FEATURE
HOUSTONIAN JEREMY BROWN GETS NOMINATION FOR HARRIS COUNTY JUSTICE OF THE PEACE P8
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Volume 87 | Number 41
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AUGUST 9, 2018 |FREE NEWSTALK VANESSA GILMORE dismisses Houston ‘rape kits’ case
P2 NEWSTALK TYLER PERRY delivers inspiring message at Lakewood
Pastor John Gray
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LeBron James
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TRUMP & BLACKS
FEATURE DR. PETER AGHIMIEN named new TSU Business dean
P8
Spike Lee
Dr. Elwyn Lee
The talented director is back with the true story of a Black police officer infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan in Colorado in the 1970s. He talks about how he merged the film with current day events.
The UH vice president is leading an initiative aimed at improving Third Ward education, economics, health and art. Find out more about the program the university hopes will make them a good neighbor.
tackles racism
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leading initiative
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TOP EVENTS
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Sharon Watkins Jones, Marcia Johnson and Congressman Al Green at the ACLU and TSU Smart Justice Kick-off Reception.
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Tyler Perry donates to Harvey families BY ALEXIS HERRON-JONES Defender
Entertainment mogul Tyler Perry’s recent visit to Houston left thousands inspired and one local family in awe at his generosity. Perry, who was in town to speak at Lakewood Church, has been donating to various causes since Hurricane Harvey ravaged Houston last year. He donated $250,000 to Lakewood to assist in their Harvey Relief efforts. Some of that money will go to Tammy Perry, a mother of three and longtime Lakewood member, who lost everything in Harvey. Her husband died in 2011 and Perry, who has an autistic son, had been struggling ever since. “We’ve been through this before when my oldest son Titus was just a baby... and my husband was living,” said Perry. She says her husband dealt with the flooding of their home when it first Actor, filmmaker and playwright Tyler Perry spoke to the congregation at happened. This time around, it was just her in the Lakewood Church. midst of high water...with her three kids. “It was rough,” Perry said. “I told God, if I us get back together,” Tammy Perry said. ever needed You, I need You right now.” Lakewood Church has provided rebuilding assistance God showed up, through Tyler Perry’s generous donato more than 1,150 Houston-area families whose homes were tion. Lakewood Church and its volunteers were able to come damaged or destroyed by floodwaters with the help of over in and help rebuild the family’s home. 2,500 volunteers. When it comes to facing “To date, we have adversity “you must have lots been able to help over of faith, lots of prayer, work Video: The Tammy Perry family on how the 30 homeowners to hard, and everything will be all generosity changed their lives. recover and be back in right,” Tyler Perry said. their homes, said John Tammy Perry had the Bowman, Men’s Minisopportunity to meet Tyler after try Director at Lakewood. “The thing I keep hearing over and the Lakewood services. over again, is ‘I don’t know where I would be if Lakewood “When we met Tyler today, it felt just like family to us, because all along, he was the one that had a big part of helping hadn’t come to help us.’ “
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Judge dismisses rape kit lawsuits Defender News Services
A federal district court dismissed a 2017 lawsuit against Mayor Sylvester Turner, five former Houston mayors, current and former police chiefs and the Houston Forensic Science Center and its CEO over a rape kit – also known as a sexual assault forensic exam – testing backlog that the city’s independent crime lab eliminated in 2014. The two women who filed the suit alleged that their constitutional rights had been violated because the testing of evidence from their 2011 sexual assaults had not been conducted in a timely fashion. The eventual testing of evidence in the both cases led to one suspect being charged with assault and the other suspect pleading guilty to assault. U.S. District Judge Vanessa Gilmore dismissed the case because the plaintiffs filed their lawsuit about six years too late. The judge also found that the plaintiffs did not allege any violations of rights guaranteed by the Constitution, nor did they raise any other legal grounds to hold Houston Vanessa Gilmore and its current and former officials responsible. Annise Parker, who preceded Turner, and her administration removed the city crime lab from the Houston Police Department and established the independent Houston Forensic Science Center to provide accurate and timely analysis of forensic evidence, including the sexual assault kits, and related services. “The administration is pleased with the dismissal of the lawsuit,” Turner said. “We recognize the importance of timely and appropriate processing of evidence and the critical role that it plays in solving crimes and prosecuting perpetrators before they can victimize others. The great work of the Forensic Center helps us carry out the central mission of protecting the safety of all Houstonians.”
