I Messenger 8-27-21 by Cheryl Smith

I MESSENGER VOL X NO 49 AUGUST 27, 2021

Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson proclaims Allisha Gray Day in Dallas

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Eva Coleman Elected Region III Director for NABJ

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Established 2011 CREDO OF THE BLACK PRESS The Black Press believes that America can best lead the world away from racial and national antagonisms when it accords to every person, regardless of race, color or creed, full human and legal rights. Hating no person, fearing no person, the Black Press strives to help every person in the firm belief that all are hurt as long as anyone is held back. August 27, 2021

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Eva Coleman

Photo credit: Stacey Oluchi Photography

Washington, D.C. -- The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) has announced its 2021 Board of Directors election results. Results will be audited next week. Dorothy Tucker, the incumbent President of NABJ, and an award-winning investigative reporter for CBS2 Chicago was re-elected President of NABJ. Tucker received 531 votes (83%) while her opponent Manuel Smith received 111 votes (17%). Tucker previously served as NABJ VP-Broadcast, six years as a regional director, and held leadership roles in five local chapters. Ken Lemon, a reporter at WSOC-TV in Charlotte, NC, was re-elected as NABJ Vice P re s i d e n t- B ro a d c a s t . Lemon received 596 votes (100%). He ran unopposed. Lemon is a charter member of the UNCW Communications Studies

Alumni Board and is a North Carolina Certified Mediator. Amir Vera, a writer for CNN Digital and the current president of the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists (AABJ), was elected NABJ Vice President-Digital. Vera received 586 votes (100%). He ran unopposed. Vera previously served as the public relations chair and vice president of Hampton Roads Black Media Professionals. Madison Carter, an award-winning investigative journalist at WXIA-TV in Atlanta, was elected NABJ Secretary. Carter received 584 votes (100%). She ran unopposed. Carter served as president of the Buffalo Association of Black Journalists (BABJ) and was named News Personality of the Year by The Buffalo News. Brie Jackson, a Washington, D.C.- based national correspondent for Hearst Television stations, was elected NABJ Region I Director. Jackson received 227 votes (100%). She was unopposed. Jackson has more than 15 years of experience in broadcast news specializing in several issues, including racial injustice and equity. Jackson is also the founder, and former president, of the Southwest Virginia Chapter of NABJ. Eva D. Coleman Voted Region III Director (photo

Dorothy Tucker Re-Elected President of NABJ

Dorothy Tucker

credit: Stacey Oluchi Photography) Eva D. Coleman, a national award-winning multimedia producer, editor, college and high school media educator, was elected as NABJ Region III Director. Coleman received 187 votes (100%). She ran unopposed. Coleman is a four-time Telly Award-winning television producer and was named 2019 National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Journalism Educator of the Year. Coleman is also lifestyle and culture editor for I Messenger Media - Texas Metro News, Garland Journal and IMessenger. Tamia Fowlkes, a rising senior at the University of Wisconsin, was voted NABJ Student Representative. Fowlkes received 75 votes (100%). She ran unopposed. Fowlkes is majoring in Journalism and Political Science with certificates in Gender and Women’s Studies and Leadership. She is an intern at The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. myimessenger.com

INSIDE

WAKE UP AND STAY WOKE Mike Pompeo, I read your thoughts about America being “the greatest nation and greatest force for good on the planet, and it is up to us to keep it that way.” Obviously, you’ve never lived as a Black person, so with a few adjustments in your thinking, I could agree with you.

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I WAS JUST THINKING... How much achievement can come from one family? Yes, there are many examples of families that set high bars and just about all, if not all, of the family members clear the hurdle and then some. They go out into the world and stand tall above us average citizens.

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our voices America’s democracy is under assault — systematic, unrelenting and unhinged. The assault is waged by one party — the Republican Party. It is largely driven by the lies and racism of Donald Trump, who simply will not accept that he lost the last election.

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August 27, 2021

MY TRUTH by Cheryl Smith Publisher

What will be your boss move?

Simone Missick

Power and influence. When you have an opportunity to make a difference, to do good when all around you seems bad; do it! Excitement was in the air as news that the cancelled CBS drama, “All Rise” could be coming back for a third season. According to numerous reports The Oprah Winfrey Network was negotiating with Warner Bros. What good news to hear when we are surrounded by so much news that is wreaking havoc in the minds of so many. And nothing’s wrong with a little entertainment! Just imagine, we could get to see the talented, gorgeous and smart Simone Missick back on the bench as the socially-conscious and conscientious Judge Lola Carmichael. And you get to see her showing Black love to her equally talented, handAugust 27, 2021

some and smart FBI agent of a husband and father of their daughter. Talk about a diverse cast! Well, it was refreshing for me to tune in to the work of an excellent writing, directing, producing and acting team that is relatable. Then I began to think about all the boss moves that Ms. Winfrey continues to make. And she doesn’t have to do ANYTHING, you hear me? If she doesn’t want to do, it won’t get done. But she pushes the envelope constantly addressing issues; not making a big splash, just doing what needs to be done. Many of us could learn from her. Whether she’s building schools, educating a class of Black men in college, or taking care of so many; she’s doing what she feels compelled to do and it’s her journey. Which brings me to my truth. Coming from New Jersey, I am more into baseball and basketball than football; but then I went to that powerhouse, Florida A&M University, and begin to see a little of what the fuss was about as I began covering more and more sports, as a reporter. Well fast forward to all the “hype” surrounding Colin Kaepernick; who is referred to as an “activist” today, when in the past he was viewed

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Colin Kaepernick

as just a socially-conscious brother who played football and spoke out about injustices. Some might say there isn’t any difference between the two and others who entertained and spoke out are discussed, along with the price they paid. And there are so many who vilified Mr. Kaepernick, doing everything they could to end his career; even to the point of playing mediocre players, because they could. Still others criticized the teams but still bought those tickets and turned on their television sets. Well, I am not Oprah, but I took one “big” for me step that I thought was pretty “boss.” I remember a photographer asking me for press credentials to covert NFL for Texas Metro News. I told him

he could cover Pee Wee, Little League, Pop Warner, high school, college or women’s Legend’s Football League; but I wasn’t focusing on the NFL at all. For me the NFL needed a lot of help in so many areas and especially in changing the mindsets of some of their racially-insensitive owners. The photographer urged me to agree to the credentials; saying he would get me the “money shot.” My response: The only ‘money shot’ you can get me is of Kaepernick back on the field playing! End of discussion. When the photographer walked away, I’ll admit I felt good. It was not an adversarial type of conversation. Just matter of fact. Kaepernick, and so many others deserve a chance and it’s just unfortunate that while I own my publications, I don’t own a team because the brother would be playing or maybe even coaching! That’s what you do with boss moves! So, I’ll take this small victory. Sure we’ll write good stories, like Drew Pearson’s induction into the Hall of Fame; but we’re not going to contribute to this madness. We have to demand what the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin asked for…R-E-S-P-E-C-T! myimessenger.com

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August 27, 2021

Wear the masks, wash your hands and show love!

