Houston Defender: June 17, 2021.

New

Juneteenth sheds light on race FEATURE

FEATURE

REGINALD ADAMS

VIRGIL WOODS

Artist behind Galveston Juneteenth mural talks about his inspiration for the world-renowned project.

Volume 90, Issue 33 June 17, 2021

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The Civil Rights icon gives his insight on Juneteenth, race relations and other issues.

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DN To the POINT

LET THE PEOPLE BE HEARD

TEACHERS WARY OF NEW LAWS LIMITING INSTRUCTION ON RACE With the new laws on the books, teachers will have to tip-toe around issues dealing with RACE, even if they actually happened and are a part of our history. Do you feel this is just another form of hiding the TRUTH from our children?

Defender readers weigh in: @thebuffprofessor One of the things that I noticed immediately when I relocated back to the state was how unaware many Africana people are of what I once considered to be basic facts and interpretations about the experience of Africans in this country. I worked in the school system for 7 months—all I could stand—and it became clear to me why that is: our school systems currently do not engage issues of race, gender or class inequality. If students don’t have that analytical lens—that desire to ask questions—if we just accept what we are taught as all there is, our school systems don’t do anything to disrupt that. Fast forward to the college level and we don’t seek out classes that interrogate race or inequality. And college administrators do not feel the need to emphasize this information in the core. So, the result, those very few teachers who would want to engage race are prohibited from doing so, all but ensuring our children, and the children of white and Latino communities are going to be ignorant of issues of race. And, even worse, they will not possess the lexicon to articulate their feelings when they experience inequality.

This is by design. And it will work—unless folks mobilize against it. @bl00tacoz here is a line between teaching accurate history and indoctrination about worth in the present day. At one time, indigenous children were kidnapped from their parents and homes and for early sent to government run boarding schools so that they could have their value and culture and identity stripped from them.

We can all learn the volume of events and their effects on every group from the history and STILL continue to ‘other’ to demonize and to segregate. This is not progress @deefoley08 We can’t depend on others to share about our greatness. @justanotherdreday Definitely hiding the truth. It will be up to us to teach our children. If I had school-age children in today’s time, they definitely would not be in public school.

Image from the Netflix show ‘Dear White People.’ Image courtesy of Lionsgate.

Message From the Associate Editor JUNETEENTH ON STEROIDS

CANCEL CULTURE

In a few days it will be June 19, but Speaking of hot, Black teachers are steamJuneteenth festivities have already begun. ing over being told they can’t bring Black perAnd the energy for this year’s celebrations spectives on history and current events into is already lit. Not only is Juneteenth on the classroom. First, they’re pissed because so a Saturday. Not only is it coming with many soft-headed folk (the kind not invited folk bursting at the seams to get back to the cook-out) are using their hate of Critoutside. Not only are there more Juneical Race Theory (CRT) as their hammer to teenth happenings than any other year. kill Black History, even though CRT is only But Juneteenth 2021 is happening amid taught at the college level. Second, Black teachelected officials (i.e. wealthy, old, priviers clearly see the hypocrisy: squashing Our leged, white men) arrogantly telling us Story while shoving down our throats crap Aswad Walker what we can and can’t teach about Black like the “1836 Project” that doubles down on history; voter suppression spreading like 2020 COVID; the white-washing of history. What’s really scary though, is just and police killings of unarmed Blackfolk not missing a how comfortable the Karens, Brads, Abbotts and McConnells beat. Last year’s Summer of George Floyd gave Juneteenth of the world are with using the same dictatorial education pronew energy. Now, we stand poised to blow the roof off paganda tactics America condemned China, Russia and other the sucka. such regimes for using. We’re in for one helluvah summer!

THE HEAT IS ON

Some Texas politicians are low as hell. So low Congress is investigating why Houston/Harris County, which sustained $2 billion in Hurricane Harvey damage (half of all regional damage), received $0 from the Texas General Land Office. But check this, Beaumont, which has the largest share of African American population of any major Texas city at 46.5% and has repeatedly been hit by disasters, received zero funding as well, while its neighbor Vidor, which is 90% white and 100% still a “sundown town,” received $15 million. Folk are hot about this, and are only going to get hotter. Why? Because while Gov. Abbott is running to the border trying to finish Trump’s wall, his promise that Texas power is on full blast was exposed for the bull that it is as ERCOT is telling Texas residents to conserve energy and expect rolling power outages! During a Texas summer! Meaning no AC! I just hope we’re fired up enough to vote when the time comes.

IN THIS WEEK’S DEFENDER

• Juneteenth, Juneteenth and more Juneteenth. And did you know, Galveston, where the Juneteenth story began, is just now recognizing June 19 as a holiday?!?

• Fathers, we didn’t forget about you. Check out the reflections on fatherhood from brothers representing well the sacred role.

• Defender HS Sports Editor Jodie B. Jiles spotlights a football-playing diamond in the rough, Clear Brook graduate Kam’rin Devault, while Pro/College Sports Editor Terrance Harris interviews Texans’ second-year player Jonathan Greenard.

ON THE WEB

• HISD food workers demand a pay cut reversal from district leaders.

• Racial tensions are boiling at Southern Baptist meetings.

• As the U.S. COVID-19 death toll approaches 600K, racial gaps persist.

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DN News

Vice President Kamala Harris, right, speaks during a meeting with members of the Texas Legislature. AP/Susan Walsh

VP Harris discusses voting rights with Texas Democrats Defender News Service

Governor Greg Abbott. Getty Images

TEXAS 1836 PROJECT

What ‘Patriotic Education’ bill means for educators?

By Laura Onyeneho

Critics are growing concerned after Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 2497, the establishment of the 1836 Project, making it difficult for educators to teach a more inclusive and truthful account of U.S History.

According to the outline of the bill, the 1836 Project will be led by an “advisory committee to promote patriotic education and increase awareness of Texas values. Patriotic education would include the presentation of the history of the state’s founding and foundational principles, examination of how Texas has grown closer to those principles throughout its history, and explanation of why commitment to those principles is beneficial and justified.”

In a video posted on Twitter, Abbott says that the 1836 Project will ensure future generations understand Texas values and its exceptionalism. The project was named after the year Texas declared independence from Mexico. The bill models itself after former President Donald Trump’s unpromising “1776 Project,” to form a commission to refute the teachings on critical race theory, systemic racism, and the examination of how slavery has impacted American society. This was a clear rebuke of the “1619 Project,” the Pulitzer Prize-winning report by the New York Times led by reporter Nikole Hanna-Jones, which examines American history from the date when enslaved people first arrived on U.S soil.

Although public schools already teach history, many are concerned that the bill will obscure the state’s deep-rooted history of slavery and racism.

