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MY TRUTH
By Cheryl Smith Publisher
THURSDAY MARCH 4, 2021 VOLUME X
FAMULY Royalty
I Was Just Thinking... By Norma Adams-Wade
We believe Erika Johnson is latest to wear the Miss FAMU crown Dallas Black protest and Johnson, has served Florida A&M our lying By Skylar Boone University with dignity and grace while lifting her voice in service planning eyes! Some would say that a profile and praise of the University,” of the Johnson family would have said FAMU President Dr. Larry Too many women belong sites-Part II been ideal for February during Robinson. “She has successfully to an elite club that no one in their right minds would want membership in. If you’ve ever seen Haile Gerima’s movie, Sankofa, a mother’s pain is excellently portrayed and has been part of my psyche for decades. Her anguished cries were reminiscent of the moans I’ve heard so many times from mothers who have lost a child. Which brings me to my truth.
Erika Nicole Johnson Miss FAMU 2020-2021
African American History Month, but when you have a family like theirs, full of accomplishments; any day and any month is a good one for a celebration. And celebrate is what this family and many, still observing social distancing measures, will do when they witness yet another milestone this weekend, with all eyes on the youngest Johnson. Erika Nicole Johnson, at her Miss Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) coronation. Although she has reigned the entire year, this weekend is her big weekend and she is more than deserving of all the pomp and circumstance that comes with this honor. “Miss FAMU 2020-21, Erika
fulfilled the legacy of Miss FAMU and within her own family, succeeding her mother and sister, both outstanding alumnae. She was one of the student recipients of the FAMU MLK Leadership Award for her commitment, dedication, and leadership. She has reigned supreme as Miss FAMU.” And reigning supreme comes naturally for Erika’s family.
MEET THE JOHNSONS: Dr. Vivian Bradley Johnson is the Senior Vice President of Clinical Services at Parkland Hospital Systems and a proud graduate of Florida A&M University (FAMU), where the names Bradley and Johnson are legendary; almost as
Last week, there could have been another member inducted into that “club” of women who lost sons to police violence/brutality. Outrage is mounting across the country as video of Plano (TX) police arresting a young Black man, 18-year-old RJ Reese, walking home after working the late shift at Walmart. Police say they responded to a call about a man in shorts and t-shirt, stumbling in the street during the winter storm. The situation escalated. All I could do was clench my teeth and shake my head as I watched the officers try to “help” RJ before taking him to jail. They ask if he was okay and he responds that he lives a short distance away and didn’t need any help. They persisted, offering a ride. He declined. He just wanted to go home.
Rodney Reese, 18, was arrested at 10:45pm on February 16 in Plano
A Class C misdemeanor, could have cost RJ his life. It was a case of majoring in the minors! Now charges have been dropped but RJ will probably always remember that night in jail. He’s not a criminal and his actions weren’t either. An inquiry is expected. We can’t condone or excuse the handling of that encounter. And for those who have alternative narratives, it is refreshing that you are becoming the minority.
