Garland Journal 2-2-23

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We Celebrate Black History Every Day!

GarlandJournal

SERVING NORTH EAST TEXAS

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 2, 2023 VOLUME X

By Cheryl Smith Publisher

I am traumatized

Oftentimes when I see or read of people who say they can’t watch certain movies about the peculiar institution of slavery I have usually responded, “at least you didn’t have to live through it.”

For me, everyone needs to see what slavery was about. Unfortunately, however, there are legislators who don’t want those stories shown or told. I totally understand because I wouldn’t want anyone to know if my people were part of some of the most savage and inhumane acts ever.

I believe everyone needs to see the atrocities of an era in this country’s history and hopefully they will say, “never again.”

I say never again when I think about how brutal society has been to women, especially women of color. It saddens me. Actually it pisses me off. Which brings me to my truth.

Nichols Begged for Mercy, But Beatings Didn’t Stop

By Joseph Green-Bishop Texas Metro News Correspondent

By Cheryl Smith Texas Metro

After 14 years of service with the American Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces in North Texas, volunteer Willie Cowart is retiring. The 20-year Air Force veteran from Panama City, Florida, who now calls Garland, Texas home, amassed an impactful legacy of service that touched the lives of many.

“I do quite a few things, but I don’t like to brag about what I do,” Cowart says. “I do quite a few things and work

out. That’s about it. I’m turning 80 this year, so that’s one of the reasons I’m retiring.” Cowart’s modesty doesn’t accurately reflect his commit-

ment to his community. He started off his journey with the Red Cross as a member of a Disaster Action Team, helping people after emergencies. He later joined SAF, where he’s been volunteering at a local military entrance processing station (MEPS) for the past seven years.

“One thing about the MEPS center I enjoyed was talking to the troops, giving them the advice when they got ready to leave [for active duty],” Cowart says.

College. Danielle received a BA Degree in Communications from Prairie View A&M and an MBA in Business Administration and Management for Texas Woman’s University. A consummate professional, Danielle is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

Alva Baker attended Jamaica High School in New York. She studied mathematics at Boston University and received her MBA at Univ. of Southern California. Currently she is the Chief Financial Officer at Housing Crisis Center and President and CEO of Baker Consulting Associates, LLC. She was the founding director of the Nonprofit Loan Center, Controller for Center for Nonprofit Management and Vice President at Citi. Alva has served as Vice President, Finance for the Dallas Women’s Foundation; and board member of United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and Dallas Repertoire Ballet. A 1987 graduate of Leadership Dallas and member of St. Luke “Community” United Methodist Church, she has an extensive portfolio of community service.

DANIELLE MCCLELLAND

Christie K. Moore is owner, CEO and Funeral Director In Charge of Mansfield Funeral Home. A former Chemistry, Arts and Embalming teacher at the Dallas Institute of Funeral Service, she has worked in the funeral service industry for more than 25 years. A native of Dallas, she graduated from the Talented and Gifted Magnet High School, received her BS in Molecular Biology at Hampton University and accepted a full scholarship to Tennessee State University as a member of their Masters/ PhD. Bridge program and received her MS in (Endocrinology). She attended Dallas Institute of Funeral Service Christie serves as the District President of the Independent Funeral Director Association of Dallas, Education Commissioner for National Funeral Director and Morticians Association, member of the Board for Epsilon Nu Delta Embalming Fraternity and member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

A public servant and Division Leader at the City of Dallas, Danielle McClelland is a senior-level manager with extensive project development, operations, and communications experience. Focused and committed, she has also enjoyed stints as Marketing Manager at Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP, Public Information Manager at the City of Dallas, Announcer at North Texas Public Broadcasting — KERA 90.1FM and Public Relations Coordinator at Paul Quinn

As president of Bonton Farms, Gabrielle “Gabe” Madison provides strategic oversight and direction to the organizations’ rapidly expanding operations, development, human resources, community partnerships, and programming. She has served as Director of Community Relations and HR Manager at Thomson Reuters, as an HR Manager at Mohawk Industries, a client relations manager at Accountants at Accountants Inc and sales consultant at Sprint. She received her BBA Degree in Marketing and International business from Baylor Univ. Gabrielle has an extensive portfolio in community service. She has served on the Southwest Regional Board of Directors for the American Heart Association, is a former board chair of the Metrocrest Chamber of Commerce and board member of Trusted World.

RANA LASHONN CASH

Rana LaShonn Cash is the Executive Editor of The Charlotte Observer. Previously she was editor and reporter at Savannah Morning News @SavannahNow.com, Star Tribune, The Sporting News, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Dallas Morning News and Miami Herald.

Rana is a graduate of Florida A&M University where she was sports editor for the FAMUAN, a Track & Field team star and joined Zeta Phi Beta Sorority. She is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and participated in the Black Leadership Program

A frightening silence fell over the city of Memphis, as others staged demonstrations across the country, including in Dallas on Botham Jean Blvd., after the release on Friday of police videos that showed the brutally fatal beating of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols.

Videos show the African American man beaten, kicked, pepper sprayed and tased by five African American police officers, who have since been fired and charged with second degree murder.

“I am just trying to go home,” you could hear Mr. Nichols saying on the video. He had just finished skating on the evening of January 7 at a nearby park when his car was stopped by officers who snatched him from the vehicle, threw him to the ground

you want for any occasion. Ingrid Wilburn is smart, classy and well prepared. Hailing from DeSoto, she knows fashion, food, style. Ingrid is about excellence and that experience. Check her out at www.uniquevisionsenterprises.com

ASHLEY M. SLAYTON

at Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

Temeckia Derrough is a community leader, committed to service. You see Temeckia out and about trying to make things better, because she believes in lifting as she climbs and supports her community. Temeckia is the Dallas District 7 Environmental Commissioner. A Sales Associate at Amazon Web Services and she’s been a community volunteer at Joppa Freedman’s Town Association.

Ashley M. Slayton is the Audience Development Editor for The Dallas Morning News where she manages a team of awardwinning journalists dedicated to engaging with and developing stronger relationships with the News’ audience. Previously she served as Digital Content Manager and Producer for KLTV 7/KTRE-TV, and Page Designer and Reporter for Longview NewsJournal. She also gained valuable experience D. Magazine, BET, Daily American, Houston Magazine and Freedom Forum Diversity Institute. A graduate of Prairie View A&M University where she was in Sigma Tau Theta Mass Communications Fraternity and worked on The Panther student newspaper.

SONIA WILLIAMS BABERS

Just call her the “Event Slayer!” CEO of Unique Visions By Ingrid and owner of Unique Visions Upscale Events, she is the event planner

Sonia Williams Babers made so many people happy as the owner/CEO Emeritus at the Black Bookworm. An instructional Aide for Generation Hope at Tarrant County College and an advocate for Alzheimer’s Association, she was also a former analyst, Reference Systems Marketing at American Airlines and a

CHRISTIE K. MOORE

ALVA BAKER

GABRIELLE “GABE” MADISON

TEMECKIA DERROUGH

INGRID WILBURN

Willie Cowart

Tyre Nichols

Other volunteers at work with new retiree, Willie Cowart. Credit: courtesy

Deltas Honor 50 Year Members

The Dallas Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma

Theta Sorority celebrates the founding of the 110 year old public service organization at its annual Frederica Chase Dodd Founders Day Luncheon, named in honor of one of the organization's 22 founders.

This year members will pay tribute to 12 of their sisters who are celebrating 50 years and 15 who are celebrating 25 years of service.

The Golden and Silver honorees will be joined by Dr. Anita Phillips, a nationally acclaimed trauma therapist and In The Light Podcast Host.

Dr. Phillips is recognized for her ground-breaking work at the intersection of mental health, faith, and culture. She will keynote the event at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel, 400 Olive Street, Dallas 75201 on February 4, 2023 at 11:30 a.m. The Chapter's President is Dr. Andrea Hilburn.

Dallas Alumnae Chapter's Dynamic Dozen Still Going Strong

THE 50-YEAR HONOREES ARE:

SHARON DENISE BRADLEY

Initiated in the Spring of 1973 at Eta Delta Chapter, Texas Woman’s University, Sharon received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. A retired nurse, with 40 years of service, she is a member of Greenville Avenue Church of Christ. A wife and mother, she has been involved in the Church Clothing Ministry and she also assists a neighbor who is blind, with errands and other support services.

