Houston Defender: May 19, 2022

MOURNING IN

AMERICA

BLACKS COMMENT ON THE RACIST MASSACRE IN BUFFALO, NY.

NEWS

PROFILE

SYLVESTER TURNER

The Mayor and HPD Chief Troy Finner traveled to the White House to talk public safety with the president.

Volume 91, issue 28 May 19, 2022

facebook.com/defendernetwork twitter.com/defendernetwork

DR. CINDY TRIMM

The author and philanthropist talks about how she found marriage and motherhood at age 60. instagram.com/defendernetwork defendernetwork.com

FREE

2 | May 19, 2022 |

DEFENDER NETWORK

DN To the POINT

Attorney Benjamin Crump, right, accompanied by the family of Ruth Whitfield, a victim of shooting at a supermarket, speaks with members of the media during a news conference in Buffalo, N.Y., Monday, May 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Message from the Reporter now it seems as though the tables have turned in a different direction.

Buffalo, N.Y. is now at the center of the Honey Pot supporters believe the company “sold nation’s news cycle for yet another mass shootout” and marketed its brand to Black people only to ing of Black people. A white 18-year-old wearing grow and leave their core supporters behind once military gear stormed into a supermarket killing bigger (white) corporations buy into the product.

10 people and wounding three others while live Dixon took to Instagram in a 13-minute video to streaming for at least two minutes with a heladdress the rumors surrounding the company. She Laura Onyeneho met camera. Authorities describe the act to be said she is “spiritually and professionally” invested “racially motivated violent extremism.” in the brand and did not sell the company.

The accused terrorist, Payton Gendron, targeted mostly She does, however, admit that she could have done better to Black shoppers and workers at Tops Friendly Market. He communicate more directly to their audience. The washes have had previously posted a 180-page white supremacist man- evolved but the ingredients are all-natural and backed by science. ifesto spewing racist philosophies and outlining his plans Our people were too quick and too harsh on Black businesses to kill. He was reportedly “radicalized” on the internet and and their decisions to sustain themselves. Dixon did right to saw the low white birth rate as a threat that “will ultimately address the situation and I hope this won’t impact the good result in the complete racial and cultural replacement of the Honey Pot is doing for women everywhere.

European people.” In the almighty words of Donald Glover, “This is America.”

Burna Boy makes history What is interesting to me is the fact that this white If you aren’t familiar with this name, you could be livsupremacist openly expressed his hate on social media right ing under a rock! Burna Boy, the Nigerian Afrobeats artist, under the nose of domestic intelligence agencies. Were there is making history as the first African artist to have three any red flags cited at all before this tragedy? Unfortunately albums reach 100 million Spotify Streams, and headline and for too many in the Black community being hunted down sell out his first show at Madison Square Garden in April. and killed like wild animals isn’t anything new. What is this The Grammy Award-winner made his recent debut at the country going to do to truly address its blatant ignorance Billboard Music Awards performing his hit song “Kilomeand lack of strong gun control policies? I saw a post on social tre” and “Last Last,” his single off of his new album “Love media that said “There is a breaking news alert, then there Damini” set to drop on his birthday in July. He is just one of is a hashtag or two, then shocked outrage, then a return the many Nigerian artists blazing the trail for this genre of to complacency. Then another shooting.” Let that sink in. music with its crossover appeal. From clubs, lounges, radio shows, TV commercials and music videos, the influence is Honey Pot receives backlash from supporters evident. Afrobeats is globally recognized and it’s not going Honey Pot, the popular Black-owned feminine product anywhere anytime soon. brand is trending on social media because consumers noticed a rebranding and an alteration to its plant-based feminine ON THE WEB hygiene products.

• The State of Black Women Health Forum addressed The company was launched in 2012 by founder and CEO issues affecting Black women most.

Beatrice Dixon who is known to be very vocal about her strug• HISD students will receive an Exotic Pop scholarship gles as a Black business owner. She was also a target of racist • Travis Scott hit the Billboard stage for the first time since trolls online for her goal to blaze a trail for Black girls. But the Astroworld incident Race at the center of another mass shooting

May 19, 2022 |

| 3

DEFENDER NETWORK

DN InFocus FOCUS SOCIAL

Danielle Keys Bess and Jolanda Jones faced off in the May 16th election.

Several Riverside Terrace homeowners are fighting against the historic district designation for their Third Ward neighborhood.

Third Ward homeowners fight historic designation

By Aswad Walker

Third Ward homeowners are in the midst of a fight they neither wanted nor expected—a battle to get the city to squash the move to name it a historic district.

To many, the idea of a neighborhood being designated a historic district sounds like an “honor” residents would welcome. However, several longstanding homeowners of Riverside Terrace in Third Ward denounced the proposed Riverside Terrace Historic District, and have taken actions towards that end, including 1) a community meeting with 200-plus attendees to voice their objection, 2) a vote on the issue where the majority of residents rejected the idea, and 3) a visit to city hall where residents called on Mayor Sylvester Turner and the Houston City Council to squash the designation.

Phyllis Moss, a Riverside Civic Association board member, some homeowners’ concerns.

“You’ll have to go to the city, through a special permitting process, to make changes to your own home; to change your windows, paint or change the kind of roof you have,” said Moss, echoing a consistent homeowner refrain that many residents won’t be able to afford the cost of the very specific changes allowed for homeowners in historic districts.

“It’s a financial burden on people that’s just not necessary,” she added.

Moss and other Riverside Terrace residents also take issue with being blindsided by the potential designation.

“So, I get home one day in December and me and my husband, the homeowners, got a letter in the mail and it says your home has been placed in a proposed historic district. I’m like, ‘What?’ No meeting. Nothing. I am totally blindsided. I don’t know anything. I am not expecting this. You’re asking us to have our homes in a historical district, but you didn’t have a meeting first to ask us how we felt about it. You didn’t have a meeting to educate us on the pros and the cons.”

Residents have additional concerns regarding the impact of the historic district designation.

“Our taxes went up this year, tremendously. For some people, their property value went up over $100K, mean-

REASONS FOR OPPOSITION • Of the 35 tracts, only 13 voted for the proposal, yet the Planning Department redrew the map boundaries multiple times to meet the percentage needed, thus forcing neighbors to be a part of something they didn’t vote for.

• There was no public meeting with the community, or civic association as required by ordinance, prior to homes being placed in a proposed district.

• This proposed historic district will be an enormous financial burden on homeowners who cannot meet the historic specifications for repairs and upkeep and will force families who have been in the area for generations to live in homes they cannot afford to repair or sell.

• The federal and state tax breaks for homes in a historic district are more favorable for investors than longstanding primary residents.

• Tomaro Bell, president of the Super Neighborhood Association, hopes Houston residents beyond Third Ward lift their voices in support of efforts to block the historic district designation.

• “Call your city councilmember and tell them not to approve this,” said Bell. “Not only were procedures not followed, this designation is placing an unwanted financial strain on longtime community members.”

DN

See other reasons for opposition at DefenderNetwork.com.

ing their property taxes went up a huge amount also. So, if we’re here next to what they’re calling a historic district, is that going to make our property taxes go up, as well,” asked Moss.

