and a trusted vehicle based on 55 years of operating in our community. With the Dallas Weekly, there is a certain level of trust and belief in us. But while Black media has a grounded history in our community, we are still around because the owners of these Black newspapers are very astute business people who have to survive with certain adaptability as it relates to technology and understanding the market we serve.

Sonceria “Sonny” Messiah-Jiles: The secret to the Defender’s survival and success is maintaining a quality product that addresses the needs of our audience, being true to our goal of advocating, educating, entertaining and informing our community.

Defender: How are you adapting to address customers’ needs?

Oliver: You have to always be flexible because the customers’ needs have to reflect the changing ways in which they want to absorb news. For example, you have to tweet. We are covering major events by having a person tweet right then.

Richards: Our website and social media has been a great asset to us. It has allowed us to complement our print publication, reaching a very large and different audience.

Washington: Our role has been to adapt, so if there is no use of technology then we lose to the big boys. We are now a multimedia brand that consists of print, online, website and radio. Also, we serve a niche

market and niche markets are in fact growth markets.

Messiah-Jiles: The Defender has constantly changed to address the needs of our community: going from a paid publication to a free newspaper, expanding our distribution beyond the traditional Black Sonceria “Sonny” Messiah-Jiles neighborhoods, creating the website defendernetwork.com, and this year we are launching a number of new projects starting with “Faces of Black Houston.”

Defender: What role does Black Press play in the community?

Oliver: Consistently, we are one of the most important guardians of the interest of the community. We are so terribly important because Blacks rely on us to tell them what is happening and give perspective.

Richards: The Black Press is still a powerful voice in our community. We continue to be that powerful voice to tell our story like no other media can. We are still the voice that is trusted on issues that affect our community.

Washington: If you look at the role Black newspapers have played throughout our existence, out of the challenge of segregation and atrocities that were put upon us, to say that we started newspapers in a truly segregated society, then the magnitude of the success of our newspapers is tremendous. The Black newspaper is a conduit of being the advocate of the rights, issues and challenges that still face us as African-Americans because America is still America.

Messiah-Jiles: Our role is educating the community about the issues (pros and cons), empowering the community with information, advocating for changes that better our communities, and entertaining and recording our existence and contributions for historical purposes. Without the Black Press, there is a void of who will tell our story from our perspective.

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DEFENDER | MARCH 14 | 2013

business

Staffing agency, Urban League, form alliance

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aneStaffing and the Houston Area Urban League have formed a new partnership and program to promote job readiness and placement.

The two agencies launched the partnership with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Urban League’s headquarters, symbolizing the grand opening of LaneStaffing @ HAUL. The new downtown presence gives the staffing agency greater accessibility to a broader audience and supplements its offices in Houston, Dallas, Port Arthur, Beaumont and Orlando.

“The LaneStaffing and HAUL partnership creates opportunities to strengthen families,” said Judson W. Robinson, III, president and CEO of HAUL. “The program meets people where they are.

“HAUL has always provided programs to sup-

Celebrating the grand opening of LaneStaffing@HAUL are (l. to r.) Judson Robinson III, HAUL president and CEO; Carla Lane, LaneStaffing CEO; and Eric Goodie, HAUL workforce and economic development director.

port the family such as housing assistance, health and wellness resources, transportation vouchers and job-readiness training. Now, the new LaneStaffing partnership enables us to focus intentionally on placement as well as training.”

Carlecia D. Wright, director of the Mayor’s Office of Business Opportunity, said the new partnership is in line with the city’s vision of increasing the number of employed citizens.

“LaneStaffing’s CEO Carla Lane is a visionary,” Wright said. “Her company is a good example of a certified firm doing quality business and creating value for the city of Houston.”

Lane’s clientele includes single mothers seeking stability through gainful employment.

“Being a single mother at one time, I understand the many challenges women face every day caring for the family,” Lane said. “Furthermore, if a single mother is unemployed and lacks the skill sets to meet

today’s fast-paced era of technology, finding meaningful employment is that much more difficult…

“Together with HAUL, we are able to assist with making a real difference in the lives of families.

Finding employment and helping to stabilize a family is meaningful. It means that a mother can put dinner on the table, keep the lights on and send a child to school. Ultimately, employment can change the trajectory of generations from poverty to prosperity.”

A graduate of the University of Houston with an accounting degree, Lane is an American Staffing Association, Certified Staffing professional.

She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Houston Citizen’s Chamber of Commerce Pinnacle Award and the Emerging Ten Award presented by the Houston Minority Supplier Development Council.

