Houston Defender: October 7, 2021

Save Sheila and Al Democrats fight back to stop GOP redistricting plan to change Congressional districts.

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BUBBA WALLACE

SHARON SAMUELS

The talented Nascar driver makes history with his Cup Series win.

Volume 90, issue 49 October 7, 2021

The new Ensemble Managing Director has big plans for the theater.

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love them, but because they are a barrier between us and the party of full-blown white nationalism.

Whether we can ever get the Democrats to fight for us the way we’ve fought for them is yet to be seen. But we for d*mn sure better be ready and willing to fight for ourselves, educationally, economically, politically and otherwise.

The Root’s writer extraordinaire Michael Harriot recently tweeted, “If the wealthiest Black folks in America teamed up with the biggest stars for a live show online at halftime of the Super Bowl, it would sh*t power & significantly dent the NFL’s ratings. In fact, the only way to prevent that was if someone Aswad Walker convinced those stars to…Oh wait.” “Oh wait” SQUID GAMES SAGE is right. How much longer must we wait for ESPN’s Sage Steele, known for her unapolour people, all of us, to wake up and recognize our power? ogetic anti-Blackness, recently tried to low-key clown Harriot suggested Black big-ballers and shot-callers or- President Barack Obama for proclaiming his Blackness. ganize our own major flex, outside of Pepsi and the NFL, Steele’s reasoning for her confused pettiness? Obama’s fathat would bring premier game to its knees and force them ther wasn’t in the picture when 44 was growing up. Then to reckon with our agenda (justice, equality, etc.). Makes Ms. Black-Adjacent 2021, Ellen Pompeo, came after Densense. But we who weren’t invited to perform during the zel Washington because she refused to accept his Black Super Bowl halftime show have power too. Hell, we saved authority while he directed an episode of Grey’s AnatoDemocracy for this country more than once. Our 1960s my. She then used her Black husband and Black children fight for equality tilted the scales of the US/Russia Cold as shields against charges of white supremacy and white War in America’s favor. Not to mention what we’ve done privilege. A very “Karen” move, by the way. It seems Steele for science, mathematics, music, fashion, the arts, spiritu- is auditioning for Black America’s version of Squid Games ality, etc. So, whether you’re still boycotting the NFL and where you win by tearing down folk who look just like you, standing with Kaepernick or not, we’ve all got to realize while Pompeo’s playing Race Tag, thinking just because the truth of Frederick Douglass’ words, “Power concedes she’s been touched by Blackness that she’s “It” and gets a nothing without a demand.” free pass to be as “Karen” as she wants. FYI Ellen, being boo-ed up with a brother (or sister) doesn’t exorcise white FEAR OF A BLACK PLANET supremacy from your spirit.

In 1990, Public Enemy, the greatest hip hop group in the known (and unknown) universe, released their album “Fear IN THIS WEEK’S DEFENDER of a Black Planet.” The underlying theme of its songs (“Wel- • Get the low-down on the GOP’s low-down move to pit come to the Terrordome,” “911 Is a Joke,” “Fight the Power,” US Reps Sheila Jackson Lee and Al Green against each etc.) was that fear of Black empowerment drove the passing other. of unequal drug sentences (i.e. crack vs. powder cocaine), the • Meet Sharon Samuel, the Ensemble Theatre’s new Manblackening of the prison industrial complex and anti-Blackaging Director. ness from Hollywood to Capitol Hill. And even though PE • The Rockets’ Kevin Porter opens up about mental health promised “Brothers Gonna Work it Out,” over 30 years later struggles. that same fear is alive and well, and seen in attacks on “Critical Race Theory;” in redistricting maps that give more pow- ON THE WEB er to white Texans than people of color who drove the state’s • See why ESPN’s Sage Steele was temporarily removed population growth; and in voter suppression tactics used to from her show hosting duties. create a white minority rule government in a country that’ll • Learn about the call-to-action rally to save and restore be majority Black & Brown in a hot minute. One social critic the 18th and 19th Congressional districts. recently stated, Black people aren’t Democrats because we • Charlamagne takes his talents to late night TV.

October 7, 2021 |

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DN News Pardon recommended for George Floyd 2004 drug arrest Texas Tribune

The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles has recommended that George Floyd receive a posthumous full pardon for the 2004 drug charge he received in Houston.

The 7-0 decision comes five months after Houston public defender Allison Mathis sent in an application for clemency for Floyd, whose 2020 death during an arrest in Minneapolis set off national protests about police violence. Mathis claims that the officer who arrested Floyd in 2004 fabricated evidence in the case.

Gov. Greg Abbott must either approve or reject the state board’s decision.

“We lament the loss of former Houstonian George Floyd and hope that his family finds comfort in Monday’s decision,” Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg wrote in a prepared statement. “We urge Governor Abbott to follow the Board’s recommendation and grant clemency.”

Earlier this year, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder in Floyd’s death and sentenced to 22 years in prison. Video of the arrest showed Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nine minutes even as Floyd said he could not breathe.

Before moving to Minneapolis, Floyd lived for most of his life in Houston.

There, in 2004, he was arrested by former

People gather in front of the George Floyd Memorial. AP

Houston police officer Gerald Goines for selling $10 worth of crack cocaine. Goines has since been indicted for murder and other misconduct charges after he led a “no-knock” raid in 2019 that resulted in the death of Houston couple Dennis Tuttle

and Rhogena Nicholas. Prosecutors have accused Goines of lying to obtain the warrant for the raid.

As a result of the criminal investigation into Goines, his arrest cases were reviewed.

More than 160 of Goines’ convictions have

been dismissed.

“Goines manufactured the existence of confidential informants to bolster his cases against innocent defendants,” Mathis wrote when first petitioning for Floyd’s clemency in April.

New Orleans detective shooting pinned to crime ring bust Defender News Service

Five months after Houston police announced 10 arrests in connection with robberies committed in the Galleria and other affluent areas of the city, the department said they have now identified a total of 24 people as part of the organized ring that targeted high-end property and firearms and, in some cases, left innocent people dead.

HPD recently laid out the details of a crime group it said was responsible for a multitude of crimes during this year, including the murders of an off-duty New Orleans detective and his friend at Grotto restaurant back in August. Three men have been arrested in this case that investigators believe was part of a robbery attempt.

In a breakdown of the people they identified, police said 24 people were among two interdependent crews that worked day and night shifts. Among the 24, 14 of them are in jail for state charges; four are behind bars on federal charges; and two have been charged but are still on the run.

Police declared victory over the massive crime ring.

The two wanted men were identified as Jeremi Haynes, who is charged with capital murder, and Jontrail Myles, who is charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery.

Police noted that seven of the people

accused of crimes as part of the group were out on bond when the crimes took place.

Even still, HPD said the investigation is far from over and more people could be arrested for incidents dating all the way back to early 2020.