Bess requests audit in race to replace Garnet Coleman Houston Public Media

Danielle Keys Bess — the second-place finisher of the May 7 special election to replace outgoing state Sen. Garnet Coleman for the rest of 2022 — requested an audit of results, citing unsubstantiated rumors and documented count delays.

Keys Bess, who lost by 202 votes to former Houston City Councilmember Jolanda Jones, noted “rumors of mail-in ballot harvesting” among the reasons for requesting a recount. Keys Bess provided no evidence for the claim.

“I recognize that rumor is not fact, but still want to validate the integrity of the election results,” Keys Bess wrote in her letter to Election Administrator Isabel Longoria.

The candidate also referenced documented delays in vote tallies, in which Harris County took longer to tabulate its unofficial results than any other large county in Texas. That followed a March 2 election in which Longoria came under fire for taking more than 24 hours to tally votes. She has since announced her resignation, set to take effect in July.

Keys Bess also cited what she said were inconsistencies between the primary election and the special election. Both Jones and Keys Bess are also running in the primary to replace Coleman starting in 2023.

Early and Election Day ballots were lower in the special election — just 27% and 32% of the primary numbers — while mail-in ballots in the special election increased. According to data released by Longoria’s office, they received 1,326 mail-in ballots in the special election versus 1,158 — 114% of the primary.

The May 7 election included no high-profile races and had lower in-person turnout overall than the March primary, which saw multiple statewide and legislative races including the governor and attorney general contests on the ballot.

In a statement, Jones accused Keys Bess of going “full Trump,” comparing the audit request to former President Donald Trump’s refusal to acknowledge Joe Biden’s legitimate 2021 presidential election victory.

“Just like Donald Trump, and with absolutely no evidence whatsoever, my opponent is trying to overturn the results of a valid election with a bogus audit of mail ballots,” Jones said.

4 | May 19, 2022 |

DEFENDER NETWORK

DN News Government backs COVID Free Tests Defender News Service

Piles of flood damage from Hurricane Harvey lay outside of homes in Port Arthur in Jefferson County on Sept. 20, 2017. The coastal county, which recorded the highest rainfall totals from Harvey and shattered U.S rainfall records, received zero dollars of disaster aid so far from the Texas General Land Office.

New Hurricane Harvey aid moved from Gulf Coast Texas Tribune

Of the more than 300,000 homes in Texas damaged by Hurricane Harvey in 2017, none were in Coryell County.

Located 220 miles from the Gulf of Mexico, this small agricultural county was not the place Congress had in mind when it sent Texas more than $4 billion in disaster preparedness money six months following the storm, said U.S. Rep. Al Green, D-Houston.

“We wanted to help people who were hurt by Harvey and had the potential to be hurt again, as opposed to people who were inland and not likely to have suffered great damage,” Green said.

Nevertheless, Coryell is slated to receive $3.4 million under the plan by the Texas General Land Office and its commissioner, George P. Bush.

After the land office awarded $1 billion of the aid last year, giving the city of Houston nothing, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development accused Bush’s office of discriminating against Black and Latino Texans. The land office had an opportunity to correct these inequities as it developed a new spending plan.

But an analysis by The Texas Tribune found that the land office is on track to follow a similar pattern as it prepares to allocate the next $1.2 billion of the federal aid.

The agency’s revised plan will once again send a disproportionately high share of money to inland counties with lower risk of natural disasters.

Residents in the counties that will benefit most are also significantly whiter and more conservative than those receiving the least aid, an outcome some Democrats view

with suspicion as Bush competes for the Republican nomination for attorney general this month.

Neither the land office, nor Bush’s campaign for attorney general responded to interview requests. Bush also did not respond to specific questions emailed to his office for this story.

But his spokesperson said last year that inland areas are vulnerable to extreme weather, too, and also serve as safe havens for coastal evacuees.

John Henneberger, co-director of the low-income housing advocate Texas Housers, whose complaint set off the federal investigation, said the land office is failing to meet the most basic requirement for the money: to spend disaster aid in the areas at highest risk for disasters.

“Why does some community 200 miles from the coast get a new water system when you’ve got neighborhoods that have flooded four or five times in the last decade in a coastal community?” Henneberger said. “It’s a very cynical — and we think illegal — use of the funds.”

Numerous studies have shown poor people and people of color are most likely to be impacted by disasters, said Kevin Smiley, a professor of sociology at Louisiana State University. Planning for future calamities should address that disparity rather than make it worse, he added.

“It’s weird to think about disasters as one of the fundamental mechanisms widening social disparity in the United States, but they are,” said Smiley, whose research focuses on Harvey recovery efforts. “And it’s through nitty-gritty governmental processes that are disbursing mitigation funds that are partly doing it.”

Americans are now eligible to receive a third round of at-home COVID-19 tests. The U.S. government-backed initiative was created to help curb the spread of COVID19 and cases appear to be rising across the country.

Each household will receive eight rapid antigen COVID-19 tests total and they will be split into two separate shipments. The tests are completely free and will be sent out courtesy of the U.S Postal Service. You can place an order for your third round of tests online at covid.gov/tests. If you’re unable to access the website by computer, call the COVID.gov hotline to place your order at 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489).

The initiative comes as a fourth wave of COVID surges across the United States. New York, Mississippi and Louisiana are some areas that have been slammed by rapid infection rates. In New York City, cases have skyrocketed with an average of 9,895 cases per day, according to the New York Times. Deaths have also increased by 35 percent. Louisiana reported an average of 610 cases per day, while the seven-day moving average climbed to 411 cases per day in Mississippi, although deaths in the state have decreased to 40 percent.

This week, the death toll from COVID-19 reached 1 million, a grim reality as the Biden Administration struggles to combat the disease with vaccinations and other preventative measures. During the Global COVID Summit on May 12, President Biden reassured Americans that he would be doubling down on his efforts to help curb the spread.

“I continue to call on Congress here at home to take the urgent action to provide emergency COVID-19 funding that is vital to protect Americans, to make sure that we maintain our supplies of COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines, including next-generation vaccines that are being developed,” he said according to CBS News.

As of May 16, 257.9 million people have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 220.6 million of those are fully vaccinated, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

VOLUME 91 - NUMBER 28 - MAY 19, 2022 Publisher | CEO Sonceria Messiah-Jiles

Managing Editor ReShonda Tate

Chief Development Officer Emelda Douglas

Associate Editor Aswad Walker

Strategic Alllance Clyde Jiles

Education Reporter Laura Onyeneho

Creative Director Michael Grant

Sports Terrance Harris Jodie B. Jiles

Administrative Asst.

Stacey Palmer

Photographers Jimmie Aggison

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

May 19, 2022 |

| 5

DEFENDER NETWORK

DN News

Mayor, HPD chief visit White House to discuss rising crime, public safety

By ReShonda Tate

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Police Chief Troy Finner recently attended a White House invitation-only discussion on using American Rescue Plan funding to enhance public safety in communities challenged by rising crime over the last two years.

President Joe Biden has been vocal about his belief that Americans deserve to feel safe no matter where they live, and said he is committed to using every tool at his disposal to fight violent crime.

Following the closed-door meeting that included a handful of the nation’s leading mayors and police chiefs, Biden praised Turner for his effective use of ARP funds to help reduce crime. The mayor has invested ARP money for overtime to put 125 more officers on the streets, create comprehensive programs to address domestic violence, mental health and help formerly incarcerated individuals successfully reenter our community.

