Who didn’t see this coming? Grambling State University has fred the head volleyball coach who was brought in to turn a struggling program around but spent her entire tenure dealing with fallout afer cutting the entire volleyball team and revoking every player’s scholarship shortly afer she was hired in February.
When Chelsey Lucas cut the entire team in April, several sportscasters and sports lovers on social media lamented that the move was a bad look for HBCUs. Some, however, noted that new coaches have the authority to keep or release players as they see ft. Apparently, the same is true for university administrators. Tey can release head coaches at their discretion.
GSU’s discretion to fre Lucas as the result of an internal investigation within the volleyball program. When this frst happened, administrators had her back – despite the backlash from people upset because due to the timing of the cuts, the ousted players didn’t have time to apply for scholarships elsewhere and many had to drop out of school.
Lucas has issued a statement, blasting the move….and saying she hasn’t been allowed to give her side of the story, nor was she told specifcally why she was fred. We can’t wait to hear it because, Chile….from our seat, it simply looks like karma paid coach a visit.
Te former director of the White House’s Ofce of Public Engagement and top ally of President Biden, Cedric Richmond, says Democrats who are attacking and criticizing Biden for Roe v. Wade and rising gas prices better take heed. Tat’s “the same foolishness” that got former President Donald Trump elected.
While no administration or elected ofcial should be beyond critique, Richmond is vocal about Dems making sure they don’t have misplaced anger. While the Biden administration could be more forceful in calling to overturn the flibuster to codify abortion protections and various things on their agenda, they face barriers, namely Sens. Joe Manchin and Krysten Sinema. For instance, the Build Back Better Act has been torn up and revised countless times because of Sen. Manchin’s “concerns.” Still, Richmond believes that the same line of anger led to former
President Trump’s term in 2016.
“Hillary wasn’t good enough” and “she’s not fghting hard enough” are “what got us Donald Trump. And that got us Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. Case closed.” “He saved democracy once by beating a tyrant. He’s doing it again, but he doesn’t do it by beating his chest,” Richmond said.
I’m not knocking calling out Biden and his administration wherever necessary…. but don’t let it keep you home from the polls come November, or Roe v. Wade will just be the cherry on the top of the dismantling of America.
BIDEN SAYS HE’S WORKING ON #FREEINGBRITTNEY
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris recently spoke with the wife of Brittney Griner to ofer support as the WNBA star remains detained in Russia.
Biden spoke with Cherelle Griner two days afer Brittney Griner wrote a letter to the president expressing her alarm about her ongoing detention. Biden is sending a letter to Brittney Griner in response, the White House said, and he read Cherelle a draf of the letter over the phone.
“Te President ofered his support to Cherelle and Brittney’s family, and he committed to ensuring they are provided with all possible assistance while his administration pursues every avenue to bring Brittney home,” the White House said in a readout of the call.
Biden has directed his national security team to remain in regular contact with Griner’s family to keep them updated on eforts to secure the release of Brittney Griner and other Americans being wrongfully detained abroad.
Te Defender is committed to following this story and keeping the light shining bright on Brittney. But here’s a thought….pay the WNBA players decent wages like you pay NBA players and they won’t have to go overseas to play. But that’s an editorial for another day….I think I’ll go write it….(Visit the Black Women’s Channel on our website to read it)
• Have you canceled R. Kelly? Readers weigh in.
• Stacey Abrams on violent crime, defunding the police.
• Sports reporter Terrance Harris gives us the latest on Deshaun Watson.
A GOP-afliated group founded in the wake of baseless election fraud accusations following the 2020 presidential election is reportedly going door-to-door in Harris County, and asking residents to sign afdavits that verify the identities of voters living in their homes.
Reportedly, the probe was instigated when one resident of the Sunnyside neighborhood fled a complaint saying two men came to her door, showed her an “official-looking” afdavit and demanded her signature “under penalty of perjury.”
“Voters in Sunnyside, and throughout the region, have rights and they don’t have to tolerate lies and subversion at their doorsteps,” Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis said. “No voter has any obligation to engage with representatives of this group, give them any information or sign any document.”
Ellis says his office was notified on June 29 by a Sunnyside constituent that door-to-door canvassers were engaging in what appeared to be voter suppression efforts. They presented an affidavit requesting information about individuals registered to vote at the address that required sworn signatures under penalty of perjury.
Residents say doorbell camera footage captured two men at a home in Sunnyside wearing badges that identified them as
members of Texas Election Network, a conservative organization formed last year. Te organization was founded by Melissa Conway, the Republican National Committee’s Texas state director for election integrity.