The HPD event involved Mayor Sylvester Turner, Chief Troy Finner and ATF Houston, which explained that a significant part of the investigation fell under the joint Houston Crime Gun Strike Force.

According to police, the group is tied to a robbery at CashAmerica pawn shop that led to 24 firearms being stolen.

In all, authorities say the group is responsible for taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in property, including at least one $100,000 watch, as well as the deaths of multiple victims.

Chief Troy Finner gave assurances that the gradual release of information in these crimes was to ensure the integrity of the investigation.

“Sometimes, we have to withhold information when you have investigations going on,” Finner explained. “I’ll never stand before you and say, ‘(I’ll) withhold information for no reason at all.’ I do not want to jeopardize a case, especially with some very dangerous individuals.”

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DN News

Wells Fargo gives $5m to increase homeownership Defender News Service

As the pandemic continues to put a strain on Houstonians, Wells Fargo will bring the NeighborhoodLIFT® program back to Houston for a third time to help more than 300 low- and moderate-income individuals get on a path to homeownership with $15,000 down payment assistance grants.

“Saving for a down payment is one of the biggest barriers to homeownership for many first-time home buyers, and the pandemic has made saving for it even more challenging” said Bill Daley, vice chairman of Wells Fargo Public Affairs. “The LIFT initiative will help put more than 300 Houston families on a pathway toward housing stability and building generational wealth.”

In collaboration with NeighborWorks® America and its network member Avenue, Daley announced the NeighborhoodLIFT® program today in front of the Houston home of Amanda Bridgewater, a single mother who previously received down payment assistance through NeighborhoodLIFT. LIFT programs have created more than 25,000 homeowners

Today’s expansion of the NeighborhoodLIFT program celebrates more than 25,100 homeowners created

through 82 LIFT launches nationwide since 2012. The $5 million commitment from Wells Fargo follows LIFT programs in 2012 and 2019 in Houston, which created more than 700 local homeowners. In addition to $15,000 home down payment assistance grants, the program includes $250,000 for 500 Houstonians to receive homeownership counseling so they can learn how to navigate the home purchasing process and determine how to best budget for ongoing homeownership costs.

Warren Fikes, another recipient of the program, purchased a home through Houston NeighborhoodLIFT in 2019 and learned valuable lessons about homeownership through the program.

“As a first-time homebuyer, learning all the mortgage terms was like learning a different language,” said Fikes.

“Through the program I learned all about the homebuying process and, without LIFT, I may never have been able to buy a home. I’ve recommended the program to a few of my coworkers.”

“We’re ready to help more people like Ms. Bridgewater and Mr. Fikes become homeowners with the support of NeighborhoodLIFT homebuyer education and down payment assistance,” said Mary Lawler, executive director

of Avenue. “Through homeownership, Ms. Bridgwater has been able to provide a safe home that’s close to school for her children, gotten a family dog and avoided the anxiety that can come with rising rental costs. NeighborhoodLIFT is a tremendous program and we are thrilled to have it back in our community for a third time to help people achieve homeownership.”

Applications for down payment assistance begin Nov. 8

Eligible homebuyers must earn 80% or less of family median income in Houston, as determined by the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council. In Houston, the income limit is $63,840 for all borrowers. Participating homebuyers can obtain mortgage financing from any participating NeighborhoodLIFT lender and Avenue will determine eligibility and administer the down payment assistance.

“This important collaboration will assist more than 300 homeowners while maintaining social distancing guidelines via a virtual platform,” said Lisa Hasegawa, regional vice president, western region, NeighborWorks America. “In addition, the required homebuyer education provided by trained professionals will help homebuyers better understand

WELLS FARGO VICE CHAIR BILL DALEY TALKS ABOUT DELAYED FORECLOSURES/EVICTIONS, SMALL BUSINESS HELP AND MORE.

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

Raquelle Lewis appointed to CenterPoint Board CenterPoint Energy, Inc. has announced the appointment of Raquelle W. Lewis to its Board of Directors, making her the first African American female board member.

With more than 25 years of experience in communications, strategic project development, business operations, community outreach, and risk and crisis management in the transportation and infrastructure industries, Lewis has held positions of increasing responsibility over the course of her career. She currently serves as Director, Southeast Texas Communications and Public Information Offices for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), a state government organization that constructs and maintains highway, aviation, rail, and public transportation systems.

As chief Public Information Officer (PIO) for the Houston District, she leads communication planning, strategy and implementation for more than 200 construction projects totaling $5 billion. Lewis also serves as chief spokesperson for TxDOT during severe weather events and other emergencies in Houston and surrounding areas, including supporting strategic planning and crisis and risk management efforts.

Lewis earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a member of several community and civic organizations, including the WTS International, NAACP-Houston Branch, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Black Women of Greater Houston PAC, and Leadership Women, Inc.

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

Laura Whitley named VP of Communications at TDECU TDECU has announced a key staffing addition with the naming of Houston media strategist Laura Whitley to the role of Vice President of Communications for the more than $4B organization. Whitley, who joins the president and CEO Isaac Johnson, is responsible for both internal and external communications for Houston’s largest credit union.

Whitley comes to TDECU following a wide-reaching public relations and journalism career. She leveraged her expertise to serve the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) as a media specialist and spokesperson. During her tenure, she hosted The Next Stop podcast which provides transit news and informaLaura Whitley tion for one of the country’s largest metropolitan areas and developed content which supported the agency’s outreach and expansion, including the region’s largest transit investment to date, METRONext. In addition to her success at METRO, Whitley embraced her entrepreneurial spirit founding Houston-based communications firm Reel Media Solutions in 2009, which positioned her as a go-to field producer for network news programs including Good Morning America, World News Tonight, and 20/20.

Whitley also held reporter and producer roles for several Texas stations.

Whitley earned a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Texas at Austin. She currently serves as Community Service Co-Chair for Jack and Jill of America Inc.’s Houston chapter and is the organization’s immediate past Programming Director, Second Vice President.

VOLUME 90 - NUMBER 49 - OCTOBER 7, 2021 Publisher | CEO Sonceria Messiah-Jiles

ReShonda Tate

Chief Development Officer Emelda Douglas

Associate Editor

Strategic Alllance Clyde Jiles

Education Reporter

Creative Director Michael Grant

Sports

Photographers Jimmie Aggison

Raquelle W. Lewis

Managing Editor

Aswad Walker Laura Onyeneho Terrance Harris Jodie B. Jiles

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DN News Katy ISD bans another Black book

By ReShonda Tate

The Katy Independent School District is at it again – banning a Black book because of its ‘racial’ content. Award-winning children’s author Jerry Craft was scheduled to visit students virtually on Oct. 4 to discuss his books. But 500 Katy ISD parents protested and demanded the visit be canceled, claiming the subject matter promotes critical race theory, so the district quietly canceled the visit and removed the book from all of their libraries.