“This is problematic. I don’t think we can funnel the stories through one particular lens. This isn’t going to

prepare our kids for the future they are going to face. There is such a rich history and there is a lot of pain from that history. We want our children to learn from our past to empower them to create a better future,” said Dr. Kwabena Mensah, Assistant Superintendent at Fort Dr. Kwabena Bend ISD. Mensah Mensah, who also serves as president of the Houston Area Alliance of Black School Educators (HAABSE), says that the project will pose a challenge for educators preparing for the return of students in the Fall.

“Education and politics place us (HAABSE) in a very delicate position. As a non-profit organization, there are external factors that limit us from speaking out on certain issues,” he says. “We are encouraging our educators and membership on how to navigate through this when it (the bill) gets implemented because they will feel pressure to communicate in a different way and not share information in the way they’ve done before.

“So, we will have to figure out strategies to support them. These educators still have to be at the table to be the face for our kids, and we don’t want to lose teachers because they’re being sanctioned or being written up for going against the grain. We have to still be in a space where we aren’t compromising our beliefs.”

House Bill 2497 will go into effect on Sept 1, 2021.

Laura Onyeneho is the Education Reporter for the Defender Network and a member of Report for America Corp.

Vice President Kamala Harris recently met with Democratic members of the Texas Legislature who successfully staved off a voter restriction bill in their state last month, calling the group “American patriots” who had fought to preserve a fundamental democratic right.

“What we are seeing are examples of an attempt to marginalize and take from people, a right that has already been given. We are not asking for the bestowal of a right. We are talking about the preservation,” Ms. Harris told the group in remarks delivered in the Roosevelt Room. “That is the right of citizenship. And it’s that fundamental.”

Harris pointed to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2013 ruling to nullify the lynchpin of the landmark Voting Rights Act that kept states like Texas under “preclearance” of its voting laws to safeguard the rights of voters of color — a measure Democrats are hoping to bring back with new federal legislation.

“We have seen exactly what we feared when that case came down in 2013. Because that case was an opening of a door to allow states to do what otherwise we have protected against, which is states putting in place laws that are designed, in many cases quite intentionally, to make it difficult for people to vote,” Harris said. “And so this is what we’ve seen over and over again, and what’s happening right now in Texas is, of course, a very clear and current example of that.”

Harris’ remarks came at the start of a meeting with 16 Democratic members of the Texas Legislature. The vice president, who is leading the Biden administration’s voting rights efforts, invited the lawmakers to the White House after state representatives in May staged an 11th hour walkout of the state Capitol to break quorum and prevent a final vote on what is considered one of the most restrictive GOP-backed state voting bills following the 2020 election.

The bill Democrats defeated, Senate Bill 7, would have brought sweeping changes to Texas elections by restricting voting hours, narrowing local officials’ control of elections, further tightening the rules for voting by mail and bolstering access for partisan poll watchers, among several other provisions.

Read more about the meeting at DefenderNetwork.com

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DN News NEWSBRIEFS HISD TEACHERS TO GET A PAY RAISE The Houston Independent School District Board of Education unanimously approved a $2.2 billion budget for the 2021-2022 school year, which includes an amendment for a $2,500 pay raise in addition to the step increase for employees on the teacher pay scale schedule. The Board of Education adopted an amendment that instructs the administration to bring a new budget amendment before the board with additional teacher pay raises and to develop a multi-year strategy to maintain and sustain a competitive teacher pay with our region in the August regular board meeting. The budget also includes raises for elementary school principals and all assistant principals/deans.

Baltimore Police Academy cadets listen to an instructor during a class focusing on procedural justice in Baltimore. AP/Julio Cortez

Police struggle to recruit since killing of George Floyd Associated Press

Law enforcement agencies across the country experienced a wave of retirements and departures and are struggling to recruit the next generation of police officers in the year since George Floyd was killed by a cop.

And amid the national reckoning on policing, communities are questioning who should become a police officer today.

Mass protests and calls for reforming or defunding the police, as well as the coronavirus pandemic, took their toll on officer morale. The rate of retirements at some departments rose 45% compared with the previous year, and hiring slowed by 5%, the group found.

The wave comes as local lawmakers have pledged to enact reforms — such as ending the policies that give officers immunity for their actions while on-duty — and say they’re committed to reshaping policing in the 21st century. And recruiters are increasingly looking for a different kind of recruit to join embattled departments.

Years ago, a candidate’s qualifications might be centered around his — yes, his — brawn. Now, police departments say they are seeking recruits who can use their brain. And they want those future officers to represent their communities.

“Days of old, you wanted someone who actually had the strength to be more physical,” Atlanta Police Chief

Rodney Bryant said. “Today’s police officers, that’s not what we’re looking for. We’re looking for someone who can actually relate to the community but also think like the community thinks.”

The data represents a fraction of the more than 18,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide and is not representative of all departments. Researchers heard from 194 police departments last month about their hires, resignations and retirements between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021, and the same categories from April 1, 2019, to March 31, 2020.

“It’s hard to recruit the very people who see police as an opposition,” said Lynda R. Williams, president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, who previously worked on recruitment efforts for the Secret Service.

Williams said she believes the next generation of law enforcement will bring a new outlook and move the profession forward by making departments more diverse and inclusive.

Recruitment is still a challenge. In some cities, departments are spending more time scouring a candidate’s social media to hunt for possible biases. In others, pay disparities — a longtime problem — still exist, making it difficult to attract would-be officers and keep newly trained recruits when a neighboring jurisdiction offers more money and benefits.

CRITICS BLAST BILL BANNING HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS A bill banning homeless encampments could hurt Houston’s efforts to house its homeless population, a local nonprofit says. House Bill 1925 — drafted in response to the city of Austin, which briefly lifted a citywide ban on such encampments — would make camping in an unapproved public place a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500. State Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, who authored the bill, said it would not apply to cities such as Houston that already have a citywide ban at least as strong as the one in the legislation. But that’s not correct, according to Mike Nichols, president and CEO of the Coalition for the Homeless Houston, who said the ban would make it harder for his group to house people in encampments and get them permanently off the streets. The coalition and others go into those encampments and talk to people about available housing.

TEEN WHO RECORDED GEORGE FLOYD’S ARREST, DEATH WINS PULITZER PRIZE The teenager who pulled out her cellphone and began recording when she saw George Floyd being pinned to the ground by a Minneapolis police officer was given a special citation by the Pulitzer Prizes for her video that helped to launch a global movement to protest racial injustice. Darnella Frazier was cited “for courageously recording the murder of George Floyd, a video that spurred protests against police brutality, around the world, highlighting the crucial role of citizens in journalists’ quest for truth and justice,” the Pulitzer Prizes said.

VOLUME 90 - NUMBER 33 - JUNE 17, 2021 Publisher | CEO Sonceria Messiah-Jiles

Managing Editor ReShonda Tate

Strategic Alllance Clyde Jiles

Associate Editor Aswad Walker

Creative Director Michael Grant

Sports Terrance Harris Jodie B. Jiles

Photographers Ray Carrington III Jimmie Aggison

The Defender newspaper is published by the Houston Defender Newspaper Inc. and audited by Alliance for Audited Media (AAM).

