Leadership and Legacy

Media Ministry

Radio Broadcast on KGGR

Monday-Friday (Church Service 1:30 pm)

International Sunday School Lesson Saturday 9:30 am

Online Broadcast at www.kggram.com

SUNDAY SERVICES

Morning Worship Service 10:30 am

Baptizing & Communion 5:00 pm (Every 1st Sunday)

Pastoral Bible Teaching 5:00 pm

WEEKLY SERVICES

-TuesdayOpen Prayer 6:30 pm

Open Bible Study 7:00 pm

-WednesdayNoon Day Worship 12:00 noon

Pastoral Bible Teaching 7:00 pm

BLACK HISTORY PROFILE from An Elegant Touch Limousine Service

May 1, 1991, An Elegant Touch Limousine Service, the First Black Female OWNER/CEO, Bobbie R. Morrison, had it’s first Prom given to us from a friend that had a limo service. My son Quintin, is my President and Lead Chauffeur, his regular clients call him “Q.”

We will be in business 32 years May 1, 2023. It was my son’s dream to start a limo service and I made it happen for him. My recently deceased brother, Rev. Joe Allen Foster, who was also my partner in a Funeral Home in Fort Worth was the impetus that got my son interested in limousines.

Through the Grace of God, we made it through 9/11, whereas a lot of companies lost their business when the airports closed down. We do not provide Airport Transportation because they are too unpredictable. The Pandemic slowed us down, but we made it through due to the help of the SBA who helped us keep the bills paid.

Funerals, Birthdays, Weddings, Anniversaries, Quinceanera, Proms, Night on the Town, Sporting Events, Casino Trips and other important events are what we SPECIALIZE in and has kept us afloat all these years.

We have transported some years back, RAY CHARLES, THE COASTERS and one young up and coming artist call “YOYO.”

Our regular clients in the Dallas/ Fort Worth area are our lifeblood. We have various PACKAGE DEALS that will give you ONE or TWO HOURS FREE with a 4 hours or more rental. Please call 972-218-6404 office or 972-6709444 cell to book a reservation.

First class service that ROLLS OUT THE LONG RED CARPET as you enter the limo. www.aneleganttouchlimo.com

Municipal Elections Matter

“Community Talk” -

By Randall Bryant

For my first column of “Community Talk”, I want to start at the exact place where I began my political journey in 1995, a municipal race. At the time, I was a 7-year-old kid flagging 750 doors in Hamilton Park to elect our city’s first Black mayor, Ron Kirk. Although I was not eligible to vote, almost 24% of registered voters did cast a ballot for one of the seven candidates in the race.

Fast forward 28 years later and the cold hard reality soon sets in now with Mayor Eric Johnson running unopposed, that the likelihood for voters within the City of Dallas to witness a turnout greater than the 2019 mayoral election of 12.5% or even the more probable 7.2% garnered in the 2015 mayoral midterm election is still doubtful.

This begs the question, what has caused a steady decline and so much voter apathy towards local elections over the past three decades? And why don’t voters participate in municipal races at the same level as the Presidential race?

When your trash isn’t picked up on schedule, when your streets and alleys need repaving, when your school district is considering the ban of Critical Race Theory, or when your catalytic converter is stolen, do you call on President Joe Biden to fix these problems? Then why in Dallas, do 63% of voters cast a ballot for the President, but only 7% vote in the municipal elections, when 100% of these and many other problems affect each of us daily? Do not Municipal Elections Matter?

Each October of each year, you are guaranteed to receive at least one letter in the mailbox. A letter that you will know exactly what it is simply by the return address label. A letter that may sit on the counter for a few days because you don’t want to open it, but you know you must… And that is your property tax bill. On average, half of your property tax payment funds the school district and a quarter pays for your city government. Side note, renters pay taxes too! Thousands of your hard-earned dollars each year are paid to fund billion-dollar city and school district budgets while you are sitting on the sidelines hollering, “stay woke”.

So how do we fix this problem?