JO ANNE SLAUGHTER BRUNSON

A Diamond Life member of the sorority, JoAnne was initiated in the Spring of 1973 at Alpha Chapter, Howard University, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology. The Vice President of Brunson Construction Services, she is a member of Concord Church. JoAnne is involved in the Trinity (TX) Chapter, The Links, Incorporated; Dallas Chapter, Jack & Jill - Associate Member; and she is the Past Secretary of Frederica

Chase Dodd Board of Directors. She and her husband, who she met her freshman year in college are proud parents and grandparents

CHERYLE GAIL FLEMING

Cheryl was initiated the Fall of 1972 at the Theta Nu Chapter at East Texas State University (now Texas A & M University-Commerce), where she received a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and a Master of Education in Elementary Education. Now a retired educator, she is a member of Saint John Baptist Church, Wichita Falls, TX. She was a Charter Member of the Southwest Dallas County Alumnae Chapter (SWDCA), where she also served in leadership positions.

JOYCE GIBSON

A Diamond Life member, she was initiated in the Spring of 1973 at the Delta Gamma Chapter, Texas Southern University where she received a Bachelor of Science in Business. A retired educator, she is a member of Friendship-West Baptist Church, a devoted member of the Texas Southern University National Alumni Associa-

tion (TSUNNA) - Dallas Chapter, former Friendship-West Baptist Church Usher Board Member, Lancaster Spring Creek Homeowner Association Board, Treasurer; Dallas County Volunteer Deputy Registrar; and MLK Center Volunteer. She was TSUNNA, Dallas Chapter – 2013 Alumnus of the Year Honoree and TSUNNA, National Convention – 2022 Inaugural President’s Award Recipient.

CAFEA HARRELL

A Golden Life member of the sorority, Cafea was initiated the Fall of 1972 at the Beta Gamma Chapter at Dillard University where she served as chapter president and received a Bachelor of Arts in English Education and later she received a Master of Education in English Education from Mississippi State University. A teacher/Central Administrator, she is a member of St. Luke “Community” United Methodist Church and a past president of Dillard University Alumni Association. Cafea is a Girl Scout Leader; Texas Democratic Party - Voter Registration Volunteer; and Children Ministry, Stewardship and Church Council Chair, St.

Luke “Community” United Methodist Church.

JACQUELINE D. HOYT

A Golden Life member Jacqueline D. Hoyt was initiated in the Fall of 1972 at Iota Gamma Chapter, University of Texas at El Paso, where she received a Bachelor of Science. She is a retired Vice President of Bank of America and a member of Antioch Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church. Heavily involved in her community, Jacqueline works with Citizens on Patrol (COP), Desoto, Texas; DeSoto Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association; Transforming Network Together (TNT); Lynwood Estate Neighborhood Association-Street Captain and Texas State Technical College, Women’s Resource Center, Waco, Texas- Financial Chair of Advisory Board. An outstanding Texas Delta 1999 she won the Volunteer of the Year Award-DeSoto Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association, 2011; Woman of the Year-American Businesswomen’s Association; and Sisterhood Black Heritage Image Award-UT at El Paso.

BARBARA PUNCH

JOYCE GIBSON

SHARON BRADLEY

JACQUELINE HOYT

MARY ANN WALLACE

JANICE MITCHELL

CAFEA HARRELL

LINDA MANUEL FONTENEAUX

CHERYLE FLEMING

JO ANNE BRUNSON

ORETTA JOHNSON

LINCOLNETTE LOCKRIDGE

Dr. Anita Philips

Digital Innovation and Engagement and a Tribute to Dr. Ben Chavis are Highlights of NNPA Conference in Puerto Rico

By Stacy M. Brown

This week, the San Juan Marriott Beach Resort & Stelaris Casino in Puerto Rico is playing host to the Midwinter Training Conference of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, the trade association for more than 230 African American-owned newspapers and media companies in the United States.

Salsa music and lessons, food, drinks, and a welcome message from NNPA Chair Karen Carter Richards, President & CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., Convention Chair Terry B. Jones, and several NNPA partners and sponsors kick off the conference, which is appropriately titled “Digital Innovation, Training, and Engagement of the Black Press of America.”

On the second day, after breakfast, Black Press publishers and guests will participate in a workshop titled “Overcoming Challenges to Create Sustainable Business Outcomes Through Digital Transformation in the NNPA Digital Network (Part I).”

The discussion, to be led by Kate Cox, an adjunct professor at Florida’s Poynter Institute, promises to highlight the conference’s goals and engage in a more indepth presentation tailored to

NNPA member publishers.

For those interested in learning more about ATTR-CM, a rare heart condition that disproportionately affects African Americans, Pfizer, Inc. will host a luncheon and give a brief overview of the disease.

Chavis and the president of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), Dorothy Tucker, plan a fireside chat to talk about how to improve communication between the NABJ and the NNPA.

The second installment of the earlier workshop is planned, during which time attendees plan to talk about the special demographics of the digital market, the challenges of hiring for it, and the new possibilities for making money there.

The workshop’s objective is to equip NNPA member publishers with the tools they need to implement the recommended audience, staffing, and consultant assessments, thereby increasing digital monetization.

The NNPA plans a series of events throughout the week in honor of Chavis, who will be presented with the organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the civil rights movement and cultural impact.

The film “Belly,” from 1998,

which starred Chavis and the late hip hop icon DMX, will be shown in a special screening.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is hosting a breakfast on day three that will feature video presentations, an interview with Chavis, and Florida Democratic Congresswoman Frederica Wilson.

The NNPA’s Gates Foundation Education Grant manager, Dr. Elizabeth Primas, and Hyundai’s director of experiential marketing, Erik Thomas, will also participate.

Norman Rich, manager of the NNPA’s digital network, and Randy Fling, chief operating officer of Rolling Out, will lead a third workshop titled “5 Simple Strategies You Can Use to Monetize Your Online Presence.”

According to the NNPA’s events

page, “the workshop will share detailed but simple learnings from the digital revenue generating success models of some of the NNPA member publishers,” with a “specific outlined focus” on Rolling Out’s “effectiveness and efficiencies” in the digital space.

Workshop number four will feature the Houston Forward Times’ Chelsea Lenora White and the Washington Informer’s Micha Green.

The duo plans to discuss digital content. In this workshop, several Generation Z and Millennials are expected to share their ideas for ensuring the long-term financial health of the Black Press of America, with a particular emphasis on the role that digital transformation and new revenue streams play in this equation.

Google News Lab’s US Partnerships Manager, Ashley Edwards, will give a talk titled “Google Tools for Newsrooms.”

Journalists will gain knowledge on how to use Google’s resources to find and verify stories that are relevant to their readers through this talk.

Next up is “3 Best Practices to Drive Traffic,” a presentation by Tina Xiao, Global Program Manager for Google News Initiative.

Xiao will discuss available GNI resources for news publishers to grow and sustain their digital businesses, and he will also share three best practices to drive online traffic.

Rebuild Local News Coalition chair Steven Walman will give a briefing on public policy discussions at the state and local levels that could significantly affect Black newspapers, including potential funding opportunities for community newsrooms.

At a gala on Friday, February 3, the NNPA will present Chavis with its Lifetime Achievement Award in front of many of his friends and family.

Details of the Chavis celebration have mostly been kept secret by the organizers.

The conference will conclude on Saturday, February 4 with a publisher’s think tank and breakfast.

Dallas Arboretum Invites Loved Ones to Celebrate

With Valentine’s Day almost here, flowers are the number one gift, so the Dallas Arboretum invites love birds to experience its flowers and garden along with $5 admission through February 24.

Dave Forehand, Dallas Arboretum’s vice president of gardens, said, “Flowers are very romantic, especially during Valentine’s Day, and we have thousands of them in the garden that you can enjoy with your special someone. Bring a picnic, take a stroll with your Valentine, and make it a special day.”

The Dallas Arboretum is also equipped with great gift ideas and experiences for Valentine’s Day and beyond:

Buy a Blooming Bed of Bulbs/Flowers:

A wonderful gift for a loved one is to give the gift of flowers all year long with the unique gift of a Blooming Bed. Each honoree receives approximately 10 linear feet of a flowering bed in the garden marked with a 3”x 5” plaque. Blooming Beds of Color are $700 for a full year of seasonal plantings. Blooming Beds of Bulbs are $425 for a seasonal planting during the internationally acclaimed Dallas Blooms festival. Each gift comes with a special reception in the springtime. For more information, visit https:// www.dallasarboretum.org/support/donate/blooming-beds-program/.

Take a Cooking Class:

Food and love go hand-in-hand and A Tasteful Place has exciting cooking classes planned for guests to enjoy.

Couples Valentine’s Chocolate and Wine Pairing, presented by CocoaVina Sat., Feb. 11, 12-2 p.m.