Craft is the writer and illustrator of “New Kid” and its sequel “Class Act,” about a young Black boy struggling to fit in as one of the few kids of color in a prestigious private school.

Both books are #1 New York Times Bestsellers. Craft is the winner of the 2020 Newberry Medal, the Coretta Scott King Author Award, and the Kirkus Prize. His books focus largely on the culture and lives of modern-day Black preteens and are based on the actual experiences of Craft’s two sons.

Universal Pictures has acquired film rights to New Kid, with LeBron James’ The Spring Hill Company on board to develop and produce.

LET THE PEOPLE BE HEARD. Hear from more people on this issue.

A flyer sent out at the start of the school year touted Craft’s Oct. 4 virtual visit with 3rd through 5th graders at Roosevelt Alexander Elementary school. Last week, parents and guardians received another notice that they could opt their students out of the visit.

More than 30 parents opted out. One of

them, Bonnie Anderson, started a petition calling on the district to cancel the virtual visit and ban the books.

“It is inappropriate instructional material,” said Anderson, a former candidate for Katy ISD school board and a party in a lawsuit against the district’s mask mandate.

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Anderson says the petition garnered 444 signatures before she says it was taken down for violating the Change.org community guidelines.

“They are pointed at white children displaying microaggressions to children of color.

The books don’t come out and say, ‘we want white children to feel like oppressors’, but that is absolutely what they will do,” Anderson said.

Katy ISD says any parent who wants to challenge a library selection, is free to do so.

“Katy ISD library books are routinely reviewed through this process. Pending the outcome of a review committee, school day activities associated with the selection under review are temporarily placed on hold. School activities pertaining to selections under review and hosted outside of the instructional day, however, may continue as a formal review process takes place,” said Laura A. Davis, Media Relations Director at Katy ISD. Davis says students can still read the book, just not as part of the curriculum. Last year, Katy ISD banned “The Hate You Give” by popular author Angie Thomas because it dealt with racism and police brutality.

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DN News

Black and Missing Foundation still searching for thousands of missing people of color

Yasmin Acree

Jamal Basil Abdul Faruq

Malcolm Abbington

Dulce Maria Alavez

NNPA

Natalie and Derrica Wilson

Danielle Nicole Alexander

case [these stories]. Media coverage is important. It could speed up the recovery and add pressure on law enforcement to add resources to these cases, and that’s vital.”

Wilson proclaimed that laws are needed to protect children, particularly victims of sex trafficking. She said she had witnessed young boys and girls arrested after becoming sex trafficking victims.

“They need rehabilitation,” she exclaimed.

Wilson recalled a case in Virginia of a young Black woman who went missing.

“She was too old for an Amber Alert and too young for a Silver Alert,” Wilson stated.

covered that story,” Wilson recalled. “Finally, an assignment editor got tired of me calling and asked me to send Colden’s profile.”

In her interview with Dr. Chavis, which will air on PBS-TV and PBS-World as a special on The Chavis Chronicles, Wilson reflected on how the news media and even law enforcement failed to highlight missing people of color – notably missing Black girls.

“I’m so grateful for the Black Press,” Wilson remarked.

“They have used their platform to show-

Kelly Allen

Breyana Tanee Allen

Ashanti Billie, 19, was kidnapped while heading to work in 2017. Authorities recovered her body 11 days later in North Carolina.

Because she didn’t qualify for either an Amber or Silver alert – which notifies the public about missing children and senior citizens – family and authorities lost precious time.

Virginia has now enacted The Ashanti Alert, which bridges the age gap.

“This needs to be on the national level because so many of our missing are slipping under the radar,” Wilson stated.

HARRIS COUNTY EARLY VOTING OCTOBER 18

First day of Early Voting by personal appearance

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It’s been 13 years since Natalie Wilson and her sister-in-law Derrica Wilson founded the Black and Missing Foundation to help bring attention and closure to the ever-growing number of cases in minority communities.

The estimated number of missing persons is simultaneously incomplete and cringeworthy. One count suggests that of the more than 600,000 individuals currently reported missing, more than 200,000 are individuals of color. Still, the Wilsons forge ahead.

They do so, even 13 years and some success stories later, emotionally.

“We’ve come a long way,” Wilson declared during a recent visit to the new, state-of-theart National Newspaper Publishers Association’s (NNPA) television studios in Washington, D.C. During a conversation with NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., Wilson punctuated the need for the Black and Missing Foundation with the story of Phoenix Colden, a young African American woman who in 2011 went missing near St. Louis, Missouri.

“I called every media outlet, and no one

Leslie Marva Adams

HA

Patrick Kennedy Alford

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DN InFocus

Save Sheila and Al

Democrats fight back to stop GOP redistricting plan to change Congressional districts.

By ReShonda Tate

Since 1994, Sheila Jackson Lee has represented the 18th Congressional District, which includes Third Ward, downtown Houston, the University of Houston and Texas Southern University. Congressman Al Green began in 2005 representing the 9th District, which includes most of southwest Houston, part of Fort Bend County and most of Missouri City.

Now, a GOP plan is looking to shift the dynamics of those majority Black districts and pit the incumbents against each other. But not if some Houstonians have their way.

What’s at stake?

The new GOP proposed district map would basically change who represents 200,000 mostly Black residents. Under the plan, those areas represented by Jackson Lee would shift to the 29th Congressional District, represented by Democratic U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia. Jackson Lee would also lose Sunnyside and the MacGregor area to Green’s 9th District. Meanwhile, Green’s representation of the Texas Medical Center would shift into a redrawn 7th Congressional District now represented by Democrat Lizzie Fletcher.

“I think it’s important to see the massive surgery - the critical surgery - to leave this district not mending, but on life support,” Jackson Lee said during a recent Texas Senate Special Committee on Redistricting hearing on the matter. “With this state having the largest population of African Americans - 3.9 million - you’ve taken us from this region - a heavily populated area from two districts where persons can select a person of their choosing, to one district.”

Green, who along with Jackson Lee are two out of five Black members of the Texas’ 36-person congressional delegation, also pushed for a change before the committee.

“It doesn’t look right for the only two

Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX) (L) speaks during a press conference with Rep. Al Green (D-TX) (R) at the U.S. Capitol. Getty Images

Proposed Texas Congressional Districts Map

Rev. Al Sharpton, founder and president of National Action Network, speaks alongside Rep. Al Green (D-TX) and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) during the March on Washington. Getty Images

Updated: Sept. 27, 2021 Source: Texas Legislative Council

persons in the State of Texas to be running against each other in a Congressional district from the same party to be of African ancestry,” Green said. “The proposed plan has a good deal of the members’ constituents divided between two congressional districts.”