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Spend Nine Minutes And 29 Seconds To Make A Difference TO BE EQUAL MARC MORIAL

If we can lift black lives from the margins of society, we can lift all lives.” – USC Law Professor Jody David Armour I had the honor of delivering the commencement address at Tennessee State University. Like many historically Black colleges and universities, TSU was born in the crucible of the age of segregation. It was born at a time when our forefathers and foremothers were escaping from the throes of the Ku Klux Klan. They were escaping from the pandemic of lynching which was sweeping the South. If they lived in the 1870s, 1880s, and 1890s, they may have had a chance to vote. A chance to hold public office. A chance to own property. Then in the late 1896, the Supreme Court ruled in Plessy v. Ferguson that legal segregation did not violate the U.S. Constitution. For the sons and daughters of enslaved ancestors, that represented a great betrayal. myimessenger.com

And in those times, just imagine the courage it took, the determination it took for the sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters, of our enslaved ancestors, to aspire to a college education. That entire generation, faced with this betrayal, didn’t cover, and they didn’t quit. They created great, historically Black colleges and universities. They created the NAACP and the organization I’m proud to lead, the National Urban League. They created the Alphas, the Kappas, the Omegas, the AKAs, the Deltas, Zeta Phi Beta, and all the rest. They created organizations of Black doctors, and nurses, and lawyers. And they were determined to strive against those difficult times. What does that have to do with today? Well in 2020, the year just ended, our lives were upended by an invisible virus, an enemy we couldn’t see and we couldn’t touch. But it could see us, it could touch us, it could infect us, and it did kill us. And our lives were upended, by nine min-

utes and 29 seconds of a knee on the neck of our brother George Floyd in Minneapolis. Nine minutes and 29 seconds that ignited a new flame of activism. All of this presents a question to the Class of 2021 – a class that has withstood a year of virtual instruction, a massive wave of job loss, interacting from behind masks at a distance of six feet. The Class of 2021 has seen family members and friends fighting for their lives on ventilators. The Class of 2021 has overcome this invisible virus, and the challenge of those nine minutes and 29 seconds. And that question is: What will you do now? Will you become spectators, or will you seize the moment? My charge to the Class of 2021 is to commit to nine minutes and 29 seconds each day to the fight for social justice and civil rights in this country. Nine minutes and 28 seconds, spent urging the United States Senate to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Nine minutes and 29 seconds spent telling states like Georgia: we will not

be silent while you suppress our votes. Nine minutes and 29 seconds a day reaching back to your high school or community, serving as a role model and a guide for another young person. Nine minutes and 29 seconds, every day, to honor the memory of George Floyd and all the men and women who have lost their lives to racially-motivated police violence. To honor the memory of the lives lost to structural racism in our health-care system during this awful pandemic. Whether we graduated this week or 50 years ago, we all stand on the shoulders of the brave men and women who came before us, the men and women who built great universities in the crucible of Jim Crow, men and women who had the audacity to seek a college education against all odds. We all should remember their courage and carry it with us as we work to build a nation without racism, without poverty, and without bitter division. Marc Morial is president/CEO of the National Urban League.

August 27, 2021

Message to Michael WAKE UP AND STAY WOKE DR. E. FAYE WILLIAMS, ESQ.

Mike Pompeo, I read your thoughts about America being “the greatest nation and greatest force for good on the planet, and it is up to us to keep it that way.” Obviously, you’ve never lived as a Black person, so with a few adjustments in your thinking, I could agree with you. If only you’d said America is the greatest nation and the greatest force for good on the planet for white people, I could agree with you. Understand that other people who’re not white haven’t had it as good as you have. Imagine you were Black, brown, red or yellow. Do you think you’d have enjoyed the historic brutality of white people? Suppose this was the native land of your ancestors and suddenly your land was stolen, your people were killed, treaties were dishonored, and your people were forced to live on undesirable land with few resources and fewer prospects for a prosperous future. Would you have enjoyed that? Suppose you’d been placed in concentration camps, or your family worked the fields raising fruits and vegetables for the masses while being paid less than minimum wage? Imagine your infant children being rounded up in their young adulthood and deported to a country where August 27, 2021

they’d never lived and where they had no social or minimal cultural connection. Think about it. All of these things were done to non-white people by white people like you. White people like you became the beneficiaries of their labor and their deprivation. Truthfully, if circumstances were reversed, would you really sit back, grin and be happy about people of color prospering while your people were lynched, brutally beaten/killed by the police without consequences, relegated to the back of the bus or to jobs below minimum wage? Would you really be happy forgetting the cruelty that has existed for years and continues under the veil of social order? Seriously, if your white people had been denied education, denied decent housing, denied decent jobs — denied just about everything you would ever have hoped for, would you be shouting from rooftops how great America is, and that you don’t want to hear anything about critical race theory or the truth thereof? You mean you really wouldn’t care that, with few exceptions, your community didn’t have decent healthcare or grocery stores or good schools? Knowing your current elevated lifestyle, I find it difficult to believe that, under the oppressive circumstances previously described, you wouldn’t have wanted equal rights, safe streets, fair police protection, fair voting rights, and the opportunity to succeed on the

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Hon. Mike Pompeo

basis of your personal merit. Truth is sometimes hard to take, but if things had been reversed, I believe you would be found in the street yelling “White Lives Matter,” “White Voters Matter,” “I’m white and I’m proud!” In reality, you ARE white and were born with all the associated privileges. My observations inform me that even poor whites understand the privilege their color offers them. Too often, the inability to understand leads one to falsely believe their privilege derives from being smarter or more deserving. That wrong-thinking will lead, as it has seemingly led you, to become an undeserving, self-serving,

uncaring, ignorant white man who knows the truth, but who can’t contend with the discomfort of acknowledging the truth. Your greatest fear is losing undeserved white privilege and having the rest of us treated like the beings God made us. If you could just imagine what equality would be like, I am sure you would not have written that muddled article you wrote for CAVPAC. Critical race theory is about truth-telling and it’s obvious that people like you know little about TRUTH! Dr. E. Faye Williams is National President of the National Congress of Black Women and Host of “Wake Up and Stay Woke” on WPFW-FM 89.3.

