Garland Journal 10-20-22

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Top 10 things to do at the State Fair of Texas My Truth

By Cheryl Smith Publisher

Can we get 10 million?

Well, if you were planning on voting and you haven’t checked to make sure all your paper work is in order, you could find yourself stuck and out of luck, especially if you are among the many who have been stricken from lists across the country.

Should you be concerned?

Maybe. Should you care?

Heck yes!

But I understand. We don’t realize how painful a situation can be until we stub our toe, or hit our funny bone.

Ain’t a darned thing funny then!

Well, millions of dollars are being spent to either get you to vote a certain way, or stay at home.

Instead of waiting in a line to vote, you can go fishing, to a party or go shopping.

You say you don’t want to have to choose between the “lesser of two evils.” Well, some might say that considering what is at stake, those who opt out of voting are the biggest evil.

Which brings me to my truth.

Too much is at stake.

This year’s midterm election is about more than one issue, one individual or one commu nity.

Every election is important and there are consequences and repercussions for every ac tion and inaction.

You go out to the polls and cast a vote because of the way someone looks, talks or be cause of their party affiliation.

And let’s not forget voting for someone because they played a sport.

Makes me think about those folks who walk along us today and are confronted by remind ers of the racist acts of their an cestors.

What goes through their heads? Are they embarrassed, apologetic or do they try to si lence the messengers?

As we prepare to view the movie, Till, how do the descen dants of Carolyn Bryant feel?

How does she feel about the ac tions that led to the brutal mur der of young Emmett.

When I visited with Mamie Till Mobley during her threeday visit to Dallas in 1995, we talked extensively about her son and the events 40 years pri or.

To her credit, this beautiful, smart, resourceful and focused woman was not filled with hate. Instead she had a spirit of love and compassion, and so did other family members I talked to then and later.

Will the families of vicious racists feel the same, once confronted with the evil acts of those whose blood flows through their veins?

Let’s come a little closer and think about your descendants.

Will you be trying to stop stories from being told in the classrooms of your grands and great grands because you don’t want them to find out that your actions were just as detrimen tal, if not more than the Ku Klux Klan or others who savagely en acted their own laws or forms of justice to eventually find

Popular Democratic Strategist Implores Black Voters ‘You Make the Difference’

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire

The 2022 midterm elections are just a few weeks away, and both sides of the aisle have long ac knowledged it’s the most conse quential in years.

Each of the seats in Congress is up, and 35 U.S. Senate chairs could flip.

Further, 36 governors’ races will occur, as would several down-bal lot battles for posts like attorney general and state legislatures.

Polling suggests that while Democrats have emerged as fa vorites to at least hold its slim Sen ate majority, the GOP could sweep the U.S. House, where it takes 218 seats to win control of that cham ber.

Also, Republicans need just a net gain of one seat to turn control of the Senate, where polling sug gests that at least ten contests are tossups.

“When you think about what’s at stake, it’s very clear in terms of the GOP candidates who emerged,” longtime Democratic Strategist Karen Finney said during an ap pearance on the National News paper Publishers Association’s live morning news program, Let It Be Known.

“That tells you a lot about their agenda if they win.”

Finney, a CNN political com mentator, served as senior advisor to Stacey Abrams during the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial race. She also served as senior advisor for communications and political outreach and senior spokesperson for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2016.

bers in 2020, in the middle of a pandemic, and not only defeated Trump, but we also took back the House and the Senate,” Finney in sisted.

“Democrats have been working hard to keep their promises, the promises made to voters and the things voters said they wanted.”

She also mentioned the prog ress Democrats have made under President Joe Biden and Vice Pres ident Kamala Harris.

Finney wondered why Biden’s approval ratings have sunk despite keeping his campaign promises and moving the needle forward, particularly for Black America.

“We’ve got the infrastructure bill down. We got COVID Relief done,” Finney stated.

By Kendall Gayle Washington

1. Watch the opening day parade: each year the fair begins with the annual parade through downtown Dallas

2. Say Howdy to Big Tex!: Go ahead and get a picture with the face of the State Fair of Texas; he’s been there since 1952.

3. Grab a corndog: Before you go on a ride the first item that you need to grab is a Fletcher’s corn dog.

Finney also counts as the first and only African American spokeswoman for the Democratic National Committee, where she helped lead the DNC’s commu nications and media strategy for Howard Dean’s “50 State Strategy,” re-branding the Democratic Party, and the successful 2006 Congres sional elections and DNC com munications efforts during 2008 presidential campaign.

“We turned out in record num

“So, we got vaccines. We’re get ting kids back in school, getting people back to work. We got our first Black female Supreme Court Justice, so promises are being kept.”

Finney said messaging is para mount and agreed it hadn’t been a strength for Democrats.

“There’s more that needs to get done, and the thing standing in our way is we got to elect more Democrats,” she insisted.

“I think it’s vital that we remind voters, particularly Black voters, that they have the power and the

4. Ride the Ferris Wheel:The Ferris wheel also known as the Texas Star is 216 feet tall and can carry up to 264 passengers. Not only does the ride give you a view of Fair Park you get to see the Dallas skyline!

5. Catch a Live Show: The fair has many live shows, you can find family friendly entertainment in the children’s area. One of the most popular shows is the Lone Star Stampede, a live horse show!

6. Explore Fair Park: The Texas State Fair is an astronomical sight to me. It is held at Fair Park, a Historic Landmark.

7. Fried Everything: Grab some fried oreos, funnel cakes, fried chicken, and more!

Breast Cancer event continues to enlighten and inspire

It was a packed house with al most a thousand who turned out and turned it up at the 21st Annu al Sister to Sister Fitness Festival at the Alan E. Sims Cedar Hill Recre ation Center, recently.

The four-and-a-half-hour event which is hosted by the Celebrating Life Foundation was filled with activities that included a 5k walk/ run, mammography screenings, health screenings, and various vendors.

“This was an amazing way to kick-off Breast Cancer Awareness Month,” said Kim McBrayer, presi dent of the Celebrating Life Foun dation.

The event was kicked off by Mar sha Smith Hill, the sister of NFL Hall of Famer, Emmitt Smith, who shared her 10-year breast cancer survivorship testimony and en couraged women to be screened for breast cancer.

Recent statistics show that Black women are twice as likely to be di agnosed with triple-negative breast cancer as compared to white wom en. Overall Black women have a

more than 41 percent higher mor tality rate from breast cancer than any other ethnic group.

Guests for the event were greet ed by Girls Scout Unit 213 and re ceived hot chocolate, coffee and croissants provided by La Made leine.

ger and better. This was the larg est event that we have had at the Alan E. Sims Cedar Hill Recre ation Center.” said McBrayer, who awarded a scholarship training session to a senior of the DeSoto Volleyball Team. “We’ve already started plans for next year.”

and Hope for the Holidays.

Some of 67 breast cancer survi vors in attendance received per sonalized gift bags that included skincare products from the signa ture collection of Antionette Alex ander valued at $250. One survi vor received a spa package to the Grand Spa in North Dallas.

The highlight of the event was a drawing for two tickets from Spir it Airlines to travel anywhere they fly. The recipient was an employee of the Alan E. Sims Cedar Hill Rec reation Center.

The Celebrating Life Founda tion is a non-profit organization devoted to making cancer pow erless by educating, encouraging, and empowering those most im pacted by breast cancer.

KRNB 105.7’s Lynne Haze and WFAA-TV’s Tashara Parker, kept the crowd energized as they in troduced acts from baton twirling Miss Teen Richardson to the senior dance sensation, Divas and Dudes.