“The people canvassing residents are grass-roots volunteers for the nonproft
organization called Texas Election Network, and they are wearing badges that clearly state the name of the organization with the nonproft registration number on the back,”
Alan Vera, a board member of the Texas Election Network and chair of the county GOP’s ballot security committee, said in a statement. “Tese volunteers
are not employees of any political party. Te nonproft’s mission is to empower citizens to ensure and protect fair and transparent elections.”
Harris County is warning residents that they are not required to sign the forms being used by the solicitors.
“In the event that the Harris County Elections Ofce ever needs to contact you directly,” its release read, “our staf will have county ID badges to prove their identity, and/or paperwork with the logo or ofcial seal of the ofce included.”
James Slattery, senior staff attorney with the Texas Civil Rights Project, decried the practice, saying, “This is one of the precise situations I have been most worried about this election — people in shadowy volunteer groups who suggest in one way or another that they are acting under official authority questioning the eligibility of voters directly by knocking on their doors.”
“Our country is at a critical juncture where our democracy and fundamental rights are under attack like never before,” Commissioner Ellis said. “Te testimony coming out of the January 6 Select House Committee makes that clear. Big Lie specialists and subversive groups on the ground are picking up where the insurrectionists lef of—undermining faith in our democracy and pitting one American against another.”
A new study found that Houston’s minority communities will likely face more fooding and industrial pollution over the next three decades compared to other parts of the area.
Areas such as East and South Houston, the Second Ward and Magnolia Park are particularly vulnerable. Tese communities are subject to a one-two punch of fooding and pollution, caused by the mixing of land-based contamination and foodwaters.
“One of the things that a lot of Houstonians and Americans don’t realize is that while we have a lot of air pollution that’s contributed to climate change in the past as well as the present, we have billions of pounds of industrial pollution that’s been buried in-site,” Rice University professor and chair of sociology, Jim Elliott, said about his work on the study, which was developed by researchers from Rice, New
York University and Brown University.
He said the study was an efort to understand how past industrial pollution still in the land is subject to new industrial pollution ramifcations.
The study involved using historical directories to locate likely sites of “ghost pollution,” which is pollution still in the land that was never regulated or investigated. Tey combined the ghost pollution statistics with future food risk data.
Te study found that in Harris County, at least 35,000 people face direct exposure because they live in food-prone areas. Due to “historical forces” such as Jim Crow laws and discriminatory redlining, these areas are home to lower-income individuals living in multi-unit housing, according to the study.
Elliott said Houston-area leaders should initiate more mitigation tactics, such as cleaning up the communities where
fooding is likely to take place.
“Tis is not a Houston issue, it’s an issue that’s prevalent across the country. Tat’s what the research
is showing,” Elliott said.
“So Houston can really be a leader in developing new mitigation strategies and identifying how we might go forward with community engagement.”A car is submerged in foodwater in the afermath of Hurricane Harvey in Houston. AP
Te National Black United Front, a grassroots, Pan-African organization working and organizing towards the advancement of all people of African descent, will hold its 43rd National Convention in Houston July 9-10.
NBUF’s national chairman and longtime Houston resident/activist, Kofi Taharka, spoke with the Defender about the convention’s focus and goals.
DEFENDER: What’s the focus of NBUF’s 43rd National Convention?
bring forward to today past values that are needed,” or put simply, “go back and fetch it.” So, we’re fexing on our history, our culture, our spirituality, all of who we are as persons of African ancestry.
DEFENDER: What do you expect to be the highlights of the convention?
NBUF Convention
Conference Registration: NBUFConvention2022. Eventbrite.com.
KOFI TAHARKA: Our theme this year is “Te Sankofa Flex: Building Blocks for the Black Nation.” Sankofa is a west African concept sometimes symbolized in the Adinkra symbols. Our brother, Haile Gerima many years ago made the movie Sankofa to help popularize this concept, which means “go back to your past, retrieve what you have lost and
Instagram: NBUF_Houston
Facebook: NBUF Houston
Email: NBUFHouston@gmail.com
Phone: 832-422-7806
TAHARKA: We will consider the convention a success when the brothers and sisters who are part of NBUF and the sisters and brothers who attend, leave there with applicable tools in order to address various issues, concerns, concepts, challenges or opportunities that exist within our community. We also want people to be fired up. This will be our frst national convention that will be in person for the most part of two years. Tis is important that we will be able to be in the same space with each other, feeling each other’s energy.
DEFENDER: What about workshops?
