Houston Defender: June 20, 2010

June 20 – 26, 2010 | FREE

Volume 79 Number 34

www.defendernetwork.com

Keeping Juneteenth relevant By ReShonda Tate Billingsley DEFENDER

On June 19th, people all over the country will gather in picnics, parades and other activities in celebration of Juneteenth, the day Black slaves in Texas finally found out they were free. But three decades after Juneteenth was declared an official state holiday, some question its relevance, while others remain committed to keeping it relevant. “A lot of people think that because this is 2010, that we’re so far past slavery, that we don’t have to make mention of it, or pay any attention to the history of Juneteenth,” said Rev. Ronald V. Meyers, chairman of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation. “It is still very relevant today and it is up to our community to keep the real meaning of Juneteenth alive and well.” Ronald V. Meyers Remembering the past While President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862, it would be two and a half years later, on June 19, 1865, before slaves in Texas would know that they’d been freed. That’s when Union soldiers sailed into Galveston, Texas, announcing the end

By Aswad Walker DEFENDER

F

or many, today’s hostile anti-President Obama rants from members of the far right is nothing new. In fact, the “Take back our America” battle cry of the Republican Party, Tea Party Movement and Right-wing militia groups that symbolizes their opposition to any and all President Obama-led initiatives, is eerily reminiscent of a time when political, legal and social gains earned by African Americans were summarily stripped away—post-Reconstruction America. Though some view the comparison of the racial and ★TEA PARTY, Page 3

★JUNETEENTH Page 4 NEWS ANALYSIS

Lessons learned from Davis’ run for Alabama Governor By George E. Curry SPECIAL TO THE NNPA FROM THEDEFENDERSONLINE.COM

WASHINGTON (NNPA) - True to expectations, Artur Davis’ quest to become the first Black governor of Alabama made history. But, contrary to expectations, Davis’ stunning defeat provides a sharp – yes, historic – example not only of the cost of political arrogance, but also the underscoring for all candidates, and the national Democratic Party estabArtur lishment, the sophistication and power of the Black electorate. That’s a vitally important lesson that Blacks beyond Alabama’s borders should

heed as the 2010 election season heats up. The way Davis ran his campaign was a direct challenge to the efficacy of the Black vote everywhere. After being the only Black member of Congress to vote against national health care reform legislation and refusing to seek the endorsement of Alabama’s four key Black political organizations, Davis became the first AfricanAmerican campaigning statewide in Alabama to fail to win a majority of the Black vote. Davis African-Americans there joined the parade of White voters who overwhelmingly rejected his pri-

Racial money divide widens

ATTENTION!

SPECIAL TO THE NNPA FROM THE LOUISIANA WEEKLY

We’ve moved!

The Defender Media Group, which includes our website, www.defendernetwork.com, the Defender newspaper, and the Defender magazine, has moved to The Power Center, 12401 S. Post Oak St., Suite 223, Houston, TX 77045. Our phone number is the same and we’re excited about launching a new chapter in Defender history and our efforts to engage the community. Stay tuned for details!

(NNPA) - The wealth gap between white and African-American families increased more than four times between 1984-2007, and middleincome white households now own far more wealth than high-income African Americans, according to a recently released analysis by the Institute on Assets and Social Policy (IASP) at Brandeis University. IASP, in a research brief, also reported that many African-Americans hold more debt than assets and at least 25 percent of African-American families had no assets to turn to in times of economic hardship. The fourfold increase in the wealth gap, it said, reflects public policies, such as tax cuts on investment income and inheritances,

★GOVERNOR, Page 7

★MONEY, Page 11

INTERVIEW

Al B. Sure, Omarosa find love? By Kam Williams CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Albert Joseph Brown, III was born in Boston, Massachusetts on June 4, 1968 but raised in Mount Vernon, New York where he was the star quarterback on the high school football team. Still, he turned down a full scholarship to the University of Iowa to pursue his love of music under the alias Al B. Sure! In 1987, he was tapped by Quincy Jones as the winner of a Sony Records talent search and found fame while still in his teens with the spectacular debut album “In Effect Mode,” featuring numerous hits, including such instant R&B classics as “Rescue Me” and “Nite and Day.” Known for the velvety-falsetto on his romantic love songs, Al released other solo CDs while collaborating on duets with everyone from Diana Ross to David Bowie to Al Green over the course of a recording and producing career, which has thus far netted the charismatic crooner numerous Grammy nominations as well as Soul Train and American Music Awards for Best New Artist. Currently, he is one of a dozen

bachelors competing for the affections of Omarosa on “The Ultimate Merger,” a new reality series sponsored by Donald Trump. Here, Al talks about his life and about what it was like to be on the show, which is set to premiere on TV One on Thursday, June 17th at 9 PM. Kam Williams: Hey, Al, thanks for the time. Al B. Sure: Don’t worry about it. How’re you doing today? KW: Very well, thanks. How did Donald Trump interest you in competing for the affections of a controversial sister voted the #1 reality show villain of all time by the readers of TV Guide? ABS: I’ve known Mr. Trump since he hosted, I think, it was my 21st birthday party on his yacht years ago. He’s an amazing guy. And I’ve also known Omarosa for a few years. She’s always been just a really sweet and kind person, very different from what viewers see on television. I’ve always admired her because she’s such a smart go-getter, so we’ve always been friends. KW: Yeah, the first time I met her, I was struck both by how striking-

Click on Defendernetwork.com Weekend

Weekend

Monday

Harry Alford

Black & White

George Curry

2016 Olympics

Marriages Drastically Increasing?

Interracial Marriages: Blacks are the Last Choice of Other Groups

★AL B SURE, Page 2

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JUNE 20 – 26, 2010 | DEFENDER

Al B. Sure

continued from page 1 ly beautiful she is in person and by how different she is from the monster she’s been edited to look like on The Apprentice. ABS: Exactly! KW: But if you already know her, why go on a reality show to date her? ABS: It’s a cultural concession, too, the new media. I can’t live in the past. Part of this new media is this reality forum. So something you’d ordinarily do in private, you end up doing in public for all the world to see. Then it becomes much more interesting, especially how TV One has cast a great group of guys to compete for the prize, this very dynamic woman. What’s better than that? It makes for a very positive show. KW: I told my readers I’d be interviewing you, and the most common response I got from them was something like, “He’s more famous than Omarosa. Is this just a publicity stunt?” One even said, “Ask him, are you out of your mind?” given her reputation for being difficult. ABS: [Laughs] I received feedback like that myself. But like I said, I know the real Omarosa. She’s a friend, a dynamic woman, and a good person. I’ve been approached to do so many reality shows that I’ve turned down over the years. But being that this was Donald Trump, TV One and Omarosa, I thought this would be great. And you never know what might happen. KW: Did you enjoy the whole reality show process? ABS: Absolutely! KW: Even being cooped up in a suite with 11 other guys? ABS: Not that part so much, because I’m a bit of a loner, even though they were great guys, and we established a brotherhood over the course of this journey. And still, in the back of everybody’s head was the competition. But we did our best to keep it as positive as possible. KW: No spitting on each other, like the contestants on Flavor of Love? ABS: No, no spitting on each other, but we did challenge each other intellectually any time we bickered. KW: Weren’t the other contestants shocked and intimidated when they learned they’d be competing against Al B. Sure? ABS: To be very candid with you, their biggest surprise was when they came to realize

Omarosa is looking for love in her new reality show, "The Ultimate Merger," airing on TVOne. that I was so down to earth, and that my door was always open to anybody who needed to talk. Despite the competition, I’m going to be your brother first. I have to be that way, because God has blessed me with the vehicle of music, the experience of life, and the spirit of discernment. So, of course, I feel responsible to share my gifts. KW: And how was it to look at Omarosa romantically for the first time, instead of as a friend? ABS: You know what? She’s a very, very sexy woman. What more can I say? And sexy to me is not just the physical. I’m 42 now, so when you can sit down and have an incredible conversation with me, that’s the biggest turnon, not the tightest jeans. KW: If you weren’t an entertainer, what line of work would you have pursued? ABS: I would probably have been an attorney or played football in the NFL, which was my initial dream. I love football to this day. KW: What music are you working on now. ABS: Currently, I’m pitching a production of my own television show. I can’t reveal exactly what it is, but I’ll be talking about it very soon. I also have a website, http://www.albsure.net, and I’m hosting Slow Jams, the #1 morning radio show. You can find a link to it on my website. I’m on seven days a week from five to 10 AM playing everyone from Beyonce’ to Marvin Gaye. Besides that, my latest album is called Honey, I’m Home. I’m trying to bring the romance back to music. Old school music is meant to be a part of your blood stream, and if it doesn’t affect

your bloodstream, then you may as well put it back in the shoebox underneath the bed. My godfather, Quincy Jones, taught me that the melody comes from God, and it is what it is. At the end of the day, what you put into something is what you get out of it. KW: In the event you succeed in your quest to woo Omarosa, how do you think your kids will react to having her as their wicked stepmother? ABS: [Chuckles] That’s not nice. I won’t answer that one. KW: Is this a show business move or an affair of the heart? I think you already answered that. ABS: [LOL] I love these questions. They’re funny. KW: What were your feelings while watching the MTV Sweet Sixteen segment that featured your son and Sean Combs? ABS: I’m not going to comment about that. I don’t discuss my family with the press; I discuss my family with my family. If you notice, when you hear something sensational in the press about me, I don’t respond to it publicly, because a lot of things are put out there simply for the attention. Things that are meaningful, you don’t need to talk about. KW: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would? ABS: Yeah, how are you doing, Al? People, for the most part, forget to say, how are you? How do you feel today? It as if we’re robots or machines. I’m a human being just like you are. And I hurt and love just like everybody else, and people tend to forget that. I think I’m one of the friendliest celebrities around, because I’ll

stop to talk to anybody who recognizes me. I don’t have a negative bone in my body. That’s why I could care less about any gossip. It doesn’t interest me. I’d rather sit down and write a song. KW: When was the last time you had a good laugh? ABS: With you just a minute ago. [Laughs] KW: What are you listening to on your iPod? ABS: The last thing I listened to was a gospel duet by Fred Hammond and Brian McKnight called “When Will I See You Again.” It is an emotional song that really makes you sit down and reflect. KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see? ABS: I see a gentleman getting a little older and a little wiser. KW: What is your favorite dish to cook? ABS: I enjoy preparing salmon. KW: What in life means the most to you? ABS: Right now, caring for my mother, who’s been diagnosed with cancer. She’s an ordained minister and my best friend. And watching her go through this process with the chemotherapy and everything has created more strength within me as a man. We’re going to beat it together. Don’t let anyone tell you God is good. Chicken is good. God is amazing! KW: What is your earliest childhood memory? ABS: I was just having a conversation about that with my mother. I can remember way back in the day when my mother managed a dental office on Grand Concourse in the Bronx. I remember Phil Jackson, who was playing for the Knicks at the time, coming in for an appointment and bouncing me on his knee in the waiting room. He looked about nine feet tall to me. KW: How do you get through the tough times? ABS: Prayer and encouraging words change things. We’re all human. We all go through stuff. The hardest part about being a celebrity is having to heal on a public stage. That’s the worst. Imagine going through a scandal, or a divorce, or a death in the family, and running into fans on the street. Because of where my heart is, my instinct is to put my sadness aside, and give them a smile or a hug, no matter how bad I’m feeling. And the appreciation of fans can refuel your spiritual tank in those situations. But until you’re famous, people don’t realize how difficult that is. ★AL B. SURE Page 11