On February 2, Turner announced the One Safe Houston initiative, a $50 million

Mayor Sylvester Turner, HPD Chief Troy Finner and others join President Joe Biden to talk about public safety in Houston.

SEE TURNER AND FINNER DISCUSS MORE TAKEAWAYS FROM THE MEETING

investment funded by the ARP that focuses on four key areas: Violence reduction and crime prevention; crisis intervention response and recovery; youth outreach opportunities and key community partnerships.

“I thanked the president for the federal

funding, and I assured him we were using it wisely. Listening to President Biden today, it is clear that his administration is paying attention to our success in Houston using ARP to reduce violent crime,” Turner said.

“The results speak for themselves. Crime is going down in Houston, and they have taken

note of that nationally. We want the people of the city of Houston to feel safe.”

“I thought it was a positive meeting,” added Finner. “Houston is focusing on violent crime, boosting mental health response and how we address the issue of domestic violence [using DART, HPD’s Domestic Abuse Response Team], which unfortunately can have fatal consequences. One Safe Houston is how you reduce crime. It is not solely left up to the police. One Safe Houston is a holistic plan, and the ARP funds are certainly helping us in the city of Houston.”

Turner said when it comes to fighting crime, everyone needs to get involved.

“It’s an all hands on deck. It’s not just any one piece. It’s all of those pieces working together. We need our partners working on it. The DA’s office, our judges, you name it.

Everybody has a role to play working in collaboration with our police officers, utilizing technology, working with Crimestoppers, all of these different components working together would help to make a very safe city,” Turner said.

How to Vote on Harris County's New Machines D O N E I N 4 A N D YO U ’ R E O U T T H E D O O R

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

INSERT

VOTE

PRINT

SCAN

������������������������� �������������������������

��������������������� ���������������������� ����������������

����������������� ������������

������������������������� �������������������������� ����������������

K

R

RI

S COU

N

TY

HA

CMY

VOTE E

S LE CTION

PRIMARY RUNOFF ELECTIONS E a r l y Vo t i n g E l e c t i o n D a y

May 1 6 -2 0

May 2 4

Fo r m o re i nfo r m a t i o n v i s i t H A R R I SVOT E S . CO M o r c a l l 7 1 3 -75 5- 6 9 6 5

6 | May 19, 2022 |

DEFENDER NETWORK

DN News Could Crystal Mason voting conviction be overturned?

Texas Tribune

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has told a lower appeals court to take another look at the controversial illegal voting conviction of Crystal Mason, who was given a five-year prison sentence for casting a provisional ballot in the 2016 election while she was on supervised release for a federal conviction.

Mason’s lawyers turned to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals after the Tarrant County-based Second Court of Appeals found that her knowledge that she was on supervised release, and therefore ineligible to vote, was sufficient for an illegal voting conviction. Mason has said she did not know she was ineligible to vote and wouldn’t have knowingly risked her freedom.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ruled that the lower court had “erred by failing to require proof that [Mason] had actual knowledge that it was a crime for her to vote while on supervised release.” They

sent the case back down to participate in elections with instructions for the while still on supervised lower court to “evaluate the release for a federal tax sufficiency” of the evidence fraud conviction. But she against Mason. was arrested a few months “I am pleased that the later. court acknowledged issues Mason’s prosecution with my conviction, and hinged on an affidavit am ready to defend myself she signed before castagainst these cruel charges,” ing her provisional ballot Mason said in a statement. that required individuals “My life has been upended to swear that “if a felon, for what was, at worst, an Crystal Mason I have completed all my innocent misunderstandpunishment including any ing of casting a provisional ballot that was term of incarceration, parole, supervinever even counted. I have been called to sion, period of probation, or I have been this fight for voting rights and will continue pardoned.” to serve my community.”

A trial court judge convicted her of illeMason’s case dates back to 2016 when, gally voting, then a second-degree state felafter discovering she was not on the voter ony, after a poll worker testified he watched roll, Mason submitted a provisional bal- Mason read, and run her finger along, each lot in that year’s presidential election on line of an affidavit. Mason said she did not the advice of a poll worker. Her ballot read the entire affidavit. At trial, a superwas rejected because she was not eligible visor from the probation office overseeing

Your Choice.

her release testified that no one from that office had informed her she was still ineligible to vote.

The court held that the Texas election code requires individuals to know they are ineligible to vote to be convicted of illegal voting.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals’ ruling marks the latest turn in a prosecution that thrust Mason into the political quagmire surrounding the Republican-led crackdown on voter fraud, partly fueled by baseless claims of rampant illegal voting. The lack of evidence that illegal votes are cast on a widespread basis has turned attention to a handful of attention-grabbing prosecutions of people of color, including Mason, who is Black.

Insisting they’re not criminalizing individuals who merely vote by mistake, Tarrant County prosecutors have said Mason’s case is about intent. The case against her has hinged on the affidavit she signed when submitting her provisional ballot.

Their Future.

LEARN THE BENEFITS AND RISKS OF COVID-19 IMMUNIZATION FOR CHILDREN.

MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION.

May 19, 2022 |

| 7

DEFENDER NETWORK

DN News

“The Sugar Shack,” Ernie Barnes’ iconic dance-hall painting seen in the credits of the 1970s sitcom “Good Times,” sold at a Christie’s auction in New York City for a record-breaking $15.2 million. Screenshot/Twitter

Painting made famous by ‘Good Times’ sells for $15.2M

Defender News Service

The iconic dance-hall painting seen in the credits of the 1970s sitcom “Good Times” recently sold at a Christie’s auction in New York City for a record-breaking $15.2 million.

Ernie Barnes’ popular 1976 acrylic-on-canvas piece known as The Sugar Shack appeared in the fifth and sixth seasons of “Good Times.” Marvin Gaye also used the painting as the cover art for his classic hit album, “I Want You.” The hefty price tag, is 76 times the estimated worth of $150,000 to $200,000 and had 22 bidders interested. Houston-based energy trader Bill Perkins won the bid only 10 minutes into the auction by Christies Auction House. Per The New York Times, the price was “more than double that of a

Cézanne in the sale, and more than a Monet and a de Kooning.”

“I would have paid a lot more,” Perkins told The New York Times fol lowing t he Bill Perkins auction. “For certain segments of America, it’s more famous than the Mona Lisa.”

“My life has so far been a happy absurdity,” Perkins tweeted amid reports that he was the highest bidder of the prized painting.

The collector already owns several works

by Barnes and other prominent Black artists, according to Artnet.

“I’m walking away with the treasure while

everybody is fighting over a Warhol or a Monet,” he declared.

Barnes, who died in 2009, was born in North Carolina in 1938 and often drew upon his own experiences growing up in the American South during the Jim Crow era in his depictions of social moments and images of every day Black life. The painting draws from Barnes’ own memories of the Durham Armory in 1952, an iconic dance hall in segregated North Carolina. The artist snuck into the Armory as a kid, forging a memory of music and movement that would inspire the creation of The Sugar Shack.

Barnes, who died of leukemia in 2009 at age 70, said in a 2002 interview that he got the idea for his painting after reflecting on his childhood and “not being able to go to a dance I wanted to go to when I was 11.”