For more information on LaneStaffing @ HAUL visit lanestaff.com or call 832-460-3321.

National chamber installs new chairperson Defender News Services

Publisher and businesswoman Dorothy R. Leavell has been installed as new chairperson of the National Black Chamber of Commerce.

She will preside over the group’s 18-member board of directors and help the organization expand its mission of strengthening minority-owned businesses, creating jobs and increasing trade and economic opportunities.

“Dorothy has extensive expertise in the areas of marketing, economic development and job creation having been at the helm of a successful business for more than four decades,” said Harry Alford, chamber president.

“Combined with her passion for AfricanAmerican advancement and her commitment to young people, I look forward to working

with her as our new chair. This is an exciting time in the chamber’s history.”

Leavell is publisher and CEO of the Crusader Newspaper Group, which publishes weekly newspapers in Chicago and Gary, Ind. She was the first female chairperson of Amalgamated Publishers, and has held variety of positions with the National Newspaper Publishers Association.

“I very much look forward to working with the president and board of directors, staff and volunteers on conducting the business of the chamber,” Leavell said.

“Equally important, I will continue to champion our cause of wealth creation by forging international business opportunities for African-Americans and emerging entrepreneurs in the rest of the African Diaspora.”

Dorothy Leavell

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SBA expands access to loan programs Defender News Services

Borrowers and lenders of loans backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration will have greater access to capital and less paperwork as a result of a proposed regulation aimed at streamlining the SBA application process, while also strengthening oversight and the integrity of the agency’s loan programs.

The SBA proposes the new measures after extensive consultations with lenders and borrowers to identify the greatest challenges they face and find ways to reduce barriers to making and accessing loans, while still maintaining strict oversight.

Among the proposed changes are: Eliminating the personal resource test. A borrower will no longer be required to obtain a maximum level of personal finance resources for a 7(a) or 504 loan. This will streamline the loan process by eliminating complicated regulations used to determine the amount of collateral required.

Revising the rule on affiliation. Revising this rule will open access to SBA loans to businesses that, under current rules, would not qualify as a small business under SBA’s size

Low-cost ways to market your business

classified NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Family Features

Just like any good sports team, every business needs a good coach. Marketing consultant John Jantsch, bestselling author of “Duct Tape Marketing” and “The Referral Engine,” has some low-cost ideas that will help you create a strong message and communicate it to the right people.

Keep score. If you want to determine who your ideal client is, go through your entire client list and rank your clients by profitability. Then look at your most profitable clients and identify those that are already referring business to you. Figure out the common characteristics in this group and you’ve got a pretty good picture of your ideal client.

Find your zone. Once you’ve identified who you’re marketing to, fine tune your message. Ask how you’re really different from your competitors, Jantsch advises. The best way to find out is to ask your customers. Get with five to eight ideal customers and ask them to tell you one thing they love about your business.

Listen closely to words they use. There’s a good chance the words your clients uses to describe what you do that’s unique should be part of your value proposition – no matter how simple they may sound to you.

Be a coach yourself.

Promote valuable content that tells your prospects how to do or get something you know

standards by virtue of their association with other companies.

It also would streamline 504 loan applications and reduce paperwork requirements for 504 and 7(a) loan applications.

Eliminating the nine-month rule for the 504 loan program. Eliminating the nine-month rule removes a restriction that limits a business to include in its 504 project only expenses incurred nine months prior to submitting the loan application. The new rule would allow inclusion of expenses incurred at any time (e.g., projects put on hold for more than nine months due to a natural disaster).

Increasing accountability of CDC governance. Refocusing the Certified Development Companies (CDC) corporate governance requirements will reinforce the importance of board accountability for CDC oversight for the 504 loan program and set in place measures to strengthen oversight in order to maintain program integrity.

For more information on the new rules and their benefits, visit sba.gov/content/revised-oca-regulations504-and-7a-loan-program.

Sealed bids, in duplicate, addressed to OST /Almeda Corridors Redevelopment Authority will be received at 5445 Almeda Rd, #545, Houston, TX 77004, until 2:00 pm on Wednesday, March 20, 2013.

