Houston Style Magazine Vol 32 No 52

agazine

December 23, 2021 - December 29, 2021

Houston’s Premiere Weekly Publication, Since 1989

Volume 32 | Number 52

Complimentary

Ben Jealous

Defending Democracy In Flames

MARIAH CAREY'S ‘ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU’ STANDS THE TEST OF TIME

Vice President Harris Announced Billions For Black Businesses

Written By Claretta Bellamy

Photos Kevin Mazur / Getty Images for MC

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Publisher Francis Page, Jr. fpagejr@stylemagazine.com Associate Publisher Lisa Valadez lisa@stylemagazine.com Managing Editor Jo-Carolyn Goode editorial@stylemagazine.com Social Media Editor/Videographer Reginald Dominique reggiedominique@me.com Sports Editor Brian Barefield

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“I'm spending my first Christmas as president at the White House with family,” President Joe Biden said.

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December 23, 2021 - December 29, 2021

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COMMENTARY

DEFENDING A DEMOCRACY IN FLAMES

By Ben Jealous, National Political Writer

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woke up this morning with my mind stayed on freedom. And how we can preserve it.

Our freedom is threatened. We all need to be paying attention and preparing to take action next year.

Look, I know that Christmas and New Year’s are around the corner. Millions of us are looking forward to time off work and time spent with loved ones. I can just hear people saying, “Ben, the last thing I want to think about right now is politics.”

Well, let’s think bigger than that. Let’s think about freedom.

All year long, the freedom to vote has been under attack in dozens of states.

In 2020, many states made voting more accessible in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. That was a good thing. We had record voter participation in 2020. But because millions of those voters rejected former President Donald Trump, Republican legislators are rolling back access to the ballot box and imposing new restrictions on voting. And sad to say, new voter suppression laws are not the only threat to our freedom.

Donald Trump’s henchmen have some other schemes up their sleeve.

They’re getting themselves in positions to oversee elections at the local and state levels. They’re creating ways for legislators and election officials to count the votes they want to—and ignore the ones they disagree with.

To combat this onslaught of vot-

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er suppression and election subversion measures, Congress and the White House need to get new federal voting rights laws passed, signed, and put into effect before next year’s elections.

And that’s not all.

In the year since the violent attempt to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election. Trump and his allies have done everything possible to deny what happened. But the truth is coming out anyway.

We can be grateful for good investigative reporting. And thankful for the determination of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and the bipartisan House committee that is investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection.

We now know that multiple lawyers working for Trump helped him pressure former Vice President Mike Pence to block congressional certification of Biden’s win. We know that a PowerPoint presentation circulated among Trump’s inner circle claiming that the election was compromised by foreign powers and that Trump could declare a national security emergency to stay in power. It has been reported that the author of that memo, a retired army colonel, met with former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows multiple times after the election. Republican members of Congress were briefed on the claims on the eve of the insurrection.

Given that so many of Trump’s allies were willing to ignore the Constitution and overturn the will of the voters, it’s not

December 23, 2021 - December 29, 202

Photo: Shutterstock

exactly surprising that they are also willing to defy legal efforts to get at the truth.

One after another of Trump’s political strategists and former aides have been stonewalling the Jan. 6 committee.

Meadows and right-wing political operative Steve Bannon have simply refused to comply with legal subpoenas to testify and now face charges of criminal contempt of Congress.

Here is the brutal bottom line: Trump has never accepted his loss. He and his allies are showing us that they are more committed to getting and keeping power in their hands than they are to accepting the will of the voters. They are ready to sacrifice democracy on the altar of right-wing authoritarianism.

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That is not a pleasant thought at Christmas time—or any time. We don’t have the luxury of looking away. We have to face these threats and what it will take from all of us to defeat them in the months and years ahead.

In this season of gift-giving, think of the time and energy you spend defending democracy as a gift to your family and friends—a future of freedom.

You can write Ben Jealous by email at

pfaw@pfaw.org

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NATIONAL: WALMART APOLOGIZES AFTER WOMAN SAYS BLACK DOLLS MORE EXPENSIVE THAN WHITE ONES

By Aisha Powell - www.CNN.com

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hile trying to teach her kids about their heritage, a Kentucky mother found that finding diverse toys comes at a price.

Asheria Brown, a mother of three, was looking for a more diverse version of a doll set that her daughter had found at a Walmart store.

When she found the set online, she was shocked to see that the Black doll set was over 50% more expensive than the white one.

“There are seven Black babies and there are seven white babies,” said Brown about the doll sets available on Walmart.com. “But one set is $39.97;

the other is $25.”

Brown, who thought it could have been an isolated issue, was astonished to see that across different stores, the Black dolls consistently cost more than the white versions.

Professor and doll historian at Duke University, Dr. Sabrina Thomas, said that the issue stems from racial inequality in the production of toys.

“The problem, I believe when we look at these discrepancies in pricing is that toy manufacturers do not produce Black dolls in proportion to the number of people in the human population,” she said, citing that Black

dolls are less commonly made and often hand-crafted.

A spokeswoman from Walmart told WCPO Cincinnati that the company lowered the price on select toys, including the white version of the dolls, to help drive up sales.

“Unfortunately, we overlooked the impact these changes would have on similar items. This was an unintentional error and we sincerely apologize to anyone it may have offended,” the spokeswoman said. She also said price adjustments have been made to both sets and now the prices are the same.