Couples are invited to experience an elegant chocolate and wine presentation where Artisan Chocolate and Fine Wines are paired and tasted in an engaging fashion. Learn the history of chocolate and wine for a decadent and entertaining adventure. Then, enjoy a stroll through our surprisingly colorful winter gardens. The fee is $119 per couple and includes admission to the garden. To purchase class: https://www.dallasarboretum. org/event/couples-valentines-chocolate-and-wine-pairing-presented-by-cocoavina/.

Buy Tickets to the Cool Thursdays Concerts: For the music lovers, give them concert tickets, so that they can dance

the night away with Dallas’ favorite Thursday night concerts returning on April 6 with single tickets now on sale. Cool Thursdays Concerts are Dallas’ only concert series overlooking the picturesque White Rock Lake on the award-winning Martin Rutchik Concert Stage and Lawn. To see the concert lineup and purchase tickets, visit www.dallasarboretum.org/cool-thursdays-concert-series.

Give Flowers Year-round With the Dallas Arboretum Coffee Table Book:

A great gift for the gardener or nature lover, this gorgeous hardcover edition features 128 pages of stunning photographs and detailed history of the Dallas Arboretum. Book is available in softbound ($29.98) or hardbound ($42.98) at the Hoffman Family Gift Store or online. Additional garden related items, gifts, books and accessories are also available online here and can be shipped.

Attend the 6th Annual Dallas Arboretum Food & Wine Festival:

A perfect pairing of food and wine for the foodie are tickets for the March 23 Food & Wine Festival—$149 (general admission). Visit https://www.dallasarboretum.org/ events-activities/food-and-wine-festival/ to purchase.

Picnic at the Dallas Arboretum:

Named by Pure Wow as one of the “12 best picnic spots in Dallas,” the garden boasts a breathtaking view of the Dallas skyline and White Rock Lake, perfect for an afternoon rendezvous, especially when the weather is nice. Guests are invited to pack a homemade picnic and stay hydrated with any beverage of your choice, or pick up some tasty bites at the cafes.

Watch the Garden Transform into Spring: Visitors can also watch the gardeners get ready for Dallas Blooms: Great Contributors, an annual springtime festival presented by Veritex Community Bank that kicks off on February 25 and runs through April 16. With more than 500,000 flowers bursting with color, the festival features plenty of special events, live music and more. For more information, visit www.dallasarboretum.org/ blooms.

Make it a Wedding Destination: Finally, if a wedding is in the future, the Dallas Arboretum has plenty of beautiful gardens and venues to host that special day.

A fun fact is the garden has been named by Brides.com as the “best wedding venues in Dallas.” Visit https://www.dallasarboretum. org/events-activities/private-events-andrentals/ for more information.

About the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden: The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden is located on the southeastern shore of White Rock Lake at 8525 Garland Road, Dal-

las, Texas 75218. The Arboretum is open daily from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden is closed through February 24 for preventative maintenance. On-site parking is $15, or $11 if purchased in advance online. The Dallas Morning News is the principal partner of the Dallas Arboretum. The garden is supported, in part, by funds from the Dallas Park and Recreation Department. WFAA is an official media sponsor for the Dallas Arboretum.

Happy 10th Djangoversary!

Quit Playin’

By Vincent L. Hall

This week represents the 10th anniversary of my paying admission to see my favorite movie for the 10th time.

Django Unchained opened on Christmas Day 2012, but I was hooked.

I loved the film, and I bet you think you know why.

Django Unchained is a miserable scene in the cruelest form of slavery, chattel or otherwise, in the world.

Django operated during America’s unique, horrific and inhumane brand of slavery. If you don’t believe me, study how cruel it was.

Some historians have written that when slave masters had valuable but unruly “Bucks,” they would send them to Jamaica to be sodomized. They were sent to be “domesticated” in much the same manner as you would “train” a pit bull.

A 2007 article in the Pink News publication explains how slavery in

this nation still creates hatred and venom for homosexuality in Jamaica.

“It is alleged that if and when a white enslaver suspected that enslaved Black men were showing any sign of resistance to their enslavement, the cruelest and brutal treatment would be meted out to them.

“The Black slaves and most of their descendants developed this hatred for homosexual activities because of the painful experiences that their forefathers endured during slavery.”

Black women were forced to sexually satisfy and breed children for their masters. To add insult to injury, these women faced the scorching scorn of the wives of those who violated them.

Django Unchained didn’t dwell on these atrocities but gave us a snapshot of what enslaved Africans endured.

From the brutal Mandingo fights to shackles and brass faceguards, this movie makes the blockbuster series “Roots” like a musical about Black people who were having a hard time adjusting to “corporate relocations.”

Django Unchained had movements that played beneath the violence like a well-chorded descant. For the simpleminded, it was blood and guts. For the sophist, it was a treasure trove of perplexing plots and nerve-wracking novellas.

Dr. Jeremiah Wright, the Pastor

Imagine a Jewish Child who doesn’t understand the ritual of “breaking the glass” at a wedding. Meanwhile, Negroes are still arguing whether a betrothed couple should “jump the broom.” And worse, others have no idea that their ancestors were legally barred from marriage.

minutes of the end when Django locked eyes with Stephen, the penultimate house negro, and Uncle Tom.

and Theologian, is also an avid writer and African American history buff. He is known to say that Black folks are the only people who have escaped slavery or a holocaust who do not teach our children about the revolution.

African Americans today rarely tread or trace the waters that we claim to have gotten over. Django pricked the curiosity of another generation who had no real idea about their history.

Django, like so many other slaves, was viciously severed from the woman he loved and would do anything to get her back. This separation was typical. Unfortunately, that pursuit leads him to deceive, maim and kill anyone in his way. This film was rich in menacing metaphors and alarming allegories. Moviegoers were tethered to Jamie Foxx’s portrayal of a formerly enslaved person on the rampage, but by the time the bloodbath concluded, the means seemed to justify the proverbial end. And while many Whites prefer to believe that Django found favor with Black men because he was able to get paid for killing his white oppressors, that was not my moment of joy.

Instead, my joy came within three

Django chided Stephen before shooting him in the kneecaps. “Seventy-six years, Stephen. How many niggers do you think you seen come and go? Seven thousand? Eight thousand? Nine thousand?

Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine? Every single word that came out of Calvin Candie’s mouth was nothing but horsesh!t, but he was right about one thing: I am that one nigger in 10,000.”

Two minutes later, Candyland was decimated by dynamite, death, and destruction. That was pivotal because when we fight against evil, quelling the institution cannot be second to personal vendettas. It’s about the system, STUPID!

The real moral of Django’s saga was the celebration of that one in 10,000 men or women who won’t be deterred or detracted from their dreams.

Django Unchained modeled that for me!

Happy 10th Djangoversary!

Vincent L. Hall is an author, activist, and award-winning columnist.

School Nursing During Covid - What an Experience

By Hafizah Ahmad-Bennett, RN, CSN

I am a recently retired school nurse who worked for the Newark Board of Education in Newark, New Jersey for 28 years. Most of my career was spent in Secondary Education (High School).

The last couple of years in my career were very challenging because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Having worked in Health Care for over 30 years, I never experienced the level of pressure and stress caused by the global pandemic.

We, as school nurses were overworked and overwhelmed.

Until my last year, I loved being a School Nurse. In fact, I honestly believe I would not have retired had it not been for the duties and responsibilities that were required because of COVID-19.

The school nurse shortage has always existed, but presently it is at an all-time high.

My school district protocols were guided by the local Health Department which closely followed the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As a result of the uncertainty, district policies and guidelines were constantly changing and we were not able

We were overwhelmed and quickly burning out. We were responsible for things such as: contact tracing, pool testing, identifying positive cases, alerting families, assisting outside COVID testing agencies with weekly COVID testing in the schools, and many other COVID related duties.

to put some of the protocols in writing.

This made it difficult to communicate the length of quarantine times, which were determined by the date of exposure or the date of positive result and whether a person was vaccinated or not.

We were handling situations on a case-by-case basis and at times we were unable to give concrete information to the staff or our parents. Our teachers felt unsafe and we were unable to allow the transparency our families were accustomed to. At one point it became almost impossible to keep up with the daily COVID cases and the lengths of times for quarantining.

As the School Nurse, it was my responsibility to keep abreast of all positive COVID cases in our school and to communicate with parents as well as coordinate with teachers and

Black Love Day Set for

The African American Holiday Association said the annual Black Love Day will take place on Feb. 13 with the theme of “Black Love Heals 365.”

Black Love Day, the brainchild of D.C. resident Ayo Handy-Kendi, was conceived from a spiritual inspiration in 1993 in the District amid the crack cocaine crisis that caused havoc in many cities.

