By now, everyone knows that Carlee Russell, the missing AL woman who the world thought was kidnapped, made up the whole thing. Like thousands of people following this story, I was heartbroken to learn it was a hoax. While I’m not one of those “I want my prayer back” folks…I am disappointed because we FINALLY got the world to pay attention to a missing Black woman…and it was a hoax done reportedly to get back at a cheating boyfriend. As a former young woman, and the mother of two young women, I understand that young people make dumb mistakes. Carlee’s just happened to go viral. So, yeah, I’m upset about it…but I don’t have time to wallow in that fake story when there are more than 15-thousand REAL missing Black women and girls in the world, according to the Black and Missing Foundation, a Maryland-based nonproft group that works to bring awareness to missing people of color.
Does Carlee owe the world an explanation? Now. She lied. Her telling us why and explaining her actions on Tik Tok isn’t going to change that. But I’m not going to apologize for believing a Black girl. We have to prove to people that we’re worthy of empathy, worthy of protection, worthy of being believed. We cannot let the outcome of Russell’s case derail us from the task of fnding Black women who go missing. We can never give up in spreading awareness and searching for our sisters.
Missing Black women deserve awareness. One lying Black woman shouldn’t change that.
Remember Sha’Carri Richardson? She’s the Olympics-bound runner who had a high-profle stripping of her frst national title due to allegations of using marijuana. It was 2021, and Richardson’s loss, and the circumstances surrounding it, became front-page news and went viral. She
quickly became one of the most recognized and talked about athletes that year. Now, two years later, Richardson is dominating this year’s races — but where’s that same energy that made her go viral?
Richardson recently broke all kinds of records, including defeating the world’s fastest woman of 2023, Shericka Jackson, a huge accomplishment, and social media is silent. People loved putting up memes and posting derogatory comments when Richardson was experiencing a setback, but now that she’s winning and doing well, crickets. Let’s do better people.
You know it’s bad when you’d rather take your chances in North Korea than come back to America. But it looks like that’s exactly the choice Travis King, a Black soldier, recently made.
King had recently been released from a South Korean prison on assault charges. He was also fned for damaging a local police car. Following his release, he was set to return to a military base in Texas where he was likely to be disciplined further. On the way back, King took of into North Korea and hasn’t been seen since.
I understand his family is horrifed and scared. I would be too. Te U.S. is working to get him out, but Bruh chose violence and if he went to the rouge country of North Korea, chances are he’s going to get it.
By the way, I’m talking more in depth about all these stories at DefenderNetwork.com
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Harris County is a city of renters — 45% of households rented in 2021, and Blacks make up the bulk of that number. Tat’s why a new report that shows how residents are “cost burdened” by rising rent prices that are outpacing household incomes is hitting African Americans the hardest.
The 2023 State of Housing in Harris County and Houston found about 45% of renters in Harris County were spending more than 30% of their income on rent in 2021. Te median rent in Harris County is $1,164 a month, while the median household income is $3,724 a month. Since twothird of all households headed by Blacks, rent their homes, this has become a regular struggle for many families.
The 2023 State of Housing in Harris County and Houston report found that rent increases were more pronounced in neighborhoods like Second Ward and East End, where prices have nearly doubled since 2015. Rent prices also shot up in suburban areas like Tomball, where prices have increased by
about 71%, according to the report.
“One of the big takeaways is that these disparities, they’re not just about housing,” said Stephen Sherman, a research scientist with the Kinder Institute. “It’s also a childcare issue. It’s also about food. It’s also about the job market and how much jobs are paying.”
“If we’re a city of renters, and a community of renters, we need to think not just about the cost of renting, but also the stability and security of it,” Sherman said.
In the fall, the Kinder Institute plans to release an interactive dashboard with additional housing data across Harris County neighborhoods.
A national Black conservative group has teamed up with a local business icon, not to sell more product or make cute commercials, but to sue Harris County.
Houston’s Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale has become nationally known for his business with its memorable commercial tagline (and those over-the-top sports bets), serving Houstonians in need and inking generous NIL deals with the University of Houston. But over the past year, more people are becoming familiar with McIngvale’s national political leanings and their impact on local politics.
Te nickname “MAGA Mack” hasn’t yet caught on, but it may not be far off, as a national Black conservative group, the Urban Conservatives of America (UCA)has joined the lawsuit fled by McIngvale against Harris County over an alleged lack of transparency
regarding the November 2022 election. And if that weren’t enough to flex his far-right conservative street cred, McIngvale fled the lawsuit with Dolcefno Consulting, led by hyper-conservative Wayne Dolcefno.
UCA claims a national membership of 30,000-plus “faith-based” Black conservatives from across the nation. They have signed on to the McIngvale/Dolcefno lawsuit that alleges that the Harris County Elections Administrator’s Ofce failed to turn over records related to last year’s midterm election in Harris County. Tat lawsuit also asserts that the ofce was plagued by voting machine malfunctions, ballot paper shortages, and multiple late openings of polling locations during the Nov. 2022 election causing delays for voters. A judge ordered voting centers to remain open an hour later than planned due to the concerns.
“Our right to transparency is as sacred as
our right to vote,” said Jonathan McCullough, the founder and CEO of the Urban Conservatives of America. “Transparency in our electoral process is essential to ensure our right to vote is preserved as we get the representation that we deserve.”
Various members of Houston’s Black faithbased community, however, view the lawsuit as ironic at best, and purposefully insulting at worst.