This is not the first time, how-

ever, that Walmart has been called out for racial-based price differences.

In 2014, the company listed a Black ice skater Barbie at $11.87 and listed the white one at $9.88.

“They should always be the same price, across all ethnicities,” said a spokesperson for Walmart in response to that issue. “This is just a pricing error. We corrected it immediately.”

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NATIONAL: KING FAMILY CALLS FOR MLK DAY OF DEMONSTRATIONS TO PRESSURE BIDEN, DEMOCRATS ON VOTING RIGHTS

By April Ryan - www.TheGrio.com

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Martin Luther King III, the son of Martin Luther King Jr, and his wife Arndrea Waters King (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

embers of the King family are calling for the national holiday that honors civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to be a day of action as activists try to apply ultimate pressure on President Joe Biden and Senate Democrats to pass voting rights reform before it’s too late.

In an effort to turn up the heat on Biden and members of his party to finally pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the For The People Act (or its compromised version, the Freedom to Vote Act) Arndrea King, the wife of Martin Luther King III and the president of the Drum Major Institute, told theGrio that the organization is calling for MLK Day on Jan. 15 to be a day of “no celebration without legislation.”

As hundreds of bills are being proposed by Republican legislators across the country ahead of next year’s 2022 midterm elections, civil rights leaders have been tightening their grip on the White House and Hill lawmakers, particularly around 13 U.S. senators who had not yet indicated their full support of eliminating or amending the filibuster in order to pass

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legislation to protect voting rights for Black and minority voters, according to a Senate report card conducted by the NAACP. Mrs. King said this moment is important and that President Joe Biden needs to act with urgency to support an end to the filibuster, which is impeding passage of voting rights protections.

“You show up for the bridges now show up for the people!” King said sternly of President Biden.

The day of action calls for demonstrators to gather in solidarity on various bridges across the nation.

“We are coming together at symbolic bridges. We’re hoping that it will be replicated across the country to really bring home the point of the symbolism of bridges in the Black community,” King told theGrio.

“We are standing at bridges very clear with the historical reference to what bridges mean to our community,” she added, referring to infamous bridges like the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis was nearly killed by police in Selma, Alabama while protest-

December 23, 2021 - December 29, 2021

ing for the right to vote on what is known in history as Bloody Sunday.

“Obviously these 450 pieces of [voter suppression] legislation that have been proposed just since January of this year are literally ways to silence Black and Brown voices.”

After months of protests and meetings with civil rights leaders in Washington, President Biden signaled on Wednesday that he understands the urgency of passing voting rights legislation, even indicating that he would push his prized Build Back Better plan to 2022 in order to do it.

“If we can get the congressional voting rights done, we should do it. If we can’t, we’ve got to keep going. There’s nothing domestically more important than voting rights,” said Biden, according to Washington Post White House reporter Sean Sullivan.

That’s a far cry from what White House sources initially indicated. White House officials had quietly acknowledged that their strategy did not allow for movement on voting rights before BBB, a comprehensive social spending plan, was

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passed into law. White House officials had feared any pressure they applied on Senate leaders regarding voting rights would halt any progress on finally passing Build Back Better, which includes items popular with most Americans like the extension of the child tax credits.

The announcement for MLK Day comes as other civil rights leaders are holding meetings and calls with senators to pass voting rights legislation.

The NAACP has put 13 Democratic and Republican senators on notice for lack of action or urgency on the matter of voting rights. Derrick Johnson, head of the NAACP, told theGrio that those 13 senators received an incomplete because “they have not affirmatively stated that they will support voting rights protection even if it means a carve out or removal of the filibuster.”

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December 23, 2021 - December 29, 2021

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POLITICAL: VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS, TREASURY ANNOUNCE BILLIONS FOR BLACK, MINORITY BUSINESSES AT FREEDMAN’S BANK FORUM

By Gerren Keith Gaynor - www.CNN.com

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Vice President Kamala Harris and Treasure Secretary Janet Yellen, (Drew Angerer / Getty Images)

he Vice President Kamala Harris and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen headlined the annual Freedman’s Bank Forum on Tuesday, announcing $8.7 billion in federal funding for financial institutions serving minority and underserved small business owners.

The sizable investment announced by the Office of the Vice President and U.S. Treasury Department is a part of $12 billion secured last year by Harris, when she was still a U.S. senator, along with Senators Cory Booker, Chuck Schumer, Mark Warner and U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee.

The Jobs and Neighborhood Investment Act was intended to support community financial institutions that serve low to moderate-income and minority communities, as well as respond to the significant loss of Blackowned businesses and unemployment during the pandemic. Black-owned businesses suffered disproportionately during the pandemic, with ownership rates seeing a 41% drop between February and April 2020 — the largest

rate of any racial group, according to a report by the U.S. House Small Business Committee.

Not to mention, Black-owned businesses are 20% less likely than White-owned businesses to obtain a loan from a large bank.

Since becoming the nation’s first Black vice president, Harris has worked with Secretary Yellen to implement funding programs through Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and Minority Development Institutions (MDIs) to ensure that small business owners in underserved communities can access capital in order to start and grow their businesses.

“In America today, deep racial disparities continue to hold people back from achieving all they can,” Vice President Harris said in her remarks at the forum held at the Treasury Department.

