December 24, 2023
GREATER HOUSTON EDITION
African-American News&Issues
“Addressing Current & Historical Realities Affecting Our Community”
Vol. 28, Issue 49
FREE
We the People
Success is one of the greatest cause of failure - Roy Douglas Malonson
WOMEN LIVING LONG TERM WITH HIV By Shadawn McCants
DR. MARC SMITH NEW SUPERINTENDENT OF FT. BEND ISD The Fort Bend ISD Board of Trustees selected Dr. Marc Smith from Duncanville ISD as the lone finalist for superintendent. Dr. Smith started his career in education as a classroom teacher and coach before advancing into campus and district leadership. He has served in public schools for over 30 years, nearly 12 of those years serving as superintendent in Duncanville ISD and Marshall ISD. He has received numerous recognitions and accolades for his exceptional leadership in this role. Most notably, in 2020, he was selected as the Re-
gion 10 Superintendent of the Year followed by the Board of Trustees being recognized as a Top 5 State Honor Board in 2021. “We are excited to announce that Dr. Marc Smith has been named as Fort Bend ISD’s lone finalist for superintendent of schools,” Fort Bend ISD Board President Judy Dae said. “Dr. Smith is a familiar face in our district and community having served in Fort Bend ISD for six years as an Executive Principal and Assistant Superintendent before accelerating to a successful career in the superintendency. Smith on pg. 3
Imagine a young African American woman in her early twenties going to her local health department’s STI testing and treatment center. Her test results come back positive for chlamydia and syphilis, which require three rounds of antibiotics. She receives the first and second treatments, but unfortunately, as tends to happen in Black communities, she doesn’t return for her final treatment. Now imagine, six months later, the city clinic advising her to come for a follow-up appointment. When this young woman makes it back to the clinic, the healthcare staff casually asks her if she is here to confirm her HIV results. Of course, she was shocked and scared. This is, in fact, a very real situation. For six months, this clinic knew that the young woman had tested positive for HIV and never informed her that she should be tested again. Then, there were discrepancies in the initial test and two consecutive confirmatory tests. Fortunately, this is where I stepped in two years ago to help her begin to navigate the complex emotions and decisions for her care that followed.
Long Term on pg. 3