“Addressing Current & Historical Realities Affecting Our Community”
We the People
Your vote and your money are the two most powerful things you have. Be careful who you give them to.
- Roy Douglas Malonson
CLASS MEMBERS OF 1964
DR. GEORGETTA HARDING JOHNSON, DR. DOROTHY FLAKE, VERNA HATCHETT JORDAN, LINDA BALDWIN AUSTIN, ROLANDA AUSTIN MARSHALL, LORETTA ROBINSON MILBURN
60 YEAR REUNION
By: Dr. Georgetta Harding Johnson
e George Washington Carver High School Class of 1964 celebrated its 60th Class Reunion at the Sheraton Houston Brookhollow Hotel on Saturday, September 14, 2024. Carver High School graduates from the years 1950 through 1978 along with their guests were invited to attend, and were recognized during the program. ere was an excellent response, and every seat was occupied. e decorations by “Balloons By Joyful Sandra” were beautiful; Dee Jay Terrance Moore kept the 60’s music owing, and the food was delicious (especially the scrumptious key lime pie). Acquenette LeBlanc, a graduate of the class of 1970, provided
us with line dancers, who performed for the audience and then kept the party going all evening, while the photographer from Sonny Images & Lifetime Moments snapped photos all night long.
At the designated time members of the Class of 1964, who are no longer with us, and who will never be forgotten were memorialized.
e Class of 1964 has celebrated ve class reunions:
•20th year in 1984
25th year in 1989
•30th year in 1994
•50th year in 2014
DR. LATONYA M. GOFFNEY
By: Shelley McKinley
e 2024-2025 school year marks Dr. LaTonya Goney’s seventh year in Aldine ISD. What she knows for sure is that she has students who need her, as well as the very best administrators and teachers available to t the context of Aldine ISD. Unlike other school districts that are named a er the cities or counties in which they are located, Aldine ISD is 111 square miles on the north side of Houston with a high density and concentration of impoverished students. In fact, 90% of the students are economically disadvantaged and 85% of students qualify for free lunch. “I love my district and take pride in it because I wasn’t born on third base, and it was school that created the magic for me and the opportunity for me. at’s the goal here. Our students are school
Revival of
Consciousness
Bobby Mills, Ph.D.
Sadly, e Grand Ole Party (GOP) only has race-based policies, and no democratic multicultural oriented principles and values. In fact, the GOP’s primary overriding governing policy has become White Privilege Madness as propagandized and popularized by former President Donald J. Trump, Make America Great (White) Again. Will someone please tell Donald J. Trump and his MAGA Cult followers that America has never been a predominantly White country, only White controlled by guns, guns, and more guns. is is precisely why immigration is such a hot-button political issue with the GOP. Most GOP Whites are afraid of becoming the socalled racial minority popula-
EDITORIAL
tion when biologically there is no such concept as racial categories, only cultural distinctions. Blood is blood, and all human beings bleed red. us, there is no such biological designation as Black and White blood. Blood is categorized based upon antigens and antibodies, and how they a ect transfusions, immune responses, and donations. e Holy Bible has said it best: “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; and hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;” (Acts 17: 24-26). America, regardless of socio-racial economic status designations God has the last word, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die,
Policies pg. 7
African American Christians have had their own churches since the 18th century. Houston’s original Black church, Saint Luke the Evangelist Episcopal Church (previously Saint Clements’) has been an institution in the ird Ward for over one hundred years. For many of us the church has been more than a religious home, it’s been our community, where we grieve and celebrate together, sing, and study, and challenge the dominant culture of white supremacy. During the Civil Rights movement we gathered at church to demand our rights, to be encouraged, afrmed and transformed. e Black Church’s inspiration is
part of every phase of the African American experience. It continues to invigorate Black identity today.
But today’s African American churches remain scarred by a secular world that is still stubbornly resistant to the idea of black citizenship, let alone black humanity. Its audacious declaration that Black worshippers are necessary to liberate the soul of an unrepentantly racist nation is going unheard and ignored by our youth.