“Today, the wealth gap persists. Today, the homeownership gap persists … access to capital is unequal. Black entrepreneurs are three times more likely to report that a lack of access to capital negatively affects their profit

margins. I believe that the actions we are taking, and must take, to address these disparities will define our nation’s strength and economic strength in the 21st century.”

Harris emphasized the historical context of America’s racial wealth gap as it relates to enterprise by highlighting the atrocities of the Tulsa Race Massacre, in which an angry White mob decimated the once thriving Greenwood business district, also known as Black Wall Street.

“It was designed to be a thriving community within a community and economy in which Black people supported one another, lifted one another up, and modeled excellence in which Black people could determine their own future. Some of us refer to that as self determination to put equity firmly at the center of our economic policy,” said Harris.

Noting the nation’s current low unemployment rate of 4.2% with nearly 6 million jobs being added to the economy since January, the vice president added, “We cannot take this growth for granted, and we must make sure

that everyone shares some of this growth in order to sustain it.”

The Freedman’s Bank Forum is an annual conference that was instituted by former Treasury Secretary Jack Lew to address racial economic disparities. The forum gets its name from the The Freedman’s Saving and Trust Company, a private savings bank chartered by Congress in 1865, to collect deposits from the newly emancipated communities.

The Freedman’s Bank opened 37 branches in 17 states, according to the National Archives, totaling $3.7 million in assets or $80 million today after inflation. However, the Freedman’s Bank ultimately collapsed less than a decade after it was founded due to mismanagement by its executives.

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POLITICAL: TRUMP SUING NY AG LETITIA JAMES IN ATTEMPT TO STOP CIVIL INVESTIGATIONS

By Sonia Moghe - www.CNN.com

Donald Trump, (Drew Angerer / Getty Images)

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ormer President Donald Trump and the Trump Organization have sued New York Attorney General Letitia James, asking for a federal court to halt or limit her office's ongoing investigations.

The lawsuit, which comes on the heels of James' office seeking to depose Trump as part of its civil fraud investigation into the Trump Organization, also seeks to enjoin James' involvement in any civil or criminal actions against the former President or his company.

The suit, filed in federal court in Northern New York Monday, accuses James of misconduct, claiming she has abused her investigatory powers to target her political adversaries and advance her career."Since taking office,

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she has tirelessly bombarded him, his family and his business, Trump Organization LLC, with unwarranted subpoenas in a bitter crusade to 'take on' the President," the suit states.

James responded to the suit in a statement Monday, saying the Trump Organization has repeatedly attempted to delay her office's investigation into its business dealings and called the suit an "attempted collateral attack.""To be clear, neither Mr. Trump nor the Trump Organization get to dictate if and where they will answer for their actions," James said in the statement. "Our investigation will continue undeterred because no one is above the law, not even someone with the name Trump."

The suit cites comments James made from her 2018 campaign for New York attorney

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general through recent comments she made on "The View" last week, accusing her of openly flouting her duty to remain neutral in public.

James' office is investigating whether the Trump Organization manipulated the value of its properties. Her office is also working with Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance's office on a parallel criminal investigation into the Trump Organization. The two investigations are separate, but some attorneys from James' office have been designated to work on the criminal investigation, which is ongoing.

Trump's suit accuses James of "relentlessly pushing" Vance's office into a criminal investigation of the Trump Organization. A spokesman for Vance's office declined to comment.

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Attorneys for Trump ask for a declaratory judgment stating that James has violated Trump and the Trump Org's rights, privileges and immunities and that her investigations constitute "impermissible state action" and an "abuse of power."

"Absent judicial relief, James will continue to violate Plaintiffs' rights in an unconstitutional manner and Plaintiffs will suffer imminent and irreparable harms," the suit states.

This story has been updated with comment from James.

For more Information visit:

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HEALTH: WHAT OUTREACH SPECIALISTS ARE SAYING ABOUT MARKETPLACE ENROLLMENT

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By StyleMagazine.com

ob losses, resignations and early retirements triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic have put many people in the position of shopping for insurance from the individual marketplace, perhaps for the first time.

In Texas, more than 4 million adults younger than age 65 are uninsured, with about half of them qualifyingexternal link for free or reduced-cost insurance premiums through marketplace coverage.

The outreach team for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) is dedicated to educating consumers about their options during open enrollment. The team’s specialists recommend keeping some important factors in mind.

The open enrollment window is open It’s time to start comparing plans. Consumers have until Jan. 15, 2022, to select coverage. Enrolling

by Dec. 15 guarantees coverage will begin Jan. 1, 2022.

There’s a good chance you qualify for a subsidy Nationally, an estimated 12 million uninsured people are eligible to buy coverage through the marketplace. With expanded subsidies under the 2021 American Rescue Act, most will qualify for free or reduced-cost monthly premiumsexternal link, the Kaiser Family Foundation found.

At least 6 million uninsured people could get a $0 premium marketplace plan. And, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 4 out of 5 peopleexternal link can find a plan costing no more than $10 a month.

Even people with incomes between 400% and 600% of the federal poverty level, who previously earned too much to qualify for subsidies, (up to $76,560 for a single person or $157,200 for a family of four) could save an average of $213 per month.

There’s more to health care costs than premiums No matter how low the premiums, people may be tempted to underinsure themselves to reach $0 premiums, says Karen Travit, an outreach specialist with BCBSTX. “They’re talking among themselves and their neighbors and questioning why they have to pay anything if someone else doesn’t,” she says. “We’re explaining the basics of health insurance and why people need to have coverage that fits their circumstances — or why they need to have coverage in the first place.”