TAHARKA: We’ll have several. One of the workshops is called Food Security. We have been fortunate over the past 10 years to
have a three raised bed garden at NBUF (2428 Southmore Blvd, 77004); the Sundiata Acoli-Shaka Sankofa Self-Determination Community Garden. And with the many challenges that we face, everybody should have a way to feed themselves. Self-defense. Look at the times we’re living in. There are basic tenants to self-defense, whether it be personal, home or community. We have a panel of local specialists who will be sharing information like that. Also, institution building. But, as opposed to somebody giving a lecture on institutions, convention attendees will tour SHAPE. And of course, they’ll be at NBUF, then at the Shrine. So, we’ll be seeing real world examples.
Associated Press
A Black man was unarmed when Akron police chased him on foot and killed him in a hail of gunfre, but ofcers believed he had shot at them earlier from a vehicle and feared he was preparing to fre again.
Akron police released video of the shooting of Jayland Walker, 25, who was killed June 27 in a pursuit that had started with an attempted trafc stop. Te mayor called the shooting “heartbreaking” while asking for patience from the community. It’s not clear how many shots were fred by the eight ofcers involved, but Walker sustained more than 60 wounds. An attorney for Walker’s family said ofcers kept fring even afer he was on the ground.
Ofcers attempted to stop Walker’s car around 12:30 a.m. for unspecifed trafc and equipment violations, but less than a minute into a pursuit, the sound of a shot was heard from the car, and a camera captured what appeared to be a muzzle fash coming from the vehicle, Akron Police Chief Steve Mylett said. Tat changed the nature of the case from “a routine
traffic stop to now a public safety issue,” he said.
Police body cam show several shouting ofcers with guns drawn approach the slowing car on foot, as it rolls up over a curb and onto a sidewalk. A person wearing a ski mask exits and runs toward a parking lot. Police chase him for about 10 seconds before ofcers fre from multiple directions, in a burst of
shots that lasts six or seven seconds. At least one ofcer had tried frst to use a stun gun, but that was unsuccessful, police said.
In a statement, the local police union said the ofcers thought there was an immediate threat of serious harm, and that it believes their actions and the number of shots will be found justifed in line with their training and protocols. Te union
said the ofcers are cooperating with the investigation. A handgun, a loaded magazine and an apparent wedding ring were found on the seat of the car.
State Attorney General Dave Yost vowed a “complete,
fair and expert investigation.” Te ofcers involved in the shooting are on paid administrative leave, which is standard practice in such cases. Seven of them are white, and one is Black, according to the department.
VOLUME 91 - NUMBER 34 - JULY 7, 2022
Publisher | CEO
Sonceria Messiah-Jiles
Chief Development
Ofcer
Emelda Douglas
Strategic Alllance
Clyde Jiles
Creative Director
Michael Grant
Administrative Asst.
Stacey Palmer
Managing Editor
ReShonda Tate
Associate Editor
Aswad Walker
Education Reporter
Laura Onyeneho
Sports
Terrance Harris
Jodie B. Jiles
Photographers
Jimmie Aggison
Te city of New Orleans recently experienced a $200 million dollar economic boost as the EssenceFest returned afer a two-year hiatus. While attendees enjoyed concerts, parties, empowerment workshops, powerful panels and plenty of shopping, many agree the highlight was a visit from Vice President Kamala Harris.
In a standing-room only room, actress Keke Palmer moderated a conversation with Harris, who told attendees to use their voices as the country faces the fallout from the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Te last time Harris spoke at Essence was in 2019, before she made history as the frst woman of color to become Vice President of the United States. Breaking barriers throughout her life, prepared her for this role.
“Don’t hear ‘nobody like you has done this before’, I like to say, I eat ‘no’ for breakfast,” Harris told the crowd.
Harris took this opportunity to address some of the issues plaguing the African
American community, including the recent Supreme Court decision, to overturn Roe v. Wade.
“The Supreme Court, with the Dobbs decision, for the frst time in the history of our nation took a constitutional right that had been recognized and took it from the women of America. Took a constitutional right,” Harris explained.
Harris says those most impacted will be women without means, who may have to travel to get the reproductive care they need. Another major concern for her? What else the supreme court may reconsider.
“What that means then in terms of what else is vulnerable that we otherwise thought was settled, including issues like contraception, including issues like same-sex marriage,
including the intimate decisions that people should be able to make that I call heart and home without government interference,” Harris said.
Palmer asked how everyday citizens can step up to get involved in whatever issue they’re passionate about. Harris said, don’t be afraid to use your voice.
“Tere is power in knowing that the vast majority of us have so much more in common than what separates us,” she said.