“Each year this event gets big

Proceeds from this event will help the Celebrating Life Foun dation with their outreach efforts which include scholarships for those students impacted by breast cancer, a Journey Fund, Chemo Day, the Pink Spoon Campaign

Women’s Leadership Summit

The event was sponsored by Garland Journal, Texas Metro News, KRNB, WFAA, La Made leine, Charlton Methodist Med ical Center, AARP-Texas, Alan E. Sims Cedar Hill Recreation Cen ter, Herbal Goodness, Antoinette Alexander Signature Collection, State Fair Classic, DeSoto Park & Recreation Center and Spirit Air lines.

Democratic Strategist Karen Finney

From Staff Reports

Breast cancer survivor Ragina Ireland gives Marsha Smith Hill a sisterly hug. Marsha is also a 10-year breast cancer survivor and the sister of NFL Hall of Famer, Emmitt Smith.

Tashara Parker, of WFAA presents two airline tickets from Spirit Airlines to Mark Clark picture

Former State Representative Helen Giddings hosted a thank you celebration for influential women who participated in the 5th Annual Women's Leadership Summit.

Jessica Armstead, new host committee member and student at UNT Dallas and Cynthia Mickens Ross at the recent WLS appreciation reception. The two women are symbolic of the organization's desire to mentor young women with the expertise of seasoned women in leadership from the community.

Sophia Johnson, with Alpha Business Images and WLS Chair Helen Giddings

Judeah Reynolds witnessed George Floyd’s killing, releases book for his birthday

By MSR News Online

It’s been two and a half years since the shocking death of George Floyd brought international re nown to a little girl. Now that child is heading back into the spotlight. But this time it will be as an author, not an eyewitness. “I still think about that day sometimes,” said Judeah Reynolds. “It still makes me sad and sometimes I cry.”

On October 14, “A Walk to the Store,” a picture book that tells Reynolds’ story, will be released. The book details how the then nine-year-old girl wanted to buy candy at a store near her home in Minneapolis and her 17-year-old cousin Darnella Frazier agreed to accompany her.

As they left Cup Foods, the girls were horrified to see George Floyd on the street beneath Officer Der ek Chauvin’s knee. Reynolds was at her cousin’s side as Frazier used her cell phone to record the bru tal incident. That video sparked worldwide protests and has been credited with inspiring a new ra cial reckoning.

“My cousin told us I changed history,” Reynolds said. “They say we are heroes.” Now 11, Reynolds is a sixth-grader and probably six inches taller than the girl pictured

in the pages of the book, wearing a pale green shirt emblazoned with the word “love.”

Reynolds and her family have since relocated to Chicago, but she was back in Minneapolis ahead of

Minneapolis, where every one of the 160 elementary students will be given a donated copy of her book. Reynolds will read “A Walk to the Store” to the students and answer their questions.

with Reynolds and her family and co-authored “A Walk to the Store.”

The book shows Reynolds suf fering with sadness and “scary dreams” in the aftermath of the in cident and tells how her parents let her unload her jumbled emotions and gave her their loving support. The book shows them returning to 38th and Chicago to see memori als to George Floyd and concludes that the community is “working to make things better because we told what happened.”

“People have wondered what became of that little girl. They say, ‘I hope she’s okay,’” said Brun didge. “Well, we can see she is thriving. After the trauma they’ve been through, her family is intact and strong.”

“We want to de-stigmatize ther apy for young people in the Black community,” said Brundidge. “That’s not the first thing we think about. We tell them, be strong, be tough. Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks didn’t go to therapy. But it matters for mental health.”

The October 14 book release coincided with what would have been Floyd’s 49th birthday. Shelet taMakesMeLaugh.com, Brun didge’s podcasting platform, is sponsoring a birthday celebration. Two Black-owned businesses, Ice Cream Kingz and Flame Mobile Kitchen, will be on hand to treat the kids and mark the event that will celebrate Floyd’s life and im pact, including the release of 49 balloons.

the book release. To prepare for the day, she had a morning at the beauty shop, in the chair of stylist Marsha D Carter.

On Friday, Oct. 14, Reynolds will visit the Legacy of Dr. Josie R John son Montessori School in North

“Judeah’s book is about a girl who overcame her trauma. She can show other kids that they can be brave too. And they can talk to an author who looks like them,” said children’s book author Shelet ta Brundidge, who connected

Premier Organization for Women Salutes Elsie Cooke-Holmes

When people talk about Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., they refer to the activism that was its foundation at its incep tion in 1913, and notable historic women from Dr. Dorothy Irene Height and HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge to actress Ange la Bassett and journalist Soledad O’Brien. These ladies, donning red and white, lay claim to an or ganization that has a rich history of community service, focusing on its Five-Point Programmatic Thrust: Economic Devel opment, Educational De velopment, Internation al Awareness and Involvement, Physical and Mental Health, and Political Awareness and Involve ment.

rectors of WiNGS, Inc. (in association with YWCA of Dallas) and The Werthing Ethos Foundation. She participates in several other community activi ties, including member ship in The Links, Inc., National Association for the Advancement of Col ored People (NAACP) and National Council of Negro Women (NCNW).

The last page of the book in cludes tips from Licensed Mar riage and Family therapist Anissa Keys of Arubah Emotional Health Services in North Minneapolis. The advice guides caring adults on how to have conversations with children who have witnessed or have a fear of disturbing, upset ting, or traumatic events.

Reynolds will be in the middle of it all, experiencing a happy day that’s in balance with all that she has experienced. “When I’m sad, my mom helps me feel better. She gives me hugs,” she said. “Kids can be brave and it’s okay if we’re scared sometimes.”

For more info, visit http://www. awalktothestore.com.

Last Chance for High School Students to Apply for 2023 Disney Dreamers Academy at Walt Disney World Resort

By BlackPressUSA

R&B Sensation Eric Benet to perform!

With more than 10,000 mem bers across the state of Texas, working to make their commu nities better, all eyes will be on the ladies of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., on November 12, 2022, at SMU’s Hughes Trigg Stu dent Center, as the woman who serves as National President and Chair, National Board of Direc tors, Elsie Cooke-Holmes, is pre sented during a special program highlighting her historic rise in the organization.

She was initiated into the Ep silon Kappa Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., at the University of Memphis. Since her

initiation in 1976, Cooke-Holmes has served in various capacities throughout the organization in cluding, chapter President, Na tional Second Vice President, Regional Director, National Sec retary, National First Vice Pres ident, and currently National President and Chair, National Board of Directors. Her impres sive commitment to a lifetime of service has continued locally, regionally, and nationally. She is currently a member of the Dallas Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

With a Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering Technol ogy/Computer Systems and an MBA from Columbia University, Cooke-Holmes is the Principal/ Owner of Cooke-Holmes, LLC; a firm offering executive leader ship development, career coach ing and human resources con sulting. Her career in corporate America spans over 30 years in Fortune 500 companies which in clude Texas Instruments, Anders en Consulting and PepsiCo.

Cooke-Holmes also holds membership on the Boards of Di

Residing with her hus band, Clarence, in Plano, TX, she is a member of the St. Luke “Commu nity” United Methodist Church in Dallas, TX, where she sings in the Sanctuary Choir.

What: “Fortitude Rising: An Evening with Elsie CookeHolmes” and featuring entertain er Eric Benet Presented by Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) Area Alumnae Chapters of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Appli cations for the 2023 Disney Dreamers Academy, a career-inspiring program targeting Black teens and students from underrepresented communities, closes on Oct. 31.