Think about your provider network There’s also more to a plan than its price tag. All plans don’t include the same doctors, clinics and hospitals.

Do you like your doctors? Do you or your kids require ongoing medical care? Look for a plan that includes the doctors and hospitals you want in its provider network.

Many people struggle to understand how provider networks work or the difference between and HMO and PPO plan, says June Kim, an outreach specialist with BCBSTX. “A lot of this work involves continuous education,” she says. “People believe insurance covers everything and every provider, no matter what plan they select.”

Accurately report your income It makes sense people want to qualify for the lowest-possible premiums. But the Internal Revenue Service

will expect them to make up the difference if they earn more than they claim when buying insurance.

People who get subsidies fill out special tax forms, and any income differences will be reflected in their tax payment or refund, says Natilea Henderson, an outreach specialist with BCBSTX. Auto re-enrollment isn’t always in your best interest Current marketplace members should take a fresh look at their plans and options before automatically re-enrolling, the team says. It’s important to check for changes in the provider network, drug coverage and premiums.

“Every year people make a decision and they don’t think about it again,” says Denyse Maxey, a senior market delivery manager for BCBSTX. “We have to help

them understand what they purchased and how it may have changed.”

Ask for help Health care is complex. The BCBSTX outreach team offers free one-on-one assistance in English and Spanish to help consumers understand plan options and answer questions. “I really want people to look at us a resource,” Henderson says.

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HOW MARIAH CAREY'S ‘ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU’ STANDS THE TEST OF TIME

By Claretta Bellamy - www.NBCNews.com

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Mariah Carey performs during her "All I Want For Christmas Is You" tour at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 15, 2019, in New York. (Kevin Mazur / Getty Images for MC)

ach year, the exuberant feelings and festivities associated with the holiday season are embodied through Mariah Carey’s chart-topping hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” Released in 1994, the popular tune sustains its commercial success almost three decades later. The single recently hit 1 billion streams on Spotify and is the most-streamed Christmas song in the platform’s history.

As of Monday, the song had the No. 1 spot on the global Billboard 200 chart again.

Written by Carey herself, “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is both nostalgic for its mid-’90s sound and harnesses a timeless message of hope and joy that comes with the season. According to NBC News’ analysis of the song’s popularity between 2005 and 2021, the song has only become more popular, maintaining above-average listenership in December. In fact, 27 years after its debut on her album “Merry Christmas,” the single “All I Want for Christmas Is You” has graduated from a platinum hit to the even rarer diamond status, and it is the only holiday hit in that category.

The meaning behind Carey’s song relates to her personal desires. Carey described difficult, sometimes

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tumultuous holidays in her 2020 memoir “The Meaning of Mariah Carey.” Verbal altercations would take place among her family, resulting in Carey experiencing emotional anguish in which she wished for a safe and happy place, she wrote.

In a November interview with Hot 97’s Nessa Diab, Carey explained how Christmas became a hopeful symbol starting in her youth that continued into adulthood.

“At a certain point when I was able to control what my holidays would look like and be like, I started to just put it together and be like, ‘This has to be perfect,’”Carey said. “The amount of pressure I put on myself is huge, but I’ve learned to kind of balance it. So with ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You,’ it’s the same type of thing. I just wrote it from a place of, ‘What would my little girl self write for this song?’”

Beyond Carey’s hit single, many Christmas songs gained popularity through the unique R&B style of Black artists. Each year, WHUR-FM, an urban adult contemporary radio station at Howard University, plays soulful Christmas songs, such as “This Christmas” by

December 23, 2021 - December 29, 2021

Donny Hathaway and “Let It Snow” by Boyz II Men. But Al Payne, WHUR-FM’s programming director, said Carey’s song and singles like it evoke emotion in listeners while forging nostalgia, touching all races and genres.

It’s part of why her song remains the biggest Christmas song of all time.

“These songs are bigger than any specific format,” Payne said. “This reminds us of going to grandma’s house on Christmas afternoon. This reminds us of, you know, Christmas morning — unwrapping presents.”

These positive moments relived through R&B Christmas music represents the influence of the experiences of Black artists, who have been integral to American music, across all genres, since its inception.

Jason King, chair of the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at New York University, said Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” creates a soulful feeling that is associated with Blackness and the Black convivial experience.

“She’s risen to the top in creating a Christmas song that has broken sales records like no other,” King said, “and I think that is also a testament to the power

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nents of American popular music and influences and underwrites every other genre and style of music in a way that is enduring,” he said, “and so I think Black musicians remain important because Black music is at the root of the American popular musical experience.”

Singer Mariah Carey's Christmas special programme will arrive on December 4, Apple TV Plus has announced.

Titled "Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special", the show will debut on the heels of the 25th anniversary of Carey's best-selling holiday anthem 'All I Want For Christmas Is You', the streamer said in a statement.

It is being described as an "innovative special" that "will combine music, dancing, and animation driven by a universally heartwarming story that brings the world together".

The special will feature Carey along with a star-studded lineup of surprise guest appearances including Tiffany Haddish, Billy Eichner, Snoop Dogg, Jermaine Dupri, Misty Copeland and Mykal-Michelle Harris.

Also part of the guest list are singers Ariana Grande and Jennifer Hudson, who will perform their holiday number "Oh Santa!" alongside Carey.