The day is designed to encourage the use of love as a higher vibration and re-connection solution to heal relationships, increase peace and stop violence, as Black and white communi-

Publisher: Cheryl Smith

Feb. 13

ties are experiencing a resurgence of unrest in their communities due to the fentanyl epidemic, fears of white supremacy/racism terrorism, coronavirus isolation, economic and climate disaster anxiety, the association said.

Additionally, mental health will serve as one of the sub-themes this year.

Handy-Kendi wrote a book, “Black Love,” on the subject.

For more information, contact avonmeansjoy@ yahoo.com, call 202-6672577 or go to www.AfricanAmericanHolidays.org. Love,” on the subject.

Address: 320 South R.L. Thornton Freeway

Suite 100 Dallas, TX 75203

Phone:214-941-0110

Website: www.garlandjournal.com

Editor: editor@myimessenger.com

guidance counselors for students to get their class assignments while they were home quarantining because of exposure to someone with COVID or students that were themselves positive.

There were some students home experiencing symptoms while some were just home with no symptoms.

Therefore, teachers were expected to provide classroom work via Google classroom.

Sports and athletics created more problems for the school nurse. In a couple of instances because of positive cases the entire Girls’ volleyball team and the entire Boys’ basketball team had to be sent out for COVID tests and then quarantined. As a result, the game schedules were impacted, and many students had to be absent from school, which caused more anxiety and uncertain-

ty. These instances were followed by interactions with angry parents and upset coaches.

The school nurse received the backlash as a result because she was the one designated to communicate the situation to the families and the Office of Health Services.

We, as school nurses are responsible for keeping students safe. In addition to performing our regular duties, we had to take on an enormous amount of COVID-related responsibilities.

We were overwhelmed and quickly burning out. We were responsible for things such as: contact tracing, pool testing, identifying positive cases, alerting families, assisting outside COVID testing agencies with weekly COVID testing in the schools, and many other COVID related duties.

All these extra COVID-related responsibilities left little time to get our regular work done. This left many of us very frustrated and dissatisfied with our roles.

My school district implemented Ingress/Egress Protocols upon entering any school, consisting of 4-Step Ingress Procedures: Step 1: Symptoms Screening (questionnaire given upon entering the building), for staff an app could be

downloaded on your cellular phone, or the paper form could be used);

Step 2: Temperature Check; Step 3: Footwear Sanitizing; and, Step 4: Hand Washing/Sanitizing. We followed the CDC guidelines for protection against COVID 19:

1. Wear a mask

2. Practice social distancing. Remain 3 feet away or more from other people

3. Frequently wash hands for at least one minute

4. Stay home if you have a fever of 100.4 or higher

5. If you take a COVID 19 test, you must stay home until you have negative results in hand. Report positive results to the Office of Health Services. COVID-19 created many challenges for everyone.

Overall, we all did our best, as a result of having to quickly put together COVID-19 policies on quarantines, masks, and other safety practices. It impacted all our daily lives, but we did it!

Hafizah Ahmad-Bennett, RN, CSN is enjoying life as a retiree after almost 30 years as a school nurse in Newark, NJ. A wife, mother and grandmother, she graduated from East Orange High School and North Carolina Central University.

Now That We Have Celebrated King, Let’s Honor Him with Our Deeds

Our Voices

By Dr. John E. Warren

We have just come off of four days of celebrating the life and work of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. There were speeches by the faithful, “selected” quotations from the oppressors who needed to give the appearance of remembrance, and the singing of “We Shall Overcome” by everyone, including those who intend that we will never realize the dream on their watch as they work to turn the clock back to the status

quo that existed before Dr. King’s speeches and protest marches to bring about equality.

For those of us who still realize that the struggle requires more than parades, breakfast gatherings, and speeches, often by people who are the very ones blocking progress, we must move to a plan of action and join people like the Rev. Bishop William Barber, II who was co-chair and organizer of the 2022 Poor People’s March on Washington, D.C. in June of 2022.

If we don’t know how to get involved at our local level, then we must join those like Bishop Barber and give our energy as well as our dollars as an expression of our deeds in a struggle that continues.

Our deeds must reflect our hearts in the decisions we make.

We must ask ourselves: “Are we doing things because of our personal commitment to the struggle or are we seeking personal recognition and positions of safety in those things we say we want to be involved in?

For example, African Americans still spend trillions of dollars each year, often on things we want and not on what we need or what we might do to help the needs of others around us.

We still spend needless dollars with people who neither respect nor appreciate us as a part of the American fabric.

Let’s take a hard look at the issues around us. Are we respected

where we spend our money or just tolerated? Who are we singing “We Shall Overcome” with?

Are we speaking to each other even when we have disagreements? How do we honor and celebrate the man without having the heart of the man which allowed him to do the things he did?

We can celebrate and honor Dr. King by seeking to become as committed as he was when he recognized that “Injustice against anyone is injustice to everyone.”

Let’s get about the business of having our deeds match our celebration of the man every day, as we take our place in the struggle.

Hafizah Ahmad-Bennett, RN, CSN

Jamie Foxx as Django

Samuel L. Jackson as Stephen

These stories are from the special edition powered by the National Association of Black Journalists and the Chan Zuckerberg Institute.

Dr. John E. Warren is publisher of The San Diego Voice and Viewpoint.

Looking for Love in ALL the wrong places

Utterances

By Dr. Froswa Booker-Drew

Recently, there was a brouhaha that ignited a storm. Gabrielle Union’s comments in the Los Angeles Times sent the metaverse a blaze: “Gabrielle Union has opened up about her “dysfunctional” marriage to Chris Howard, saying the only thing they had in common was seeing “other people.” Union admitted she “felt entitled” to cheat on her first husband, who allegedly also cheated on her. The “Bring It On” actor, 50, and the former NFL player, 47, were married from 2001 to 2006. “Neither one of us felt like the marriage should get in the way of

our dating,” Union said…. I was paying all the bills. I was working my ass off, and I felt like that’s what comes [with] the spoils of riches and, like my dad before me, whoever has the most gets to do whatever the hell they want — is what I thought. And it was just dysfunctional from Day One.”

Social media chimed in to comment. The logic of being the breadwinner as a pass for cheating left many dumbfounded. I think many missed the root of the problem: She states, “We were gifted therapy, and the first session, the therapist was like ... ‘You have not one thing in common — no morals, no values, no scruples. The one thing you both have in common is other people.

... So why don’t you just go be with other people….she was “horny for validation” and the rush of attracting “certain kinds of guys” who made her feel like she was

“worthy and good and valuable and deserving.”

In our society, there is a sense of urgency that we all seem to feel. We have a timeline for our lives—to go to school, graduate, go to college/get a job, get married, purchase a home, have kids, work, get promoted, watch the kids grow up and just fade into the sunset until we die. The problem with this timeline is that while we spend so much time trying to accomplish these ‘goals’ as the path to success, that along the way, we don’t develop our character or our integrity. We are so busy seeking to be in a relationship or have children to validate who we are, that we don’t take the time to understand what matters to us and most importantly, what matters to God about our purpose, our path, and our decisions. In doing so, we would connect to people who would complement

our destiny instead of confuse us.

When you don’t know who you are or WHOSE you are, the desire is to seek external validation and in doing so, our decisions are led by emotions and the opinions of others. How can we cultivate ourselves to raise, mentor and be an example of what it looks like to be a person who is WHOLE???

Wholeness requires us to recognize that no one else can make you complete. Your relationship with God is what creates your completeness. “So you also are complete through your union with Christ.” (Colossians 2:10)

When we seek money as the end goal or other people to fulfill us and make us whole, we are going to make decisions that do not serve us well. We not only damage our mental health, but the trauma and wounding caused can even paralyze us. If you have nothing to give—you will attract someone

who will continue to rob you of the little you have. Pour into yourself through God’s love and Word to remind you that you deserve more. God has given you more! “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” (1 John 4:16).

I believe Gabrielle recognizes the lack of love and toxicity in her first marriage. It’s about time we understand those things that are toxic in our lives---that us cause to lose our souls in order to stay in relationships, personally and professionally, that make us lost, looking for love in all the wrong places.

Dr. Froswa’ Booker-Drew is an author of three books and the host of The Tapestry podcast. To listen to episodes of the podcast, visit https:// www.spreaker.com/show/the-tapestry_1 and to learn more about her work, go to https://drfroswa.com/

A New Tribute to Dr. and Mrs. King

Our Voices

By Marian Wright Edelman

As the nation celebrated the holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, the city of Boston had a very special gift: a new memorial unveiled Jan. 13 in Boston Common, the beautiful public park at the city’s center, honoring Dr. King and his wife, Coretta Scott King. The 22-foottall bronze sculpture anchoring the memorial, “The Embrace,” is the first large monument to be installed in Boston Common in 125 years. The powerful piece depicts the Kings’ shoulders, arms and hands curved around each other in its namesake hug.