Only digital subscriptions are available at: www.defendernetwork. com/subscribe No paper subscriptions available. All materials covered by 2020 copyright. No materials herein may be reproduced without the written permission of the Publisher. 713-663-6996 | P.O. Box 8005, Houston, Tx 77288

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DN Feature LET THE PEOPLE BE HEARD

Father’s Day

By ASWAD WALKER Defender

Black fathers share what’s coolest about being a father and the things about fatherhood one cannot know until you actually become a father.

BEST PART ABOUT BEING A FATHER Watching your children launch out into the world and make it their own.

– Danyahel Danny Norris Giving them what you didn’t have.

– Claude Cannady When you see them becoming the people you raised them to be.

– Marc Anthony Person Seeing and receiving the unconditional love from your children.

– Seyoum Osaze If you do it right you may be blessed to see reflections of YOU and your lessons in their path and decision-mak-

ing as they grow into their own selves.

– Dedrick Johnson Being an example of how a Black man should present himself in this world. Being the dad of a special needs son teaches you to notice and appreciate the things you took for granted. – Charles Sadiki Brown “Come bring me the remote” [from the other side of the room]. “Go get my bag out of the car and bring it upstairs” [as I lay across the bed in my room]. – Marcus Davis KNOWLEDGE ABOUT FATHERHOOD KNOWN ONLY WHEN YOU BECOME A FATHER How much you have to work on yourself to be a great example for them to follow because they pick up all of your good and bad habits.

– Danyahel Danny Norris How much better of a person that

See more dad responses at Defendernetwork.com

they’ll make you. – Marc Anthony Person

die for me. – Dedrick Johnson

The amount of unconditional love and support you’re willing to do and give to your children. – Seyoum Osaze

Being called dad. Watching your kids blossom, celebrating their successes and being the people they become. – Clarence E. Hill Jr.

Just how much God loves me, because a father’s love for his own children is immeasurable. I now see clearly that God (Jesus) meant it when he said he would do anything, including

We belong to our kids instead of them belonging to us. AnaLisa (dauther) tells me all the time that I’m her dad. I’m starting to understand it now. – Kalongi Ejike

SAVE A LIFE

LOCK UP YOUR Guns

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Whether you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or want to avoid spreading or catching germs, you can connect with a board-certified provider via video visit wherever you are — no appointment needed. The provider will be able to advise you about your diagnosis and can guide you on appropriate treatments to help you in your journey to recovery.

Virtual Urgent Care is available through the MyMethodist app. Download it today. If you are unable to cover the $20 cost of your visit, please contact 281.524.4687 for financial assistance.

houstonmethodist.org/virtual-care

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DN Juneteenth FOCUS SOCIAL 156TH ANNIVERSARY

Galveston, birthplace of Juneteenth, recognizes day as official city holiday

By ReShonda Tate

While enslaved persons across the country received notice of their emancipation in 1863, it would be two years later, June 19, 1865, before that news arrived in Texas.

Union troops arrived on the shores of Galveston, Texas, and told the enslaved people they were free. Now, 156 years later, the city of Galveston has made Juneteenth an official city holiday.

Before Juneteenth became a federal holiday this week, 47 states observed Juneteenth in some form, including Texas, which made it a state holiday in 1979, Galveston – which is known as the birthplace of Juneteenth – had yet to recognize it as an official city holiday.

The initiative to make the day an official holiday in Galveston was started by councilman William Schuster, who is also a history teacher for the city’s school district.

“There’s been a push to make Juneteenth a federal holiday and we have the birthplace of it here and so many cities across the country are honoring it so I think it’s perfect for us to authorize it today,” said Schuster in a May city council meeting.

President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation to end slavery, however, slavery continued in Texas for another two and a half years due to no largescale fighting and no significant presence of Union troops in the state.

As many historians have explained, the Emancipation Proclamation did not free all enslaved peoples across the US because it only applied to those living in Confederate-controlled states and some territories did not enforce it. Before being taken over by the Union Army, the Lone Star State was also a safe place for citizens who were not willing to give up the institution of slavery.

Mayor Craig Brown said the holiday is long overdue. All non-emergency city offices will be closed and city employees will receive a paid day off.

Brown also referenced the work of 94-year-old Marshall, Texas native and activist Ms. Opal Lee, who has campaigned to make Juneteenth a national holiday for years.

“The fact is none of us are free till we’re all free. Knowing that slaves didn’t get the word for two and a half years after the emancipation, can’t you imagine how those people felt?,” Lee told the New York Times in 2020.

Galveston joins cities like St. Louis, Minneapolis, and Fayetteville in making the holiday official with days off for city employees. Oregon recently passed legislation to make Juneteenth an official state holiday and so has Washington state. In 1979, Texas became the first state in the nation to make Juneteenth an official state holiday, after an effort by the late State Rep. Al Edwards.

North Dakota, South Dakota, and Hawaii are the only states that don’t recognize Juneteenth as an official holiday. Last year the holiday received notable attention as it came in the middle of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Corporations, including tech companies, professional sports organizations, large banks, retail stores, and even food companies, gave employees a paid day off in honor of the holiday. Many have chosen to observe the holiday forever.

This 9-ft bronze statue of State Rep. Al Edwards was erected in 2005 on the grounds of Ashton Villa to commemorate the 1979 passage of legislation making June 19th a holiday “memorializing” the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation on June 19, 1865.

IT’S OFFICIAL

We’ve embraced Juneteenth for so many years in Galveston, we felt that it was our celebration and sometimes we just didn’t realize the importance of making that more official.”

Galveston Mayor Craig Brown

Congress has signed a bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday. The bill now heads to Pres. Joe Biden to sign it into law.

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DN Juneteenth FOCUS SOCIAL HOUSTON ARTIST

Reginald Adams

immortalizes Juneteenth with art

By ReShonda Tate

Art has always been a passion of Reginald Adams. From doodling comic book characters on the walls of his childhood bedroom, to dropping out of Texas A&M University his freshman year because his major of accounting was unfulfilling – Adams knew he was destined for a career in the arts.

Now, that love of art is making history as Adam’s creation of a mural commemorating Juneteenth in Galveston is receiving worldwide attention.

The 48-year-old, who lives in Third Ward said he first became aware of Juneteenth – the holiday that commemorates the day in 1865 when Black Texans first learned they were no longer enslaved – when he moved to Texas in the mid-1990s. At the time, he had no idea that he would one day immortalize that day in history through art.

Adams was commissioned to create the mural titled, “Absolute Equality,” and he’s working with other artists, students and community members to get a broad understanding of what Juneteenth means to Texans.

