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JAGUARS RULE!
MY TRUTH
By Cheryl Smith Publisher
THURSDAY APRIL 1, 2021 VOLUME X
Cheryl’s for real! I want to talk about Cheryl for a minute. The sister is all over the place! She went to an HBCU, so that means that she has it going on! She pledged a sorority and knows the importance of sisterhood, and she’s been committed to public service, family, hard work and faith. She didn’t just arrive on the scene. Cheryl has been working a long time and making a difference so it’s no wonder that she is prepared for a time such as this.
Botham Jean’s Family - Allison Jean, Brandt Jean, Allissa CharlesFindley, Bertram Jean
A Street Named BO From Staff Reports
It was a first! The inaugural HBCU Lone Star Diamond Classic at the beautiful Rough Riders Field Southern in Frisco, TX with two powerhouses in the Southwestern Athletic Conference battling for bragging 11 rights. Southern University came with a broom, sweeping the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff 15 Golden Lions in the three-game series. Credit: CSLmedia 7
UAPB 7 8 5
Howells don’t want families to suffer By Valerie Fields Hill
Foundation calls for extension of program scheduled to end in April
Texas Metro News
Cheryl Polote Williamson
She expects you to have your stuff together, because guess what? When you come needing something from her, it’s always together! So why should she accept less from you? Cheryl lifts as she climbs and makes opportunities for others. Not only does she know her way around a broadcast studio; she has that publishing gig down pretty solid too. Cheryl is sounding pretty decent right about now. Which brings me to my truth. No, I am not talking about Cheryl Smith. I am talking about Cheryl Polote Williamson. But, as I am writing, in my head I hear Carly Simon’s song, “You’re so Vain.” When I look up at the stars, it seems like I see Cheryl’s face peering back at me. Some might say, “Gosh Cheryl Polote Williamson is all over the place. She just popped up outta nowhere!” Hold up wait a minute. No impostor syndrome, complex; whatever you want to call it going on over here. Cheryl has labored and learned, listened and mentored so that she was ready when the opportunity came her way. You may just now be beginning to see what was around you all the time—a hard-working sister with a vision. So today we are reading her books, listening to her presentations, enjoying her plays, and more. And beginning this week, we will see the wife, mother, sister, friend, and all around great person in action as the executive producer of Twenty Pearls: The Story of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, a documentary featuring other dynamic women, like actress Phylicia Rashad and Vice President Kamala Harris; who are also her sorority sisters. And if you think this will be her only film project, well you’ve got See MY TRUTH, page 2
Administrators of a Dallas County organization that distributes fresh food boxes and COVID-protection products predict that local families will continue needing such items through at least 2022. Dominique Bryant-Howell and her husband Chris Howell, founders of Dallas-based Chris Howell Foundation, said the COVID-19 pandemic has gutted thousands of families’ household incomes;
Chris Howell
they will need more than a year to financially recover, she said. “The need is so great,” Bryant-Howell said. “We have decided as a board to move forward with food distribution. People are going to need 12 to
18 months to pull themselves together.” Bryant-Howell made the statement Thursday, March 25, during a private gathering of Tarrant County and City of Fort Worth elected officials and business leaders. The foundation hosted the gathering at downtown Fort Worth’s The Capital Grille to address looming concerns over a marked rise in food inse-
curity in Arlington, Mansfield, Fort Worth and nearby communities. Tarrant County Commissioner Roy Brooks; Jay Jackson, a representative from Commissioner Devan Allan’s office; Fort Worth City Councilwomen Gyna Bivens and Kelly Allen Gray; and Annette Robinson, a listing agent with James Walker Realty, were among community leaders who attended the luncheon event. The Howell Foundation has distributed more than 2400 USDA See HOWELLS page 8
Jacobs takes long, hard look at pain By Leah Frazier
Special to I Messenger Media
Jacobs Family at Book Signing
Dallas media personality, actress, educator, philanthropist, singer, nationally syndicated radio host, and now author; Dareia Jacobs is hotter than hot, if the turnout for her inaugural book signing is any indicator. And as if that wasn’t enough, Jacobs reached yet another milestone as her debut book, Leaving Your Pain On the Pew, reached national best selling heights as a hot, new release in both Christian Living – Personal Growth, and Christian Living – Women’s Issues categories.
