April 9, 2020

BLACK FOLKS! Reports reveal African-Americans are hardest hit by coronavirus. Learn why

PEOPLE

DR. RALPH WEST The Church Without Walls founder and other pastors tell how they are adapting to COVID-19.

Volume 89, issue 24 April 9, 2020

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FEATURE

JONNY RHODES Houston chef opens grocery store in food desert to help underserved.

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DN On the web

FIT & FINE Cassius Graham Age: 27 Occupation: Personal Trainer, actor, model Education: Hardin-Simmons University Major: Marketing Motto: “Life is whatever you start.

Finish no matter what.”

LEARN… Why living life like I don’t have a dollar in my pocket is motivating.

Message from the Publisher Attention Black folks

The Black Church adapts

The statistics are surfacing that the coronaThere is not an institution in the Black comvirus is impacting Black people more than munity that has not been touched by COVIDany other ethnic group. The causes range 19. But the church has probably been hit the from poor health conditions, lack of access hardest. See how local pastors are adapting. to quality healthcare, mistrust of the medical field and working essential jobs with We need YOU! high exposure. Whatever the reasons, we as During these times, all of us are uncertain about a people need to protect ourselves and our Sonny Messiah Jiles what the future holds but we are confident we can families. The Defender continues to give survive and thrive with the support of each other. you all the resources we can find to help you combat The Defender is free and has been that way for decades. We this pandemic. did not get to 90 years of age without you and we cannot continue without you. Our team brings you the information A new way of living you can use that is not found in other media. While others Today we live in a different world compared to two months have stopped printing completely, the Defender publication ago. Sixty days seems like a lifetime, when we took for continues to be distributed in grocery stores: HEB, Fiesta, granted so many things we miss now: happy hour, going Randalls, Gerlands, Foodtown, Foodarama and more. But to a restaurant for dinner, weddings, funerals and church. in our effort to make sure our community gets the news you It felt strange not receiving palms on Palm Sunday as we need, we have expanded our reach through email and text. prepare for the upcoming Easter or Resurrection Sunday. Providing you with the information you need to operate It’s as though GOD pushed the “PAUSE” button: A time to during these times is a priority for the Defender. It costs to reflect, a time to organize, a time to connect in other ways, sustain our staff, printing and overall operations and we need a time to pray, a time to look past the challenges and see your help. This week we launched a new COVID-19 campaign the opportunities. You have time now. There is a new way that allows you to support us with contributions. of living. When folks used to say virtual reality, it meant Go to: bit.ly//defendercovid stepping into a technological world that felt real. Well, we Please contribute to the Defender so we can continue are now living in a virtual world, where we use technology providing you with quality journalism and information to connect with others. Read how our world is changing you need unlike any other medium in Houston. and the tools you can use to better connect with others in Thank you in advance because any amount is appreciated. this week’s Defender.

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DN News DR. JEROME ADAMS

EARL GRAVES SR.,

U.S. surgeon general: “I represent the legacy of growing up Black and poor in America.”

founder and publisher of Black Enterprise Magazine, died April 6 at age 85.

CORONAVIRUS HITTING BLACKS THE HARDEST

Defender News Service

A few weeks ago, some believed Black people were immune to coronavirus, but data is beginning to show the exact opposite. A new report from ProPublica highlights how the virus has spread at a higher rate in Black communities, listing limited access to healthcare, along with economic, environmental and political issues as a factor.

There are also Black people who are unable to stay at home as their jobs have been deemed essential. Those factors are leading to Black people contracting and dying from the virus at disproportionately high rates compared to other demographics.

As public health officials watched cases rise in March, others in the community shrugged off warnings. Rumors and conspiracy theories proliferated on social media, pushing the bogus idea that Black people are somehow immune to the disease. Much of the initial focus was on international travel, so those who knew no one returning from Asia or Europe

STATE

BLACK POPULATION

CORONAVIRUS-RELATED BLACK DEATHS

Wisconsin

26%

81%

Illinois

30%

72%

North Carolina

22%

36%

Michigan

14%

41%

* Louisiana hasn’t published a racial breakdown of diagnoses but 40% of the state’s deaths occurred in the predominately African-American Orleans Parish.

were quick to dismiss the risk.

Few states are publishing statistics on COVID-19 cases by race, but available data shows a disproportionate number of African American deaths.