localbriefs SOME HOUSTON ISD TRUSTEES are calling for teachers to receive a modest salary increase in the upcoming school year, responding to the district administration’s recent proposal to freeze educator pay amid a period of budget cuts. The call from two HISD board members set the stage for a closely watched school board meeting scheduled for Aug. 9, when trustees are scheduled to vote on the district’s proposal for teacher salaries in 2018-19. HISD administrators announced their intention to recommend a pay freeze following a challenging budget cycle, with trustees agreeing in June to slash $84 million in spending and pull up to $17 million from a rainy-day fund in 2018-19. Teacher salaries
were not publicly discussed at length during the debate over the district’s $2 billion budget, and trustees did not allocate additional funding for pay bumps……..THE HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT encourages Houstonians to make plans to visit Get Moving Houston Farmer’s Markets before the end of the 2018 season. The markets, which wrap up the season in October, offer access to affordable fruits and vegetables. Remaining 2018 markets take place at the Southwest Multiservice Center, Sunnyside Multiservice Center, Northeast Multiservice Center, Magnolia Multiservice Center, Denver Harbor Multiservice Center, and Acres Homes Multiservice Center. For more information, visit go-
healthyhouston.org, email farmersmarket@houstontx.gov or call 832-393-4054……...FREE IMMUNIZATIONS ARE AVAILABLE FOR CHILDREN this month. Texas Children’s Mobile Clinic Program will administer back-to-school vaccinations to the first 150 youth ages six weeks to 18 who arrive every Thursday in August to Free Family Night at the Children’s Museum of Houston, 1500 Binz. Free Family Night is 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. To qualify, parents and guardians will need their child’s immunization records. All required school vaccines will be provided except for TB test or flu. There is no need to pre-register. Call 713-522-1138 or visit www.cmhouston.org.
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AUGUST 9 | 2018 | DEFENDER
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President Donald Trump, center, reacts to Dr. Alveda King with Alveda King Ministries (second from right) during a meeting with inner-city pastors at White House. (AP photo)
Low Black approval of Trump not likely to change
(Houston pastors who signed the letter critical of Trump included Dr. Marcus Cosby, Dr. James Dixon II and Dr. Ralph Douglas West). For all of President Trump’s success with white evangelicals, Former Lakewood Associate Pastor Rev. John Gray, now he has fared poorly with most Black Christians. He sought to make pastor of Relentless Church in Greenville, S.C., was one of the changes recently when he invited multiple pastors of predominantly ministers in attendance at the White House meeting and led the Black congregations to the White House to discuss prison reform. invocation. He said he hesitated to attend but went as a Christian. Despite the desires of those affiliated with the Trump adminisOne of Trump’s most tration who are focused on Black high-profile Black surrogates, voter outreach, there won’t be any defendernetwork.com Pastor Darrell Scott of New significant changes to support for Read pastors’ letter to preachers who Spirit Revival Center in Cleveland the president from the Black comHeights, Ohio, received backlash met with Trump munity based on historical voting for his comments at the White patterns. House. Hillary Clinton, the 2016 “This is probably the most proactive administration regarding Democratic presidential candidate, won nearly 90 percent of the urban America and the faith-based community in my lifetime,” Scott Black vote. At the time, nearly 7 in 10 Black evangelicals identified said at the meeting.“This is probably going to be… the most prowith the Democratic Party. Black president that we’ve had in our lifetime.” In an open letter to Black clergy who recently attended the With only 13 percent of Blacks approving of Trump’s job White House meeting, well-known Black pastors from across the country collectively rebutted them and offered their thoughts on why performance – according to Gallup – it’s safe to say Scott’s view of the president is not common among Black Americans. Trump is the most divisive leader the U.S. has ever witnessed. Defender News Service
Gun violence once again rocks Chicago Defender News Services
At least 11 people were shot and killed and about 70 others wounded during the most recent weekend in Chicago, in a spasm of gun violence that police attributed mostly to gangs and that the president’s lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, used to criticize the city’s Democratic leadership. Some gang members are using large summer crowds as cover, said police Patrol Chief Fred Waller. “They take advantage of that opportunity and they shoot into a crowd, no matter who they hit,” he said. Police said violent crime has declined overall in
Chicago. The city ended 2017 with fewer homicides, 650, than 2016, when there were 771. Although the drop was significant, it exceeded the combined number of killings in New York City and Los Angeles, the two U.S. cities larger than Chicago. Giuliani, a former New York City mayor, tweeted his support for Chicago’s former superintendent, Garry McCarthy, referring to him as “Jerry” and calling him a “policing genius.” McCarthy plans to run for mayor next February against Democratic Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who fired McCarthy in 2015 after the release of dashcam video showing a white police officer shooting a Black teenager 16 times.
THE NATION’S FIRST MEMORIAL TO LYNCHING VICTIMS has drawn more than 100,000 visitors in its first three months, far exceeding earlier estimates. The National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery shares stories about some of the 4,400 Black people slain in lynchings and other racial killings between 1877 and 1950. The names of those killed, if they are known, are engraved on 800 steel columns, one for each U.S. county where lynchings occurred……..THE NOW-DISBANDED VOTING INTEGRITY COMMISSION launched by the Trump administration to investigate the 2016 presidential election uncovered no evidence to support the president’s claims of widespread voter fraud, according to an analysis of administration documents. The Republicanled commission said there was a “pre-ordained outcome” and that drafts of a commission report included a section on evidence of voter fraud that was “glaringly empty.” Trump convened the commission to investigate the 2016 presidential election after making unsubstantiated claims that between 3 million and 5 million ballots were illegally cast……..VANDALS ONCE AGAIN SCARRED THE MARKER where 14-year-old Emmett Till was killed by white supremacists in 1955 in the Mississippi Delta. The memorial sign was found riddled with bullets 35 days after it replaced its preceding memorial due to previous vandalism. If the Emmett Till Memorial Commission were to replace the sign again, it would mark the fourth time it has been restored……..A LOUISIANA FEDERAL JUDGE ruled that courts in Orleans parish must allow individuals who owe fines from criminal convictions the chance to plead poverty in a “neutral forum” before sentencing them to jail for failing to pay. The ruling marks the end of a three-year legal battle over the so-called “debtors’ prison” lawsuit brought by criminal convicts who were jailed for an extended period of time without a chance to prove they couldn’t afford to pay the fines owed.
