REMEMBERING SYLVESTER TURNER SEPT 27, 1954 – MAR 5, 2025
By: Chloé Richards
Acres Home native Sylvester Turner went from labor to reward on Wednesday, March 5th, 2025, he was 70 years old. He diligently served the Houston community in various capacities for over 40 years. His impact last not only in politics but in the lives of everyone he served, he was more than a politician but a light of hope, a problem solver, and a voice for the people. He led Houston through historic Hurricane Harvey and a global pandemic, he ercely advocated for underserved communities and became the driving force for impactful economic development
initiatives. He will always be remembered as one of Houston’s most transformative leaders. Turner was born on September 27th, 1954, in Houston, TX to Eddie and Ruby Mae Turner; he was the sixth of nine children. He graduated from Klein High School in Klein ISD, at the time it was an all-white school and Turner was bussed there due to desegregation e orts, he graduated as valedictorian and went on to attend college at e University of Houston (UH). He graduated from UH magna cum laude Turner on pg. 3
HOUSTON
Former state representative Shawn Thierry has been appointed as the executive director of for policy and counsel at her alma mater Texas Southern University.
ALDINE
Aldine ISD board votes to close 6 elementary schools to cut cost due to declining enrollment.
DALLAS
An organization is documenting and preserving Black history in Dallas’ Tenth Street Historic District, one of the last intact Freedmen’s Towns. They will uncover stories and mapping unmarked graves.
PRAIRIE VIEW
PVAMU reaffirmed as prestigious high research R2 designated institution under new Carnegie Classification standards.
FORT WORTH
Tubman Gallery in East Fort Worth imagines a Black future. “I See the Future Its Black” is the latest exhibition. It shows blackness not just as a color, but as a space of endless possibility, waiting to be filled with new ideas, narratives and possibilities.
AUSTIN
Black owned Austin bookstore, Black Pearl Books wants to make sure all books that were banned in Texas school districts are accessible for everyone. There is a “banned books” section, in their storefront.
A Revival of God Consciousness
Bobby Mills, Ph.D.
An individual’s gi s will always make room for them and will bring them into the presence of greatness. Congressman Sylvester Turner has been in the presence of greatness. Sylvester grew up in the Acres Home community, the sixth child of nine siblings, and because of family size Congressman Turner’s family had to take turns eating at the table. Jokingly Sylvester says his father would always say: “don’t stay at the table too long”. Learning to share is an important part of family life, as well as communal life in general. Sylvester graduated from the University of Houston and Harvard Law School. Sylvester ran for Mayor on two unsuccessful prior occasions (1991) and (2003) before being elected in 2016 and serving two four-year terms. Sylvester Turner was the second Black Mayor of Houston, and Lee P. Brown was the rst. In November 2022, Sylvester Turner was diagnosed with bone cancer. Even though Congressman Turner was suffering with untold excruciating pain and emotional stress, he continued to serve as best he could through all the pain and su ering. In doing so, if there are those who felt that Sylvester Turner made administrative leadership missteps charge it to the pain and suffering, not his spiritual heart.
EDITORIAL
By Chloé Richards
SLAVERY IS A CRUTCH
is memorial editorial tribute is simply about a man who transcended the birth of his family and neighborhood environmental conditions, obtained a high-quality education, and became the mayor of the great city of Houston, and elected as the congressman from the 18th congressional district in 2024. erefore, it is our Christian duty and Godly responsibility to say thanks for your faithful service, and we spiritually liup your life of public service, and your family in faithful prayer before the throne of a loving and forgiving God. Now the people of the city of Houston and the citizens of the Great State of Texas say: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” (Acts 16: 31). As Christians, we honored one another because all of us are created in the image of God, just a little lower than the angels. erefore, we should always forgive and show love towards one another: “Be kindly a ectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another: not slothful in business; fervent in spirit, serving the Lord: rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation: continuing instant in prayer; distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.” (Romans 12: 10-13). All Texans, especially Houstonians regardless of race, color, or creed it is not for us to judge. God is the nal judge, but it is ours to forgive and spiritually understand, because this scripture says it all: “Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not, neither decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not,
restitution for generations of and systemic destruction. Slavery wasn’t just physical, embedding a trauma
ey tell us to “get over” slavery. at it’s in the past. at we’re using it as a crutch. But here’s the truth: slavery is a crutch, just not for us. It’s a crutch for the very systems that still bene t from our oppression. A crutch for the people who refuse to acknowledge that 400 years of brutality didn’t just disappear because President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. A crutch for the idea that we should be satis ed with nothing, while America still owes us everything. Every Black person in this country deserves their 40 acres and a mule. Deserves reparations, pensions, and restitution for generations of unpaid labor, stolen wealth, and systemic destruction. Slavery wasn’t just physical, it was psychological, embedding a trauma that never got the chance to heal. And that trauma? It has been passed down like an unwanted inheritance.