Carey is also executive producing the special along with Ian Stewart, Raj Kapoor, and Ashley Edens for Done + Dusted production company.

For more Information visit:

Mariah Carey Album Cover screenshot of the Black female voice, to be able to deliver this Christmas message in a way that is deeply powerful and exalts.”

The influence from Black artistry and sensibili-

ties, King said, exists throughout every aspect of popular culture, including theater, film and the foundational elements of popular music — which will remain.

“I think Black music remains the core compo-

www.NBCNews.com

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LOCAL: HOUSTON EDUCATOR REAGAN FLOWERS HONORED FOR OUTSTANDING SERVICE By www.StyleMagazine.com

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Dr. Reagan Flowers receives Prestigious Award from IAOTP in New York City

r. Reagan Flowers, Chief Knowledge Officer for Education Consulting Services was recently honored as a “2021 Empowered Woman of the Year” by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP).

The prestigious award was presented to her last week in New York City and her photo was featured on Times Square. IAOTP is an international boutique networking organization that handpicks the world’s finest, most top professionals from different industries. These top professionals are given an opportunity to collaborate, share their ideas, be keynote speakers and to help influence others in their fields.

Dr. Flowers is a former Science teacher at Jack

Yates High School and Founder of C-STEM, a Third Ward based non-profit organization focused on educating our children in the STEM disciplines. She is a nationally recognized leader and innovator in STEM education. Dr. Flowers has touched the lives of over 200,000 young people and their families in our city. She has worked with parents and corporate partners to help better educate and empower young people in our community.

Dr. Flowers’ career has led to a successful appointment as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Houston Community College System, a position where her track record of education advocacy, community

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LOCAL: FORT BEND COUNTY AWARDING OVER $11 MILLION IN AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT FUNDS TO NON-PROFITS

By StyleMagazine.com

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Fort Bend County is the tenth largest county in Texas and one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States.

ort Bend County Judge KP George today announced the recipients of the Fort Bend County American Rescue Plan Act Non-Profit Grant Program funds. This allocation, which is the first of its kind, will result in over $11 million in grant funds being dispersed to non-profit organizations that were impacted by the pandemic and those that address critical needs within the community.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many area nonprofits continue to struggle to keep their doors open during a time when the needs of the community exceed donations. Fundraising activities came to a halt during the pandemic due to public health precautions, making efforts to raise funds difficult. As a result, these monies

will provide much-needed support to nonprofits. In addition to improving outcomes for local communities and residents, they will also enable non-profit organizations to provide critical services to our residents, especially where the needs are increasing in the county.

“Our non-profits are one of our greatest resources. They play a fundamental role here in Fort Bend County and this is an excellent opportunity for us to help them serve our residents,” Judge KP George stated. “Non-profits continue to be on the frontline, especially those who focus on health, education, and financial assistance. We have a shared responsibility to help the community.”

The American Rescue Plan Act

(ARPA) provided financial assistance to state, local, tribal, and territorial governments to be used for economic relief in response to the COVID-19 pandemic for assistance to households, small businesses, and non-profits, or aid to impacted industries such as tourism, travel, and hospitality.

This first round of the Fort Bend County allocations will award non-profit organizations with grants ranging from $5,000 to $500,000. Additionally, Judge George announced the second round of ARPA non-profit grant funds will be available in January. He encouraged those organizations who did not apply for funding to submit their applications by accessing the county’s website.

Judge George was joined today for the announcement by Fort Bend County Precinct 2 Commissioner Grady Prestage and Precinct 4 Commissioner Ken DeMerchant. Also in attendance were over 30 representatives from area non-profits including Attack Poverty CEO Brandon Boca, Family Life, And Community Resource Center Executive Director Dr. Eileen Harper, and the Eternal Gandhi Museum’s Trustee Atul Kothari.

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December 23, 2021 - December 29, 2021

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SPORTS: TIGER WOODS WILL PLAYED WITH SON CHARLIE IN 1ST GOLF TOURNAMENT SINCE CAR CRASH

By Alaa Elassar and Theresa Waldrop, www.CNN.com

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Tiger Woods with his son, Charlie, Friday on the course of the PNC Championship

iger Woods and his son Charlie blazed their way to a second place finish at the PNC Championship, Woods' first time competing on a golf course since a car crash that crushed his leg in February.

Woods competed with his 12-year-old son in the $1 million PNC Championship at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Orlando, Grande Lakes in Florida, this weekend. The tournament was a two person, 36-hole competition partnering champions with their family members.

The tournament was won by the team of John Daly and his son John Daly II, who finished at 27 under par, two strokes ahead of the Woods.

The pair, known for their similar mannerisms from their swing to their celebrations, shot 15 under par Sunday and at one point, birdied 11 consecutive holes. The Woods duo finished seventh last year.

"The competitive juices, they're never going to go away," Woods, 45, said after his second place finish. "This is my environment, this is what I've done my entire life. I'm just so thankful to have this opportunity to do it again."

A big crowd surrounded the legend as he teed off Saturday, cheering him on and welcoming him back after he was seriously injured when the Genesis SUV he was driving veered off the road in February.

Woods, the winner of 82 PGA Tour titles, including 15 major championships, said he still has the hands and the feel for the game, but endurance is the biggest issue since the wreck that caused multiple fractures to his right leg.

"Unfortunately, this year has been very hard, and I hadn't been able to play at all until, I think this might be my second or third round this year. So it has been a long year."