The project tells the story of Juneteenth, and of centuries of enslavement in Texas, with “windows” into the past. The first window reflects on 1528, when an enslaved Moorish navigator was shipwrecked off the coast of Galveston. Other windows will reflect the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, as well as the news of freedom coming to Texas two years later – the arrival of U.S. General Gordon Granger and declaration of Martial Law in 1865 freed 250,000 enslaved people in Texas.

“For enslaved Blacks in Texas, you couldn’t have told them that at some point they would be on the side of a wall, on a building that probably once traded slaves and here we are doing it,” Adams said about the mural located in Old Galveston Square. “On one hand, it told me, we have come a long way since 1865, and yet we have so much more work to be done because of the social and racial inequities that are a direct result of institutional slavery. It just speaks to the whole purpose and theme of the mural. I think until we arrive at that state where we treat and recognize each other equally, regardless of social economic, racial, cultural gender backgrounds, we’ll continue to have conflict. But as we choose to walk, more closely and align to that virtue of absolutely quality, I think then we’ll see a nation unified.”

The Creatives: Samson Bimbo Adenugba, Cherry Meekins, KaDavien Baylor, Dantrel Boone, Joshua Bennett and Reginald Adams. Reginald Adams

Reginald C. Adams

In preparing to create the mural, Adams’ team, called “The Creatives” (Samson Bimbo Adenugba, Cherry Meekins, KaDavien Baylor, Dantrel Boone and Joshua Bennett) took a three-day retreat to Galveston. They rented a beach house and dissected just what the project would

entail, from concept to production to engagement strategies.

“We basically set up camp in Galveston for two months,” he said.

The first stroke of paint was applied on March 10. Twenty-seven days and 1,200 labor hours later, they had painted a 5,000 square foot work of art that now puts a face on 156 years of history in Galveston known as Juneteenth. Adams did some serious reflection before diving into the project.

“There was some soul searching that went into this project,” he said. “It was so different than a typical commission through either a community group or commercial entity in that it had to be accurate on so many levels. When you’re putting artwork out in the public realm, there’s absolutely no room for misinformation, especially if you’re trying to capture and depict a historical moment in time. And so it required a tremendous amount of research, homework, listening to the community leaders, listened to the local historians and doing our own background research to kind of fill in the gaps.”

It wasn’t the first time Adams was tasked with a huge historical art project. In 2019, Adams completed a project at Emancipation Park in Third Ward. The park is culturally

significant as it was founded by four former slaves — Jack Yates, Richard Brock, Richard Allen and Elias Dibble — who collectively came up with $1,000 to purchase four acres of land in celebration of Juneteenth. It’s the oldest park in Houston and Texas.

The following year, Adams produced the “I Can’t Breathe” mural to honor of the loss of George Floyd.

“If honored and blessed and fulfilled and affirmed and happy, could all be wrapped up into one word, it would be me. This mural is literally in the heart of downtown Galveston.”

In fact, one busy weekend as they worked, Adams, who listened to reggae music as he painted, paused to take in all the tourists who had stopped to look.

“There was probably a hundred or so folks below us. We were working 30, 40 feet up in the air on these scissor lifts. And I turned around, just kind of pulling away from the work for a moment and saw how many people were down below taking pictures and videos and commenting. And it was very supportive the entire time. It was a moment of clarity when I kind of stepped outside of myself and realized, ‘Reginald, you are your ancestor’s wildest imagination’.”

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DN Juneteenth FOCUS SOCIAL

HOUSTON RACIST LANDMARKS Streets, schools, major institutions reflect historical white leaders

By Aswad Walker

Houston is the most diverse city in the United States and the largest city in the state with more Blackfolk than any other. Yet, even as Houston has tried historically to put on a good face as an example of a new or different south from the 1900s to the 1960s, racism never took a break (see 1917 Richard William Dowling Camp Logan Rebellion, 1967 HPD attack upon TSU and TSU students erroneously labeled a student riot, the 1960s attempts to avoid major protests during the Civil Rights Movement, the 1989 HPD killings of Ida B. Delaney and Byron Gillum, etc.), white supremacy remained and remains a constant presence.

“We walk on streets and attend schools named after slave traders and fanatical racists and people James Walker Fannin Jr. who built their fortunes on the backs of unnamed and forgotten Black people,” stated Kimathi Nelson, presiding bishop of the Shrine. “We are surrounded by symbols, monuments, institutions and places that serve as reminders of our painful past and reinforcers of our supposedly inferior status. White supremacy is embedded in everything.”

Benjamin “Attacks on Critical Race Theory and history Milam from perspectives other than those of wealthy, white men, and policies like Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s 1836 Project which supposedly promotes ‘patriotic education,’ merely protect racist reads of history,” according to African American history instructor Edward Vincent. “This racist history is also protected daily by our ignorance.”

To fight that ignorance, the Defender compiled John Henry some local examples of racist landmarks and instiKirby tutions we see daily in and around the Bayou City.

ing how to keep n*ggers in line.

Westheimer Rd. is named for Mitchell Louis Westheimer, owner of the Westheimer Plantation who built up his landholdings by driving Black people off their small family farms then forcing them into employment as sharecroppers on land they used to own.

SCHOOLS

Rice University is named after William Marsh Rice. He made his fortune as a slave-trader and slave-owner. He wrote in the university’s charter that the school was established exclusively for the education of the white inhabitants of Houston.

Lamar High School, Lamar Consolidated High School and Lamar University are named after Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar, a slave trader and a genocidal maniac who became the second president of the Republic of Texas and advocated the total extinction of Native Americans in Texas.

OTHER INSTITUTIONS

Audrey Lawson Middle School (formerly Dowling Middle School)

Rice University. Texas Tribune

Harris County is named after John Richardson Harris, a New Yorker who was given a land grant of 4,400 acres in 1790 around the junction of Brays and Buffalo Bayous. He used slave labor to do the back-breaking work of clearing the land, draining the swamps, and transforming the wilderness into a town.

MD Anderson Cancer Center and MD Anderson Library (UH) are named after Monroe Dunaway Anderson who made his immense fortune by exploiting Black sharecroppers who picked his cotton.

WHAT NOW?

Some contend that to call for name changDowling & Tuam: When Black people of es of these landmarks is “cancel culture” and Houston came together and pooled their money “wokeness” gone wild, as the individuals in to buy land after the Civil War, they named the question were merely operating within the conacreage “Emancipation Park.” The Houston City text of the times in which they lived. Edward Council, offended by the very notion of formerly C. Halperin, chancellor and CEO of New York Oscar enslaves Blacks owning land, voted to name the Medical College in Valhalla, New York is one of Holcombe streets bordering the acreage Dowling and Tuam. those people.