It’s the last chance for scores of high school students across America to submit their applications for this annual program at Walt Disney World Resort that has inspired young minds nationwide since 2008 by fueling their dreams and showing them a world of possibilities. Students participate in hands-on, immersive career work shops ranging from animation to zo ology. Each participant learns com munication techniques, leadership qualities and networking strategies, plus they are inspired by Disney cast members and special guests who pro vide insights into how to achieve suc cess and DREAM BIG.

president and Disney Dreamers Acad emy executive champion. “This pro gram has provided us with a tremen dous opportunity to help inspire high school students from across the nation to follow their dreams. The impact we have seen on the students over the years is inspiring to us and life-chang ing for the Disney Dreamers. We en courage teens to apply now.”

When: November 12, 2022, 5:30 p.m. CST

Where: Southern Methodist University Hughes Trigg Student Center, 3140 Dyer St, Dallas, TX 75205 Program & Live Entertainment: 8:00 p.m. CST (Open Seating) McFarlin Auditorium, 6405 Boaz Lane, Dallas, TX 75205

The four-day experience trans forms the Disney theme parks into vibrant classrooms, leading to career discoveries and fun memories that last a lifetime. The program has pro duced many success stories, inspiring students to become engineers, jour nalists, influencers, entertainers, film makers, conservationists and more.

“After 15 years, we continue to be excited to welcome the next class of Disney Dreamers,” said Tracey D. Powell, Walt Disney World Resort vice

Applications for the once-in-a -lifetime inspirational program targeting Black teens from underrepresented communities accepted through Oct. 31

Program applicants must answer essay questions about their personal journeys and dreams for the future. Students are selected based on a com bination of attributes, including strong character, positive attitude and deter mination to achieve their dreams. Se lected applicants, along with a parent or guardian, receive an all-expensepaid trip to Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

Applications are open to U.S. high school students, ages 13 to 19, through Oct. 31, 2022. A distinguished panel of leaders will evaluate the applications and selected participants will be an nounced by early 2023.

For more information or to apply, interested applicants can visit Disney DreamersAcademy.com.

Popular Democratic Strategist cont. from page 1

opportunity to help make sure we take control of the Senate.

“In that way, we can keep get ting done the things that voters have told us they want. Things like lowering the cost of prescription drugs and protecting Obamacare, passing criminal justice reform, codifying the protections of Roe v. Wade, and protecting our voting rights once and for all.”

Finney added that part of her mission is to ensure Black voters know they’re different in these

all-important elections.

“We have to help turnout and give Democrats the clear majority in the Senate so that we can con tinue to do the things that we all came out in record numbers and voted for in 2020,” she stated.

“I think part of the message that’s also important and things we have to talk about is that Democrats and President Biden had been working hard to keep their promises, and there’s more to do, and we need more Democrats in the Senate.”

Judeah Reynolds

Elsie Cooke-Holmes Delta Sigma Theta Sorority

Eric Benet

“A Walk to the Store” released on what would have been Floyd’s 49th birthday

Established by Walt Disney World in 2008, Disney Dreamers Academy’s mission is to inspire Black teens and students from underrepresented communities to dream beyond imagination by providing life-long access to personalized support for the Disney Dreamer, their caregivers and community through insightful content and uplifting experts, mentors and sponsors.

Live and let live. Is that asking too much?

was mine all mine, ‘Til the end of time?

Was it just a lie?

Where is the love?

By Norma Adams-Wade

Ever wondered why people centuries ago lived on top of mountains, behind fortresses with all kinds of barriers -- a narrow river running in front of the entrance, guards posted atop the stone fortress walls, maybe even a second wall in side the first wall?

These fortresses, of course, made it difficult, often very difficult, for enemies to breach the security traps and get in side where the people lived.

I was just thinking, though… why was all this protection, se curity and padding necessary?

Why not just live in peace and leave each other alone?

And that is the universal question of humankind. Why not live and let live?

Even the Bible – with so much talk about love – is over run with wars, murders, assas sinations, pillage, plunder, de ception, covetousness, greed, and so on, and so on…

Hip hop songsters will.i.am and the Black Eyed Peas group put the icing on the cake when – with a Herculean punch -- in 2003 they released the video “Where is the Love.”

Not the 1972 broken-heart ed, lost-love tune by the same name yet different artists: Ro berta Flack and Donny Hatha way.

Where is the love you said

But a way deeper, soul-searching lament about the piss poor condition of the world -- full of racial violence, police brutality, political up heaval in government, world wide conflicts over religion, land and resources, and so on… will and the Peas said:

“I think the whole world’s ad dicted to drama

Only attracted to things that’ll bring you trauma.”

…It just ain’t the same, old ways have changed

New days are strange, is the world insane?”

ness. But unless we are miss ing some deeper meaning, the tyrannical despot saw Ukraine sitting peacefully next door and decided he wanted to possess its land, people, and resourc es. Thus began his inexplicable and evil reign of terror.

Live and let live? No.

Can we all get along? No.

Can we just leave each alone? No.

I want what is yours and I will take it by force.

After his brutal 1991 beating by LA cops that set off riots the following year, Rodney King asked the world: “Can we all get along? Can we get along?”

Apparently not. Here we are 30 years later, and hatred, big otry, murder and mayhem still reign.

I’m trying not to mention Russian President Vladimir Putin because I do not want to smudge this paper with vile

The longstanding West Vir ginia-Kentucky Hatfield and McCoy feud lasted so long during and after the Civil War that younger generations like ly did not even know what sparked the conflict. The hatred between the two families over land, Civil War differences, and family betrayal was so palpable that it likely contaminated the air in the Appalachian moun tains.

Descendants devised a na tionally-reported truce in 2003 – well over a century after the feud started. One descendant said he wanted to send a na tional message that Americans can put their differences aside.

“We’re not saying you don’t have to fight, because some times you do have to fight,” media quoted Hatfield descen dant Reo Hatfield as saying. “But you don’t have to fight forever.” Media also quoted words from a proclamation of peace truce that more than 60 members of the two families reportedly sign: “We ask by God’s grace and love that we be forever remembered as those that bound together the hearts of two families to form a family of freedom in America.”

So again, Democrats, Repub licans, liberals, conservatives, pro-lifers, pro-choicers, mask supporters and mask oppo nents, CRT advocates and CRT critics -- why not just live in peace and leave each other alone. Is that really too much to ask?

Norma Adams-Wade, is a proud Dallas native, University of Texas at Austin journalism graduate and retired Dallas Morning News senior staff writer. She is a founder of the National Association of Black Journalists and was its first southwest regional director. She became The News’ first Black full-time reporter in 1974. norma_ adams_wade@yahoo.com

Black Neighborhoods Devastated By Ian Seeking Help

Residents in communities of color say hurricane assistance is painfully slow

By Karin Davis Thompson Florida Courier

As President Joe Biden pre pared to visit areas in Fort My ers devastated by Hurricane Ian on Wednesday, residents in several historically Black neigh borhoods in Southwest Florida weren’t holding out much hope that help was coming quickly for them.

Shannon Tolbert, a resident in Dunbar, a historically Black neighborhood in Fort Myers, told USA Today days after the storm that she and her cousins were still waiting for power to the neighborhood and on Fri day (Sept. 30), decided to try and cool off in their SUV.

“Every time we have a storm we’re the last ones to get pow er,” said Tolbert’s cousin, Valorie Simmons.

Simmons has lived in Dunbar her entire life and said that they aren’tsurprised that they are still waiting.

“It’s expected,” she said. “Where it’s Black and brown people… we get it last.”

Residents said they fear they will once again have to wait in the after-math as their wealthier white neighbors in the area get first priority.

Residents have shared their concerns with media outlets and with government officials, but say help is still slow in com ing.

On Tuesday, Governor Ron Desantis’ office issued a state ment about recovery efforts in Fort Myers, including that ad ditional resources had been de ployed to support the Dunbar community.