The Republican map would put Jackson Lee’s home in Riverside Terrace into Green’s 9th Congressional District, meaning she would not even be able to vote for herself unless she moved. It would also put Jackson Lee’s main district office for the 18th in Green’s district, forcing her to move it.

Jackson Lee, a former Houston City Council member, is one of the longest-serving

Why the change?

Once every 10 years after the U.S. census, the Texas Legislature is required to redraw all congressional lines to make sure each of the state’s congressional districts are equal in population.

This redistricting process is the state’s first since the Supreme Court in 2013 struck down provisions to protect voters of color from discrimination. For the first time in decades, federal law allows Texas to draw political maps without federal approval to ensure they don’t violate the rights of people of color.

Since the enactment of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, Texas has not made it through

GARY BLEDSOE TALKS ABOUT WHETHER THERE IS AN ATTACK ON BLACKS IN TEXAS. members of Congress from Texas, having first been elected in 1994. Only Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Dallas, has been in Congress longer.

Both Jackson Lee and Green said they were not consulted before the map was released to the public.

“Thirty-eight districts,” Green said, noting the two new congressional districts added to Texas because of population growth, which was fueled by people of color. “(It doesn’t make

sense that) Two African Americans are running against each other in the proposed map.”

The GOP plan brings massive changes to Harris County. The county would still have nine members of Congress, but the district lines would be dramatically altered to improve the re-election chances of current Republicans and create a new congressional seat that appears to have been drafted to ensure another Republican would be elected to Congress.

a single decade without a federal court admonishing it for violating federal protections for voters of color.

State lawmakers can draw maps to provide an advantage to political parties known as gerrymandering - but cannot do so based on racial composition of areas as outlined in the Voting Rights Act. In 2017, a panel of federal judges found state lawmakers violated the Voting Rights Act when drawing certain districts the last time redistricting took place. However, the U.S. Supreme Court - the majority of which is made up of Republican-nominated justices overruled the lower court and upheld the maps except for one Fort Worth Texas House district.

Changing demographics The pitting of the two Black Congress members against each other is compounded by the fact that the proposed new districts underrepresent the growing diversity Texas experienced in the last 10 years.

According to the 2020 Census, more than 95% of the state’s almost four million new residents were Black, Hispanic, Asian and other non-White Texans.

Additionally, the new population data revealed the state’s White and Hispanic population was at a near-even split, at 39.7% and 39.3% of the total population, respectively. The Black population also grew to 11.8%.

However, the Congressional map has more than 60% of its districts in which white Texans have the largest population share, versus only 34% for Hispanic Texans and 5% for Black Texans.

State Sen. Joan Huffman, who leads the chamber’s redistricting committee, said the maps comply with the Voting Rights Act, adding that she did not look at racial data when drawing this map.

“As proposed, both [Jackson Lee’s district and Green’s district] comply with the Voting Rights Act,” Huffman said. “I want to reiterate that I welcome alternate proposals before we vote on this plan.”

What now?

Among those challenging the proposed plan is State Sen. Borris Miles.

“The changes to the Ninth District remove some of the most diverse and fastest growing communities in Fort Bend County, communities with a proven record of supporting the candidates of choice of Black voters. The proposed plan would add a number of new precincts from the City of Pearland in Brazoria County - a community with a history of opposing candidates supported by Black voters,” Miles said.

Miles is one of the state lawmakers discussing an amendment with Huffman to fix the issues with the boundaries for Jackson Lee and Green.

“We thought this would be important enough to our community that this committee hear from our Congressional members - our Congressional delegation - on how the proposed map would affect our community from a historical factor, as well as an economic factor in the communities of [Jackson Lee’s district] and [Green’s district],” Miles said during the hearing.

He added, “The map makes radical and unneeded changes to the two local congressional districts that include the majority of Black voters in Harris and Fort Bend counties.

These changes have been made with no input from the sitting members, nor their constituent populations. No other member of the large Texas delegation is so severely impacted by the

Gary Bledsoe

Borris Miles

proposed map. We also note that for the first time since Barbara Jordan took the 18th District seat in January, 1973, the iconic Fifth Ward and Third Ward constituencies have been placed in separate districts with no input from these communities.”

Both members of Congress said it was important to make these fixes in order to allow for Black voters to continue voting for members of their choice.

Once the Texas House and Senate pass their own chamber’s political boundaries on the floor, state lawmakers say it is unlikely there will be major changes to prevent the chambers from making drastic changes to the other chamber’s map out of retaliation.

“It’s really shocking that the state would do this for a number of reasons. Number one, it’s overtly an anti-Black action by the Senate leadership that has tendered this map. It’s really mind-boggling that they would seek to destroy historical districts,” said Gary Bledsoe, president of the Texas NAACP and the attorney for Jackson Lee and Green. “The last time we had to litigate these issues, they did the exact same thing where they perform major surgery on two districts that did not need major surgery.

They were near the optimum size as they are now. And they took out the important economic engines as they did this time. And they split communities of interest last time as they did this time. And the courts rejected that, and the courts held both the 9th and the 18th were historical African-American opportunity seats, which means they’re protected by the Voting Rights Act.” Bledsoe says they will fight to change the trajectory of this legislation.

“They pack the 18th and put an unnecessary number of Latinos in the district when what they should be doing is creating another Latino district to accommodate the Latino growth.

What they’re saying is we’re not going to give you a white seat. We’re going to give you a Black seat down the road. They’re trying to pit people against each other. It was just a really horrible map. And it’s very ugly and what they did to the 9th and the 18th is just shocking and appalling.”

Bledsoe and Miles say the community should join the fight.

“The community should write letters to share with Huffman on the Senate side and share that with your Congress person,” Bledsoe said.

TO SHARE YOUR OPINION, EMAIL STATE SEN. JOAN HUFFMAN AT JOAN.HUFFMAN@ SENATE.TEXAS.GOV OR CALL 512-463-0639.

10 | October 7, 2021 |

DEFENDER NETWORK

DN Education

Sharing learning resources

Local experts offer parents tools for in school and virtual classes

By Laura Onyeneho

Back to school season is in full effect and it came with many unpredictable changes.

The COVID-19 pandemic quickly changed the dynamics of many families including the role parents and guardians play in the academic success of their children.

They had to juggle the difficult task of taking responsibility for the children’s learning process while taking care of the home. Students learned to work independently all while experimenting with various online technologies to ensure communication between students and teachers.

When the Texas Education Agency reported that Texas had a number of students fail the STAAR exam earlier this year, many Houston area schools opened their doors for in-person learning to make up for the significant decline in student performance during the pandemic.

With the rise of the Delta-variant COVID-19 cases, many parents are still on the fence about sending their children back. Luckily, there are a few Houston-area ISDs (Katy, Humble, Conroe and Fort Bend) willing to offer virtual learning options even if the state doesn’t fund it. That would mean that parents need better strategies to keep their children engaged.

