August 15, 2021
GREATER HOUSTON EDITION
Vol. 26, Issue 30
who police the police? “Addressing Current & Historical Realties Affecting Our Community”
NO MORE FEAR!
By: Roy Douglas Malonson
Just in case you need any more proof that COVID is indeed REAL and should be taken seriously, this week, the Houston area’s Memorial Hermann Hospital system reimplemented a policy stating that visitors will no longer be allowed at any of its facilities. Why? Because of fear of exposure to the rapidly spreading, highly transmissible Delta variant. Memorial Hermann released a statement saying it believes this difficult decision is
necessary to protect the health and safety of its employees, physician partners, patients and the community, adding that there will be very limited exceptions to the no visitor policy, and all visitors will be required to clear a health screening before entering any facility, and MUST wear a Memorial Hermannprovided mask. If it seems that we are going backwards, it is probably because we are! People are continuing to mistrust the government instead of following the science
and getting the FDA approved COVID-19 vaccines. Reaching high vaccination rates across our communities will be key for achieving broad protection, mitigating the disproportionate impacts of the virus for people of color. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has indicated that vaccine equity is an important goal, further defining equity as preferential access and administration to those who have been most affected by COVID-19.
According to KFF. org, White people account for the largest share of people who remain unvaccinated (57%), but Black and Hispanic people are less likely than their White counterparts to have received a vaccine, leaving them at increased risk. Studies have found that many Black Americans are hesitant to get vaccinated because of the nation’s historical atrocities against Blacks when it
Fear cont’d page 4
PROTECT OUR KIDS! By: By: N.L. Preston
Just as our kids are beginning to return to school and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo raised the COVID 19 threat level to RED, a public health showdown began to take center stage as fears grew over sending our vulnerable, unvaccinated children back to school – without masks. Despite COVID-19 numbers increasing, Gov. Greg Abbott declared earlier this month that he would not issue government mandates – not even for masks - as the delta variant has cases and hospitalizations sweeping the nation. The governor’s executive order notes that “no government entity, including a county, city, school district and public health authority” and “any public or private entity that is receiving or will receive public funds” can enforce mask or vaccine mandates. Offenses could lead to Protect cont’d page 5
“OUR VOTE AND OUR MONEY ARE THE TWO MOST POWERFUL THINGS WE HAVE. BE CAREFUL WHO YOU GIVE THEM TO.” - ROY DOUGLAS MALONSON
2 AFRAMNEWS.COM
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August 15, 2021
EDITORIAL Partin’ the Waters By Omowale Luthuli-Allen
Office: (713) 692-1892 Wednesday – Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
GREATER HOUSTON EDITION
Unraveling the ball of confusion Law Enforcement is unable to purchase weapons because of the insatiable consumer appetite for weapons. Ammunition that once was easy to obtain is in scarce supply. Since the election of President Obama in 2008, 20 states including Texas has passed permitless carry legislation. Whether you attribute the gun gluttony to fear of crime, political polarization, or love for the constitutional right to bear
arms, there is a painful price to pay in our neighborhoods and on our streets. A few weeks ago, in the parking lot of the Fiesta at Kirby and South Main streets, a murder took place on a mid-afternoon. A pedestrian was walking through the parking lot, and he touched a parked vehicle. The driver of the parked automobile exited his car and engaged in an argument with the pedestrian. He returns to his car and retrieves a gun and shoots the pedestrian. This random and senseless murder is evidence that everyone in the village is not healthy
and do not deserve to carry a firearm. There is a mountain of evidence that teenagers and very young adults do not have mature brains and are unable to exercise the requisite decision-making in stressful situations. Coping skills are required to navigate challenging social situations whether it is within a family or a neighborhood. Another senseless murder took occurred a month ago following an Astros home game. Facts suggest that a young Black man indiscriminately fired a bullet from the driver’s seat of his automobile into the car of another Astros
patron, tragically killing his 16-year-old son. After some stellar homicide detective work by HPD, the assailant has turned himself in. If the preliminary evidence holds, the accused has already served hard time at Penn State (penitentiary) for a prior aggravated offense. Road rage is being tapped to be the motive for this killing of an innocent child. Don’t you just cringe when a misdirected violent crime takes place. Your subconscious mind whispers, “I pray that he is not Black.” We do this out of righteous indignation and shame. Brothers
killing brothers, children killing children is known as fratricide. The marginalized Black community has internalized the psychology of inferiority that flowed from enslavement. Our aggression has always been misplaced aggression. About 35 percent of City of Houston revenue is allotted to policing. When murderers are apprehended, the misguided but welli nte nt i on e d advocates of DEFUND the POLICE wither, as they should.