Dowling was named after Richard William DowSpeaking on the movement to remove such ling, a Confederate hero. Tuam was the name of names from buildings and parks, Halperin stated the town in Ireland where Dowling was born. in a June 29, 2020 USA Today editorial, “When one considers the number of American streets, Fannin St. is named after James Walker Fannin Jr., a slave-owner who instigated war with Mexico municipalities, states, public buildings, public to steal Mexico’s land to expand slavery westward. school buildings, university buildings and uniThat land was Texas. versities named in honor of individuals who were Milam St. is named after Benjamin Milam who Mitchell Louis either slave owners during the time of slavery in Westheimer was another slave-owner participating in the same the United States or who expressed racist views, conspiracy to steal Texas and expand slavery. one must wonder ‘Where will we draw the line?’”

Kirby St. is named after John Henry Kirby who built an Others believe removing such names is our civic duty and oil and timber empire by exploiting Black laborers. He then moral responsibility. used his massive fortune to support pro-segregation organiAnthony Collier, UT law school student and president zations including the Ku Klux Klan. of the National Black Law Students Association, speaking Holcombe Blvd. is named after Oskar Fitzallen Hol- on efforts to remove his school’s fight song “The Eyes of combe who was Houston’s staunch segregationist mayor for Texas,” said, “The phrase, ‘The Eyes of Texas are upon 22 years. His long tenure was due to a reputation for know- you’ comes from confederate leaders who used that term STREETS

William Marsh Rice

Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar HISD’s Lamar High School

to inspire confederate troops to fight to keep Black people enslaved.”

The logic Collier and others use to fight to “retire” “The Eyes of Texas” is the same logic that led Houstonians to successfully remove confederate hero Dowling’s name from the 3rd Ward street (now Emancipation Avenue) and HISD school (now Audrey H. Lawson Middle School) that once bore his name.

However, opinions are split regarding how Houstonians should proceed.

Activist Akachi Azubike advocates changing all names deemed racist.

“Each time we call the names of another people’s ancestors we know were oppressive, exploitive or antagonists to

African Americans, we evoke the energy of their legacy and spirit to continue living. We must stop giving them life and replace their names with our ancestors whose legacies and spirit we want to live on, especially in our communities.

Dr Abdul (Robert) Muhammad agrees with focusing on change, but only in our neighborhoods.

“Where we are the majority owners of land in neighborhoods, the streets should reflect our heroes, heroines and history. To go beyond that, we face the ire and backlash of the descendants of those who believe their forefathers stole this country (and us from Africa) ‘fair and square,’ and are sick of political correctness.”

For now, the names Lamar, MD Anderson, Westheimer and others still stand as reminders of Houston’s past.

Monroe Dunaway Anderson The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Should names of houston iconic streets and school with names deemed racist be removed? Let the people be heard!

On defendernetwork.com: See racist names of texas sites approved to be replaced

12 | June 17, 2021 |

DEFENDER NETWORK

DN Juneteenth FOCUS SOCIAL LET THE PEOPLE BE HEARD

Why is Juneteenth still relevant?

By ASWAD WALKER

With Republican lawmakers nationally stating that Black history and Black perspectives are irrelevant via their attacks on Critical Race Theory, the Defender asked the people their thoughts on “Why is Juneteenth still relevant?” Here is what you had to say: Juneteenth is the quintessential celebration of truth-telling. Long before it was an official holiday, Black families passed down the true story of the emancipation of enslaved Africans in Texas. We were teaching Critical Race Theory, which is simply truth, before it was a “thing.” – Sharon Watkins Jones Because JUNETEENTH! This is our “Independence” day. This is the first legislative step to freedom.

If we don’t celebrate our freedom day, then others will define what our history and our freedom looks like. – Dr. Angela Anderson Because we need to celebrate that we still rise in spite of all the obstacles put in our path, including destroying our church’s and communities. – Dr. Patricia Prather It’s as relevant to us as July 4th is relevant to the original immigrants.

Freedom will forever be significant to the oppressed!!! – KaRa Ma’at

Jack Yates, far left , and other members of the African American community celebrate Juneteenth, circa 1880.

Photo courtesy of the Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Houston Public Library.

Read more Juneteenth thoughts At Defendernetwork.com

JUNETEENTH reminds us all that the full story of the progressive struggle of formerly enslaved African people has yet to be told. The knowledge of that struggle highlights our current condition and the path we should travel moving forward. – Dr. Marlon Smith

Juneteenth is an important marker of sacred time for Black people in Texas. American slavery did not end in several other states until November of that year. We need to note the true history of emancipation.

– Pastor Kwesi Kamau

Juneteenth is the Black “Independence Day.” A holiday that hasn’t reached its pinnacle or national observation, to commemorate the end of the Civil War which lead to our freedom. I think the holiday is blighted by our current oppression and enslavement through incarceration. However, “take it from me someday we’ll all be free.” Which is progress we should still celebrate. – Ali’Olu David Zaid

Because it is the true story of Freedom for Black People. Normally Blacks/African Americans have been lost when it comes to history. This is an instance where we truly are part of the narrative. – Vannessa Wade

Juneteenth Celebration

Don’t miss:

June 19, 2021

It can cause one to look back. What is seen depends upon your circle of influence and your perspective.

What I “see” are the many giant

shoulders upon which I stand.

– Joyce Karimah Johnson It marks the end of an era and the beginning of an era. With hindsight, that is solely where its relevancy lies.

– Sentwali Olushola Juneteenth represents a stage in the metamorphosis of a whole people, en masse. Every single, solitary soul, Black, white, enslaved or free was impacted, has been impacted, and will forever be impacted by the occurrence of Juneteenth. It changed the trajectory of this entire country.

– Norma Thomas Juneteenth is relevant because it was

• Spoken word artist Vascola Stoney • DJ Ryan line dancing • Joy of Djembe drumming • African story time • Interactive activities and more!

the first day in US History that ALL people were free. – Rudy Malveaux There’s no real positive relevance to Juneteenth for Black People, other than our desperate desire to be included in America. Juneteenth Celebration where white southerners kept the information of our freedom for two years to have two more successful crop harvests from us is the equivalent of Black folks taking pig digestive entrails and making chitlins.

Another example of us taking sh*t instead of changing sh*t. – Iniher Aziz Juneteenth is relevant because it serves as a reminder that we are not yet really FREE, but it should serve as an inspiration to remind us that we must not get too comfortable and forget that the struggle/ war to get to our true freedom continues. – Sheena Fox

Made possible by

cmhouston.org

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DEFENDER NETWORK

DN Juneteenth FOCUS SOCIAL HOUSTON AREA

Juneteenth Activities

By Aswad Walker

With the nationwide GOP attack on Black educational perspectives, the 100year commemoration of the Tulsa Race Massacre and voter suppression antics running wild, Black people are wide open for something positive.

This openness comes with COVID cases decreasing and a nation ready to get back outside, making Juneteenth 2021 potentially the most participated and celebrated in recent memory.

