Volume 29 Issue 13

Jerome Provost

Herbert Provost

Georgia Provost

PROVOST: 50 YEARS OF SERVICE

By: Shelley McKinley

As the President of Provost Studios LLC, a 76-year old Black-owned business that survived racial integration and advancements in photography when others did not, Mrs. Provost credits the strong foundation that her late husband laid, as well as their teamwork as a family for their success as a well-respected business that has been a fixture among leaders at the international, national, state, and local levels.

Provost and Associates will celebrate 50 years at their current location in August 2024, and have seen photography change from black-and-white photos developed in a dark room, to digital photography now. They embrace change. Mrs. Georgia Provost’s love for people, photography, philanthropy, Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church, and Texas

OJ SIMPSON DIES AT 76

By: ABC News

O.J. Simpson, the former football great who was accused of and ultimately acquitted of the brutal 1994 slayings of his ex-wife and her friend, has died, according to his family. He was 76.

Southern University are evident in her talk, attire, and pictures that adorn Provost & Associates Photography Studio.

Herbert Provost attended Texas Southern University, during which time he studied under A. C. Teal at the Teal School of Photography in Houston, Texas. He then served in the U. S. Navy during World War II. That year he enrolled in an 18-month course at the Progressive School of Professional Photographers in New Haven, Connecticut to continue his education in photography. Returning to Houston in 1947, Provost interned for portraits under Paul Gittings and interned for commercial photography under Lawless and Sons.

“On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren. During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace,” a statement from his family said.

In May 2023, Simpson posted a video on X, then known as Twitter, revealing that he had recently “caught cancer” and “had to do the whole chemo thing.” He added, “It looks like I beat it.” Simpson didn’t specify the nature of the cancer.

Then in February 2024, a Las Vegas television station reported that Simpson was again undergoing treatment for an unspecified cancer. Simpson himself posted a video on X that day, denying rumors that he was in hospice care, though he did not otherwise confirm or deny reports that he was ill.

In the United States, there are not only restrictions on studying Black Studies, classic literature, accurate history, and science.

More than 40,000 people were killed with gun violence in 2023, an average of 118 deaths each day, many in Texas. Black people are almost fourteen times as likely to die from firearms as whites. Half of all deaths of Blacks aged 15 to 19 in 2021 were from guns. However, due to a single statement made by a Republican supporter of the NRA in the congressional budget bill of 1996, we are left in the dark regarding the reasons behind and methods to prevent the ongoing violence. This particular sentence states that “None of the funds allocated for injury prevention and control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are permitted to be utilized for the advocacy or promotion of gun control.” As a result, the necessary understanding and strategies to address this issue remain elusive.

A similar provision is in the Appropriations Act of 2012. Today CDC’s policy interprets this language as a warning against using CDC funds to research gun issues that could be used in legislative arguments “intended to restrict or control the purchase or use of firearms,”

EDITORIAL

leaving researchers reluctant to study remedies lest their projects become unfunded.

For nearly 30 years that amendment has prevented the CDC’s study of gun violence. Mass shootings account for one consequence of gun violence. Suicide, urban gun violence victimizing young minority men, family shootings, police shootings all have different risk factors, different motives, and frequently engage different firearms. Like cancer, there is no single cure for the epidemic of gun violence in the United States.

If cancer research had been eliminated in 1996 malignancies now curable would still be deadly, but because of research hundreds of cancers now have known preventions and treatments. Firearm violence is epidemic for multiple reasons and similarly requires numerous scientific research methods.

After every mass shooting, after every individual family’s loss, desperate pleas pour from citizens for officials to do something, anything, to address the scourge of gun violence. President Obama ordered the CDC to examine “the causes of gun violence and the ways to prevent it” in 2012, but the CDC has unfailingly refused to apportion resources to the issue.

Republicans, in thrall to the National Rifle Association, continue to promote amendments to cut federal funding for CDC gun research, making guns our least researched cause of death even though they are a prominent cause.