Confusion cont’d page 3
GREATER HOUSTON EDITION Confusion cont’d “The murder Accountability Project, a nonprofit watchdog that tracks unsolved murders, found in 2019 that “declining homicide clearance rates for African- American victims accounted for all of the nation’s alarming decline in law enforcement’s ability to clear murders through the arrest of criminal offenders.” In Chicago, the public radio station WBEZ’s analysis of 19 months of murder investigation records showed that “when the victim was white, 47%
of the cases solved. For Hispanics, the rate was about 33%. When the victim was African American, it was less than 22%.” Black popular culture exists in the larger American ethos. Rappers have joined in promoting a trope of “no snitching and snitches get stitches” to gullible young brothers and sisters. Yes, he who controls the image controls the action. Our communities often go silent and will not give clues to violent crimes such as murder and rape. All that you have to do is to stop satisfying your selfish self and call
August 15, 2021 CRIMESTOPPERS. If we don’t shake the mantle of this ain’t my fight, the beast opens the front door and sits in our living rooms. This means that the American thug Taliban will bully innocent citizens. Let’s keep in mind that there is no statute of limitations on murder. Let me repeat. THERE IS NO STATUE OF LIMITATIONS ON MURDER! Cry for the young brothers who stupidly believe that Makaveli -Tupac is alive and living as a recluse in the Caribbean. Cry for the young brothers who spout that Biggie is alive. Cry for the
young brothers who disregard the crippling impacts of big caliber weapons and bullets that have no name. Yes, police departments must reform. But we must reform and shift paradigms. Are we mature enough to recognize that if your mother is threatened to be MURDERED by a boyfriend or ex-husband that disregards a peace bond, you can’t call BLM? My point” DO NOT under-police and let’s not overpolice. Let’s not over invest in policing and under invest in pre-kindergarten and communities with livable wage jobs.
AFRAMNEWS.COM 3 The police often cause great harm, however, producing weak families and communities cause greater harm. Indeed, there are systemic, institutional causes for weak communities and families. Nevertheless, the government can’t make me father my children. Let me state what we instinctively know, absentee parents, especially fathers predispose a child to delinquency and incarceration. We, each one of us, are the most powerful weapon that we have in the effort to stop the violence, police instigated violence and inter-community.
If we don’t control the production and dissemination of ideas and win the fight for the hearts and minds of the people, this culling of the men of the race and community will continue. Catch the wave, All Lives Matter, SOLVE EVERY MURDER regardless of race, class, ethnicity, or gender. -sexual persuasion. Every transgender murder needs to be solved. IF there is a loving God in the universe and the senseless violence and death accelerate, GOD must be playing with us. - AANI
4 AFRAMNEWS.COM
August 15, 2021
GREATER HOUSTON EDITION
EDUCATION
TSU STUDENTS SELECTED
Texas Southern University students Kiyana Akins and Dexter Maryland have been selected as members of the eighth cohort of HBCU Scholars hosted by the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (Initiative). This program recognizes 86 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students for their accomplishments in academics, leadership, civic engagement, and much more. Over the course of an academic school year, the
HBCU Scholars selected through this program will serve as ambassadors of the Initiative and their respective institution. The Initiative will provide scholars with information about the value of education as well as networking opportunities. Scholars can also share these resources with their fellow students. “The HBCU Scholars announced today all have demonstrated remarkable dedication to their learning and exemplify the talent that our nation’s
Historically Black Colleges and Universities have nurtured for generations,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “The students who hold this honor are committed to creating a more just and equitable society through their civic engagement. They are leaders and change-makers in their communities, and I cannot wait to learn from them as they serve as ambassadors both for the White House Initiative and their institutions of higher
education.” Through their relationships with community-based organizations, and public and private partners, all of which are gained through this recognition, scholars will also share promising and proven practices that support opportunities for all young people to achieve their educational and career potential. “I am elated to
Fear cont’d