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JUNE 20 – 26, 2010 | DEFENDER

Tea Party

continued from page 1 political dynamics of the late 1800s to today as a stretch, others are issuing a call to action to ensure that African Americans are not once again left unprotected by America’s governmental agencies and thus recipients of decades of government sanctioned violence, oppression and under-development. The years immediately following the Civil War are known as the Reconstruction Era (1865-1877), the period when the southern states were governed by their northern cousins as the Union worked to repair its breach. Three amendments to the U.S. Constitution, the 13th, 14th and 15th, were adopted during this period, giving to African Americans on paper full citizenship, due process and equal protection under the law, the right to hold political office and the right to vote. It was during this period that the first wave of African Americans was elected to state and national offices. This fact, coupled with the presence of Union troops in southern cities, led many southern whites to conclude that African Americans were taking over, inspiring their call to “take back our America.” With the Compromise of 1877, take back America they did. As Union troops were removed from the south, the legal and military protections necessary to safeguard African American gains and protect them from the violent reprisals of angered southern whites, were removed. It was during this period that the Klu Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups were founded or re-organized for this very purpose. Recently, more and more social analysts have begun drawing parallels between post-Reconstruction America and post-2008 presidential election America. The similarities cited include African Americans being perceived as having greater political power than whites, a call to “take back our country,” declaring African American elected officials unfit, viewing the federal government as the

Photo: washingtonindependent.com

According to the Washington Independent, the photo of Robertson and his misspelled N-word sign turned up, after the ResistNet listserv promoted “Liberty Concerts” sponsored by Robertson’s group TeaParty.org. He carried the sign reading, “Congress = Slaveowner, Taxpayer = Niggar” at a tea party rally held in Houston on Feb. 27, 2009.

enemy, and using the most cuttingedge media of the day to promote the idea that “Black rule” signals the end of civilization. Additional similarities include the use of violence or its threat by angry whites to run the party viewed as sympathetic to African Americans (then, Republicans) out of office and to assist the conservative party of the day (then, Democrats) in regaining political power. With the meteoric rise of the Tea Party Movement, violence against Democrats after the passing of the healthcare reform bill, politicians cele-

brating the Confederacy while downplaying or ignoring slavery, the political victory of Tea Party endorsed Kentucky Republican senate candidate Rand Paul, and his comments agreeing with businesses having the right to refuse service to customers based on race, the evidence seems to be mounting that current times are as racially volatile as they were in the late 1800s. Texas Southern University history professor Dr. Kerry Wintz, however, disagrees. “First, we’ve got to start with the

fact that the times are so diametrically opposite that making comparisons are dangerous,” stated Wintz. “During Reconstruction the southern states were ruled by Washington because of their rebellion. There was real concern that without controls over what the South was doing they would regroup and rebel again, and slavery would be re-established in another form.” Wintz believes erroneous stereotypes about Reconstruction and its aftermath are the cause of people tying that past with the present. “It’s important to note that the only Black political leadership during Reconstruction was in the South, not the North. The reason for the 15th Amendment was because of the North’s reluctance to allow Blacks to vote. Just as important is the fact that Black politicians had their own agenda which focused on civil rights and free education. The stereotype was that they were pawns of corrupt Northern and Southern politicians, but that wasn’t true. The tendency in history is to view Blacks as people upon whom events were enacted rather than as actors making things happen. But they were very active,” added Wintz. The rhetoric during Reconstruction, according to Wintz, was that the evils of society came from Carpetbaggers (northern businessmen), Scallywags (southerners who “betrayed” the South by voting Republican), and Blacks. These run parallel to today’s targets of conservative ire—Wall Street CEOs, moderate Republicans who betrayed their more conservative counterparts by voting for healthcare, and African Americans in general, and President Obama in particular. Still, Wintz holds fast to the position that parallels between post-Reconstruction and present-day America are generally superficial. Dr. Jawanza Eric Clark, a professor at Spelman College, agrees with Wintz, to a point. “A comparison of the times is something of a stretch,” said Clark. “I see the general hostility towards the government, and yes it’s motivated by whites feeling they are losing their country to minorities, but it’s not just

about Blacks as we see with their angst over the issue of immigration in Arizona.” Clark also does not believe the Tea Party and their sympathizers are as numerous as their post-Reconstruction counterparts. “While there is a sense that they have momentum, they are certainly not the majority. Their animus is similar but their power is nowhere near what it was then.” Clark does not believe the Tea Party deserves all the press it receives. However, Dr. Franklin Jones, political science professor at TSU, argues the coverage they do receive should focus more on what he believes to be its central message. “Oftentimes, there’s an over-analysis from the perspective of whites feeling challenged and wanting to reassert themselves as a power group, but during Reconstruction Blacks were never in control; whites losing power never happened,” said Jones, who believes the issue then and now is one of white supremacy. “Reconstruction saw poor whites being dominated by white elites. That same distribution of power still exists today. The poor white group has never challenged where the real power lies; they rally against scapegoats, a list that has increased from Blacks to Hispanics to women.” Jones sees proponents of white supremacy associating themselves with Tea Party Groups and others to make an anti-government claim that does not affect the distribution of power in this country. “The similarity between postReconstruction and today is the continued opposition of those groups who operate from the basic vantage point of white supremacy challenging anything they see as a threat to that position. The difference we see is in the Black community. Our response to this has changed from an absolute struggle to gain participation in the political system to a point where more Blacks feel they have arrived and don’t need to struggle; where they feel they should look for ways to best use the political system for their personal ★TEA PARTY, Page 9

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JUNE 20 – 26, 2010 | DEFENDER

Juneteenth

continued from page 1 of the Civil War, and reading aloud a general order freeing the quarter-million slaves residing in the state. It’s likely that none of them had any idea that they had actually been freed more than two years before. It was truly a day of mass emancipation and has since become known as Juneteenth. For many, Juneteenth has been a day of celebration, a de facto second Independence Day commemorating the end of slavery and a first step toward inclusion in the greater American dream. “It’s a bittersweet holiday, but it’s also a time of celebration and a time of reflection, healing, and hopefully a time for the country to come together and deal with its slave legacy,” says Meyers, who has worked tirelessly to get Juneteenth recognized by state legislatures. Currently, a little more than half of U.S. states acknowledge Juneteenth in some form or another, usually on the third Saturday of June. In Texas, Rep. Al Edwards managed to get state officials to approve the holiday in 1979, making it the only state to recognize Juneteenth as a legal holiday until recently. Focused on the future Part of keeping Juneteenth relevant, Meyers says, is keeping the tradition alive – no matter where you are. “The tradition has already spread to bordering Southern states, such as Arkansas and Louisiana, as migrating African Americans fanned out from Texas. It reached as far as California — where San Francisco has held one of the nation’s largest Juneteenth celebrations for the last five-plus decades — and Minnesota, where Minneapolis boasts a large festival.” Edwards is one of many who have been working to make Juneteenth a national holiday. In years past, President Barack Obama has co-sponsored legislation to make Juneteenth a national holiday. In recognizing the history of American freedom, advocates say, Juneteenth is as deserving of recognition as Independence Day. “We may have gotten there in different ways and at different times,” says Meyers, referring to Blacks and whites, “but you can’t really celebrate freedom in America by just going with the Fourth of July. We’ll continue to urge President Obama and members of Congress to

Courtesy Austin History Center, Austin Public Library

Juneteenth Committee, East Woods Park, Austin, Texas, June 19, 1900. not only acknowledge Juneteenth Independence Day as a national day of observance, but also to continue to work to bring healing and reconciliation from the legacy of slavery.” What you can do While the political battle to recognize Juneteenth continues, individuals can make a personal commitment to keeping the holiday relevant. “From their own homes to their workplace to their community organizations, each African-American should make it their business to make the holiday more than a good time,” Meyers said. “Sometimes, keeping our stories relevant requires a personal commitment.” That personal commitment is how Mamie Gaines keeps Juneteenth alive. “I grew up celebrating Juneteenth every year,” Gaines said. “Then when I left home and joined the military I found that not as many peers either celebrated it or knew about it. With each passing year I thought about it less and less. Nonetheless, I thought of it and its relevance in my life. Now I have a child and with the significance of having a Black president, I’ve been given a teaching opportunity. If we chose to spend the day in the mall—and we won’t—then at least we are free to do that. And I take every opportunity to tell her why

we are free. She will most likely do the same when she has children. At 10, she has seen all of Roots. Now, the celebrations are for those who otherwise may not sit around the dinner table discussing Nat Turner and the likes. For those whose parents have forgotten.” Gaines says she hopes parents will take the first step in rekindling the love for our ancestry. “This year, we are going to an event in Washington DC. They (events) are out there or start one of your own. Teach the children. Remind each other. One last thing. I work in the museum of American history and although the halls are rich with Black history, I can literally count the number of black families that visit each day on one hand. Hopefully, the parents are teaching at home.” Below are some suggestions to personally keep the holiday relevant. At work ■ Decorate a conference room, lobby or workspace with a Juneteenth theme to acknowledge the day’s celebration. Bring the group together for refreshments and an explanation of Juneteenth. ■ An extended celebration could include artifacts, dance, skits, etc. The event should be celebratory, festive and in honor of African American history. Present coworkers with Juneteenth buttons, t-shirts,

etc and encourage them to wear them the remainder of the day. ■ Challenge co-workers to present African American facts, de-bunk myths and stereotypes... ■ Discuss company diversity initiatives and ensure employees that race and gender will never be barriers to their progress within the company. ■ Bring in a guest speaker. ■ Make this an important date on the corporate calendar. In the community ■ Host a community Juneteenth Flag Raising. Invite school bands, elected officials, business and civic leaders to participate. ■ Encourage your libraries, post offices, city hall to host Juneteenth displays. ■ Encourage your neighborhood to decorate and display Juneteenth yard signs and banners. ■ Rally local organizations to unite and collaborate on a special event in honor of Juneteenth. (Public discussion, outdoor concert, etc.) ■ Organize neighborhood block parties and invite elected officials and guest speakers to attend. ■ Identify individuals to receive community service awards. At home ■ Plan a special meal and gather the family together to acknowledge Juneteenth. Decorate the table with a Juneteenth theme and discuss what the celebration means today. Emphasize the mandates of responsibility and striving to be the best you can be. Make specific pledges for the remainder of the year and ask for support in accomplishing your goals. ■ Encourage your neighborhood to display Juneteenth yard signs. ■ Plan a special gathering with friends to acknowledge Juneteenth. Exchange facts or quotes from history. Discern how certain significant and historical events have impacted your life today. Make it a point to thank those who have helped open doors for you to achieve. ■ Take some personal time to reflect...then look forward. Make a wish. Make a plan. Write it down.