Despite such alarming statistics, the Centers for Disease Control has not published

race-based data either, though they do publish location and age data. Experts believe gathering data on race will highlight disparities in the American health care system.

“It will be unimaginable pretty soon,” said Dr. Celia J. Maxwell, an infectious disease physician and associate dean at Howard

University College of Medicine. “And anything that comes around is going to be worse in our patients. Period. Many of our patients have so many problems, but this is kind of like the nail in the coffin.”

Black people are already having trouble seeking proper medical care in the midst of the pandemic. National Public Radio reports that a data firm analyzed billing records from several states and found that symptomatic Black people are less likely to be recommended for testing.

As the disease spread at a higher rate in some Black communities, it made an even deeper cut. Environmental, economic and political factors have compounded for generations, putting Black people at higher risk of chronic conditions that leave lungs weak and immune systems vulnerable: asthma, heart disease, hypertension and diabetes.

The high diagnosis rate combined with a health care system historically riddled with racial inequities could spell disaster.

Amid pandemic, Black mistrust of medicine looms Historic failures in government responses to disasters and emergencies, medical abuse, neglect and exploitation have jaded generations of Black people into a distrust of public institutions, which in some instances is leading to distrust in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’ve just been conditioned not to trust,” said Rahmell Peebles, a 30-year-old Black man who’s skeptical of what he hears from the news media and government initially caused him to not see the need for alarm over the virus. “I felt it was a complete hoax. This thing happens every two or four years. We have an outbreak of a disease that seems to put everybody in a panic.”

Some call such skepticism the “Tuskegee effect” — distrust linked to the U.S. government’s once-secret study of Black men in Alabama who were left untreated for syphilis. Black people already suffer disproportionately from

AP/Bebeto Matthews

Rahmell Peebles

chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease and are far more likely to be uninsured.

How the government and

medical community responds to the crisis will be especially crucial for outcomes among Black Americans, civil rights advocates

and medical experts say.

“We are right to be paranoid and to ask tough questions,” said U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley of

Massachusetts who joined other congressional leaders in asking the government to collect and release information about the race and ethnicity of people who are tested or treated for the virus that causes COVID-19.

“History has shown us, when we do not” ask questions, said Pressley, “the consequences are grave, and in fact life and death.”

NAACP President Derrick Johnson, who hosted a coronavirus tele-town hall with U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams last month, said Black and Brown communities need reliable information about the crisis.

“Now that this has been deemed a pandemic, I am most concerned with inequities in who’s provided tests, who’s provided treatment and how those tests and the treatments are administered, in a way that is open, transparent, and equitable,” Johnson said.

Associated Press contributed to this report.

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DEFENDER NETWORK

DN News BERNIE SANDERS

BILL WITHERS

singer/songwriter known for such hits as “Lean on Me” and “Ain’t No Sunshine,” died March 30 at age 81.

7 OUT OF 11

African-American deaths in Houston area are COVID-19 related.

The Vermont Senator has suspended his Democratic presidential campaign.

THE CITY OF HOUSTON PROJECTS A $50-70 MILLION budget shortfall as a result of COVID-19.

County commissioners assist constituents

By Marilyn Marshall

Like most American counties, Harris County is grappling with the coronavirus pandemic. The county is under a “Stay Home, Work Safe” order until April 30, and residents who work in non-essential industries must stay at home unless conducting vital

business or activities.

According to Harris County Public Health, to date, there have been over 450 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Here, the county’s two commissioners of color tell what their precinct offices are doing to help constituents.

RODNEY ELLIS PRECINCT 1

INFO: 713-274-1000 COMM_ELLIS@CP1.HCTX.NET Harris County Precinct One team has been on the front lines and out in the community helping vulnerable communities get access to food and supplies during the COVID-19 outbreak.

No one should have to choose between paying for groceries or paying the rent but many families have found themselves doing just that due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because it is crucial for people to have access to food during this time, Precinct One and Harris County entered into an agreement with the Houston Food Bank to provide approximately 440,000 pounds of food to county residents each week during the public health disaster.

My staff and I have been supporting compassionate release in Harris County jails, suspending evictions, securing rental assistance and helping small businesses through the small business assistance program. We will continue to link residents to vital resources and lifesaving information from trusted sources through social media, emails, and telephonic town halls while we get through this together.