carry, in the habits were never questioned. e whooping’s that were normalized? at’s not just discipline; it’s a legacy of slave masters using pain to control. e generational anxiety about stepping out of line, playing it safe, not speaking too loudly? at’s survival mode, passed down from people who had no choice but to obey.
But our generation is choosing. Choosing to unlearn. Choosing to break the curse. And the thing about unlearning is that it makes people uncomfortable. It forces conversations that disrupt relationships. It exposes the ways we’ve been harming ourselves just to keep the peace. And most of all, it demands accountability, from us, from our families, and from a country that still refuses to pay its debts. Slavery is a crutch, but not for Black people. It’s a crutch for those who want to ignore the damage, silence the truth, and move on without making things right. But we’re done carrying that weight. We deserve better. And whether
It’s in the we’ve taught deserve better. And whether they like it or not, we’re going to take it.
way that Black children have been raised, in the fear we’ve been taught to
Coping, Creating, Conquering
Turner Cont.
with a Bachelor of Arts in political science in 1976. He then went on to attend Harvard Law School where he graduated with a Juris Doctor degree in 1980.
A er completing law school, Turner returned to Houston and worked at Fulbright and Jaworski law rm. ree years later in 1983 he founded his own law rm, Barnes and Turner he specialized in corporate and commercial law as well as working as an immigration lawyer. He also served the community by teaching at three law schools in Houston. He was an adjunct professor at Texas Southern University: urgood Marshall School of Law and a seminar lecturer at South Texas College of Law and the University of Houston Law School’s Continuing Legal Education Programs.
A year a er starting his law rm, Turner began his political pursuits he ran for Harris County Commissioner, Precinct 1 in the Democratic primary but fell short against EL Franco Lee. In 1988, he was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in House District 139 which services parts of northwestern Houston in Harris County, he remained in this position until 2014. He ran for Mayor a few times in Houston before he was
successful. Initially running in 1991, he lost the runo election to Bob Lanier who was mayor of Houston from 1992 to 1998. He lost again in 2003, coming in third place which disquali ed him from the runo election.
Turner served 26 years in the Texas House of Representatives, during his tenure he served as a member of the Legislative Budget Board, Vice-Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Chairman of the Subcommittee of Articles 1, 4 & 5 (General Government, Judiciary, Public Safety & Criminal Justice) and the House State A airs Committee. He also chaired the Texas Legislative Black Caucus and the Greater Houston Area Legislative Delegation. In 2015, Turner won the runo election defeating Bill King by over 4,000 votes. In 2019, he won his second term as mayor over Tony Buzbee. In 2024, a er the death of former Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Turner was elected in November 2024 to ll her congressional seat and took o ce in January 2025 he served 60 days in congress before his death.
Turner’s political career was de ned by his commitment to progressive policies and community focused leadership. He wanted stricter laws
regarding rideshare services (Uber & Ly ), In 2016, Texas led the country in drunk driving fatalities. He was also supporter of LBTQAI+ rights and initiatives, stating that over the years his views had “evolved” surrounding LBTQAI+. He was also a longtime supporter of abortion rights. He was a vocal supporter of public education advocating for increased funding and initiatives to improve access for underserved communities. He opposed policies targeting undocumented residents and worked to make Houston a more inclusive city. He focused on expanding access to healthcare for low-income communities and promoting public health initiatives. He also prioritized reducing incarceration rates for nonviolent o enses. One of his most signi cant e orts was addressing homelessness through a housing- rst approach, expanding resources for mental health services, and creating initiatives to provide long term solutions for those in need.