VOLUME 87 • NUMBER 41 AUGUST 9, 2018 Publisher Sonceria Messiah-Jiles Ad/Client Relations Selma Dodson Tyler Strategic Alliance Manager
Clyde Jiles Art Director Tony Fernandez-Davila Videographer
Jodie B. Jiles
Editors ReShonda Billingsley Marilyn Marshall Contributing Writer Aswad Walker Sports Editor Max Edison Engagement Manager Margo Williams Hubbard
The Defender newspaper is published by the Houston Defender Inc. Company (713-663-6996.. The Defender is audited by Certified Audited Circulation. (CAC). For subscription, send $60-1 year to: Defender, P.O. Box 8005, Houston TX 77288. Payment must accompany subscription request. All material covered by 2012 copyright. (No material herein may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher).
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DEFENDER | AUGUST 9 | 2018
BEING A GOO
T
By ASWAD WALKER Defender
he University of Houston has an all-hands-on-deck initiative designed to help the school be a better Third Ward neighbor by utilizing the entirety of its resources to meet community needs as identified by area residents. The effort, titled the Third Ward Initiative (3WI), is led by Executive Director Dr. Elwyn Lee. Lee also holds the titles of VP for Neighborhood & Strategic Initiatives and co-chair of the University & Neighborhood Partnership Forum. Titles aside, he has silently orchestrated one of the most comprehensive community engagement efforts in the country. “UH is part of Third Ward,” Lee said. “If you’re a part, you need to take part.” The 3WI’s focus includes:
EDUCATION
The 3WI has been hard at work seeking to transform the academic achievement ratios of Yates High School and five other schools in its feeder pattern: Blackshear and Foster elementary schools, and middle schools Thompson, Hartsfield Dr. Elwyn Lee and Cullen. According to Blackshear principal Alicia Lewis, the 3WI has exceeded expectations. “The 3WI gave us so many things,” Lewis said. “They helped with our 100-year anniversary gala, UH Board of Visitors members volunteered time and donated needed items to our annual Community Fair, and the Cougar Literacy Corp – UH students who provide one-on-one support for our students during the school year – have even shown up during the summer.” Lewis added that Anne McClelland and Johnathan Schwartz, co-directors of the 3WI’s Advancing Community Engagement and Services (ACES) Institute, have been personal mentors and provided valuable leadership training for Blackshear staff. The UH College of Education also provides Blackshear with interns. “The interns are there four days a week, all day. UH has the best model for preparing teachers for real life teaching,” Lewis added. Wayne Luckett, who was appointed by UH President Renu Khator to head up UH’s Schools Initiative, is excited about the progress he sees.
UH Third Wa
“With several of our schools on the borderline of not meeting standards set by TEA, we are looking closely at the outcomes of the new valuations that come out in August, and with that we can really highlight the results,” he said. “UH is at Tier One status and receiving accolades, but I’m really excited that President Khator recognizes that Third Ward is our neighbor, and she wants Third Ward to be as successful as UH.”
ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT
To bolster economics citywide, particularly in historically “under-resourced” communities like Third Ward, Dr. Saleha Khumawala, a microfinance expert in UH’s Bauer School of Business, heads the Stimulating Urban Renewal through Entrepreneurship (SURE) program. SURE works with individuals who need assistance starting or expanding a business. Though SURE started in 2012, before the 3WI began, it has since given preference to potential candidates from Third Ward through the 3WI and partner organizations, Project Row Houses (PRH), Change Happens, Emancipation Economic Development Council (EEDC) and Community Artists Collective. The free, 14-week program covers all the basics preparing graduates for business success, including business plan writing, financial literacy and an opportunity to pitch their businesses to prospective investors during the program’s culmination. The program has relationships with numerous lenders, including Wells Fargo, Capital One and Frost Bank. SURE graduates include Cory Toatley (Alchemy Candle Co.), Georgia Provost (Provost Photography), Shannette Prince (Africa On My Back), and over 600 more. The 3WI is also involved with two pilot programs, with PRH designed to increase single mother business owners, and the Houston Anchor Collaborative which seeks to use an Anchor Institution strategy to expand employment and contracting opportunities. The current collaborators are UH, Texas Southern University, Houston First and Memorial Hermann Hospital System.
Blackshear Principal Alicia Lewis said the UH Third Ward Initiative has exceeded expectations.
