January 12, 2020
GREATER HOUSTON AREA African-American News&Issues
Vol. 24, Issue 51 WILL THERE BE A DRAFT?
YOUTH AFRAID OF WWIII
“Addressing Current & Historical Realities Affecting Our Community”
MORE NEEDED HOUSTON – Almost immediately after President Donald Trump’s initiated killing of one of Iran’s top generals, Qassem Soleimani, panic spread across social media from young people fearing they would be forced into the battlefield due to the draft. Hashtags on Black Twitter, including #NoWarinIran, #TrumpsWar and #WorldWarIII showed concerns Black youth felt, thinking that filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) may have put their lives in danger.
DRAFT continued on page 3
LIVING LEGEND
Photo courtesy of
Humanitarian and former Houston city council member Ada Edwards raised $40,000 to have the second MLK statue commissioned in Hermann Park, which was unveiled in 2007. By Isaiah Robinson
HOUSTON – It was a special moment for many African Americans in Houston six years ago when the Martin Luther King Jr. statue was unveiled at MacGregor Park, with more than 3,000 people turning out to witness the event. The Black Heritage Society’s Chairman and Chief
ACRES HOME PROTEST on page 4
Executive Officer Ovide Duncantell’s mission of recognizing, sustaining and keeping Dr. King’s “Legacy” and “Dream” alive forever blossomed into fruition. Since that historic day, the fourth largest city in the U.S. has only three MLK statues. Even then, those who were a part of the process of getting the MLK statues commissioned had to fight through adversity to make it a reality. MLK continued on page 3
RICKEY SMILEY MORNING SHOW on page 4
Photo courtesy of TSU Law School
DR. JAMES DOUGLAS
HOUSTON – Dr. James Matthew Douglas is the current president of the Houston chapter of the NAACP. He is also a distinguished professor of law at Texas Southern University’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law. DOUGLAS continued on page 6
TUITION-FREE CHARTER SCHOOL on page 5