ADRIAN GARCIA PRECINCT 2

INFO: 713-755-6220 COMM_GARCIA@CP2.HCTX.NET Number one on my mind is keeping people from going hungry. We’ve done a series of food giveaways and we are expanding our homebound senior food delivery program. My office is also leading the charge to get fast cash infusions to Harris County small businesses in the form of forgivable loans.

In the interest of keeping Precinct 2 constituents informed, our office has held a series of tele-town halls to share information about how to stay safe. Finally, we are sharing useful information and resources across all our digital channels like free online educational tools families can use to keep kids engaged while staying at home.

NEWSBRIEFS COVID-19 HINDERING CENSUS COUNT Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo is working to make sure the county has an accurate Census count, so that the county gets its fair share of federal funding. They had planned to get an accurate count by having canvassers go doorto-door to ensure that they were responding to the census. The U.S. Census Bureau is suspending field operations at least until April 15, but is encouraging residents to respond online or by mail. Those canvassers have turned into phone bankers. Still, the response rate is just about a percentage point below Texas, and four percentage points behind what the national response rate is. Visit 2020census.gov

MAYOR ANNOUNCES NEW RESOURCES TO HELP ESSENTIAL WORKERS FIND CHILD CARE In response to the challenge of essential workers finding child care, the Mayor’s Office has partnered with the Houston Endowment and the Harris County Judge’s office to develop a child care solution during this COVID-19 pandemic. Essential workers can register for child care and for financial support online at FindChildCareNow.org.

All essential workers, including all City of Houston and Harris County employees, with children aged 0-12 are eligible to participate on a first come, first served basis

GO TO: DEFENDERNETWORK.COM FOR COMPLETE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE

VOLUME 89 - ISSUE 24 - APRIL 9, 2020 Publisher | CEO Sonceria Messiah-Jiles

Managing Editor ReShonda Tate Billingsley

Ad/Client Relations Selma Dodson Tyler

Associate Editor Marilyn Marshall

Strategic Alllance Clyde Jiles

People Editor Aswad Walker

Creative Director Michael Grant

Sports Terrance Harris Jodie B. Jiles

Photographers Ray Carrington III Jimmie Aggison

Engagement Manager Margo Williams Hubbard

The Defender newspaper is published by the Houston Defender Newspaper Inc. and audited by Alliance for Audited Media (AAM). Only digital subscriptions are available at: www.defendernetwork.com/subscribe No paper subscriptions available. All materials covered by 2020 copyright. No materials herein may be reproduced without the written permission of the Publisher. 713-663-6996 | P.O. Box 8005, Houston, Tx 77288

April 9, 2020 |

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DEFENDER NETWORK

DN InFocus FOCUS SOCIAL

VIRTUAL: A New Way of Living ReShonda Tate Billingsley

For the foreseeable future, many of us are living under house arrest, and that’s prompting folks to figure out a new virtual way of living. The coronavirus lockdown and social distancing guidelines are changing how we date, socialize, celebrate and memorialize milestones.

Dating

Couples are getting creative when it comes Hosting your event to dating, meeting up over There is a variety of Facetime for candlelight platforms you can dinners or getting together use to get everyone virtually to watch the pleth- together. ora of Instagram concerts • Skype celebrities are hosting. “ T h i s h a s a c t u a l l y • FaceTime brought my girlfriend and • Google Hangouts I closer,” said accountant • Zoom • Virtualhappyhour.com Stanley Richardson. “We’re usually both so busy, that we don’t have time to go out much. Though I’m in Houston and she’s in D.C., we’ve been to virtual concerts with Kem, Anthony Hamilton, Erykah Badu and then we partied for hours with DJ Nice. That’s more ‘outings’ than we’ve had in the past year.

And it’s not just couples. Those looking for love on dating apps are finding a push to meet for virtual dates, with many sites rolling out new video-based features, making it simpler to meet more people and stage meetups.

Happy Hours

I missed my friends, needed some laughter, girl talk and we genuinely have concern for one another. Our weekly happy hour helps keep us sane during this trying time.”

- Houston teacher Lisa Paige Jones

These may not be the happiest of times for those looking to get together with friends for drinks since bars are closed and everyone is locked inside. But thanks to technology, people can still hang out and have a virtual happy hour.