Only when God approves of your work can an individual truly be happy, because happiness does not come from the accumulation of the things which individuals possess, because: “Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life.” (John 6: 35a). Hence, happiness is an internal spiritual state of being that comes from having peace of mind, and this is why scripture tells us to let the mind that was in Christ Jesus be also in you. Individuals can only truly be happy when they are obedient to God’s will, and his eternal truths. The Bible speaks of a rich man who would not give a poor man the crumbs from his table. He died and the Bible says that he ended-up in hell. Of course, he did not believe that hell existed, but he found out that hell is real spiritually. The rich man asked God could he go back and tell his brothers that they do not want to end-up in hell. God answered too late now, but there are preachers who can tell them that there is a hell on earth and there is a heaven on earth. If you desire to go to heaven, then live in the will of God. If you desire hell, then live in the will and flesh of the devil, and you are already in hell, because it is a spiritual state of mind (being). This is why the Bible declares that: “Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, and before honour is humility.” (Proverbs 18: 12). Happiness

and success are two different variables. A variable is a property characteristic of a unit of analysis that takes on different values across different units of analyses. Isn’t that strange? However, in all our getting, we must get a good understanding, because with understanding comes knowledge, and from wisdom comes spiritual understanding. This is why material things do not make individuals happy. Money is a tool that solves material problems, but it does not resolve the problem of finding happiness in living life. Thus, money is a tool, use it as a tool or use it as a fool. This is why some Christian Right Evangelicals will never find happiness, because they desire to institutionalize exclusion in a multicultural democratic society based upon obtaining money, and otherwise attempt to make God a liar. However, John, the Revelator, tells us in no uncertain terms how worthy God truly is: “Thou art worthy O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” (Revelation 4: 11).

To be completely truthful about everlasting joy, if Donald J. Trump and his more than 73 million dissatisfied followers/ supporters were genuinely content with their own lives, they wouldn’t have embraced someone as spiritually perplexed and distorted as Donald J. Trump so hastily. The Bible cautions us against “laying hands suddenly on no man, neither being a partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure.”

Bobby Mills, Ph.D.

EDITORIAL

How Long is Too Long?

WHAT HAPPENED TO REBUILD HOUSTON?

Rebuild Houston was voted on in 2010 and 14 years later its still missing in action. Rebuild Houston was said to be a dedicated fee that could only be used for drainage and infrastructure. The alleged “Lock Box” seemed to have an excessive number of keys and a wide range of individuals who were aware of the combination, making it easily accessible.

The voters basically voted without knowing who, what, when, where, how, or how much of Rebuild Houston they would receive if any at all. Details of the program became apparent months after the proposal was passed by voters. The taxpayers basically voted unknowingly on giving the City of Houston a blank check to do everything, but fix drainage and infrastructure. We essentially pay for excessive flooding, problems with our drainage systems, and driving on extremely poor roads.

The plan was supposed to have 10-year planning cycles to identify the worse cases first to reduce flooding, improve mobility, and reduce structural flooding, but when we ask longtime community leaders like Tracy Stephens who is a retired Public Works Engineering Supervisor with almost 3 decades of experience about the state of city services, he has a great concern about the wasteful spending, lack of services, and routine maintenance just to name a few.

From his experience the city provided much better services when it was proactive vs reactive. Routine services include such things as mowing, street sweeping, drainage maintenance, mosquito

spraying, street repair, and etc. The commonsense approach worked better than the reactive approach of the 311-call center that is basically a counting mechanism that may or may not address your problem or concern in a timely matter. The customer service was better even though they didn’t have the technology the currently have. Stephens recounts the times they had to go speak to taxpayers face-to-face to address their issues and concerns versus them waiting months for things that could be corrected in a matter of minutes. He also believes that the proactive street maintenance and preventative programs can save the city hundreds of millions when it comes to our drainage and prehistoric infrastructure. The Proposition known as Rebuild Houston was very misleading to voters. Instead of addressing drainage and infrastructure the “Lock Box” actually paid off debt, but what debt was actually paid and how was bonds paid prior to this particular PROPOSITION. The ordinance doesn’t mention any past or present debt being paid with the drainage fees charged to Houston citizens. (The Utility Drainage Maintenance Ordinance 2011-254 Chapter 47) When Capital Improvement and SNAP -Super Neighborhood Action Plans were in place communities were actually getting things done, but now most if not all of the projects submitted for review are ineligible for funding. The city once had a program called” Neighborhood to Standard” which addressed all issued proactively on a more routine preventative basis versus calling 311 and becoming a service request number. Simply throwing money at the problem without properly diagnosing or identifying it only makes it that more expensive. The City of Houston department heads only answer to the mayor, but everyone should be answering to the taxpayer. In order for the city to set a standard, they must bring back” Neighborhood to Standard.”