The memorial is the vision of the nonprofit Embrace Boston (originally named King Boston), which has been working with the City of Boston and the Boston

Foundation to create a living memorial and programs to honor the legacy of Dr. and Mrs. King in the city where they met as he was earning his Ph.D. in theology at Boston University and she was earning her second bachelor’s degree at the New England Conservatory of Music. From the beginning, it was critical that it celebrate both Kings and their shared work. Imari Paris Jeffries, the executive director of Embrace Boston, noted at the groundbreaking that the sculpture is meant to be a symbol of love along with being a symbol of equity, inclusion, belonging and justice.

The sculpture’s creator, artist Hank Willis Thomas, based “The Embrace” on a photograph of Dr. and Mrs. King just after they learned Dr. King had been awarded the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize. He explained in a recent interview why that particular photo inspired his design: “I just love that image, him hugging her with such glee

and such joy and such pride, and I saw the pride on her face. And I recognized that this was teamwork. And all of his weight in that picture is on her. … I was not alive

when he was alive. She was the symbol. Her grace, her presence was palpable. And I thought that was a pretty powerful metaphor for their legacy, that she put his legacy on her shoulders and carried it for almost half a century.” Now this new memorial is a permanent tribute to that shared legacy.

The sculpture is set at the center of the 1965 Freedom Rally Memorial Plaza, which has a quilt-like

design that honors 69 local leaders who fought for civil rights and social justice and memorializes the freedom march Dr. King led from Boston’s historic Black Roxbury neighborhood to the center of Boston Common in April 1965. Dr. King told the crowd gathered that day, “Now is the time to make real the promise of democracy. Now is the time to make brotherhood a reality. Now is the time.” When local officials, community organizers, and sponsors gathered for the groundbreaking last April on what would have been Mrs. King’s 95th birthday, many expressed the hope this memorial will serve as a powerful reminder that right now is still that time.

As philanthropist and supporter Demond Martin put it, “While we’ll marvel at the art, we can’t forget about the action. If we simply celebrate the symbol and don’t do a better job of feeding the hungry, providing enhanced

education and economic opportunities for black and brown people, then we fail. We fail at the very thing that Dr. King and Mrs. King strived for and Dr. King died for.” That is the urgent message we all need to remember as we seek to honor Dr. and Mrs. King’s legacy on Dr. King’s birthday and every day. The King family has long urged that the King Holiday be celebrated as a day of service and “a day on, not a day off.” We should never simply celebrate the symbol and neglect to keep going on the work. Back in Boston, Hank Williams Thomas explained that “The Embrace” is designed on a scale that will allow visitors to walk through the space in the center of the sculptural arms and feel they are actually part of the spirit of that embrace. Imagining that sensation and the reminder that we are all invited to be part of the same legacy should be an inspiration to everyone.

The Bad, Brilliant Brother From Brooklyn

Of the 15 ballots it took for Kevin McCarthy finally to be elected speaker of the House this month, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries won more votes than McCarthy in 11 of them.

By Marc Morial

“America needs political leadership that can inspire disparate constituencies and star-crossed communities to coalesce around ideas, issues and goals that transcend party loyalty. … Hakeem Jeffries cannot, of course, be expected to embody this leadership on his own. But it is a testament to the national character, and the grace at times embedded within it, that the voice of the first Black leader of the Democratic minority in Congress will be seated at the head of the table as we deliberate on the future of our ongoing democratic experiment.”

— Peniel E. Joseph

By contrast, each and every member of the minority party voted for Jeffries on each and every ballot — except for the 12th. On the fourth day of voting, Rep. David Trone of Maryland missed the first ballot of the day because he was undergoing surgery. By early afternoon, he was back on the House floor to cast his vote for Jeffries in the 13th ballot.

When Jeffries was elected minority leader in November, he became the first Black leader of any caucus in Congress, House or Senate. Last week, he became the first Black nominee for speaker of the House.

His colleagues recognized the

significance as they cast their votes.

“And still I rise, and I proudly cast my vote on behalf of the enslaved people who built this Capitol. I cast my vote for the honorable Hakeem Jeffries,” declared Rep. Al Green of Texas.

With a nod to her predecessor, the late civil rights icon John Lewis, Rep. Nikema Williams cast her vote for Jeffries “in the spirit of good trouble.”

And Rep. Yvette Clark, Jeffries’ fellow New Yorker, joyfully cast her vote for “the bad, brilliant brother from Brooklyn.”

Jeffries is the highest-ranking non-white member of the most racially and ethnically diverse Congress in history, the seventh Congress to break the record set by the one before it. At 52, he is the first member of Generation X to lead the

House Democratic Caucus.

Jeffries, elected to Congress in 2012, had long been seen as a rising star in his party. He made history as the youngest member to serve in leadership when he became chairman of the Democratic caucus in 2019.

Throughout his career in public service, Jeffries has been a tireless advocate for communities of color,

committed to eliminating the barriers to equity. The National Urban League was proud to work closely with him to develop and enact sweeping prison reform legislation, the FIRST STEP Act.

His passion for justice is matched by his eloquence, most recently on display in the instantly-viral “ABCs of American Values” speech he delivered just before he handed McCarthy the speaker’s gavel, symbolizing the peaceful transfer of power.

As the new House majority embarks on a divisive agenda of amplifying conspiracy theories, vilifying honorable public servants, eliminating reproductive rights, Jeffries’ steady, thoughtful leadership will provide a much-needed counterpoint.

One Nation, Indivisible

liberty and justice for all. After the attack on the Capitol, I sat down to figure out how we might finally do that, and my answers have filled a book.

nessing a failed coup shook my usually hopeful outlook.

By Ben Jealous

It strikes me that the days we’re living through represent a metaphor for our national dilemma. Jan. 6 and the weight of history that date carries are in the rearview mirror, at least on the calendar. Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream still is on the horizon.

America’s existential challenge is to put the former behind us permanently so we can finally achieve the latter and be what we pledge allegiance to — one nation under God, indivisible, with

As my mother’s family has for four centuries, I live south of the Mason-Dixon Line close to the Chesapeake Bay, which was a literal superhighway for slavery. Casual conversations about the likelihood of another Civil War are frequent at my favorite waterside bar. Combine that with the political fault lines running through many families and friendships (including my own) and we feel more divided than indivisible. It’s clear why so many fear for our republic’s survival.

I have always been an optimist about America. Even for me, wit-

Like many whose Southern roots run deep, I often turn to the past for answers. What I discovered in questioning our current differences revived my faith that the United States always will overcome our troubles and emerge even stronger on the other side.

In the 1880s, formerly enslaved men and former Confederate soldiers in Virginia — home to the Confederacy’s capital — banded together to fight for the future of their children. They built a political party called the Readjusters. Their demand was simple: readjust the terms of Civil War debt so that we can maintain free public schools for all.

Not only did they win that victory, they also won control of the state’s government and achieved several more: they abolished the poll tax, they abolished the public whipping post, they created the first public Black college in the South, and they expanded Virginia Tech to make it the working person’s rival to the University of Virginia.

The Readjusters’ short-lived multiracial populist movement eventually was attacked violently by white supremacists and defeated politically by wealthy special interests spreading vile disinformation; their party is all but erased from history books.

Still, they defined the future of Virginia and our nation by planting early seeds for FDR’s New Deal coalition and by creating a

bold legacy in public education that endures to this day. Moreover, their example reminds us that the spirit that moved Dr. King to dream hopefully about Black and white children has always run deep in our nation, and always will. When we lose faith in our neighbors, that hope reminds us that the path to a stronger nation is to remember we still have more in common than we don’t, and to act on the beliefs we share.

If men who had been enslaved could find common cause with men who fought to keep them enslaved to build a better future for all their children, we should never lose faith that we can unite for the sake of ours.

Marc Morial is president/CEO of the National Urban League.

Ben Jealous is president of

Marian Wright Edelman is founder and president emerita of the Children’s Defense Fund.

Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King

U. S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Honorees cont.

ORETTA B. JOHNSON

A Golden Life member initiated in the Fall of 1972 at the Zeta Eta Chapter, University of North Texas (Denton), where she received a Bachelor of Political Science, University of North Texas (Denton), Oretta Johnson is a retired, Information System Technology Manager. A member of Concord Church, she has served as President-Elderwoods Neighborhood Association; Board of Directors-Dodd Education & Support; Heads UP! Foundation Board; Group Leader - Bible Study Fellowship; Mayor’s Rebirth of Redbird CommunityCity of Dallas; General & Primary Election Clerk (Dallas County); Member, UNT Black Alumni Network; Concord Church Expository Preaching Conference Staff; and I.D.Ministry LifeMinistry Oretta has been the recipient of Concord Church - Deborah Award for Christian Sacrifice and Elderwoods Neighborhood Association - Presidential Award.