“This image has been in my consciousness since I was a kid,” Perkins admitted. “I have an emotional connection to it. I never thought I could own this piece. As I got in a position where I could buy it, I thought, wouldn’t it be amazing if I could own this iconic piece of American history, a very important, significant work,” Perkins said.

“If I did a survey, and I put a picture of The Mona Lisa and a picture of The Sugar Shack side by side,” Perkins contended, “in my group of African Americans, they’re going to remember The Sugar Shack more than anything else.”

The sale reflects a heightened interest in work by Black artists. Just last November, Barnes’ 1978 painting Ballroom Soul sold for $550,000, a short-lived record for the artist.

8 | May 19, 2022 |

DEFENDER NETWORK

| 9

DN InFocus

Mourning in America

LAWMAKERS WEIGH IN What happened here is simple and straightforward: Terrorism.

Terrorism. Domestic terrorism. White Supremacy Is a poison.”

- President Joe Biden The nation must also cure the disease of gun violence and the ability of an 18-year-old to get not only weapons of war, but also body armor that enabled him to kill 10 people including a retired police officer who confronted him and who did not have the body armor this violent white nationalist had. Enact H.R. 40 Now! Enact Gun Safety Legislation Now. Racism is real and America has to deal with it Now!” - Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee

Ten lives lost on a trip to the store

By ReShonda Tate

They were caregivers and protectors and helpers, running an errand or doing a favor or finishing out a shift, when their paths crossed with a young man driven by racism and hatred and baseless conspiracy theories.

In a flash, the ordinariness of their day was broken at Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo, where in and around the supermarket’s aisles, a symbol of the mundane was transformed into a scene of mass murder.

Carts lay abandoned. Bodies littered the tile floor. Police radios crackled with calls for help.

Investigators will try, for days to come, to piece together the massacre that killed 10 people, all Black and apparently hunted for the color of their skin.

Those who loved them are left with their memories of the lost, who suffered death amid the simple task of buying groceries.

“These people were just shopping,” said Steve Carlson, 29, mourning his 72-year-old neighbor Katherine Massey, who checked in often, giving him gifts on his birthday and at Christmas, and pressing money into his hand when he helped with yardwork. “They went to go get food to feed their families.”

One came from volunteering at a food bank.

Another had been tending to her husband at his nursing home. Most were in their 50s and beyond, and were destined for more, even if just the dinner they planned to make.

Shonnell Harris, a manager at the store, was stocking shelves when she heard the first of what she figured must have been more than 70 shots. She ran for the back door, stumbling a few times along the way. She wondered where her daughter, a grocery clerk, was, and went around to the front of the store.

The grisly scene was broadcast online by the gunman, a video notable not just for the cold-bloodedness of the killings, but how fast they unfolded. In the deafening rat-a-tat of gunfire, 10 voices were silenced, their stories left for others to recite.

Of a woman whose niece swore she was “the apple of God’s eye.”Of a longtime policeman

People embrace outside the scene of the shooting.

The granddaughter of Ruth Whitfield, a victim of shooting at a supermarket, Kamilah Whitfield, center, speaks with members of the media during a news conference in Buffalo, N.Y., Monday, May 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

That day was like every other day for my mom.”

- Garnell Whitfield Jr., whose 86-year-old mother Ruth Whitfield died. who became a guard at the store and whose son knew he died a hero. Of an ace baker who’d give you the shirt off her back.

Garnell Whitfield Jr., whose 86-year-old mother Ruth Whitfield was killed in the attack, said she had come to Tops after her daily ritual of visiting her husband of 68 years in his nursing home. In so many ways, for so many years, Whitfield Jr. said his mother had devoted her life to those she loved.

“That day was like every other day for my mom,” he said as he pondered how to break the news to his father.

Heyward Patterson, a 67-year-old deacon at State Tabernacle Church of God in Christ, was similarly doing the things he’d long been known for. He had just come from helping at his church’s soup kitchen and now was at Tops,

volunteering in the community jitney service that shuttles people without a ride to and from the store.

Pastor Russell Bell of the Tabernacle Church said he believed Patterson had been loading someone’s groceries into his trunk when the shots took him down.

“Anywhere he was, he was encouraging people to be the best that they could be,” Bell said.

As customers arrived at Tops ahead of the shooting, their purpose was clear.

Roberta Drury, 32, was in search of something for dinner. Andre Mackneil, 53, came to pick up a cake for his son’s third birthday. Celestine Chaney, 65, needed some shortcake to go with the strawberries she sliced.

For some in the store, it was likely a trip of necessity, to fill an emptied fridge or get a

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden pay their respects to the victims.

missing ingredient. For Chaney, though, it was more than some stubborn chore. Stores were her passion.

Her 48-year-old son, Wayne Jones, said he’d typically take his mother shopping each week, stopping at grocery store after grocery store in search of the best deals, with the occasional stop for a hot dog or McDonald’s.

“We’d hit four or five stores looking for a deal,” he laughed even as his face was wet with tears.

Hate manifested

Avowed white racist Payton Gendron allegedly put together a 180-page manifesto that revealed his hatred for Black and Jewish people and the “replacement theory” ideology that Fox News often speaks of, notably hosts Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham.

Additionally, several Republican politicians have spouted the racist “theory,” saying that Democrats’ immigration policies would “replace”

GOP voters with individuals of color. New York Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik and Ohio GOP hopeful J.D. Vance recently have been outspoken in supporting “replacement theory.”

Stefanik used the concept in her 2021 campaign ads saying, “radical Democrats are planning their most aggressive move yet: a permanent election insurrection.” Vance, a Donald Trump-endorsed candidate, recently ratcheted up the rhetoric.

“You’re talking about a shift in the...makeup of this country that would mean we never win, meaning Republicans would never win a national election in this country ever again,” he claimed at a campaign event last month.

Vance’s defeated opponent, Josh Mandel, also ran on “replacement theory.”

“This is about changing the face of America, figuratively and literally,” Mandel stated in a published interview. “They are trying to change our culture, change our demographics and change our electorate. This is all about power,” he said.

So far, the only Republican politician of note to call out the racist rhetoric is Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney.

“The House GOP leadership has enabled white nationalism, white supremacy, and anti-semitism,” Cheney wrote on Twitter. “History has taught us that what begins with words ends in far worse. @GOP leaders must renounce and reject these views and those who hold them.”

Prayers and thoughts are not enough, we must do more. We must not allow each generation to learn hate to the extent where we see hate crimes ... white supremacy ... all of these (things are) taking place in our country. People are taught.

We need to do what we can to make it known that this is unacceptable behavior.”

- Congressman Al Green” “Violence in any form is unacceptable, especially when someone targets innocent people because of their skin color.

There is truly no place for hate in our country.

Leaders around the country must condemn this hate crime on the strongest terms. I call on many of them to stop using thinly veiled rhetoric that seeks to divide us, and promotes racism and antisemitism or the idea of “replacement theory. This country must have a conversation about the number of guns on the streets and the gun violence that leaves families in heartache.

Thoughts and prayers are fine, but they must be combined with action.”

- Mayor Sylvester Turner That’s what happens when white supremacy has no form of accountability for their actions.”