SPORTS

JUNE 20 – 26, 2010 | DEFENDER

5

Max Edison

on Sports

Come On Vince By now anyone that reads this column on even a semiregular basis knows I’m a big Vince Young guy. From Madison, to Texas and now with the Titans, I’m down with VY. I thought the Texans should have drafted him and I cringe whenever the Texans play the Titans and Vince is in the game because I know what he’s capable of. That being said, the only person who can shut down Vince is Vince himself! By now most of you have heard about VY’s escapades at a Dallas strip club last weekend. Young was caught on video tape punching a guy who displayed the hook’em sign, upside down. Unfortunately this event happened around 3:30 am. In the words of one of my best friends, “when does it all end”! Come on Vince, we’re pulling for you in a big way. You’re already one of the greatest athletes that the city of Houston has ever produced, but it’s becoming increasingly hard to defend such immature behavior. You’ve got to know that you’re the face of the NFL’s Tennessee Titans franchise. Just as importantly you’re the face of what we produce athletically in Houston, Texas. Just like Beyonce, Yolanda Adams, Brian Courtney Wilson, Michael Bourn, Roland Martin and countless others, you represent who Houston is in 2010! You have put your die-hard fans in a precarious position. As the talk shows and blogs rant that you’re stupid, immature and lack the ultimate intelligence it takes to lead a ★EDISON, Page 6

Architects rendering of the all new Robertson stadium

University of Houston Athletics Preparing for the Future By Max Edison DEFENDER

T

he winds of change are blowing through the college football ranks with hurricane force intensity. Rumors of major universities changing conferences, severing traditional rivalries and creating would-be super conferences are dominating the sports pages and talk shows. The reason for all the commotion, you guessed it, the almighty dollar. Millions of dollars in television revenues are at stake and every school wants their share. On Cullen, the University of Houston Cougars name has not been connected with any of the rumors of schools changing their affiliations, but they realize they must stay abreast with the times in order to stay competitive in this changing landscape. To that end, the University recently unveiled

plans for a new on-campus football stadium and major renovations for Hofheinz Pavilion. Cougar athletic director Mack Rhoades, who arrived in town after an award winning stint as AD at the University of Akron, is no stranger to stadium construction. While at Akron he completed construction of a $61.6 million oncampus stadium. Rhoades feels these renovations send a clear message to the college sports gods as well as supporters of the program that they are a viable program. “This is an exciting time to be a part of Houston Athletics, and our plans for a new Robertson Stadium and renovated Hofheinz Pavilion send a clear message about the University’s commitment to Athletics,” Rhoades said. “This is a bold step taken by the University, and, with the loyal support of Cougar fans and the entire city of Houston, we will turn these plans into reality.”

Rhoades felt it was important that the new improvements were easily accessible to the student body. “I think the student body is such a huge part of any type of college environment, particularly football and basketball. For them to be there, I think they set the tone. I want our students to know they are critical to our success as an athletics program,” Rhoades shared. Of course the new facilities are just the attraction the Cougars need to attract prospective student athletes. “It helps in terms of recruiting, when we’re out recruiting prospective student-athletes showing them the first-class quality facilities they’ll be able to compete in,” Rhoades shared. New Football Stadium With an estimated cost of $120 million, the ★U OF H ATHLETICS, Page 6

Darrell Ardison

on H.S. Sports

C.C. Carroll Conquers Klein, Clements for title By Darrell K. Ardison

Former Houston area standout high school baseball players dominated the University Interscholastic League’s All-Century Team. As part of its Centennial Celebration, the UIL recently announced the All-Century teams as selected by fans. More than 4,300 votes were cast by fans for their favorite baseball players in Texas high school history. Alvin’s Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens of Spring Woods High School were selected as first-team pitchers. Washington Nationals’ first baseman Adam Dunn, who belted his 14th home run of the season to support Stephen Strasburg’s second career major league victory over Cleveland (9-4), was named the first-team catcher out of New Caney. Houston Astros’ first baseman Lance Berkman was also named to the first team out of New Braunfels Canyon. Berkman went on to star collegiately at Rice University before becoming an all-star for the Astros. Bellaire second baseman Chuck Knoblauch was also a first-team selection. Knoblauch was a Major League baseball star with the Minnesota Twins and New York Yankees. Joining Ryan, Clemens, Dunn, Berkman and Knoblauch on the UIL first team were outfielders Carl Crawford of Houston Jeff ★ARDISON, Page 6

DEFENDER

ROUND ROCK – Timing is everything in the making of a champion. Two Houston area schools learned that lesson the hard way in the Class 5A state high school baseball tournament hosted by Dell Diamond. In both cases, Corpus Christi Carroll played the role of teacher while No. 1 nationally-ranked Klein and upstart Clements served as unwilling students. Carroll head coach Lee Yeager said the scouting report on his championship game-starting pitcher Courtney Hawkins was that if the sophomore right-hander didn’t get his breaking pitches over the plate, you could sit on his fastball. On the 140th pitch that Hawkins offered in 90 degree-plus heat, Klein third baseman Evan Rutter got his fastball and squared it up, sending a rocket into the left-center field gap with Carroll centerfielder Mark Blackmar in hot pursuit. Yet the timing for Klein’s improbable seventh-inning comeback wasn’t quite right. Blackmar, the winning pitcher a day earlier in Carroll’s comefrom-behind 4-3 victory over Clements, ran Rutter’s ball down and left his feet to make a lunging catch to end the game and preserve Carroll’s first state championship in any sport. The 5-2 Carroll victory helped the 37-7 Tigers succeed where Corpus Christi Calallen fell short in the 4A state title game against Brenham (2-1). “On the pitch before that, we

Klein Forest accepting the runnerup trophy.

had gone into a no doubles prevent defense because we were trying to prevent the potential tying run from getting into scoring position,” Yeager said. “Mark was playing a little deeper than he would have normally been playing. That might have been the difference.” Had Rutter’s drive eluded Blackmar’s glove, Klein would have been in position to rally for the victory. Blackmar said he had one thing in mind once the ball came off the bat. “I knew he hit it well and all I wanted to do was to get close to it before it hit the wall,” he said. “I knew if it didn’t hit the wall that I had a chance at catching it,”

Blackmar said. “The ball had a lot of backspin on it and held up in the air. I was lucky to get there.” Hawkins, who was named the game’s most valuable player after scattering 10 hits, striking out six and only walking one in a complete-game performance, had his own perspective of Blackmar’s game-ending play. “I knew Mark wanted it more than anyone else on our team,” Hawkins said. “He’s a senior and he wanted to go out a champion. He’s been making plays for me like that all season. When he made the catch, I said to myself, ‘that’s my boy.’” The Bearkats (33-7) trailed 5-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, but mounted a

comeback attempt on consecutive singles by Ryan Van Marter and Aaron Smith. Rob Tasin’s RBI sacrifice fly drove in Van Marter to narrow the Bearkats’ deficit to three runs. Eric Fisher followed with a single to put runner’s on first and third and set the stage for Rutter. On the eighth pitch of the at-bat, Rutter tagged a Hawkins fastball and Blackmar caught it, setting off a wild dogpile celebration in the outfield. “They (Klein) kept waiting for Courtney to miss with his offspeed pitches so they could gear up for his fastball,” Yeager said. “But he kept pounding the strike ★HIGH SCHOOL, Page 6

SPORTS

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U of H Athelitics continued from page 5

new football stadium will be built on the current site of Robertson Stadium. While the new facility will hold 40,000 fans initially, design plans easily accommodate expansion to more than 50,000 in the future. The new stadium also will offer modern premium seating opportunities, including 22 luxury suites, 200 loge box seats and club seating for 650. The East Side Stadium Complex will house a Hall of Fame, locker room facilities, academic/meeting spaces and sports medicine accommodations. Football head coach Kevin Sumlin sees a direct correlation between his football team’s development and the development of the Cougar athletic department. “It’s really exciting. It says a lot about our administration. It puts us in the best position to be successful. Where we are right now is certainly not where we’re going. Kind of like our team, we’ve accomplished a few things but we haven’t accomplished what we want to accomplish,” Sumlin said. Hofheinz Pavilion Proposed plans allow for the storied home of the men’s and women’s basketball teams for the past four decades to remain

the Cougars’ home venue while updating the facility with the latest game experience amenities. The arena will house two new practice courts, office suites for the men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball programs, team academic/video rooms and space for sports medicine and sports performance. The renovations, which are expected to cost approximately $40 million, will put fans closer to the action with 250 floor seats and 100 loge box seats. Newly hired men’s basketball head coach James Dickey is well aware of the rich basketball tradition of Hofheinz Pavilion and is pleased that the new plans incorporate that history. “I think Hofheinz is a great venue. It has a lot of tradition and history. I think that’s one of the things that’s great about the thought process of this project is that you preserve the history,” Dickey explained. Combined, the projects will cost approximately $160 million and give the Athletics Department some of the nation’s most impressive home facilities. The estimated construction time for the new football facility, which would be at the existing Robertson Stadium site, would be 18 months. The key now is convincing friends and alums of the university to contribute the necessary funds to make the

vision a reality. Count CBS Sports host and Cougar alum Jim Nantz as an impressed supporter of the athletic vision. “I love the direction for the whole university,” Nantz opined “I love what Dr. Renu Khator is doing. I’m very excited about what she’s brought to us. For her to bring on Mack Rhoades as our athletic director there’s some very good synergy and some big things happening for our city’s university. It’s been kind of an unpolished gem, the university. It’s time we shine a light on it, let the country realize that this is going to be something we all can be very proud to call our own in the city of Houston.” Nantz feels with all the changes going on in college football, the Cougars have positioned themselves perfectly for the future. “Houston makes sense. They’ve been sitting dormant in Conference USA for a while. They’ve got a commitment to excellence. They’ve got the right people in place — the president, the athletic director. They’ve got a plan for the facilities. They’ve got a rich history that’s as good as anybody’s. And they’ve got a city that’s one of the greatest cities in the world. Why wouldn’t you want to add that if you’re going to expand?”