LINCOLNETTE LOCKRIDGE

Initiated the Spring of 1973 at Iota Psi Chapter at Southeastern Oklahoma

State University, Lincolnette Lockridge received a Bachelor of Arts in Education and became a teacher and school counselor. A member of St. John Unleashed Church (Grand Prairie) she has assisted in organizing health and job fairs. She loves reading, traveling, walking, baking, and watching crime shows

LINDA MANUEL-FONTENEAUX

Is a Golden Life member initiated in the Fall of 1972 at Delta Gamma Chapter, Texas Southern University where she was chapter president and received a Bachelor of Business Administration, and began working in Business Management. She is a member of The Village United Methodist Church and her community Involvement: includes being an active member of Women of Faith-North Texas Conference; Reading Partners of Texas - Student Tutor ; Methodist Hospital of Dallas Auxiliary and Charlton Methodist Auxiliary.

JANICE RAYMOND MITCHELL

Initiated in the Fall of 1972 at Delta Omega Chapter at Bishop College where she received a Bachelor of Science Degree, Janice Raymond Mitchell is retired and a member of St. John Baptist Church. She volunteers as a Deputy Registrar (VDR) and in Voter Registration activities for High School. She loves swimming, water aerobic, walking, shopping and traveling

BARBARA MORGAN PUNCH

Initiated Spring 1973 at Eta Delta Chapter at Texas Woman’s University she received a Bachelor of Science in Speech Pathology and a Master of Education in Early Childhood Education. Barbara is a Speech Pathologist/ Montessori Educator and a member of Singing Hills Baptist Church. She is involved with Dallas Retired Teachers Association, Texas Retired Teachers Association, Texas Woman’s University Black Alumni (TWUBA) Lifetime Member, as a Past Member- Scholarship Committee of TWUB, Women’s Missionary Union of Texas

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(Dallas Baptist Association), Couples Sunday School Class, Co-Teacher and World Vision Child Sponsor (since 2012). A wife of 48 years, the mother and grandmother loves to read, bake, listen to music and loves calligraphy.

MARY ANN WALLACE

Mary Ann Wallace was initiated Spring 1973 at Iota Psi Chapter at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Education and became an educator. A member of Bibleway Bible Church of Dallas, she is a community servant, working at Life 180 Prison Ministry and a Bible Teacher at the Youth Village. She organized the Personal Item Drive for the Genesis Women Shelter, Organized Clothes and Goods for Turn Around Store at Oak Cliff Bible Church and tutored students in Preparation for State Exams. She is the past Secretary of Skillful Living Center. She received the Pearl C. Anderson Career Academy PTA’s Teacher of the Year and Mother of the Year at Bibleway Bible Church.

Tyre Nichols begged for mercy cont.

and took turns beating and kicking him, according to a video released by the Memphis Police Department.

He broke away from officers but was eventually apprehended and the beating continued. Hospitalized after the incident, Mr. Nichols died on January 10.

As groups of citizens gathered throughout the city to protest on Friday, Mr. Nichols’s mother, Mrs. RowVaughn Wells, demanded justice for her son. “No mother should experience what I am experiencing,” she said.

Mrs. Wells said that she had been told by those who had viewed the video of its brutality, because she could not bring herself to watch it and urged other parents to prevent their children from viewing it. Her son cried out for her during the incident, saying ‘mom…. mom…mom,’ she added. “The officers denied his humanity, He was calling out my name while being beaten.”

Mr. Nichols, whose passions included caring for his young child and skateboarding, was less than the length of a football field away from his mother’s home when he was approached by the officers who were assigned to a special Memphis police crime-fighting unit.

“I want to say to the five police officers who murdered my son that you have disgraced

yourselves and disgraced your families,” said Mrs. Wells, who received a condolence call from President Joe Biden.

Memphis Police Chief, Cerelyn J. Davis harshly criticized the five men who worked in the department she leads. “This is not just a professional failing,” she said. “This is a failing of basic humanity toward another individual.”

Chief Davis was a deputy police chief in Atlanta and chief of police in Durham, North Carolina before taking the Memphis position in 2021. Highly respect-

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ed in national law enforcement circles, Davis has testified before legislative panels in Washington and was a leader in NOBLE, a national organization of African American Police professionals.

Former Dallas Police Department SWAT leader and trainer, Arthur Busby, characterized the beating of Mr. Nichols by the five police officers as “unnecessary and an embarrassment to all members of law enforcement.”

“The job of police is to protect people,” said Mr. Busby who joined the Dallas Police Force

in 1973, and retired as a Senior Corporal 30 years later. “What happened to that young man should not happen to the worst of Klansmen.”

“It was a sad day, a shame for policing, and a great tragedy for the young man’s friends and family,” Mr. Busby, who is African American and still works as a reserve police officer, added. “I am outraged that those officers acted as they did, and that their immediate supervisors did not do what they should have done to prevent the death of Mr. Nichols.”

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Five former Memphis Police charged in death of Tyre Nichols.

Red Cross Volunteer Retires

cont. from page 1

These are just a couple of the “things” Cowart has done. In 2019, he received the prestigious Present’s Volunteer Service Award from President Donald Trump for his work with the Red Cross.

It isn’t just his years of volunteering with the Red Cross that is impressive. The list of his accomplishments during his remarkable life of service is long. He has worked to combat human trafficking, worked as a recruiting assistant for the 2020 U.S. census, was the community liaison for the Freeman Town Neighborhood Association and Habitat for Humanity Project and has worked with the USO.

He also served in various roles with Greater Head Start of Dallas, provides meals at the Ronald McDonald House Charities, started an Adopt-A-Parent program at Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church to help the elderly and he has coached basketball for J. W. Ray Middle School and Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church, among other things.

“That’s basically all I do,” Cowart says earnestly. “That’s it. I don’t do too much.”

Metro

Cowart has also traveled extensively thanks to his time with the Air Force and assignments with the NSA and NORAD. He’s been to England, Greece, Iraq, Italy, the Philippines, and Thailand. He’s also seen much of the United States, including Alaska, Florida, Georgia, and Maryland. While he enjoyed his time in the service and abroad, he realized his true calling was back home.

“I spent enough time overseas, and I couldn’t give back to the community when I was in the service,” he says. “That’s why I enjoyed doing what I was doing when I got out of the service. That’s why I enjoy going up to the MEPS center.”

After a very full life dedicated to country and community, Cowart decided that his eightieth birthday was as good a time as any to finally retire from his volunteer service. He plans on spending the next chapter of his life enjoying time with his grandchildren and his five great-grandchildren.

“I spent almost five days a week up at the MEPS center,” Cowart says. “So, basically right now I’m just going to relax.”

I’ve read so many books and watched numerous movies about slavery and I have actually cried with the victims and cussed the perpetrators. I have been traumatized so much that watching the pain and suffering of Black women today, sometimes perpetrated by other women, causes me so much stress.

Recently I watched the travesty in Mexico where someone filmed Shanquella Robinson getting beaten by another lady as if it were a sport. An autopsy revealed that Ms. Robinson suffered a broken neck and cracked spine.

That her death doesn’t receive the outcry as is the case with others is not surprising to me.

The message is clear to me and has been all of my life.

The lives of Black females are not valued as they should be.

As I get older I see this constantly and I am committed to not being one of those beasts. I will not be one who was on that side of history — being one who perpetrated atrocities against another human being, especially another woman.

Then there’s the most recent case that I viewed on Black Star Network’s Roland Martin Unfiltered where and the punches were characterized as “open

palm hand strike” when he actually punched the crap out of her.

Sure the officer is on administrative leave, but he is just one and there have been so many instances when it has been okay to hit a Black woman the way he did or actually any way at all.

Aren’t these officers trained?

According to WHIO-TV, officers were called to McDonald’s after receiving a complaint from employees who said they wanted Latinka Hancock trespassed from the property following an argument about a slice of cheese missing from her Big Mac.

I am so incensed and although I know some wonderful people who are affiliated with McDonald’s—like Anthony Grissett, Roland Parrish and several other Black operators, especially in the DFW area, I am mad at the manager who felt it was necessary to call the police, instead of handling the simple request for a slice of cheese.

While I am pleased that the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is launching an investigation into the sergeant’s violent attack and there have been reports that the FBI and U.S. Attorney General’s are also involved; I am concerned over the silence by so many women’s groups.