Provost Cont.

In 1948, Provost opened his own studio.

Georgia Provost, 20 years younger than her husband and once a fashion model, explained, “We met at Park Theater on Dowling Street. The rest is history! We got married in 1963.” She organized models for a show that Herbert photographed soon after meeting him. “He was featured in Ebony Magazine as ‘Bachelor of the Year’ but I was attracted to his wisdom.” Once a student at Texas Southern University studying to become a dietician, she changed her major to photography noting that there was more money to be made behind the lens than in front of it. Their son, Jerome Provost, had his own quasi-internship in sixth grade when the instant Polaroid camera and film emerged. “My husband bought two Polaroid cameras and film for the cameras and gave them to Jerome saying ‘He’ll never have to ask us for money again.’” Laughing, Mrs. Provost recalled, “Later he asked Jerome, ‘Where’s my commission?” It has been a family business ever since. Integration proved to be a challenge that they overcame together. For some, integration simply meant going to restaurants and hotels where they were previously banned, but it hurt Black businesses economically. Dollars that circulated in the community and allowed Black businesses to employ other Black people went elsewhere. Prior to integration, Provost Studios provided photography services for 85% of Black schools in Texas, as well as Historically Black Colleges and Universities in Texas and Louisiana. After integration they lost most of that business.

As Georgia Provost prepared herself to work at Gulf Oil in the service station leasing department, her husband traveled to go find new business. He returned with high school contracts that included photography, as well as yearbooks, caps and gowns, graduation invitations, and class rings. As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention, so they found Intercollegiate Press in Kansas to fulfill their contracts.

Eventually, at the recommendation of Linus Wright who was the chief

financial officer for the Houston Independent School District at the time, Black principals in Houston began seeking the services of Provost Studios again. Although business came back, Mrs. Provost still expresses concern over the academic gains that were also lost in the Black community after integration. “Kids could read because they had caring teachers and exceptional principals. Currently, 27% of mothers don’t have a high school diploma or GED. So many homes have no reading materials. Children have no access to newspapers, books, or magazines. Children imitate what they see,” explained Provost.

“My husband believed that if you have a business, you have to give back.” Herbert Provost volunteered as TSU’s tennis coach from 1966-1980. President Jimmy Carter, known for his love of tennis, invited Coach Provost and his team to go to Nigeria and represent the USA. Coach Provost agreed if he could take the entire tennis team. As Mrs. Provost stated, “I love people. Black, White, and Jewish people worked with Martin Luther King Jr. to advance civil rights.” That love of diversity seemed to have been the blueprint for Provost Studios as well as the work that Mrs. Provost does now to raise funds for projects that are dear to her heart.

Therefore, it makes sense that the Helfman Provost Fundraising Team have led two or three fundraisers a month for the past 35 years. They have raised money for KTSU, the TSU Debate Team, HPD, HFD, and countless other organizations throughout Houston. The partnership formed at a fundraiser for A.B. Chambers, the first African-American constable in Harris County, has impacted as many people as the number of dollars they’ve raised. Students and programs at TSU, Rice University, and Houston Christian University have also benefited from the efforts of this dynamic duo.

Georgia Provost is a member of the Rotary Club of Hermann Park. She served as their president for two years, and is currently the treasurer. As Georgia Provost shared, their motto is “Service Before Self.”

