March 28, 2021
GREATER HOUSTON EDITION
Vol. 26, Issue 10
“Addressing Current & Historical Realties Affecting Our Community”
NIGERIAN-AMERICAN HISTORICALLY JOINS BIDEN TEAM
By: N.L. Preston
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION, DIVERSITY OR TOKENISM?
By: Roy Douglas Malonson
How many times have we heard this phrase, “I’m not a racist, I have many Black friends,” and have you taken a good, long look at the person who is making the statement? If they are a president or politician, what is the background of their cabinet or executive team? If they are an employer, what is the racial and ethnic make-up of their staff ? If they are the head of a sports organization, where there are plenty of Black athletes, how many times have they “taken a knee” with their players in support of their religious, social or patriotic beliefs? If they are the head of a major motion picture network, how many times have they supported Black film makers with big budget box office opportunities? How many times have you seen true support of Blacks without hidden agendas? There are plenty of companies who have little to no African Americans in leadership roles. We live in a sad day and age when, every time we look around, Blacks are finally being hailed as “the first” in the company’s history to earn a certain title. Yes, while
it is a victory, the sadness comes that it took so long to get there. Look at Colin Kaepernick, who was Black-balled for bringing attention to the social injustices of America, tired of seeing innocent Blacks involved in modern-day lynchings by authority figures. We had to lose too many lives, like Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd before the NFL would even make a half-baked Public Relations campaign in response to the protests. Yet, Kaepernick remains on the outs. That speaks volumes. And film makers like Spike Lee had to use personal funds to create movies Blacks wanted to see, all because no major backers would invest in Black movies fearing they were not profitable. They really didn’t even believe we could draw major crowds (with the exception of Will Smith and Eddie Murphy) until Chadwick Boseman became a global phenom as Black Panther. President Joe Biden appears to be on a mission to “right the wrongs” of politics by making a racially diverse cabinet, representing people from all walks of life. But even as Diversity cont’d page 7
The Senate has confirmed Wally Adeyemo as the first Black Deputy Treasury Secretary in America. Adeyemo is the latest to join the Biden administration, aiding Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen — the first woman to hold that role. “Wally is everything the Treasury Department needs right now: He Adeyemo cont’d page 3 has spent his career
HOUSTON AVIATION TRAILBLAZER AZELLIA WHITE
By: N.L. Preston
As we end Women’s History Month, we salute Mrs. Azellia White, an aviator who was one of the first African-American women to earn a pilot’s license in the United States. This true pioneer was a proud Houston
Aviation cont’d page 4
WASH YOUR HANDS FREQUENTLY • AVOID PUBLIC SPACES OR EVENTS WITH MORE THAN 10 PATRONS • SANITIZE AND STOCK UP • AVOID TOUCHING YOUR EYES, NOSE AND MOUTH • PRACTICE GOOD HYGIENE