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President Biden’s COVID-19 Directives for Schools and Nursing Homes OUR VOICES BY SEN. ROYCE WEST

President Joe Biden announced two efforts aimed at helping Texas school children and residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities. First, President Biden instructed Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to take the steps needed to protect school children by using all available oversight authority including legal action - to stop

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governors or other officials’ efforts to “block and intimidate local schools and educators.” The President called out politicians for their attempts to turn public safety measures into partisan disputes for their own political gain. He cautioned that state executives who are taking power away from local educators are “setting a dangerous tone,” for the country. I could not agree more! I fully support President Biden’s directives to Secretary Cardona. We cannot play politics with the lives of Texas schoolchildren when we know that local school

boards and superintendents will do what is necessary to protect students from COVID-19. Secondly, President Biden announced that his administration will require all nursing home workers who serve Medicare or Medicaid clients to be vaccinated. The President correctly noted that the vaccination rates among nursing homes’ staff in Texas trails the overall vaccination rate of the rest of America. I support the Biden Administration’s actions to protect residents in nursing home and long-term care facilities across this nation, and in the great state of Texas.

Mask mandates and vaccinations are not and should not be political. These are public health measures we must all pay attention to in order to protect our fellow Texans and save lives. My overriding philosophy of government has always favored local control. I believe that government closest to the people is best for the people. Royce West was first elected to the Texas Senate in November 1992. He represents the 23rd Senatorial District on behalf of the citizens of Dallas County.

August 27, 2021

Labor Day QUIT PLAYIN’ VINCENT L. HALL I love Labor Day because that’s when the family reunion goes down. Naw, not mama ‘nem; my political family. This group is as diverse and entertaining as my immediate family. Each year, I and the fam’ meet up for breakfast. The Dallas AFL-CIO sponsors the repast to gather up the Union brothers and sisters and signal the kickoff for the upcoming political season. In 1863, then-President Abraham Lincoln issued what was arguably the most significant executive order in American history. Proclamation 95, an unnumbered executive order we know as the Emancipation Proclamation, was de facto labor regulation. Proclamation 95, like the 13th Amendment that it 31 years later, favored the fundamental freedoms of enslaved workers in deference to the liberties slaveholders exercised for almost 300 years. W.E.B. DuBois once remarked that he saw the American Civil War as a “General Strike.” Throughout the bloodiest war in our history, an estimated 198,000 Black men traded their “pruning hooks” for military-issued muskets. These men made up 10% of the Union Army, and another August 27, 2021

The March Begins!

19,000 served in the Navy. Although Labor Day was created in 1882 by unions, it didn’t gain national acceptance until some blood was shed. The official legislation making Labor Day a National holiday was passed on June 28, 1894. President Grover Cleveland signed it after 13 strikers were killed and 57 were wounded by U.S. Marshals and the U.S. Military. Like all national holidays in

counterparts to fight for decent wages and conditions, they were attacked and, in some cases, killed. In the 2015 article titled “Labor Day, the labor movement and Black Americans, the story of the Pullman Porters was put center stage. “Labor Day was nationally established after the Pullman Strike of 1894 when President Grover Cleveland sought to win

America, Labor Day evolved as a result of people who died for a cause. Check it out, MLK Day, Lincoln’s Birthday, and Veterans Day were all borne of human sacrifice. As you guessed by now, most of those martyrs died honorably fighting for the poor and disenfranchised. The “Pullman Porters” were among those who fought for justice. Shortly after the Civil War, Industrialist George Pullman, specifically sought out former slaves to work on his sleeper cars. However, when they joined their White

political points by honoring dissatisfied railroad workers. This strike did not include porters or conductors on trains, but racism fueled part of the workers’ dissatisfaction for the black porters and was never addressed. Pullman porters were black men who worked in the trains’ cars attending to their primarily white passengers, performing such tasks as shining shoes, carrying bags, and janitorial services. During this period, this profession was the largest employer of blacks

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in the nation and constituted a significant portion of the Pullman company’s workforce. Yet, blacks were not allowed to join the railroad worker’s union. Being excluded from the right to fight for fair work and wages, the Pullman porters formed their own union called the Brotherhood of the Sleeping Car Porters, the first black union, and A. Philip Randolph was its first president. That name should sound familiar: the first planned March on Washington was Randolph’s brainchild. Set to take place in the 1940s, this demonstration was called off weeks before its kickoff date because President Roosevelt met with Randolph and other civil rights leaders in 1941 and signed an order barring racial discrimination in the federal defense industry. Roosevelt did so to stop the march from happening.” Labor Day should always be a rich cultural observance that signals the time to get ready for the upcoming election cycle. History and politics’ are always in lockstep. But, history never stops marching, and we should never allow anyone to stop our march to the polls. In the spirit of A. Philip Randolph, I will never miss the Dallas AFL-CIO Labor Day Breakfast! Vincent L. Hall is an author, activist, and award-winning columnist.

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August 27, 2021

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August 27, 2021

Harllee-Phelps family: Dallas Black dynasty of achievement - Part I I WAS JUST THINKING... NORMA ADAMS-WADE

How much achievement can come from one family? Yes, there are many examples of families that set high bars and just about all, if not all, of the family members clear the hurdle and then some. They go out into the world and stand tall above us average citizens. Such a family was the Harllee and Phelps family of Dallas whose achievements we will chronicle. I was just thinking…, this family dynasty illustrates one of many chapters of Black history lost in the rapidly- turning pages of time. But let’s remember them here. We begin with the family patriarch: Norman Washington

Harllee, (c. 1847-1853, died 1927) also known as N. W. Harllee, was a beloved, towering figure in Dallas Black education beginning in the 1880s. He moved to Dallas in 1885 -- approximately when he was in his late-30s. His ability to teach and relate to people took him from being a teacher to principal to the height of supervising the public education of ALL African-American children throughout Dallas. His parents were enslaved when he was born on the Harllee plantation near Lumberton, N. C. and his exact birth date is unknown. Harllee taught himself to read and write, began teaching other Blacks in his early 20s, enrolled in college in what is now the historically-Black Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, N. C. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1879 and later a Master’s from the University of Chicago.

N. W. Harllee

Photo credit: Dallas ISD

Historical photo of Harllee school

Photo credit James H. Smith 1930 historical directory through the Portal of Texas History

August 27, 2021

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N. W. Harllee Elementary School

Harllee wrote several math, history and geography text books. He also was a railroad postal clerk in North Carolina and an influential Black community civic and political affairs leader in North Carolina and Dallas. He trained teachers on the local and state level and was the first superintendent of the Texas State Fair’s “Colored Department” in the 1880s. Surprisingly, from the 1890s to 1900s, he even wrote a column about Black community affairs in The Dallas Morning myimessenger.com

Photo credit: Pinterest

News major daily and later the Black-owned Dallas Express. Four months before he died in 1927, the school system and community honored his 41 years of superior service by renamed the Ninth Ward School where he had been principal in his honor – the N. W. Harllee Elementary School at 1216 E. Eighth St. DISD records say that tribute made him the first person of any color in Dallas to have a school named for them while they still lived.