Black maternal health and related support is something Harris said has long been an issue she fghts for.
“We have to recognize we’re a nation that was founded on certain principles that are — that are grounded in the concept of freedom and liberty,” Harris said. “We also know that we’ve had a history in this country of government — trying to claim ownership over human bodies.”
There’s a Houston area that holds national historical significance, even though many locals know little about it. That community? Independence Heights.
By Aswad WalkerNestled between N. Shepherd Dr. to the le and I-45 to the right, with Tidwell Rd. to the north and the northern 610 loop to the south, lies one of the most historic communities not only in Texas, but the nation: Independence Heights.
Helping to shed light on the area is Tanya Debose, a fi h-generation descendant of its founders and executive director of the Independence Heights Redevelopment Council (IHRC), founded in 2005 to improve the quality of life for residents of Independence Heights, particularly through historic preservation and revitalization activities.
Defender: What’s the story behind Independence Heights’ founding?
Tanya Debose: Around 1905, the A.A. Wright Land Company (WLC) began buying up land and repatterned it as a neighborhood. Prior to that Independence Heights was really a lot of pasture land with cows and open prairie. e WLC began platting land out there. The thing unique about the WLC is they actually sold land to both whites and African Americans and they sold land to African Americans at a fair price. e wards were filling up. A lot of people were coming to Houston because of the jobs. So, Independence Heights presented this opportunity via the WLC around 1908, where you could literally own land and build the house you wanted.
About 1915, 600 residents populated the city. ey built churches, had their own corner stores, and just about everything they needed right there in that town. At the same time, the city of Houston started getting amenities like indoor plumbing and paved streets and the people of Independence Heights wanted those same opportunities. When they tried to work with the city to achieve modern amenities, the city of Houston did not oblige. So, the early pioneers of Independence Heights said, “Well, what did they do to chart their own path, have their own water department, their own city, pave
• Grambling, La.
• Mount Bayou, Miss.
• Hopson City, Ala.
• Eatonville, Fla.
• Princeville, N.C. (aka Freedom Hill)
• Allensworth, Calif.
*Incorporated cities
their own streets?” What they did was file for a city charter. So, that’s how they were able to start this African American city. It was not their idea of starting the city where it was filled with Blacks. It just happened that way because Jim Crow and
segregation were running rampant at the time. And what I know about my ancestors is they really wanted sovereignty. ey wanted to be able to chart their own path, be in their own space where they were free from racial terror and all the other things that were happening at the time. Independence Heights afforded them that opportunity to do that.
Defender: What year was it chartered as a city?
Debose: 1915 is the year it was chartered as a city. Around November 1914 they started petitioning Harris County to apply and be able to get this charter started. In December they filed. en on January 16, 1915 they actually held an election and they woke up on January 17 the independent city of
Independence Heights. ey voted in their first Black mayor, who was George Burgess. ey had a commission-style government. ey had already been building their own little town, so they just continued to work, but they had a little bit more power. What people don’t realize...especially back in those days, and even now, is land ownership meant so much more than owning land. It meant that you could vote and you could hold office. What people don’t realize is that if you didn’t own anything, you didn’t have a right to vote. So, those were the things that were important, beyond just starting their own city. ey wanted to be able to chart their own path.
Defender: Why don’t more people know the story of Independence Heights?
Debose: I was 40 when I really realized the importance and significance of Independence Heights, and I’d grown up there all my life, going to church. My family, my mother grew up there. She was born in Independence Heights. My great grandfather Josh Powell came there in 1924. He came from the river bottoms of Ward, Texas. His grandfather had been enslaved in that area. He was from Kentucky, and so when he came to Harris County, the first place he lived was in River Oaks in a carriage house because he was a chauffeur. He saved his money, he and his wife, and they were able to purchase land in the city of Independence Heights.
[Others who populated the area included]
Exalton Delco Jr. He was the first Black zoologist that went to UT. His wife, Wilhelmina Delco, was one of the first Black state
representatives in Texas, they all lived there. eir homes are still there in the community. We’re in the process of preserving them. Also, we had our own tailors, we had our own cab company. But you never saw it in history books. There were no documentaries made about it. It was not something mainstream America held as important.
Defender: When did Independence Heights become part of Houston?
READ ABOUT MORE INDEPENDENCE HEIGHTS HISTORY AND WHAT THE FUTURE HAS IN STORE FOR THE COMMUNITY.