According to a study from the National Center of Biotechnology Information, a parent’s involvement in a child’s early education is consistently founded to be positively associated with a child’s academic performance. It also states that children whose parents are involved in their education have higher levels of academic performance than those involved to a lesser degree.

The Defender spoke to education experts to give parents tips on how they can help their children succeed in the classroom or remotely. that can help to close these gaps.

• K12reader.com (Reading instruction resource) • Math-drills.com (Free math worksheets) • Brainpop.com (Animated educational website for kids)

do over time. It’s a good source of expertise to help parents…support [their] children emotionally. There are online tools and guides. If you go to the US Department of Education, they have a whole section just on parenting and supporting kids from an educational standpoint during this time. They talk about different

practical tips, and resources you can go to. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also has information on how parents should guide themselves in terms of preparing them for school, engaging the school system especially if your kid has special health care needs or any kind of chronic conditions.

CLASSIFIED The HARRIS CENTER for Mental Health and IDD (formerly known as MENTAL HEALTH MENTAL RETARDATION AUTHORITY OF HARRIS COUNTY) will be accepting Request for Qualification for the following:

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES: ARCHITECTURAL, PLANNING, ENGINEERING, ELECTRICAL, PLUMBING, MECHANICAL (HVAC), & ENVIRONMENTAL (ABATEMENT AND MOLD REMOVAL) Specifications may be secured from The HARRIS CENTER, Purchasing Services located at 9401 SW Freeway, Houston, Texas 77074; telephone (713) 970-7116, The HARRIS CENTER website www.theharriscenter.org or the Electronic State Business Daily Site https://portal.cpa.state.tx.us/ beginning Monday, October 11, 2021. A Non-Mandatory Pre-Proposal Conference will be held on Monday, October 18, 2021, at 1:00p.m. via Lifesize (call in by phone: 1-877-422-8614, Meeting ID 10799689#). Deadline for prospective vendors to submit questions to this RFQ is Thursday, October 21, 2021. RFQ responses must be submitted to Purchasing Services, 9401 SW Freeway, Houston, Texas 77074 by 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, November 2, 2021, in a sealed envelope marked “RFQ - DO NOT OPEN UNTIL – TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2021, PROFESSIONAL SERVICES”. Any questions pertaining to this solicitation should be addressed in writing to James Blunt, CPM, Buyer II and Sharon Brauner, C.P.M., Purchasing Manager, via E-mail to james.blunt@theharriscenter.org cc: sharon.brauner@theharriscenter.org or fax at (713) 970-7682. Historically Underutilized Businesses, including Minority-Owned Businesses and Women-Owned 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.

Jamal Robinson

Jamal Robinson

2nd grade teacher Houston Independent School District

We have to engage our kids back to reading and learning beyond technology.

A lot of our kids are suffering because they haven’t used school books. Parents aren’t taking enough time out of their day to read to them. There isn’t enough structure or reinforcement that the children can benefit from outside of the classroom. They need to improve their critical thinking skills and their ability to think independently without depending on the internet for answers. Learning has to be deeper than basic memorization.

It’s important to monitor what children are doing online when they are at home and to make sure time management is enforced so that they aren’t playing games during study time. There are so many types of digital programs and resources

MORE PARENT FRIENDLY ACADEMIC TOOLS.

Dr. Jean Leclerc Raphael

Dr. Jean Leclerc Raphael

Physician, Sickle Cell Program: Texas Children’s Hematology Center

I would start with the schools. You have multiple resources there. You have the teachers for your child to get a sense of how your child is doing in general and then you can get strategies from their teachers about things that they seem to think work. Another place parents should go is their doctor [your pediatrician], because your pediatrician is seeing all of these kids and thinking about the child’s well-being and development and how they

The HARRIS CENTER for Mental Health and IDD (formerly known as MENTAL HEALTH MENTAL RETARDATION AUTHORITY OF HARRIS COUNTY) will be accepting proposals for the following:

FACILITY SPECIALTY SERVICE PROVIDERS: Painting, Flooring, Door Hardware/Locksmith, Paving/Striping, Doors, Fence Installation/Repair, Restoration/Waterproofing, Glazing, Roofing and General Contractor Specifications may be secured from The HARRIS CENTER, Purchasing Services located at 9401 SW Freeway, Houston, Texas 77074; telephone (713) 970-7281, The HARRIS CENTER website www.theharriscenter. org or the Electronic State Business Daily Site https://portal.cpa.state.tx.us/ beginning Tuesday, October 12, 2021. A Non-Mandatory Pre-Proposal Conference will be held on Tuesday, October 19, 2021 at 1:00p.m. via Microsoft TEAMS. Email for an invite. Deadline for prospective vendors to submit questions to this RFP is Tuesday, October 26, 2021. Proposals must be submitted to Purchasing Services, 9401 SW Freeway, Houston, Texas 77074 by 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, November 10, 2021 in a sealed envelope marked “PROPOSAL - DO NOT OPEN UNTIL – WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2021, FACILITY SPECIALTY SERVICE PROVIDERS”.

Any questions pertaining to this solicitation should be addressed in writing to Frances Otto, CTCD, Buyer II and Sharon Brauner, C.P.M., Purchasing Manager, via E-mail to frances.otto@theharriscenter.org cc: sharon.brauner@theharriscenter.org or fax at (713) 970-7682. Historically Underutilized Businesses, including Minority-Owned Businesses and Women-Owned 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.

October 7, 2021 |

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DEFENDER NETWORK

DN Feature

PVAMU Healthy Houston Initiative launches new mobile kitchen

H OUSTON,

PVAMU new mobile kitchen fights food insecurity

By Laura Onyeneho

Houston is known for its amazing culinary history and never-ending list of mouth-watering food and delicacies. But there is another side to the city’s food spectrum. With so many options to choose from, it makes it quite difficult to eat healthy especially in the communities impacted by the challenges of food insecurity.

Communities with limited options for healthy food access face challenges purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables because of low-income, high costs of produce, poverty and lack of time and resources for meal preparation. Often times, many low-income and food insecure households rely on fast-food because consumers can get a lot of food for a low price.

Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) launched a new plan to address the issue.

PVAMU’s Healthy Houston Initiative (a joint effort of the university’s colleges of Agriculture and Human Sciences, Nursing, Juvenile and Business) recently revealed its new mobile kitchen unit that travels around selected communities to address health disparities and promote a holistic approach to healthy lifestyle.

Nkemdilim The Defender Anyasinti: Projspoke with Nkem- ect Coordinator, dilim Anyasinti, the PVAMU’s Healthy program coordina- Houston Initiative tor of PVAMU’s Healthy Houston Initiative, to discuss what it provides to the city and its impact on families.