The Harllee school still today is a highly-esteemed symbol in the Eighth Street community of Oak Cliff, across from the familiar Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Magnet Center. It was one of nearly a dozen schools that DISD decided to close in 2012 under budget cuts. But after a vigorous community campaign to save and restore it, the former elementary school reopened the following year as N. W. Harllee Early Childhood Center. Part II next week will con-

tinue with other Harllee family members who carried on the patriarch’s powerful family legacy. He work ethic, intellect, and genuine concern for youth and the Black community benefitted all of Black Dallas and much of the city proper. Hurry back next week and stay tuned. Norma Adams-Wade is a veteran, award-winning journalist, Graduate of UT- Austin and Dallas native. One of the founders of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), she was inducted into the NABJ Hall of Fame

August 27, 2021

Give the Girl some Grace FAITHFUL UTTERANCES BY DR. FROSWA BOOKER-DREW

On this past week, I moderated a panel discussion that included some of the most brilliant women that were physicians and medical professionals. There was one word that I continuously stumbled and slaughtered— ‘obstetrics’. For the life of me, I couldn’t get it out of my mouth correctly. Instead of being embarrassed, I owned my mistake. Even with a PhD, I don’t know everything, can’t do everything, and still realize how much I don’t know. A dear friend reminded me of my challenge when she posted that as a public speaker, she messed up recently as well by saying “um” repeatedly. Mistakes happen. We don’t always do our best. As I’ve gotten older, I don’t feel the need to be embarrassed by my faults and failures. I’m human and I make a lot of mistakes. Some of them I’m aware of and others are brought to my attention. Instead of hiding behind shame or my ego, I learn from it, do better and move on. I’ve learned how to give myself grace. As a young adult, I didn’t have the wisdom to understand the unrealistic expectations I was placing on myself to get everything right and as a result, I set the bar high for others. I didn’t extend grace to myself, and others were not given the grace to fail or do better, either. August 27, 2021

As a society, I find that we want grace for our errors, but we are not as compassionate with others who fail. I’ve been guilty of this, too. I want to be forgiven but so often, I might be reluctant to forgive as quickly. My daughter just turned 21 years old, the same age as Sha ‘Carri Richardson. As I look at my daughter discovering her voice and vision, I realize that she has so much still to

failing to recognize what this young woman has endured. They failed to realize that despite her talent, she still has a life ahead of her filled with more growth and life lessons. They didn’t give her grace. They only saw her problems and failed to see the possibilities and potential within. Maybe it’s because we reflect to others what exists within us.

“It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship...” learn. She’s witnessed and experienced a lot in her short time on the planet and there is so much more she will go through. Despite her brilliance, she has made choices and decisions that have raised my eyebrow and my blood pressure at times. She’s young. I often remind her that some of the wisdom you gain isn’t in books, it’s through living and in 21 years, there is still a lot of learning, living, loving, laughing and loss that she will experience. As I saw Sha ‘Carri trending on Twitter coming in last in the 100-meter race and withdrawing from the 200 meter, the posts that followed were not only appalling but laced with so much meanspiritedness. They harped on her previous comments

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I’m so grateful that God doesn’t treat us the way we treat others. I’m glad that God has expectations for our lives and yet, recognizes our weakness and that we will fail and fall short (Romans 3:23). Sometimes repeatedly. It’s interesting that in the story of the woman at the well in John 4:1-3 (MSG) the Pharisees “were keeping count of the baptisms that he and John performed (although his disciples, not Jesus, did the actual baptizing). They had posted the score that Jesus was ahead turning him and John into rivals in the eyes of the people.…” Instead of focusing on improving themselves, they created mess—a typical technique of distraction. Jesus leaves and goes to Samaria where he

encounters a woman at the well. In their conversation, Jesus reveals his awareness of her multiple husbands and current in-house lover. He doesn’t condemn her for this. Jesus says to her (John 4: 23-24 MSG), “It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship...” Could it be that our blessings are limited because we are not honest with ourselves which impacts our worship and relationship with God? If we are honest, much of the rhetoric we are seeing is not necessarily about the confidence of Sha ‘Carri. It’s interesting that Muhammad Ali did the exact same thing in talking about his ability as a strategy to deal with the media and his opponents. The rhetoric today is really about a society that relishes in the failure of others, that fails to see their own inadequacies and prefers to place athletes on pedestals than to realize that they are human. Give the girl some grace…. Dr. Froswa’ Booker-Drew is the Founder and CEO of Soulstice Consultancy, specializing as a Partnership Broker and Leadership Expert for companies and organizations to thrive with measurable and meaningful impact. She also is the VP of Community Affairs and Strategic Alliances for the State Fair of Texas.

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Briefs Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson proclaims Allisha Gray Day in Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson issued an official proclamation Sunday declaring August 15, 2021, as “Allisha Gray Day” in Dallas, Texas. Gray, a WNBA Dallas Wings player, recently represented Dallas on the world stage, helping Team USA bring home a gold medal in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Here is the text of the proclamation: WHEREAS, Allisha Gray was born in Greenwood, South Carolina on January 12, 1995 and grew up in Sandersville, Georgia; She played basketball at Washington County High School where she was named the 2012 Gatorade State Player of the Year; and WHEREAS, Allisha Gray attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 2013 – 2015 and the University of South Carolina from 2016 – 2017; At the University of North Carolina, she became the second basketball player in program history to score at least 500

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points in her freshman season; At the University of South Carolina, she was the team’s second-leading scorer and won a NCAA National Championship in 2017; and WHEREAS, Allisha Gray was drafted by the Dallas Wings in the 2017 WNBA Draft, representing the fourth overall selection in the league; Playing for the Dallas Wings, Allisha Gray started in all 34 games she appeared in as a rookie and averaged 13 points per game, helping Dallas advance to the playoffs with a 16-18 record; and WHEREAS, Allisha Gray was named WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2017; She led first-year players in steals with 1.53 per game, which ranked seventh in the WNBA; and WHEREAS, In her five seasons with the Dallas Wings, Allisha Gray has averaged 11.3 points and nearly four rebounds per game; She eclipsed 1,500

career points in 2021; and WHEREAS, Allisha Gray was named a member of the United States Women’s 3x3 basketball team for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and won a gold medal against the Russian Olympic Committee team, helping Team USA bring home a victory during the first year of 3x3 basketball in the Olympics; and WHEREAS, Allisha Gray has not only been a leader for Dallas Wings and the WNBA, but throughout the world in international and Olympic competition; The City of Dallas is proud to celebrate her contributions to our community and her athletic talent on the basketball court. NOW, THEREFORE, I, ERIC JOHNSON, Mayor of the City of Dallas, do hereby proclaim Sunday, August 15, 2021 as ALLISHA GRAY DAY In Dallas, Texas.