Plea for help in Collier County

In Collier County, the local NAACP spoke with officials on behalf of residents in River Park.

The community is less than a 20-minute drive to the beach and is comprised of only three streets of houses and a few apartment com plexes, mostly inhabited by African Americans who have

been there for decades.

Leona Adkins and her hus band, Warren, own one of the houses there, which was near ly destroyed from several feet of flooding that devastated the area last week.

She and her family have been staying in hotels. They are spending their days cleaning up their home and assisting oth er neighbors in need. They say what they need most is a safe place to live and help getting their homes livable again.

Unfortunately, many of the residents have been forced to stay in their homes with soiled furnishings, no power and sew age backup because there’s nowhere else for them to go. Shelters were not immediately made available after the storm and there aren’t many hotels.

Affordable housing in Naples doesn’t really exist.

“My toughest battle is asking for help. We have literally lost EVERYTHING. My home was my family’s safe place that is now in desperate need of repair,’’ Adkins wrote in a GoFundMe post she set up on Monday. “My husband and I work hard and care for my elderly aunt, and grandchildren who have all now been separated. At this time our ‘home’ is no longer that. We are seeking a short-term lease (waiting for home repairs) with no luck.

“At this time, we don’t own any of the things that we worked so hard for but we do have our lives. Our home has housed and provided food and shelter for many throughout the years. We

are not asking for handouts, we are asking for help,’’ she related.

Adkins, a family resource ad visor in Collier County, said in formation about a shelter was distributed in the area on Tues day and donations were coming in.

sewage backups.

Officials have told residents that their first priority was to protect life, but that they hear the frustration of the Black and brown communities.

But people in the commu nity aren’t convinced and they have begun to do what they al ways do, rely on each other and the kindness of others to get through.

Relying on each other

The Collier County NAACP, local churches, organizations and individuals have been in the area daily since the hurri cane, providing food, clothing and other donations. The local NAACP is accepting financial donations to help River Park

A Friend’s Perspective on Faith Johnson

By Kelli Macatee

I want to tell you about my friend, Faith John son. I can tell you things about her that she wouldn’t necessarily tell you. As her friend, I get to see sides of her behind the scenes that others don’t always get to see. When I first met her, I was struck by how strong, bold, and brilliant she is. But more than that, I was struck by her heart. You see, when someone is operating from the heart, there is a depth and a drive that can withstand the hottest of fires.

I was struck by how much she’s always thinking of others, even when no one else will know or even see how she’s advocating for someone’s good behind the scenes.

I knew Faith has a lot of energy, but as I’ve now watched her through the grueling cam paign world, I’ve been in awe at how tireless, dedicated, and committed she is to the work. I honestly don’t know when she sleeps and yet never seems tired! I’m exhausted just watching her!

I have been so struck by how passionate she is for true justice for the people of Dallas County. I have come to believe it’s who she is. You can’t “fake” who you are. It eventually comes out. I have watched her over and over again stand up and fight hard for the good of all people and that not only inspires me but it gives me hope.

Faith tells a story on the campaign trail that I hope you get to hear directly from her. It’s one of my favorites that she tells. Faith is the baby of 13 kids and her parents lived long, full lives. The only thing that separated her parents was the death of her mother and her father lived to almost 101.

“A lot of hot food is being dis tributed as well as water and snacks, fresh fruit,’’ she told the Courier.

‘We’re destroyed too’

NPR interviewed Black resi dents who say that while some news outlets are reporting on their struggle, most have spent more time covering more af fluent areas in Naples and Fort Myers, including Sanibel Island and Fort Myers Beach.

“They’re saying the islands got destroyed,” Lexxus Cherry who lives in the Dunbar com munity told NPR. “Well, we’re destroyed, too. We’re really messed up here.”

As in the River Park neigh borhood and other hard-hit communities, Dunbar residents were coping with a lack of pow er, unsafe drinking water and

residents through its website, NAACPCollier.org.

Residents who don’t live in the area like Shazi Parker also have been in the neighborhood daily to provide support.

“People are coming in in numbers. I have never seen so much support in that commu nity,’’ Parker told the Courier.

Parker, who works at a city recreation center in River Park, has been shopping for clothes for children who live in the area. The children were scheduled to return to school on Thursday. She’s appreciative of the cloth ing donations but wanted to provide the kids with new items.

“I don’t want kids going back to school with hand-medowns. They need to go back with something fresh because they’re already going through

Growing up, especially with 13 kids, money was tight to say the least. When Faith graduated from high school, her mother was so proud and she worked hard to save up $25 so Faith could have a new dress. I love to hear Faith tell this story in her own voice, because as a mother, you know the sacrifices you make for your children and how proud of them you are when they per severe and accomplish something wonderful.

So when Faith’s mom asked her, “Baby girl, what do you want for graduation?” Faith said, “I want 100 friends.” A response to which Mom said, “No, baby girl, I saved up to get you just what you want. What do you want?” Faith re plied, “Mama, I want 100 friends.” Mom said

“What would you do with 100 friends?” Faith began to go on and on in detail about what all she would do for her 100 friends. She was excit ed about the idea of helping 100 friends in all kinds of ways.

Fast-forward to today, and that same longing and desire to serve others is deeply ingrained in Faith. I’ve seen it and experienced it first hand. She genuinely cares about the people of Dallas County. She cares about our families, our for tunes, and our futures. As I watch how hard she works behind the scenes on our behalf, it brings a tear to my eye, knowing that so few out there would work so hard serving others at the level she does. But why does Faith do that? Because it’s who she is. It’s what she’s designed to do and we all benefit from that.

Please check out Faith’s extensive qualifica tions for the role at https://faithjohnsonforda. com/faith-johnson.

Please join me in Voting for Faith Johnson on Tuesday, November 8th, 2022 and tell your friends! Dallas needs Faith Johnson! Let it be so!

Faith Johnson's parents

Faith Johnson

Ancient fortress/castle

Photo: wikipedia.org

Performer will.i.am

en.wikipedia.org

Warren Adkins, left, and other River Park residents, evacuate during the storm.

Photo: LEONA ADKINS

President Joe Biden speaks to Cape Coral firefighters during his visit to Fort Myers on Oct. 5.

Photo: AL DIAZ/MIAMI HERALD/TNS

Use It…I Dare You!

going to be forced either to use the ballot or the bullet. It’s one or the oth er in 1964. It isn’t that time is running out—time has run out! 1964 threatens to be the most explosive year Ameri ca has ever witnessed.”

By Vincent L. Hall

Even when the polls are open to all, Negroes have shown themselves too slow to exercise their voting privileg es. There must be a concerted effort on the part of Negro leaders to arouse their people from their apathetic in difference.... In the past, apathy was a moral failure. Today, it is a form of moral and political suicide.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

As we approach a telling and con sequential voting cycle, it is crucial, especially as Black people, to revisit the wisdom of two civil rights leaders who made voting a priority.

Although Malcolm X and Dr. Mar tin Luther King were presumed to be polar opposites in the civil rights debate early on, they were nearer to lockstep. Both men were adamant promoters regarding the urgent need for us to vote.

As Brother Malcolm stood at the podium and rendered his famous “Ballot or the Bullet” speech, he may have sponsored the subtitle of Dr. King’s 1967 book, “Where do we go from here; Chaos or Community.”

“The question tonight, as I under stand it, is “The Negro Revolt, and Where Do We Go From Here?” or What Next?” In my little humble way of understanding it, it points toward either the ballot or the bullet.