Debose: Independence Heights was annexed and became a part of the city of Houston after the 1927, 1928 stock
market crash. e people of Independence Heights could not pay their notes to the Wright Land Company. e company then filed a lawsuit against the city of Independence Heights. At the same time, the city of Independence Heights had taken out a $100K loan or bond from the city of Houston. And they couldn’t pay because the people couldn’t pay any of their taxes and things. So, the city of Houston took this really vulnerable moment to open up what’s called a receivership.
Also, Houston was pressured to keep up with other major Texas cities that were
expanding. Independence Heights became very easy prey because it pushed the city of Houston northward, and it couldn’t go west, south or east because of existing Houston neighborhoods. So, on Dec. 31, 1929, the people of Independence Heights went to bed as their own independent city. But on Jan. 1, 1930, they woke up part of the city of Houston. So, there went the first Black city in the state of Texas.
Defender: What about the claims from other all-Black Texas communities?
Debose: You have places like Kendleton, Prairie View, White Chapel. ese are all early Black settlements that could have been towns, had they incorporated. e difference with Independence Heights and those places is that we incorporated.
Rapper, actor and producer David Banner might represent his home state of Mississippi to the fullest, but Houston is the city where Banner has developed fond personal and professional memories.
It is the inspiration behind his single “Swangin”, a tribute to the late Houston rap icon Pimp C of UGK.
“Pimp C was a very good friend of mine,” Banner told the Defender. “He was one of the dudes who counseled me. UGK was one of the few groups who were from a small town like I was from, and who were able to garner sustainable success.”
In 2018, Banner shared a video clip of Pimp C on Facebook with a caption that described their friendship. “Pimp C’s Voice changed my life,” he said. “We actually became friends while he was in jail. I frequently wrote him. He wanted to learn how to use the MPC drum machine so I took pictures of it and tried to teach him how it works. I also wanted him to see the world through my experiences so I sent pictures of all the amazing places I was going to on tour.
“He was a mentor and a friend. Pimp was the one who showed me how to navigate myself through the hate. He said ‘Banner, you are smart, it will take time for your
people to catch up with you.’ He loved the South with all he was.”
Recently, Banner hosted an exclusive listening session hosted by Gas Gods and In the Green Podcast sharing the space with notable Houston rappers including Slim Tug, Lil’ Keke, Propain, Killa Kyleon and Lil’ Flip.
“One thing people don’t talk about enough as it pertains to Black Houston is the independent music game, Banner said. “Texas as a whole…shows the world that they can get it without anybody else. You can go gold or platinum just in the state of Texas and Houston is the heart of that.”
While Banner continues to make moves in hip hop, he has become a pillar of strength as an activist and advocate for health and wellness in the Black community. He has been transparent about struggles with sleep apnea, high blood pressure and his weight loss journey.
“I’m able to hear God clearly when I’m healthy. I just got of my blood pressure pills. I was 17 points from diabetes,” he said. “I want to be our children’s superhero both on the screen and of the screen and the way you look has a lot to do with that.”
Keep up with Banner regarding all things music and business on his website at Davidbanner.com.
Cast of ‘College Hill: Celebrity Edition.’ Big Freedia, India Love, Lamar Odom, NeNe Leakes, Slim Thug AKA Big Slim, DreamDoll and Ray J (Stacey Dash is not pictured)
Texas Southern University has found itself in the center of the pop culture world with the premier of the BET+ reality series “College Hill: Celebrity Edition.”
Viewers got their first glimpse of the eight-episode series following the 2022 BET Awards. Te show follows eight celebrities as they are fully immersed in an HBCU experience set against the backdrop of the campus of TSU. TSU was chosen in a national search for the opportunity to highlight the campus, academic programs, and students.
One of the emerging stars of the show is TSU professor, Dr. Michon Benson, who teaches one of the courses cast members NeNe Leakes, Ray J, Lamar Odom, Big Freedia, Stacey Dash, India Love, DreamDoll and Slim Tug AKA Big Slim take during their “College Hill: Celebrity Edition” experience.
“I agreed to participate in the show because I wanted the world to perceive TSU as an ‘education destination’,” said Benson. “Te university features so many great faculty and top-tier programming.”
As the series moves forward cast members will work toward completing a specialty certifcate program allowing them to walk across the graduation stage.
“Having the cast and crew of ‘College Hill: Celebrity Edition’ on our campus was a special experience for Texas Southern University and a unique opportunity to introduce TSU to new audiences,” said TSU vice president for communications and advancement Melinda Spaulding. “Te multiple positive interactions with students and the highlighting of our president and faculty will show the world what we already know about Texas Southern.”
Spaulding also shared that BET’s relationship with the Tird Ward-located HBCU is going beyond the reality series.