Allisha Gray

August 27, 2021

Elections are Relics of the Past OUR VOICES BY ASKIA MUHAMMAD

There was a time when outcomes mattered, when truth mattered, when integrity, fair play, mattered. Not anymore. Now, it’s all about winning, and power, especially for white folks. Otherwise, they would be embarrassed at the way other white folks behave. How else can you explain widespread, popular support for a philandering, twice-impeached, often bankrupted, one-term, son of a klansman who reigns like a vice lord down in Mar-a-Lago, Florida. Liberal or conservative, wacky or profane, that putrid human being is too much of a lowlife to be the leader of any cause, and yet here we are, half of the U.S. Congress shamelessly defending him. Him. Loathsome him. There was a time when truth, integrity, reputation mattered. Not anymore. In recent weeks, dozens of outraged people, including members of Congress, were arrested at the U.S. Capitol and Reagan National Airport, protesting for the right to vote, and sadly, we hardly noticed. Our attention instead, is spent on forest fires out of control, early in the season. Oh, the rumors are extant. There will be an imminent August 27, 2021

return to the presidency by The Flawed One, Donald J. Trump, himself. He will be reinstated. His supporters have increased their calls for violence if Dude isn’t back in the White House soon. “Some conspiracy theories associated with reinstating former President Trump have included calls for violence if desired outcomes are not realized,” the DHS bulletin, obtained by ABC News, said. Hundreds of like-minded people are facing prosecution while thousands more are hiding from the law for their “Lord of the Flies” maypole at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. They are no longer hiding, campaigning in secret. Even certain doomsday-shelter ideas are fodder for reality TV. The language used on all sides has gotten coarse, grim. “I never expected to say I’d be scared sh-tless on CNN, but that’s how I feel,” election law expert Richard Hasen said on CNN’s “New Day” on Aug. 5. “I think that we dodged a bullet in 2020, but the way things are lining up, I’m very concerned about our elections going forward, especially 2024 and the possibility that we’re not going to have an election where the official results reflect what voters actually want.” Put another way: The United States is on the verge of collapsing into a minorityruled, apartheid state, with

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white Republicans openly ruling on behalf of their interests alone, and there is very little that can be done to prevent the future domination of the society by right-wing forces. “I think that we are amidst right now a fullblown crisis of minority rule and the avenue by which Americans have to defeat this are shrinking rapidly,” David Daley, author of “Ratf**ked…The True Story Behind the Secret Plan to Steal America’s Democracy,” told me in an interview on WPFW-FM’s “Monday Morning QB.” It’s irrefutable, from the Electoral College to the Senate, the white, conservative minority has wielded political power, far beyond its numbers throughout U.S. history. And now, all over the country — such as in Texas where only a walkout by Democratic state legislators has prevented their approval — Republican-dominated state governments have already passed hundreds of laws to tighten their grip on political power by making it harder for those who disagree with them to vote, so they won’t be voted out. “Democrats need to understand this might be the last chance they have to do anything about this for a decade,” said Daley, who is a senior fellow at FairVote and former editor of Salon. “And that our democracy demands that they act now

to fix these problems and to attempt to inject some fairness and responsiveness back into our democracy before it’s too late.” Too late. The principles of this country’s representative democracy have become much less fair and responsive and equitable according to many government critics. It’s plain to see. For the governor of Texas to jam through a new draconian suppression of voting rights is designed to guarantee that Republicans will never lose another election. It’s simple. Minority government. White minority government. You have an Electoral College system that twice in the past 20 years has made the winner of the presidency the person who won fewer votes. Say it ain’t so! What matters is what matters to white folks. Right? Well, some white folks tryna steal y’all’s democratic electoral system, right before your very eyes. Will anyone stop that runaway express? Can anyone stop them? Truth matters. Integrity matters. Honor. Word. Bond. Some may say I’m a dreamer. But I’m not the only one. One Love. Black August. WPFW News Director Askia Muhammad is also a poet, and a photojournalist. He is Senior Editor for The Final Call newspaper and he writes a weekly column in The Washington Informer.

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Black Essential Workers’ Lives Matter – Keeping Them Safe as America Reopens By Darryl Sellers From first responders to grocery store employees to healthcare workers and bus drivers—these are prime examples of the Black essential workers who are on the frontlines every day in a number of key industries in the US labor force. Unfortunately, with that prominence comes a higher risk of contracting COVID-19. There is a disproportionate number of Black Americans who serve at the labor forefront and are putting themselves at greater risk of contracting the virus. In fact, at the height of the pandemic earlier this year, one in four deaths from COVID-19 were Black Americans. As more Americans start to unmask and return to gathering in groups this summer, it’s imperative that our Black labor force stays safe as COVID-19 continues to linger. With that in mind, the Black Coalition Against COVID (BCAC) hosted a Facebook Live event in late June in its Making It Plain series. In a recent episode, White House leaders, medical professionals, and labor union experts led the discussion about the critical COVID-19 vaccine decisions facing Black essential workers as America opens up. Dr. Reed Tuckson, the co-founder of the BCAC, opened the event by saying it’s understandable that some people in the audience, including Black essential workers, their friends, colleagues, and family members, might be hesitant when it comes to getting vaccinated against COVID-19. “It’s okay to have questions and especially tonight, because tonight we have the experts who have the answers,” Dr. Tuckson said. He myimessenger.com

Dr. Michele Benoit-Wilson

Dr. Reed Tuckson

informed the audience that the BCAC conducted a poll that helped them collect some of the key questions viewers wanted the experts to answer about the virus. One of those esteemed experts was Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, Senior Advisor of the White House COVID-19 Response Team. She said we’re moving closer to the bright light at the end of the tunnel of the pandemic. She also reminded the audience that the Delta variant, which is the more contagious and dominant strain in the United States, is a major reason for Black essential workers and all Black Americans to get vaccinated as soon as possible. “We see with the Delta variant that’s an important one to remember, especially right now that it is easily transmissible, more so than prior versions,” Dr. Nunez-Smith said. “From person-to-person it has higher rates of contagion and has the potential of causing a worse disease. Here back at home, Delta is very much on track to become the dominant variant. So if anybody’s been waiting to get vaccinated, this is the moment, this is the now urgent situation. Delta is here and spreading. Please, please, please, please get vaccinated. I’ve been vaccinated. Everybody in my family has been. It’s what we need to do for ourselves and our communities,” she added.

Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith

Echoing Dr. Nunez-Smith’s call to action was Valerie Long, the international vice president for the Service Employees International Union that represents more than 2 million essential workers. She joined the discussion to reassure and encourage her union members, family members, and all Black Americans to get vaccinated. “My granddaughter, who’s 18 now, when she was 17 caught COVID. It scared me to death,” Long said. “She came through it okay. It didn’t have to be like that, though. I have people in my family who doubt the efficacy of getting vaccinated. This is not something to play with. We need to come together and encourage each other to be vaccinated. That is the way we come out of this.” Dr. Michele Benoit-Wilson, an OB-GYN for WakeMed in Raleigh, North Carolina, and a member of the Sister Circle, a group of six Black female doctors who work on the frontlines. Since the spring, the Sister Circle has used mobile events which have been vital to deliver vaccines to the essential workers, homeless, homebound and other populations that lack vaccine access, including in the Raleigh-Durham area. “Those are the efforts that we need at this point,” Dr. Benoit-Wilson said. “I think early on we had to address this with large clinics

because it was super important to get to as many people as possible,” she said. “But now that we’ve made some significant headway into vaccination efforts, the focus I think really does need to turn to the individual and what are their individual needs. “By using a mobile clinic where small teams of people are able to enter into buildings and bring the vaccines directly to people in a way that really demonstrates our care is going to be vitally important.” The reoccurring and key takeaway from this BCAC event that culminated in the month of June was the importance of having a collective effort to get vaccinated in order to help our Black communities and all communities conquer COVID-19. Together “We Can Do This!” Here’s a link to everything you need to know about the Delta variant. Please visit the “We Can Do This” website to access all resources and toolkits. To see a replay of this Facebook Live event in its entirety, go to BlackDoctor.org. For a list of upcoming events, COVID-19 health and wellness information, and other events, go to BlackDoctor. org , the world’s largest and most comprehensive online health resource specifically targeted at African Americans. For more information about COVID-19, health, and wellness, see Black Coalition Against COVID-19, a key health resource for African Americans. Darryl Sellers is the Director of the Public Relations Team for Creative Marketing Resources, a strategic marketing agency in Milwaukee and a partner of the BCAC.

August 27, 2021

It’s Time for Patriots to Stand Up OUR VOICES BY REV. JESSE L. JACKSON,JR.

America’s democracy is under assault — systematic, unrelenting and unhinged. The assault is waged by one party — the Republican Party. It is largely driven by the lies and racism of Donald Trump, who simply will not accept that he lost the last election. To deny that unacceptable reality, Trump has spread — and Republican officials across the country have echoed — utterly fraudulent claims of fraud to justify measures to make voting more difficult. These are passed by partisan legislatures and designed — often “surgically designed,” as a federal court found in North Carolina — to suppress the votes of African Americans. Latinos and the young. Republicans have introduced voting restrictions in states across the country — and 25 new restrictions have been enacted. For Republican officials, the motivation is often cynical: They believe they have to attract Donald Trump supporters to stay in office, and so they echo his lies, and vie to show that they are working to change voter laws. After the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, the Justice Department and the federal courts would have reAugust 27, 2021

viewed these laws and overturned many of them. Now, however, the right-wing majority on the Supreme Court has effectively disemboweled the Voting Rights Act, limiting the ability of lower courts to protect democratic elections. The big lie is enforced by venom and threat. Election officials — both Republican and Democratic — face death threats. In Arizona, Katie Hobbs, the state’s democratic elections official, was recently provided with a state security unit after being threatened for criticizing the preposterous partisan “audit” taking place in Maricopa County. As Colorado’s Secretary of State Jena Griswold summarized, “Elected officials really embraced the use of lies to try to manipulate American voters.” The lies are creating violence. The lies are creating threats.” Trump has argued that fraud took place only in states that he lost, not in states that he won. Without evidence, he fingers urban counties and cities — Atlanta, Philadelphia, Detroit, Maricopa County — as cesspools of election fraud. The racism is blatant and purposeful. Observers suggest that laws like strict voter ID requirements may not have much of an effect. Others argue that some of the Republican reforms — making it harder to cast an absentee ballot, limiting hours of voting to make it

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harder for working people to vote — might actually impede Republicans as well as Democrats. But American history makes it clear how dangerous this offensive is. After the Civil War, freed slaves were given the right to vote. Discrimination on the basis of race or creed was made unconstitutional. Biracial majority coalitions were forged in many of the former slave states. African Americans were elected to local and state offices. New progressive constitutions guaranteed the right to education, and progressive investments in schools, health and housing were passed. The reaction of the displaced plantation class was fierce, violent and utterly corrosive. Once more, lies about corruption and fraud were spread. Terrorists like the Ku Klux Klan murdered and threatened. Jim Crow laws were passed to limit the right to vote. Registrars learned how to enforce restrictions to make it virtually impossible for African Americans to register and vote. The South descended into legalized apartheid that lasted for nearly 100 years until the civil rights movement forced a change. If we are to avoid a modern-day version of that reaction, action is needed now. Democrats in the Senate should unite around key voting rights reforms — federal standards that would provide

minimum standards for free elections — and pass them, even if it requires suspending the filibuster. Across the country, Republicans must be taught that the price they pay for undermining free elections is far greater than any benefit they might reap. That requires that corporations demand an end to voter suppression. It requires Republicans who care about the Republic to call out those peddling the Big Lie and stand up against voter suppression. Most of all, it requires those who are the primary targets of electoral disenfranchisement — African Americans, Latinos, the young — to organize and mobilize, to increase their turnout even in the face of the new obstacles. In state after state, Republicans are virtually guaranteeing that urban voters will face long lines, shorter hours, fewer voting sites. Their effort to suppress our votes should help us spread the word of how important that vote is. We must make those who would once more seek to suppress our votes pay for the insult big time. Donald Trump’s irresponsibility and Republican cowardice are undermining the democracy. The peril is great. If not challenged and stopped, our democracy itself is at risk from the poisonous brew. It is time for patriots to stand up. The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. is president and CEO of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition.

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Remembering the Rosenwald Schools OUR VOICES BY MARION WRIGHT EDELMAN

As students start a new school year, this is a chance to honor the legacy of a group of schools that educated hundreds of thousands of Black children. From 1913 to 1932, nearly 5,000 “Rosenwald schools” were built in 15 states, mostly in rural Southern communities. These schools were built specifically to educate Black children, and by 1928 one in three rural Black schoolchildren in the South attended a Rosenwald school. Their history, and the remaining school buildings themselves, are now being reclaimed and preserved. The schools were named for their primary donor, Chicago businessman Julius Rosenwald. The son of German Jewish immigrants, Rosenwald was a clothier who became the president of Sears, Roebuck and Company. As a progressive philanthropist, Rosenwald believed one of the country’s most pressing social problems was the “Negro question,” and he supported the ideas and self-help doctrine of Tuskegee Institute president Booker T. Washington. In 1912, Rosenwald was a member of Tuskegee’s Board of Trustees when Washington came to him to suggest donating funds specifically for building Black schools. Most Southern states provided little public funding to adequately educate Black children, and myimessenger.com