THE ARTS
The 3WI seeks to showcase Third Ward’s vibrant art scene while also exposing UH’s public art to a wider audience. According to Lee, facilitating such collaborations “will get UH’s Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts (COtA) more invested in the art and culture of Third Ward and expose UH’s vast amounts of public art to a wider audience.” These objectives are being met in part through two PRH Fellowships funded by the UH Center for Socially Engaged Art. Additionally, PRH co-founder Rick Lowe, a UH faculty member, is sharing his expertise to train future producers of socially engaged art. Moreover, this effort includes partnering with neighborhood schools to expose children to music, theater and other arts. Sixto Wagan, along with Lowe and Andrew
Davis, dean of COtA, is leading this effort, which includes bringing internationally respected artists to share their work and learn with initiative participants. Wagan and team are also bringing 500 youth leaders and social influencers to Third Ward as part of the Brave New Voices Life is Learning program, introducing them to the community’s rice culture and socially engaged art. Wagan added that through the COtAs-PRH Fellowships, the 3WI is investing in the next generation of community-engaged artist leaders. “Learning with [Lowe], Ryan Dennis, PRH curator and programs director and myself, these artists are able to invest in their creative community work like nowhere else. We’re supporting a cohort of artists who will be able to lead Houston and their home communities in ways that PRH has contributed to Third Ward.”
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OD NEIGHBOR
ard Initiative SURE graduate s potlight:
Shannette Pr
ince
Stimulating Urban Renewal through En trepreneurship (SUR ate Shannette Prince E) graduis owner of Africa On My Back, a com hand-crafted African pany that sells print backpacks that provide study-abroa tunities for Black bo d opporys while simultaneo usly helping small Ghana. businesses in “I was able to write a valid business plan funders and get solid , pitch it to classmate feedback for my bu s and siness model,” Prin That feedback inclu ce said. ded knowledge that ered “fair trade” an her business was co d a social enterprise nsid, designations that potential customer expanded her base. Moreover, sh e received valuable funding. information on “I was able to take that [information] to credit,” she said. Wells Fargo and ge t that Prince grew up in th e ‘80s and ‘90s surro about Blackness, an unded by positive m d always wanted to essages visit Africa. Her vi sparked the idea fo siting Ghana r her company, foun ded with the help of she describes as “tw her sons, who o brilliant Black bo ys.” To date, SURE has educated more than 600 entrepreneurs, than 115 businesse s launched or expa with more nded. Prince is thankful fo r SURE and would next step – do busin like for it and UH to ess with SURE grad take the uates so they can be proved vendors and come apaccess the myriad pr ocurement dollars av UH. ailable at “How do we really drill down and mak e the relationship de it’s not just people participating in prog eper so rams, but it’s about comes full circle,” making sure it she said. “For me, personally , it would be great if UH carried my ba their bookstores.” ckpacks in
Third Ward health a UH concern According to UH, African-Americans lead the country in years of potential life lost (YPLL) when considering all causes of death with a 46 percent increase in YPLL in comparison to the general population. Moreover, Latino and AfricanAmerican populations are 70 percent more likely to have diagnosed diabetes in comparison to their white counterparts. The UH Third Ward Initiative’s efforts at improving health outcomes are led by Drs. Ezemenari Obasi, Daniel O’Connor and Dan Price’s grassroots approach.
e Houston area for over 85 years
“People know what they want or need, and by working closely as partners with them we hope to be able to help them fulfill those needs,” O’Connor said. Along with prevention and treatment for obesity and type 2 diabetes, residents requested asthma help and STEM education for youth. “In collaboration with HISD we’re doing asthma self-management, going to homes and doing surveys on triggers,” Price said. “We also created opportunities to work with the UH STEM center, leading a small group of kids in
a project-based learning experience to develop people so they develop STEM skill sets and ownership.” Price added they are training residents to lead diabetes prevention classes. “By having residents lead the class, we get much more participation because people need that sense of community underscored at all levels,” he said. For more information on 3WI health-related programs visit https://www.uh.edu/third-ward/. To see if you qualify for free services, visit
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Texas Southern welcomes new business dean Defender News Services
Texas Southern University announced the selection of Dr. Peter Aghimien as the new dean of the Jesse H. Jones School of Business. Aghimien, a Fulbright Scholar, was a professor and chair of the accounting program at Indiana University-South Bend for 16 years and was a faculty member at Grambling State University in Louisiana. “I am delighted to join the JHJ School of Business family and I look forward to contributing to the School’s continued success,” Aghimien said. “I plan to increase the quality of teaching and research, developing first-class students to compete in the workforce and ensuring that our entire team experiences a quality work environment.” “Texas Southern welcomes Dr. Aghimien and his stellar experience to bolster the University’s academic community,” said TSU Provost Dr. Kendall Harris. “We are expecting our School of Business and its graduates to make another great leap in serving our nation and the corporate world.”
