Houston Defender: October 7, 2010

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October 7 – 13, 2010 | FREE

Volume 79 Number 50

www.defendernetwork.com

Jarvis under fire – again

David Jefferson

DEFENDER NEWS SERVICE

Houston City Councilman Jarvis Johnson is finding himself in the midst of an investigation once again. This time, it’s regarding contracts with the City of Houston. During an investigation by the Harris County District Attorney’s Office on what it calls potenJarvis Johnson

Communicates success and jobs

★JOHNSON, Page 7

Education regulations maybe harmful SPECIAL TO THE NNPA FROM THE AFRO-AMERICAN NEWSPAPER STAFF

The U.S. Department of Education plans to enact new rules targeting the financial aid eligibility of programs at forprofit career institutions; regulations, which they said, are part of an “effort to protect students from aggressive or misleading recruiting practices.” However, some Black business and political leaders, including Rev. Jesse Jackson, founder of

the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, famed trial attorney Willie Gary, Randal Pinkett, chairman and CEO of BCT Partners, Harry Alford, president and CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce, and members of the Congressional Black Caucus, said the regulations are unfair. Under the department’s planned “Gainful Employment” regulations, institutions of higher education and post-secondary vocational schools would have to

By Aswad Walker DEFENDER

JEFFERSON HIGHLIGHTS OCCUPATION ■ Chairman and CEO of JNET Communications ■ Senior Pastor at Metropolitan Baptist Church ■ Practicing Attorney and member of the American Bar Association in New Jersey EDUCATION ■ Bachelor’s in Accounting, Grambling ■ Two MBAs, in Finance and Marketing, MIT ■ Theological degree, Drew University ■ Doctorate of Juris Prudence, Capital University (Columbus) ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATIONS ■ NAACP ■ Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity ■ National Urban League

In his book, The Reckoning: What Blacks Owe to Each Other, Randall Robinson argues that a relatively unknown gentleman by the name of Robert Moses has made a greater contribution to African American life in our generation than any of our communities’ more known national leaders. Moses developed a method of teaching math to students in California deemed unteachable. His method was so successful it was incorporated by city and state school systems across the country, changing thousands of lives and opening even more minds to new possibilities. The same can be said of David Jefferson, a person who is not listed among the ranks of national leaders but one whose actions continue to open new doors of opportunity for individuals, families, and whole communities. Jefferson is the Chairman and CEO of JNET Communications, a telecommunications company that ★JEFFERSON, Page 8

★EDUCATION Page 7

Thousands gather for “One nation working together”

An estimated 175,000 people attended the One Nation Working Together rally in D.C.

WASHINGTON, DC – People from all 50 states recently traveled to the nation’s capital for the hugely successful One Nation Working Together rally. An estimated 175,000 citizens representing different races, faiths, ages and states gathered on Oct. 2 for speeches and performances by living legends and rising stars in the progressive movement, including NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous, Reverend Al Sharpton, Harry Belafonte, Actor Wendell Pierce, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka and many more. Legendary singer George Clinton closed out the march with a rousing performance of “One Nation Under A Groove.” The speakers shared stories of struggle and hope as well as ideas for the future, and called for high quality public education, justice, and an economy that produces jobs for all Americans. NAACP was a lead organizer for the rally. “I was amazed as I stood at the podium before

175,000 people. I was overwhelmed to see the incredible swell of support for education, for jobs, and for justice,” stated Jealous. “I was also sobered, however, by the reality – that we still have a lot of work to do to bring that momentum from Washington to every state and every corner of the country on Election Day – 11.2.10. Jobs, justice and education are the common threads that tie us together, and I have no doubt that they will persevere come Election Day.” Sharpton said that the midterm elections were like “midterms exams” for the nation, and encouraged the audience to earn a passing grade. Thousands also attended a One Nation rally the same day in Los Angeles. Actor Danny Glover told the diverse crowd that they represented a movement to “continue to fight for the change we voted for in 2008.” “We are here today to fight for good jobs for

INTERVIEW

Whitaker: “My Soul to Take” By Kam Williams CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Denzel Dominique Whitaker was born in Torrance, California on June 15, 1990 to Dale and Younalanda Whitaker. He made his acting debut at 11 in “Training Day,” opposite his namesake, Denzel Washington, and he was subsequently directed by and co-starred with Denzel in “The Great Debaters.” Whitaker has also been on the big screen in “The Bad Lieutenant” and as the voice of Albert in “The Ant Bully.” As for TV, Denzel has appeared on UPN’s “One on One,” and played recurring roles in Nickelodeon’s “All That” and FOX’s “The War At Home.” His other television credits include such hit shows as “ER,” “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody” and “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.” Furthermore, he was a series regular on the ABC pilot “House Rules.” Plus, this past year, he was cast in Gavin

O’Connor’s “Warrior,” which is set for release in 2011. And he currently appears as a recurring character on ABC’s “Brothers & Sisters” and is developing several projects of his own. In his spare time, Denzel enjoys writing screenplays, playing basketball and golf, hip-hop, dancing, digital animation and independent filmmaking. Taking a page from his stage mentors, Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker, he aspires to be an accomplished actor/director. Here, the talented young thespian talks about his new movie, “My Soul to Take,” a 3-D horror flick directed by Wes Craven. Kam Williams: Hey Denzel, how’s it going? It’s been three years since we last spoke. That was for “The Great Debaters.” Denzel Whitaker: Oh, man, get outta here! KW: What have you been up to? DW: I have “My Soul to Take” coming out and a few ★WHITAKER Page 4

Click on Defendernetwork.com Weekend

Weekend

Monday

Harry C. Alford

Food

Joseph Phillips

Beyond the Rhetoric

Perfect Tailgate Meal

Humorless Muslims & Annoying Christians

★ONE NATION, Page 4


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