If we don’t do something real soon, I think you’ll have to agree that we’re

Black folks have never been ready for the bullet, and Malcolm knew it. But, in my sanctified imagination, I believe he knew he made Dr. King the lesser of two evils. Malcolm often as sumed the role of “Bad cop.”

longer have to worry the federal gov ernment about our basic rights ...Give us the ballot and we will no longer plead to the federal government for passage of an anti-lynching law.

“Give us the ballot and we will fill our legislative halls with men of good will. Give us the ballot and we will place judges on the benches of the South who will do justly and love mercy.”

Dr. King’s ringing proclamations are still timely, but we can add a few new demands.

Give us the ballot, and poor Tex ans can enjoy the billions of dollars in Medicare benefits Governor “AbButt” denies them. Give us the ballot, and we can get funding for mental illness adequate to treat the tens of thousands of people we jail rather than treat.

The Texas Judiciary’s January 6th Insurrection

Our Voices

By Frederick D. Haynes, lll

Malcolm allowed Martin to swim further out protesting in America’s sea of racism. Despite all attempts to whitewash and canonize him as a noble, non-threatening dreamer, Martin said enough to get him killed.

Don’t ever forget that.

Unknown to most is that King gave a speech called “Give us the Ballot” in 1954. He didn’t mention a bullet, but to White Segregationists, it was equally violent in tone

“Give us the ballot, and we will place judges on the benches of the South who will do justly and love mercy … Give us the ballot, and we will quietly and nonviolently, without rancor or bitterness, implement the Supreme Court’s decision of May 17, 1954.

“Give us the ballot, and we will no

Give us the ballot, and public edu cation and teacher pay can be raised to meet the demands of our future. Give us the ballot, and books like Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye” and “Stamped,” a children’s anti-racism book can be saved.

The CRT war is a farce.

Give us the ballot, and we will de criminalize marijuana and stop jail ing the poor and minorities who sta tistically smoke at the same rates as middle-class and White citizens. Give us the ballot, and we will make voting accessible and convenient for all who have a legal right.

Martin got you the ballot, and Mal colm taught us that it is a bullet. Early voting in Dallas County starts on Oc tober 24, 2022. I dare you to use it!

Tepid Public Reaction to Brett Favre’s Plundering of Welfare Funds Reveals Racial Double Standard For Athletes’ Behavior

To Be Equal

By Marc Morial

‘’Apparently the nations’ love af fair with a White celebrity like Favre is enough to ignore an ugly scandal where money was stolen to build a volleyball stadium. When people try to tell me that race does not play a big role in America, I can now include this scandal from my home state to prove them wrong. Perhaps if Favre is actually charged this may receive more attention. The fact that the known information up to now has not been enough to get the talking heads at ESPN, the National Football League offices, and the NFL Hall of Fame to muster a statement about Favre says a lot.’’ – Milwaukee Independent Col umnist Reggie Jackson

Last year, when Brett Favre partial ly repaid the state of Mississippi for $1.1 million in welfare funds he was paid for appearances and speeches at events he did not attend, he posted on Facebook, “I would never know ingly take funds meant to help our neighbors in need.”

But text messages filed in court documents revealed Favre was con cerned the public would learn the source of the funds. “If you were to pay me is there anyway the media can find out where it came from and how much?”

Favre texted Nancy New, executive director of a nonprofit established to distribute millions of dollars from Temporary Assistance to Needy Fam ilies meant to assist the state’s poorest residents.

Favre first met in July of 2017 with New and Mississippi Department of Human Services director John Davis to request funds for a volleyball facil

ity at his alma mater, the University of Southern Mississippi, where his daughter played volleyball. In addi tion to the $1.1 million paid to Favre, New’s nonprofit sent a total of $5 mil lion directly to the university. Favre also worked to secure $2.1 million through the nonprofit for a biotech start-up in which he is an investor.

Favre is certainly not the central villain in Mississippi’s unfolding $94 million welfare scandal, but he is far and away the most prominent and the wealthiest.

tionship with a Celtics staff member.

The comparisons are imperfect. As sports writer Jemele Hill points out, Favre has been retired for a dozen years while Vick, Watson, and Udoka were all active when their scandals occurred.

But Favre was an active player in 2008, when he harassed a Jets side line reporter with lewd text messages, including a photo of his genitalia, and voicemails. Favre was fined $50,000 for not cooperating with the NFL’s investigation and didn’t miss a single game.

“While no one is standing up for Favre, there isn’t this loud cry that he should lose everything,” Hill wrote. People almost always want a pound of flesh when it comes to Black ath letes, and it’s often unrelenting. So sometimes it’s not about coverage, but tone.”

About 43% of Mississippi’s Black children live in poverty, compared with 14% of white children. But fewer than one percent of those eligible to receive TANF assistance actually re ceive it.

January 6, 2021 changed the course of US history. The insurrection at the Capitol sparked a movement seek ing to suppress our voices and our ballots. As Presi dent Biden recently stated, “equality and democracy are under assault.” Almost two years after the attack, a qui et, January 6th insurrection is taking place against the ju diciary in Texas.

Americans are all too fa miliar with Texas’ far-reach ing repressive laws to restrict how and when voters of col or cast ballots. However, the campaign to undemocrat ically unseat judges hasn’t received any attention, even within the state. It’s not lost on my congregation and Tex as’ Black communities that many of these elected judg es are African American and from Democratic counties, where the majority of Texans live.

Like the January 6th in surrectionists, Texas Repub licans are trying to unseat duly elected officials from our communities, quietly but in plain sight. Instead of violence, they are weaponiz ing instruments of the state like the State Commission on Judicial Conduct (SCJC), which are meant to protect the integrity of our institu tions, and using other le gal maneuvers designed to further their undemocratic goals.

Texas Republicans are ac tively engaged in a war to reject the will of the people, using smear “investigations” organized by powerful Re publican attorneys and the Republican-majority mem bers of the SCJC to oust Black elected judges. Of the 13 SCJC members, two attor neys were appointed by the State Bar of Texas, six judges were appointed by the Texas Supreme Court—only one being a Democrat—and five citizen members were ap pointed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott. Enough said.

people “animals” and “sav ages,” she successfully advo cated to add an anti-discrim ination policy to the Dallas District Court Plan which now disqualifies attorneys found using “inappropriate language and conduct that manifests a bias or preju dice” from receiving county court appointments to rep resent accused indigent in dividuals.

No good deed goes un punished. The Dallas Crimi nal Defense Lawyers Associ ation’s (DCDLA) board, then led by a Republican, quickly retaliated and filed various grievances to the SCJC, sub jectively accusing Givens of “mistreating” attorneys who come before her. These attor neys also have filled over 100 motions for recusal of cases in her court based on claims that Givens is “biased,” and accused her clerk of imper sonating her.

But don’t take my word for it. DCDLA’s disturbing goals for their smear campaign, evidenced in their own in ternal emails and a sworn deposition in a public dis covery filing, states: “What I took from our [DCDLA] meeting was a short-term goal of getting her [Judge Amber Givens] charged (or at least investigated) with a crime, with the long-term goal being damaging her election prospects.”

Judge Darrell Jordan of Harris County is but one more example. This judge was accused of unlawfully arresting and detaining the aggressive opposition re searcher Wayne Dolcefino in June 2020 after he ques tioned Judge Jordan in his own court about criminal complaints. After Jordan warned Dolcefino to stop and leave, Dolcefino was held in contempt after refus ing.

But it was Jordan who was later arrested, taken into custody, indicted for a mis demeanor charge of official oppression, and suspended without pay. The case was dismissed this past July but those aiming to put a Black judge in his place succeeded by generating negative me dia.

The pillaging of public funds in tended for the desperately poor is disgraceful on its face, but even more so when the one who’s doing the pil laging is worth an estimated $100 mil lion.