“Where was Mattress Mack and these so-called Black conservative church folk when Texas had to be investigated by national agencies for voter suppression and gerrymandered maps that squashed Black and Brown votes,” said Eunice Proctor, who wanted to keep her church afliation private “because these conservatives are violent and vindictive.”
Eunice’s husband Charzelle felt the same way.
When President Joe Biden signed a proclamation establishing a national monument honoring Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, it marked the fulfillment of a promise Till’s relatives made afer his death 68 years ago.
Te Black teenager from Chicago, whose abduction, torture and killing in Mississippi in 1955 helped propel the Civil Rights Movement, is now an American story, not just a civil rights story, said Till’s cousin the Rev. Wheeler Parker Jr.
“It has been quite a journey for me from the darkness to the light,” Parker said during a proclamation signing ceremony at the White House attended by dozens, including other family members, members of Congress and civil rights leaders.
“Back then in the darkness, I could never imagine the moment like this, standing in the light of wisdom, grace and deliverance,” he said.
With the stroke of Biden’s pen, the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument, located across three sites in two states,
became federally-protected places. Before signing the proclamation, the president said he marvels at the courage of the Till family to “fnd faith and purpose in pain.”
“On what would have been Emmett’s 82nd birthday, we add another chapter in the story of remembrance and healing,” Biden said.
It’s the fourth such designation by the Democratic president’s administration, refecting its broader civil rights agenda, the White House said. Te move comes as conservative leaders, mostly at the state and local levels, push legislation that limits the teaching of slavery and Black history in public schools.
“At a time when there are those who seek to ban books (and) bury history, we’re making clear, crystal clear,” Biden said, ‘[that] we can’t just choose to learn what we want to know. We should know everything — the good, the bad, the truth of who we are as a nation. Tat’s what great nations do.”
Reaction poured in from other elected ofcials and from the civil rights organizing community. Te Rev. Al Sharpton said the Till national monument designation tells him “that out of pain comes power.”
Till’s family members, along with a national organization seeking to preserve Black cultural heritage sites, say their work protecting the Till legacy continues. Tey hope to raise money to restore the sites and develop
educational programming to support their inclusion in the National Park System.
In this May 4, 2005 fle photo, Emmett Till’s photo is seen on his grave marker in Alsip, Ill. (AP)
Vice President Kamala Harris is among critics across the country blasting the Florida Board of Education’s new standards for how Black history will be taught in schools. Te recently approved curriculum suggests some slaves reaped benefts from the skills they acquired during forced labor.
“Tey want to replace history with lies,” Harris said, speaking in Jacksonville. “Tese extremist, so-called leaders should model what we know to be the correct and right approach if we really are invested in the well being of our children. Instead, they dare to push propaganda to our children. Tis is the United States of America. We’re not supposed to do that.”
Te Board of Education approved new standards in a 216-page document detailing how public schools should approach Black history, including teaching students that some enslaved people acquired useful skills that could be used for their “personal beneft.”
“How is it that anyone could suggest that in the midst of these atrocities that there was any beneft to being subjected to this level of dehumanization?” Harris said.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who earlier this year blocked an advanced placement African American studies course from being taught to high schoolers in his state, blasted Harris’ visit in a statement on Twitter.
“Democrats like Kamala Harris have to lie about Florida’s educational standards to cover for their agenda of indoctrinating students and pushing sexual topics onto children,” the GOP presidential candidate tweeted. “Florida stands in their way and we will continue to expose their agenda
and their lies.”
DeSantis later appeared to try and distance himself from the curriculum changes while also defending the new standards.
“I think what they’re doing is, I think that they’re probably going to show some of the folks that eventually parlayed, you know, being a blacksmith into, into doing things later in life,” he continued, referring to enslaved people. “Tese were scholars who put that together. It was not anything that was done politically.”
William Allen and Frances Presley Rice, who are members of Florida’s African American History Standards Workgroup, defended the standards, calling them “rigorous and comprehensive,” and said the update that has drawn intense
criticism showed “that some slaves developed highly specialized trades from which they benefted.”
Harris urged Americans to face rather than forget history. “Our history as a nation is born out of tragedy and triumph. Tat’s who we are. Part of that is what gives us our grit,” she said. “So let’s reject the notion that we would deny all of this in terms of our history. Let us not be seduced into believing that somehow we will be better if we forget it. We will be better if we remember.”
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Houston Independent School District (HISD) Superintendent Mike Miles recently visited Jack Yates High School to directly address the criticisms surrounding his initiatives, particularly the lack of transparency and concerns about the impact on communities of color.
Miles responded to these concerns by acknowledging the need for improved communication and engagement with the community. He assured attendees that he is committed to transparency and pledged to foster open dialogue with stakeholders. Miles outlined his plans for the upcoming year, including the implementation of the New Education System (NES) initiatives and a new disciplinary approach involving a “Zoom room” for misbehaving students.
Miles explained that students found to be acting out or otherwise exhibiting poor conduct in class would be relocated to a room where they would watch a television streaming the teacher’s lesson from afar, isolating them from the class.
Parents at the meeting were concerned about the fate of predominantly Black schools and questioned whether the superintendent had any plans to close them down.
“There is a perception of some in the Black community including myself, there
seems to be an underlying plan to close these schools,” said Ted Robertson, Yates alumnus (‘71). “It seems that there is an effort to diminish the student body and when you get such a small student body then you have a legitimate reason to close
the school.”