Ardison

High School

Davis High School and Astros right fielder Hunter Pence, who prepped at Arlington High School. Astros’ center fielder Michael Bourn was a second-team honoree. Bourn went to high school at Aldine Nimitz before playing his college ball at the University of Houston. Spring’s Josh Beckett, now on the disabled list for the Boston Red Sox, was also named to the second team. David Clyde, a former high school phenom, who went directly to the Texas Rangers out of Spring Branch Westchester High School, was a third-team selection. Former Astros shortstop Craig Reynolds made the third team. Other notables on the UIL All-Century teams included MLB Hall of Famer Ernie Banks (Dallas Washington High School) on the first team along with first baseman Don Baylor (Austin High School) on the second team with Spike Owen (Cleburne). Keith Moreland (Dallas Turner), Willie Upshaw (Blanco) and Scott Podsednik (West High School) were named to the third team.

zone. He kept us in a position to win this game.” Ranked No. 1 nationally by Baseball America Magazine, the loss ended an impressive run for the Klein Bearkats. After missing the playoffs in 2009, Klein won a district title and won nine of 10 playoff games to win the school’s first regional title since 2001. Klein won a state baseball championship in 1998. Carroll ended Clements’ championship hopes in a heart-breaking fashion in the state semifinals. The Rangers (33-8) led 3-1 going into the bottom of the seventh inning when disaster struck. Jason Franco and Chris Cano reached base on back-to-back singles. Following a sacrifice bunt, both runners moved into scoring position. Then Clements starting

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JUNE 20 – 26, 2010 | DEFENDER

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PUBLIC NOTICE

Harris County Community Services Department, Office of Transit Services As required by Section 49 Code of Federal Regulations Park 26,the Harris County Community Services Department, Office of Transit Services (HCCSD) has determined a proposed overall goal of three (3)% for the participation of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE’s) in its contracts for financial assistance provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT): The proposed goals and their rationale are available for review between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday at 8410 Lantern Point Drive, Houston, Texas 77054 and online at www.harriscountytransit.com. This information will be available for inspection for 30 days from publication date. HCCSD and the DOT (through the Federal Transit Administration) will accept written comments on the goals 45 days from publication date. Written comments can be directed to the agencies below: HCCSD Attn: Mr. Dwight Wolf (DBECO) 8410 Lantern Point Drive, Houston, Texas 77054 The Federal Transit Administration, 819 Taylor Street, Room 8A36 Fort Worth, Texas 76102

BID OR PROPOSAL NOTICE FOR New Pre-Engineered Building for Grady Middle School

Houston Independent School District (HISD) Morganti Texas Inc., as Construction Manager-at-Risk for HISD, in accordance with Texas Education Code Section 44.038, will receive bids or proposals from subcontractors to build a new Pre-engineered building for Grady Middle School. The work includes construction of a 9,500 sq. ft. pre-engineered building (Gym). Bids or proposals are due no later than 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 30, 2010, at the offices of Morganti Texas, Inc., 350 N. Sam Houston Pkwy. E., Suite 121, Houston,Texas 77060, phone 281-448-1015, fax 281-448-8416 attention: Fred Hennies or Macon Macicek. The plans and specifications will be available beginning Monday, June 14, 2010, and may be obtained from A & E The Graphics Complex, 4325 Richmond Ave, Houston, TX 77027, (713) 621-0022 or www.aecomplex.com, upon refundable deposit of $100.00 for each set of printed plans and specifications. Documents in pdf format are also available from A&E on disk for a deposit of $50.00. Deposit checks should be made payable to HISD. Requests for access to online documents and any questions regarding documents are to be addressed to Morganti Texas Inc., 350 N. Sam Houston Pkwy. E., Suite 121, Houston,Texas 77060, phone 281-448-1015, fax 281448-8416 attention: Fred Hennies or Macon Macicek. M/WBE documents as described below will be received until 4:00 p.m. on the due date.There will be no public opening of bids or proposals. All bids or proposals shall be available after award of contract or the 7th day after final selection of bids or proposals, whichever is later. After receipt of bids or proposals, Morganti Texas, Inc. will conduct its evaluation of the subcontractor bids or proposals in relation to the project requirements and will select the bid(s) or proposal(s) that offers the best value to HISD. Morganti Texas Inc. is committed to meeting the M/WBE goals set for this project. M/WBE forms, schedules and statements, as required by the package documents, shall accompany each bid or proposal that is submitted. BIDS OR PROPOSALS SUBMITTED WITHOUT ALL REQUIRED INFORMATION AND IN THE MANNER SPECIFIED WILL BE CONSIDERED NONRESPONSIVE. A pre-bid/proposal conference will be held at 10 a.m., Tuesday, June 22, 2010, Grady Middle School, 5215 San Felipe St., Houston, TX 77056. For additional information regarding this project, please contact Mr. Macon Macicek, at 281-448-1015, or mmacicek@morganti.com. Drawings and Specifications may be reviewed at: Morganti Texas, Inc., 350 N. Sam Houston Pkwy. E., Suite 121, Houston,Texas 77060, phone 281-448-1015, fax 281-448-8416 and the following Houston locations: Associated General Contractors, 3825 Dacoma Street, (713) 843-3700 McGraw Hill Construction Dodge Plan Room, 10106 Hempstead Rd., Ste.110, (713) 316 9411 Associated Builders & Contractors, 3910 Kirby, #131, (713) 523-6222 Revive Houston Plan Room, Roland W. Smith Bldg., Rm. 122, 5555 Community College Dr, Houston 77013, (281) 704-9269

Advertise in the Defender

continued from page 5 professional team to greatness, all your fans can utter is it’s racial. Well actually it isn’t. Donavan McNabb, Jason Campbell, Tarvarias Jackson, David Garrard, Seneca Wallace and even Michael Vick, to name a few have all been able to stay out of the negative spotlight. We need you to join them. Let’s not even mention the white QB’s. With the exception of Pittburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger, you don’t hear a negative peep out of Peyton or Eli, Matt Schaub, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Tony Romo, Mark Sanchez, Joe Flacco, none of them! I know you owned up to your “mistake, it’s only a misdemeanor assault charge and you weren’t even arrested, but it sets a bad precedent. You’re a 25 year old Black guy with millions of dollars in his pocket and obviously way too much free time on his hands. There’s a lot of people out there who are not going to be happy for your success and they won’t mind telling you. You can’t let that faze you. Control the environment you put yourself in. Nothing positive is going to happen for you at a strip club at 3:30 am; for that matter even driving on the freeway at that hour. VY, lots of folks think last year was a fluke for you, personally I don’t. I think it’s just the beginning of what you’re capable of. Now as the old folks would say “sit yourself down somewhere” and just concentrate on building a positive legacy both on and off the field.

Meanwhile, Brenham pitcher Brian Hethcoat faced showed that desire and resolve Carroll’s Adam Hinojosa with is a winning combination in the the game in the balance. 4A title game. Hinojosa crushed a two-run Making their state-record double to right-center field that 15th state-tournament appeartied the game at 3-3. Kenny ance, and only a year removed Hutchinson relieved Hethcoat from losing in the state tournaand induced a groundout that ment semifinals, Brenham senmoved Hinojosa to third base Courtney ior pitcher Chase Wellbrock with two outs. Hawkins scattered seven hits and struck Clements head coach Israel De Los Santos chose to intentionally walk out five to lead the Cubs to a 2-1 victory the next two hitters (Nos. 3 and 4 in the Corpus Christi Calallen before 4,002 Carroll lineup) and have Hutchinson face fans at Dell Diamond. Brenham’s state title is the seventh Carroll sophomore first baseman Oshea Dumes with the game on the line. Dumes baseball championship in school history and first since 1988. The 37-5 Cubs are was 0-for-3 going into the at-bat. Dumes worked a full count before lin- now tied with Bellaire and South San ing the next pitch over the head of Antonio for the most state titles in Clements’ center fielder Ross Stifflemire University Interscholastic League histothat advanced the Tigers into the champi- ry. onship game against Klein. Timing is everything. Once again, the timing wasn’t quite right for Clements.

CLASSIFIED Notice of Proposed Goal for the Participation Of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises in Department of Transportation Assisted Contracts

Edison

HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT NOTICE TO PROPOSERS The Houston Independent School District located in the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center at 4400 West 18th Street Houston,Texas 77092 will accept proposals, until the stated date and time deadlines, in the Board Services Office, Level C1 ‘ • Project 10-05-09 – Electrical Lighting & Supplies – with a deadline of 2 A.M. July 7, 2010. The pre-proposal conference for this project will be in Room 2C06 at the above stated address on June 23, 2010 at 10 A.M.

HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT NOTICE TO PROPOSERS The Houston Independent School District located in the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center at 4400 West 18th Street Houston,Texas 77092 will accept proposals, until the stated date and time deadlines, in the Board Services Office, Level C1 ‘ • RFP / Project 10-06-09 – Positive District Culture with a deadline of June 23, 2010 at 2 P.M. The pre-proposal conference for this project will be Wednesday, June 16, 2010 at 10 A.M. in Room 2E26at the above stated address. Proposals are available on the HISD web-site at www.houstonisd.org. The District reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, or, to accept the proposal that is most advantageous to the District. The District sells obsolete assets on-line at www.PublicSuprlus.com. Scwyana Smith

• RFP / Project 10-06-09 – Positive District Culture with a deadline of June 23, 2010 at 2 P.M. The pre-proposal conference for this project will be Wednesday, June 16, 2010 at 10 A.M. in Room 2E26at the above stated address. • Project 10-06-10 – Field Trip Software – with a deadline of 10 A.M. July 2, 2010. The pre-proposal conference for this project is not required. Proposals are available on the HISD web-site at www.houstonisd.org. The District reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, or, to accept the proposal that is most advantageous to the District. The District sells obsolete assets on-line at www.PublicSuprlus.com. Scwyana Smith

BID OR PROPOSAL NOTICE FOR Renovation Work at Osborne, Scarborough, and Durkee Elementary Schools

Houston Independent School District (HISD) The Houston Independent School District will receive Competitive Sealed Proposals from contractors for work on Osborne, Scarborough, and Durkee Elementary Schools. The work includes abatement, roof and window replacement, wheelchair lifts, elevator additions, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, hardware, code compliance, intercom replacement, and general renovation work. Proposals are due no later than 12:00 noon on June 22, 2010 at the Board Services Offices, 4400 West 18th Street, Office of Board Services, Level 1 South, Houston, Texas 77092. Durkee Elementary School is located at 7301 Nordling, Houston, Texas. Osborne Elementary School is located at 800 Ringold, Houston, Texas. Scarborough Elementary School is located at 3021 Little York, Houston, Texas.