The idea is simple. Grab a few friends, co-workers or family members. Grab a drink. Get everyone on a video call and catch up as you usually would.

In fact, some experts recommend having happy hour drinks online with friends to cope with the stress of the pandemic.

Tips for a virtual event Think of a theme.

Plan a theme when it comes to organizing your virtual happy hour.

Keep it small Hanging virtually with more than eight to 10 people and conversations can’t really happen without leaving people outside looking in.

Proms and Graduations

Widely considered a rite of passage for high school seniors, prom is a quintessentially American tradition that, along with graduation, often symbolizes the end of one chapter in life and the beginning of a new one. But with the situation surrounding COVID-19 still evolving, prom and graduation cancellations are top of mind for many students.

And while some of the wide variety of events that have been put on hold due to coronavirus have been rescheduled for later dates, at this point, it seems like many in this year’s graduating class might simply have to forego some of their final high school experiences — at least in their traditional sense.

“I feel sad because this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing and it’s like something you look forward to since middle school,” said Leslie Rodriguez from YES Prep Southwest.

YES Prep is among the many schools looking at ways to host a virtual prom and graduation. Some schools are looking to host events on “Zoom rager,” or “Zoom Pro” for those trying to host more than 100 people.

Whether they have an event or not, many teens are

Get dolled up Connecting online is also a good excuse to get out of those pajamas and dress up. The act of getting ready can give you a sense of normalcy.

Think about your space Make sure the lighting is bright enough so others can see you. And keep ambient sound to a minimum, as barking dogs and shrieking children can affect the vibe.

Lisa Paige Jones organized a weekly happy hour for her friends.

planning some type of virtual get together to show off their prom dresses, a huge part of the big night.

“My mom spent all this money on a non-returnable dress. The coronavirus has stolen the night, but not our joy so my friends and I are going to dress up, Facetime and have a great time,” added 18-year-old Laura Spencer.

Keep the conversation light We’re all experiencing trying times. While you may want to vent, this is a time to try and relax and enjoy seeing friends so try to focus on things that make you smile.

End on a high note Keep your virtual happy short and sweet, then make plans to do it again.

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DEFENDER NETWORK

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DN People

MORE ON THE WEB

BLACK CHURCHES & THE CORONAVIRUS

defendernetwork.com

PASTOR D.Z. COFIELD

PASTOR LINDA DAVIS

Q: ENCOURAGING WORDS FOR HOUSTONIANS?

Q: ENCOURAGING WORDS FOR HOUSTONIANS?

STAY IN. Make sure you follow the directions of the CDC by practicing social distancing and personal hygiene. This is important for our seniors, but it’s applicable to everyone. STAY CONNECTED. Take the time to reconnect and recommit to family and friends. STAY CALM. This is a very stressful and anxious time, and you need to realize stress is not what you go through, but how you respond to what you’re going through. STAY COMMITTED. Be encouraged and see this time to disengage as a gift. In the midst of it all, put your faith and trust in God. He will see you through.

I know that there seems to be bad news everywhere, but there is still good news for the believer. God is still on the throne and we will get through this by faith. Continue to use wisdom by taking the necessary precautions and pray the prayer of protection found in Psalm 91 over you and your family. Exercise your faith over your fears!

Q: WHAT IS THE CHURCH CORONAVIRUS STRATEGY?

Q: WHAT IS THE CHURCH CORONAVIRUS STRATEGY?

Our strategy can be summarized in the phrase, “Maintaining Spiritual Connectivity While Practicing Social Distancing.” While we work to comply with the ever-changing CDC guidelines for social interaction, we view the life of faith as essential to a person’s mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. As part of a body of believers, we are committed to staying connected with our members, serving our neighbors in need and practicing social distancing. In an effort to keep our at-risk members safe from the virus, our Membership Team along with the Houston Food Bank through our nonprofit (Hope for Families), is providing them with essentials and distributing food to those in need.

We are taking things week-by-week. We are encouraging our congregants to take things easy and play it safe. We know that our lives have been radically changed due to the COVID-19 virus. We are following the instructions of our local and federal government of no gatherings of more than 10 persons. Therefore, we are taking care of the business of the church by meeting via conference calls, Zoom, and a lot of emails. We’re also participating in the conference calls that are being held by our Bishop Scott Jones of the Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church and Houston Methodist Hospital in which we receive updates on the COVID-19 virus and how it affects us all locally and globally.

Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church

PASTORS ADAPT

By Aswad Walker

Historically, in times of uncertainty and challenge, our faith communities have provided members with a level of blessed assurance. The current coronavirus crisis is no different.

Here, area faith leaders share how their churches are meeting the needs of their congregations.

MIA WRIGHT FOUNTAIN OF PRAISE CO-PASTOR shares spiritual, mental and physical advice during these times of uncertainty.

PASTOR RALPH DOUGLAS WEST

The Church Without Walls

Q: ENCOURAGING WORDS FOR HOUSTONIANS? For the faith community, sacred and secular, things will improve, get better, and return. For a while, we have to live with a different kind of normalcy. For the church community specifically, we have 3,200 years of history. We’ve been through crusades, wars, pandemics, racism, Jim Crow, depressions, recessions, etc., and the church still goes on. Nothing has stopped the church. The church will go on, move forward, and the gates of hell shall not prevail. God will take care. The church is in God’s hands.

EASTER PLANS:

EASTER PLANS:

Streaming worship:

Streaming worship:

Streaming & drive-in services

Sundays, 8 a.m, 10 a.m., ChurchStreaming.tv, mobile app (I AM HOPE), Facebook (Good Hope MBC), YouTube Live (Good Hope), IGTV, www.goodhope.org

EASTER PLANS:

Participatory worship, unison prayers, choral and sermon engagement (streaming)

Streaming worship:

Sundays, 8 a.m., 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m., noon, live.tcww.org, www.tcww.org

Saturday food pantry & Easter bags for kids

Sunday, 10:30 a.m., Facebook (Boynton Chapel UMC-Houston)

PASTOR KALONGI JONES

PASTORS RUDY & JUANITA RASMUS

Q: ENCOURAGING WORDS FOR HOUSTONIANS?

Q: ENCOURAGING WORDS FOR HOUSTONIANS?

We are a surviving people, and we have always proved throughout history to prevail against impossible odds. Stay alert and be proactive. We at the Shrine of the Black Madonna of the Pan-African Orthodox Christian Church love you, and we are ready to serve the community at call.

Here’s a mental protocol as we are “Learning to Be!” BREATHE in through your nose, exhale deeply and slowly. Breathing grounds, you and allows you to release tension. PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR THOUGHTS. You choose to spiral down, or you can choose to spiral up! Choose life! Be kind to yourself. Be the adult to reassure your inner child that all shall be well. Access the Divine living and breathing in you. You can get more tips for “Learning to Be: Finding Your Center After the Bottom Falls Out,” my (Juanita Campbell Rasmus) new book available on Amazon.

Q: WHAT IS THE CHURCH CORONAVIRUS STRATEGY?

Q: WHAT IS THE CHURCH CORONAVIRUS STRATEGY?

The Pan-African Orthodox Christian Church was built to deal with community crisis. The fellowship of the church is centered on community engagement and upliftment. Our strategy is to stay in constant contact through email, telephone, and social media with our members and the surrounding Black communities. We have an emergency response team prepared and ready to serve our members and the community on call. We have also teamed with the other Black community organizations to serve as needed.

Several years ago, we began to see a drop in church attendance and began asking the hard questions like, “What is the future for the church?” During that time, I was completing a doctorate and research on Black millennial culture. We began taking steps toward creating an online presence and realized there were more people viewing the services online than there ever was in the actual building. The onset of the pandemic only confirmed this fact and we found ourselves prepared for what was to come…

Shrine of the Black Madonna

Q: WHAT IS THE CHURCH CORONAVIRUS STRATEGY? Our strategy is to move from physical church to virtual church with the motto, “Bringing God’s house into your house.” We will comply with guidelines established by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO).

Boynton United Methodist Church

EASTER PLANS:

National combined live service

Streaming worship:

Sundays, 11:30 a.m., www.shrinesoftheblackmadonna.org

St. Johns Downtown

EASTER PLANS:

Brian Courtney Wilson, Motown gospel artist, featured preacher.