Miles said no school will be closed and the funds for the NES and NES-aligned schools will be used for highly effective teachers, special education, magnet programs, and career technical education.
“Tere is only so much I can do in one year to change around decades of inequity,” said Miles. “With regard to closing schools, there’s not even close to any conversation that I’ve ever had about closing any of the high schools. The only thing that we’ve talked about... this year we are going to look at the smaller schools... we’re going to see if it’s feasible to keep them going.”
A significant point of discussion was Miles’ defnition of efective teachers. He clarifed that teachers would be evaluated based on the “growth” in their students’ academic performance, taking into account their starting point and progress made.
“If I’m a ffh grade teacher, and my kids are reading at a second grade level and I do such a good job that they’re reading at a fourth grade level, they are still a year behind, and I don’t get any credit for two years of growth?,” Miles explained. “Te answer is yes, you should get credit...even if the kid is not profcient yet.”
Some community members agreed that the dialogue was civil and will give Miles a chance to prove that he can turn the school district around.
“We have to give him a chance. We’re not just going to throw him to the side. We’ll give him the opportunity to keep his word,” said Robertson.
For Texas A&M University’s Black students and alumni, the recent sudden resignation of university President M. Katherine Banks afer the botched hiring of a distinguished Black professor was an imperfect response that failed to answer a crucial question: Was the whole debacle caused by university administrators’ anxieties over diversity?
Banks resigned afer backlash over how the university handled the recruiting of University of Texas at Austin professor Kathleen O. McElroy to revive Texas A&M’s journalism program.
McElroy, a 1981 Texas A&M graduate and the former director of the UT School of Journalism in Austin, rejected the A&M job afer the ofer was watered down twice, bringing it from a tenured position to a oneyear job from which she could be fred at any point. Te changes came afer conservative groups took issue with her previous employment at Te New York Times and her work in diversifying newsrooms.
A&M students are concerned about new state laws aimed at curbing the types of eforts McElroy had leveraged to improve newsroom diversity during her decadeslong career.
Banks’ resignation, the third related to
the scandal, does not amount to accountability, students, alumni and lawmakers said. Instead, it added more questions to a situation already rife with them. Hours afer Banks resigned, Hart Blanton, who leads A&M’s department of communications and journalism and was closely involved in McElroy’s recruiting, said race was a factor in university ofcials’ decision to water down her job ofer.
“Te unusual level of scrutiny being given to the hiring of Dr. McElroy was acknowledged by one administrator to have been based, at least in part, on race,” he said in a statement. “Regardless of the source of any such pressure, I understand it to be illegal for any employer—much less a public university—to subject a job candidate to stricter scrutiny due to her race or color.”
For Erica Davis Rouse, the president-elect of the A&M Black Former Students Network, it’s unclear what Banks’ departure was supposed to correct.
“If she’s resigning because she’s accepting the responsibility for what happened under her leadership, that’s probably the right thing to do,” she said. “But if she’s resigning because she accepted responsibility and now she’s being forced to resign, that’s not okay.”
The Texas Tribune contributed to this report.
It’s hard to believe, but the Black Lives Matter movement has now passed the 10-year mark since its 2013 founding in response to the acquittal of the man who fatally shot (i.e. murdered) 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.
Martin, a Black child, was walking home from a convenience store, minding his own business, when he was stalked, harassed, attacked and then gunned down by George Zimmerman. Te killing happened in a Florida gated community where Martin’s father lived in 2012.
Martin was one of the earliest symbols of a movement that has grown and expanded to have its hand in various sectors of the community impacting the historically ominous intersection of Black people simply trying to live their lives and law enforcement that historians point out trace their roots to the “Slave Patrols” when Blacks were enslaved. These patrols were made up of white civilians given authority by their cities, counties and states, along with guns, to patrol, track down, harass, terrorize and “control” Black people so they did not venture “out of their place.”
Te BLM movement shined a light on the fact that not much has changed over the past 200-plus years. Zimmerman’s call to police when he saw Martin walking home could literally be summed up as a white-identifying person complaining to police that a Black human being was “out of their place,” walking
in a gated community.
And even though the police, with their history of anti-Blackness, told Zimmerman to cease from stalking Martin, Zimmerman continued anyway, and ended up attacking and killing Martin.
Te fact that he was neither arrested nor even charged immediately afer the murder incensed Black people nationwide and others who believe in the concept of justice for all.
Zimmerman’s July 13, 2013 acquittal of second-degree murder led to three Black women organically founding what has now come the Civil Rights, Black Power and Human Rights movement of millennials and younger.
BLM co-founders Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza and Ayo Tometi — the three activists are credited with using the phrase as an afrmation and an organizing strategy — initially pledged to build a decentralized organization governed by the consensus.
Their social media call to action grew even stronger afer the August 2014 killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown at the hands of Ferguson, Missouri police ofcer Darren Wilson.
BLM activists and organizations marked a decade of the movement with in-person and virtual events and calls to action for criminal justice reform and overhauling, reinvestments in Black communities that have sufered disproportionately from police brutality, an end to the grossly racially biased prison industrial complex and more.
