“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
THE PRISON PIPELINE
By: Shelley McKinley
We have all heard of the school to prison pipeline, but when and how do students actually enter the pipeline? Working our way backwards, we have to look at the composition of students in correctional facilities. According to the Children’s Defense Fund, 41% of youth in custody (ex. juvenile justice and detention centers, jails and prisons) are Black. Black youth are more likely to be in custody than White youth in every state but Hawaii. e national youth placement rate of 114 per 100,000 masks a massive
racial disparity. Additionally, national reports show that 1 in 3 students in juvenile correctional facilities are receiving special education services. So how can we proactively steer Black students with documented disabilities away from the pipeline to prison?
By: Sharon C. Jenkins
Rodney Ellis, the long-serving Harris County Commissioner, has built a reputation as a tireless advocate for social justice, equity, and community empowerment. In a candid interview, Ellis re ected on his humble beginnings, the values that shaped him, and his contributions to the African American community in Houston. His story is not only about the pursuit of political power but about his dedication to li ing up marginalized communities and ensuring their voices are heard.
A Humble Beginning in Sunnyside Ellis grew up in Sunnyside, a historically African American neighborhood in Houston. The youngest of three children, he was raised by workingclass parents who instilled in him the values of hard work, discipline, and organization. “My dad had a 6th-grade education, worked in the cotton fields, and
As Asa Hilliard said in 1995, “ e knowledge and skills to educate all students already exists. e remaining question is if educators have the sustained will to Ellis on pg. 4
EDITORIAL
A Revival of God Consciousness
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No doubt about it, the 2024 Presidential Election is not going to be an ordinary event, because of the likes of Donald J. Trump. Americans have never seen this in modern political times. Donald J. Trump has a false narrative based upon lies concerning everything under the sun. In fact, given Trump’s business and personal history any Black American supportive of Donald J. Trump needs a medical procedure that is scientifically, empirically, and medically impossible to perform or acquire, a brain transplant. Sadly, Donald J. Trump has stoked the flames of toxic masculinity that devalues the truth concerning everything, especially male and female bodily autonomy, human dignity/worth, and interpersonal relationships between males and females. America, it does not have to be this way. There can be peace in America, and it must begin with every American citizen. Trump has mounted a Presidential campaign of hatred, retribution, and societal division seeking to initiate a Civil War by ungodly suggesting that Democrats are responsible for the two attempted assignations on him in Pennsylvania and
Florida. What an ungodly shame! Trump politically desires to normalize violence as an end. Once again, any American voter that is undecided, he or she, has a more serious problem than former President Donald J. Trump. Trump exploits everybody and everything, including his own family just ask Mary Trump. For example, Trump is seeking to economically exploit The Holy Bible, the Word of God, by selling Trump Bibles when we all know that he does not read the Bible, attend church services nor subscribe to the Two Great Commandments written in the Bible: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Matthew 22: 37-40)”.
EVERYTHING with Trump is about money for Trump. Factually, Trump is simply a hypocritical moneychanger just like the Pharisees and the Sadducees in the Bible. Six bankruptcies are the empirical evidence. Of course, Jesus chased the money changers out of the Temple, and Americans should never allow a moneychanger to become President, because he will steal government secrets, and only God knows his intentions.
Trump and his MAGA Cult Followers desire to turn back the clock of time on issues of Human Rights,
Houston businessman Christopher Williams had never heard of Colin Allred, the Tennessee Titans linebacker who became a lawyer, then a congressman from Dallas, and who now is senatorial candidate. He’s not the only one. Mr. Allred is a stranger even in historically Black areas like Houston’s Third and Fifth Wards, where he needs enthusiastic turnout, and among Democrats in the state’s suburbs, to succeed. But now Mr. Williams is all in for him to defeat the oleaginous Raphael “Ted” Cruz. Mr. Allred recently moseyed into Mr. Williams’ barbershop to visit with the folks and introduce himself and ask for support in his David versus Goliath fight to return Cruz packing back to CanCún, Mexico. As he told of his challenging childhood, the son of a single, public school teacher mother, his football scholarship to Baylor University, about playing in the NFL, and working in the Obama administration before being elected to congress, he made disciples. “I wasn’t going to vote before y’all came,” a reformed Mr. Williams said to Mr. Allred.
devours kittens at sunrise, which is ridiculous.” He was joking about his odious image even before he and his fellow Republicans accused migrants of eating pets.