From staff reports The 56th Anniversary Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee, the largest annual civil rights event in the nation, will take place March 5-7 to honor the past, examine the present and look forward to the future of the fight for equity and justice. This year’s theme, “Beyond the Bridge: People Power, Political Power, Economic Power,” encourages unity. This epic undertaking is making history in a brand new way by going global and virtual for the first time ever! The Jubilee will be a time of celebration,
education and commemoration, with activities for people of all ages -- and the entire weekend is designed for participants to stay engaged, stay safe and log in from anywhere in the world. You won’t want to miss: • A special appearance by legendary civil rights leaders, Ambassador Andrew Young and Dolores Huerta • A tribute to the late Congressman John Lewis • Powerful stories of Foot Soldiers in the movement, in their own words • Step Show and Battle of the Bands Competitions
article about the “Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male,” that appeared in the magazine, “The Atlantic.” Dr. Vivian Bradley Johnson, Parkland Senior Vice President of Clinical Services, said she was pleased when she heard that the commissioner was taking the vaccine. “I’ve been waiting for Commissioner Price to take it,” she said. “I believe he will help get others to accept it. If he is taking it then they feel that others will trust it.” According to Dr. Johnson said health officials have been working to get influencers, “individuals See PRICE page 7
See THINKING, page 5
See ROYAL DYNASTY page 8
• A soul-stirring Gospel Concert • Virtual Music and Film Festivals • The Virtual Crossing Reenactment across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, • and so much more! Organizers are committed to the commemoration and preservation of the spirit of the struggle for the right to vote in this country and the world. The goal is to inspire people of all ages and ethnic backgrounds to respect and appreciate the power of their vote. See JUBILEE page 7
Price gives history lesson before taking vaccine By Cheryl Smith Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price is 70 years old, and according to established guidelines, he could have been at the head of the line to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. While many may have assumed that he, like so many other elected officials in his age group, had already taken the COVID-19 vaccine; he had not, until Monday. At a press conference at the Ellis Davis Fieldhouse Complex, one of the sites selected in January to administer drive-thru and by-appointment-only vaccinations, Price discussed the Coronavirus and encouraged citizens to join him in line to get the vaccine. There’s nothing ‘politically/ phobia-motivated or back-room concocted to explain why it has taken Price more than two months after the first vaccine was administered on December 14, 2020 in New York, to get his shot. Instead, he has been working to ensure fair and equitable distribution of services and vaccines; while also educating his constituents on information as quickly as it becomes available. “Since the introduction of the Pfizer vaccine, I have been inun-
John Wiley Price, the Dallas County Commissioner for District 3, speaks to the media following his COVID-19 vaccination at the Ellis Davis Field House in Dallas, Monday, March 1, 2021. Credit: Tom Fox / Staff Photographer- The Dallas Morning News
dated with questions from people in this community and frankly across the country,” he said. “The doubt and skepticism around this issue concerns me.” In addition to encouraging citizens to register and take the vaccine at their earliest opportunity, Price focused on dispelling and dismissing some of the misinformation and conspiracy theories surrounding the issue. “Too many people in our community refuse the treatment based on an erroneous belief about the infamous ‘Tuskegee experiment,’” he explained, citing author James Jones’ book, “Bad Blood” by James Jones, and a June 2016
Credit: The Dallas Morning News
Shall we gather at the river… or City Hall, Kennedy Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center? Where? In Black history, our people gathered at the river or in the dense woods to plan strategies for gaining freedom and fighting inequities. I was just thinking…. Traditionally, where have Dallas Black people gathered to plan and protest? Here is Part I of a two-part review: 1. Kennedy Memorial, Main and Market Streets in downtown Dallas. During the 1970s and after, this monument’s central location drew protest and commemorative crowds of different ethnicity with diverse causes in common – a wrongful death, a significant anniversary, an immigration, foreign policy or discrimination issue. They also gathered to remember the nation’s 35th president, John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated Nov. 22, 1963 in Dallas. The memorial is about 200 yards east of the assassination site at the Dealey plaza/grassy knoll/triple underpass site. New York architect Philip Johnson designed the “open tomb” memorial concept shortly after the assassination. The concrete structure was dedicated more than six years later on June 24, 1070. In recent years, fewer groups gather at the site as other locations become more convenient with more accessible parking. 2. Moorland Branch YMCA (now headquarters for the Dallas Black Dance Theatre) at 2700 Flora St. in the downtown Arts District near Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. This historic building, build in 1930, is almost a shrine to African-American history in Dallas. As the saying goes, “if these walls could talk” in Moorland, what a story they would tell! Moorland was a significant hub of Black Dallas where all aspects of “Negro life” planning and development happened. Significant figures in local and national Black history, including former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, who then was a prominent NAACP attorney, strategized civil rights activities at meetings in the building. Also, many well-known national Black entertainers stayed overnight in the sleeping quarters when here for engagements, as local hotels did not admit Black people during that era. The history of Moorland and its place as a planning site for African-American progress,
JUBILEE 2021 See you in Selma, virtually! Rodney “RJ” Reese
Street protest in Dallas.