Streaming worship:

Sundays, 8 a.m., 10 a.m., Facebook (St. John’s Downtown) www.stjohnsdowntown.org

8 | April 9, 2020 |

DEFENDER NETWORK

DN InFocus FOCUS SOCIAL

Weddings, funerals go virtual Aswad Walker and Reshonda Tate Billingsley Couples taking nuptials online

As the coronavirus continues to spread around the globe, the basic tenets of a wedding have become dangerous, if not illegal. Asking a large group of people, including elderly relatives, to travel on planes and spend days in close proximity now sounds less like a celebration and more like a death sentence.

Many couples have simply decided to postpone their weddings. But others are moving forward – virtually.

Zoom — the enterprise video streaming platform that was used in pre-coronavirus days mostly for business meetings — has become the venue of choice for couples hosting digital weddings. It’s relatively easy to use, even for the less technically savvy, and it allows people to mute and unmute guests to moderate their participation.

Atlanta couple Jillian Lee and Joshua Ogundele were set to wed at the end of March in Savannah, Georgia. The Rev. Thurmond N. Tillman, of the First African Baptist Church in Savannah, Georgia, officiated the virtual wedding via Zoom.

The couple said their “I do’s” with more than 100 family and friends in attendance via the online app. An Iowa couple is planning a ‘drive-in’ wedding ceremony amid the coronavirus pandemic and another couple brought family members in via Facetime.

Funerals services adjust

The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in a time of uncertainty, and for those who are already struggling with grief, troublesome times can add even more stress.

At any given time, about 7.5% of the U.S. population, or 25 million people, are grieving a death that occurred under normal circumstances. Feeling the sting of the pandemic, mourners of the recently deceased find themselves not only having to deal with loss, but also a new normal in how funeral services are conducted.

The Defender contacted several area funeral homes to see what pandemic-related adjustments they are making and how those changes are impacting the bereaved.

Q: How are you handling funerals differently for the bereaving family in the midst of this coronavirus pandemic?

Helen Abernathy, McCoy & Harrison Funeral Home “We are limiting services to 10 people, immediate family, and three of the people are probably going to be funeral home personnel. We take the bereaved family to the cemetery which won’t allow but 10 people. For others beyond the immediate family, we might do an hour viewing. We let in so many at a time to view the deceased. After they view the body, they leave out the door of our funeral home and can’t stay for the service.”

Joshua Weatherby, Carl Barnes Funeral Home “We are having more of an intimate service with the set amount of people that can attend the service. To help meet the needs of loved ones unable to attend the service due to the county and citywide restrictions on gathering size we are utilizing Facebook Live to stream services. There was really never a need for streaming services before, but now the need has arisen. We are also offering families a private interment service at the cemetery, and when things settle down post-pandemic, have a memorial service and celebrate their loved ones’ life in the way they originally planned.

David Daniels, Johnson Funeral Home We’re handling all funerals the same, going by all CDC and health department guidelines and directives from the mayor and county judge.

Our business is open as it is an essential service. However, we’re not having any services in our chapel. We’re only holding services at the cemetery gravesite, with 10 people or less per area guidelines. Within our funeral home, we are taking care to thoroughly disinfect everything — computers, doorknobs, cell phones —to try to curtail the progression of the coronavirus. We are instructing people to not get close to the deceased. We haven’t had any coronavirus cases from such contact, but there could be some. We have also called the CDC to get advice on what extra measures and precautions we need to take in the process of embalming the deceased.

April 9, 2020 |

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DEFENDER NETWORK

DN Feature Chef opens store for low-income families Defender News Service

For two years, Chef Jonny Rhodes’ restaurant, Indigo, was a popular soul food spot and doing well – Time Magazine’s World’s Greatest Places and 2019 One of Texas Monthly’s Best Restaurants – until COVID-19 hit. Houston issued a stay-athome order and restaurateurs were forced to turn to take-out or delivery, but Rhodes’ felt his calling was something higher.

He converted Indigo into a grocery store that gives low-income families better access to high-quality food. Rhodes says that he has always wanted to open a grocery store in the Trinity Gardens community and that the current crisis pushed him toward pursuing the idea. He opened Broham Fine Soul Food & Groceries on April 1.

“You think about this epidemic that’s going on, one of the things you see is grocery stores can’t keep things on the shelves,” Rhodes said in an interview with

CultureMap. “Over here, there are no shelves to be empty, because there are no grocery stores. Instead of there being empty shelves, there are empty bellies.