Here are a few ways to commemorate the holiday.

On Juneteenth with Annette Gordon-Reed – Harvard professor and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Annette Gordon-Reed speaks on her new book On Juneteenth which examines the Texas roots of the holiday.

• Thursday, June 17; 7pm • To Register: http://www.lbjlibrary.org/ events/on-juneteenth-with-annettegordon-reed

Juneteenth Weekend Fun • Friday & Saturday, June 18 & 19 • The Heritage Society • 1100 Bagby St., Houston 77002

Gulf Coast Juneteenth Blues Concert • Saturday, June 19, 8:30pm • Miller Outdoor Theater (Hermann Park) • 6000 Hermann Park Dr, Houston 77030

Missouri City Juneteenth Celebration 2021 • Multiple days, multiple events • For More Info: https://www.missouricityjuneteenthcelebration.com/event-details/juneteenth-celebration-2021-vendor-registration

Juneteenth in the 5th • Saturday, June 19, 10am-2pm • Deluxe Theater • 3303 Lyons Ave. Houston 77020

Emancipation Park Conservancy & Lucille’s 1913 to Feed 2,000 Residents • June 19, 11am - 1pm • Emancipation Park • 3018 Emancipation Ave, Houston 77004 BLCK Market Houston Juneteenth Celebration • Saturday, June 19, 11am – 5pm • Buffalo Soldiers National Museum • 3816 Caroline, Houston 77004

Juneteenth Weekend Food Truck & Zydeco • Saturday & Sunday, June 19 & 20 • Shrine Cultural & Events Center • 5313 MLK Blvd., Houston 77021 Juneteenth Black Art Exhibit Opening Day • Saturday, June 19, 1pm – 5pm • Primary Paint Party – Prime Art Gallery • 11002 Westheimer Rd, Houston 77042 Concert in the Park: Missouri City Juneteenth • Saturday, June 19, 1:30pm • Hunters Glen Park

• 1340 Independence Blvd., Mo City 77489 • For More Info: www.missouricityjuneteenthcelebration.com Juneteenth Family Fun Day • Saturday, June 19, 12noon – 3pm • Bienvenue Events • 9630 N Sam Houston Pkwy E, Suite C, Humble 77396 Freedmen’s Town Juneteenth Chili Cook-Off • Saturday, June 19, 5pm – 10pm • 1108 Victor St., Houston 77019 Juneteenth & Black Music Month at Moonstruck Drive-In • Saturday, June 19, 7:30pm & 8:30pm • DJ Red’s Juneteenth Chopped and Screwed Mixtape, 7:30pm • Showing of “Miss Juneteenth,” 8:30pm • Moonstruck Drive-In Cinema • 100 Bringhurst St., Houston 77020 • For More Info: www.hmaac.org/ miss-juneteenth

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Juneteenth:

let’s talk about Black health disparities

By Rawle Andrews Jr. and Tina Tran

Rawle Andrews Jr.

Tina Tran

As we prepare to celebrate Juneteenth and the emancipation of previously enslaved peoples 156 years ago, it’s a good time to take stock of where we are, where we’ve been and where we’re going.

In January 1863, President Lincoln released the Emancipation Proclamation, but it took two-and-a-half years for that word, and its enforcement, to make its way to Texas. Union soldiers arrived in Texas and announced that previously enslaved people had been freed.

Juneteenth symbolizes freedom in all of its forms. It spurs us to ask what liberty means to us, what the costs of freedom are, and how we can feel free.

And the spirit of Juneteenth fuels AARP’s continued work to fight health and economic disparities today.

On the eve of this celebration, we stand with this belief: Health is freedom. Without it, you cannot live the life you want for yourself and your family.

We know that racial disparities are alive and well today. Blacks are more likely to live in areas with higher environmental pollution that can lead to chronic diseases such as asthma, cancer and heart disease. Older Blacks are less likely to get a flu vaccine and get cancer screenings less frequently.

Lack of access to affordable and nutritious food carries real consequences. Blacks are more likely than other populations to live in food deserts, with limited access to a supermarket or grocery store. Significantly, in Texas in 2017, Blacks accounted for 40 percent of the obese population, despite representing only 12 percent of Texans, according to Texas Health and Human Services.

And the problem is not just the prevalence of these conditions, but also that Blacks are more likely to die of serious diseases, according to local health departments.

On top of all that, chronic health conditions can force people into poverty as they spend down their savings and even sell property to pay for medical bills.

We must address health status disparities that negatively impact the

Black community. COVID-19 and lower vaccination rates, for example, have disproportionately devastated Black communities, taking countless lives and jeopardizing the health and financial security of even more.

The good news is that these disparities are getting more attention, and that there are ways we can take action today to make a difference.

For starters, we can do a better job of collecting demographic information so that we can see the problems more clearly—and devise effective solutions to tackle them head on.

From there, we chart a path to address disparities. We can incentivize medical providers practicing in underserved areas. We can improve our cities and communities to allow people to access care, including through better transportation options and neighborhood design. We can make preventive services more widespread and accessible—and we can personally encourage our loved ones to seek them out. We can work to lower prescription drug prices to make treatments more affordable.

These challenges, and their solutions, may seem too large to solve. Yet, as Nelson Mandela said, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

On June 19, 1865, history was made in Texas. Our state, then the most remote region of the Confederacy, finally learned that slavery had been abolished. The path forward to address health disparities in the Black community may be less dramatic and decisive, but it is just as critical. On Saturday, as we commemorate Juneteenth, let us not forget the racial disparities and inequities that persist to this day and let us keep fighting the fight to make things better.

Rawle Andrews Jr., a native of Houston, is AARP’s regional vice president who coordinates the Association’s work in the seven-most-populous states in the country. Tina Tran is AARP Texas’ director, overseeing the Association’s work statewide.

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DEFENDER NETWORK

DN Juneteenth FOCUS SOCIAL SPEAKING OUT

Civil Rights icon Dr. Virgil Wood on Juneteenth, BLM and more

By Aswad Walker

Houston is home to several hidden treasures, one of them being living legend and Civil Rights Movement icon Dr. Virgil Wood. An ordained Baptist minister as a teen, Wood served churches in multiple states for over 50 years. But it was his decade of work with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that won him acclaim.

Wood founded the Lynchburg (VA) Improvement Association, a local unit of MLK’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). He later headed the Massachusetts arm of the SCLC, coordinated the state of Virginia’s participation in the 1963 March on Washington and served with King as a member of the SCLC’s National Executive Board.

With degrees from Virginia Union University (1952) and Andover Newton Theological School (1973), Wood earned his Doctorate in Education from Harvard University, one of the institutions where he eventually taught.

Wood continued his activism over the decades in various ways, most recently applying his passion to the Beloved Community Initiative, which is described as a “Wisdom Exchange on the Jubilee, Beloved Community and Beloved Economy.”