It’s difficult not to compare the public’s reaction to Favre’s misdeeds with the media backlash against Black athletes and coaches – not only Colin Kaepernick, who lost his career for kneeling during the National Anthem to protest police brutality and racial injustice, -- but also Michael Vick, who served federal prison time for his involvement in a dog fighting ring, Deshaun Watson, who was suspend ed for 11 games and fined $5 million for accusations of sexual misconduct, and Celtics coach Ime Udoka, who has been suspended for the entire 2022–23 season for an improper rela

“They make it so incredibly difficult for families that need these resources to get it,” Aisha Nyandoro, chief ex ecutive of the antipoverty nonprofit Springboard To Opportunities, told the Washington Post. “But then oth ers who don’t need it can just send a text message and money magical ly appears in their bank account … There are people that didn’t receive the money they needed to get their car fixed, to get a job; moms who couldn’t get diapers. What good could have been done in Mississippi with this $94 million? How many families could’ve been impacted?”

Perhaps some Americans can’t quite muster the same outrage on be half of impoverished Black children that they can on behalf of a flag.

Texas is home to some of the most diverse cities in the US, yet some in the state view an increasingly diverse bench as a threat. For exam ple, just 10 years ago only one female Black judge was serv ing in Dallas County’s crimi nal district courts. Currently, nearly half the criminal dis trict court’s benches—8 of the 17—are occupied by Af rican American women.

We witnessed the bru tal opposition campaign launched by far-right QA non-inspired critics against Justice Ketanji Brown Jack son during her confirmation hearing, which accused her of supporting child abuse. We are now seeing the same smear tactics directed at Black judges in Texas.

Take the example of Judge Amber Givens in Dallas. Af ter reading Facebook com mentary by various criminal defense lawyers calling Black

When it comes to Black judges in Texas, you will hear a lot of false accusations and tropes like they “run an in efficient courtroom [read incompetent],” they “speak disrespectfully to [read white] lawyers,” and they are “not working hard enough [read lazy].”

President Biden recently condemned Trump-led ex tremism, casting the mid term elections as a “battle for the soul of the nation.” How ever, what good is it to vote when insurrectionists em ploy other means to unseat our elected officials? Our communities need to under stand what is happening and publicly call out these dark forces, because while na tional Democrats talk about battles, in Texas, the extrem ists are strategically fighting a protracted war.

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

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

Scandal Shines a Harsh Light on Mississippi’s Mistreatment of its Poorest Families

Frederick D. Haynes, lll is Senior Pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas

Black Wombs Matter — See ‘Aftershock’

The Last Word

By Dr. Julianne Malveaux

Did you know that Black women are three or four times more likely to die from childbirth complica tions than white women? Con gresswoman Robin Kelly (D-Ill.), who heads the Congressional Black Caucus Health Brain trust, says the data are direr depending on where a mother lives. In Illinois, Black women are six times as likely to die.

In New York, Black women are 10 times as likely to die. And it’s not just Black women. With a sig nificant Indigenous population in Washington state, those women are eight times as likely to die as white women!

The issue of Black maternal health care is tackled in the film

“Aftershock,” which can be seen on Hulu. Produced by Tonya Lewis Lee and Paula Eiselt, the film fea tures families directly and painfully affected by how Black women are treated as they deliver children.

The Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Forum featured several brain trust meetings on health, including one titled “Cre ating Maternal Health Care Sys tems that Believe and Protect Black

Women.” It featured clips from “Aftershock” and included panel ists affected by the Black maternal health crisis.

Shawnee Benton Gibson’s daughter Shamony Makeba Gib son died from complications from childbirth only 13 days after she gave birth to her son. She com plained of pain, shortness of breath and more, but health care provid ers told her these were “natural” childbirth symptoms. She was only rushed to the hospital to die once she could not move.

Later, it was shown that health care providers ignored vital signs of her increasingly poor health. She died from medical indifference and incompetence.

Also featured in the film were Omari Maynard, Shamony’s part ner who is now raising two chil dren alone, and Bruce McIntyre III, whose partner Amber Rose Isaac died after an emergency C-sec tion. He says her death is the result of “medical negligence” and has joined several others in shining light on this pandemic of Black maternal health.

“Aftershock” lifts the importance of doula (pregnancy coaches and advocates) and midwives, an es sential part of maternal health. It also looks at the criminalization of midwives and those who eschew traditional birthing.

Some midwives have been crim inally prosecuted for bringing

healthy babies into the world.

The film also highlights the rac ist origins of the OB/GYN medical specialty. Developed by a sadist white physician, James Marion Sims, the specialty has its roots in experiments on enslaved Black women.

Indeed, the lie that Black peo ple can withstand enormous pain is rooted in enslavement and the brutal way Black women were ex perimented on.

Because Sims believed Black women could stand all kinds of pain, he conducted painful exper iments without anesthesia. Really? Yet some medical professionals continue to laud his work, and until 2018 a statue celebrating him was part of New York’s Central Park.

His defenders say he was just a product of his times, but it is clear that he not only experimented on enslaved women that he owned but also purchased women to ex periment on them.

I reject the notion that Sims was a product of his times. He was a sadistic brute who denied Black women’s very humanity.

Congresswoman Lauren Under wood (D-Ill.), the youngest mem ber of the Congressional Black Caucus, has introduced the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act, an essential step toward eliminat ing the treatment Black women ex perience as they give birth.

A 12-part comprehensive piece

of legislation, the act includes ex pansion of mental health services for mothers, telehealth for new moms, increased data collection, and funding for community-based organizations working on maternal health issues.

Supported by more than 250 or ganizations, including the Ameri can Nurses Association, the Asso ciation of Black Women Physicians, the Center for American Progress, the Children’s Defense Fund, Fam ilies USA, the NAACP, and oth ers, the legislation has more than 30 Congressional co-sponsors. The legislation has yet to pass the House of Representatives, and it is unlikely to pass the parsimonious Senate. People can get involved by reminding their legislative repre sentatives of the importance of this Momnibus Act.

Shawnee Benton Gibson, Sho many’s mom, said that if Black Lives Matter, then Black wombs must also matter. She has turned the pain of her daughter’s death into powerful advocacy for Black maternal health.

She is among the many, includ ing Congresswomen Robin Kelly and Lauren Underwood and many others, who must be applauded for addressing this issue. Black wombs matter. Watch “Aftershock”!

Dr. Julianne Malveaux is an economist, author and Dean of the College of Ethnic Studies at Cal State LA. Juliannemalveaux.com

The Right Time

Wake Up and Stay Woke

By Dr. E. Faye Williams

As I write, we are less than 50 days from the midterm elections. I do not feel hyperbolic at all when I say that this election is, and will be, the most consequential in our lifetimes. While consequential, the options given to us as voters require little debate as to the fu ture direction we should choose for the nation. Having only two major political parties, realistical ly, we have an either-or decision.

The time is right for an extended discussion of what our decisions will mean for our futures. In the next several weeks, I will address the falsehoods which grow more numerous each day and offer per spectives designed to stimulate reader curiosity, critical thinking, and enthusiasm to participate in the coming election.

First, let me acknowledge that there are no PERFECT POLITI CAL PARTIES. Our two parties

and their members have faults and flaws. If an individual voter is unwilling to vote for a candidate or party because of a perceived imperfection, this election gives the perfect alibi for not voting. But for those who deal in reality and understand that politics will nev er yield perfection, this election presents the challenge of voting for or against predicted or fore shadowed policies that have the potential to alter our lives beyond our current comprehension. This is the only election in my memory where we must earnestly resist the urge to reject the good for the lack of perfection.