- Dr. Candice Matthews, RAINBOW Push Coalition

Katherine Massey, 72

Roberta Drury, 32

Pearl Young, 77

Aaron Salter, 55

Andre Mackniel, 53

Heyward Patterson, 67

Ruth Whitfield, 86

Celestine Chaney, 65

Margus Morrison, 52

Geraldine Talley, 62

10 | May 19, 2022 |

DEFENDER NETWORK

DN Health

A DEFENDER AND KELSEY-SEYBOLD CLINIC ALLIANCE

May is Allergy/Asthma Awareness Month True allergies affect about 30 percent of the population. But Houston’s varying weather and air quality conditions can cause even those without allergies to suffer runny noses, nasal drainage and congestion, and irritated eyes.

By SHELDON GAINES, MD

It’s springtime: a time of nature’s rebirth, longer daylight hours, and blossoming flowers. However, it’s also a time for heavy amounts of tree pollens circulating in the air.

For anyone with allergic reactions to these usually harmless elements, this could be a time for serial sneezing; irritated, itchy eyes; and, for some, sinus infections and asthma flare ups.

What’s causing today’s allergic reactions?

Around the Greater Houston area the main culprit is usually pollen. Local springtime brings excessive amounts of tree pollens such as oak tree pollen. In fact, the oak pollen count has been especially high this year.

Most of the year, outdoor allergens can also include mold spores, and pollen from grasses and weeds. And Houston’s high humidity also promotes elevated dust mite levels.

FROM THE DOC “Severe allergic symptoms can lead to asthma flareups. See a doctor for treatments based on sound medical procedures.”

Dr. Gaines is a board-certified Family Medicine physician and managing physician at Kelsey-Seybold’s Gulfgate Clinic at 520 Gulfgate Center Mall.

Get relief from allergy symptoms.

The first step is avoidance. If you know what’s causing your allergic reactions, this is certainly a helpful defense. However, with many airborne allergens, that’s not a practical option.

The good news is that there are treatment options available, including over-the-counter antihistamines and nasal sprays.

For anyone suffering repeated allergy problems with severe symptoms, I suggest having an evaluation by your primary care physician who will try to determine the source of your allergies such as pollen,

animal dander, dust mites, or other environmental factors and prescribe more aggressive medications if so indicated.

For anyone seeking long-lasting relief and isn’t responding well to medications, a program of allergy shots administered by an allergy specialist may be an excellent treatment option.

Also known as allergy immunotherapy, treatment may begin with skin tests.

If necessary, a series of shots may be recommended to lessen sensitivity to pollen and other allergens and bring patients the long-term relief they always wanted.

Exercise caution if choosing ‘natural’ remedies.

Just because something is marketed as “natural” doesn’t necessarily mean it’s beneficial. Treatments should be based on sound, evidence-based medical procedures.

Now Scheduling VIRTUAL and IN-PERSON Appointments!

Whether you’re new to the Kelsey-Seybold family or a longtime patient, you have a choice of where you can safely get care. Call our 24/7 Contact Center at 713-442-0000 to schedule a same-day or next-day virtual Video Visit or, for non-respiratory illnesses, an in-person appointment at a Kelsey-Seybold Clinic near you.

WE’RE HERE FOR YOU 24/7/365

Your health and safety are our top priority. We‘re screening patients upon arrival for COVID-19 symptoms, checking temperatures, and following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. Please remember to wear a mask or cloth face protection while visiting our clinics.

After-Hours Nurse Hotline 713-442-0000

24/7 Contact Center 713-442-0000

Learn More About Virtual Visits kelsey-seybold.com/virtual

Kelsey-Seybold welcomes new patients and accepts more than 50 health insurance plans, including Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Humana, UnitedHealthcare, and these Medicare Advantage plans: KelseyCare Advantage, WellCare Texan Plus, Aetna Medicare Advantage, and Humana Gold Plus.

May 19, 2022 |

| 11

DEFENDER NETWORK

DN Health HOW ‘SUPERWOMAN’ SYNDROME IS AFFECTING BLACK WOMEN’S HEALTH

By ReShonda Tate

For generations, Black women have often donned a “Superwoman” cape, doing it all and putting the needs of their families, children and significant others first and placing themselves on the backburner. It’s almost cultural in the Black community. However, experts say that mentality is seriously affecting Black women’s health.

“Black women are constantly putting themselves and their wellness second to everyone else,” said Sharon Bennett, M.D. “Women are taking on more in terms of their domestic responsibilities with children, caretaking and housekeeping, yet taking care of themselves is last on the list.

It’s a struggle that never seems to balance out and we just get to the point where we normalize stress.”

A leading cause of death The No. 1 killer of Black women is stroke, and that is often brought on by stress. May is National Stroke Awareness Month and the goal is to shine a light on the causes and effects of stroke. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), someone in the United States has a stroke every 40 seconds.

Every year more than 795,000 people in the U.S. have a stroke. About 610,000 of these are first or new strokes.

Not only is stress a huge contributing factor to strokes, but the American Heart Association (AMA) is launching a new camAssociation says there is a genetic compo- paign called “Release the Pressure.” nent that makes Black women more sensi“There’s a disproportionate number of tive to salt, including the reasons and risk adult Black women that have hypertension, factors behind their higher predisposition and they’re at risk of having coronary heart to heart diseases, like diabetes, obesity and disease events, strokes, et cetera. So it’s still high blood pressure. a big problem,” explained Dr. Christopher What’s disheartening is not only do Afri- Hebert with Baylor Medical Center. can American women have the highest burThe AMA says “half of all Black women den of cardiovascular disease than any other over age 20 have heart disease. High blood group, but many pressure among don’t even recogBlack women is HOW TO SPOT nize heart disease nearly 40% higher SIGNS OF A as being their greatthan that of white STROKE. est threat. Recent women.” research studies “There’s definitely show that cardiovascular-related conditions a genetic component to it all. And then and psychosocial stressors, such as racism there’s a lot of socio-economic factors, culand the Superwoman role(s), can be linked tural factors, there’s access to care factors. It’s to Black maternal deaths. This intensifies the probably a combination of all of the above,” crisis facing Black women.

Hebert said. “We know that if we’re able to capture these groups of patients that are at #ReleasethePressure higher risk that it is more prevalent in, we Because of the rising prevalence of heart can make a big difference in reducing the disease and high blood pressure among cardiovascular disease burden.”

Black women, the American Medical “Be proactive to try to change the

outcome to delay or even in some cases to prevent the onset of heart disease,” advised Stephanie Johnson with the AMA. “Our awareness has gotten a little bit better, but getting from awareness to treatment control is still a huge barrier,” Hebert said. “A barrier that we have to overcome.”

This education effort is intended to draw attention to the need for Black women as young as 20 years of age to begin checking their blood pressure regularly and make appointments to see their doctor.

Making a change “Oftentimes, we know that we need to make changes but continue on with the same routine,” Bennett said. “It’s only then after something drastic happens that we realize we need to make changes. The next steps are to encourage the women in your life to take charge of the health factors that they can influence on a personal level. This includes knowing important health numbers such as blood pressure, body weight, total cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Encourage women to discuss their heart health risk

factors with their clinician, and to seek out and speak up to a clinician who listens. The best time to start is now.”

While a stroke can be alarming, there is good news — up to 80% of strokes can be prevented according to the CDC. Adopting a healthy lifestyle is one of the best ways to prevent stroke. Keys to better health include: Controlling high blood pressure. Exercising regularly, managing stress and maintaining a healthy weight by limiting sodium and alcohol.