The Defender asked Wood for his take on Juneteenth, race relations and other issues.

opportunity to respond positively first. And if they don’t respond, then when you hit that thing, man, you know what part of it you’re hitting.

POLICE KILLING UNARMED BLACKS

WOOD: We’ve got to stop it in two places, on the front end of what is it that draws the police into our neighborhoods. And then we’ve got to heal that thing that allows them to think they can do it and be all right. We got to heal our people from putting themselves in the fire.

JUNETEENTH

DR WOOD: I’d like to start by putting it in context. The context is called Jubilee. So, if you think about Juneteenth Jubilee, you see another opportunity that Blackfolks have for defining specifically who we are so that we don’t subsume ourselves under any other domain, including the white church. We are Afro Christendom. That’s the motherland and all of the diaspora. And when we get that together, we’re not against anybody else, we’ll help other people. But we’ve got to be the full story in our own storybook and not to be a footnote that we’ve allowed ourselves to become since 1965. So, Juneteenth is a good time to talk about what is the meaning of Juneteenth Jubilee.

BLACK LIVES MATTER

WOOD: I’m proud of the young people who are crying out ‘Black Lives Matter.’ But listen, that assumes somebody doesn’t know

DN

VOTER SUPPRESION

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (left), Rev. Dr. Virgil Wood and Rev. Gilbert H. Caldwell on the roof of a Boston public school in 1965. Photo courtesy of the Rev. Gilbert H. Caldwell.

Black lives matter. If it’s a question, that’s one thing. If it’s a declaration, it’s something else. I think it’s both a question and a declaration. And if you ever have to stop and ask other people whether you matter, then there’s some ambiguities there that we got to work out. And I want to

work with the young leaders. That whole thing is falling apart, as you know right now, because they didn’t understand one thing, you don’t jump out and march first. You plan your strategy and you also give the people who have the power to do what you need, give them the

WOOD: Voter suppression is not new and we shouldn’t be surprised at all. We’ve always dealt with voter suppression. But what we did do, we worked around the efforts to stop us. Don’t ask for your enemy to make your job easy.

VP KAMALA HARRIS

WOOD: I love Kamala. I think she’s one of the best things that’s happened for us. She may well become our first Black president… it wasn’t Bill Clinton and it wasn’t Barack Obama. For the most part, all we’ve had is presidents who have been Ronald Reagan in one guise or another thing.

DN: Hear Dr. Wood’s thoughts on the George Floyd movement, the Black Church and more at DefenderNetwork.com

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On the patio, online or streaming on-the-go, Xfinity celebrates the season with the music that unites us all.

Just say, “Black Experience,” into your Xfinity Voice Remote to enjoy a Black Music Month collection filled with your favorite groups, collabos, duets, TV shows, and more. Plus, with Xfinity Internet, your entertainment starts at FREE with a Flex 4K streaming box that puts all your apps in one place. Xfinity, the ultimate in Black storytelling and a way better way to watch.

Visit xfinity.com/blackexperience to learn more.

Restrictions apply. Not available in all areas. Access for Xfinity Internet customers via the Xfinity Stream app or Flex. Flex is not available in all areas or to current Xfinity Video customers. Requires post-paid subscription to Xfinity Internet, excluding Internet Essentials. Pricing subject to change. Taxes, fees and other applicable charges extra, and subject to change. Limited to 3 devices.

1 device included, additional devices $5/mo. per device. All devices must be returned when service ends. Separate subscriptions required for certain streaming services. Viewing uses your Internet service and will count against any Xfinity data plan. Streaming content limited to the U.S. ©2021 Comcast. All Rights Reserved.

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Amplify your summer.

16 | June 17, 2021 |

DEFENDER NETWORK

DN Health

A DEFENDER AND KELSEY-SEYBOLD CLINIC ALLIANCE

Diabetes puts you at added risk for serious vision problems

BY COURTNEY MORROW, O.D.

Type 2 diabetes complications can affect nearly every part of your body. One of the greatest threats is to your eyes.

If you have diabetes, your body isn’t properly using or storing sugar and carbohydrates from the food you eat.

Your blood sugar can fluctuate, which can damage those tiny blood vessels that supply your eyes. This can result in eye problems that threaten sight.

WARNING SIGNS CAN BE SUBTLE You can develop diabetic retinopathy and other vision problems and have no symptoms. Or you can experience such symptoms as blurred vision, double vision, peripheral vision loss, poor night vision, and floaters. Symptoms can last anywhere from a few minutes to months or can be permanent.

FROM THE DOC “Visit your eye doctor regularly. Don’t wait until you have vision problems to see an eye doctor.”

Dr. Morrow is a KelseySebold optometrist who performs diabetic eye exams.

COMMON EYE PROBLEMS The most common eye problem associated with diabetes is retinopathy.

Your retina develops tiny bruises and leakages that can slowly worsen over several years before you notice. As it worsens, your retina begins to sprout new blood vessels that are fragile and could rupture, causing you to see floaters or lose vision.

Glaucoma is another concern. This eye condition is the result of elevated pressure in the eye, which over time damages the optic nerve. The vision loss is typically slow and painless.

Untreated, it can cause blindness.

In a healthy eye, the lens is clear.

But it can become cloudy, making it difficult to focus. This is what’s known as a cataract. If you have diabetes, you are more likely to develop cataracts at

a younger age, and they often progress faster.

RISK FACTORS PLAY A ROLE Your chances of developing serious diabetes-related vision problems depend on: Age: The longer you have diabetes, the more susceptible you become to problems that can cause vision loss.

Blood pressure and cholesterol: High blood pressure and cholesterol can further strain blood vessels, which may already be weakened by diabetes.

Family history: Not everyone with diabetes will have eye complications, but you may be more susceptible if others in your family have diabetes and eye problems.

Now Scheduling VIRTUAL and IN-PERSON Appointments!

Whether you’re new to the Kelsey-Seybold family or a longtime patient, you have a choice of where you can safely get care. Call our 24/7 Contact Center at 713-442-0000 to schedule a same-day or next-day virtual Video Visit or, for non-respiratory illnesses, an in-person appointment at a Kelsey-Seybold Clinic near you.

WE’RE HERE FOR YOU 24/7/365

Your health and safety are our top priority. We‘re screening patients upon arrival for COVID-19 symptoms, checking temperatures, and following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. Please remember to wear a mask or cloth face protection while visiting our clinics.

After-Hours Nurse Hotline 713-442-0000

24/7 Contact Center 713-442-0000

Learn More About Virtual Visits kelsey-seybold.com/virtual

ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS and more than 50 HEALTH PLANS, including Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Humana, and UnitedHealthcare. Also accepting two Medicare Advantage plans, KelseyCare Advantage and WellCare TexanPlus.