Defender: What was the idea behind launching this Mobile Kitchen for the community?

Anyasinti: Healthy Houston, we’re an ini-

tiative that started underneath the cooperative extension program at Prairie View. The cooperative extension has been serving the limited resource communities in Harris County since 1970s. We’re big on nutrition education, addressing the food insecurities, the health disparities that are associated with not having

access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Something that we do as a unit is our nutrition education and live food demonstrations. We partner with a lot of the schools, community centers, churches, anywhere we can go to implement it. With the mobile kitchen unit we can meet residents where they’re at. We’ll bring a kitchen to the streets.

Defender: Where does this initiative get its healthy food options?

Anyasinti: We rely on the grocery stores,

like HEB and Kroger, but we are an advocate for farmer’s markets. We want to also encourage agricultural literacy and food production literacy and that’s through our community garden programming. These communities may not necessarily have the access to fresh fruits and vegetables and so that’s something we want to help with already established organizations in the community. For example, in one of the communities that we serve they have a fresh produce market collaboration with local gas stations. If we can just be a resource for an aid to spreading that information to the community, then that’s what we’re here to do. More specifically for our classes we can go to the local farmer’s market. We can go to an HEB or a Kroger’s and that’s where we primarily get our foods to distribute the education classes.

Defender: Give us an example or an overview of what the mobile kitchen looks like.

Anyasinti: It’s an eight-by-24-foot trailer.

It’s fully wrapped in the Prairie View, Healthy Houston purple and gold logos on the outside.

And then on the inside, we have an industrial-size refrigerator. We have stainless steel countertops, three sinks, a convection oven and a gas stove, as well. We have a deep freezer in there. It’s the size of a restaurant kitchen, all compacted into a trailer truck.

Read more on the upcoming community programs the mobile kitchen will host this month.

TH E REVOLUT ION WI L L BE ELECT RIFIED P R E P RODUCTI ON MOD EL SH OWN .

F-1 5 0 L I G HT NI N G AVAI LAB LE STARTI N G SP R I N G 2022 WWW. FOR D.COM/ELECTR I C

BUILT FOR AMERICA

12 | October 7, 2021 |

DEFENDER NETWORK

DN Feature

Road to the Altar

Doyin Fashakin talks COVID-19 and the future of the wedding industry

By Laura Onyeneho

The wedding industry has had its share of unprecedented challenges since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many engaged couples have faced the difficult decision to postponed or downsize their weddings. Millions of Americans unexpectedly became unemployed, putting a financial constraint on funding a wedding, while some viewed the pandemic as a means to reevaluate their priorities.

More than a year into the pandemic, it’s unclear when or if life will ever return back to normal. But Doyin Fashakin, owner and CEO of Doyin Fash Events, says the pandemic is opening other avenues for wedding planners to create memorable experiences for their clients.

Nigeria native Fashakin, is an internationally renowned event planner and runs a luxury bridal consultancy and events company in Houston. She specializes in weddings and the production and management of corporate events. Her clientele ranges from the likes of Fortune 500 companies to celebrity NBA and NFL players. For more than a decade, this project manager-turned-entrepreneur has devoted her passion to giving back to others in the community by providing event planning workshops teaching the ins and outs of the industry.

The Defender spoke with Fashakin to discuss how her rise in the event planning industry, the pandemic’s impact on wedding ceremonies and what couples should consider when planning for their big day.

When did you enter the world of wedding planning and why?

Wedding planning started for me as a hobby. I grew up in Nigeria. My parents did a lot of gathering at home. As the first daughter, there were certain expectations to take on domestic responsibilities. I welcomed all the guests, helped the caterers, set up all the rooms and fed the guests. Fast forward, I went to school in Atlanta and continued to host events because I enjoyed it. I would call my friends over and they would compliment me on how organized and color-coordinated my gatherings were and a few of them asked me to plan their baby showers, and bridal showers. And it grew. I got married and moved to Houston in 2005. I joined a church and took part in their planning committee and members of the church started to inquire about me. From there, I decided it was time for me to start charging people.

I was a project manager and financial analyst at the time. I stayed at my job for a few more years, while doing event planning as

Multicultural white wedding of Houston couple Tchana (left) and Chinelo (right). Photo Credit: Doyin Fash Events

a side hustle. In 2011, I decided to focus on this full-time and leave my 9-5. I’ve had many challenges, but it’s been a fruitful journey.

CEO/Founder Doyin Fash Events, Doyin Fashakin

What makes Houston stand out in the wedding industry compared to your time in Atlanta?

I plan a lot of African weddings and events. I think Houston has more weddings. Sometimes you have about 20 African or Nigeran weddings going on in one weekend. The market here is bigger in Houston than in Atlanta. The market here is saturated. There are more vendors here and it’s more diverse, which makes it more cost-effective. Atlanta has vendors, but not as many as in Houston, so prices are higher in Atlanta. As a planner in Houston, you will be busy.

Wedding planning is a lucrative and competitive business. What are key factors to having a thriving business?

When I went into the industry, I wanted to set myself apart. I did my research to see what the problems were in my community so I could be the solution. I started out

serving the Nigerian community. One of the problems I saw was that during fusion weddings (mixed culture weddings) usually, the weddings were one-sided. Both cultures were not represented. I would attend weddings and observe that one side wasn’t happy. That’s why it’s important for me to not only understand the needs of my couples but their families as well. The timely factor was also another problem. People are used to coming to African weddings and having started very late. I saw there was a lack of structure and organization. At my weddings, everyone is in sync and on the same page.

How has the wedding planning industry changed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic?

A lot has changed in the wedding industry since the pandemic began. We are seeing smaller weddings. Also, people are using live-streaming and Zoom to their ceremonies, so that way you can have 500 attend your wedding [virtually], but have a few guests attend physically. The wedding industry has gone digital. Before the pandemic, you would meet with clients and vendors physically. Now, these meetings are hosted through Zoom. It saves time, except of course you have to visit the venues to review the mocks-ups for decorations and design. The budgets are very different now,

close to doubling. People are spending about 50% more. The costs have gone up. Vendors are being charged extra for importing products and rentals internationally. There are more protocols during events, social distancing, and requests for temperature checks, COVID-19 testing, and vaccines for guests.

How have you pivoted in the pandemic?

Before COVID started, there was already a plan to turn my company digital because I had clients that were out of town and it was impossible to meet with them all the time. So, I used Zoom frequently. I invested in a CRM system to make things seamless for me. My contracts and everything I did were digital. When the pandemic started, I was prepared. I had to get more training to learn the various software to help transition my business digitally. I had to train my team to make sure they are safe during in-person events. Most importantly, my team is learning how to be more empathetic. This is a difficult time for everyone, especially for the families who we serve.