Woods used a golf cart to get around the course during the weekend, which no golfer is allowed to do on the PGA Tour.

"I'm a long way away from playing tournament golf," Woods said. "This is hit, hop in a cart."

The golf superstar said after spending three months in bed, he worked every day to play again.

In an exclusive interview with Golf Digest last month, Woods said his days as a full-time golfer are over.

"Something that is realistic is playing the tour one day, never full time, ever again, but pick and choose, just like Mr. (Ben) Hogan did," Woods told interviewer Henni Koyack.

"Pick and choose a few events a year and you play around that. You practice around that, and you gear yourself up for that. And you play. I think that's how I'm going to have to play it from now on."

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HOLIDAY: MOVIES BLACK FAMILIES SHOULD WATCH EVERY HOLIDAY By www.StyleMagazine.com

Screenshot of Movies: Jungle, Jangle, Last Holiday, This Christmas

I

t’s the holiday season, which means plenty of time spent bonding with family while giving gifts, listening to holiday music, and of course, watching Christmas movies.

Luckily with streaming, Christmas classics are readily accessible in more ways than ever before, with films old and new ready for binging with just one click.

It just came out in 2020, but Jingle Jangle has quickly cemented itself as a must-watch holiday film. The original new musical broke new ground for the medium, giving audiences a Christmas musical with a Black family at the center of the story. With catchy and heartwarming songs that will have you dancing and singing along, the film comes from the mind of David E. Talbert, who took twenty years to make the movie.

Last Holiday didn’t make a huge splash at the box office when it premiered in 2006, but through syndication and home video, the Queen Latifah film is now a Christmas

14

staple. If you’re unfamiliar (seriously though, why haven’t you watched this yet?) the movie is based on the British film of the same name and follows Georgia (Latifah) who, upon learning that she has a terminal illness, decides to spend her remaining time on a luxury trip to Europe.

Speaking of stacked casts, this 2007 Christmas film also was also a star-studded affair. This Christmas features Loretta Devine, Regina King, Idris Elba, Lauren London, Chris Brown, and more as the Whitfield-Moore family, who come together for a family Christmas filled with laughs, revelations, and plenty of heartwarming moments.

The movie was a hit at the box office, opening at number two behind the Disney musical, Enchanted. The title of course references the popular Christmas song, “This Christmas,” which Brown affectionately sings in the movie’s third act. This Christmas is available to rent now on Prime Video.

When listing Black Christmas film classics, it’s im-

December 23, 2021 - December 29, 2021

possible not to mention The Preacher’s Wife. The Whitney Houston-led film premiered in 1996 and has left quite the legacy. An adaptation of the 1947 film The Bishop’s Wife, the film stars Courtney B. Vance as Rev. Henry Biggs, with Houston playing the titular role as his wife Julia.

The soundtrack to The Preacher’s Wife is still the best-selling gospel album of all time. The lead single, a cover of the Four Tops hit, “I Believe in You and Me” reached the top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 at the time of its release. The Preacher’s Wife is available to rent on Prime Video.

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LOCAL: CITY OF HOUSTON EMPLOYEES CONTRIBUTE TO TORNADO SURVIVORS

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"I think the city of Houston knows the feeling of getting love and support after we have faced a disaster. Now, it is our turn to pay it forward. I am so proud of the city employees who have stepped up to help their fellow Americans," said Houston Fire Chief Sam Pena.

Mayor Turner thanks all City Directors and employees who participated in the donation drive.

City of Houston departments assisting in the donation effort include Administration and Regulatory Affairs, Aviation, the Mayor's Office, City Secretary, Emergency Management, Finance, Fire, Fleet Management , General Services, Houston Health Department, Housing and Community Development, Human Resources, Information Technology, Legal, Houston Public Library, Municipal Courts, Neighborhoods, Office of Business Opportunity, Parks and Recreation, Planning and Development , Police, Houston Public Works, Solid Waste Management and the Office of Vice Mayor Pro Tem Council Member Martha Castex Tatum of District K.

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"Please log on to GalleryFurniture.com, where you will find the Kentucky Relief Fund Effort page. We will collect more products in the next couple of weeks and send those items to the Midwest. I thank the citizens of Texas and Houston who continue to help people after a crisis," added Mattress Mack.

GU

n the spirit of giving during the holiday season, City of Houston employees have donated a large number of relief supplies, including nonperishable food, water, pet food, and cleaning materials to send to families who survived the deadly Midwest tornados.

Last week, Mayor Sylvester Turner partnered with Mattress Mack of Gallery Furniture and Kroger Houston to collect and ship items to the Midwest. Simultaneously, the mayor asked each of the city's 22 departments and all employees to collect items that could be donated to people who survived the catastrophic tornadoes.

Today, city employees delivered boxes and bags overflowing with donations to Gallery Furniture. Mattress Mack will include the items with his contributions to ship to Kentucky to help communities in the path of the storm and devastated.

Mayor Turner, who was diagnosed with a mild case of COVID-19 did not attend the news conference but several City of Houston Department Directors spoke on his behalf.

"Our prayers are with our friends in Kentucky. It is tough to experience deadly tornadoes especially right before the holiday season," said Houston Police Chief Troy Finner. "On behalf of Mayor Turner, we are 22 departments strong in the City and everybody stepped up. We are here today, and we will also be here through the long-haul for these families."