City of Houston Notice of Proposed Goal for the Participation of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises in Department of Transportation Assisted Contracts October 1, 2010 through September 30, 2011 As required by Section 49 Code of Federal Regulations Part 26, the Houston Airport System (HAS) has determined a proposed overall goal of 24.74% for the participation of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) in its contracts which the US Department of Transportation (DOT) provides financial assistance. The proposed goal and its rationale are available for inspection during normal business hours at the City Secretary’s Office, City Hall Annex, Public Level, 900 Bagby, Houston, TX 77002; at the Affirmative Action and Contract Compliance Division of the Mayor’s O f f i c e , 611 Walker, 7th Floor, Houston, TX 77002; and at the Houston Airport System Small Business Development and Contract Compliance Division Office, 18600 Lee Road, Humble, TX 77338. The City (through the Affirmative Action and the Houston Airport System) and the Department of Transportation (through the Federal Aviation Administration) will accept written comments on the goals through _July 25, 2010_. Written comments may be directed to: City of Houston, Mayor’s Office of Affirmative Action and Contract Compliance, Velma Laws, Director, 611 Walker Street, 7th Floor, Houston, Texas 77002 or Federal Aviation Administration; Southwest Region Civil Rights Division; Attention: Joyce Davis; 2601 Meacham Blvd.; Fort Worth, TX 76137.

The Request for Competitive Sealed Proposal (RFCSP), which includes plans and specifications will be available beginning Monday, June 7, 2010, and may be obtained from A & E The Graphics Complex, 4235 Richmond Ave, Houston, TX 77027 / Phone (713) 621-0022 / Fax (713) 621-2537 / www.aecomplex.com, upon refundable deposit of $100.00 for each set of printed plans and specifications. Documents in pdf format are also available from A&E on disk for a deposit of $50.00. Deposit checks should be made payable to HISD. Any questions regarding bid documents are to be addressed to Jenna Ford at jford@pgal.com. Questions will be answered via addendum. The Competitive Sealed Proposal process will be utilized as authorized in Senate Bill 669, Section 44.039 of the Texas Education Code. The Competitive Sealed Proposal process enables HISD to select contractors on the basis of price and qualifications/methodology. Price proposals will be opened and the amounts read aloud at 2:00 PM on the due date. Following opening of proposals, HISD will conduct its evaluation and scoring of contractor proposals in relation to the selection criteria published in the RFCSP. HISD will select the Proposal that offers the best value to HISD based on the published selection criteria and on the ranking evaluation. M/WBE Forms, schedules and statements, as required by Section AB of the RFCSP and in accordance with the Office of Business Assistance, will be received at 2:00 PM, Tuesday, June 22, 2010, at the Board Services Office, 4400 West 18th Street, Office of Board Services, Level 1 South, Houston, Texas 77092. Proposals submitted without M/WBE Forms, properly completed, will be considered not responsive. A pre-proposal conference will be held at 9 AM, Wednesday, June 9, 2010, at Osborne Elementary School, 800 Ringold, Houston, TX 77088 with a walk-thru of that school immediately after and a walk-thru of Durkee Elementary School immediately following the walk-thru at Osborne Elementary. A walk-thru of Scarborough Elementary School shall be on Thursday, June 10, 2010 at 9:00 AM. For additional information regarding this project, please contact Mr. Elvis Eaglin, at 713-556-6526, or eeaglin@houstonisd.org. Drawings and Specifications for the RFCSP may be reviewed at the Reed Construction Data Electronic Plan Room and the following Houston locations: Associated General Contractors, 3825 Dacoma Street, (713) 843-3700 McGraw Hill Construction Dodge Plan Room, 10106 Hempstead Rd., Ste.110, (713) 316 9411 Associated Builders & Contractors, 3910 Kirby, #131, (713) 523-6222 Revive Houston Plan Room, Roland W. Smith Bldg., Rm. 122, 5555 Community College Dr, Houston 77013, (281) 704-9269

City of Houston Notice of Proposed Goal for the Participation of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises in Department of Transportation Assisted Contracts As required by Section 49 Code of Federal Regulations Part 26, the Houston Airport System (HAS) has determined a proposed overall goal of _24.74% for the participation of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) in its contracts which the US Department of Transportation (DOT) provides financial assistance. The proposed goal and its rationale are available for inspection during normal business hours for 30 days following the initial date of this notice at: City Secretary’s Office City Hall Annex Public Level 900 Bagby Houston, TX 77002

Affirmative Action and Contract Compliance Division of the Mayor’s Office 611 Walker, 7th Floor, Houston, TX 77002

The City (through the Affirmative Action and the Houston Airport System) and the Department of Transportation (through the Federal Aviation Administration) will accept written comments on the goals for 45 days from the initial date of this notice. Written comments may be directed to: City of Houston Mayor’s Office of Affirmative Action and Contract Compliance Attention: Velma Laws, Director 611 Walker Street- 7th Floor Houston, Texas 77002

Houston Airport System Office of Small Business Development and Contract Compliance Attention: J. Goodwille Pierre 18600 Lee Road Humble, TX 77338

Federal Aviation Administration Attention: Joyce Davis Southwest Region Civil Rights Division 2601 Meacham Blvd. Fort Worth, TX 76137

7

JUNE 20 – 26, 2010 | DEFENDER

A dirty injustice in today’s south? ‘Gray-haired’ activists plan D.C. protest June 21 By Toure Muhammad SPECIAL TO THE NNPA FROM THE FINAL CALL

(NNPA) - The dirtiest thing about the South is not the “Dirty South” music genre, but institutional racism that shatters dreams and destroys families. For the Scott Sisters, who supporters say were unfairly sentenced to life in prison 16 years ago, it has meant watching their children grow into adults and mourning the loss of their father. Since October 1994, Gladys and Jamie Scott have been serving two life terms each in prison, convicted of an $11 robbery. The Scott Sisters had never been in trouble with the law, but on December 24, 1993, the Scott County Sheriff’s Department in Mississippi arrested the Black women for an armed robbery where no one was murdered, injured or even taken to the hospital. Gladys and Jamie, then 19-years- and 22years-old have always maintained their innocence. This case represents a complete miscarriage of justice, say friends, family members and a growing number of supporters. Three teenagers, all related and aged between 14 and 18, confessed to the robbery. In the initial complaint filed shortly after the robbery, the victims did not mention the

Governor

continued from page 1 mary bid by a margin of 62 percent to 38 percent, giving their support instead to Ron Sparks, the state’s commissioner of agriculture. Sparks’ Republican opponent will be determined by a run-off. Davis, who spent $2.5 million on his campaign compared to Sparks’ $1.8 million, was defeated so soundly that he announced that he is retiring from politics. “I have no interest in running for political office again,” Davis told the Birmingham News. “The voters spoke in a very decisive way across every sector and in every section of the state. A candidate that fails across-the-board like that obviously needs to find something else productive to do with his life.” Davis’ decision to run for governor 47 years after Gov. George C. Wallace made his famous “Stand in the Schoolhouse Door” at the University of Alabama in support of racial segregation was anything but productive for the four-term congressman, who went to Washington in 2002 after defeating incumbent Earl Hilliard. Sparks outpolled Davis in 61 of Alabama’s 67 counties, including 10 of the 12 counties that make up his 7th Congressional District. He even failed to carry his own polling place, Southtown Housing Community Center in Birmingham. Amazingly, Sparks defeated

Scott Sisters’ alleged involvement in the crime. But the three teens agreed to a plea bargain that included implicating the two girls. The boys received 10 months in jail while the Scott Sisters, who were never offered a plea bar- Jamie Scott gain, were sentenced to two life terms each. “Even one of the alleged victims testified in court that Jamie and Gladys never robbed them, never took anything from them and that the three boys did, but that he believed that Jamie and Gladys told them to do it,” said Evelyn Rasco, the Scott Sisters’ mother during an exclusive interview with The Final Call. There was never any physical evidence entered into the trial and it was an all-White jury, she noted. “No justice was given to them at all. It was a circus court. This is wrong. They have nine children and four grandchildren; the oldest grandchild is seven-years-old,” said the mother. Testimony from the Black youth reveals that coercions, threats and promises led to naming the Scott Sisters as the robbers. The

Davis in predominantly Black counties throughout the state. He got more than half of the African-American vote in Dallas, Pickens and Macon counties; more than 60 percent in Lowndes, Hale, Greene and Marengo counties; and more than 70 percent in Wilcox and Perry counties, in Alabama’s soil-rich Black Belt region. In an interview, Hank Sanders, a Black state senator and president emeritus of the Alabama New South Coalition, said: “[Davis] made some serious miscalculations. He just felt that Black folks somehow were going to vote for him just because he’s Black and he could vote anyway and do anything he wanted.” Davis, whose enrollment in Harvard Law School overlapped Obama’s by one year, led in the polls by as much as 30 percent at the beginning of the year. Weeks before the June 1 election, that lead had been sliced to 10 percent. Still, the former prosecutor expressed a confidence that some say bordered on arrogance. Davis gambled that increasingly voting with Alabama’s ultra-conservative congressional delegation would attract enough white voters to propel him into the governor’s office. It was a huge gamble that resulted in a huge loss. Davis had already irked some of his base by voting with the GOP in the waning days of the George W. Bush administration. Clearly, many Black voters never got past the idea that a congressman represent-

ing one of the poorest districts in the nation would cast a vote against health-care reform, especially since it was such a high priority of the nation’s first Black president. In Alabama, Obama had won 98 percent of the Black vote. In a calculated move to bolster his standing with Whites, Davis skipped the endorsement screening process of the four most powerful Black political organizations in the state: the Alabama Democratic Conference, the Alabama New South Coalition, New Jefferson County Citizens Coalition and the Jefferson County Progressive Council. Not only was he the first Democrat, Black or white, to ignore the groups, he drew added attention to his decision by issuing a press release about it. Some GOP candidates failed to appear before the organizations, but they never publicized their decision for fear of antagonizing Black voters. Subsequently, all four organizations endorsed Sparks. Referring to the longtime chairman of the Alabama Democratic Conference, Davis declared, “Joe Reed’s opposition to my candidacy is old news – but the day of Joe Reed and a few other power brokers in Montgomery deciding who speaks for Alabama Democrats is over.” Reed, in an interview with the Associated Press, said, “We’ve never had someone to tell Black folks I don’t want your vote.” Blacks make up 26.3 percent of the state’s population, 25.6