Bids will be publicly opened and read at 2:05 PM on Wednesday, March 20, 2013 for furnishing all labor, materials, equipment, and incidentals, as required, for the construction of Parking Lot and Landscape Improvements at 5216 Almeda Road in Houston, TX. CONTRACT DOCUMENTS may be examined at the following locations: (1) Amtek Plan Rm, 4001 Sherwood Ln, Houston, TX.; (2) ABC/ Virtual Builders Exchange, 3910 Kirby, #131, Houston, TX; and (3) AGC, 3825 Dacoma, Houston, TX. The right is reserved, as the interest of the Owner may require, to reject any and all bids, and to waive any informality in bids received. Plans, specifications and bidding documents may be obtained at the offices of ESPA CORP, 7120 Grand Blvd, Suite #100, Houston, TX 77054 (713-680-0080) for a nonrefundable fee of $25.00 per set. Make checks payable to OST/ Almeda Corridors Redevelopment Authority. A prebid conference will be held at OST/Almeda Corridors Redevelopment Authority offices, 5445 Almeda Rd, #502, Houston, TX on Thursday, March 14, 2013 at 2:00 pm. It is requested, but not mandatory, that each bidder be represented at the pre-bid conference.

they want more of. This can be an ebook or video, but make sure you’re creating awareness for educational content and you’ll have the chance to build the trust required to start a sales conversation. Use print collateral materials to help promote your services.

Straightforward language and well-designed materials can help set your business apart from the others.

Know your fans. A lot of small business owners want to know how to make social media pay off. Jantsch recommends that you go through

your client list and append every record with the Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn profiles for each. You can do this by hand or use a service. Now every time you make a client call you’ll know a great deal more about what’s going on in their world.

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES OF A DESIGN AND ENGINEERING CONSULTANT

FOR MAIN STREET IMPROVEMENTS FOR THE DOWNTOWN REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY The Downtown Redevelopment Authority (the “Authority”) will receive the submittal of qualifications from design and engineering consultants for certain streetscape improvements on Main Street in downtown Houston, Texas. Statements of Qualifications will be received until 11:00 AM, local time on Tuesday, March 26, 2013, by TataLease Derby, Director, Downtown Redevelopment Authority, 2 Houston Center, 909 Fannin, Suite 1650, Houston, Texas 77010. Submittals received after this time will not be accepted.

Beginning Monday, March 4, 2013, this project’s Request for Qualifications (RFQ) may be reviewed and downloaded as an electronic file from the Authority’s website: http://www.downtowntirz.com. No pre-submittal conference is scheduled for this RFQ. Based on the submittals received, an evaluation and selection committee will identify qualifying consultants for a second-stage interview to be held on Friday, April 12, 2013. On Tuesday, May 14, 2013, the Board of Directors for the Authority will award the contract for the preferred and most qualified consultant to provide design and engineering services related to general improvements for the 1001900 blocks of Main Street. Improvements include but are not limited to street lighting, pedestrian lighting, landscape and sidewalk enhancements. In particular, design and construction improvements for the general areas of Main Street Square (Main between Dallas and Walker Streets) and the future light rail intersection at Main between Capitol and Rusk Streets will be a primary focus of the project.

Relative to this advertisement, telephone, mail, email queries or requests for information will not be addressed by the Authority without the submission of an “Acknowledgement Form,” as provided within the Request for Qualifications.

www.schoolofthewoods.org SOW_HousotnDefender2013paths.indd 1

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DEFENDER | MARCH 14 | 2013

sports

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LSU’s Russell Shepard

has something to prove

C

By MAX EDISON Defender

oming out of Cy-Ridge High School four years ago, quarterback Russell Shepard was one of the nation’s top high school players.

A super blue-chipper taking his immense talent to LSU for fame and fortune, Shepard was a “can’t miss” prospect.

His success at LSU was not what many experts had anticipated. Shepard, however, remains focused on his ultimate goal – an opportunity to play in the NFL as he prepares for the LSU pro day.

A gifted athlete and outstanding student, Shepard graduated high school early and enrolled in LSU in time for spring football. His ability was clearly evident but soon the question of what position he would play arose.

“I started off as kind of a wildcat quarterback,” he recalled. “Mid-way through my freshman year I sat down with Coach Miles [LSU’s head coach]. Jordan Jefferson [incumbent QB] was a year ahead of me as well as Jarrett Lee. “I had the potential to play other positions so I asked Coach Miles if I could change positions. I wanted to help the team and I didn’t want to run the risk of waiting two or three years to play.”

“My sophomore year I was kind of a slash [multi-purpose] guy,” Shepard continued. “They really didn’t have a set position for me, but the design was to try and get the ball to me between 10 and 15 times a game. I had some good success that year.

“My next year the decision was made for me to make the full transition to receiver. Rueben Randle and I were slated to be the starting receivers.