“Since this has taken place, a lot of them are surviving on chips, soda, candy.

That’s only going to make what’s going on right now worse. Now, you don’t have the immune system to fight it off, because we’re poisoning ourselves. We just want to be able to provide [an alternative].”

The neighborhood is known for being a food desert and Rhodes wanted to make healthy food options affordable and accessible to local residents. His store sells fresh produce (some of it from Rhodes’ own garden), savory and sweet preserved foods, meat from local farms, house-made beverages and more.

Rhodes is using the store not only to give back to the local community but to keep his restaurant’s staff employed as well. In one week, they’ve gone from being waiters and cooks to cashiers and stockers.

Follow the store on Instagram @broham_groceries.

Chef Jonny Rhodes

10 | April 9, 2020 |

DEFENDER NETWORK

DN Sports TEXANS GM/COACH BILL O’BRIEN ON DL D.J. READER

“There are certain guys that we just couldn’t do it financially and we would have loved to keep on board.”

HIS AIRNESS

The Last Dance, a documentary chronicling Michael Jordan and the Bulls dynasty premieres on April 19 on ESPN.

SWAC navigating through COVID-19 Terrance Harris

A

s a NCAA Division I member, the Southwestern Athletic Conference is feeling the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic that has brought the sports world to a standstill.

SWAC commissioner Dr. Charles McClelland has had to guide his conference and member schools through this rather tumultuous time that has seen the NCAA cancel its lucrative men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, call off the entire spring sports schedule, announce that the 2020 payouts from the NCAA Tournament to all Division I conferences and schools have been reduced by $375 million and that all student-athletes in spring sports have been granted an extra year of eligibility.

Each one of the decisions has rippling effects that will be felt by all institutions, including the Black college leagues that do not enjoy the extraordinary budgets as most of their contemporaries at the Division I level.

McClelland, who has the unique perspective of also having served as the athletic director at both Prairie View A&M and Texas Southern, acknowledges the challenges ahead for any of his member institutions. McClelland recently talked with The Defender about the current landscape and how things might look as the SWAC navigates its way through.

Defender: What has been your message to your member schools at this point?

McClelland: I’m not quite sure we have a message that is any different than what’s already out there. There are just so many unknowns when it comes to the conference perspective. We are just trying to bridge the gap with what is going on with the NCAA and the conversations that are going on there so that our schools will be knowledgeable on the front end of what’s being discussed.

So that they have some say so and input as legislation starts coming out covering this when it comes to support for the schools. At this point we’re in a situation where everybody is trying to assess where we are and ultimately where we are supposed to go.

What are your thoughts on the NCAA’s recent decision to grant the extra year of eligibility to student-athletes of spring sports?

McClelland: I think the overall thought process was giving the student athletes and the institutions the greatest latitude possible. The ruling that was passed - the Division I Council passed it and is made up of members from all Division I institutions. Each conference has representatives on that committee so it’s actually the schools making the rules for the schools. They gave the greatest level of flexibility possible. So whatever decisions that needed to be made from an individual student-athlete’s

Charles McClelland

If the institution is funded by student enrollment and with enrollment down and tax dollars are down that means that the institutions are not going to get all that they get from the state.

And those athletic programs are heavily subsidized."

standpoint they have options and the institutions will have options, as well.

You are starting to see stories coming out about bigger schools like Iowa State from bigger conference having cutbacks in the athletic departments, slashing salaries and bonuses. Do you see this being an issue some of the SWAC schools may have to face at some point as a result of the coronavirus?

McClelland: I think every institution will feel some type of pain. I think what (Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard) did at Iowa State was right according to Jamie for Iowa State. There was another report that Kansas stated they are not in the same position as Iowa State.

It’s going to be an individual member institution issue.