ByTravis McGee

ENTERTAINMENT

PASSING OF LOUIS GOSSETT JR.

By: Anita Gates

Louis Gossett Jr., who took home an Academy Award for “An Officer and a Gentleman” and an Emmy for “Roots,” both times playing a mature man who guides a younger one taking on a new role — but in drastically different circumstances — died early Friday in Santa Monica, Calif. He was 87.

Mr. Gossett’s first cousin Neal L. Gossett confirmed the death. He did not specify a cause.

Mr. Gossett was 46 when he played Emil Foley, the Marine drill instructor from hell who ultimately shapes the humanity of an emotionally damaged young Naval aviation recruit (Richard Gere) in “An Officer and a Gentleman” (1982). Reviewing the movie in The New York Times, Vincent Canby described Sergeant Foley as a cruel taskmaster “recycled as a man of recognizable cunning, dedication and humor” revealed in “the kind of performance that wins awards.”

he said, and based the character on his grandparents and a great-grandmother. Louis Cameron Gossett Jr. was born on May 27, 1936, in Brooklyn, the only child of Louis Gossett, a porter, and Helen (Wray) Gossett, a nurse. He made his Broadway debut when he was 17 and still a student at Abraham Lincoln High School on Ocean Parkway.

BRAVES CELEBRATE 50 YEARS SINCE HOME RUN RECORD BROKEN

By: Fox 5

When he accepted the Oscar for best supporting actor in 1983, he was the first Black performer to win in that category — and only the third (after Hattie McDaniel and Sidney Poitier) to win an Academy Award for acting.

Mr. Gossett, a versatile actor, played a range of parts in his long career. But he was best known for playing decent, plain-spoken men, often authority figures.

By the time he won his Oscar, he had already won an Emmy as Fiddler, the mentor of the lead character, Kunta Kinte (LeVar Burton), in the blockbuster 1977 mini-series “Roots.”

Fiddler was, as the name suggested, a musician, an enslaved man on an 18th-century Virginia plantation. Mr. Gossett was not thrilled about the role at first. “Why choose me to play the Uncle Tom?” he remembered thinking in a 2018 Television Academy video interview. But he came to admire the survival skills of forebears like Fiddler,

While healing after a basketball injury, he appeared in a school play, just to occupy his time. Impressed, a teacher suggested that he audition for “Take a Giant Step,” a play by Louis Peterson that was opening at the Lyceum Theater in the fall of 1953. He won the lead role, that of Spencer Scott, a troubled adolescent. Brooks Atkinson of The Times praised his “admirable and winning performance,” one that conveyed “the whole range of Spencer’s turbulence.”

Sidney Fields devoted a column in The Sunday Mirror to the young man, who shared his career plans. “I always wanted to study pharmacy,” Mr. Gossett said. “But now after college I’ll try acting. I know it’s a tough business, but if I fail, I’ll have the pharmacy degree to fall back on.”

He ended up majoring in drama (and minoring in pharmacy) while on a basketball scholarship at New York University.

For more visit aframnews.com

On April 8, 1974, history was made in Atlanta as Hank Aaron knocked his 715th ball out of the park, topping the Great Bambino, Babe Ruth. That was the day Hammerin’ Hank Aaron cemented himself as the home run king.

Great Bambino, Babe Ruth. That was the day Hammerin’ Hank Aaron cemented

Some of the items on display include his Hall of Fame ring, an original Peanuts cartoon drawn about him, and his 1974 away jersey.

his 1974 away jersey.

Tom House, the former Braves pitcher, had the honor of catching the history-making homer.

“I knew when I got the ball I had to get it in his hand,” House told FOX 5.

“Aaron waiting. The outfield deep and into deep center field, back to the to get it in his hand,” House told House was one of the members on hand Monday at the Atlanta History Center on the 50th anniversary of the monumental

“Aaron waiting. The outfield deep and straight away. Fastball is a high drive into deep center field, back to the fence … and it’s gone!”

House was one of the members of the 1974 Braves team members on hand Monday at the Atlanta History Center on the 50th anniversary of the monumental moment.