Despite Blacks being the most religious ethnic group in the United States, we, like all Americans, are increasingly moving away from organized religion. Especially young Black adults are less devout and engaged in church than their elders. And young Black adults who attend religious services are less likely to do so at a Black church than are their parents or grandparents. Some of our children overtly distrust Black Christianity. ey complain about the pretense, the judgmental attitudes of
Raise Up pg. 7
“We Africans in America have been socially engineered to reject our past, and far too many of us live in a state of suspended animation. We deny the historical realities confronting us daily. Too many of us mistakenly believe that the past has no bearing on the present and is unrelated to the future. Thus, we have been conditioned to live our lives disconnected from cultural values, principles, and ideals - essential for peaceful living.”
- Anthony T. Browder
Esperanza Jazz Paz
Reunion Cont.
•60th year in 2024.
Graduates of the Class of 1964 who attended the celebration and partied with family and guests were:
•Linda Baldwin Austin
•Rolanda Austin Marshall
•Charles Demart
•Dr. Dorothy Flake
•Verna Hatchett Jordan
•Dr. Georgetta Harding Johnson
•Loretta Robinson Milburn
•Rev. Dr. Rolen Womack
Many, many thanks to our Media Sponsors Roy and Shirley Malonson, owners of “ e African American News & Issues Newspaper” for taking care of all advertisements regarding the Reunion Celebration.
Finally, kudos to the Class Reunion Committee, who have always worked together, along with others, on all of
our planning committees:
Linda Baldwin Austin
Dr. Dorothy Flake
Dr. Georgetta Harding Johnson
Verna Hatchett Jordan
Heartfelt thanks to our classmates, family and friends for attending. Your presence made the evening a highly successful a air.
Lots of love, Class of 1964
October 11, 2024
GEORGE THOMAS, SHIRLEY FOWLER, DONNIE TAYLOR, TOMMY TAYLOR
1964 GRADUATE DR. ROLEN WOMACK & DR. BETTY WOMACK
SHARON SAMPSON, EDDIE BROADWAY CLASS OF 1972
CLASS OF 1972 LEONA AUSTIN JENNIFER HOLLAND
HURLENE HARRIS, PATRICIA CARR, JENNIFER HOLLAND
LINDA AUSTIN, JULIA ANDERSON CLASS OF 1965
CLASS OF 1972 DWAIN MURPHY, FRED ADAM’S
CLASS OF 1964 CHARLES DEMART AND AVANELL DEMART CLASS OF 1963
THE DEMOCRATS’ PLATFORM ON RACIAL JUSTICE & CIVIL RIGHTS
No mention of racial equality or civil rights.
Representative John R. Lynch
Special Edition
11 of 26
THE REPUBLICANS’ PLATFORM
1888
We rea rm our unswerving devotion to the national Constitution and the indissoluble Union of the States, to the autonomy reserved to the States under the Constitution, to the personal rights and liberties of the citizens in all the states and territories of the Union, and especially to the supreme and sovereign right of every lawful citizen, rich or poor, native or foreign born, white or black, to cast one free ballot † in public elections and to have that ballot duly counted. We hold the free and honest popular ballot, and the just and equal representation of all the people, to be the foundation of our republican government and demand e ective legislation to secure the integrity and purity of elections, †† which are the fountains of all public authority. We charge that the present administration and the Democratic majority in Congress owe their existence to the suppression of the ballot.
† See notes on poll taxes on pp. 9 and 11. †† African American Rep. John Roy Lynch personally experienced vote-counting di culties from those Democrats whom he described as “the ballot box stu er [and] the shot-gun holder of the South.” As he explained to a public gathering: “In my state, the ‘o cial return’ is an o cial fraud. When I ran for Congress in the Sixth District of Mississippi in 1880, I know that there were not less than 5,000 votes [cast] for me that were counted for the [Democrat] that ran against me. Now, bear in mind, the o cial report gave him 5,000 of my votes. . . . Now, I say that is wrong.” Numerous other African American legislators experienced similar di culties, and the records of multiple congressional hearings during that time con rm the massive voter fraud committed by Democrats against African American candidates.