What is going to be right for one school is not going to be right for another. But I think all member institutions will feel the pain financially. We have already seen it by the NCAA reducing its payout to the member institutions. All of that is going to roll down. It’s going to be less money, it’s going to be less tax revenue. So even with institutions

in the state of Texas like Texas Southern and Prairie View, although they don’t get state money, the institutions are funded by state dollars. If the institution is funded by student enrollment and with enrollment down and tax dollars are down that means that the institutions are not going to get all that they get from the state. And those athletic programs are heavily subsidized. There are going to be financial issues but from a Southwestern Athletic Conference perspective the majority of our institutions don’t enjoy the same types of budgets as Iowa State so I think we are probably in a little bit better position to be able to deal with a lot of the cuts, just based on the fact our resources are so limited anyway. But when dealing with limited resources you don’t have a whole lot of room to cut so we will work diligently to try to help maneuver through those.

READ MORE: McClelland talks about NCAA eligibility and SWAC contingency plan. defendernetwork.com

April 9, 2020 |

| 11

DEFENDER NETWORK

DN Sports STAY TUNED...

Defender Slam Dunk Challenge featuring the best high school dunks coming soon on Defender social media.

TRAMON MARK The Dickinson H. S. senior guard was named the winner of the 2020 Guy V. Lewis Award for Basketball Player of the Year.

COACH EVINS TOBLER

GIVES ADVICE ABOUT TRAINING THROUGH VIRUS Jodie B. Jiles

With over 13 years of coaching and training under his belt, Evins Tobler, a former world-class track star and bodybuilder, has been a pillar in the world of sports training, helping mold athletes across sports lines.

His clientele includes super lightweight boxing champion Regis Prograis, who is currently the third ranked boxer in the world for his division; Hanna Gabriels, a two-time world boxing champion in women’s boxing; countless high school All-American track stars and even Houston rappers Slim Thug and Z-Ro on occasion.

Here is the one-on-one with Tobler.

The mental part is at the top because if your mind isn’t right you will not be able to handle the workload at any level of high school, college or professional.

Defender: What are the fundamentals of a training routine?

Tobler: The mental part is at the top because if

your mind isn’t right you will not be able to handle the workload at any level of high school, college or professional. It is more mental than physical. After you get your mind right, use your physical parts to get you into the physical parts of the workout whether it be football, basketball or track to gradually build up. As you gradually build up physically, the mental tends to fall in place.

Defender: What exercises do you recommend for youth in light of the coronavirus epidemic?

Tobler: You can never go wrong with running two-

or three-minute runs, 30-second runs, 90-second runs, “suicides,” calisthenics, push-ups, sit-ups, lunges, jump squats and shuttle runs. You can do so much indoors.

Any sport athlete can benefit from pull-ups, pushups, sit-ups and running because their body control is moving. You would be surprised how many athletes can’t even do 20 push-ups. Also, with the running, you should time yourself for sprint endurance. With the basketball teams, I will have them run as far as they can in 90-seconds, then jog 60-seconds. You can also throw in some lunges, push-ups, sit-ups, or burpees

Coach Tobler trains Super Lightweight boxer Regis Prograis, ranked number three in the world.

during their rest period.

You don’t need a weight room, you just need a space. Coaches nowadays are so used to having all of that equipment, but back when we were training we didn’t have any equipment. There weren’t any ladders to do quick drills. We just did sprint drills, high knees, butt kicks and thigh shuffles to get fast.

But now if these coaches don’t have the equipment, they don’t know what the heck to do.

Defender: What are your recommendations regarding nutrition and what student-athletes should eat?

Tobler: I would stick to the basic stuff. Proteins,

fruits, vegetables and a small amount of carbohydrates.

When I say carbohydrates I mean sweet potatoes, white potatoes and some brown rice because rice turns into sugar. And all the years that I have been competing I

have learned we don’t really have to eat all of those meals. Because if you are not competing you really don’t need all of that food in your system because you are going to just gain weight. When I came into the sport of bodybuilding I started eating six or seven meals a day, and when I competed at the Olympic level I only ate three times a day. So, as long as you have a kid that is eating clean and not a lot of processed foods like pizza, sodas, pastries, and fast food that will make these kids fat first. I also advise parents to try to cook more meals.

Defender: Is there any other advice you would like to give to our readers?

Tobler: Keep moving, drink plenty of water,

stay away from processed foods, and go back to the nutrients. The nutrients are not in proteins, the nutrients are in the fruits and vegetables, the stuff we don’t get enough of. Also, try to do a meal system to make sure you get those fruits and vegetables in, and stay away from smoking. If you are a smoker, just stop.

12 | April 9, 2020 |

DEFENDER NETWORK

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