Unfortunately, right before the season started, I got suspended by the NCAA for alleged rule violations. The

suspension was later overruled, but I got off to a late start, missing four games.

“Last year we struggled some offensively and coach decided they wanted to start developing some of the younger guys, so a large part of my contribution was on special teams.”

Although he didn’t have great individual success at LSU, Shepard refuses to second-guess his decision.

“Coming out of high school the key to me coming to LSU was to come to a school where I could compete for a national championship and play with and against the best college football players in the country,” he explained. “Those players and that competition are in the SEC. I was able to do all of that.”

Shepard was also able to earn a degree in communications.

“That was a really a big thing for me,” he said.

“Becoming the first person in my family to graduate from college and making my parents proud made the whole experience worthwhile in spite of the lack of individual success on the field.”

With his college career behind him, Shepard has placed his sights squarely on an opportunity to take his talent to the NFL. At 6-feet-1, 205 pounds with sprinter’s speed (low 4.4 range), Shepard has the tools to play on the pro level and he has been training diligently with that goal in mind.

“It’s been an ongoing process since we played in the Chick-fil-A Bowl,” he said. “I took about a week off, moved back to Houston and started training locally. I was invited to the Raycom Bowl, an AllShepard, who has Houston-area ties, played receiver for LSU.

Russell Shepard

Star game that tends to showcase guys that project to be late-round draft picks and preferred free agents.

“I did well there and as a result was invited to the Senior Bowl. It’s been an ongoing process that leads to my pro day coming up on March 25th.”

Shepard said he wasn’t invited to the NFL Combine so LSU’s pro day will be important.

“The cool thing about our pro day is that we’re going to have guys that can fill any need that an NFL team might have,” he said.

“We’ve got defensive linemen, linebackers and guys that can cover in the secondary. We also have offensive players, linemen, backs and receivers. That’s why it will be such an important day for me. It will be a combine-style environment and I want to take advantage of that opportunity to show what I can do.”

Shepard hopes to follow a tradition of outstanding receivers from LSU that currently grace NFL rosters.

They include fellow Houstonian Brandon LaFell (Carolina Panthers), Dwayne Bowe (Kansas City Chiefs), Devery Henderson (New Orleans Saints), Early Doucet (Arizona Cardinals) and Rueben Randle (New York Giants).

For, Shepard it is hoped that a dream delayed is not a dream deferred.

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MARCH 14 | 2013 | DEFENDER

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h.s.zone

sportsbriefs

Terry, Travis win; Yates falls short

By DARRELL K. ARDISON Defender AUSTIN – Once again the improbable happened on “Championship Saturday” at the Erwin Center.

Four Houston area high schools earned a berth in the 2013 boys’ state basketball tournament. One school was considered a prohibitive favorite to win another title. Another was the only to return from the 2012 Class 5A state tournament field. The last two consisted of a first-time state qualifier and another making its first state tournament appearance since 1999.

In the end, Fort Bend Travis and Rosenberg Terry brought home state titles, while Houston Yates and Brookshire Royal did not.

Yates, the No. 1-ranked Class 3A team all season, found itself facing a mirror image in the state championship game.

Dallas Madison, the state’s No. 2-ranked 3A team for most of the season, came into the contest primed for confrontation.

“We thought coming in that we had an edge in the guard play and on the perimeter,” said Madison head coach Damien Mobley, a Prairie View A&M University graduate. “Our goal was to at least neutralize their big men. We did a good job of that.”

While advancing to a state title game in four of the past five years, Yates has gained a national reputation for its pressure defense and frenetic pace. Dallas Madison utilizes the same strategy with an edge in one very important category.

Five of the eight Yates players that received the most playing time in the state title game were either freshmen or sophomores.

Dallas Madison started three seniors and their leading scorer off the bench was a senior.

Yates (32-5) sliced a 10-point first-half deficit to two at halftime (40-38) and

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Kimball’s bid thwarted It had all the makings of a historical championship run. Two-time defending state champion Dallas Kimball lost its first four games of the boys’ high school basketball season only to advance to the Class 4A state title game for the third consecutive year. The Knights defeated La Marque in 2011 and Yates in 2012 for the crown. After opening a 23-7 lead in the 2013 4A championship game, it appeared Rosenberg Terry was the next sacrificial lamb. Kimball was trying to become the second school since integration in 1967 to win three straight boys basketball titles. Houston Wheatley was the first (1967-70) to accomplish the feat.