dependent,” shared Dr. Go ney. Each year that Dr. Goffney has been with Aldine ISD has brought a unique set of circumstances that she has overcome. For example, in 2018 she opened eight new schools and had a $60 million deficit along with school boundary changes and a reduction of 300 positions. In 2019, tropical storm Imelda derailed some of the Aldine ISD strategic plan implementation, and in 2020 COVID hit with the most cases documented within a zip code found in Aldine ISD, causing students to miss a whole school year. This was followed by the freeze in 2021. “Every year that I have been here there have been challenges, but what I can tell you is there is a lot of success that is hard to quantify. The fact is we launched our strategic plan that is called ‘A New Way Forward’ that put systems in place and created a portfolio of schools and opportunities for Black and Brown students. Now in 2024, I need another five-year plan that is all about accelerating the impact,” disclosed Dr. Goffney. In the latest round of STAAR testing, Aldine high school students outgrew the state in all five areas of the end-of course (EOC) tests. “My students are school dependent so we are starting below the state. We have to accelerate our growth and accelerate our Aldine impact. With all these challenges behind us, I’m very optimistic and excited about the fact that we have systems in place for acceleration to occur,” exclaimed Dr. Goffney. In lower grades Aldine outgrew or loss less than the state in 12 of 15 areas, expanded Pre-K to include 3-year olds, and implemented the Teacher Incentive Allotment so that some teachers who accelerate student growth are earning six figures. In addition to serving students, Aldine ISD is serving families, too. Dr. Goffney created the Family Community Engagement Office that teaches family members how to help their children and themselves; launched Parent Universities where adults can earn their GED or enroll in the local junior college, Lone Star College; and helping parents become paraprofessionals. These services were not available prior to Dr. Goffney’s arrival. “I’m proud of what we’ve been able to do,” said Dr. Goffney.
This is her 26th year in education and her 17th year as a school superintendent. She was superintendent of schools for Coldspring-Oakhurst CISD and Lufkin ISD before becoming Superintendent of Aldine ISD. A native of Coldspring, Texas, Dr. Goffney is a Sam Houston State University graduate. She earned her bachelor’s degree in history, a master’s in educational administration, and a doctorate in educational leadership. Dr. Goffney stated, “I always intend to leave schools and districts better than I found them.”
LOCAL SCUBA DIVEMASTER COMES TO HOUSTON
By: Kofi
Taharka -NBUF National Chairman, Black Guerilla Media (BGM)
e National Black United Front (NBUF) will host its 27th annual Sankofa Caravan to the Ancestors on Friday, October 18, 2024, and Saturday, October 19, 2024.
e widely acclaimed Scuba Dive Master and underwater archaeology specialist Kamau Sadiki will deliver a lecture on Friday, October 18, 2024, at the historic S.H.A.P.E. Community Center at 3815 Live Oak Blvd at 7:30pm, African Market opens at 6:30pm. Brother Sadiki is featured in the Net ix documentary “Descendant”, National Geographic Magazine & Podcast entitled INTO THE DEPTHS. His work with the group Diving With A Purpose has focused on documentation of shipwrecks involved
in the enslavement of African people around the world. He states, “we are decolonizing the history we have been miseducated about surrounding the great tragedy (MAAFA) of our people.”
e Sankofa Caravan to the Ancestors is a spiritual, cultural, and historical event which is a physical caravan of cars, buses, vans from Houston, Texas to the shores of Galveston, Texas on Saturday, October 19, 2024. At the beach, we hold a sacred ceremony with prayer, song, drumming, dance, martial
arts, and speakers honoring our great Black/African ancestors whose shoulders we stand on. It is an act of Self-determination and Black Power personi ed. Kalunga Angolo African martial arts group, and Baba Abiono Ogunrinde Onilu African drummers are among those that will demonstrate facets of our cultural. Baba Ifalade, Chief Omilana Fagbenro Amusan and Iya Remi will lead the interfaith ceremony. Community support and participation are essential. As with all NBUF activities the Caravan is not funded by grants or sources outside our community. Rather, we fund what is important to us! Visit www.nbuf.net for further grants or sources outside our community. Rather, we fund what is important to us! Visit information.