“BET also partnered with [TSU] for scholarships and gifed our students with an amazing Culture Fest culminating experience. We hope our participation will enhance the interest in not only the Texas Southern University, but all HBCUs,” said Spaulding.
For Benson, an award-winning professor, she viewed her participation as an opportunity to share TSU’s story with the world.
“I’m not in control of the [show’s] editing process, but I tried my best to create meaningful curriculum, and I invested
as much energy into teaching the on-air class as I do for my other courses. If the show can encourage prospective students to enroll in college, particularly in TSU, I’ll feel good about my role in the project,” shared Benson.
The saga with former Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, the NFL and the multiple massage therapists who have accused him of sexual misconduct and sexual assault, seems to be moving toward a conclusion but there were some interesting developments last week. The hearing with the NFL’s independent disciplinary officer, to determine punishment for the now Cleveland Browns quarterback, concluded and is now in the decision-making process. The NFL is believed to be seeking an indefinite suspension, which would require Watson to sit out at least a full season, but many experts believe the league and Watson’s team will eventually settle for a six to eight-game suspension for the upcoming season. Watson already sat out the entire 2021 season but it was not considered a suspension.
Houston native and WNBA star Brittney Griner had her first official day in court in Russia on July 1 on drug charges.
The Russian prosecutor accused Griner of moving “a significant amount” of cannabis oil at an airport near Moscow in February during her attempted return home. During the hearing, Griner was placed in a cage with a bottle of water and a bag of cookies, according to media reports from Russian media. Griner’s trial is to resume July 7. She is facing up to 10 years in prison if convicted, which many predict is a forgone conclusion.
Former Rockets general manager Daryl Morey seems intent on making his new employer, the Philadelphia 76ers, the Rockets of the East. In addition to trading for James Harden last season, Morey has also added P.J. Tucker and Danuel House Jr. to the Sixers roster. And if Morey has his way, veteran point guard Eric Gordon will be headed to Philadelphia soon, if a trade can be made with the Rockets. Rockets general manager Rafael Stone is said to be seeking a future No. 1 pick for Gordon, which could be tough since the 76ers aren’t allowed to trade a first-round pick until 2029 under league trade guidelines.
A er starring at Stafford High School and then Baylor, Jalen Pitre had no idea where his football career would take him as the NFL Dra loomed this past spring.
As luck would have it, he wouldn’t have to travel far. e Texans grabbed one of the most versatile defensive players in the dra in the second round (37th overall) to bolster their beleaguered secondary.
“It’s really close but I feel like football is football anywhere,” Pitre said of being with the Texans. “I’m very thankful to be home but I’m just happy to be on a team again and just be able to play football.”
With training camp less than a month away, Pitre has already impressed the Texans coaching staff with his work ethic, tenacity and capacity to pick up head coach Lovie Smith’s Tampa 2 defensive scheme. Pitre, who is lining up primarily at safety a er playing a hybrid safety/linebacker position at Baylor the last two seasons, performed well during OTAs and minicamp and as result saw some reps with the Texans’ firstteam defense.
“Jalen, he’s a sponge, he’s picking up quickly,” Smith said. “Very bright, athletic, all those things, but he needs reps. Offseason work helps those guys so much, and
that local flavor is good also.”
Perhaps the 6-foot Pitre benefited most from his time under defensive guru Dave Aranda during their time together at Baylor. Pitre, who played linebacker during his first two seasons with the Bears, quickly became Aranda’s prized pupil when he arrived as Baylor’s head coach.
Aranda elevated Pitre to his “star” position as a hybrid safety/linebacker where he was given the freedom to roam all levels of the defense. e result was not only did Pitre evolve into a star player – twotime All-Big 12, Big 12 Player of the Year and consensus first-team All-American –but he grew into the Bears’ unquestioned leader.
“I learned a lot from Coach Aranda,” said Pitre, who finished his senior year with 76 tackles, 18 tackles for loss (three sacks), two interceptions, seven pass breakups and
three fumble recoveries. “ e biggest thing that I learned was just to be patient with things and just to wait on my turn. Coach Aranda is a very patient individual. at’s something I’ve been trying to work on.”
Pitre has shifted from one talented defensive-minded coach to one of the most respected defensive coaches in all of the NFL. Pitre and Smith have already seemed to develop a special connection.
Smith has been pleased with Pitre’s progress, which is essential as he and first-round pick Derek Stingley Jr. will almost certainly be looked at to fill immediate holes in the secondary a er the departures of Lonnie Johnson Jr. and Justin Reid this offseason.