In November 2022, Turner disclosed that he had been diagnosed with bone cancer, for which he had surgery and received 6 weeks of radiation treatment. He is the only member of the 119th Congress to die in o ce and the second representative for Texas’s 18th district to die in a one-year period,
a er Sheila Jackson Lee. Houston’s mayor John Whitmire announced the death of Turner saying he was “A remarkable public servant who impacted millions of people. He rose from poverty but never forgot where he came from. It is a terrible loss for the city and a personal loss for me. I ask Houstonians to celebrate his life.” Whitmire ordered ags in the city to y at half-sta in Turner’s memory. Texas governor Greg Abbott ordered ags across the state of Texas to y at half-sta for Turner until sunrise on March 8, 2025.
Sylvester Turner’s life and legacy are a testament to resilience, leadership, and an unwavering commitment to public service. His diligence made the city of Houston and its people all the better. Beyond politics, Turner’s impact was felt in the lives he touched, through mentorship, advocacy, and his relentless pursuit of progress. He led with intentionality and compassion always committing himself and his work to progress. As Houston moves forward, Turner’s in uence will continue to be felt in the policies he shaped, the lives he touched, and the spirit of leadership he embodied. His vision for a stronger, more inclusive city lives on, reminding everyone that true leadership is measured not just in words, but in lasting change.
LEFT TO RIGHT: GAIL CAPTAIN (FRONT LEFT) JIMMIE CAPTAIN (BACK), ASHLEY TURNER CAPTAIN (BACK), SYLVESTER TURNER, ANIYA CAPTAIN (DAUGHTER), JAMESON CAPTAIN (SON), CHERYL TURNER (FRONT RIGHT
times in Houston before he was
ROY DOUGLAS MALONSON (PUBLISHER) AND SYLVESTER TURNER
THROUGH THE LENS OF TIME: BLACK HISTORY IS 24/7/365
March 1st, 1864- Rebecca Lee Crumpler became the rst Black woman to earn a medical degree.
March 2nd, 1955Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old Black woman was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white woman in Montgomery, Alabama.
March 3rd, 1991- Rodney King was severely beaten by Los Angeles police o cers.
March 4th, 1877- Garett Augustus Morgan was born on, he is best known for inventing the tra c signal and gas mask.
March 5th, 1959Twenty-One Black boys were burned to death a er being locked in a segregated and neglected Arkansas “reform” school.
March 6th, 1857- e U.S. Supreme Court declared in Dred Scott v. Sandford that: Any person descended from Africans, whether slave or free, is not a citizen of the United States, according to the Constitution.
BLACK HISTORY FUN FACTS
- Leila Foley became the rst Black woman to be elected mayor in the United States in 1973.
- William Tucker was the rst known Black person to be born in the 13 colonies. He was born in Jamestown, Virginia, in 1624. His parents were indentured servants and part of the rst group of Africans brought to colonial soil by Great Britain.
- Lucy Stanton became the rst Black woman in America to earn a four-year college degree. She graduated from Oberlin College in 1850 with a literary degree.
- Martin Luther King, Jr. started as a freshman at Morehouse College at the age of 15.
- Lila Fenwick was the rst Black woman to graduate from Harvard Law School in 1956.
- Guion Bluford was the rst Black person to go to space in 1983.
March 7th, 1965- “Bloody Sunday”, Alabama state police o cers attacked unarmed civil rights marchers in Selma, Alabama. e march was for the 600 people who were attacked on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. e o cers used billy clubs and tear gas on the marchers.