many rural communities had no schools for Black children at all. Washington believed building schools that could provide traditional and vocational education for Black children would be a key method of “race uplift.” After a successful test group of six Alabama schools, in 1917 Rosenwald established the Julius Rosenwald Foundation, and the School Building Program remained one of the foundation’s primary missions until Rosenwald’s death in 1932. The Rosenwald Foundation provided seed grants for school construction and required communities to supplement the grants with public funds and support from local citizens. Black residents were usually the driving force behind bringing a Rosenwald school to a community and fundraising often became a community-wide undertaking. B lack families gathered for fried chicken dinners, picnics, and penny drives or put aside portions of their wages or cotton crops to support school-building efforts. Counties then had to commit to maintaining the completed schools as part of the public school system. Though most communities continued the practice of supplying Black schools with worn-out books and second-hand materials, the schools themselves set a new standard in the rural South. Rosenwald schools were built to uniform design plans that mandated simple, clean-lined buildings with large

windows and plenty of natural light. Many counties copied some elements of their designs for new white schools. Once built, the schools often became central hubs and gathering places for the Black community. In the second half of the 20th century, as schools consolidated into larger districts or students began integrating into previously white schools after the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision, many Rosenwald schools were abandoned or demolished. In some communities, the buildings were kept up and found new life as Head Start classrooms, senior citizen centers, or in other community uses. As recognition of their historic importance began to grow, the National Trust for Historic Preservation named the schools to its list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places in 2002. Activists are still working to preserve the remaining Rosenwald buildings across the South, and earlier this year the Julius Rosenwald and the Rosenwald Schools Act was signed into law authorizing a special resources study of sites associated with Rosenwald and the schools, another step towards the ultimate goal of establishing a National Historical Park. One of that Act’s original co-sponsors in the House was the beloved late Congressman John Lewis (D-Ga.), who graduated from a Rosenwald school in Alabama. Today the School Building Program is sometimes criticized along with many of Booker

T. Washington’s other ideas for accommodating the segregated status quo. But in providing school buildings and an opportunity for education for Black children in places where little or none had existed at all before them, Rosenwald schools played a key role. In that sense, their legacy of opportunity is echoed in contemporary education initiatives like the Children’s Defense Fund’s Freedom Schools® Program, which provides summer and after-school enrichment for children in communities where the need for these quality programs is often greatest. Rosenwald schools brought adults together to nurture and support children’s education and positive development and provided sites that served as safe community havens, and for the community members who worked together to fund and build them, the Black teachers who found employment in them, and the children they served, their promise and impact was unmistakable. A former slave who donated his life savings, $38, towards building his community’s Rosenwald school said he did so because he wanted “to see the children of my grandchildren have a chance.” Adults today need to have the same kind of faithful vision and the same commitment to doing whatever they can to give today’s children the resources they need right now to build a stronger foundation for generations yet to come. Edelman is founder and president emerita of the Children’s Defense Fund.

August 27, 2021

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August 27, 2021

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VH1 T.I. & TINY STAR, TAMEKA “TINY” HARRIS THAT CELEBRITY INTERVIEW BY VALDER BEEBE

Before a hint of scandal or before VH1 pressed the pause on T.I. and Tameka “Tiny” Harris’ reality show after the couple was accused of sexual abuse, I had the opportunity to interview Tameka Harris aka Tiny, of the hit reality show T.I. & Tiny: Friends & Family Hustle. T.I. & Tiny: The Family Hustle is the VH1 reality series which follows the lives of rapper T.I. and his

wife Tameka. The Grammywinning rapper [T.I.] has had his share of legal trouble. Tiny is my guest in the Valder Beebe Show studio as we spoke earlier this year about family and T.I. & Tiny: Friends & Family Hustle anticipating a new season on VH1, at the time. The series follows T.I. & Tiny: The Family Hustle, which ran for six seasons on VH1 and following the Harris family as the former returned home from a 12-month prison sentence. Tameka ‘Tiny’ Harris rose to fame as part of the R&B group Xscape during the 1990s. Tiny also won a Grammy Award for co-

writing TLC’s “No Scrubs.” Tiny has since become a familiar face on reality TV, starring in the shows Tiny & Toya for BET and The Family Hustle. She married T.I. in 2010 and the couple have three children together. Tiny also has a daughter, from a previous marriage. VBS: Tameka Harris, welcome to the Valder Beebe Show for the first time. I’m so delighted you are here. TH: Thank you, glad to be here. VBS: Well, I’ve admired you on TV for a very long time because you are doing something that is very hard,

putting your life out there for the viewers to see and judge. Putting your relationship, your family, your life out there in T.I. & Tiny: Friends & Family Hustle. Like I said, I admire you. TH: Thank you very much. I’ve enjoyed every bit of it. Working with my family and close friends, your private life become hard to keep private. VBS: When you bring your family and friends into something that is so on center stage, how do you keep them connected? How do you keep them continuing to want to do this? TH: Well, they [family] all complain, here and there but at the end of the day, we all love what we do. We’re just being a family and putting it out there and taping it. It can be a little challenging at times, especially the young ones. VBS: What about your relationship with T.I. and putting your relationship center stage? TH: I feel like our relationship is already center stage. We’ve been in the music industry so long. It been ok. I have though ……. Complete video interview: SoundCloud.com/valderbeebeshow; more interviews: YouTube.com/valderbeebeshow; ValdeBeebeShow.com; SoundCloud.com/kkvidfw; broadcasting to a national audience on KKVI FM Radio, Streaming TV, Social Media, Print Publications; I MESSENGER, Texas Metro News, and Garland Journal News

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August 27, 2021

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Dr. Amerson adapts to Temporary Business Closure Dr. Linda Amerson, Board Certified Trichologist, has adapted to the temporary closure of LA's Hair and Scalp Clinic. We continue to offer our award-winning products to consumers. Our exclusive products are manufactured by a facility in Garland, TX. Premium quality natural ingredients are used to assist with dry, oily, itchy, flaky, inflammed scalps, as well as hair breakage, hair thinning and regrowth. Everyone may order from our website, and we will ship your product order to you. http://www.hairandscalpessentials.com We need your support. In addition, we offer Video Consultations globally! We will schedule an appointment, give a diagnosis, them make a recommendation. We are available to serve you in the comfort of your home. Call us today - 817.265.8854 http://www.hairandscalpessentials.com We need your support.

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August 27, 2021

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August 27, 2021

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August 27, 2021

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August 27, 2021

AT THE MOVIES BY HOLLYWOOD HERNANDEZ

THE PROTEGE

Maggie Q is the world’s deadliest female assassin in the action/ thriller THE PROTEGE. The movie starts out in Vietnam where Moody (Samuel L. Jackson) finds young Anna cowering in a closet with a gun in her hands and a house filled with dead Vietnamese soldiers. Moody takes her in and trains her to work in the family business. Anna has two sides to her persona. One is a deadly killer who is deadly with guns, knives, hand to hand combat, and any household appliance she can get her hands on. She’s also a sophisticated London bookstore owner who specializes in rare books and is also passionate about the books she sells. (Spoiler alert) When her mentor and father figure is brutally killed she becomes a one woman killing machine tracking down and killing anyone who was involved in his murder. Michael Keaton, who quickly develops sexual feelings for Anna, is the world class gangster who she discovers was the one who gave the order to kill her surrogate father. The sexual chemistry between the two creates a separate side plot that is both steamy and smart. There’s plenty of action in THE PROTEGE and the movie takes us to several countries in this cat and mouse game between lovers and assasination targets. Who’s going to win the battle? That’s the question that skillfully keeps us guessing until the very end. THE PROTEGE is rated R for some bloody violence and sexual situations and runs for 1 hour and 49 minutes. On my “Hollywood Popcorn Scale” I rate the movie a LARGE. August 27, 2021

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Virtual and liVe Community Calendar

Back to School Month Authors/Poets Month Immunization Awareness Month AUGUST 26 The Connection with Debra BrownSturns. Live on Facebook.com/TexasMetroNews & BlogTalkRadio.com. 7-8 pm. 646-200-0459.