"Houston is a great city with a reputation as a caring city. The entire city of Houston has rallied around the people of Kentucky, and it has re-established my faith in humanity to see how many people drove out here to bring supplies. As always, Houston steps up to help people in need," said Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale.

"We have partnered with Mattress Mack and Kroger Houston following many disasters. It is teamwork and compassion that helps make this outpouring of donations and support,"

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December 23, 2021 - December 29, 2021

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ENTERTAINMENT: HAS JOE BUDDEN HEARD OF DESI RAINES?

By TotallyRandie, www.StyleMagazine.com

DR: Definitely.

HSM: Have you ever broken a heart?

DR: Not proud of it, but yes.

HSM: What makes you different?

DR: I can actually sing forreal without any studio magic, and I got bars to go with it. I hate tooting my own horn, but I’ve been singing professionally since I was 10 years old. There are not many out right now that are seeing me on the vocals. Period.

HSM: Who do you feel is competition?

DR: Myself. I used to look for outside competition…but that never bodes well. I’m tryna be better than the me from yesterday at all times.

Desi Raines, Photos are courtesy of Bell, Lifestyle Blogger/Media Personality

E

ven if you don't listen to the Joe Budden Podcast, but are active on social media, then you probably heard Budden's comment about the men in R&B. On an episode of “The Joe Budden Podcast”, Budden stated that he believes all the new generation male R&B artists are “trash.” He also noted that the women are running circles around the men, and they seriously need to step it up. Here’s a thought, could it be that we make it hard in the music industry for amazing talent to get thru? What if we are strongly gate keeping talent out?

There’s so much talent out there. As a matter of fact, while I was healing and had nothing to do but sit in the house and discover new music, movies, tv shows, and restaurants on Uber Eats, I ran across an artist by the name of Desi Raines. Immediately I added a song of his called My Heart to my library. I want you all out there to meet Desi Raines! He is a phenomenal artist out of Atlanta that sat down with us in an exclusive interview. Check him out on all platforms where music is streamed. Then tweet us if you think the R&B gatekeepers should let him in @houstonstyle!

Who is Desi Raines?

Desi Raines is a husband, a father, a singer/songwriter, artist, brother, a son, a low-key producer, an aspiring DJ (I REALLY wanna learn how to scratch…and imma do that! ), an Atlanta native, a Waffle House connoisseur, and over all, a child of God.

the video, I ran into my folk’s room and said, “MAMA I WANNA BE MICHAEL JACKSON!!” And from that moment on, music has been all I could think about .

HSM: What influences are responsible for your sound?

DR: I like to say that I’m a melting pot of everything I came up on, so I gotta start with MJ, Boyz II Men, OutKast, Goodie Mob, Maroon 5, The Beatles, Earth Wind & Fire, Take 6, Parliament/Funkadelic, Frank Ocean, and a lot more that I can’t think of at the moment.

HSM: Are you independent or want to be signed by a label?

DR: I’m Definitely independent. My wife and I do everything in house, so at this moment, I’m not looking to be signed, but I would never turn my nose up at some folks tryna help us get to the next level, you know?

You can’t control or own what comes from my artistry, but I’m game for a partnership that makes sense.

HSM: People say R&B guys don’t beg or love like the 90’s what do you say?

DR: I’d say that they’re right…to a degree…because it all depends on what the industry is putting a spotlight on and where you’re looking for music. Because you can’t listen to Giveon and say that buddy ain’t begging on every track! Lucky Daye, Luke James, even Bryson Tiller.

That form of R&B still exists, but the industry is so into the destruction of black folks right now…but that’s another topic…

HSM: What do you want your listeners and fans to take away from this project?

DR: That I love God…and that I’m human. I’m nowhere near perfect…and my relationship with God doesn’t falter because of my imperfections. If anything, it strengthens the bond when I give it to Him, you know? So On this project, you’ll find me reaching out to Him for Help, turning up with my folks, and recognizing that though I fall short, Big Jes’ never drops me.

HSM: Do you have a muse? Who or what?

DR: In life, my muse is my wife and my kids. Everything I do is for them. I want them to forget what broke feels like. I wanna give my wife the world, and together, we’re gonna pass the world down to our children.

HSM: What’s some of Desi’s favorite things?

DR: My guitars, my studio set up that my wife recently renovated, my notes app , pancakes, steak and baked potatoes, and my people.

HSM: How do you feel about artist using TicTok to make song go viral?

DR: Whatever floats your boat or finds your lost remote. I can’t knock it, because it works. But I will say that going viral with no catalogue won’t do much for you. You get one section of your song to pop…but you don’t have any more music, when folks go to look for you, you’re nowhere to be found, and just like that the momentum is over with.

HSM: What exclusives can you give?

DR: I got so much music in the tuck…I’ll just give you this one which is one of my favorites that WILL be out top of the year. It’s called “On You” produced, always, by my big bro B.Will.

You can follow Desi Raines on Twitter @DesiRaines

HSM: When did you fall in love with music?

Desi Raines: When I was 3 years old, I was flipping through channels and the video to “Remember The Time” by Michael Jackson can on HSM: Have you ever had your heart broken? and I was MESMERIZED!!! When he spun into sand at the end of

16

December 23, 2021 - December 29, 2021

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10 OF THE BEST FICTION BOOKS BY BLACK AUTHORS IN 2022 By www.StyleMagazine.com

Take a look at the best fiction books by Black authors, according to Goodreads members' ratings and reading lists.