Aghimien earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and economics from Ohio State University and a master’s and doctorate in accounting, economics and finance from Louisiana Tech University. He is a CPA, a member of the American Accounting Association and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria. He has been inducted into Beta Alpha Psi (accounting honor fraternity), Beta Gamma Sigma (business honor society) and Omicron Delta Epsilon (economics honor society). JHJ received reaffirmation of accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International) in June. TSU was one of the first HBCUs to achieve the standard set by the organization that confirms more than 800 business schools worldwide. The School of Business, founded in 1955, offers undergraduate and graduate degrees and an executive MBA program.
Dr. Peter Aghimien
HISD provides student meals at no charge
Jeremy Brown nominated as county JP Defender News Services
Native Houstonian Jeremy Brown has received the Democratic nomination for the Harris County Justice of the Peace Precinct 7, Place 1. He will be on the ballot for the Nov. 6 election as the Democratic nominee. Brown grew up on the South side of Houston in Jeremy Brown the heart of Precinct 7. He is a graduate of Morehouse College and the University of Oklahoma Law School and previously worked at a private law practice that focused on criminal and family law. After his time in private practice, he worked for Houston City Councilmember Mike Laster as an agenda policy advisor. As the district director and legislative aide for former State Sen. Rodney Ellis, he led community outreach efforts and worked on policies to expand access to voting rights and ensure a fairer criminal justice system. He currently works for Harris County Precinct 1 as an advisor for strategic initiatives.
Defender News Services
Parents of Houston Independent School District students soon will have one less expense, as Nutrition Services announced that all students will eat meals at no charge during the 2018-2019 school year. All HISD schools are now qualified to operate under the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service Community Eligibility Provision, which allows the district to provide breakfast, lunch and dinner at no charge to all students, eliminating the need for free and reducedprice meal applications. The program allows the nation’s highest poverty schools and districts to serve meals at no cost to all enrolled students without collecting household applications. Schools are eligible for the program if they have a certain percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced meals based on their participation in programs such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Temporary Assistance for Dr. Grenita Lathan Needy Families. “We know that students have a difficult time learning when they are hungry,” said HISD Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan. “This program will allow us to provide up to three full meals a day to our students. This allows us to meet a critical need that will help our students be ready and able to learn throughout the school day.” According to HISD Nutrition Services Officer Betti Wiggins, the designation helps remove the social stigma from students who qualify for free or reduced meals because all students now eat meals at no charge. Parents will no longer have to complete the free and reduced-price meal application. They instead will be asked to complete a socioeconomic information form, which will be distributed to parents during school registration, teacher meet and greets, back-toschool events, and other campus activities. Information gathered from the socioeconomic
form will be used to determine the amount of federal funding that is disbursed to schools. The data also will be used as a performance indicator for student achievement. The district has provided free breakfast to all students since 2009. The district also offers a program at 178 schools that serves dinner to students at no charge.
classifieds ADVERTISEMENT FOR PROPOSAL FOURTH WARD REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, CITY OF HOUSTON
The Executive Director for Fourth Ward Redevelopment Authority will receive proposals at 410 Pierce, Suite 355 Houston, Texas for the following project: Project Name: Street Reconstruction Project WBS Number: NT-14090-0001-4 Proposal Date: September, 27, 2018 Project Location: Fourth Ward Houston, TX Project Manager: Vanessa Sampson Phone Number 713-526-7577 Estimated Construction Cost: $6M Pre-Proposal Meeting: September 4, 2018, at 10:00 a.m., 410 Pierce, Houston, TX. Meet in the Board Chambers on the 3rd Floor. Proposals will be accepted until 3:00 p.m., local time on the Proposal Date shown above. Proposals received after that time will not be accepted. Bid price from the proposals will be publicly opened and read aloud at 4:00 p.m. on the same day in Board Chambers. All interested parties are invited to attend. Proposal documents and drawings may only be obtained electronically at the Fourth Ward Redevelopment Authority’s designated website: https://www.civcastusa.com/. Registration is required and services are free of charge. Contractors and the public can access proposal documents through this site. All questions and answers along with the release of addenda and other documents will be addressed on the CivCast site. The Project may contain City of Houston Standard Construction Specifications for Wastewater Collection Systems, Water Lines, Storm Drainage, Street Paving, and Traffic sections that are incorporated into Project Manual by reference. These Standard Specifications, along with Standard Details, may be acquired at no cost on the City’s website at https://edocs.publicworks.houstontx.gov/engineering-andconstruction/specifications.html Proposers shall comply with City Ordinance 2013-0428, Chapter 15, Article V, City of Houston Code of Ordinances, as amended, and City of Houston Office of Business Opportunity Minority, Women, and Small Business Enterprise (MWSBE) Procedures. Proposals will be required to demonstrate good faith efforts to achieve a MWSBE participation goal as stated in Document 00800 – Supplementary Conditions (Contract Goal of 19%) in accordance with Document 00808 – Requirements for the City of Houston Program for Minority, Women, and Small Business Enterprises and Persons with Disabilities Enterprises (PDBE).