Laura Onyeneho covers the city’s education system as it relates to Black children for the Defender Network as a Report For America Corps member. Email her at laura@defendernetwork.com

October 7, 2021 |

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DEFENDER NETWORK

DN Sports

Bubba Wallace celebrates after being pronounced the winner while waiting out a rain delay before which he was the leader in a NASCAR Cup series auto race. AP Photo/John Amis

MILESTONE FOR BUBBA WALLACE AS HE EARNS 1ST NASCAR VICTORY Associated Press

The hard part wasn’t dodging his way around a crash and then driving to the front of the field at Talladega Superspeedway. That was just instinct for Bubba Wallace.

The challenge was the 45 minutes after Wallace took the lead, when the sky opened and he anxiously sat in the rain — hoping, wishing, praying — that NASCAR would call off the rescheduled race and declare him the winner.

With a crowd gathered behind his pit stand chanting its support — one man told his 6-year-old son, clad in a Wallace shirt and jumping up and down along the fence, that he was “witnessing history” — NASCAR pulled the plug and Wallace became just the second Black driver to win a race at the Cup Series level.

“Got some credibility to my name now,”

said Wallace, a first-time Cup winner in his 143 starts. “I’m just like, ‘Finally, I’m a winner and I’m a winner in the Cup level,’ and it’s just like ‘Hell yeah!’ It was a huge weight lifted off my shoulders.”

This was so much more than just a first win.

Wallace is the first Black driver to win at the top level of the elite stock car series since Wendell Scott in 1963, a race where he wasn’t declared the victor for several months. NASCAR at last presented Scott’s family with his trophy from that race two months ago.

“You can’t swim standing on the Bank!!,” tweeted Warrick Scott Sr., who is Scott’s grandson. “RIP Wendell Scott. Congratulations “PaPa was there the whole time chilling in the rain.”

The Wallace victory earned praise from rapper Big Sean, the University of Ten-

nessee football team and Bill Lester, a Black driver who raced intermittently in NASCAR from 1999 through a Trucks Series start this season, among others.

“Finally, it’s official, you’ve done it!”

Lester posted. “So proud of you and what you’ve accomplished. Your win moves the @NASCAR needle forward on so many fronts. Glad I was a witness.”

The race was spotlighted on NBC’s “Nightly News” at the top of the broadcast, illustrating how culturally important Wallace’s win was for NASCAR, a predominately white sport with deep Southern roots and a longtime embrace of Confederate symbols.

As much as Wallace wanted the moment to be solely about his first career win, he couldn’t ignore the significance.

“It’s definitely been tough going to some of the tracks this year, we get some of the

most boos now,” Wallace said. “Everybody says as long as they’re making noise that’s fine, but you know, I get booed for different reasons and that’s the tough thing to swallow. I appreciate all those who were there doing the rain dance with us, pulling for us, supporting me my whole career, but especially those who have supported me with everything that’s gone on the last 15-16 months.”

UP NEXT

The final race in the second round of the playoffs is at The Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The hybrid road course/oval is where the field of 12 will be trimmed to eight. Chase Elliott is the two-time defending race winner at The Roval. His victory last October was his first of three wins in the final five races that lofted Elliott to his first Cup championship.

14 | October 7, 2021 |

DEFENDER NETWORK

DN Sports Prairie View freshman goalkeeper and George Ranch High School product Medinat Lawal came up with four saves for the Panthers’ women’s soccer team during a 4-1 win over defending SWAC champion Alabama State.

Texas Southern senior receiver Ke’Lenn Davis caught five passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns during the Tigers’ 69-0 win over North American University.

Sports Briefs TSU ends long losing drought

The Texas Southern football team ended a 36-month losing drought and gave third-year Clarence McKinney coach Clarence McKinney his first win on the football field with the 69-0 win over North American University during Homecoming. “It just does something to your psyche when you lose week to week,” McKinney said. “When you get that win it does something to your psyche, as well. It allows you to have a sense of confidence and play with a level of confidence going into the next week.”

PV in first place

The Prairie View Panthers were picked in the preseason to finish fourth Eric in the SWAC Dooley Western Division, but they find themselves sitting alone in first place of the division with a 4-1 overall and 3-0 league record after recording wins over Grambling and ArkansasPine Bluff in back-to-back games. The Panthers have a bye-week this weekend before resuming SWAC play at Bethune-Cookman on Oct. 16.

Astros AL West champs -- again

Dusty Baker and the Astros have clinched another American League Dusty West title. The Baker Astros have won the AL West 4 out of the last 5 years. The playoffs began this week.

Houston Rockets’ Kevin Porter Jr. poses for a photograph during an NBA basketball media day Monday, Sept. 27, 2021, in Houston. AP Photo/David J. Phillip

HOUSTON ROCKETS KEVIN PORTER SHARES MENTAL HEALTH STRUGGLES

By Terrance Harris

Rockets second-year guard Kevin Porter, Jr., perhaps unintentionally, entered into the all-important conversation about athletes and mental health when he met with local media recently.

Porter, who was traded from Cleveland to Houston last January, simply mentioned that joining the Rockets saved his life. Here he found what he describes as fresh air.

“I needed a new scenery from where I was at and they picked me up when I was down,” Porter said.

The budding young star admits that at times it’s been a struggle finding that good place between playing the sport he loves and dealing with troubling thoughts and feelings. Porter isn’t the first athlete to come out and deal with mental health publicly.

Cavaliers forward Kevin Love was one of the biggest names to come out a couple of years ago about his struggles with mental health and then tennis star Naomi Osaka opened up about her struggles, along with former NFL receiver Brandon Marshall, gymnast Simone Biles and women’s basketball player DiDi Richards – both Houstonians. The list goes on.

What was once a taboo conversation to have, has become much more acceptable and respected. Porter openly talked about his struggles and his triggers.

The former first-round pick of the Cavaliers, says being in Cleveland, especially during the winter months, was a struggle for him.

But in Houston, he has found more conducive weather, not to mention a support structure that includes long-time NBA coach

John Lucas and a head coach in Stephen Silas, whose specialty is connecting with his players not just in basketball but in life.

“Just to balance everything out and not be over eager when it’s game time because that’s when it’s at it’s worst, when I’m thinking about the game every day, all night, can’t sleep because I’m waiting to play, too anxious. And that’s when I’m at my worse,” Porter said.

“I try to balance it … conversations like that is what helps me. He is here 24/7, so I know I have him one call away.”

As he did with several of his players this offseason, Silas made a point of connecting with Porter this offseason and just spent time with the third-year pro, talking more about life than X’s and O’s.

“It’s very organic,” Silas said. “It’s spending time on the floor, and with him or any other player as they are walking off the floor, having conversations, connecting off the floor, whether it’s dinner, come to the office and let’s hang out for a few hours or minutes. This summer, he was around a lot. We spent a lot of time together.”