He was there as Billye Aaron, Hank’s widow, cut the ribbon to help open a new exhibit that takes a look at The Hammer’s life, impact and obstacles he overcame to reach greatness.

He was there as Billye Aaron, Hank’s widow, cut the ribbon to help open a new exhibit that life, impact and obstacles

“For me, this is the first total picture of Henry Aaron in a setting where it can be appreciated,” said House.

“For me, this is the first total picture of Henry Aaron in a setting where it can be appreciated,”

“It was a wonderful feeling, and they did a marvelous job,” said Ralph Garr, former Braves outfielder.

“It was a wonderful feeling, and they did a marvelous job,” said Ralph Garr, former Braves outfielder.

Paul Crater from the Atlanta History Center is one of the people who helped put the exhibit together.

Paul Crater from the Atlanta History Center is one of the people who helped put the exhibit together.

“It just didn’t seem like work,” he said. The center worked with Billye Aaron to bring never-before seen items together for the exhibit, which officially opens Tuesday. It is expected to remain open through the 2025 all-star game in

“It just didn’t seem like work,” he said. The center worked with Billye Aaron to bring never-before seen items together for the exhibit, which officially opens Tuesday. It is expected to remain open through the 2025 all-star game in Atlanta.

“I hope people learn what an incredible human being Henry Aaron was,” Crater said. “He was an empathetic, kind, caring human being who made it his life’s mission to give to others.”

an empathetic, kind, caring human

PREMIERE OF STAGOLEE AND THE FUNERAL OF A DANGEROUS WORD

By: Shannon Emerick

Main Street Theater (MST) is producing the world premiere of Stagolee and the Funeral of a Dangerous Word by nationally-acclaimed Houston playwright, Thomas Meloncon. Main Street previously produced the world premiere of Meloncon’s play The Laws of Storms, about the impact the Galveston hurricane of 1900 had on the island’s African-American community. Main Street has also produced Meloncon’s play The Drums of Sweetwater.

Stagolee runs Mar. 30 – Apr. 21, 2024. Performances are Thursday – Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 3:00 pm. Tickets are $35 - $59.

Behavioral Sciences at Texas Southern University. He is the author of plays that have been produced nationally and internationally. His poetry publications include Recollections and Poetry in E Minor. His list of plays includes, Johnnie B. Goode published in Acting Up and Getting Down: An Anthology of African American Playwrights of Texas, published by University of Texas Press, The Man Who Saved New Orleans published in Callaloo: A Journal of African Diaspora Arts and Letters by John Hopkins University Press. His popular stage plays include The Diary of Black Men, Whatever Happened to Black Love, If Beds Could talk, Jump the Broom, and Where Were You in ’65, to name a few. Mr. Meloncon language belong?”. All are welcome, even if you are not seeing the play on those days. Just plan to arrive at the theater at

Main Street Theater will be hosting two, free post-show discussions, one with playwright Thomas Meloncon on Sunday, April 7, and one with Tracie Jae of The Quiet Rebel on Sunday, April 14, exploring the question, “To whom does language belong?”. All are welcome, even if you are not seeing the play on those days. Just plan to arrive at the theater at 5:30pm.

Additionally, MST will host a Pride

Additionally, MST will host a Pride Night event in connection with the April 18 performance, and the April 7 performance also offers open captioning. Main Street’s Community Partners are the NAACP Houston Branch, Kindred Stories, and

About the Play

The play takes place in an office in a small town in East Texas where the local NAACP chapter is planning a funeral for the “N word.” At the same time, a bigoted white man is on his way to that same office to have a frank discussion with the legendary Stagolee, a black man known for his swagger. The two men have had a fight at their workplace, and this “conversation” is actually a court-ordered intervention, facilitated by a visiting Jewish psychologist. This new, action-packed play examines

different points of view along the racial divide and does so without judgement, ultimately bringing its characters into a better understanding of each other.