The best seller, formally released on March 2, 2021, explores the issues of “church hurt” — a widely experienced phenomenon wherein members of the congregation experience pain, disappointment or trauma by pastors, leaders of the church, or other congregation members where trust was betrayed. In Leaving Your Pain on the Pew, First Lady Jacobs shows readers how to heal from church hurt and develop the courage to love. For those “wounded warriors,”the book details how to move beyond the hurt to healing, trust God with the restorative See DAREIA JACOBS page 2
Driven to Succeed, LLC certified by WBENC Driven to Succeed LLC, a business specializing in market research and brand strategy consulting for Fortune 500 companies and leading brands, recently received national certification as a Women’s Business Enterprise by the Ohio River Valley, a regional certifying partner of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). “We are proud to be among the 13 million women-owned businesses, and 2.7 million Black women-owned businesses in the U.S.,” said Kristin Harper, Driven to Succeed’s Founder and CEO. “As a WBENC-Certified Women’s Business Enterprise, we are excited to partner with more corporations and government agencies who
Kristin Harper
wish to purchase services and solutions from diverse suppliers. Certification further authenticates a business and helps entrepreneurs establish a firmer foundation as they continue to build their companies.
“We’ve built an agile team whose 75+ years of Market Research, Marketing, and P&L Management experience across dozens of Fortune 500 clients and diverse B2B and B2C industries help us translate insights into the ‘so what’ and ‘now what,’ leading to faster, more impactful results,” added Ms. Harper. WBENC is the nation’s most widely recognized certifier of businesses owned and operated by women. By including women-owned businesses and minority business enterprises among their suppliers, corporations and government agencies demonstrate their commitment to fostering diversity and the continued development of their supplier diversity programs. See WBENC page 7
The family of slain USVI businessman Botham Shem Jean returned to Texas once again Botham Shem Jean since his murder on September 6, 2018, at the hands of an off-duty police officer. This time they shared the stage with Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, civil rights Atty. Ben Crump, clergy members, community activists and others at the intersection of Belleview Street and the 1400 Block of South Lamar Street as the City of Dallas commemorated the renaming of the stretch of South Lamar Street between Interstate 30 and South-Central Expressway to Botham Jean Boulevard. At the program on Saturday, it was an emotional occasion as just like at the trial for Amber Guyger, stories about what a wonderful person “Bo,” as he was called by many, was. In addition to Mayor Johnson who has already proclaimed the day of Mr. Jean’s birthday, Sept. 29, as #BeLikeBo Day in honor of the Harding University graduate, on Monday, Rep. Carl O. Sherman (D-109), joined by legislators, and a diverse group of supporters, held a press conference at the State Capitol to bring light to his proposed legislation, Bo’s Law, which he said is meant to “codify and strengthen existing criminal justice laws and address the use of excessive and deadly force by those who are sworn to protect and serve all Americans.” Jean, a native of Saint Lucia, moved to Dallas for a job after graduation and outside of his studies and work, the young professional dedicated himself to community service, often through his church. He was working as an accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) at the time of his death. “Botham Jean’s death was an unfathomable calamity, but his life embodied a spirit of service and kindness,” Mayor Johnson said. “By giving back to his community, he set an example that all Dallasites can live by. I encourage everyone to Be Like Bo on his birthday this year and let the legacy of his short, bright life transcend the tragedy of his death.” Mr. Jean’s pastor, Minister Sammie L. Berry of Dallas West Church of Christ, echoed the mayor’s call. “Botham’s voice was silenced too soon, but the day of service is a way for us to remember what he stood for: love, service, sharing, and giving,” Berry said. “Any act of service, large or small, is a way of honoring his life.” Guyger, whose name made headlines following the shooting, trial and subsequent guilty verdict, has been serving a 10-year sentence and will be arguing before an appellate court the end of April.