Porter said as a kid growing up in Seattle, basketball was the escape that helped him deal with life in an imperfect world.

“I would say my upbringing is different. So, basketball is kind of an escape,” said Porter. “When I was in Cleveland I couldn’t really use it as an escape because that was kind of my most depression.

Coming here was like a 180 for me. So basketball, I can enjoy it again. I can enjoy the weather out here because it’s not as cold.

And you just feel the different energy being in Houston and being a part of this family.

“That being said, I couldn’t grow without this move.”

October 7, 2021 |

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DEFENDER NETWORK

DN Sports FB MARSHALL WIDE RECEIVER

CHRIS MARSHALL A SCARY COMPETITOR

By Jodie B. Jiles

Before Fort Bend Marshall High School senior wide receiver Chris Marshall’s junior season, recruits had him pegged as a highly talented basketball recruit. But after a COVID pandemic offseason where Chris found 7-on-7 games with track friends as the best way to get his work in, Marshall has progressed into one of the premiere high school wide receivers in the 2022 class.

Marshall’s competitiveness is on another level when going after leaping catches. Standing at an athletic 6’4” 200lbs., Marshall is also a real threat in the open field, breaking tackles and muscling his way to score. Once Marshall develops his route running to an elite level, watch out because he has the hands and will to make it happen.

When Fort Bend Marshall head football coach James Williams was asked what makes Chris such a talent, Williams stated, “He is a playmaker and that is the great thing about him. He is a competitor whether it is in practice or in the game he goes 100 mph.”

“He makes big plays and opens things up for everybody else too, where you have to pay attention to him. He does a great job for us and makes a lot of big plays,” William continued.

The Defender chopped it up with Chris Marshall postgame to discuss his style of play, move to football, keys to success and more.

STYLE OF PLAY “Physical and competitive. I am always willing to compete every play.”

LOVE OF THE GAME “That just comes with me being competitive. I am in love with what I am doing and I am not going to do it if I don’t love it.”

ABOUT CHRIS MARSHALL Instagram: @chhris.m Players He Studies: Stefon Diggs, Devante Adams, Keenan Allen Favorite Musicians: NBA Youngboy Favorite Food: Nachos and pasta Shoutouts: “Long live my uncle Dan. Long live Unc and free J Green.”

MOVE TO FOOTBALL “What inspired the move was really Devon Achane. Just coming out there and playing 7-on-7 during the COVID pandemic. Going out there and playing football made me find a love for it, you know what I mean. And football comes kind of easy for me.”

JUMPBALL SCENARIOS (LEAPING CATCHES) “That’s just me basically competing and making a play. If the ball gets thrown your way as a receiver you are supposed to make a play, and that is what I was taught. So, anytime it comes my way I have to make a play.”

KEYS TO SUCCESS “Staying focused, taking it week-by-week, game-by-game and going in there killing it.”

WHEATLEY PLAYMAKERS HARRIS JR. AND EVANS GET IT DONE

By Jodie B. Jiles

Wheatley High School senior wide receiver converted quarterback Kevin Harris Jr. and wide receiver/ safety Dante Evans have the Wheatley Wildcats back over .500 with a 45-37 victory over Jack Yates High School in the annual Battle of the Wards Classic.

In the game, Harris and Evans connected for three touchdowns in the first half, giving Wheatley a commanding 33-7 lead at halftime. Then, after Yates rallied

back in the second half, Harris’ legs took the game over with an amazing “Any Given Sunday” flip into the endzone for a game clinching touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

The Defender spoke with Harris and Evans after the Classic to discuss their playing styles, keys to success against Yates and more.

For Full Article, Photo Gallery and Battle of the Wards Highlights Visit: www.defendernetwork.com

16 | October 7, 2021 |

DEFENDER NETWORK

DN Spotlight Introducing the new Ensemble Managing Director

Sharon Samuel The iconic Ensemble Theatre has a new managing director, Sharon Samuel. Recognizing that she is taking the baton of leadership from a Houston legend, Janette Cosley, Samuel is more than ready to build her own legacy of Ensemble leadership.

The Defender recently spoke with Houston native Samuel about who she is and her vision for the Ensemble moving forward.

myself with other people, but with my own strengths and recognizing the skillsets that I bring. And I know that we’ve got a lot of work to do, especially coming out of a pandemic. And I say coming out because we’re still in it. But I’ve got a lot of aspirations for myself as I continue to help this organization preserve African-American artistic expression and bring it to the masses.

DEFENDER: Do you look at your role as filling the shoes of a Houston legend (Janette Cosley)?

SAMUEL: I would definitely say that

DEFENDER: I read that you had a relationship with the Ensemble before being named the managing director.

SAMUEL: I did. You can almost say that

I have some rather large shoes to feel. My predecessor, Ms. Janette Cosley, did a wonderful job of being a great steward of this organization. One thing that I’ve grown up doing, however, is not really measuring myself against other people, but measuring myself against myself. I think that as we continue to evolve as people, we know what our strengths are, but we also know what our weaknesses are, and sometimes we can be our own worst critics. So, I try not to align

I’m homegrown in this role. I have had an affiliation with the Ensemble Theatre for a number of years prior. I am a Season Subscriber. I am a volunteer. I moved on to other roles within the organization through board leadership. And so, I have

assisted on their annual golf tournament which supports the Young Performance Program. I also filled roles as the assistant treasurer and have helped the organization in a number of capacities prior to now.

DEFENDER: What are some of your goals, either personal or corporate, for this upcoming year or upcoming years?

SAMUEL: Top of mind is shepherding

the organization onto a national stage with the assistance of our board of directors and Eileen Morris, our artistic director. And protecting and preserving the culture heritage of this great institution. Because we are a treasure and we should be known and recognize that’s that treasure nationally. Also, I would say the second thing would be connecting with our audiences and our community and ensuring that they have an enhanced customer experience. And that can be shown in a multitude of ways.

It can be shown in our offerings.

It could be shown in how we

present ourselves to them. And I think one of the key things that we’ll be looking at this year, and I’m very excited to be leading the charge in this, is in the creation of a mobile application. Finding people and being with people where they are and whenever they want to be connected with us.

DEFENDER: How can the community help you in your efforts?

SAMUEL: For quite some time, we’ve

always had this slogan that says “The Ensemble Theatre, the E stands for everyone.”

And we ask that everyone tells someone else about the treasure that we are. Word of mouth plays such a huge role in people coming to see us and coming to know us outside of traditional means of getting in front of audiences. But I think that that is the most realistic and also the truest way to show someone that you value an experience, is by you telling your own story about that experience. And then someone jumping on the bandwagon and saying, I want that experience too.

Check out Sharon Samuel’s goals and what excites her most about the upcoming Ensemble season