June 17, 2021 |

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The COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective and there’s no cost to you.

I got mine.

BE NEXT MEDICARE.GOV

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5/4/21 1:10 PM

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DEFENDER NETWORK

DN Sports Texas Southern sophomore long jumper Kenneth Pree finished 19th and came away with Honorable Mention All-American honors during the NCAA Men’s National Track & Field Championships last week with a jump of 24-0 ¾.

Former Barbers Hill and University of Texas women’s basketball standout Charli Collier, who was the Dallas Wings’ No.1 overall draft pick in April, is averaging 4.3 points and 4.5 rebounds through her first 10 WNBA games.

HOUSTON TEXANS

No minicamp for Texans The Texans’ attendance was so good during the voluntary eight-week offseason program that new coach David Culley canceled the three-day minicamp that was set to begin June 15th. That’s Deshaun good news for Watson the players in attendance and for M.I.A. quarterback Deshaun Watson who didn’t participate in the voluntary program presumably because he wants to be traded, but would have been subjected to nearly $100,000 in fines if he had skipped the mandatory minicamp.

Jonathan Greenard making moves

By Terrance Harris

W

hile most of the Texans are adjusting to a new coaching staff and new schemes on both sides of the football, Jonathan Greenard is having to get used to a whole different kind of existence in his second year in the NFL. Greenard, the Texans third-round draft pick under the old regime in 2020, is shifting from outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense to a defensive end in Lovie Smith’s Tampa 2 4-3 scheme. The difference is now he will start with both hands on the ground instead of from a two-point stance.

But the intent for Greenard remains the same, and that is get after the quarterback.

“Really just more of the nitty gritty now,” Greenard said of the transition.

“Just take less of the thinking out of it and just go. I’m excited to see where we go. We’ve been working really hard, so I’m excited.”

It may seem like an easy shift but there are a lot of subtle differences that the Texans new staff began smoothing out for Greenard during the recent eightweek offseason program. Greenard, who

is 6-foot-3 and 270 pounds, won’t have to worry about dropping back into pass coverage as much but he will now have to maneuver around much bigger offensive tackles instead of tight ends.

“Like I said, the nitty gritty dirty work up front,” Greenard said. “More so, like I said, just to dumb it down, I have less coverage responsibilities in this scheme and it just lets you be more of a defensive lineman and go make plays from the other side of the ball.”

Texans defensive line coach Bobby King has been satisfied with the progress he has seen from both Greenard and Jacob Martin, who are both making the shift from linebacker to defensive end this offseason.

“It hasn’t been that difficult of a transition,” King said. “The only thing is they’re going to have their hand in the dirt just a little bit more. When we went to our nickel package in the past with those guys, they played defensive ends.”

Last season Greenard didn’t have the impact either he or the organization had hoped when he was drafted out of the University of Florida. Greenard managed just one sack, two quarterback hits and three solo tackles while making just

Sports Briefs

one start in 13 appearances. Some of the inconsistencies go along with making the transition from the college ranks to the pros, but Greenard and most rookies were done no favors by COVID-19, which prevented the in-person work and training needed.

“COVID last year just messed everything up to where I didn’t work out until pretty much I got to camp,” Greenard said. “Now, I have a full season of working out. I feel better. I feel stronger, faster, more smart, more comfortable in everything.”

That comes from having the benefit of being able to take part in a full offseason program along with working with Texans lineman specialist Brandon Jordan, who has worked to improve Greenard’s pass-rushing technique.

“Me and BT (Brandon Jordan), we get it in a lot,” he said. “I’m really just fine-tuning everything. I kind of don’t really stick to one move. I try to polish all of mine. I definitely want to master one move, obviously. I’ve just been opening up my range of moves for everything.

Getting more flexible. Getting more stronger, powerful, hands, eyes, just all working everything together.”

Sloan wraps up PV career Prairie View track and field high jump star Ja’ Sha Sloan concluded her collegiate career during the NCAA Women’s Track & Field Championships last week. She didn’t place during the national meet but Sloan had a Ja’ Sha Sloan record-breaking year in SWAC competition, with a jump of 1.82 meters to win the SWAC gold medal in the high jump this season. She was just the third PV women’s track and field athlete to advance to the NCAA Championships.

Jae’Sean Tate’s case for All-Rookie Team While the Rockets have been rightfully frozen out of NBA postseason honors, rookie forward Jae’Sean Tate just may have a case for making All-Rookie Team.

He averaged Jae’Sean Tate 11.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 29.2 minutes per game while starting 58 of 70 games this past season.

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DEFENDER NETWORK

DN Sports CLEAR BROOK GRAD

KAM’RIN DEVAULT A DIAMOND IN THE RUFF

By Jodie B. Jiles

A quick first step and good hands can go a long way for today’s NFL pass rushers as seen with the likes of legends such as Reggie White, Lawrence Taylor and Aaron Donald.

Clear Brook High School senior graduate Kam’rin Devault showed off his strengths wreaking havoc in the backfield with a defensive MVP performance that turned heads.

Though you might not get a chance to see Devault playing on the big stage his freshman year in Division II, it will definitely be interesting to see how this young man develops.

The Defender spoke with Devault after the GFHCA Bayou Bowl to discuss his style of play, Midwestern State commitment and advice to the next generation of pass rushers.

STYLE OF PLAY “I use my speed to my advantage because some would say I am a little small. I like to catch people off guard and use my head against my opponent.”

ABOUT KAM’RIN DEVAULT TWITTER: @KamrinDevault PLAYERS HE STUDIES: Aaron Donald and Khalil Mack

LITTLE LEAGUE JOURCOMMITMENT: Midwestern NEY State University “I played with a lot of SHOUTOUTS: “Coach John teams. I played with Towels for nominating me and the League City 49ers, all the coaches at the Bayou Pearland Hurricanes, Bowl for getting me right.”

Friendswood Mustangs.

I quarterbacked, played lineman, and anything you could think of.”

MIDWESTERN STATE COMMITMENT “When I went on my visit I loved the atmosphere, the coaching staff, they have a winning team and a great history there.”

ADVICE TO OTHERS “Keep working. Make sure you are having fun because it will end quicker than you think it will. So, make sure you make it last.”

Devault speeds by a lineman to cause disruption in the backfield.

20 | June 17, 2021 |

DEFENDER NETWORK

VACCINES SAVE LIVES Get your COVID-19 vaccine so we can end this pandemic — and get back to doing the things we love.

Vaccines have proven to be safe, effective and the only way out of this pandemic. More than 138 million Americans have been vaccinated, and infections are dropping throughout the region and the country. And while we still have a long way to go before achieving herd immunity, we can get there together. It’s time for everyone to do their part and get the COVID-19 vaccine.

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Walk in or schedule your free Pfizer vaccine online at houstonmethodist.org/vaccine today.

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