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entertainment
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Spike Lee
‘BlacKkKlansman’ story of racist past, present Defender News Service
While racism is not something that can be understood by a 120-minute film, director Spike Lee never stops trying. His latest attempt, “BlackKkKlansman” is a modern configuration of racism based on a true story. In the film, the grand wizard of the KKK, David Duke (played by Topher Grace) forges a relationship with Ron Stallworth (John Paul Washington) from a series of phone calls that solidify their friendship, and eventually the undercover detective’s membership into the KKK. Unbeknown to the leader of the terrorist organization, Stallworth is a Black detective investigating rumors of a “race war” the KKK was planning. In a time of political and socio-economic strife, the timing for Lee’s film is perfect. Aside from the fact that the movie debuts on the one-year anniversary of the Charlottesville riot, it also helps illuminate a part of America’s racist past, which is still playing out. Director Spike Lee has a new film out. Above, John David Uncomfortable to watch at times, “BlackWashington (Denzel’s son) and Laura Carrier star in the film. KkKlansman” explores what it meant to be Black and conscious in the decades immediately precedout to make the film our own. ing the Civil Rights Movement. There are plenty of my signature touches: Here, Lee talks about the movie, which hits theaters the music; the dolly shots; the political banter and Aug. 10. sports talk; historical footage and knowing camDefender: You weren’t originally involved with eos (most notably, Harry Belafonte as a speaker who “BlacKkKlansman.” You inherited the project from Jorrelays the true story of Jesse Washington, a Black man dan Peele, who specifically thought this was a project you who was lynched in Texas in 1916 after being accused would be perfect for. of the rape and murder of a white woman). Spike Lee: They acquired Ron Stallworth’s book and Defender: Some audiences may find some felt it needed more flava. And that’s what I brought. I was of your themes too over the top. But this isn’t grateful for the opportunity because I had never heard of just about white nationalism. It’s also Stallworth. I didn’t know his story. People say, “That is too about white silence. unbelievable to be true.” And that’s what makes it such a Lee: It’s perfectly in keeping with the great story. My writing partner, Kevin Willmott, and I set
times we live in. We’re living in pure, undiluted insanity. Families are being stripped apart, kids put in cages, that’s going back to our ancestors being broken up and sold. That’s the world we live in. We were just trying to tell truth to power. You know. It had to be a period piece that also comments on what is happening today with this guy in the White House. The whole thing with [NFL players and] the anthem, building the wall, “Mexicans are rapists”… it’s just crazy. “The Year of Living Dangerously,” that’s where we are. Defender: You were obviously aware that the film’s success depended on audiences not simply seeing Stallworth’s story as a history lesson, but it seems as if you wanted to make sure you updated it. Lee: Right, which is why images from the deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017, end the movie. We were in preproduction when Charlottesville happened. I was watching TV, my brother Anderson Cooper, “Agent Orange” (his nickname for President Trump), the Klan, the alt right, David Duke. They wrote the ending. That is nothing more than a terrorist act. Home-grown, apple-pie, red, white and blue terrorism.
what’sup A documentary about MINISTER LOUIS FARRAKHAN will not be released on Netflix. Though Farrakhan tweeted about the premiere of “My Life’s Journey Through Music,” Netflix said it will not stream the documentary about the Nation of Islam leader. A Netflix spokesperson said the confusion all comes down to an internal miscommunication error. Farrakhan has been accused of being an anti-Semite and some have labeled his sermons as hate speech……..AVA DUVERNAY’S highly anticipated “Central Park Five” already has a star-studded cast, and now the limited series is beefing things up even more with a few more recognizable names. NIECY
NASH, KYLIE BUNBURY, AUNJANUE ELLIS, MARSHA STEPHANIE BLAKE and “A Wrinkle in Time’s” STORM REID are joining the cast of the DuVernay project, centered on the infamous case of five Black teenagers wrongfully convicted of raping a woman in Central Park. DuVernay will write, direct and executive-produce the four-part limited series for Netflix. The program is expected to premiere next year….…A bombshell allegation in the new documentary “Whitney” alleges that WHITNEY HOUSTON and her brother were molested as children by their cousin, DEE DEE WARWICK. But Grammy winner DIONNE WARWICK has
pumped the breaks on claims her sister abused the late superstar. In an upcoming exclusive interview with “Larry King Now,” she calls the allegation “evil” and untrue. Warwick said she was floored when she first heard the statement made by Whitney’s longtime assistant Mary Jones in the doc. Jones claims Houston confided in her that Dee Dee had sexually abused her as a child. Whitney’s brother Gary co-signs the allegation in the film, noting that he was molested between the ages of 7 and 9. Despite the reaction from some of the Houston family members, Jones has stood by her decision to disclose such private information to the world.
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DEFENDER | AUGUST 9 | 2018
sports
Jimbo Fisher brings new optimism to Texas A&M
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New coach Jimbo Fisher takes charge of A&M football.