Eating fruits and vegetables, adding in olive oil, nuts and whole grains.

Lowering cholesterol and saturated fat in your diet can also reduce the plaque

in your arteries and improve health.

Quitting tobacco lowers the risk for those who live with who breathe in secondhand smoke.

Staying up to date with doctor’s visits so they can pick up on any changes in your health.

Taking ME time. One of the best alleviators of stress is finding time to decompress.

12 | May 19, 2022 |

DEFENDER NETWORK

DN Education

Parental Bill of Rights: What is it?

By Laura Onyeneho

Gov. Greg Abbott promised parents in Texas a way for them to have more control over their children’s education and said he would pass a “Parental Bill of rights” in the Texas Constitution.

“We must recognize that no one is more critical to the development and to the success of our children than their parents,” he said.

But what does that mean?

Although Abbott’s plan doesn’t provide concrete details, he broadly argues that many parents in Texas have watched their roles in the classroom diminish. Here is the breakdown.

EXPAND PARENTS’ ACCESS TO CURRICULUM

Abbott said if parents have a concern about curriculum or policies, they must be given access to the material available in schools.

In November 2021, Abbott wrote a letter to the Texas Association of School Boards’ executive director saying parents had the right to “shield their children from obscene content in schools” and that “pornographic or obscene material” shouldn’t be provided to students. Educators who provide such

material will lose their credentials, forfeit their retirement benefits and be placed on a “do not hire” list. Material includes content related to the LGBT+ community and critical race theory.

PARENTS DECIDE WHAT GRADE LEVEL OR COURSE CHILDREN CAN STAY IN

Texas parents can opt for their child to repeat a class or grade instead of being promoted to the next grade level. Under the proposal, parents would retain this ability for their children from Pre-K-12th grade.

EXPAND SCHOOL CHOICE

The plan will give parents the choice to send their children to any public, charter or private school with state funding following the student. There is no clarity on whether private schools would lose organizational autonomy if they accept taxpayer dollars.

PROTECT STUDENT DATA

Texas would prohibit the selling or sharing of students’ personal data outside of the state public education system. School districts may collect data on students to assist

them in making informed policy decision, increase accountability and determine school funding.

REQUIRE SCHOOLS TO NOTIFY PARENTS OF THEIR RIGHTS

The state would require schools to post the Texas Parental Bill of Rights online so parents have access. School districts

would be required to provide parents with resources and options for charter, magnet and other public schools.

The Bill of Rights will come to pass if the legislature decides to change the Texas constitution. The egislature doesn’t meet this year, so Abbott must call for a special session or wait until midterm elections are over.

HISD students receive scholarships, financial literacy help

By Laura Onyeneho

The Houston beverage company Exotic Pop is doubling up on its efforts to support area public school students by creating a financial literacy program and offering two scholarships for HISD seniors to pursue their entrepreneurial goals.

In 2021, Exotic Pop founder and CEO Charleston Wilson launched the financial literacy workshop to provide young people with the resources to build generational wealth.

“Giving back to the community and especially the youth in the community is a huge priority for Exotic Pop, and for me, personally,” said Wilson.

“It’s important we serve as positive community leaders, role models and mentors to teach financial literacy to young people to help them build generational wealth through business

ownership. Our goal is to mentor, uplift and provide resources for the next generation of entrepreneurs, so they in turn uplift the entire community as they succeed.”

Recently, Exotic Pop held a financial literacy workshop for 30 students at The Black Store.

Now, the workshops are held on the first Thursday of each month at their corporate office.

During the 2020-2021 academic school year, two HISD students benefited from the Exotic Pop scholarship fund of $1,000. Heights High School alumnus Joshua Martinez and Northside High School alumnus Isabel Garcia were chosen as the inaugural scholars. They both attend Texas area universities.

This year HISD is expected to announce the new scholarship recipients.

Students who are interested in signing up for the financial literacy workshop can visit the

HISD website. Scholarships are open to HISD seniors who attend one of Exotic Pop’s educational workshops, are interested in pursuing

business or entrepreneurship, and have been accepted to a college, university or two-year community college program.

CLASSIFIED The Ryan White Planning Council invites you to an important virtual presentation about…

Ryan White Part A, Part B & State Services Service Definitions for 2023 Also learn about… Project LEAP

Tuesday, May 24, 2022 at 7:00 p.m.

This televised Public Hearing can be viewed online at www.houston tx.gov/h tv or within the Houston city limits on the following TV provider channels:  Comcast (Ch. 16)  Phonoscope (Ch. 73 & 99)  Suddenlink (Ch. 14)  U-Verse (Ch. 99)

It is available to view on YouTube now: https://youtu.be/_LuVnYY2r4k Information packets for the presentations are available to view/download on our website

Ryan White Planning Council Office of Support

Exotic Pop Financial Literacy Workshop at The Black Store in Houston- April 2, 2022. Exotic Pop

2223 West Loop South, Suite 240; Houston, TX 77027 Ph: 832 927-7926  Fax: 713 572-3740  Web: rwpcHouston.org

ai165221362633_2022_CTW-30455_ROY_Print_Houston_The Defender_ENG_4.812x13_05-19-22_F.pdf

May 19, 2022 |

| 13

DEFENDER NETWORK

DN Sports Choose a physician who really listens

Better health begins with caring doctors WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner leaves a courtroom after a hearing, in Khimki just outside Moscow, Russia, Friday, May 13, 2022.

#BRINGBRITNEYHOME CAMPAIGN PRESSES FOR WNBA STAR’S RELEASE C

M

Y

U.S. officials finally announced their belief NBA star Brittney Griner’s prolonged that the women’s basketball player has been detention raises concerns about how much wrongfully detained. Hatcher said her group longer she will be kept away from her has believed the detention was unlawwife and loved ones. After nearly ful from the beginning. She also three months of detention, there’s pointed to the various interseclittle information about her tions of Griner’s identity, adding potential release. to the situation’s complexity.

But advocates say the people “As a Black queer woman, she must continue to demand Griner’s faces even greater discrimination release. Launched shortly after within the Russian context, and so Brittney news of Griner’s detention spread, we feel like it’s just an imperative Griner Black Feminist Future created the that she should be brought home,” #BringBritneyHome campaign. The group Hatcher said. “One day is too long for her has hoped to keep pressure on officials and to be away from her family.” raise awareness about her case.

While many remain hopeful that Griner “I don’t think words can express how could soon come home, there’s little inforextremely disappointed we are and just so mation about her legal process. Sports Illusdeeply frustrated that the Russian court has trated noted that U.S. diplomats spoke with extended Brittney Griner’s detention,” said her during her recent hearing. According to Paris Hatcher, executive director for Black the outlet, Russian state news claims there Feminist Future. “There is just like one pic- could be a prisoner swap with Griner being ture of her. Her head is down and covered. traded for a U.S.-held prisoner.

So we have no sense of how she’s doing.”

