January 26, 2020
25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION African-American News&Issues
Vol. 25, Issue 1 ACRES HOME COMMUNITY NEWS
“THE PEOPLE WON”
“Addressing Current & Historical Realities Affecting Our Community”
BRIDGING THE GAP
Photo courtesy of Buffalo Soldiers Museum Houston
Photo courtesy of AFRAMNEWS
Elected officials attend the Soto Ready Mix Batch Plant press conference on Jan. 23. (left to right) Texas Senator John Whitmire, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee and Texas Representative Jarvis Johnson.
Desmond Bertrand-Pitts
Desmond Bertrand-Pitts is the chief executive officer of the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum, and he and his grandfather, Captain Paul J. Matthews, founder and one of the only African-American owners of a national museum in Houston, are working hard to bridge the multi-generational gap of our community while honoring African-American military. By AANI Staff
HOUSTON – Cocktail receptions, weddings, events featured on VH1 with the Real Housewives of Atlanta reality show divas? Those are not the typical things you see going on inside of a museum - that is until nowthanks to the millennial mind of a grandson working hard to keep his grandfather’s proud legacy flourishing in the hearts and minds of Houstonians and the country, as a whole. Desmond Bertrand-Pitts is the chief executive officer of the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum, and he and his grandfather, Captain Paul J. Matthews, founder and one of the only African-American owners of a national museum in Houston, are working hard to bridge the multi-generational gap of our community while honoring African-American military. “I first heard about the Buffalo Soldiers when I was a cadet at Prairie View A&M University back in the 1960s. I read two paragraphs in a military book about the soldiers and became very intrigued about these Black men in uniform because they did what they did, not necessarily for themselves, but for those that came behind them,” Matthews said. “And that was a story that needed to be told.” SHOWTIME FOR MO’NIQUE ON PAGE 4
Who are the Buffalo Soldiers? The Buffalo Soldiers, comprised of former slaves, freemen and Black Civil War soldiers, were the first to serve during peacetime. Throughout the era of the Indian Wars, approximately 20 percent of the U.S. Cavalry troopers were Black, and they fought over 177 engagements. The combat prowess, bravery, tenaciousness, and looks on the battlefield, inspired the Indians to call them Buffalo Soldiers. The name symbolized the Native Americans’ respect for the soldiers’ bravery and valor. Keeping the legacy alive “I’ve been a part of the museum since the beginning. I like to tell people that I was ‘voluntold’ to be where I am today,” Bertrand-Pitts said. “What the captain has set forth is not only providing Houston, but the entire country, the history of the Buffalo Soldiers and African-American military. I am a millennial so one of my focus areas is to get our age groups involved in the other aspects of philanthropy, and being involved in history, making sure the legacy does not die.”
BUFFALO SOLDIERS CONT’D ON PAGE 5 MLK ORATORY WINNER ON PAGE 6
HOUSTON – Acres Home residents and elected officials are celebrating a victory after a concrete mixing company withdrew its application to build in the northwest Houston neighborhood, one day before a judge was set to hear arguments over the permit. Soto Ready Mix planned to build a concrete batch plant near neighboring residents and a community center in the historic neighborhood. The concrete mixing company requested an air emissions permit from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to build a batch plant. The residents of Acres Home fought relentlessly to stop that, garnering the attention of many elected officials, including Texas Rep. Jarvis Johnson, Sen. John Whitmire and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee to help fight the permit. BATCH PLANT CONT’D ON PAGE 5
BIGGER AND BETTER BUSINESS
NEW CHIEF COMMUNITY OFFICER
DALLAS – Irvin Ashford, Jr. the new Chief Community Officer at Comerica Bank, is extremely grateful for his new role and is on a mission to empower the community he serves. Ashford will be responsible for leading Comerica’s diversity business resource groups, community reinvestment nationally and all associated activities including development, lending, community investments, volunteerism and data analysis. Ashford will also maintain the responsibilities he previously served as Comerica’s National Director of Financial Education and External Affairs, and will report directly into the Office of the Chairman. BIGGER AND BETTER BUSINESS CONT’D ON PAGE 3
BLACK SUPER BOWL QUARTERBACK ON PAGE 7