By MAX EDISON Defender
n College Station, the athletic department at Texas A&M University has concluded that spending the most money on a head football is the key to success. That’s why they’ve invested in former Florida State University Robert Brazile (FSU) head coach Jimbo Fisher to guide the Aggie program. Fisher, hired in December, was brought in to the tune of a 10-year, $75 million-dollar contract. A&M faithful are gambling that Fisher will be the man that can propel Aggie football to the top of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) food chain. Fisher brings an impressive resume to Aggieland. He has the fourth highest winning percentage of any active FBS coach. His FSU team captured the national championship in 2013 and that same year he was national Coach of the Year. He owns the highest winning percentage in Athletic Coast Conference history, with three conference titles. The Aggies have averaged eight wins per season Running back Trayveon Williams played locally for C.E. King High School. over the last five years but those totals don’t match the expectations A&M the Aggies in rushing last season with 798 yards. has for a program playing in college Expect Kendall Bussey and Jacob Kibodi to provide football’s premier conference. depth. With Fisher at the helm, fans are The receivers will be long on talent but short on already trying to predict how long it experience. Jhamon Ausbon started every game as a will take for the Aggies to compete for freshman in 2017. Expect Cam Buckley, Kendrick a national title. Rodgers, Hezekiah Jones, Roshauud Paul and Clyde “I think your timetable is as quick Chriss to all be in the mix. In addition, the Aggies will as you can put things in place and evfeature a tight end in the offense for the first time in eryone buys into what you’re trying to many a moon. Jace Sternberger, the spring practice do,” Fisher said. “You have a timetable; MVP, gets the nod there. your timetable is now. You want to Center Erik McCoy is a fixture in the middle of win immediately and that’s your place, the offensive line, but there are question marks all but is that realistic? I don’t know. It’s around him. Expect Jared Hocker, Connor Lanfear, all about the process of putting things Keaton Sutherland and Grayson Reed to all battle for in place because you want to build a snaps at the guard positions. Carson Green, Kellen program the right way up and get kids Diesch and Dan Moore will all compete for time at the to understand and buy in.” tackles. What are the characteristics of a Defensively, the Aggies will be stout in the midJimbo Fisher coached team? Safety Donovan Wilson is a standout on the Aggies’ defense. dle of the D-line. Kingsley Keke, Justin Madubuike, “We have to play with great toughDaylon Mack and Jayden Peevy should give oppos2017, eight on each side of the ball. Unfortunately for ness,” he said. “We have to play with tremendous ing offenses the blues. Defensive end Landis Durham Fisher there is not a proven guy at quarterback. physicality…The success we had at Florida State, returns as the SEC leader in sacks. He will partner Sophomores Kellen Mond and Nick Starkel are that’s how we played. in crime with Tyree Johnson, Michael Clemons and dead even in the QB contest heading into preseason “I also think there has to be a certain level where Ondario Robinson. practice. Fisher has a reputation as a quarterback you have to be able to run the football in this league, Tyrel Dodson, Otaro Alaka and Buddy Johnson groomer and that talent will be immediately put to the and you have to be able to stop the run. You have to are all playmakers at linebacker. test developing these talented but raw candidates. be able to create big plays. You have to be tough and Donovan Wilson and Derrick Tucker are headWhoever wins the QB race will feel secure in skilled.” hunters at safety. Cliff Chattman and Charles Oliver knowing he’s sharing the backfield with running back Fisher should be pleased to find that the cupboard should start at the corners. Trayveon Williams (junior). The Houston native led he inherited is not bare. A&M returns 16 starters from
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Inside LeBron James’ new $8 mil school Defender News Services
Growing up, basketball star LeBron James was classified as an at-risk student. In fact, in the fourth grade, he missed 83 days of school while he and his mother moved from one couch or spare room to the next. He credits mentors, some of whom he met at school, with a turnaround that helped him attend every day of fifth grade — which was also the first year he played organized basketball. Now, 240 third- and fourth-graders will make up the inaugural class at the I Promise School, which opened recently in James’ hometown of Akron, Ohio. The unusual school was formed in collaboration between James’ philanthropic foundation and Akron Public Schools. Its out-of-the-box offerings include a long school day (eight hours), a “support circle” for students after lunch and GED courses and job placement for parents. All are driven by James’ mission to help kids overcome what he faced as a low-income student in Akron. James celebrated the recent opening of his Promise School for at-risk students in Akron. James, who recently left the Cleveland Cavaliers for ent neighborhoods of Akron – so he gave one to every incomthe L.A. Lakers, has won three school plans to add grades ing student. NBA championships and four each year until it houses first “It is about true wrap-around support, true family league MVPs. He called the through eighth grade in 2022. integration and true compassion,” Brandi Davis, I Promise school opening the greatest “It’s not a charter school, principal and Akron native said. moment of his career. it’s not a private school, it’s a Students get one other notable benefit: If they success“Walking these hallways real-life school in my homeLeBron James’ philanthropic foundation and Akron Public fully complete the school program and graduate