Hatcher said she took heat for launching Griner’s detention was recently extended the campaign but felt it was essential to raise an additional 30 days. Her trial date hasn’t awareness around Griner’s case. And she been set, and the delay could mean anything. remains firm in a public campaign focused Dani Gilbert, an expert in state-sponsored on the WNBA player as a part of ensuring hostage-taking and professor of military and her safe return sooner than later. strategic studies at the U.S. Air Force Acad“We do not believe that silence is the emy, told ESPN that the extended detention answer,” Hatcher said. “Now, folks are realreminds us how challenging these cases can izing, ‘Oh, this is an unlawful detention.’ be. Gilbert told the outlet these types of cases I think people were working from a place are rarely easy to resolve. of fear.” A member-based organization, “We honestly don’t know if this is good or Hatcher explained that Black Feminist bad news,” Gilbert said to ESPN. “It could Future has met with representatives and mean buying time to work out a swift deal has a petition that approximately 4,000 for her release, or it could mean more com- people have signed. The membership has plications put on the table.” remained engaged with keeping attention on Griner’s ongoing detention comes after Griner’s case.

Defender News Service

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

Dr. Karen Millender, CenterWell Emancipation • She is board certified with more than 16 years of experience • Completed her residency at the University of Mississippi Medical Center • She listens to her senior patients and addresses their concerns

Call now to schedule a tour

832-365-4615

SeniorFocusedHouston.com Monday - Friday, 8am - 5pm

Visit our Emancipation center located at 3131 Emancipation Ave., Suite 103 plus, 15 other locations throughout Greater Houston & the Golden Triangle.

Plans accepted

We accept Aetna, Cigna, Humana, Memorial Hermann and Wellcare Medicare Advantage plans.

Follow us @CenterWellPrimaryCare to learn about activities and events CenterWellTM does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability or sex. ATENCIÓN: Si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. Llame al 1-877-320-2188 (TTY: 711). 注意：如果您使用繁體中 文，您可以免費獲得語言援助服務。請致電 1-877-320-2188 (TTY: 711).

GCHKU9REN

1

5

14 | May 19, 2022 |

DEFENDER NETWORK

DN Sports

Prairie View softball standout Biviana Figueroa was named SWAC Newcomer of the Year and Hitter of the Year after she hit .478 (No. 3 in the nation).

Sports Briefs PVAMU softball headed to NCAA Regionals

The Prairie View Lady Panthers softball team is headed to Norman, Okla. to take on Oklahoma in Cailin Massey the opening round of NCAA Tournament regional play on Friday. The Lady Panthers advanced to regionals after defeating Alabama State, 9-1, in a winner-take-all SWAC Championship finale. Biviana Figueroa was named SWAC Tournament MVP and teammates Jerrica Rojas and Cailin Massey joined her on the AllSWAC Tournament team.

Deshaun Watson taking Browns offense to Bahamas

According to an ESPN report, former Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson is treating his Deshaun new Cleveland Watson Browns offensive teammates to a trip to the Bahamas this upcoming weekend. The trip is intended for a team-building experience and football chemistry.

Watson has also secured a football field for them to continue offseason workouts while there.

PVAMU, TSU meet in key SWAC West series

The PVAMU and Texas Southern baseball teams enter this weekend’s threegame regular-season finale Auntwan Riggins series with huge SWAC West implications. The Panthers (18-9 SWAC) lead in the division with Southern by one game, but they have lost four straight. The Tigers (17-10) are one of two teams trailing by one game. The three-game series between PVAMU and TSU starts Thursday at 5 p.m. at MacGregor Park and continues on Friday and Saturday at 2 p.m.

Astros centerfield prospect Lewis Brinson recently went 2-for-3 at the plate with a home run, RBI and BB in a 12-2 Sugar Land Space Cowboys win.

Texans rookie Christian Harris prepared for NFL

By Terrance Harris

For most NFL rookies, the beginning of rookie minicamp can be daunting.

Texans coach Lovie Smith equates it to cramming for final exams. But Texans rookie linebacker Christian Harris, a thirdround pick out of perennial power Alabama, doesn’t see the transition as being all that intimidating.

“I was at Bama, so humbly saying that,” Harris said recently when asked about his nerves entering rookie minicamp. “They prepared me pretty well. But obviously, there’s still some challenges, but I’m getting through them, so I’m good.”

Harris and the rookies started the process of becoming NFL players during Texans rookie minicamp last week. It continued this week with the opening of minicamp with the veteran players.

Harris will attempt to get noticed among an experience linebacker corps that includes top returning veterans Christian Kirksey and Kamu Grugier-Hill along with backups Grant Wallow and Neville Hewitt and freeagent signee Jalen Reeves-Maybin.

But Harris is excited about playing in Smith’s highly-respected Tampa 2 Defense.

That has produced some highly successful linebackers.

“Just hearing about the history of the linebackers that have been in this similar defense and have had success like Derrick Brooks and Lavonte David,” Harris said.

“Those are two guys I’ve watched a little bit.

I think in my spot and my role, whatever they want me to do, I feel like I can have a high success rate with that and be very successful, so I want to keep that going.”

Smith is confident Harris will make the transition and have a chance to be another high-producing linebacker in his system.

One of the most memorable moments of the draft came shortly after the Texans took Harris with the 75th overall selection. The cameras captured general manager Nick Caserio and Smith slapping high fives in celebration of their pick.

“We like Christian a lot. We had him ranked high on our board,” said Smith.

“When you don’t take a player, we thought he would go a little earlier. To have an opportunity to get him in that round when we did, it’s excitement.”

Harris saw the moment between Smith and Caserio as he watched on draft night.

“I thought it was funny. I was laughing,”

Houston Texans Seth Green (87), Christian Harris (48) and Kolby Harvell-Peel (47) stretch during an NFL football rookie minicamp practice Friday, May 13, 2022, in Houston. AP Photo/David J. Phillip

Houston Texans’ Christian Harris stretches during an NFL football rookie minicamp practice Friday, May 13, 2022, in Houston.

AP Photo/David J. Phillip

said Harris. “There was so much going on for me because I was excited to have the opportunity. I think that’s pretty cool to see that.”

Now, Smith is looking forward to seeing how Harris absorbs everything and develops in his defense going forward. But the veteran coach is mindful of the learning curve that is ahead.

“All of our rookies have a lot to learn,”

Smith said. “Contrary to public opinion, we [don’t] just play Cover 2 every snap and linebackers just go out on the football field and start playing. There is a little bit to learn and we ask a lot of them, but he’ll be able to pick it up. He’s been eager to get started and now he’s there.”

The transition that may be most difficult for Harris to adjust to is being on a rebuilding team. He has spent the last three seasons playing for the most dominant program in major college football with the Crimson Tide winning two SEC championships and a College Football Playoff national title during his time there.

The Texans, meanwhile, coming off two back-to-back four-win seasons and the prospects for winning aren’t expected to be much greater this upcoming season.

But that doesn’t seem to matter much to Harris.

“It’s the same mindset for me honestly,” he said. “I want to dominate every snap that I can. I think I bring that type of energy to the field. We have a lot of guys in this class for sure and guys on this team that think the same way.

“Collectively getting everyone on that same mindset to want to win and do whatever it takes; that’s what we did at Alabama. That’s the same thing I’m trying to do here.”

May 19, 2022 |

| 15

DEFENDER NETWORK

DN Sports

Houston area takes over UIL State Track Meet

By Jodie B. Jiles

AUSTIN -- Houston came ready for a fight in the UIL State Track Meet at Mike Meyers Stadium. In addition to H-Town favorites closing out their events with gold medal finishes, there were a few upsets with new faces bursting onto the scene this year.