14-year-old testified that he signed a written statement without an attorney present. The teen was told that he would be sent up to Parchman Farm—the notorious Mississippi penitentiary—if he did not cooperate. In addition, he was told Gladys Scott that he would be “made out of a woman” (raped by men) at Parchman. In 1998 one of the sentenced teens signed an affidavit maintaining the sisters were not involved with the crime. The injustice stems from not only racism, but a vendetta against the family because of the Scott Sisters’ outspoken late father and another family member, explained Rasco. The nephew of James “Hawk” Rasco, the father of the Scott Sisters, implicated a White sheriff who was extorting Black night club owners which resulted in the sheriff serving time in prison, she said. The night club owners had been paying approximately $100 per week to sell alcohol in Scott County, which was a dry county. Rasco who had recently moved to Mississippi from Chicago bought the night club from the nephew. According to the mother, a Black deputy felt her husband

percent of the registered voters in Alabama and nearly half of voters in the Democratic primary. “Black voters deserted him in droves after he deserted them,” the Montgomery Advertiser editorialized. “It’s called political payback. Even a rookie politician should know that.” State Sen. Sanders said, “To win any election, you often have to go beyond your base. It’s important that you stand on your base so that you can reach higher and see farther. Instead of standing on his base, he started kicking his base. He decided that it didn’t matter what his base wanted or what was important to his base. What was important, it seems to me, was him.” Davis was buoyed by polling data leading up to the election. One poll showed him with a 21 favorable rating among Whites. A poll taken last year showed that he would run even with or ahead of the expected Republican candidates for governor. Significantly, 51 percent of Whites polled said Alabama was ready to elect a Black governor. The Davis camp, however, failed to realize other factors made Davis’ election as the Democratic nominee unlikely. First, there’s “the Bradley effect,” named after former Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley. In his 1982 bid for governor of California, polls leading up to the election showed Bradley winning by double-digits. But Bradley lost to Republican George Deukmejian. Experts

should continue paying bribe monies that the nephew paid. Supporters say when Rasco refused the deputy responded, “I will get you, even if it is through your daughters.” Rasco died in February 2003 from a heart attack. Rasco has never given up hope. She has written letters, made phone calls and told everyone who would listen about her daughters’ plight. She caught the attention of Nancy Lockhart, a legal representative and community organizer who was working at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. Lockhart began assisting the Scott Sisters after receiving a letter about the case from Rasco in December of 2006. “When I read that letter, I could detect that she wasn’t lying. I knew the letter was from the heart,” said Ms. Lockhart. “Then I read the transcripts. The case reeked of innocence.” The Scott Sisters have exhausted all their legal remedies. Every attempt by the Scott Sisters to challenge their convictions has been denied. Jamie Scott is currently represented by Attorney Chokwe Lumumba for her medical issues only. Both Jamie and Gladys are in need of criminal lawyers to

attributed the loss to Whites who falsely stated they were voting for Bradley so that they would not appear to be bigots. L. Douglas Wilder had a similar experience in 1989 when he became the first African-American elected governor of Virginia. Although polls also showed him with a double-digit lead, he won by only one-tenth of a percent. Second, no AfricanAmerican has ever been elected statewide in Alabama without first being appointed to that position. Davis thought he could buck that trend. But marketing himself as “the next Barack Obama” was not a good comparison to make in Alabama, a state carried by the Republican candidates for president in eight straight elections. No Democrat has carried the state since Jimmy Carter, a Southerner, in 1976. Only 10 percent of Whites in Alabama voted for Obama in 2008, the lowest percentage in the nation. Nationally, Obama won 43 percent of the White vote. Political scientist Ron Walters observed: “Davis should have taken a lesson

★DIRTY SOUTH, Page 8

from the campaigns of David Dinkins or Harold Washington or Doug Wilder’s election as governor of Virginia and other Blacks who ran for citywide or statewide offices where Blacks were in the minority. They also had the necessity to build outward from their base to achieve interracial political coalitions but did not decide to junk the Black vote in the process and go for the White vote hoping that some Blacks would follow and build a coalition.” In the aftermath of Davis’ fall from front-runner to humiliated loser, political autopsies are being performed by political experts and the media. In an editorial, the Birmingham News stated, “There is reliable data to make the case that Blacks did indeed abandon Davis for the more progressive Sparks, who campaigned on instituting a state lottery and said he would have voted for health-care reform had he been in Congress. … If nothing else, those results show the Black vote cannot be taken for granted anymore in Alabama. Just ask Rep. Artur Davis.”

8

JUNE 20 – 26, 2010 | DEFENDER

Jackson hopeful after economic meetings By Hazel Trice Edney NNPA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

WASHINGTON (NNPA) - The Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. emerged from separate meetings with new General Motors CEO Edward Whitacre Jr. and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner full of hope June 8. But he was still looking forward to major forums, where activists and business representatives were set to turn up the heat and continue strategizing for economic justice . Jackson, CEO of the Chicagobased Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, believes that new levels of Black business participation are on the horizon as activists continue to press for economic inclusion and fair share in hiring, contracting and advertising dollars. “This is the time to apply the affirmative action laws, Title 6 and executive orders,” says Rev. Jackson in an interview with the NNPA News Service. “We want parity in employment, parity in executives, in entrepreneurship and in business.” An initial public offering worth billions, plus $300 million in fees to begin managing the public resurgence of General Motors, must be subjected to affirmative action and racial inclusion laws or the federal government will find itself in violation of economic inclusion mandates, according to Jackson and based on a recent executive order issued by President Barack Obama. Jackson points out that 60 percent of GM now belongs to the U. S. federal government. Jackson met with Whitacre and Geithner, making clear the need and the demand for fair share for small and Black-owned businesses, including the 200 members of the National Newspaper Publishers Association.

On the heels of his own Rainbow/PUSH convention June 1216 in Chicago, Jackson will be among the keynoters on a “Crisis in Black America” panel at the NNPA 70th Anniversary Convention in New York, where he says he will discuss further the plan for unrelenting Black inclusion. NNPA conference information is available at www.nnpa.org. Rainbow/PUSH conference information is available at www.rainbowpush.org. “We want a fair share to go to NNPA,” says Jackson, who has fought alongside NNPA Chairman Danny Bakewell for inclusion in advertising dollars for NNPA Newspapers and economic parity for small and Black-owned businesses in general. As a long list of whiteowned newspapers have gone out of business during the economic crisis of recent years, most Black-owned newspapers have survived, but under great duress – largely because of longstanding race discrimination. Both Jackson and Bakewell have argued that this would not be the case if federal dollars, such as the $300 million in fees and the general budgets of publicly-owned companies, were adhering to affirmative action laws. At Jackson’s conference, these issues were scheduled for discussion in forums with officials from the Small Business Administration, the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) and the Treasury. U. S. Rep. Maxine Waters, a foremost Black business advocate in Congress, among other congress people and Bakewell was also headed for the Rainbow/PUSH convention. The discussion will continue among civil rights leaders on a panel at NNPA’s annual summer conference June 16-19.

Dirty South

continued from page 7 review their cases and determine a course of action, according to their mother. The fight to free the sisters is now heightened by Jamie’s worsening health condition. “Jamie is deteriorating every day,” said Rasco. In January, 2010, Jamie Scott suffered failure of both kidneys. “The medical diary of Jamie Scott is very extensive and depicts inhumane treatment, torture and the lack of appropriate medical care,” said Lockhart. From March 15, 2010, to approximately March 25, 2010, Jamie was hospitalized where attempts were made to eradicate severe infection and surgically implant a fistula into her arm for dialysis. She has no usage of that arm to date and continues to battle infections. One of the doctors stated that infection had spread throughout her body, say supporters. Her sister Gladys wants to donate a kidney to her sister. The Scott Sisters’ cry for justice has been heard by the Gray-Haired Witnesses for Justice, a group of “elder” activists who plan to fast and travel to the White House on June

“We want parity in employment, parity in executives, in entrepreneurship and in business.” -Rev. Jesse Jackson

Bakewell has pointed to the executive order issued by President Obama late last month that set forth plans for small businesses to benefit from federal dollars. “Our president should be given credit for that significant move,” Bakewell said. The president’s memorandum directed the heads of all executive departments and agencies to develop more opportunities for small businesses to participate in the Recovery Act. The memo specifically calls for heightened participation of businesses owned by minorities, women and economically disadvantaged individ-

21 to urge the federal government to “exercise an authentic system of justice for Gladys and Jamie Scott and all other women who have been incarcerated wrongly and egregiously over-sentenced,” said spokeswoman B.J. Janice Peak-Graham. The Gray-Haired Witnesses for Justice have demanded freedom for the Scott Sisters and they want an inspection and observation team to enter the Pearl, Miss., prison where Jamie Scott is being held. During the daylong upcoming demonstration, supporters will make a formal appeal to Attorney General Eric Holder and President Barack Obama. Rasco is unable to afford the trip to D.C. and is hoping supporters will be able to help pay for a bus. “The children really want to come in support of their mothers,” she said. “(This injustice) has destroyed my life. I am going to keep fighting until they are free or until I die; whichever one comes first.” (To get involved in the June 21 fast and protest visit http://www.freethescottsisters.blogspot.com/ or contact The Committee to Free the Scott Sisters, 641-715-3900, ext. 99222.)

uals in the $500 billion in federal purchases made annually. “The Federal Government has not consistently reached its small business contracting goals,” the Obama memo asserts. “Small business contracting should always be a high priority in the procurement process.” The memo establishes the Interagency Task Force on Federal Contracting Opportunities for Small Businesses. Geithner, the Peter Orszag, director of the Office of management and Budget, and Karen Mills, administrator of the Small Business Administration will serve as co-chairs of the Task Force. “Obtaining tangible results will require an honest and accurate accounting of our progress so that we can have transparency and accountability through federal small business procurement data. Additionally, we must expand outreach strategies to alert small firms to federal contracting opportunities,” the memo states. Ken Smikle of Target Market News, a foremost authority on Black business inclusion, said that Obama’s “memo addresses many of the issues on which Black media owners have been seeking action from the White House. It includes directives that were addressed in Executive Order 13170 issued by President Bill Clinton in October 2000. That executive order required all executive branch agencies, including the military, to engage in affirmative action to include minority owned businesses in the procurement of advertising.” Smikle wrote, “Groups, including the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters and the National Newspaper Publishers Association, in April called for enforcement of the Clinton executive order in the allocation of hun-

dreds of millions of dollars in Federal advertising.” A goal of the Obama memo, as stated, is “improved collection, verification, and availability of Federal procurement data and provide accurate data on the Federal Government’s progress in ensuring that all small businesses have a fair chance to participate in Federal contracting opportunities.” It continues, “In developing its recommendations, the Task Force shall conduct outreach with representatives of small businesses and small business associations …This memorandum shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of any necessary appropriations.” The President is also pressing for public accountability for the group, calling for the creation of a Website within 90 days that will monitor the progress of the Task Force and “that illustrates the participation of small businesses, including those owned by women, minorities, socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, and service-disabled veterans of our Armed Forces, in Federal contracting.” GM filed for bankruptcy protection June 1. The company will now become two parts, a “new” GM and an “old” GM. The former will hold on to plants, dealers and brands that the company will drop or divest. The new GM will acquire the assets the company desires to keep. Although Jackson is hopeful, he is determined to fight until tangible results appear. Beyond the conferences, “We must keep applying pressure. That’s what we must do. Civil rights strategy is that we expose contradictions and keep applying pressure. That’s what we do.”

