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MY TRUTH
By Cheryl Smith Publisher
We deserve your respect Candidates, elected officials, PR Firms, everybody: you need to respect the Black Press. I went to vote the other day. As I walked into the polling location, supporters of candidates expressed their desire for me to cast my vote for their respective candidates. Actually while I thought my mind was made up, I was open to their conversations, if nothing other than being respectful of their desire to deliver a message; just like the Black Press. I went in and cast my vote and much to my chagrin, at 6:50p.m., I was only the 105th person to cast a vote. I remember thinking that I hoped the turn-out was better across town where Deborah Peoples was in a heated race for mayor of Fort Worth, TX. Line for line, side by side; Ms. Peoples was a better, more experienced candidate, but we all know the best does not always win! Anyway, as I walked out of the facility, after casting that oh, so important vote; the same supporters thanked me for voting. I thanked them for their work and told them to tell their candidates that “whomever wins, they should show more love to the Black Press and don’t just come to us when they want coverage.” Now the response I received was hopeful because guess what? Did you know that some elected officials only look to the Black Press when they have been burned by other outlets? Did you know that some elected officials will include news clips from other publications in their press kits and totally omit the clips from the Black Press? Still further, did you know that some Black elected officials won’t call the Black Press at all? Now it’s bad enough that others ignore us or attempt to devalue our impact or level of influence, then we have to get it from those folks who should realize how valuable we are. If you didn’t know the above, you probably didn’t know that there are ad agencies, executives and folks responsible for purchasing advertising but totally ignore the Black Press. Well, ignorance of the industry is not an excuse. Newsflash: If you are responsible for reaching out to the media, you had better start showing some love to the Black Press. We are going to focus on you, especially if you are not doing your homework and providing sound logic for your media buys and interactions. Maybe your employer/ client needs to do an audit of your activity to make sure that you are being diverse, equitable and inclusive! What will they find? Do you have a buddy system? Are you getting kickbacks/payola? Is there a See MY TRUTH page 7
THURSDAY JUNE 17, 2021 VOLUME X
Texas Democrats meet with Vice President Harris A delegation of Democratic lawmakers met with Vice President Kamala Harris Wednesday. Texas Democratic Chair Gilberto Hinojosa issued the following statement after the historic meeting, “It is an honor to see our state Democratic leaders meet with Vice President Kamala Harris today to discuss preserving, protecting, and expanding voting rights in Texas. Just a few weeks ago, our Democratic state representatives showed the country what courage and leadership look like as they broke quorum to stop the worst assault on voting rights in the state since Jim Crow. “What Republicans have attempted in Texas is the prime example of why we need federal legislation pro-
Vice President Kamala Harris talks with Texas delegation Credit: White House
tecting voting rights and our democracy, and we are thrilled that our legislators were able to meet with the Vice President and national leaders this week in D.C. to discuss how urgent the need is for federal legislation like the For the People Act. The meeting, coming on the heels of what some dem-
ocratic legislators referred to as a “tumultuous and very stressful” legislative session, centered on the Texas Democrats who stood up against a bill that would strip away Texans’ right to vote. Rep. Ron Reynolds called the session, “the worst one I have experienced in my six terms.”
“It is so crucial that we stick together,” he said. Former State Sen. Rodney Ellis, concurred, also referring to the session as “vitriolic and mean-spirited” as he expressed his support of the legislators who walked out of the session. “Keep on walking and we are going to support you!” “Our fight is not over. Governor Abbott and Texas Republicans continue to push the passage of legislation that restricts our access and ability to vote in free and fair elections across the state,” said Mr. Hinojosa. “Texas cannot afford to wait much longer for federal action: the Governor has threatened to call legislators back to Austin to push his extreme, anti-democracy agenda.”