BFort Bend Marshall boys did what they do best in the 4x200-meter relay and that is capture gold. Marshall’s Michael Patterson, Gerald Holmes, Jonathan Howard and Kameron Williams finished the relay more than a full second in front of the competition with a 1:23.60 time. The Buffs 4x400-meter relay team then matched the 200-meter team, winning a gold medal in the event.

Marshall’s Arveyon Davis walked away with a bronze after achieving his personal best time of 13.78 in the 110-meter hurdles, and Marshall’s Chris Brinkley finished with a bronze in the 300 meters hurdles clocking in at 36.74.

Baytown Sterling senior Cameron Chin won gold in the 400meter dash with a personal best 47.05 time.

Fort Bend Bush 4x100m Relay Team of Amariya Hardeman, Rachel Joseph, Christina Pleasant, and Raylen Russell Enjoy Their Gold Medal Victory Pose.

Summer Creek Long Jumper Aaron Davis captured his Gold Medal with a 25-03.75 Jump.

Boys 6A

Klein Forest shocked the state, upsetting the relay team it has been chasing all season. Despite Duncanville narrowly beating Klein Forest in the 4x100-meter relay earlier in the day, the Golden Eagles responded in the 4x200-meter relay, winning the gold medal with a 1:23.37 time.

When junior Jaden Galloway, senior Jacob Compton and sophomores Ahmir Robinson and Jelani Watkins were asked what made the difference in their last race against Duncanville, Compton said, “We wanted it a lot. This is my last year as a senior, and we all just wanted to win and execute on the biggest stage.” Klein Forest’s Jelani Watkins also took home a gold medal in the 200-meter dash with a 20.78 time. Look for Robinson and Watkins to make some noise in future track meets because they looked way beyond their classifications as underclassmen this season.

Klein Forest 4x200m Relay Team of Jaden Galloway, Ahmir Robinson, Jacob Compton and Jelani Watkins Shock The World After Winning Gold Medals

(Humble) Summer Creek track star Darius Rainey, a University of Southern California commit, may have been Houston’s shining star throughout the day. After capturing a personal record 46.36 time to secure a gold medal in the 400-meter dash, Rainey achieved another personal record 1:50.63 time in his gold medal finish for the 800-meter dash.

Summer Creek’s Donovan Bradley won silver in the 110meter hurdles and bronze in 300meter hurdles.

Shadow Creek’s Isaac Henderson, a North Carolina A&T commit, earned a silver medal after clocking a 10.31 time in the 100-meter dash.

Strake Jesuit ‘s Jace Posey broke the internet with a gold medal high jump of 7-04.25, which is the

highest jump recorded in a UIL state track meet. Katy Tompkins’ Matthew Kumar took home a gold medal with a 16-03.00 jump.

And Summer Creek senior Aaron Davis won a gold medal with a long jump of 25-03.75.

Girls 5A

Marshall senior hurdler Queen Tairah Johnson, a North Carolina A&T commit, repeated her gold medal performance from seasons past with a personal best 13.62 time recorded in the 100-meter hurdles.

Marshall’s Desirae Roberts finished with a silver medal in the 300-meter hurdles.

In the relays, Marshall’s 4x100-meter and 4x200-meter relay teams (Tairah Johnson, Brittney Green, Janai Williams and Cesley Williams) finished with

Marshall’s Hurdle Queen Tairah Johnson Gold Medal 100m Hurdle Finish.

silver medals clocking in at 46.26 and 1:38.05 respectively.

Girls 6A

The girls of Fort Bend Bush’s 4x100-meter relay team consisting of Raylen Russell, Rachel Joseph, Christina Pleasant and Amariya Hardeman captured a gold medal in the event with a 45.33 time.

Shadow Creek’s 4x200-meter relay team consisting of Amaya Kennison-Jenkins, Mackenzie Collins, Sydney Bryant and Nia Parks took home the gold medal in their

event clocking a 1:35.14. Shadow Creek later doubled up, earning a gold medal in the 4x400-meter relay with a 3:41.69 time.

Katy Mayde Creek hurdler Simone Ballard won a gold medal in the 100-meter hurdles (13.33) and 300-meter hurdles (41.11).

Summer Creek senior Jade Johnson closed out her high school career winning a gold medal in the triple jump with a 42-06.00 jump.

Klein junior India Alix won a silver medal after long-jumping an incredible 20 feet.

16 | May 19, 2022 |

DEFENDER NETWORK

DN Profile

Dr. Cindy Trimm How the author found marriage and motherhood at 60.

By Laura Onyeneho

Mothers play a serious role in the family.

They can be the caregivers, breadwinners, nurturers and teachers in the classroom of life.

Being a mother isn’t always connected to bearing children. Motherhood can be for women who adopt or who become a partner to someone who already has children.

That was the case for Dr. Cindy Trimm, CEO and founder of Trimm International, who married for the first time in 2018 at age 60, and now enjoys the experiences of motherhood with her four bonus children from her husband’s previous marriage.

Trimm is an Atlanta-based spiritual leader, life coach and best-selling author who considers herself an “unconventional mom.” She envisioned starting a family sooner, but life had other plans. She created a vision plan for her life, traveled the world, studied at Oxford and Harvard, wrote numerous books, became financially independent,and still wanted her love life to match the life she had built for herself and it worked.

As blended families become more common, Trimm spoke to the Defender in honor to the women who don’t have children of their own but are stepping up as mother figures in their communities and household.

Defender: You are a successful life strategist, humanitarian and author. Apart from your achievements, who is Dr. Cindy Trimm?

Trimm: I consider myself to be a mentor

to compromise and I feel a lot of women do that because of societal pressure to marry at a certain age.

First, I started working on myself. I had wonderful relationships but they weren’t what I was looking for. I needed to be completely affirmed as a genius and a brilliant contributor to humanity’s goodness. Affirm meanings to acknowledge, honor and respect. I decided not to dumb down to fit someone else’s paradigm. The right people started coming. When my husband met me, I was already successful financially and independently. I was already debt-free so we were able to cultivate based on my strength and not my weakness based on my gift and not my need.

Defender: You husband came with children. Did you have a serious talk about wanting your own at the time?

Trimm: Immediately! I’m

mature. When I started dating my husband, I was his second wife.

His first wife passed away. I came with a package deal which was the children and grandchildren. I received the gift of motherhood. A lot of times people equate motherhood to birthing, and to me it means that it’s helps to cultivate someone else’s dreams and aspirations.

and a coach to dreamers and innovators.

I help people realize there are no limitations, that they are God’s highest expression of his genius. I consider myself the catalyst of greatness and a supporter of dreams.

Defender: When women are at the height of their careers, often the expectation is to settle down. How was dating life for until you married your husband?

Trimm: My dating life was fantastic. You

attract who you are and not what you want.

I did a lot of self-mastery. We live in a society that teaches us how to loathe ourselves.

I learned that I was enough as a human being. I crafted my own destiny and I was gifted, talented and a good catch. I refused

DN

Read more on Dr. Trimm’s advice to women who want to be married at DefenderNetwork.com.

Dr. Cindy Trimm, Philanthropist, Author, and Speaker.

KTA Media Group