KRISTI RANGEL, ARTIST IN RESIDENCE FOR WITNESS SERIES: GROW WITH GRACE
By: Shelley McKinley
Kristi Rangel, the 2025 Bu alo Bayou Partnership Artist in Residence, has expanded the Witness Series in green spaces from four parts that occurred in 2024 to an eight-part series for 2025 that will explore the many profound experiences that people of color have in Southeast Texas and along Houston’s Bu alo Bayou. Rangel created the Witness Series in partnership with Jaime González, a Houstonbased conservationist and storyteller because of their shared belief that environmental equity is a basic human right. To kick o the 2025 Witness Series: ‘Grow with Grace’, Kristi Rangel recently facilitated the ‘Part 1: Empowered by Flowers’ panel discussion at Pilgrim Church Community Center which happens to sit alongside a portion of the Columbia Tap Trail, that was once a railroad line built by enslaved Black people to transport cotton and sugar. A er Emancipation, the line was used to transport Black convict lease laborers to work plantations. Today it is a paved four-mile trail that connects neighborhoods in ird Ward.
e event opened with welcoming words from Michelle Barnes, the Executive Director and co-founder of the Com-
munity Artists’ Collective and a member of the 120-year-old Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ. “We have a very rich history that started in Freedman’s Town in Fourth Ward before moving to ird Ward,” shared Barnes.
Every ‘Witness’ encounter, such as Part 1, is designed to provide attendees with a participatory public art experience centered around green spaces and environmental equity. e panelists for Part 1 were Naomi Carrier, founder of Texas Center for African American Living History; Erandi Treviño, Co-founder of the Raices Collab Project; and Brittney May eld, an individual ora artist.
Rangel facilitated the discussion among the panelists, that centered on the intersections of land, labor, transportation, and ora.
“ e so what of ‘Witness’ is to practice a concept of radical joy, and its radical because you are having joy while reclaiming green spaces inside of our Black and Brown communities even if they are neglected, underused, and not programmed. We are inviting people into spaces that they drive through or around, and asking them to go bare witness to others. Witness is a
Naomi Carrier explained, “Texas’ economic development involves ve independent variables: land, water, agriculture, labor, and the transportation. e Columbia Tap Trail provided the transportation. I want you to know the importance of African American resources and labor in the development of Texas, generating millions and billions of dollars related to the transporting of sugar and cotton, and the building of railroads.” Later she used her story telling narration of a rst-person account from a former convict lease laborer’s experience dreaming to escape from prison by hopping on a moving train.
‘Witness’ looks at what is harmful as well as what is beautiful and builds on the resilience found within the communities. As Erandi Treviño explained, “Even though I am an immigrant this is my ancestral land, and I am hyper aware of industrial activity and pollution. at is true for many people who are low-income and many people of color who are living within miles of oil and gas operations. It a ects our lives. It makes us
sick. Yet, owers and nature are beautiful.”
Brittney May eld led the participants through a ower workshop a er the panel discussion. As she explained, owers are given for births, deaths, graduations, church services, and other occasions. Flowers symbolize sentiments.
“A er my last pregnancy, owers kept me alive, essentially,” shared Mayeld. During the ower workshop, attendees had the opportunity to choose three types of owers among roses, eucalyptus, asparagus fern, chamomiles, and baby’s breath to build their own bouquets.
e bouquets could be le at the memorial
placard for Kirk Jackson, who transformed a vacant lot across from Texas Southern University into the Blodgett Urban Garden. As it is stated on the placard, his commitment to equitable access for urban farming and fresh produce reected his ancestral roots
leave them along the Columbia Tap Trail or take them home. Additionally, members of the Houston Audubon provided binoculars for attendees to view common birds found during the spring migration while walking the Columbia Tap Trail. ing and fresh produce reected his ancestral roots in sharecropping and sugarcane farming.
Attendees
Attendees could also choose to the Columbia Tap Trail.
LEFT TO RIGHT: KRISTI RANGEL, HENDRIX KING
NOTICE TO PROPOSERS
Request for Proposal will be received by Lone Star College for:
• RFP #25-02-11 – Employee Engagement Survey for Lone Star College System. Electronic submittals due by 2:00PM, ursday, April 3, 2025.