Gif and a curse… The movement itself was a great thing, the ppl who ran the organization not so much. (Abayomi Allen)
Absolutely love the way this new generation picked up the baton and moved our movement forward. I ain’t gonna lie though. For a minute, I was wondering if our young people were ever gonna stand up for anything. Then they did. And they’re still standing. God bless Black Lives Matter, because Black Lives do matter. (Debra Palmares)
I can’t even believe we are so dense as a people to fall for the banana in the tailpipe, i.e. believing all the negative BS white people have put out over the years to sully the reputation of BLM and its participants. We sound like the enemies of Black people shi**ing on Black people for standing up for Black people. WTF?!? (Halim Donkor)
Unsurpped the inevitable modern Black movement. Funded by whites. Destroyed a legitimate Black movement and the fnancial mismanagement tarnished the image of all future Black movements. The head organizers did a disservice to all Black people. (Anelle Williams)
Y’all can miss me with Black people attacking BLM. There would have been no global push for justice afer George Floyd had it not been for the work BLM put in shining the light on them cockroach MFing cops who killed Freddie Gray, Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Walter Scott, etc, etc. The list is so damn long, I’m getting mad just thinking about it. (Kashasta Johnson)
BLM = love for Black people and all humanity. White & Blue Lives Matter = to hell with you ni**gas. Basically. (Gennie Sampson)
Teenage motherhood is a hot button issue that continues to disproportionately impact Black teenagers. Adolescent pregnancy has been debated in public and private arenas by legislators, child welfare experts, policy advocates and educators.
According to the latest Texas Adolescent Health Report (TAHR), Texas teenagers are having babies at a rate 46% higher than the national average.
Texas has one of the highest teen birth rates in the nation and the highest rate of repeat teen pregnancies. More than one in six teenagers who gave birth in Texas in 2020 already had a child.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that for every 1,000 girls aged 15-19 in the state, 25.3 will give birth.
There are adverse educational, economic and health outcomes for teens who give birth. And now more than ever, especially in this post Roe vs. Wade world, it’s important to learn what new challenges are ahead, and what solutions are provided to improve the mother’s academic success.
Pregnancy and birth are significant contributors to high school dropout rates among girls.
Only about 50% of teen mothers receive a high school diploma by 22 years of age compared to nearly 90% of women who don’t give birth during adolescence, according to the CDC. The largest percentages of teen pregnancies are common among minorities.
Teen births can disrupt a young mother’s educational and career goals, impact their earning potential, and the future finances. Health experts also say that children born to teen parents are more likely to enter into welfare, correctional systems, have lower school achievements, or even drop out of high school and become teen parents, as well.
Teen mothers are often stigmatized for violating parenting age norms. The stigma doesn’t only happen in school settings, but also when seeking prenatal and pediatric care for their child(ren) or themselves.
When you add identifying factors such as socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, and race, it can lead to serious health inequities for these young girls.
Isolation and stress can have negative effects on the body and health of the child. This can also cause the teenager to withdraw from seeking help. Medical research states teen mothers have more obstetric complications due to their underdeveloped pelvis.
Adverse childhood environments, bad parenting, and lack of proper education are a few major causes behind teen pregnancy.
“I wouldn’t necessarily refer to teen pregnancy as a problem, it’s a natural act of life,” said J.R Chester, program director for Healthy Futures of Texas. “It’s a natural consequence of sexual activity. Human beings are sexual being. That’s how we populate the world.
“Why young people are unintentionally getting pregnant is because of lack of education, lack of access to resources, stigma, and shame.”
Chester said she remembered a time when she wanted to take a pregnancy test to confirm if she was having a child. She went to a local Walmart by her place of employment and noticed that all the products were locked up. As a grown married adult with children, she felt “ashamed and stigmatized” and empathized with youth who feel that there are barriers to access of contraceptives that protect them from unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.
“I don’t care who you are. I don’t care what policies you make, you can’t stop human beings from doing what they are innately designed to do,” Chester said. “This is not just unique to teens; this is a human issue, as well.”
Dr. Anitra Beasley, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine, agrees that it is very natural to explore your sexuality as a teen, but there is a difference between having sex, and having to take care of a child.
“How developed are you as a 13-year-old, for example, to take care of someone else? Is that child’s mind ready for this responsibility,” she said. “How is this decision going to impact your overall mental and emotional health and wellbeing?”
Texas has one of the strictest abortion laws in the nation and doesn’t require sex education in schools. If you are a minor in Texas, you must have parental consent for birth control.
Title X clinics were considered a good alternative for teenage girls seeking birth control pills at a low cost or without charge, and without having to seek permission from their parents. But in December 2022, a federal judge ruled that such clinics violated Texas state laws and federal constitutional rights, and cut off an important resource for young women across the state.
In 2022, the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 8, a pro-life law that bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, when a fetal cardiac activity can be detected, but well before most women realize they’re pregnant. Research shows teens everywhere are having sex. High-risk youth are not being connected with contraception services.
Texas makes it difficult for teenagers to get reproductive health care.
Dr. Beasley says with the tough state legislation, access to abortions will be a challenge for teens.
“It’s a big deal for an adult to get out of the state for an abortion, can you imagine a teen? If you have the opportunity to talk to adolescents and older teens about sex, it’s important to start having these conversations before they start considering to have sex or when the parent or guardian feel it’s appropriate,” said Beasley. “Dispel myths about different types of contraception. Building trust is key to help navigate and decided the best care possible for the child.”
There is a discomfort regarding the topic of adolescent sexuality in the US. Not only does it play out in politics, but it is also displayed in more conservative and religious views.
Ingrid Baker-Erhahon is the principal at Richard Milburn Academy in Pasadena. The Academy is a dropout recovery campus with student ages ranging from 14-25. She works with the school counselor to build rapport with their students around the topic of sex and pregnancy prevention.