“Everyone knows you eat kittens at night.”
Mr. Cruz, reputedly the most despised man in the senate, is the son of a Cuban immigrant who decries the perilous “surge” of migrants at the Texas-Mexico border. He embraces the wall dividing us from our ally and trading partner, and accuses Mr. Allred of calling it “racist.” He denies climate change, wants to increase the retirement age, privatize Medicare, and he voted to increase prescription prices. He dishonored his oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States with his schemes to deny President Biden’s unquestionable triumph, and he condemns the Voting Rights Act.
Mr. Allred knows Texas can lead on renewable and clean energy, and create well-paying jobs protect the planet for future generations. He defies right-wing plans to minimize benefits and privatize Social Security or turn Medicare into a voucher system. He is an advocate for small businesses and obtaining improved wages for workers.
Statewide, Democrats have failed to conquer Texas for 30 years. We have never chosen a Black senator but “Change can happen quickly in Texas,” says Mr. Allred, who is Black, “What we have to do in Texas is embrace who we actually are, which is that diversity and that complexity Election pg. 7 Allred pg. 7
Trying to reinvent his image, all his opponent has to say for himself is, “They’re going to tell you I am a horrible creature who
Bobby Mills, Ph.D.
Esperanza Jazz Paz
THE DEMOCRATS’ PLATFORM ON RACIAL JUSTICE & CIVIL RIGHTS
1892
We warn the people of our common country, jealous for the preservation of their free institutions, that the policy of federal control of elections to which the Republican party has committed itself is fraught with the gravest dangers. . . . It strikes at the North as well as at the South and injures the colored citizen even more than the white; † it means a horde of deputy marshals at every polling place, armed with federal power.
† is was a completely erroneous assertion. e Democrats had engaged in extensive e orts to suppress black voting, and those e orts had been successful. For example, in Mississippi in 1892, there were 70,000 more blacks than whites in the state but white voters outnumbered black voters by a margin of 8 to 1. And in Birmingham, even though some 18,000 blacks lived in the city at the turn of the century, only 30 were eligible to vote. In Alabama and Florida, the number of black voters was reduced by nearly 90 percent, and by the 1940s, only 5 percent of blacks in the Democratic South were registered to vote. In fact, in 1965 in Selma, Alabama – a city with more black residents than white residents – the voting rolls were 99 percent white and only 1 percent black. Clearly, Democratic voter suppression efforts had been successful, however Republicans had sought to have federal protections at the polling places to protect African Americans from corrupt local officials, and it is to this practice of protecting black voters with federal marshals that Democrats here object.
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THE REPUBLICANS’ PLATFORM
1892
We demand that every citizen of the United States shall be allowed to cast one free and unrestricted ballot in all public elections, † and that such ballot shall be counted and returned as cast; that such laws shall be enacted and enforced as will secure to every citizen, be he rich or poor, native or foreign-born, white or black, this sovereign right guaranteed by the Constitution. . . . We denounce the continued inhuman outrages perpetrated upon American citizens for political reasons in certain southern states of the Union. ††
Cont.
later became a nurse’s aide and a yard man,” Ellis recalled. “My mom was a nurses’ aide too, and they both worked tirelessly to make ends meet.” Living in a small, modest home with one bathroom for five people taught Ellis about discipline and the importance of family. “We couldn’t afford another hallway when they added a bedroom, so my sister had her own room, but my brother and I shared ours until I left home,” he said, laughing. The lessons of his upbringing left a lasting impact on his approach to life, both personal and professional. “I learned a lot about being organized. Even now, I can’t get work done until my desk is neat.”