“Pitre, for one, he’s been outstanding,” Smith said. “Knack for the football. Has done a lot of good things.”
Pitre has taken to heart Smith’s mantra that he and the other rookies must do things the Texans way.
“It’s all about being a professional and doing things the right way, making sure you are being respectful to all of those around you and of your space,” Pitre said. “I think when you do that you end up being successful in wherever you are and whatever you are doing. at’s kind of the main things that Coach is preaching right now.”
Pitre, for one, he’s been outstanding. Knack for the football. Has done a lot of good things.”
Lovie Smith
Katy Tompkins senior pole vaulter Matthew Kumar, a Rice University commit, didn’t go to state in 2021. So he became a man on a mission this season, which was capped off with a gold medal 16-03.00 performance at this year’s event.
Tompkins pole vault coach Matthew Rhodes reflected on Kumar’s journey since last season.
“He has kept that as motivation all year long,” Rhodes said. “Every meet since he has [tried to surpass his personal record] levels. So, he kept getting PR a er PR a er PR and then he hits the school record. And the next week he gets the district record.”
The Defender spoke with Kumar at the UIL state track meet to discuss his style, early start, commitment to Rice and more.
ABOUT MATTHEW KUMAR
IG: @mattew.kumar
Pole vaulter he studies: Timur Morgunov
Favorite artist: Kendrick Lamar Hobby: Fishing Shout-outs: “All the coaches, my parents and anyone who has helped me.”
EARLY START
“I picked it up in middle school. It looked fun and it is fun. So, I just started and have been doing it ever since.”
STYLE OF POLE VAULTING
“It is a big mental event and I try to keep my calm and go back to whatever I have been practicing.”
GOLD MEDAL PERFORMANCE
“Stay calm, jump my jump, and don’t worry about the big dogs I
am competing against.”
ADVICE TO OTHERS
“I would tell them just give it a try because usually when they give it a try they end up liking it. And once they like it, they are more willing to grind for it.”
RICE COMMITMENT
“ ey have a really good coach, David Butler. He is just about all you can ask for in a pole vault coach. So, I am very excited to be working with him for the next four years.”
A er running a 47.37 time in the 2021 UIL State 4x100 meter relay, the Fort Bend Bush girls relay team consisting of Raylen Russell, Rachel Joseph, Christina Pleasant and Amariya Hardeman captured a gold medal in the 2022 event with a 45.33 time. For the first three legs of the race all of the relay teams were pretty even, until freshman Hardeman created the necessary separation to bring a gold medal back to the city.
When asked what makes the team special, freshman Hardeman said, “We
just have trust in each other and have faith that God is in everything.”
e Defender spoke with the Bush relay team a er their podium pictures to discuss their keys to victory, advice to others and more.
UIL 4X100-METER GOLD
MEDAL
Russell: “ e keys to the race were consistency and having patience.”
LAST LEG OF THE RACE
Hardeman: “I just thought finish straight through, keep my form and just finish.”
POST-RACE FEELING
Pleasant: “It is a really good feeling.
It is deeper than an accomplishment because you are going beyond what you have expected from yourself. We are very humble and we don’t like to call things out before we know what the outcome could be…And to come out here and show it, put it all on the track and leave it there is a really great feeling.”
ADVICE TO OTHERS
Joseph: “Stay very consistent because consistency is key. Make sure you trust your team because if you don’t trust your team you will have bad handoffs. And put your pride to the side.”
CHANCE OF LOSING POWER
11% White neighborhoods
48% Black neighborhoods
Te business sector is intersecting with activists in an efort to help individuals who sufered fnancial losses due to Winter Storm Uri (February 2021) and its afermath secure compensation.
Texans Helping Texans Recovery Fund, led by Erik Simpson, founder and CEO of CirclesX, a technology company, is calling on individuals who sufered loss of power, home damage, lost business revenue, food and water and experienced their insurance companies refusal to pay customer claims to join their lawsuit against the state’s 4,000 energy companies.
“Texans Helping Texans Recovery Fund is taking all that experience and decades of big data and energy and evaluating markets, and using that data to recover money [lost during Uri], because during that storm $55 billion was made by energy companies in two weeks, while Texans lost $200 billion,” said Simpson.
“Normally, I’m as capitalistic as they come. However, when a company provides a service, it needs to be so that everyone is equally treated. In this situation, that was not what went down.”
According to Simpson, CirclesX has partnered with a number of groups and individuals like activist, radio host and pastor of Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church, Dr. D.Z. Cofeld, to get the word out about the lawsuit that allows impacted Texans to sign up at no cost.