“We want our students to be comfortable and transparent about their feelings while learning how they can proactively address the situation and what the case scenarios are,” she said. “We also develop community partnerships to educate our students on resources that are available, and counseling services.
We have students who are primary care giv ers in their homes and this information will keep them from further delaying them from achieving their long-life goals.”
Civic Heart Community Services is a nonprofit organization located in Third Ward that provides holistic programs and ser vices to vulnerable and disadvantage popu lations. One of their signature programs is Teens Making A Choice (TMAC), a teen pregnancy prevention pro gram that targets African American and Hispanic youth ages 15-19.
“Even though the national rates have declined, our youth are still exposed to risky behaviors. Start ing them off early and having conversations about prevention of risky behaviors also leads us to talk about healthy relation ships,” said Kelva Clay, pro gram manager at TMAC. “We focus on sexual risk avoidance education. We focus on goal set ting for our youth, exposing them to positive alternative activities, and refusal skills in the case they are put into positions they shouldn’t be in.”
Healthy Futures of Texas has sev eral programs that provide access to free reproductive healthcare such as women wellness checks, birth control and STI screenings.
“There are three really important programs. One is called Healthy Texas Women, The Fam ily Planning Program, and one is called Title 10,” said Jen Biundo, senior director of policy and research for Healthy Futures of Texas. “All three programs provide totally free reproduc tive healthcare for people [who] have an income of 250% of the federal poverty level or below.”
For over fve decades, Dr. Peggy Smith, a full professor at Baylor College of Medicine, has been a trailblazer in providing comprehensive reproductive health care to teenagers in inner-city neighborhoods across Harris County.
As the director of Baylor Teen Health Clinics and a renowned expert in obstetrics and gynecology, psychology and pediatrics, Smith has dedicated her career to addressing the unique health needs of adolescents. Trough her vision, leadership and commitment to preventive care, she has transformed the lives of countless young people in the community.
In 1968, the clinic, then known as Joyce Goldfarb Development Clinic, was established as a maternity program for teenage mothers. However, with the unexpected passing of Dr. Goldfarb in 1972, the clinic lost its Rockefeller grant funding and faced an uncertain future. Smith was hired with the intention of shutting down the clinic but recognized the critical importance of focusing on prevention for this vulnerable population. In 1971, she made the courageous decision to revive the clinic, expanding its services to offer comprehensive reproductive health and family planning care to males and females aged 13-24.
“We see about 18,000 - 22,000 visits a year. Tird Ward, Fifh Ward, Kashmere Gardens, Acres Homes, East End, and we have a big clinic at a school called Wisdom where HISD zones all the immigrants and refugees where there are 70 nationalities and 20 languages spoken,” she said. “Most of these kids don’t have a medical home. Tey need a place to not only return to get medical care, but mental healthcare, so all of our clinics have therapists.”
Under Smith’s leadership, the Baylor Teen Health Clinics have become a countywide system comprising eight comprehensive reproductive health programs. Tese clinics provide vital services for teens, ofering free or low-cost care.
Te clinics focus not only on primary and preventive healthcare but also address social determinants of health, such as employment. Recognizing that the population she serves faces increased risks of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and diabetes, Smith emphasizes risk reduction through lifestyle changes, behavior modifcation, emotional health support and nutrition counseling.
“One take away that I’ve found is getting starting early on primary prevention is a major way to address disparities when we look at perinatal health,” she said. “We are very successful in pregnancy preventions. Pregnancy rates have dropped from 16% to less than 3%, which means our young women are able to make decisions about when they want to have children, get their dreams going before starting a family.”
Beyond medical care, Smith and the Baylor College of Medicine Teen Health Clinics have taken a holistic approach by launching a three-month job-training program called Ascend. This initiative aims to provide clinic patients and other community members with
opportunities to secure meaningful employment. By addressing social determinants of health, such as employment, Smith aims to empower the youth she serves, fostering long-term positive outcomes for their overall well-being.
Looking ahead, Smith envisions a future where the programs and services she has spearheaded continue to thrive. Her goal is to establish an endowment that will ensure the sustainability of these
critical services for the next 50 years. Additionally, she aims to train young professionals in public health, equipping them with the knowledge and skills necessary to address the unique health challenges faced by adolescents. Smith also intends to maintain a strong partnership with Baylor College of Medicine, furthering the collaboration between academia and community health.
“I don’t want to be sick in any city but Houston,” she said. “Tose are the gifs we should pay forward to the patients we serve.”
The Houston Independent School District Purchasing Services Department, located at 4400 West 18th Street, Houston, TX 77092, is soliciting Request for Proposals (RFP) via the District’s electronic bidding portal. Proposers may login to view specifications and submit their responses at the following link https://houstonisd.ionwave.net/Login.aspx until 2:00 p.m. (CST) Tuesday, August 15,2023, for the following solicitation:
RFP 23-06-08 Drug and Alcohol Testing
Pre-proposal conferences via Microsoft Teams will be held in conjunction with this RFP. Information regarding dates, times, and instructions to receive a link to join the meeting can be located within the electronic bidding portal under the “Event Details” tab specifc to this solicitation.