• 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 MCvendors@lonestar.edu.
NOTICE TO PROPOSERS Request for Proposal will be received by Lone Star College for:
• RFP #25-02-08 – Project Management Services for Lone Star College System. Electronic submittals due by 10:00AM, Tuesday, March 18, 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 MCvendors@lonestar.edu.
NOTICE TO PROPOSERS Request for Proposal will be received by Lone Star College for:
• RFP #25-02-12 – Used Pumper Fire Truck for Lone Star College System. Electronic submittals due by 2:00PM, Friday, March 28, 2025.
• 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.
WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH HISTORY
By: Chloé Richards
Every March, we take time to honor women’s contributions to history, culture, and society. But have you ever wondered why Women’s History Month happens in March? Or why we even celebrate it at all? e idea of celebrating women’s history wasn’t always around. In fact, for most of history, women’s achievements were overlooked or erased. But in the 1970s, a group of women in California decided that needed to change. In 1978, the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women organized the rst Women’s History Week. ey chose to hold it in March to include International Women’s Day on March 8 a day that had been recognized around the world since 1911. e idea caught on, and in 1980, President Jimmy Carter declared the rst o cial National Women’s History Week. Seven years later, in 1987, Congress expanded the celebration to a whole month. Now, every March, we recognize the contributions of women who have shaped history, o en without receiving the credit they deserve. Women’s History Month is a time to celebrate all women, but Black women’s contributions are o en le out
of the story. ere are some incredible Black women who made history but aren’t always talked about in school.
government saw her as her to England. Instead of giving up, she started e West Indian Gazette,
Claudia Jones was born in Trinidad but moved to the United States as a child. She was smart and outspoken, and she quickly became a leader in the ght for racial and gender equality. However, because of her activism, the U.S. government saw her as a threat and deported her to England. Instead of giving up, she started e West Indian Gazette, the rst major Black newspaper in Britain. She also helped organize what would later become London’s Notting Hill Carnival, a celebration of Caribbean culture that still happens today.
Bessie String eld became the rst Black woman to ride solo across the country on a motorcycle. She even worked as a military dispatch rider during World War II, delivering important messages on her bike. Dorothy Bolden worked as a housekeeper for white families in Atlanta, Georgia, starting when she was just nine years old. She saw rsthand how unfairly
Black domestic workers were treated. Instead of staying silent, she started talking to other women who worked as maids and nannies. In the 1960s, she founded the National Domestic Workers Union of America, helping thousands of Black women ght for better wages and working conditions. Alice Coachman grew up in Georgia at a time when Black athletes
that didn’t stop her. She trained by running barefoot and jumping over makeshi hurdles. In 1948, she became the rst Black woman to win an Olympic gold medal when she dominated the high jump competition in London. Her victory paved the way for Black female athletes like Serena Williams and Simone Biles. Ellen Cra was born
had very few opportunities. But
into slavery, but she refused to stay that way. In 1848, she and her husband, William, came up with a daring plan to escape. Ellen, who had light skin, disguised herself as a wealthy white man, and William pretended to be her enslaved servant. ey traveled openly by train and steamboat, with Ellen wearing a suit and pretending she was injured so no one would expect her to speak. eir escape worked, and they later became famous abolitionists, speaking out against slavery.
injured so no one would expect her to speak. eir escape worked, and they later became famous abolitionists, speaking out against slavery.
ese women—and so
ese women—and so many more—
helped shape history, yet their stories are o en overlooked. Women’s History Month isn’t just about remembering famous names like Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks (though they are important too!). It’s about making sure all women’s stories are told, especially those who were ignored for too long. So, this March, take a moment to learn about a woman in history you’ve never heard of before. You might be surprised by how much she changed the world.
about a woman in history you’ve never heard of before. You might be surprised by how much she changed the world.
WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH
H-E-B celebrates the trailblazers of the past and the women of today for your leadership, courage, strength, influence and impact. You inspire us.