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JUNE 20 – 26, 2010 | DEFENDER

Tea Party

continued from page 3 rather than group benefit,” said Jones. Some who agree with Jones’ position point to the recent political cartoon portraying President Obama as a rapist, and the Statue of Liberty his victim as similar to the Reconstruction tactic of using the false charge of Black male sexual crimes as a call to action, masking their real fear—Black economic competition. Those in agreement with Jones’ assessment also point to the similarities between the Klan and the Tea Party. Both were assumed to be made up of the poorer elements of society until it was revealed their membership was predominantly middle class and even well-todo. An April 14 poll in the New York Times taken by the Times and CBS News revealed 68 percent of Tea Party members live in households earning incomes greater than $50,000 a year. Moreover, 70 percent of Tea Partiers describe their economic situation as “fairly good” even as the U.S. is in the midst of Great Depressionlevel unemployment, leaving analysts to believe their angst against President Obama has less to do with his policies than it does his race. During Reconstruction, when that same feeling predominated, the Compromise of 1877 was struck, making way for a declining quality of life for African Americans. “The situation didn’t immediately fall apart; the last Black to leave Congress took place in 1900. But during the 1890s there was a big push against Blacks voting, as Literacy Tests, Grandfather Clauses and other means were devised to disenfranchise Blacks,” said Wintz. “The worst element of this was the rise in racial violence. Around the 1880s the number of Blacks lynched surpassed the number of whites for the first time, and we saw a rise in race riots instigated by angry whites,” said Wintz. Jones argues that during Reconstruction it was convenient for both political parties to keep Blacks off the voter rolls and out of office, and sees modern day parallels. “Even today, in Harris County, we see a high denial rate of minority voter applications for minor errors. More and more, where Blacks are a sizeable part of the population, we’re finding selectivity regarding voter application approval. We see the same thing keeping ex-felons off voter rolls. They may not be

VOLUME 79 • NUMBER 34 JUNE 20 – 26, 2010

Publisher Sonceria Messiah-Jiles Editor Von Jiles Associate Editor ReShonda Billingsley Art Director Cale Carter Columnist Yvette Chargois Sports Editors Max Edison Darrell K. Ardison Contributing Writers Aswad Walker Webmaster Corneleon Block The Houston Defender Newspaper published by The Houston Defender Inc. Company (713) 663-6996. The Defender audited by Certified Audited Circulation. (CAC). For subscriptions, send $60.00 — 1 year, to: Defender, P.O. Box 8005, Houston, TX 77288. Payment must accompany subscription request. All materials covered by 2009 copyright... (No material herein may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher).

using the old incendiary language but they are saying and doing the same thing,” said Jones. Clark concedes similarities in tactics between time periods, but not in levels of power. “Though there’s similar rhetoric I don’t see the Tea Party as anywhere comparable threatlevel wise to post-

Reconstruction America. Then, the government, white citizens councils, troops, they were all complicit in a way that is not the case today,” said Clark. Clark sees the potential for Tea Partiers to convert their rhetoric into policy postReconstruction style, but not the likelihood. “Obama has put his stamp on

the Supreme Court, making it more of a reflection of America’s diversity. As minorities become the majority how will Tea Partiers ‘take back their America?’ If they go through regular routes I’m skeptical we will have another post-reconstruction.” Clark takes comfort in the fact that at present there exists

in our government a much greater balance between liberals and conservatives. “The other side of the isle (liberals) has way more pull to affect outcomes today. There wasn’t an ‘other side’ back during Reconstruction,” shared Clark. “A lot depends too on the effectiveness of the Obama administration and the success-

es he’s able to tout at the end of the day. If the Obama administration proves itself, how much momentum can the Tea Party muster? Even if they take back the House during November elections they’ll lose steam because what do they really offer beside an ‘I don’t like Obama’ message,” stated Clark.

AUTO NEWS

10

JUNE 20 – 26, 2010 | DEFENDER

By Darrell K. Ardison

2010 Dodge Challenger When I drove the 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T “muscle car” off the teacher’s parking lot at the schoolhouse, a group of female teachers happened to be exiting the building at the same time and stopped in their tracks. With jaws dropping down about knee level, my co-workers watched intently as I pulled out on the main drag and made a u-turn. Armed with a six-speed manual transmission mated with a 5.7liter V8 HEMI engine, I proceeded to show off the blue pearl-colored vehicle with black racing stripes. You could have pushed Mrs. Terrell down with the slightest of ease. Over the next seven days, the Challenger R/T received similar looks of approval from people of all ages. The students at the schoolhouse repeatedly gave it props. Females couldn’t take their eyes off it and I had to take most of my male friends for a ride. Yet it wasn’t until my friend “Big John” and I made our annual trek to Austin for the state high school track and field meet that I developed a bond with this vehicle. One of true “muscle cars” from yesteryear is back and doing just fine. By the time we’d made the 300-plus mile round trip, I knew the Challenger R/T loves the open road, but also fares well in congested city traffic. The gear ration enables the driver to settle into whatever driving scenario is presented. I have an admission to make. I love making traffic look small in the rearview mirror. Yet I was determined not to get a speeding ticket in this vehicle. So with the self-discipline of a safe-

CHALLENGER: HIGHLIGHTS MSRP base price $30,860 (as tested- $39,585) Engine 5.7-liter V8 HEMI Transmission Six-speed manual Fuel economy 15 miles per gallon (city), 24 mpg (highway) Estimate annual fuel cost $2,168 (based on $2.60 per gallon)

t y conscious bus driver, I manipulated each and every driving situation that came my way. The Challenger R/T handles like a luxury sedan with a racecar engine under the hood. A tight turning radius allows for maneuvering into tight spaces. Nimble steering enables quick navigation of traffic and being able to find those holes and getting on down the road. It was breezy throughout our trip to the state capitol and on the way up there I detected a small amount of wind turbulence. Not so much on the return trip home. I never did figure out how to make the driver’s seat backrest move forward for access to the back seat.

There was plenty of legroom in the front for two occupants that stand six-foot or taller. Other interior highlights include great dashboard illumination, variable intermittent windshield wipers, sun visors with illuminated vanity mirrors, tire pressure monitoring warning lamp and optional leather-trimmed seats. The upgraded media center included a 368watt CD/DVD/AM/FM/SAT radio and GPS navigation system with seven Boston acoustic speakers and a subwoofer. The system provided an exquisite sound. In a car that possesses so much power, there’s

always an extra concern for safety. For starters, the Challenger R/T has advanced multistage front air bags, supplemental side curtain front and rear air bags and electronic stability program with all-speed traction control. The 2010 Challenger R/T has earned five-star government safety ratings in four categories, including frontal driver, crash passenger, side front seat and crash rear seat categories. It also rated four stars in the rollover division. I was surprised the Challenger’s fuel economy was better than most sports utility vehicles that you see on the road. This vehicle is more practical than you might think.

2010 Jeep Wrangler This is a real Jeep. The kind of vehicle, from back in the day, that actually looks like a Jeep, and acts accordingly. It’s the 2010 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara 4X4. I even had to adjust the outside mirrors, manually. Yet that was the only reminder from yesteryear. The Jeep/Chrysler/Dodge Corporation is headed for the future, with nothing more than making you remember what made them a staple in the sports utility vehicle market. With a 3.8-liter V6 engine matched to a four-speed automatic transmission that has a command-TRAC shift on-the-fly four-wheel drive off-road system, the latest Jeep Wrangler Sahara, can do whatever it takes to navigate the terrain. I had fun driving this vehicle. The pavement was taken off the main drag near my home, and drivers were moving slowly to keep from tearing up their vehicles. It didn’t impact me in the Jeep wrangler. The high wheel-base and suspension was ready for the task at hand. We’re talking about riding in the lap of luxury, with an athletic aura.

Standard equipment includes four-wheel disc anti0lock brakes, traction control, hydraulic brake assist, hill-start assist and electronic roll mitigation. There’s also a security alarm, fuel tank skid plate shield, 22.5-gallon fuel tank and a tire pressure monitoring warning system. Interior features include air conditioning, media center with 130-watt CD/MP3 audio system and SIRIUS satellite radio. Unlike Jeeps from the past, this Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara has reclining front seats, tilt steering wheel, reymote keyless entry, and temperature/compass gauge. Safety features include advanced multistage front air bags, security alarm, and rear dome lamp with on/off switch. The Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara has earned five-star ratings in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) frontal driver and crash passenger categories. Optional equipment includes dual top group, trailer tow group and engine block heater. If you like a drive on the wild side, this is your vehicle.

WRANGLER: HIGHLIGHTS MSRP base price $36,655 Engine 3.8 -liter V6

Fuel economy 15 miles per gallon (city), 19 mpg (highway)

Estimated annual fuel cost $2,293 (based on $2.60 per gallon)

Transmission Four-speed automatic

2010 Dodge Ram 1500

RAM 1500: HIGHLIGHTS MSRP base price $40,495 (as tested - $43,620)

Engine 5.7-liter V8

Fuel economy 13 miles per gallon (city), 18 mpg (highway)

Transmission Five-speed automatic

Warranty Five years of 100,00 miles powertrain limited

There’s nothing like driving a big, plush, comfortable truck Note that I didn’t utilize the term “pickup” in that reference. That’s because pickup doesn’t do the 2010 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie Quad Cab 4X4 justice. Pickup has the connotation of a work truck with a typical bumpy ride. No sir! This Dodge Ram is like driving a limousine disguised as a truck, or a cabin cruiser on land. If that sounds like high praise, it is. Let’s begin with the aluminum chrome step rails with rubber accents that allow safe, convenient access to the elevated front and rear cab. Once seated in the leather-trimmed bucket seats that yield terrific sight lines in all directions, the elevation off the road becomes evident. A super smooth ride is the result of a 5.7-liter V8 HEMI engine mated with a five-speed automatic transmission and perched on top of 20-inch aluminum chrome clad wheels. For convenience and comfort purposes, the Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie Quad Cab 4X4 offers air conditioning with dual zone temperature control, SIRIUS satellite radio, media center 430 CD/DVD/MP3 stereo system and a 6.5-inch touch screen display. How about a 30 GB hard drive with 6,700 song capacity, Uconnect phone with voice

command, 506 watt Alpine surround sound with nine speakers and a subwoofer along with an audio jack input for mobile devices? Some of my favorite standard equipment includes memory for radio, driver’s seat, mirrors and pedals, front center seat cushion storage, heated steering wheel, rear power sliding window, folding flat load floor storage, temperature and compass gauge and a traveler/mini trip computer. It’s like you’re sitting in the lap of luxury. Abundant storage compartments, steering wheel mounted audio controls, two readily accessible 115-volt auxiliary power outlets and driver’s seat power lumbar adjustment are just a few of the amenities. Enhancing the vehicle’s exterior appearance are dual rear exhaust, halogen quad automatic headlamps, multi-function power fold-away mirrors, fog lamps and an optional class IV receiver hitch. A remote start system enables the driver to activate the ignition from outside the vehicle – great for quick getaways. Other standard equipment that comes in quite handy is a parksense rear park assist system that alerts occupants when obstacles are lurking in the rear. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has awarded the 2010 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie Quad Cab 4X4 truck a five-star rating in both the frontal driver and crash passenger categories. Big trucks are notorious for being less than fuel-efficient. Yet following seven days of daily test-driving, I never once frequented a gas station.