The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD will be accepting Qualifcations for the following: PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN (PCP) SERVICES
Specifcations may be secured from The Harris Center website www.theharriscenter.org beginning Monday, July 31, 2023. The Harris Center utilizes Bonfre for their solicitations https://theharriscenter. bonfrehub.com/portal/?tab=openOpportunities. Deadline for prospective vendors to submit questions to this RFQ is Monday, August 7, 2023. Supplier Qualifcations must be submitted by 10:00 a.m., Monday, August 21, 2023. Historically Underutilized Businesses, including Minority-Owned Businesses and WomenOwned Businesses are encouraged to participate. The Harris Center reserves all rights to reject any and/or all proposals, to waive formalities and reasonable irregularities in submitted documents as it deems to be in its best interests and is not obligated to accept the lowest proposal.
Most of these kids don’t have a medical home. They need a place to not only return to get medical care, but mental healthcare, so all of our clinics have therapists.
DR. PEGGY SMITH
fessor and assistant dean of the Texas Southern University School of Communications, has been a mainstay in Houston’s media scene for years, with her former students currently serving in all capacities of media, journalism and beyond, locally, nationally and globally.
Te Defender spoke with Sandifer-Walker about what she describes as a “re-imagining” of TSU’s School of Communications and the impact she continues have upon the students she educates.
DEFENDER: Whatdoesare-imagined School of Communications look like?
SANDIFER-WALKER: We’re looking at amping up our curriculum to represent today and the future and beyond. Tose are the kinds of things that we’re working on to make the curriculum meet the needs of our urban community. But we aren’t limited to just urban. We see ourselves as a global program that can prepare people to go anywhere in the world. Our curriculum is going to refect that international fare, but it’s still a
Houston institution that’s concerned about the urban community… We’re looking at a multicultural multimedia curriculum that embraces AI and multimedia journalism.
DEFENDER: Howwill this impact Houstonandbeyond?
SANDIFER-WALKER: Our goal is to really be those great storytellers, to understand historical legacies and to be able to dig deeper into the Houston community or the Nigerian community or the South African community, or any community that we’re in.
To be able to tell those authentic stories that you don’t historically hear; that major media may not cover or don’t even know exist. We do that by, again, writing a curriculum that refects innovation, multiculturalism, transformation, all those things that we’re looking at right now.
DEFENDER: Canyoutellushowyou feelaboutyourwork?
SANDIFER-WALKER: Tat’s one of my great joys, to be able to train generations of students to be able to go out and tell our
stories. We have so many bright young people who come on our campus who may not even have the confdence to understand what they’re capable of doing. We take those students to help them understand this is what you are capable of doing. And here at Texas Southern University, we believe in you. For me, I’m just persistent; like that pit bull. When I believe in something, I go full throttle, wholehearted, you know, to ensure your success, even if that means that I have to sit down with you for hours and hours and hours on end to be able to help you to become that person we envision together you can become.
DEFENDER: Where can we fndyourformerstudents applyingtheirtrade?
SANDIFER-WALKER: Tey’re all over the world right now. And it’s because I saw a defcit out in the feld, and I wanted people to be able to know that from an HBCU, from Texas Southern University, great people are here, and they can come and they can help to make your community better with their skillsets. Many of them have gone into journalism,
but many of them have gone into education— college professors now. But they are always there to tell these great stories. So, I’m very humble when people say, “You’ve impacted me. You’ve made a diference.” I’m very humbled by that and grateful that I’ve been able to have a positive impact.
DEFENDER: What’skeyforcurrent students to become the next generation’sgreatjournalists?
SANDIFER-WALKER: Tey can be these great storytellers. Tey can go on to earn master’s degrees, doctorate degrees, whatever it is. But the most important thing, I want them to be grounded in understanding Black history, understanding Black people, understanding the underserved, and being able to have the tools to research and uncover those great stories about those unheard, untold, underserved communities throughout the United States. Tat’s what I do. I get great joy from doing that. I have a family, all of my brothers and my sister, we’re all invested in understanding who we are, whose we are, as Black people, and how we can make a diference.
That’s one of my great joys, to be able to train generations of students to be able to go out and tell our stories.”
SERBINO SANDIFER-WALKERBy ReShonda Tate
It has been five decades since Bronx DJ Kool Herc introduced the world to a unique sound of spinning the same record on twin turntables to extend the song’s percussion breaks. It’s an art form that became known as hip-hop.
Over the years, hip-hop has grown to a culture-defining superpower that has seeped into almost every facet of culture, from runway fashion to professional sports.
Celebrations are being held all around the world to uplift and honor every aspect of hip-hop culture. From concerts and tours to battles, competitions, and exhibitions, all of your favorite DJs, MCs, Breakdancers, Beatboxers, Graffiti artists, and more are working to make this golden anniversary of the most extraordinary year yet.
The earliest days of hip-hop set the tone for not only the sound but an image, texture, and appeal that have transcended the genre. A party in the Bronx on August 11th, 1973 is widely considered to be the birthplace of hiphop. That’s when 18-year-old Clive Campbell and his younger sister Cindy hosted a dance party, billed as a back-to-school jam, in the rec room of an apartment complex at 1520 Sedgwick Ave. in the Bronx, New York.
Clive, who spun records under the moniker DJ Kool Herc, had previously noticed that dancers responded to the instrumental breaks in songs, especially those heavy with bass and drums. So he set up two turntables and artfully switched between them to isolate and extend the “breakbeats,” never losing the rhythm. Hip-hop was born.
Many said it would be a fad, like so many
With such a diverse city of talented hip-hop artists, how do you choose the best hip hop albums? You don’t. You choose 10 OF the best. These are our choices. Let us know us know yours on our social media page.