After the passing of his wife, Jihad Hassan overcomes pain, and perseveres raising his children #LiveFromSingleBlackFatherhood By Damon L. Hill
Texas Metro News
Jihad Hassan Muhammad was enjoying a joyous life, as a husband, father, contributing editor for The Final Call newspaper and media nationally, in addition to locally, the managing editor for one of Dallas- Fort Worth’s major Black news outlets; when tragedy struck him. It would take years for him to recover from the devastating blow to his family. “When I lost my wife, I felt I truly lost my soulmate,” he recalled. “We had so much faith that she would survive. My faith in God was never shattered, I just asked Him ‘Why, what do you want the children, me, the family, anyone to learn from such pain?’” His wife Haziqah passed seven years ago of a sudden condition called a venous thrombosis, essentially a blood clot residing in her brain. She was also pregnant at the time. “On March 10, 2014 my family and I were struck with a stagger-
Muhammad, more gleeful after overcoming the pain and loss
ing blow, a blow that some never recover from, the blow of death. My friend and beloved wife had passed. Her physical form just existed as a shell now, and she was no longer alive in that form. I would never hold her again. I would never pray with her again, as we loved to start our day doing. The children would never see their mother again. They would never feel her comfort, her soft kiss, her gentle hugs and encouragement, her cooking their favorite meals,
Muhammad and daughter, Nailah
and sewing them their garments, all that was over now.” Though therapeutic, Jihad Muhammad had much to struggle through, and he is not ashamed to say things got really trying for him after Haziqah. “I was left with four children. They are mine through Haziqah, yet their father of blood relation, so to speak, was Haziqah’s first husband, and my children from previous marriage. I really wondered
I Was Just Thinking... By Norma Adams-Wade
Book called “boy.“ gives voice to mothers of Black sons Mothers of Black sons across nation express fear, anger, strategies for racially-safe America in book called “boy.”
Gwen Carr, mother of Eric Garner Credit: MTE Publishing
Eric Garner’s mother Gwen Carr knows paralyzing grief first hands. Other Black mothers across the nation say they share a similar mind-numbing foreboding: the possibility of fear or hatred of Black people by police or racists killing their Black sons. This palpable emotion – ranging from distress to defiance -- is expressed in 48 personal letters from Black mothers to America that comprise the book boy.[cq Defending Our Black Sons’ Identity in America. The book also is commonly referred to as “The Boy Book.” Compiling author Sherilyn Bennett, who collected the mothers’ letters, is an entrepreneur, consultant in graphic design, branding and corporate diversity, ordained minister, and mother of two adult sons, both school football coaches. She was born in Ocala, Florida and lives in Charlotte, N. C.
See JIHAD, page 3
Pelham Makes History In Frisco By Eva D. Coleman
Lifestyle and Culture Editor
And the very diverse crowd went wild at the announcement by Frisco Mayor Jeff Cheney during the election night watch party at The Patios at the Rail on Saturday, June 5, 2021 that Angelia Pelham had won the race for Frisco City Council Place 3. Unofficial polling results show that Pelham defeated Frisco veterinarian Jennifer White by garnering 53.01 percent of the 13,289 votes cast in both Denton and Collin counties. During the celebratory evening, persons of varying hues made their way to Pelham to get a hug, shed tears and take photos. Many were repeated scenes as if they’d forgotten they’d connected for their opportunity before. As the first African American female to
Hon. Angelia Pelham
be elected to a seat on the Frisco City council, perhaps processing the historic and rare moment in the city’s history was a challenge. Pelham often spoke about unification along her campaign trail, and confirmed the reality of the present view in front of her and in what lies ahead. “What makes this win so beautiful is, it wasn’t a small slice of Frisco that came out for the race,” she said. “What makes this
so beautiful is the diversity that we saw. Y’all, if you look around this room, this is Frisco. We have every race, every ethnicity, every religious background; this is Frisco.” “You came together and you said, ‘Not in our city,’” Pelham said. “You said ‘We will not be divided. We will come together in unity because we want what’s in the best interest of all of Frisco.’” Pelham later added, “We came together and now we are Frisco strong.” Clarification/Correction: A previous Texas Metro News story written by Eva D. Coleman about Angelia Pelham shared that Pelham would be the first African American elected to Frisco City Council. Pelham is the first African American female to be elected. While Frisco voters adopted their initial Home Rule charter which set the present form of government structure in 1987, it has been written and shared via personal accounts that Otis Spears, an African American minister, was elected to a two-year term in 1983.
Cover of book “boy.“ Credit: Sherilyn Bennett
Images of watching media reports of the May 25, 2020 murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer would not allow her to rest until she completed the boy. book that she views as a catalyst for change in America. The book also includes chapters about (a) what your rights are and how to act if stopped by police, (b) a historical perspective about treatment of Black men and women by police, and (c) a licensed mental health counselor’s assessment of lingering trauma from police brutality and/or racist treatment in various settings. “We must recognize that not all fights against racial inequality happen in the streets,” Bennett See THINKING, page 7