About the Playwright Thomas Meloncon is an Associate Professor of Theatre in the Visual and Performing Art Dept. in the College of Liberal Arts and

is the Narrator on the recent Fade to Black “Thank You, Ten” documentary film, celebrating their 10 years of mentoring and producing new African American playwrights from across the U.S. He is the featured poet on several Jazz musical albums, and his folksong,

“Ain’t Gonna Wait Too Long” can be heard in season 3 episode 6 of the TV series SNOWFALL. His many awards include The TSU IMPACT Award, TSU COLABS Best Faculty Mentor Award-Theatre, Induction into the Kashmere High School Alumni Hall of Fame, two certificates of Congressional Recognition, A Resolution from The State of Texas, A Bronze Medallion from the City of Houston, the Creative Writing Award from the Houston Chapter of the National Association of Black Journalist, Community Service Award from the Houston Area Women’s Center, and the Excellence in Community Health Education Award from The Duncan Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine.

The Quiet Rebel.

Photos by Pin Lim / Forest Photography

PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY HAS A NEW PRESIDENT

By: Prairie View A&M University

Tomikia P. LeGrande, Ed.D., became the ninth president of Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) on June 1, 2023. Her career in higher education is marked by successive leadership roles and professional achievements.

Before joining PVAMU, Dr. LeGrande served as vice president for strategy, enrollment management and student success at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she led the development and implementation of the university’s strategic plan, priorities, and goals to influence national prominence, strategic partnerships, and student access and success. Other senior level leadership roles prior to VCU include vice president for student affairs and enrollment management at the University of Houston-Downtown, and associate vice chancellor for enrollment management at Winston Salem State University.

Throughout her career, Dr. LeGrande’s focus has been on advancing equity, accessibility, and affordability in higher education. She works to create and sustain engaging and supportive cultures for faculty, staff and students

resulting in positive institutional outcomes. She has been prolific in securing resources to support innovation and accelerate progress. In all of her career endeavors, Dr. LeGrande has created “cultures of care” utilizing her expertise in strategic planning, new technology implementation, change management, and policy and business process redesign. With a personalized approach, she engages at all levels of an organization–forming, deploying and managing cross-organizational teams that find solutions to impediments that may impact university progress. The art of leadership is Dr. LeGrande’s passion. She creates challenging yet supportive environments that embolden the pursuit of wide-ranging and futurefocused goals. She embraces developing and cultivating leadership at all levels of an organization and has documented success in procuring funds to support programmatic expansion and change.

For more visit aframnews.com

Notice to Proposers

Request for Proposal will be received by Lone Star College for:

• RFP #947 – Legal Plan for Faculty. Electronic submittals due by 3:00PM, Tuesday, April 30 , 2024.

• WebEx pre-proposal meeting: Friday, April 12, 2024, 10:00AM; call-in number 1-408-792-6300, Meeting #2634 978 0757

• Contact: janet.bradley@lonestar. edu or (832)813-6299.

• Must Register to Bid: http://wwwappsdstc.lonestar.edu/istar/supplier.htm . If registered, please ensure your registration is up to date. For assistance with the on-line registration process, contact MC-vendors@ lonestar.edu.

Notice to Proposers

Request for Proposal will be received by Lone Star College for:

• RFQ #949 – Commercial Real Estate Brokerage. Electronic submittals due by 2:00PM, Friday, April 26 , 2024.

• WebEx pre-proposal meeting: Friday, April 15, 2024, 10:00AM; call-in number 1-408-792-6300, Meeting #2633 406 1234

• Contact: janet.bradley@lonestar. edu or (832)813-6299.

• Must Register to Bid: http://wwwappsdstc.lonestar.edu/istar/supplier.htm . If registered, please ensure your registration is up to date. For assistance with the on-line registration process, contact MC-vendors@ lonestar.edu.

MAKE THE OUR Differences DIFFERENCE

As a born-and-bred Texas company, H-E-B is committed to fostering a culture of diversity & inclusion in Texas, both in our workplaces and the communities we serve. Celebrating the differences and similarities of all Texans is integral to everything H-E-B does, every day, from employee recruitment to supplier registration, store locations to in-store product selection.