However, Terry rallied to defeat Kimball 55-47 to secure the school’s first boys’ state basketball title.

Humble boys go to Trinidad

Travis High celebrates its 2013 Class 5A state basketball title.

took a 50-46 lead in the third quarter when the wheels began to fall off. Madison scored 12 of the next 14 points and never looked back en route to an 85-72 victory.

Dallas Madison (32-4) created more turnovers (24) steals (12) and blocked shots (8) than Yates and held their own in the rebounding category with Yates owning a 54-51 advantage.

“The game seemed to be going in our favor during the third quarter but we lacked the senior leadership to sustain that momentum,” said Yates coach Greg Wise.

“We’ll benefit from this experience and most of my guys are coming back. Next year we expect to be the best team in the country.

“Madison played hard today and they were the better team,” Wise said.

Sadiq Inuwa led Yates with 22 points on 11-of-15 shooting. Melvin Swift finished with 13 and point guard Joseph Anderson added 12.

Derrick Smith was named the game’s Most Valuable Player after leading Madison with a game-high 27 points and 14 rebounds.

Rosenberg Terry was making its first state tournament appearance and had to dig itself out of an early 16-point deficit against two-time defending Class 4A Andrew Harrison wins the Class 5A state MVP Award

state champion Dallas Kimball. The 31-9 Rangers rallied behind an MVP performance by senior post Derrick Griffin (26 points, 14 rebounds, 3 blocked shots) to defeat Kimball 55-47.

Terry’s victory prevented Kimball from becoming the first school since Houston Wheatley (1967-70) to win three titles in a row. Backup guard Drake James hit a key three-pointer down the stretch to keep the momentum.

“Terry showed why they were still in the tournament,” said Kimball coach Royce Johnson. “They have a lot of heart and were determined to get the job done together.”

The Harrison twins were also determined to bring a state title to Fort Bend Travis High School before they depart to the University of Kentucky.

Andrew Harrison scored a gamehigh 16 points and was named the game’s MVP after leading Travis to a 46-38 victory over South Grand Prairie in the 5A championship game.

“If we hadn’t won this game, I was going to apply for re-classification,” Andrew Harrison said.

I made some mistakes late in the game and the team was able to overcome them,” said Aaron Harrison, who finished with eight points on 3-of-16 shooting.

“My brother is the best twin ever.”

Brookshire Royal, the other Houston area state qualifier, was eliminated by Yates in the Class 3A state semifinals.

While many teenagers enjoyed their spring break, the Humble High School boys’ track team made a trip to compete in the first annual Trinidad and Tobago Relay Carnival in Port of Spain, Trinidad.

The event brought together elite high school runners from the USA, Canada and Suriname. Humble High School sent relay teams to participate in the 4X100, 4X200 and 4X400 races. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for these young athletes,” said Humble coach Jerry Mills. “It’s not every day high school sophomores and juniors get to travel to another country and compete against other elite athletes. Mills added that competing at the UIL state track meet last year prepared his team to compete internationally.

SWAC post-season honors Now that the SWAC regular season basketball season has concluded, local players and a coach have been honored, with one glaring injustice.

On the men’s side, Texas Southern senior guard Omar Strong was named Southwestern Athletic Conference Player of the Year. Strong finished the regular season second in the SWAC in scoring, averaging 17 points per game. He was the SWAC’s top shooter from 3-point range knocking down 120 (3.9 per/game). Strong also led the league in free throw shooting percentage, hitting 84 percent from the charity stripe. TSU head coach Mike Davis and Southern coach Roman Banks shared Coach of the Year honors after tying in the voting.

Davis led the Tigers to a 17-14 record overall and a 16-2 SWAC mark, capturing the conference regular season crown. Another TSU standout, forward Fred Sturdivant, was selected SWAC Defensive Player of the Year. Sturdivant led the league in blocked shots with 99 (3.2 per game).

Women’s teams represented On the women’s side, Prairie View’s Latia Williams was named 2012-13 Southwestern Athletic Conference Player of the Year. Williams’s averaged 12.9 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, good enough for second in the conference in both categories. TSU’s Te’era Williams earned Freshman of the Year honors. The glaring injustice is TSU’s Cynthia Cooper-Dyke not being named Women’s Coach of the Year. That went honor went unbelievably to UAPB coach Nate Kilbert.

Kilbert’s team was 7-11 in conference play, finishing seventh. Cooper-Dyke’s Lady Tigers were 16-2 in SWAC play and finished first.

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12 DEFENDER | MARCH 14 | 2013

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