“Tere were two groups: one group got cut of, the other group had to pay those
jacked up prices that went up by 90 times. Both would have claims, which then covers for most intents and purposes, the entire population of Texas. Tis is basically a technology company combining legal sources to create a mechanism for social justice to recover the money that was taken improperly,” said Simpson.
Te amount of damages sought depends on the number of persons who join the lawsuit, with Simpson saying “any valid claim is eligible [to join] where a person was the electric bill payer of record.”
For Cofeld, the fght is about economic and racial justice, especially when he realized the energy system wasn’t shut down accidentally, but rather, on purpose.
“What CirclesX discovered was, it wasn’t incompetence. It was intentional and people withheld power and kept it out of the system instead of pushing it into the system,” said Cofeld. “You don’t accidentally make $55 billion in proft in two weeks.”
For context, Cofeld pointed out Americans spent $53 billion in all of 2021 on legalized gambling — including the Super Bowl, March Madness, World Series and NBA Finals.
“Tat’s $53 billion spent over the entire year on gambling. Tese energy companies made $55 billion in two weeks. Ten, to add insult to injury, there is now a proposal in front of the public utility commission by the same energy companies who have profted, are trying to pass along the cost to winterize the system to those of us who are customers.
It’s just the height of hypocrisy.”
According to Cofeld, the mapped data provided by CirclesX revealed that Texas’ more afuent, predominantly white neighborhoods had an 11% chance of losing power during Uri compared to a 48% chance for those “living in the hood,” a reality Simpson categorized as “massive discrimination.”
Simpson contends the lawsuit isn’t just
about money.
“Tis has to do with integrity. It has to do with your vision of the future. Tis has to do with equality. Tis has to do with justice. If we sit here and we do nothing, it’s going to happen again.”
To join the lawsuit, visit www.thtrf.com and fle your claim for free.
Pursuant to the Special Notice of Funding Opportunity to Address Unsheltered and Rural Homelessness (“Special NOFO”) from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the Continuum of Care (CoC), the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County, as Lead Agency of The Way Home CoC — the collaborative effort to prevent and end homelessness in Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery counties — is seeking a Request for Applications (RFA) for new homeless outreach, permanent housing, and supportive services projects.
Due to the competitive nature of these funds, only non-proft agencies with experience in administering HUD funding will be eligible to apply. Preference will be given to applications for permanent housing to serve individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness. All project applications will be scored and ranked.
All interested applicants must participate in a virtual grant conference 12-2 p.m. Thursday, July 7, 2022. Registration information and applications available at www.homelesshouston.org. APPLICATIONS ARE DUE by Thursday, Oct. 13. Please contact NOFO@homelesshouston.org for any questions or additional information.
The Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority will be advertising for bids of the Northpark Drive Overpass Project, located in Northeast Houston. Sealed Bids will be received until 4:00PM, local time on August 3, 2022 by Kelly Cashman, Paralegal, 600 Travis, Ste. 4200, Houston, TX 77002. Bids received after this time will not be accepted. The proposed project will include reconstruction of the existing four-lane facility to a six-lane facility with upgrades such as 10’ pedestrian side paths, a closed drainage system, amenity ponds and landscaping improvements near the intersection with US 59/I-69 and a new grade separation (bridge overpass) over State Loop 494 and the Union Pacific Railroad with at-grade access roads. The project limits span from just west of US 59/I-69 to just east of Russell Palmer Road and is approximately 1.3 miles in length.
Beginning 2:00PM, Friday, June 17, 2022, Bid Documents will be available via CivCast at www.CivCastUSA.com: search Northpark Drive Overpass Project. Bidders must register on this website in order to view and/or download specifications, plans, and other related documents for this project. There is no charge to view or download documents. Addenda will also be distributed CivCast.
A MANDATORY Pre-bid Conference will be held at 2:00PM on Wednesday, July 6, 2022, at HNTB Corporation, 1301 Fannin Street (Suite 2000), Houston, TX 77002. All bidders (general contractors) are invited to attend. Bids will be ruled non-responsive if received from a bidder who did not attend the Pre-bid Conference. Late arrivals will not be admitted to the Pre-bid Conference.
Bidders shall comply with City Ordinance 95-336 (March 29, 1995) and Exec. Order No.1 2 (June 14, 1995), and City of Houston Affirmative Action and Contract Compliance Division Minority/Women Business Enterprise (M/WBE) Procedures (June 1995). The successful Bidder will be required to make good faith efforts to achieve an M/WDBE participation goal of 20 percent.