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JUNE 20 – 26, 2010 | DEFENDER

Money

continued from page 1 which benefit the wealthiest and persistent discrimination in housing, credit and labor markets. “Our study shows a broken chain of achievement. Even when African Americans do everything right—get an education and work hard at well-paying jobs—they cannot achieve the wealth of their white peers in the workforce, and that translates into very different life chances,” said Thomas Shapiro, IASP director and co-author of the research brief. “A U-turn is needed. Public policies have and continue to play a major role in creating and sustaining the racial wealth gap, and they must play a role in closing it,” said Shapiro, author of The Hidden Cost of Being African American: How Wealth Per–petuates Inequality and the co-author of Black Wealth/White Wealth. Wealth, what you own minus what you owe, allows people to start a business, buy a home, send children to college and ensure an economically secure retirement. Using economic data from the same nationally representative set of families from 1984 to 2007, the IASP analysis found that the real wealth gains and losses over the time demonstrate an escalating racial gap. Over those 23 years, it said, the racial wealth gap increased by $75,000 — from $20,000 to $95,000. Financial assets, excluding home equity, among white families grew from a median value of $22,000 to $100,000 during that period while African Americans saw very little increase in assets in real dollars and had a median wealth of $5,000 in 2007. Summing up all assets and debt, one in 10 African Americans owed at least $3,600 in 2007, nearly doubling their debt burden in real terms since 1984, IASP said.

Al B. Sure

continued from page 2 KW: Do you ever wish you could get your anonymity back? ABS: At times, because you might like to go out to have a meal and just chill. But I love people so much that I generally enjoy talking to everybody. KW: If you could have one wish instantly granted, what would that be for? ABS: That hatred would disappear. KW: What advice do you have for anyone who wants to follow in your footsteps? ABS: To study different genres. You have to take from

The growth of the racial wealth gap significantly affects the economic future of American families, it said. The current gap is so large that it would pay tuition at a fouryear public university for two children, purchase or make a solid down payment on a house, or provide a nest egg to draw upon in times of job loss or crisis. “The gap is opportunity denied and assures racial economic inequality for the next generation,” said Tatjana Meschede, a co-author of the policy brief. Notably, IASP’s analysis found that by 2007, the average middle-income white household had accumulated $74,000 in wealth, an increase of $55,000 over the 23year period, while the average high-income

each artist what works for you, and then create your own sound. You put different combinations in the mix and it becomes something unique in the end. KW: I call it taking the best and leaving the rest. ABS: Come on! You got it! KW: How do you want to be remembered? ABS: As a man who was positive, who made a difference, and who walked in God’s light. KW: Thanks again, Al, and l hope to see at the premiere party at Trump Tower. ABS: I would hope so, my brother.

Thousands of teen jobs still on hold By Pharoh Martin NNPA NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT

WASHINGTON (NNPA) - As summer streets await energetic teens in search of wholesome activities, Black lawmakers continue pushing for summer jobs funding. But they face resistance from opponents wary of putting more strain on the nation’s already record debt. The U. S. House of representatives passed a jobs bill that includes funding for high school students last week. But, the Senate has yet to vote on the final measure. Members continue to haggle over the H.R. 4213, which includes $1 billion dollars in additional funding for more than 400,000 summer jobs as well as other measures aimed at reducing unemployment. The unemployment numbers for Black teenagers, the highest of any group, took a rise in jobless rates in May after experiencing decreases over six consecutive months. Their jobless rate, currently at 38 percent, has fallen almost ten percent since a decade high in November, when just under half of all Black teenagers were without jobs. “Specifically, the bill includes $1 billion for a summer youth program and $2.5 billion in emergency assistance for needy families—two initiatives that will further our economic recovery,” says Congressional Black Caucus Chair Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) in a statement. “This bill is good for the health of our economy and it is imperative for the U.S. Senate to act swiftly and pass this legislation.” Rates in White teenagers of working age in May, currently at 24.4 percent, saw an increase of 1 percent over April. White teens aged 16-19 saw a steady increase in their jobless numbers since February when it was 22.5 percent. With the exception of April when it briefly rose to 9.9 percent, the national jobless rate has been hovering at a consistent 9.7 percent for the first half of the year. In May, the national jobless rate for all African-American workers fell 1 percent from the previous month’s record-high of 16.5 to its lowest point since September when it hit 15.5 percent. Experts predict that the drop may be due to the hiring of over 400,000 temporary workers, including Census employees. Black males 20 and older have also seen a 1 percent drop in the jobless rate. The current rate is 17.1 percent, still highest of all categories, except youth.

African-American family owned $18,000, a drop of $7,000. That resulted in a wealth gap of $56,000 for an African-American family that earned more than $50,000 in 1984 compared to a white family earning about $30,000 that same year. Those figures, IASP said, make it clear that higher income alone will not lead to increased wealth, security and economic mobility for African Americans. Consumers of color face a gauntlet of barriers—in credit, housing and taxes—that dramatically reduce the chances of economic mobility, it said. Indeed, the data indicate that the general trend in lending, in which consumers of color pay more for accessing credit, increases their

debt and blocks opportunities to move forward, putting them at a severe economic disadvantage. These are concerns that must be addressed through the creation of a Consumer Financial Protection Agency, now being debated in Congress, and other policy changes, IASP said. “The data suggests we need renewed attention to public policies that provide real opportunities for advancement by reducing barriers to mobility inherent in our tax system and increasing transparency, regulation and access in our housing and credit markets,” said Laura Sullivan, another co-author. Several factors help explain why improving targeted public policies would reduce the racial wealth gap and lessen the increased reliance on debt. One factor is that over the period studied there was an increasing dependence on credit markets to make ends meet. Among those with no financial assets, credit is often an emergency resource to help cover a job loss or medical emergency. A second factor is that deregulation of the lending market brought a proliferation of high-cost credit, including securitized subprime and predatory loans, payday lending and check-cashing stores. Consumers of color were targeted in this market and resorted more frequently to credit card debt and other forms of high-cost debt in the absence of assets or extended family resources to draw upon. “This data makes a critical contribution to the debate today about how to ensure greater economic security and opportunity for all our citizens. A racial wealth gap affects all of us because it means that a large portion of the population cannot contribute to building the wealth and strength of our nation, and that is a drain on us all,” said Meizhu Lui, director of the Insight Center for Community Economic Development’s “Closing the Racial Wealth Gap Initiative.

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SOLUTIONS FOR BETTER LIVING……..The mission of Solutions for Better Living is to serve as a catalyst to galvanize and support individuals in taking strategic action to improve the health and well being of those living in their communities. The core strategies are the promotion of innovation and social entrepreneurship among non-profit and grassroots programs, development of socially responsible and effective philanthropic initiatives and a servant leadership program geared toward corporate professionals interested in civic engagement. There has been over 100 small scale projects developed and implemented that address a wide range of healthcare issues, including diabetes, HIV/AIDS/STDs, obesity, nurse shortages, teen violence and poor prenatal care. Currently, there are 16 ongoing projects that receive ongoing supportive services. The Caroline Collective served as the venue for a summer evening movie under the stars “The Power of One.” This documentary featured several ordinary folks doing extraordinary things to include Kathryn Griffin Townsend, We’ve Been There, Done That. Spotted at the event were Marsha Copeland, Operations Manager and Valarie Jackson, Program Development Specialist, David Birnbaum, Major Gift Officer with The Rogosin Institute from New York, Larry Payne, Zoe Jackson, Robin Jackson, Linda Etuk, Mazelle Hughes, Gloria Clanton, Tracy Matthews, Michael Flowers, Marcus Harris, Leon Provost IV, editor and director of the documentary, Councilmember Wanda Adams and Timothy Melvin, to name a few. Continued Success!.................. SUMMER GAMES KICKOFF…….About 80 children participated in 2010 Street Olympics kick-off ceremony at Mickey Leland Memorial Park. The Olympic torch was lit and the games have begun. About 5,000 children are taking part in the eight-week Street Olympics program at venues operated by participating agencies that offer youth summer programs and will participate in the final games later this summer. They’re all competiting for gold, silver and bronze medals in their chosen sport that includes softball throw, kickball, Frisbee accuracy, jacks, hopscotch, shuttle relay, jump rope marathon, Hula Hoop medley, 3-on- 3 basketball and much more. For the past 24 years, this program have provided the young people in our community with educational, social, health, vocational and recreational services that hopefully will empower them to lead our society to a better tomorrow. Founder, Commissioner El Franco Lee was there to cheer them on along with members of the board of directors, sponsors and participating agencies. Good Luck!........TEXAS KIDS COUNT………..Sherea McKenzie Poston and Deacon Joe Rubio were recently honored by the Center for Public Policy Priorities for their outstanding service as outgoing members of board of directors. Sherea is the Executive Director of the Joint City/County Commission on Children in Houston and Deacon Joe is the VicePresident of Community Relations and Development for Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Wishing them well were Carl Poston III, Carl Poston IV, Madison Poston, Elmer Rogers, Marlane Morris, Larry Green, Charlene James, Commissioner El Franco Lee, County Judge Ed Emmett and Gwen Emmett. Congratulations!..............CONDOLENCES……..Our prayers are with the family of Percy “Frenchy” Creuzot Jr. who recently celebrated his homegoing. Think of it this way, Frenchy has a new position, he’s now your guardian angel appointed by God to look after all of you. God saw the road was getting rough, the hills were hard to climb, so He gently closed his loving eyes and whispered, “Peace Be Thine.” God Bless!........Have a great week and remember to watch CROSSROADS on Channel 13 Sunday morning with Melanie Lawson for your event covered by Ms. Chag. Also check out our website at defendernetwork.com to view the “Event of the Week.”…..From Chag’s Place to your place, Ciao Darling!

JUNE 20 – 26, 2010 | DEFENDER

Council Member Wanda Adams and Timothy Melvin

Tracy Matthews, Kathryn Griffin Townsend, Marcus Harris and Michael Flowers

Marsha Copeland, David Birnbaum and Valarie

Zoe Jackson and Linda Etuk

Mazelle Hughes and Gloria Clanton

Commissioner El Franco Lee, Jessilyn Jones and Joseph Salas

Carl Poston III and Honoree Sherea McKenzie Poston

Leon Provost IV

Bria Pierson, Daryl Edmondson and Meashell Crosby

Damion Wilson, Draylon Haynes, J'Derian jones and Jordan Jones

Charlene James and Larry Green

Gwen Emmett, Sherea McKinzie, El Franco Lee and Ed Emmett

Supporters Cherita Andrews and Richard Fields

Madison and Carl Poston IV

Marlane Morris and Elmer Rogers