Community Calendar powered by

FEBRUARY

1 - 4 NNPA 2023 MIDWINTER TRAINING CONFERENCE: February 1st through 4th “Digital Inovation, Training And Engagement Of The Black Press of America” San Juan Marriott Beach Resort & Stellaris Casino 1309 Ashford Avenue San Juan PR Visit: nnpa-events.com

Dance class series-Kizomba and Semba music and dances originated from Angola, Africa Thu., 7 pm 4125 Broadway Boulevard #190 Garland, TX 75043

International Food Festival in Dallas presents local businesses to showcase their food and catering services Food and drinks will also be available for purchase Sun, 5 pm 3114 Swiss Ave. Dallas, TX 8

A portrait commissioned for Ms. Opal Lee, the ‘Grandmother of Juneteenth,’ will be unveiled in the Texas Senate Chamber, on Wed. Feb. 8, 11 am 9

11

Zion Chapel Economic Development Learn about how genes differ in relation to nutrition for the African American community. Sat, 10 am 1004 N Jefferson St, Lancaster, TX 12

I guess I want to hear an outcry, to hear from the many organizations that purport to serve and support Black women. I want to hear from the organizations whose member’s ancestors nursed on the breasts of Black women. I want to hear from the organizations whose members were birthed by Black women.

Then I want to hear from those with a brain, a heart, and a conscience.

That’s right, how about everyone lifting those voices and speaking out when a wrong occurs regardless of the color of the victim or perpetrator?

I want Sergeant Todd “Pookie” Stanley, whose punches caused several injuries to Ms. Hancock, including a closed head injury, busted lip, loose teeth and a back injury, to lose his job.

Before he loses his job I want Officer Tim “Pookie” Zellers to tell me if he knew that tasing could cause injury to the brain, what did he think would happen if he put a taser to someone’s head? Then he should be fired because he could have killed Ms. Hancock.

I can envision the outcry had Ms. Robinson or Ms. Hancock been white and I am not mad at those outcries. I am mad about the silence surrounding the assaults of others. We have to start putting equal value on all lives.

17

The Dallas Black Dance Theatre present “Cultural Awareness” in honor of Black History Month Fri., 7:30 pm Wyly Theatre 2400 Flora St, Dallas, TX ***

Black Fathers of Soul Music Concert The Black Academy of Arts & Letters Sat, 8 pm 650 S Griffin St. Dallas, TX ***

African American Museum of Dallas Join us for the “SOUL OF DFW” Food and Black History Bus Tour! Sat. Feb, 4, 10 am 3536 Grand Ave, Dallas

14th Annual Weekend Festival of Black Dance Rhythm and Soul of a People an electrifying evening of African, contemporary and modern dance Thurs. 8 pm $10 Naomi Bruton Theatre 727 S Lamar St, Dallas, TX 10

Sweetheart Concert The Black Academy of Arts and Letters, Buy Sweetheart Concert tickets at Clarence Muse Cafe Theater Fri, 3 pm 650 S Griffin St Dallas, TX

Black History Tour at Old City Park

honoringh the park’s commitment to emphasize Black History every month, our Black History Tour is now offered every Sun, starting Feb 12, 5 pm 1515 S Harwood St, Dallas, TX info@oldcityparkdallas.org 13

The African American Holiday Association said the Annual Black Love Day will take place on Feb. 13, with the theme of “Black Love Heals 365.” Black Love Day is the brainchild of Ayo Handy-Kendi. It was conceived from a spiritual inspiration in 1993 14

Event by Young Professionals Division Want to find out about what’s happening in DFW; want to tell us what’s happening in DFW; looking to get more involved; looking for more social or business connections 6:30 pm 1601 Elm St, Dallas, TX 75201 21

Educational First Steps proudly announces the benefit, “An Evening with the Great Nowitzki,” Tues., 6:30 pm at The Ritz Carlton, 2121 McKinney Ave, Dallas, TX

Willie Cowart (r) on the job

I am traumatized cont. from page 1

Officers restrain Ms. Latinka Hancock outside McDonald's

continued from page 1

former editorial/production assistant at Boy Scouts of America National Headquarters. A graduate of Fort Worth’s Polytechnic High School she studied Communications and Political Science at the University of Texas at Arlington. A member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, she was Charter Member and President of Omicron Eta Chapter at UTA. She also participated in the Summer Publishing Institute at Stanford University.

GINGER MADDOX

Welcome to the DFW Metroplex!

Recently the executive producer at CBS Chicago and former news producer at NBC 6 Miami and WDJT CBS 58 in Milwaukee, Ginger Maddox is now the Assistant News Director at KTVT- CBS 11. Ginger is a graduate of the Florida A&M University School of Journalism and Graphic Communication and a member of the National Association of Black Journalists. She is a three-time Emmy award-winning journalist from Evanston, Il and a life member of the FAMU National Alumni Association.

ELEASIA WATTS-LEWIS

education educator for CarrolltonFarmers Branch ISD, as an actress/ model and a Mary Kay Consultant. The recipient of an honorary doctorate from Abundant Faith Kingdom Bible College, she received a BS Degree in Psychology from University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, an MS in Clinical Psychology from Capella University and a Masters of Education at Grand Canyon University. She also received public speaking certification from Les Brown University.

SHERTEEN VASHER

A contributing writer at Southern Dallas County Business & Living Magazine and Style & Soul Magazine. Sherteen Vasher is the owner/Designer/Artist at Teenie’s Cake Creations. She’s also a Mobile Notary/Loan Signing Agent at Notary by Sherteen, Hailing from Jacksonville, FL, she attended Florida State College at Jacksonville and the University of Texas at Arlington. A senior analytics expert and former revenue cycle, Sherteen has volunteered extensively with the March of Dimes Children’s Health and National Ovarian Cancer Coalition.

KEIDRA THOMPKINS

M.Ed. aka “The Real Educator”

A graduate of Eastern Hills High School in Fort Worth, Eleasia WattsLewis studied mid-management/ education at the University of North Texas and Public Administration and Non- Profit Management at the University Texas at Arlington. Eleasia is an Experienced Texas Public School Administrator with knowledge and effective application of both Adult and Child Instructional Principles and Curriculum Development. A member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, she’s a volunteer at the Junior League of Dallas and also a consultant/ trainer/facilitator at Mpowered Services. Previously her impressive career includes stints as an Education Services Manager at the Salvation Army DFW, professor at Dallas College, and Superintendent at Renaissance Charter School District.

LASHONDA WALPOOL

at Family Smiles Dentistry and a diagnostic imaging clinic manager at Gateway Diagnostic Imaging. She studied Medical Insurance Coding and an Associate of Arts and Science in Healthcare Administration at the College of Health Care Professions. Beautiful, smart and talented, she has also enjoyed stints at Junior Achievement USA, Career Break, the Texas Home Health of America and Lifesynch A Humana Company.

ANITA HAWKINS

Anita Hawkins is a speaker, author, domestic violence, franchise owner, humanitarian, model and philanthropist, who is beautiful, talented, super intelligent and a joy to know and be around. She is about business and she spreads joy wherever she is. Gary, IN native Anita Hawkins is the entire package. She is the owner-operator at TrokarBuilders. She is the founder and manager of Find One Reason To Smile. She studied at the University of Phoenix and the Merriville Beauty College. Anita also owned a beauty salon, taught at a Beauty College, and taught Beauty Etiquette. She is the executive producer of an under-wraps feature film, and is the creator and producer of HomePlate108; while also working on another under-wraps show.

MINISTER JACQUELYN MCKINNEY TURNER

Keidra is a post-secondary planning, life skill development and instructional equity consultant with Kid Conscience & Beyond, LLC. She is a professional educator and former assistant principal at Dallas ISD, founder and president of Kids Jubilee. She has also worked at Mersal Reality and Comerica Bank. Keidra received a BS Degree in Business Administration from Paul Quinn College and a M.Ed in Curriculum and Instruction from Concordia University. Keidra is also a realtor, who focuses on customer service.

TEIRNEY GUINYARD

The Senior Integrated Marketing Manager at Urban One, where she was also an account executive, LaShonda Walpool studied Radio/TV/ Film with minors in journalism and modern dance at Sam Houston State University. A graduate of Newman Smith High School, previously she studied at Louisiana Tech University. LaShonda was an account executive at Clear Channel Radio and enjoyed stints at CBS/Viacom, NBC5/KXASTV and Channel 39/KXTX. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and was president of the Kappa Mu Chapter at Sam Houston State where she was also Captain of the Pom Squad Dance Team.

