July 19, 2020
GREATER HOUSTON EDITION
SYSTEMIC INEQUITY To you, she may look like a WELFARE MOTHER, too young, with too many kids and living off the system. But to us, she looks like a BLACK WOMAN shielding the ones she loves and who love her back. Her babies have already been born with two strikes against them, just because they were born BLACK and POOR. How are they going to make it, when
there is a dark cloud of racism already hovering above them, waiting for them to make one false move before they chain gang them on that infamous prison pipeline? Whether we call it “Systemic Inequity” or “Systemic Inequality,” it’s all been going on for far too long. Did you know there is a difference between the two? Inequity means injustice or unfair-
ness, while inequality doesn’t necessarily imply an injustice, simply an imbalance. They’ve been finding a way to hold us back, even more so after releasing us from the chains of slavery. Every move we make that’s on the “up,” they TRY to find a way to knock us back down. From the historical poll taxes that disenfranchised African American voters; to
poor treatment of Black soldiers who returned home after fighting in World War I and World War II, Jim Crow and segregation in schools, Blacks have had to fight every step of the way. And today, they are killing us in plain sight, for the world to see. Dead or in jail is where they want us. But where do you see yourselves? Think about it. Inequity cont’d on page 4
Vol. 25, Issue 26
BLACK VOTES MATTER
BLACK AGENDA NEEDED!
By: N.L. Preston
HOUSTON - Georgia Provost was born in Lafayette, Louisiana and came to Houston in 1959 to attend Texas Southern University. She’s been a Houston resident mainly ever since. She currently owns a photography studio, is a former educator at TSU and the Houston Independent School District and is on countless boards for various community organizations. Anyone who knows her, knows she is smart, determined and not afraid to speak her mind. In true fashion, she held no punches when speaking to African-American News&Issues about the political climate of today and lack of leadership, what we need to do for
our children’s futures and how we, as Black people, can get through this global pandemic while strengthening and building our communities. “We have some really tough issues that nobody wants to use common sense and critical thinking about,” Provost said as she began to lay out what seems so easy for many to understand. Yet, with simple solutions right in front of us, why are we being held back? “Right now, we as Black people need to get us an agenda and we need to discuss all of these disparities that we have in Black Agenda cont’d on page 3
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