1. Geto Boys, ‘We Can’t Be Stopped’ (1991)
2. Scarface, ‘The Diary’ (1994)
3. UGK, ‘Ridin’ Dirty’ (1996)
4. Paul Wall & Chamillionaire, ‘Get Ya Mind Correct’ (2002)
pop-cultural trends before and after. But in the 50 years since that fateful event, hip-hop has entrenched itself in our society. The art form has since touched every corner of our world and evolved into one of the most significant cultural forces today.
While much was made about hip-hop’s east coast and west coast sounds, Houston left its own mark on it, most famously through “chopped and screwed” music developed by artists like DJ Screw and Bun B, among others. From the legendary Scarface, whose poignant storytelling and raw lyricism have made him not just the best rapper from Houston, but one of the greatest rappers of all time, to artists like Fat Pat, Mike Jones, and Slim Thug, Trae the Truth and others, who each in their own way have personified the essence of the Houston rap game. These
5. MC Choice, ‘The Big Payback’ (1990)
6. Z-Ro, ‘Let the Truth Be Told’ (2005)
7. Mike Jones, ‘Who is Mike Jones?’ (2005)
8. Lil’ Keke, ‘Don’t Mess Wit’ Texas’ (1997)
9. Fat Pat, ‘Ghetto Dreams’ (1998)
10. Trae tha Truth, ‘Truth Season: The United Streets of America’(2022)
rappers, through their unique voices and distinctive styles, have embodied the soul of H-Town and subsequently impacted the culture far beyond the city limits, influencing entire generation of MCs across the globe.
Among those recognizing the importance of hip-hop on Black culture is The Houston Museum of African American Culture. The museum, in conjunction with the Emancipation Park Conservancy, put together a series of events called “Beats on Screen: A Celebration of Hip-Hop Cinema,” which featured three film screenings in the month of July to celebrate 50 years since the creation of hip-hop.
“I really wanted to do something to commemorate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop,” says HMAAC film curator Jasmine Jones. “So, that was really exciting for me. Hip-hop is, like, the soundtrack to my childhood.
And, so, one of the things I wanted to focus on was hip-hop cinema — hip-hop films and classic hip-hop films. This just seemed like a perfect opportunity to celebrate the music, as well as the culture, and the way that culture has infused other mediums.”
While the screens have wrapped, HMAAC is considering extending the series and have more hip-hop movies in August, when hiphop’s 50th anniversary celebration will take place in New York on Aug. 11.
Over the decades, detractors have come after hip-hop. Everyone from civic groups to women groups to politicans have assailed the “rawness” and “rudeness” of the industry. But the attacks reaffirmed the value to its fans. While critics disdained its language, there was an unrestrained honesty that spoke to younger people. And hip-hop was an underdog, fighting for respect from the makers of rock, jazz and country. But as the genre became more popular than any other, it eventually influenced all those styles that came before it.
Just as significant: Hip-hop sells movies, TV series, clothing, alcohol, sneakers, perfume, hair products and brands of every description — and has made billionaires of its sharpest entrepreneurs. (Jay-Z, Rihanna and Sean “Diddy” Combs are among the richest people in the world, from business ventures encompassing more than just songcraft.)
And with a new breed of artists coming up like Megan thee Stallion, Travis Scott and others, don’t look for the genre to fizzle out any time soon.
As a kid growing up in California, Enos Cabell remembers baseball being everything to him.
It was that way for young Black boys in his neighborhood and really across the country because young Black boys wanted to be the next Jackie Robinson, Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Larry Doby or Willie Mays. It’s not that way anymore as most baseball diamonds in the inner city have been dismantled, or if they do still exist, they’re unkept or go mostly unused.
“It’s really tough because nowadays, football is prevalent and basketball all you need is a ball and you don’t even need tennis shoes. You can play barefooted,” said Cabell, who went on to play 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) and now serves as a special assistant to Astros owner James Click. And the money is different.
“When we grew up, it was only boxing or you played baseball. It wasn’t the other sports,” added Cabell.
But now that there are more sports options, it seems that the game known as “America’s Pastime” has become much less of an option for African Americans. The lack of numbers in the sport that was once so prevalent in the Black community that we had our own league -- The Negro Leagues – has diminished to an all-time low.
The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports at Central Florida recently published a report that found Black players accounted for just 6.2% of the MLB opening day rosters in 2022, which was a decline from the previous season’s record-low of 7.2%.
Just how bad it’s gotten was on full display during last year’s World Series when there wasn’t one American-born Black player on either the Astros’ or Phillies’ roster, marking the first time that had happened since 1950.
The question is why?
The reasons are numerous as Black players from Latino nations have all but replaced African American players at the game’s highest level.
Cabell and Bishop James Dixon, who is the pastor of Community Faith Church and the chairman of the Harris County Sports and Convention Corporation, attribute the shrinking numbers to economics. To stay competitive at the Little League and
youth baseball levels, families must have the financial ability to cover the costs of travel teams, expensive equipment and specialized training.
Bats, for instance, can run hundreds of dollars, and most young players now have several bats at their personal disposal.
“When we played baseball there were a few bats per team,” said Dixon, who was a star quarterback at Waltrip back in his day. “Now, every baseball player on the team has to have his own bats and a bag to put the bats in. And different kinds of shoes based on the ground and gloves for each position.
“So, it’s priced out. That’s the discrimination. It’s economics. Not just skin color. You can’t pay to play then you can’t make it happen.”
Even Astros manager Dusty Baker was surprised at the cost to be in the game when his son was growing up.