What’s new in this electoral cy cle is the Republican Party’s “Com mitment to America.” This is the closest they have come to offering a policy statement that presents their “comprehensive legislative plan” for the nation since before 2012. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy presented the “Commitment to America” which, typical to their party, is long on rhetoric and short on substance.

The rollout to their “Commit ment” was a “homey” affair re plete with country music, an in dustrialist supporter/sponsor, the

Republican House Leadership of McCarthy, Steve Scalise and Elise Stefanik, and a group of House Republicans including Marjorie Taylor Greene and Jim Jordan. Ad mittedly, I found that the presen tation and audience questions/ responses seemed canned and riddled with exaggeration, misrep resentations, and lies. In his pre sentation McCarthy stated that the Republican goals were to provide to America and Americans “An Economy That’s Strong, A Nation That’s Safe, A Future That’s Built on Freedom, and A Government That’s Accountable.” These goals sound important and reasonable, but we need to compare conduct with performance.

During the Trump years of Re publican congressional control, I can’t remember complaints of the negative impact of their $1.9 trillion tax cut which favored the wealthy. The $4,000 trickle-down which was supposed to happen for the average worker did not happen. They oversaw the eco nomic protection of the wealthy and left “the others” to fend for themselves.

National Safety is a mantra that, like many of the Republican

complaints, seems to be situa tional. They purport to be strong supporters of law officers and en forcement yet, while they oppose the language of BLM, they have decried the FBI and have called for its defunding. While all of the Republican Members of Congress live under the protection of the Capitol Police, they ignore the impact of the January 6th insur rection and the lawlessness of the former president, belying their commitment to Government Ac countability.

Their commitment to A Future Built on Freedom is immersed in their culture war. While they abridge rights that were gained over two centuries of civic strug gle and threaten the personal se curity of women and persons of color, they demonstrate that the only worthy freedoms are those they agree with. Under the guise of freedom, they revise history, reject public health instructions, and approve the correctness of select ed conduct and thoughts. This is a commitment I can live without.

Our Destinies are intertwined

Faithful Utterances

By Dr. Froswa Booker-Drew

The recent mock slave auction at a high school in California is more than egregious—it proves that when students are not taught the truth of American history—they find it humorous and lack empa thy for the experiences of others.

According to the Yuba City Unified School District’s Superintendent Doreen Osumi “Reenacting a slave sale as a prank tells us that we have a great deal of work to do with our students so they can distinguish between intent and impact, they may have thought this skit was funny, but it is not; it is unaccept able and requires us to look hon estly and deeply at issues of sys temic racism.”

America has a real issue in dis cussing the hard truth of race. In Dallas, Texas, Big D Reads is a citywide initiative to read The Accommodation: The Politics of Race in an American City by Jim Schultze. More than 30,000 copies

of the book have been printed and distributed. With many panels and discussion groups to review the content, the book is unearthing a history that many are unaware of or would like to forget.

Yet, without discussing the past, we do not understand the cor relation to the challenges we face today. When schools and parents choose not to educate themselves about those issues that are un comfortable, the discomfort re sults in more damage. I’m excited that Dallas is willing to take a deep look at its past. It’s an opportunity for other cities to do the same. It’s an opportunity to remember, re flect, and rectify.

My deceased father’s bout with cancer taught me a lot about un resolved issues. The doctors treat ing him realized the seriousness of his illness, the quick spread and progression of the cancer. Despite numerous treatments, because it was not found early, the cancer spread. Racism is a cancer. Con tinual dialogues are important but without addressing the wounds, we face not only more episodes of youth and adults behaving badly, but we are also placing a band-aid on something that requires deep er introspection, investment and

long-term commitment beyond lip service.

The Bible reminds of the impor tance of knowing our history. We are called to remember. The word remember is found 240 times in the Old and New Testament. The Israelites were told repeatedly to remember their journey of cap tivity out of Egypt: “And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his com mandments or not.” (Deuterono my 8:2)

It’s strange that as Christians, we understand this and embrace it but for some reason, believe it only applies to that era. Deuteron omy 32:7 states, “Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your father, and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you.” There are consequences when we choose to forget: “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, un less you repent.” (Revelation 2:5) Even the Lord’s Supper that most

congregations conduct month ly are a reminder of the sacrifice Christ made for us. Remembering is not an option because forgetting is dangerous.

Maybe why many of us want to forget the past is because we don’t want to take responsibility for the present. It allows the opportunity to shift responsibility to others and make them believe it’s their prob lem. The reality is that when we choose to ignore the past, we are destined to repeat it. The issues of the past impact us all whether we choose to believe it or not. Equity doesn’t mean someone has to lose for someone else to win. If we only tell half of the story, we all lose just like that football team. The team forfeited the season, and the con sequences are far reaching beyond those directly involved. The im pact goes beyond the immediate community and spreads—just like racism.

Our destinies are intertwined… whether you want to acknowledge it or not.

Dr. Froswa’ Booker-Drew is an au thor of three books and the host of The Tapestry podcast. To listen to ep isodes of the podcast, visit https:// www.spreaker.com/show/the-tap estry_1 and to learn more about her work, go to https://drfroswa.com/

Black Neighborhoods cont. from page 3 enough,’’ she said. She’s also col lecting school supplies.

As of Tuesday evening, there have been 75 Florida deaths report ed and about 400,000 residents in Florida remain without power.

The president’s visit Deanne Criswell, FEMA’s admin istrator, traveled with President Joe Biden on Wednesday to Fort Myers to survey some of the heavily dam aged areas there. They also met with DeSantis and response officials

about ongoing efforts to help survi vors and hard-hit communities in Florida and met some residents im pacted by the storm.

“I wanted to tell you in person that we’re thinking of you and we’re not leaving. We’re not leaving until this gets done. I promise you that,” Biden said during a press confer ence at Fort Myers’ Fisherman’s Wharf.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, FEMA said it already has registered hundreds of thou sands of households of Floridians and continues going door to door in 11 counties assisting with appli cations and answering questions about types of federal assistance available.

FEMA also reports approving more than $70 million for Florida residents to help jump start recov ery efforts.

“Right now we are focused on meeting the immediate needs of survivors impacted by Hurricane Ian, while reducing barriers and increasing opportunities so all peo ple, including those from vulnera ble and underserved communities, are able to better access FEMA as sistance, “ Jeremy M. Edwards, FE MA’s press secretary, told the Cou rier on Wednesday.

“Under the leadership of Admin istrator Criswell, we have undertak en a number of initiatives to expand access so more people are better able to access our recovery and re silience programs. This includes ex panding documentation survivors can provide to verify home occu pancy and ownership. We will con tinue to support the people of Flor ida and do everything in our power to jumpstart their road to recovery.”

FEMA also has opened Disaster Recovery Centers, offices staffed by state, federal and volunteer organi zations where residents can access recovery information.

In addition, homeowners in Charlotte and Lee counties can now sign up for Operation Blue Roof, a program managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that provides homeowners with fiberrein-forced sheeting to cover their damaged roofs until repairs can be made.

For more information on Opera tion Blue roof, call 888-ROOF-BLU.

To learn more about additional programs or to apply for FEMA assis tance, go to https://www.disasteras sistance.gov or call 800-621-3362.

My Truth

cont. from page 1 themselves in a position where the oppressed /downtrodden/dis enfranchised became their biggest allies in the battle?

In other words, you’ll have some explaining to do and just like ev eryone didn’t march with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., everyone didn’t get up and exercise that ba sic right because they weren’t us ing the ballot or anything else.

Whatever the case, we have to salute the Transformative Justice Coalition, the National Newspa per Publishers Association and others who are working on Get Out the Vote campaigns. We have come too far to Black down!