For starters, there has been a recent arrival of voter education groups to North Texas such as Black Voters Matter and Texas Black Action Fund, which provide continuous voter engagement to the community throughout the entire year. These groups will be vital to maintaining the stability of the electorate between election cycles. Next, we are seeing a respondent shift from the Texas Democratic Party (TDP) to focus on municipal elections through “Project LIFT”. Project LIFT is the way in which the TDP provides recognition and additional support for municipal, school board, and community college trustee candidates who identify as Democrats. While municipal offices are non-partisan, the TDP is invested in getting folks elected to these positions who will govern in a way that promotes Democratic Party values. Finally, we must continue to support and amplify the work led by institutional organizations such as the NAACP, our churches and Divine Nine organizations that work to get-out-the-vote through their memberships.

Another idea that was first touted here locally by Former Mayor Mike Rawlings, would be to move the municipal elections to November in the odd years. This would make it easier for voters to always remember to vote on the 2nd Tuesday in November of each year, regardless if it's a local municipal election in the odd years, or a partisan election in the even years as we already do. For this change to work and work well in conjunction with Dallas ISD, the school board would have to also vote to amend their election terms from the current three years to a two-year or fouryear term and move their election date to November as well.

A final idea that may be proposed in next year’s City of Dallas Charter Review Commission is to add two at-large positions to the Council, shift all council and mayor terms to three-years, and have the members run on a staggering ballot. This is the model in which Dallas ISD currently conducts their elections with three of the nine trustees running each year in rotation. For the council, this would ensure either the mayor or one “city-wide” at-large position is running every year that the entire electorate would have an opportunity to vote for plus the possibility of the voter casting a ballot for their district representative as well.

Continued on page 31

Municipal Elections Matter (CONTINUED)

“Community Talk” -

By Randall Bryant

At the end of the day, we know strong municipal elections attract strong candidates. Strong candidates spark strong debate. Strong debates ensure communities are heard. And when communities are heard, change happens! SO PLEASE GET OUT AND GO VOTE! This year, Early Voting runs from April 24th – May 2nd and Election Day is Saturday, May 6th.

Here Are The Races To Watch

Dallas City Council District

3 – Zarin Gracey who is endorsed by term-limited and current Councilman Casey Thomas will face August Doyle, Denise Benavides, Joe Tave, and John Sims.

Dallas City Council District

4 – Mayor Pro Tem Carolyn King Arnold is seeking her third term since returning to the horseshoe in 2018 and is challenged by Jamie Smith.

Dallas City Council District

7 – Councilman Adam Bazaldua looks to defend his seat for a third term against a slightly smaller than usually crowded field including:

Okema Thomas, Tracy DottieHill, Marvin Crenshaw and Lamar Jefferson.

Dallas City Council District 8 –Councilman Tennell Atkins will run for his final term of a public service career in District 8 that has span 14 of the past 16 years. He will be challenged by candidates Subrina Brenham and Davante Peters who both unsuccessfully ran against him in 2021.

Dallas ISD Place 6 – Trustee Joyce Foreman is seeking her 4th term to serve the school district and is challenged by Stephen Poole.

Jarvis Christian University Offers

SCHOLARSHIPS TO DALLAS CITY, COUNTY, AND OTHER GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES

can receive a $1,500 Opportunity Scholarship per semester to pursue their bachelor’s degree. To qualify, students must meet the following criteria:

• have a 2.0 or higher gradepoint-average to transfer in to JCU

• have 45-50 transferrable credit hours (or a completed associate degree)

• register for full-time status

• maintain a 2.0 or higher grade-pointaverage while attending JCU

• be 21 years of age or older

(Hawkins, Texas)—Jarvis

Christian University (JCU) is offering Dallas city, county and other government employees Opportunity Scholarships to complete their undergraduate degrees in business administration and criminal justice. The classes will be held at the university’s Dallas Teaching Site, 7222 South Westmoreland, Suite 250. Students who qualify can receive a $1,000 Opportunity Scholarship per semester toward their associate degree and students with an associate degree

JCU also offers students a $250 Jarvis Promise Tuition Reduction Grant for each semester that students take and pass 15 semester credit hours with at least a C letter grade.

“Our theme at Jarvis this year is ‘Transformation: Pivoting from Excellence to Preeminence,’ and we want Dallas’s city, county, and other government employees to be part of this transformation,” said Dr. Lester C. Newman, JCU President.

For more information, call JCU—Dallas Site at (972) 6689624 or email the Dallas Site Director, Ms. Mavonee Jeffries at mjeffries@jarvis.edu.