from high and seeing, when I was drivtown,” James said. “And this Schools have joined forces school, James will cover their full tuition at the local public ing here, just the streets that is pretty cool.” college, University of Akron. I walked, some of the stores Its lengthy school day runs The Akron school district expects to spend a total of $8.1 are still up when I was growing up,” he said. “It’s a moment from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., along with an extended school year that million over the next five years for the I Promise school. I’ll never forget and hopefully the kids, starting with the 240 runs from July through May. During a seven-week summer James’ family foundation will cover the costs of other kids that we have going in here right now, will never forget it, session, the school will provide STEM-based camps. extra school features, and with its partners has already either.” Every day students will receive free breakfast, lunch, contributed $2 million for building upgrades, extra staffThe school selected area students from among those who snacks and drinks. They will have access to a fitness trainer. ing and other needs. trail their peers by a year or two in academic performance. The James says that, as a kid, he used his bicycle to explore differ-
Athletes speak out about Trump attack Defender News Services
President Donald Trump recently took on LeBron James, questioning the intelligence of the Los Angeles Lakers’ star and aiming a dart at him over comparisons to Michael Jordan. Trump’s comment came days after James’s I Promise school opened in Akron, a collaboration between the public schools in his hometown and his charitable foundation. James told CNN’s Don Lemon that Trump has used athletics and athletes to divide the country. Trump then tweeted, “Lebron James was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, Don
Lemon. He made Lebron look smart, which isn’t easy to do.” Trump added, “I like Mike!” Jordan ignored Trump’s praise of him and complimented James. “I support LeBron James,” Jordan said through a spokesperson. “He’s doing an amazing job for his community.” When it comes to political and social activism, athletes of all colors and genders are finding their voice and refusing to remain silent, whether in vocal, physical or social media demonstrations. Golfer Bubba Watson, the two-time Masters champion, shelled out $30,000 for a shoe worn by
James in Game 3 of the 2017 NBA Finals, a game Watson attended. The purchase was part of an auction of 114 pairs of James’s Nike shoes, with the winner getting one and the other going on display at the I Promise school. “I feel like I’m known as a golfer and not a real person sometimes and I just want to do other things that are far more important than playing golf,” Watson said. Bill Russell, the 84-year-old Hall of Famer and a Presidential Medal of Freedom, offered a voice of experience, tweeting that being criticized by Trump is “the biggest compliment you can get.”
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Happening in Houston For event coverage email: events@defendermediagroup.com
topevents
HIP HOP FOR LITERACY……..The Houston Public Library’s Julia Ideson who birthed the bureau idea, Terri Burke (executive Director, ACLU Texas), Building played host to Hip Hop for Literacy featuring legendary MC Slick Rick. Sharon Watkins Jones, Marcia Johnson (URRC director), Congressman The event, which highlighted the city’s love of hip hop, included a live cypher with Al Green, County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, former Congressman Craig local MCs, dance performances, free giveaways and a Q&A session with Slick Washington, Kendall Harris (TSU provost), Luckett Johnson, the Defender’s Rick moderated by Houston Poet Laurate Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton. Hip Hop Aswad Walker, Evelyn Akinyemi, Danny Norris, Algenita Scott Davis, Bishop for Literacy seeks to use the popular music genre to encourage reading in youth D. Kimathi Nelson, Nailah Nelson, Andreience Fields and scores more…….. and adults. Attendees included event organizer Hiawatha ANNUAL HEALTH & BLACK BUSINESS EXPO…….. Henry, Resha Garner (Precision), Lil Jesse, Addixion, The 2nd Annual Health & Black Business Expo, held at the Defender TOP EVENTS Lisa Rayford, Angie Valdez, Nadia Jackson, Yvonnette Igbo Catholic Community Center, honored leaders in health, More photos on defendernetwork.com McLean, Shaun Johnson and many others. ……..SMART fitness and business. The truly health conscious and businessJUSTICE KICK-OFF RECEPTION……..ACLU Texas minded event organized by Ucenna Emenaha featured a guest and Texas Southern University’s Urban Research and appearance by Miss Houston Jizyah Shorts and activities for Resource Center held its Smart Justice Kick-off Reception, marking the beginning the entire family while promoting physical, mental and emotional wellbeing for all. of the Smart Justice Speakers Bureau. Formerly incarcerated persons will participate Attendees included Dr. Cheryl Morgan, Melissa Mohammed, Crystal Wallace, in a 12-wek curriculum designed to certify them as public speakers able to influence Kisha Duquesnay, Latrina Williams, LaShanda Gary, Alexis Moore, Lauren state legislatures, legal and non-legal entities regarding the need for criminal justice Udoh, Kofi Minta, Jamila Clayton, Harmony Phillips, Shyrell Hobson, Crystal reform. Attendees included Anthony Graves, Texas Death Row exoneree #138, Kirby, Karan Green, Rosalind, Sydney and Ingrid Johnson and others.
Galana Scott, Resha Precision Garner
Angie Valdez, Lil Jesse
Sharon Watkins Jones, Marcia Johnson, Congressman Al Green
Crystal Wallace, Uchenna Emenaha, Kisha Duquesnay
Bishop D. Kimathi Nelson, Anthony Graves
Lauren Udoh, Kofi Minta
Slick Rick, Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton
Evelyn Akinyemi, Ivonne Batarse, Rhya Weeks, Bianca Schumake
Jamila Clayton, Shyrell Hobson
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