Dr. E. Faye Williams is President of the National Congress of Black Women and host of “Wake Up and Stay Woke” on WPFW-89.3 FM

River Park residents in Naples wade through high water from the storm.

Producer Drema Dream Presents hit Stage Play "Cuttin' Up At The Beauty Shop"

To describe playwright, director and producer Drema Dream as unforgetta ble, might be the understatement of the decade. From her rainbow curls to her signature ethereal star line tattoo under neath her left eye, this triple threat leaves audiences on their feet and begging for more! In celebration of the 10-year an niversary of her hit stage play Cuttin’ Up at the Beauty Shop, the femme phenom is thrilled to announce the revival of the show that took the nation by storm!

The play is a hilarious dramedy about real people, with real issues, caught up in crazy situations; after all, anything can and will happen at the beauty shop from excellent customer service to some lowdown dirty shames.

The story centers around Sill, the salon owner with a heart of gold, who has it all together when it comes to taking care of her business. However, in her personal life, she allows her emotions to take the lead.

Her very jealous and dom ineering boyfriend, Keith, only worsens once they are married, and his control over her threatens to destroy everything she has worked hard for.

“I couldn’t be more excited about re turning to the stage with Cuttin’ Up at the Beauty Shop,” says Dream. “We had such a tremendous experience ten years ago, and I can’t wait to give the fans what they’ve been wanting. I’m also very excit ed about introducing the show to a new audience this time around. Get ready to be entertained because this a beauty shop visit, you will never forget!”

Dream developed her love of theatrical writing and production during her 20year career as a professional hair stylist. Having worked as a platform artist and creative director for some of the biggest names in the hair care industry including Bonner Bros. and Nairobi Hair products, respectively, Dream spent years par ticipating in hair shows throughout the United States.

Always on the cutting edge of the lat est product lines and styles, it wasn’t long before the Louisiana native realized she needed to stop participating in hair shows and start producing her own! As a clever way to bridge the gap between stylists, she began crafting skits to keep audiences entertained between compet itor set-ups. They were a massive hit with audiences; so, she decided to hone her skills by enrolling in a screenwriting class at a local community college.

This endeavor would prove to be one of the greatest investments of the young

playwright’s life as it empowered her to embark upon a career that would change her life and the lives of theater goers from coast to coast!

Cuttin’ Up features a stellar cast of Dallas actors including Shalanda Rob inson (SILL), Cory Edwards (ZAY), Isreal J. Henry (MR. MAN), Tee Tee Williams (TEE TEE), Steve Turner (MR. PERCY), Burtaina Marcelin (PENNY), Deqaulyn Davenport (KEITH) and singer, musician and composer Ivan Pickles (KHAKI).

“I couldn’t be happier with the amaz ing group of actors who will be taking the stage for this show. I’ve had the pleasure of working with them in the past and helping develop them as performers, and audiences are in for a real treat,” said Dream. “I wanted to bring Cuttin’ Up back to theatres because peo ple need laughter now more than ever. The world has seen so much loss and heartbreak the last two years. Bringing joy and laughter through my work is what I believe to be the gift I can share with audi ences of all ages!”

Through her brand, IMOC (I’m My Own Competition), the determined artist and en trepreneur has maintained a successful salon, Absolute Class Beauty Salon, developed and crafted a line of work aprons, IMOC Hardwear, for bar bers and stylists and launched a produc tion company proving she is much more than first appearances may suggest.

Dream explained, “People see my hair, they see my tattoos, and let’s face it, they make judgements about me. But I don’t mind being judged critically because as soon as I open my mouth and begin speaking, or you see my work, or observe my work ethic, all those things speak for themselves. I am not who or what people perceive me to be at first glance. What’s on the inside is what matters, and I love blowing people away with the woman I am!”

Dream is also currently working on her second play, Halfway House, an imag inative and spiritual story about angels who have fallen short in executing their heavenly duties. With the reboot of Cut tin’ Up at the Beauty Shop national tour just months away, and a new show on the horizon, Dream is sure to continue making waves on and off the stage for years to come!

Cuttin’ Up at the Beauty Shop takes place on Saturday, October 29 at the Granville Arts Center Brownlee Theatre located at 300 N. 5th Street in Garland, Texas 75040 at 7 pm. Tickets are on sale now at Eventbrite.com.

“Act Like You Want To Be Until You Are Who You Want To Be"

Black Card

By Terry Allen

Lucille “Big Mama” Al len’s lessons are always appropriate for the time. When I first heard them, I ignored them without the power I give them now. I hear “Big Mama” in other people all the time. This one Jury duty visit uncov ered another jewel from the Big Mama's Playbook. And the underlying wis dom call hit me hard while preparing to be a juror.

Here is what resonated with me:

“Too often the powerless are at a great disadvantage in the courts because they have not the influence nor the advocacy to receive justice. God hates it when the powerful treat the powerless unjustly, and he will not let them get away with it.

Proverbs 25:11

“Like apples of gold in settings of silver. Is it a lit eral gold apple set in silver framing, and ornament, or is it the golden variety of apple on a silver plate?

While there is no way to know for sure, it is meant to be seen as something wonderfully made, You have shared with me and us all your journey and what I know for sure, it is my personal testimony that you're justice person ified, You are more than enough thanks, You are Faith over fear, You have the Footprints.

My biggest regret was that I had to hear her speak wisdom and I took IT lightly until this visit to the juror pool where Life repeated them to me again before Lucille “Big Mama” Allen’s playbook resonat ed. Let me remind you that we lived in a house built by my grandfather and grandmother. Born

A Third Reconstruction Must Begin Now

in 1906, “Big Mama” was right in the midst of the era of lynching, Jim Crow and segregation.

Right there in the middle of that, she knew what jus tice was. She was my Ida B. Wells Barnett. She had me look at the acts of Thur good. Today, she could be compared to modern in fluencers like Maxine, Ann R. and Barbara J.

“Big Mama” wanted us to know that no matter what knocked us down, we could get back up and be. Her playbook recipe implied we do not have the power to get others to change unless we must gather ourselves up and be around people who sup port our best evaluations and pathways to change.

Be mindful that Big Mama was a Black woman who lived in the 1900s. I saw what Big Mama expe rienced years after she had spent decades suffering from issues where she had no power, yet she rose up.

She instilled in us to “Fake it till you make it.”

Imposter syndrome is a feeling of unworthiness but it just speaks to our feelings not our deeds. which really means, act you like you want to be un til you are who you want to be!

What I learned in that courtroom was we need you to vote.

Big Mama because of you, I will vote. I hope you will understand just how crucial it is to incubate em powering relationships.

Email me if you can make an impact at Terry AllenPr@gmail.com

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Reader Advisory: The National Trade Association we be long to has purchased the above classifieds. Determining the value of their service or product is advised by this publication. In order to avoid misunderstandings, some advertisers do not offer employment but rather supply the readers with manuals, directories and other materials designed to help their clients establish mail order selling and other businesses at home. Under NO circumstance should you send any money in advance or give the client your checking, license ID, or credit card numbers. Also beware of ads that claim to guarantee loans regardless of credit and note that if a credit repair company does busi ness only over the phone it is illegal to request any money before delivering its service. All funds are based in US dollars. Toll free numbers may or may not reach Canada.

Terry Allen is an awardwinning media professional, journalist, and entrepreneur. He is also the founder of City Men Cook and 1016 Media. Reach him at terryallenpr@ gmail.com

Drema Dream Photo: Drema Dream Productions

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Stylist extraordinaire Nena Hayden is dressing men and women from across this state with boutiques in Dallas and East Texas.

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“Thank you for re-electing me! I am honored to serve Dallas County.”

Adv. Paid by Judge Sandra Jackson Campaign.