DR. LASHONDA MAYS

Remembering a jewel: A public speaker, Dr. LaShonda Mays was a “strategic empowerment and transformation speaker.” She helped clients with goal setting and tapping into purpose, gift, passions or behavioral changes. She was the owner of a fitness/wellness business and had previously worked as a special

The Chief Administrative Officer at Doo Guard and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) & Founder at The ELO Group, LLC, Tierney Guinyard hails from Memphis, TN, where she graduated from East High School. The Missing Piece to impact your Brand! As a nonprofit consultant, she creates community-focused strategies and blueprints for your organization. An adjunct faculty instructor at Dallas College she also served as Vice President Internal Audit and PBM Compliance at Critical Healthcare and a District Lead Tech-Auditing at CVS Pharmacy. She received a BS in Forensic Chemistry from the University of Mississippi and a BS in Biology from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga; as well as an MBA in Healthcare Management from American InterContinental University.

DESTINI TASBY

A patient account manager with Fort Worth Family and Cosmetic Dentistry, Destini Tasby was previously a practice manager

An independent consultant for Paparazzi Accessories, Kasandra Smith Davis hails from Lakeland, Florida where she graduated from Kathleen High School. She then studied at and graduated from the University of South Florida, where she became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. A wife, mother and grandmother, Kasandra is the First Lady of Friendly Church of God in Christ in Sherman, TX. She has enjoyed stints as the Executive Admin Coordinator at Housing Authority of the City of Lakeland, in addition to several positions in property management. Spiritually grounded and always seeing the best in everyone, many are beneficiaries of her kindness and guidance, especially through Powerhouse Ministries.

TRACIE POWELL

with missions to feed families, advocate for human rights, and provide educational programs for youth.

DORA JOYNER

graduate of Andreas High School in Hobart IN, she received a BSJ degree from Northwestern University and a Master’s Degree from the Texas Christian University Schieffer School of Journalism.

HAYGOOD

PAMELA

ARNOLD

Dora Joyner loves her family and Tuskegee University! She has served at least twice as the president of the Dallas Chapter of the Tuskegee University Alumni Association and this mother of two and grandmother is always on the lifting as she climbs. A member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Dora knows and shows the importance of community support and involvement; whether its with the sorority, her church, family or the arts. She is organized and focused and always committed to a cause. You can depend on Dora.

Minister Jacquelyn McKinney Turner is an educator at Lancaster ISD - Nova Academy Prichard, she previously worked at Black Methodists for Church Renewal, Inc. She hails from Memphis ,TN where she graduated from Southside High School. She graduated from LeMoyne-Owen College where she studied education and was an honor student and cheerleader. She received her Masters in Education and language learning disability at Indiana University. Later she received her Masters of Theology at SMU’s Perkins School of Theology and she is an associate minister at Community MBC. The minister is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

SHARON EGIEBOR

Long-time journalist Sharon Egiebor is a strategic planner, editor, content provider, licensed insurance agent. The CEO of Egiebor Expressions, Sharon was the Marketing/Media Relations Manager for The Black Academy of Arts and Letters, Senior Associate with The Burrell Group, Copywriter for Neiman Marcus Direct, Executive Editor of the Dallas Examiner, Asst. National Editor for the Dallas Morning News, and Editorial Writer for The Dallas Times Herald. A graduate of Central Senior High School, Sharon received a BA Degree in Journalism from the University of Texas at Arlington and an MBA in Business Administration from Texas Woman’s University. She is also the author of Musical ChairsA Lesson in Personal Rebranding.

Tracie Powell is a leader in philanthropic efforts to increase racial equity and diversity in the news media. She is Mercer University’s Center for Collaborative Journalism (CCJ) Media Changemaker recipient. The founder of The Pivot Fund, supporting independent BIPOC community news, she was a fall 2021 Shorenstein Center Research Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School. Tracie is the immediate past board chair of LION Publishers and she was the founding fund manager of the Racial Equity in Journalism Fund at Borealis Philanthropy. She is also the founder of AllDigitocracy.org and was a senior fellow with the Democracy Fund, a 2016 John S. Knight Journalism Fellow at Stanford University. She is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and the University of Georgia. Tracie has had journalism positions at several publications, including the Dallas Examiner and she is a member of NABJ and ONA.

DR. KIMBERELY SANDERS

Dr. Kimberely Sanders is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of SisterZ with Hope & Faith, Inc. to focus on the plight of the sex trafficked. She has worked in the field of social justice and reform: researching, attending workshops, and interviewing female inmates and human trafficking victims. Dr. Sanders has spent the last 20 years working with non-profit organizations. SisterZ with Hope & Faith creates a support system that aids in the transition to a healthy way of life. Through a specific algorithmic blend of law enforcement, education, outreach vocational training, career placement, psychiatric counseling, and legal services, we can fully restore our clients and drastically reduce recidivism. Dr. Sanders is also a board member of Community Care Resource Council.

JEAN MARIE BROWN

Jean Marie Brown is an Associate Professor of Professional Practice at Texas Christian University; DEI coach specializing in Fault Lines. A member of the National Association of Black Journalists, she is the director of Research, Learning and Evaluation for The Pivot Fund. She has served as deputy managing editor at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram; as a reporter and editor for the Charlotte Observer and reporter for Post Tribune. A

Pamela Haygood Arnold is a dedicated healthcare professional with more than 20 years of management, executive assistant and administrative assistant experience. She is a pro at career counseling, project management, event planning and employee training. Pamela, is smart, beautiful, talented and a joy to be around, wither infectious smile A wife and mother, Pamela has enjoyed stints at Baylor University Medical Center, Kelly Services, American Journal of Cardiology, Atlantis Trading Corporation, Ryder Transportation and Logistics and Unitarian Property and Casualty. A Spirit of volunteerism, Pamela has dedicated countless hours of service to a PTA and PTO. Actually she should be a food critic because she loves food and she’s an excellent writer!

DR. NIKOLE ROEBUCK

Dr. Nikole Roebuck is in an elite club. She has the distinction of being one of only four to serve as band director at an Historically Black College and University (HBCU). Roebuck also chairs the University’s Music Department and under her leadership, in 2021 Grambling also named its first female drum major in more than 70 years. She hails from Minden, LA and GSU is a place where not only did she meet her future husband and pledged her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta; but it is also where she marched in the band and then returned to teach and serve as assistant band director. A graduate of GSU’s Music Education program, she received her Master of Music from the University of LouisianaMonroe in 2005 and her Doctor of Philosophy in Music Education from the University of Memphis.

Cheryl R. Dunbar will put a smile on your face! LemonSpirations with Cheryl is a platform that encourages and inspires people to take life’s sour situations and turn them into sweet results. A dynamic, inspiring speaker, Cheryl finds the good in everything and the positive in everybody. She hails from Texarkana, TX and attended Irving High School. Known for her energy, positive sort and love of life, which she shares in ideas and social media posts. Cheryl brings joy into the lives of many. Her favorite famous saying is: “When life throws you lemons, you add the sugar!”

TYRHA M. LINDSEY -WARREN, PHD

A Clinical Assistant Professor of Marketing, Dr. Tyrha Lindsey-Warren is a senior communications executive who has enjoyed stints at Baylor University, UniWorld Group, L.A.I. Communications, and as a producer of the Regina King Movie Project, “Trying To Sleep in the Bed You Made,” Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, LifeCenter Organ Network and Speaking of Women’s Health. Tyrha also hosts the podcast, Reel Values. Real News. She received her B.S. Degree in Radio/TV/Film from Northwestern University, an MBA in Marketing from Drucker School of Management and a Doctor of Philosophy in Marketing Science from Rutgers Business School.

DAI LADACHER JACKSON

A wife (celebrating 25 years in 2023) and mother, Crystal Monique Wimbrey is the co-owner at Wimbrey Training Systems. She hails from Dallas, TX and attended Bowie High School and the University of Texas at Arlington. A bestselling author of Alphascripts The ABC’s of the Bible, in addition to her writing, Crystal leads and oversees Wimbrey Worldwide Ministries, a nonprofit organization. As a part of one of her many missions to make a difference, and as a believer in the right of every child to have an education, she contributed to an international partnership for student’s education in Guatemala-sponsoring six elementary schools, including its highly anticipated first middle school. Crystal continues to partner with charitable causes to support ongoing programs

Dai LaDacher Jackson is a servant leader, at work and in the community. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion/Apparel Design and a Master of Science in Fashion Merchandising from the University of North Texas, a Masters of Education in Educational Administration from Lamar University and a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Organizational Leadership from Grand Canyon University. She has worked for Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD as an Assistant Principal and a teacher. A member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, she served in the leadership role for the Omicron Mu Omega Chapter.

KASANDRA SMITH DAVIS

CRYSTAL MONIQUE WIMBREY

CHERYL R. DUNBAR