“My wife, I didn’t know what she was doing. I said, ‘Baby, what are you doing with all of that money? What do you need all that money for?’” Baker recalled. “She was spending $5,000 or $6,000 to play baseball.
She was calling me from Phoenix, Cooperstown, Florida.
“We had a league in our town. We had some bad boys in our town. We didn’t have to go 10 miles and we were going to be up against some bad dudes. But I heard now, if you want to get a scholarship or you want to play professional ball you’ve got to go to one of these leagues. It’s making it tough on us.”
Baker, who of course was in the dugout for last season’s World Series and made a point of calling out the lack of American-born players involved in the World Series, believes part of the diminishing presence has to do with the lack of heroes young Black boys can find in the game these days.
“We all had heroes -- Black heroes,” Baker recalled. “I had Jim Brown in football, I had Elgin Baylor in basketball, I had Bob Hayes in track. And then Tommy Davis was my hero in baseball. He wore No.12 with the Dodgers. I ended up wearing No.12, I ended up at the same position he played. He was one of my heroes and when I met him he was an even better hero than I thought.”
To help bridge the gap, Major League Baseball has thrown millions of dollars at trying to help revive the interest of American-born Black boys in baseball. MLB has committed $150 million over 10 years in
collaboration with the Player Alliance to help revive African American interest at all levels.
The MLB initiatives include programs like MLB Youth Academy, Reviving Baseball in the Inner Cities (RBI) and the Dream Series.
The programs are aimed at getting young Black kids like Dylan Campbell back interested in the game. A one-time two sport high school athlete at Strake Jesuit, Campbell went on to star in baseball at University of Texas and earlier this month was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers organization.
“I just feel like we are getting more opportunity, honestly, starting at a young level,” Campbell said. “I feel like they are doing a lot more to get young African American kids in the game. Getting it started up for them at a young age allows them to stay in the game much longer. Getting that assistance is so important because not everybody is fortunate enough to have neighborhood teams or a Little League team to go to.”
Though Campbell has an advantage most youth, regardless of race don’t have–a father who played professional baseball–he still believes the efforts made to increase Black youth participation in baseball are plentiful and will produce positive results.
Rylee Hampton has a gif of remaining calm before, during and after her races. Her ability to compete at a high level while remaining humble is remarkable. When most runners are competing with end-season goals in mind, Hampton’s motto is simply, “One goal at a time.”
Before Hampton took to the track, she was a competitive gymnast.
“I competed competitively in gymnastics from the time I was really little to sixth grade, then I stopped that because it was a lot,” said Hampton.
Afer experiencing burnout from gymnastics, Hampton tried her luck with school sports, volleyball and track. In the seventh grade, while at Cook Middle School, Hampton began to shine.
“My seventh grade year I broke the district record in the 300-meter hurdles. Tat’s when I realized I’m pretty good at this, let me keep with it,” said Hampton.
Hampton continued getting better and the summer of her freshman year she joined Track Houston to further her progression.
During her time at Cy Ridge High School, in her freshman year, Hampton took part in both the 100-meter hurdles and the 300meter hurdles. Hampton made it to state in
the 100-meter hurdles and place ffh.
During Hampton’s sophomore year she continued showing signs of growth, as she returned to state and placed third in the 100-meter hurdles and ffh in the 300-meter hurdles.
In her junior year, Hampton returned to state for a third straight year, this time plac ing seventh in the 300-meter hurdles, but taking frst place in the 100-meter hur dles with a time of 13.64.
“She’s a mixture of power and fnesse,” said Hampton’s trainer Mar lon Odom. “She’s gotten to the point where she understands structurally, how to navigate a race. She knows she has to push out her frst four steps, accelerate her last four right before the frst hurdle, and take her speed through hurdle three. Afer that, she’s just trying to get that threestep pattern established for the remainder of the race.”
Hampton’s fastest time in the 100-meter hurdles is 13.18 which ranks her #1 in the world for U18. However, her humbleness won’t allow her to get overly confdent.
“It feels amazing to be ranked, but I know that without God none of this would be possible. I give all glory to him and thank him for everything because I’m nothing without him,” said Hampton.
Afer winning state her junior year, Hampton decided to take time of and let her body rest, rather than compete immediately in summer track. In
July, she attended the USATF U20 Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. Tis race consisted of many big name runners. Hampton ran the 100-meter hurdles and placed third behind Myla Greene, an incoming freshman at the University of Tennessee, who took second with a time of 13.10, and Aaliyah McCormick, an incoming sophomore at the University of Oregon, who took frst with a time of 13.02.
Hampton is now focusing on relaxing and getting ready for recruiting. In college, she hopes to continue running the 100-meter hurdles and sprints while majoring in psychology.
It still hasn’t hit me yet. Winning a gold medal has been a goal that I’ve been wanting to accomplish for so long and I’ve fnally been able to, so it means a lot”
RYLEE HAMPTON“I think psychology is an interesting topic to study. I hope to become a sports psychologist when I get older because I see a lot of the mental strain that track or any other sports have,” said Hampton.
As Houston-area elementary school students and their families prepare for the start of a new school year, the Mayor’s Back-to-School fest on Saturday, August 5, hopes to make that transition out of summer a little easier.
As presenting sponsor, Shell in the USA is providing 25,000 backpacks full of school supplies, as well as connecting families to a wide range of health and social services offered by community agencies. Students can soar with the right tools for success. We’re moving forward with students, because we’re moving forward with everybody.
www.shell.us/forward