Influences and Role Models
Ellis spoke fondly of his community and the role models who shaped him, particularly his mother, who was a natural community organizer. “She was the town crier, the voice of our neighborhood,” he said. His first exposure to activism came from his mother’s involvement in a protest to shut down a dangerous dump in Sunnyside, where a neighborhood boy had tragically drowned. Ellis was just a child, but the memory of his mother commanding attention stuck with him.
† See the notes on poll taxes on pp. 9, 11 and 13. †† e “inhuman outrages” perpetuated upon African Americans in the South were largely committed through the Democrats’ Ku Klux Klan. It is indisputable historical fact that the Klan was started by Democrats. In fact, during congressional hearings on the subject, one prominent Democrat testi ed that the Ku Klux Klan “belongs to . . . our party –the Democratic Party.” And the rst Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan was prominent Democrat Nathan Bedford Forrest, an honoree at the 1868 Democratic National Convention. Recall also that every Democrat in Congress voted against the 1871 bill to punish Klan violence (see note on p. 8 about this bill).
Why were blacks so o en the target of Klan violence? According to African American U. S. Rep. John Roy Lynch: “More colored than white men are thus persecuted simply because they constitute in larger numbers the opposition to the Democratic Party.” African American U. S. Rep. Richard Cain of South Carolina, a bishop of the AME denomination, agreed, declaring: “ e bad blood of the South comes because the Negroes are Republicans. If they would only cease to be Republicans and vote the straight-out Democratic ticket there would be no trouble. en the bad blood would sink entirely out of sight.” It was these Democratic and Klan “inhuman outrages” to which Republicans here object.
Church also played a significant role in his life. “Our pastor lived down the street, and I saw him not just as a preacher in his Sunday best, but as a yard man during the week. That taught me a lot about humility and hard work.” His father, with his multiple jobs and small lawnmower repair business, also served as a model of resilience and entrepreneurship.
A Champion for Justice and Equity
Ellis’s political career is defined by his commitment to criminal justice reform and economic equity. As both a state senator and now as a county commissioner, he has worked to reform Harris County’s justice system. One of his proudest accomplishments is creating the Public Defender’s Office in Harris County, a critical step in ensuring better representation for people who encounter the criminal justice system. “We just get better legal representation when public defenders are involved,” Ellis stated.
He also led the fight for misdemeanor bail reform, a move aimed at ensuring that those arrested for minor offenses are not held simply because they cannot afford bail. These reforms, along with his push for minority and womenowned business enterprise (MWBE) programs, have had a significant impact on the county. “We saw the percentage of contracts going to Blackowned businesses in Harris County jump from 0.5% to about 6%—that’s over a 1,000% increase,” Ellis shared, clearly proud of the progress made.
Natan Bedford Forrest
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October 18,
that comes with it, instead of being afraid of it.”
Nationally prominent Republicans are supporting Mr. Allred, including former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), who is endorsing Mr. Allred as passionately as Mr. Williams is.
Their contest is likely to be one of the closest in state history.
Colin Allred – and Texas -- needs your vote. Early voting is between October 21st – November 21st. Election Day is November 5th.
Voting Rights, and Civil Rights seeking to institute White Privilege Autocracy, Russian style. Insanely, Trump is asking Americans to look at America as a White country, something that America has never been, and can never become, unless it desires selfdestruction. President Abraham Lincoln said it best: “A nation divided against itself cannot stand.” VP Harris is asking Americans to look at the country as defined and described spiritually in the Preamble and the U.S. Constitution. America, November 5th,
2024, is a time for Godly choosing, because we should: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of his flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” (Galatians 6: 7-8). America let’s not forget the purpose of government is to promote the common good and the general welfare and well-being of all citizens regardless of skin tone or socioeconomic statuses, because there is no
Mayor John Whitmire “Houston,
Mayor John Whitmire
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.