care, voter suppression and disparities in the criminal justice system, and all of the disinformation spreading on social media is also stoking vaccine fears. Myths are circulating claiming the vaccine will interact with your DNA and impact fertility, or that if people eat healthy, they don’t need a vaccine. The White House is leading an initiative to combat vaccine hesitancy by launching campaigns, planning and promoting more vaccine clinics and even partnering with hair salons and barbershops, both thought of as “cultural hubs” in the Black community, with hopes of reaching more Black people who remain skeptical about the shot. The Black Coalition Against COVID has partnered with the White House in its initiative
and is leaving no stone unturned in an effort to get shots in arms. They are working with groups of formerly and currently incarcerated people to get them vaccinated and have also collaborated with an NFL alumni group with hopes that big-name athletes can help build trust in the vaccine. As of August 2, 2021, the CDC reported that race/ ethnicity was known for 58% of people who had received at least one dose of the vaccine. Among this group, nearly two thirds were White (59%), 10% were Black, 16% were Hispanic, 6% were Asian, 1% were American Indian or Alaska Native, and <1% were Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, while 8% reported multiple or other races. As observed in prior weeks, Black and Hispanic people
have received smaller shares of vaccinations compared to their shares of cases and compared to their shares of the total population in most states. The share of vaccinations received by Black people also continues to be smaller than their share of deaths in most states. State data shows nearly 60% of eligible Texans have received a coronavirus vaccine, but the number of shots administered each week has dropped steadily since a peak in early April. At that time, the state lifted the restrictions on who could get a shot, now opening it up for anyone 12 and older. A recent poll shows one in 5 unvaccinated Texans are at least somewhat open to a shot but have not scheduled an appointment for various reasons. About 34% cited side effects as a factor, but
comes to medical research, most notably, the Tuskegee experiments from 19321972, which recruited 600 Black men — 399 who had syphilis and 201 who did not. Back then, health officials “tricked” the men, tracking the disease’s progression but not treating the men as they all died or suffered severe health issues. We know and respect the saying, “if you don’t know your history, you’re doomed to repeat it,” but many are confusing that message. Knowing what happened to the victims of the Tuskegee Experiment empowers us to join together, hold others accountable and make forward movements to truly save our lives. Blacks have historically received the short end of the stick due to racism in health
TSU cont’d page 7 public health experts say the side effects are far less than the risk of contracting COVID-19, which has killed more than 51,350 Texans. Also, according to data, 16% said they are “waiting to see” to others and 11% feel they don’t have enough information. Some fence-sitters said they haven’t scheduled a vaccination appointment because they don’t want the shot, while others said they haven’t, simply, because of busy schedules. We said all of that to say this -- nearly all COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. now are in people who weren’t vaccinated. We have neither the time, nor the luxury of sitting on any fences when it comes to our health. It is time to make the right decisions for your lives. - AANI
GREATER HOUSTON EDITION Protect cont’d fines up to $1,000. Private businesses, however, still have the right to require customers and employees to wear masks. Abbott says it is left up to an individual’s personal responsibility. “Going forward, in Texas, there will not be any governmentimposed shutdowns or mask mandates. Everyone already knows what to do,” he said. That may be something you can argue when it comes to adults, but not so much when it comes
to children. In the beginning, some districts and universities began implementing safety precautions, while others said they would not have any special protocols in place for this new school year. Previously, the Houston Independent School District said there would be no temperature screenings, no social distancing protocols, and masks were “optional” for both students and staff inside, outside and on school transportation. But new HISD Superintendent Millard House II obviously had second
August 15, 2021 thoughts and made the brave decision to stand up against Abbott and propose a mask mandate in the interest of safety. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo is also fighting back, for the sake of all residents, announcing that the county has authorized the Harris County attorney to file a lawsuit challenging Abbott’s order. Hidalgo said the lawsuit was being filed following concerns from multiple school leaders, and the fourth wave of the coronavirus. “First responders and school leaders are speaking out