As we enter Black History Month, you may be considering finding some contemporary fiction from Black authors that underscores present and relevant social issues. To that end, we list below 10 of the most anticipated fiction books by Black authors, according to members of Goodreads. The books are all published in or going to be published in 2021 and have amassed significant ratings from a significant number of reviewers on Goodreads — the choices are also informed by how many Goodreads members have added these books to their “want to read” lists.

By no means a definitive list, this selection of books spans the deepening divide between Black and white communities in the U.S., the enduring force of historical traditions and racial inequalities in America’s workforce, among other significant and contemporary themes. From established authors like Colson Whitehead to new voices like Mateo Askaripour and Robert Jones Jr., below you’ll find plenty of compelling, intriguing and enlightening books to add to your reading list right now — and for months to come.

1. “The Prophets” by Robert Jones Jr. Goodreads: 4.17-star average rating, more than 1,700 ratings This novel follows the love story of two enslaved young men on a Deep South plantation. When an older man starts preaching at the master’s gospel, the couple find themselves navigating a community that considers them as a danger to the plantation’s harmony.

3.96-star average rating, more than 2,100 ratings Twenty-two-year-old Darren goes from Starbucks employee to NYC tech startup salesperson overnight. Navigating the ups and downs of success and its strains on his personal life, Darren searches for meaning in his brand new future.

Black Americans face to achieve success.

5. “What's Mine and Yours” by Naima Coster (pre-order) Goodreads: 4.27-star average rating, more than 50 ratings After a community in Piedmont, North Carolina, decides to draw students from the largely Black side of town into the white high schools on the west, students Gee and Noelle find themselves at the center of a complicated debate around integration.

6. “Libertie” by Kaitlyn Greenidge (pre-order) Goodreads: 3.75-star average rating, more than 60 ratings Libertie Sampson feels stifled by her mother’s wish for her to be a practicing physician in Reconstruction-era Brooklyn. Compelled to pursue music over science, Sampson discovers what such freedom means for a Black woman.

9. “Razorblade Tears” by S.A. Cosby (pre-order) Goodreads: 3.73-star average rating, more than 10 ratings When Ike Randolph and Buddy Lee learn their sons have been murdered, the odd couple band together in a desperate desire for revenge. Initially the tale of bloody retribution, the pair confront their own prejudices in Cosby’s story of change and redemption.

3. “Yellow Wife” by Sadeqa Johnson Goodreads: 4.47-star average rating, more than 750 ratings Pheby Brown expected to be freed on her eighteenth birthday. Instead, she finds herself thrust into Virginia’s most infamous slave jail, wrestling with the implications of giving up love and freedom.

7. “Caul Baby” by Morgan Jerkins (pre-order) Goodreads: 3.62-star average rating, more than 30 ratings Laila desperately wants to become a mother and, after previous pregnancies fall through, turns to the Melancon family for their precious “caul,” which possesses healing powers she desperately hopes to gain. This magical novel brings together the weight of tradition and the power of family, exploring both positive and negative applications thereof.

2. “Black Buck” by Mateo Askaripour Goodreads:

Hazel climbs the workplace hierarchy, Rogers considers perceived hostilities and how to best work through them.

4. “The Kindest Lie”by Nancy Johnson (pre-order) Goodreads: 4.17-star average rating, nearly 300 ratings Engineer Ruth Tuttle returns to her hometown in Indiana, she discovers the sacrifices her family made to give her a better future. Through Tuttle’s journey home, Johnson examines the struggles

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8. “The Other Black Girl” by Zakiya Dalila Harris (pre-order) Goodreads: 4.17-star average rating, more than 170 ratings Zakiya Dalila Harris’s thriller centers around editorial assistant Nella Rogers, who’s fed up with the isolation and microaggressions at her company. As colleague and Harlem-born

10. “Harlem Shuffle” by Colson Whitehead (pre-order) Goodreads: 4.60-star average rating, 5 ratings Furniture salesman Ray Carney gets tied up with sketchy clientele out of necessity and finds himself navigating rougher and rougher waters. Set in 1960s New York, a family saga unfolds that promises tales of love, crime and hilarity.

December 23, 2021 - December 29, 2021

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2021

SEE MORE + PHOTOS AND EVENTS

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H HAUL 53rd Annual Equal Opportunity Day Gala H

Congrats to Judson Robinson and all the honorees at the 53rd Equal Opportunity Day Gala. Leadership Houston represented Tiffany Williams, Marguerite Williams, Amanda Edwards, Porscha Jackson, Michelle Levi McDaniel, Lorenza Butler, and seeing leaders from Texas Southern University - KTSU FM "The Choice", Houston Astros Foundation, LiftFund US partners Regions Bank, Comerica Bank Sineria Ordóñez Cadence Bank!. #HAULGuild #HAULYP Photos courtesy of Grady Carter.

2021

SEE MORE + PHOTOS AND EVENTS

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H Annual Adopt-a-Child for Christmas H

Texans hosted their annual YMCA Holiday Party at NRG Stadium. YMCA members got into the holiday spirit with a cookie decorating class before they were surprised with gifts from their wish list courtesy of the Lady Texans.

The kids were thrilled to receive toys, tablets, coats and more ahead of the Christmas holiday. Photos courtesy of Texans Facebook

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December 23, 2021 - December 29, 2021

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