Notice to Proposers Request for Proposal will be received by Lone Star College for: • RFP 24-09-02 Science supplies, equipment, and instructional chemicals. Electronic submittals due by 2:00PM, Wednesday, October 24, 2024.
• Contact: dina.sauser@lonestar.edu or (832) 813-6532. Must Register to Bid: https://lonestar. ionwave.net/Login.aspx
• 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:
• RFP #24-09-03 – Advocacy Consulting Services for Lone Star College System. Electronic submittals due by 2:00PM, Tuesday, October 22, 2024.
• Contact: janet.bradley@lonestar. edu or (832)813-6299.
• Must Register to Bid: https://lonestar.ionwave.net/Login.aspx. 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:
• RFP #24-10-04 – Curriculum & Catalog Management System. Electronic submittals due by 3:00PM, Tuesday, November 5, 2024.
• Contact: pamela.johnson@lonestar.edu or (832)813-6782.
• Must Register to Bid: https:// lonestar.ionwave.net/Login.aspx. 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:
• RFP #24-09-09 – LSCS Victory Expansion A/V Package. Electronic submittals due by 3:00PM, Wednesday, October 30, 2024.
• Contact: pamela.johnson@lonestar.edu or (832)813-6782.
• Must Register to Bid: https:// lonestar.ionwave.net/Login.aspx. If registered, please ensure your registration is up to date. For assistance with the on-line registration process, contact MC-vendors@ lonestar.edu.
some of their pastors.
ey suspect the Black church of colluding with the patriarchy and the trans-and-queer antagonism, especially rejecting those congregations that don’t embrace social justice e orts. According to the Pew Research Center almost half of millennials and 46 per cent of Gen Zers “rarely or never” participate in church activities.
Much of this separation begins in college or early adulthood. Sixty-six percent who were faithful worshippers as teens suspended or ceased church participation in college. e competing pressures of time,
pressing expenses, new friends, the exposure to new religious traditions, and the lack of activism leave Black students less involved in church. ey say they feel unheard and unable to change historical cultures. Some say it has been di cult nding a new church family away from home. Still, Black twenty-and thirty-somethings are not irredeemably antichurch.
We love our Black church predecessors, especially those who have persevered for decades with the spirit of hard work, faith, and courage. But intergenerational inclusion is vital to the Black church’s relevance. To reverse this suscep-
tibility of separation the senior members must compassionately hear and prayerfully consider young people’s concerns about the meaning of faith and its role in their world. We must humble ourselves to accept their feelings of what matters to them (authenticity, challenge, space for questions and doubts, agency, community service) and why today’s church does not appeal to them. e Black church is strong, but it must also be resilient. And it must recognize that its future will be youth-led.
but a er this the judgment:” (Hebrews 9: 27). America, just in case you did not know it, skincolor is not an exemption from death, and God’s nal judgment of deeds done in the esh. Sadly, Trump and his MAGA-Cult followers politicize everything, but they cannot politicize death.
In the nal analysis, it really is not about who and what Donald J. Trump is or what he represents. It’s about Trump’s MAGA-Cult followers, because if an individual or individuals do not understand Trump’s self-centered problem (sel shness),
they have a greater problem. Trump has an awful lot of false-lie-based theories concerning how to manage and control everything; except how to manage himself (selfcontrol). e one thing every individual must learn to control is SELF, because lack of self-control is the real enemy. Genuine wisdom comes from God (heaven), not earth. is is why James, the brother of Jesus declared: “But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. is wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is
confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is rst pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.” (James 3: 16-18). Trump and his MAGA Cult followers know absolutely nothing about peace making, but they do know how to war against the truth of God that equal is equal, not more or less equal. On the one hand, VP Harris is about peacemaking and socio-economic problem solving
DIVERSITY
H-E-B’s Supplier Diversity Program works hard to ensure we’re selling goods and utilizing services from a wide variety of Texan businesses. We’re proud that our suppliers are as diverse as the Lone Star State itself.
As a former small business ourselves, we believe in and celebrate the value & strength that working with small businesses, local businesses, and businesses owned by minorities, women, LGBTQ+, Veterans, and disabled Texans brings to both our business and the communities we serve.