and standing up as Delta ravages our community. We have their back,” she tweeted. And more began to speak out. Representatives from the Houston Federation of Teachers and the Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation joined U.S. Representative Al Green Wednesday, calling on all the school districts to do the right thing. “The CDC, local and state public health officials, and the entire medical community have made it clear: mask mandates help keep our kids, our co-workers, and our
AFRAMNEWS.COM 5 communities safe,” the representatives said in a release. “But instead of listening to public health experts, Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas Education Agency are playing politics with our children’s lives and blocking districts from taking commonsense measures to keep kids safe.” The public is being heard, for the most part, as more school districts began to follow HISD’s lead and begin re-instating mask mandates, against the governor’s wishes. But all we have to say is this. YOU are the parent. YOU are
the protector of your home and YOU must make the decisions to PROTECT YOUR CHILDREN! Make sure your teens and everyone in your home of eligible age get vaccinated so that your younger children, who are not eligible for shots at this time, have every ounce of protection they need. Teach your children the importance of mask safety just as much as you teach them their ABCs so when they go into these schools – without you – they have a little more knowledge to keep themselves safe. It’s tough enough being a kid. Let’s help where we can. - AANI
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August 15, 2021
KNOW YOUR HISTORY
JULES BLEDSOE By: Nevaeh Richardson
It’s time to get to know legendary performer and Broadway pioneer Jules Bledsoe in this week’s Know Your History! Julius Lorenzo Cobb Bledsoe was born to Henry L. and Jessie Cobb Bledsoe in Waco, Texas in 1898. During his youth, he attended Central Texas Academy from 1905 to 1914. After graduating as the class valedictorian, Bledsoe studied at Bishop College where he earned his B.A. in 1918. He then attended Virginia Union College from 1918 to 1919, where he was a member of the ROTC, and finally Columbia University, where he studied medicine from 1920 to 1924. Throughout his time in school, he studied music under Claude Warford, Luigi Parisotti, and Lazar Samoiloff.
Bledsoe made his professional singing debut in New York’s Aeolian Hall on April 20, 1924 with the sponsorship of impresario Sol Hurok. Over the course of his career, he traveled throughout the United States and Europe performing, acting, and writing. Bledsoe performed in many major operas and was in high demand due to his ability to sing in multiple languages as well as his impressive vocal range. In 1926, he appeared as Tizan in Frank Harling’s opera Deep River, and was the first to perform as “Joe” in Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II’s Show Boat in 1927. His role in Show Boat became his best-
known role, and he popularized a song from the musical, “Ol’ Man River.” Bledsoe died in Hollywood, California, on July 14, 1943. He is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Waco, Texas. His papers, including sheet music, photographs and correspondence, are housed in The Texas Collection at Baylor University. The BledsoeMiller Community Center, a recreation facility in Waco, is jointly named for Bledsoe and Doris Miller. - AANI
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TSU cont’d uplift and propel my fellow peers by assisting in enriching their educational investment. In this vein, I couldn’t be more proud to exemplify student leadership, civic engagement, and scholastic achievement. Unequivocally, it is critical to reaffirm the significance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities’ ability to produce trailblazers and change agents,” said Akins, a senior broadcast journalism major from Oklahoma City, OK. Selected HBCU Scholars will be invited to the 2021 HBCU Week National Annual Conference, which will take place September 7-10, 2021. This year’s conference theme is “Exploring Equity.” During their time at the conference, they will participate in sessions about entrepreneurship, innovation, and personal
and professional development. Most importantly, they will also have opportunities to engage with one another and showcase their individual and collective talent across the HBCU community. “Being recognized as a White House HBCU scholar means so much to me,” said Maryland, a rising junior political science major from Houston. “With this award, I am able to motivate my peers, encourage my community and change the narrative of our institution.” This cohort of HBCU Scholars will also participate in national and regional events and monthly classes with Elyse Jones, HBCU Scholar Program Coordinator, Initiative staff, and other professionals from a wide range of disciplines. All HBCU Scholar events are designed to connect HBCU students with non-profit, business, and federal leaders to discuss professional development while identifying challenges and providing equitable solutions to barriers that HBCU students face when preparing and entering the 21stcentury workforce. -AANI
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