Black Bazaar presents Words Spoken, Downtown Arlington, The Cultural District 306 W. Main St. at 2-6 pm. Info: http:// www.blackbazaarsb.com/ B.O.M.B. (Black Owned Music & Business) Festival, at Tha Spot Health and Wellness, 4420 Elm St. Dallas. 5-9 pm. Tickets: https://bit.ly/3ApikIq

SEPTEMBER 1

Registration for Dallas Black Dance Academy’s Fall Semester. Classes are In-Studio and Virtual. Virtual Dallas Black Dance Academy Q&A 12 pm. Contact: academy@dbdt.com.

Addiction in the Family: How it Affects Care and Planning. Event Reg: https://bit.ly/2UiB1hy 10 am-11:30 am

Verbal Kombat Host Brown Sugah Lounge at Java Lavender Coffee & Music Lounge, 3207 W. Camp Wisdom Rd. 7:30-9:30 pm. RSVP: WWW. THEBROWNSUGAHLOUNGE.COM

SoulJazz Thursdays Feat: Natural Change Band. Hosted by Sandaga 813, 813 Exposition Ave. 8 pm-12 am. Visit: www.sandaga813.com.

AUGUST 27-28 Youth Empowerment Camp. For ages 10-14, at The Lighthouse, 5525 W. Illinois Ave. Fri. 5-8 pm & Sat. 9 am-4 pm. Contact: Leon Theodore 241-907-5483.

AUGUST 27 From Marva with Love, with Marva Sneed. 11 am -1 pm. CST, Fridays on Facebook Live/@TexasMetroNews, and BlogTalkRadio.com. Join the conversation at 646-200-0459. Every Friday Night Don Diego and The Razz Band at Club Odyssey, 7439 Westmoreland Rd. Happy Hour at 6 pm. Fair Park Survey: (for Nearby Residents & Attendees) Survey deadline. CONTACT: Mr. Luallen, 214-670-8400. SURVEY: https://bit.ly/3874VbO Dr. Megan Pickens, LP-S MBHPN August 2021 - Cyber Security and Protecting Your Practice Data Speakers: Christopher Marks & Sparsula Simmons. 10 am-12:30 pm Info: 817-617-2638. All DAQ Jazz: The Perfect Date Night, Daq’s Luxury Daiquiri Lounge, 8700 Preston Rd. Plano. 7-10 pm. CDT. RSVP: WWW. DAQSALLFOLKS.COM.

August 28

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“Want a Recession Proof Business” a 4BusinessRecovery Workshop at Veteran Women’s Enterprise Center 4900 S. Lancaster Rd. Dallas, 11:30-12:30 pm. Reg: https://bit.ly/3D8IwJz

DFW Small Business Expo at Music City Mall Lewisville, 2401 S. Stemmons Fwy. Info: bit. ly/3g5iM6T. 11 am-6 pm.

Leaders Like Us: Henry Louis Gates Jr. J.P. Miller’s book Major Taylor. Live on Facebook. com/AuburnAvenueResearchLibrary. 2 pm CDT

SHANGO DRUM CIRCLE/Fire Burning Ceremony at Vibe Village, 2423 Ann Arbor Ave. Dallas. 6-11:45 pm. Info: 214-715-1287.

Soul Line Dance Tuesday-Live! Virtual, host BE Creative Arts Center. 7 pm CDT Reg: www.becreativeartscenter.com FREE.

A Taste Of Camp Gladiator Oak Cliff at Trinity Groves, 3011 Gulden Ln. Workout on the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. 8:30 am.

I Was Just Thinking with Norma Adams-Wade. From 11 am -1 pm. CST On Facebook Live/@TexasMetroNews and BlogTalkRadio.com. Call in and join the conversation at 646-200-0459. Irving-Las Colinas Jazz Concert & Art Exhibition. Feat: Jessy J. The Irving Arts Center, 3333 N. MacArthur Blvd. Tickets: https://bit.ly/3sBRcU2. 7-11 pm. Ask Dr. Amerson with Dr. Linda Amerson.12 pm. CST @DFWiRadio.com, and Live on Facebook @DrLindaAmerson

Tiff’s Treats in Casa Linda Grand Opening Event, 9540 Garland Rd, Fundraising Tickets: bit.ly/3sgXVCE. 10 am-12 pm.

Dallas’ Best Bits & Bites Tour at Dallas by Chocolate Food Tours, 4925 Greenville Ave. Tickets: https://bit.ly/3mrXmVQ 12:30-4:30 pm.

AUGUST 30

Irving-Las Colinas Jazz and Art Festival Golf Tournament at Hackberry Creek Country Club, 1901 W. Royal Ln. Reg: https:// bit.ly/3sBRcU2. Shotgun Start: 8 am.

AUGUST 31 THE DOC SHEP SPEAKS SHOW! From 11 am. CST on Facebook Live/@TexasMetroNews, @ fnsconsulting, and You Tube @docshepspeaks.

Irving-Las Colinas Jazz Concert & Art Exhibition. Feat: Kandace Springs at Westin Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas, 400 W. Las Colinas Blvd. bit.ly/3sBRcU2 7-11 pm. Alter Ego Poetry Host Real Rare Poetry at The Attache Cigar, 4099 W. Camp Wisdom Rd. #101. 7 pm. AFROJams Africa ft. TOOFAN Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/afrotvchannel 7 pm CDT.

“So, What You Go’n Do?” Radio Show Series at The Lion & Crown, 5001 Addison Circle, Addison. 4-7 pm. Tickets: https:// bit.ly/2XRMPc8

SEPTEMBER 5

SEPTEMBER 2 Happy Birthday to Dr. Felicia Shepherd The Connection with Debra Brown-Sturns. On Facebook. com/TexasMetroNews & BlogTalkRadio.com. 7-8 pm. 646200-0459.

Anita Hawkins’ Day at The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, 8525 Garland Rd. 11am-5 pm. Reg: bit.ly/3z2pO3G.

SEPTEMBER 4

Dallas Mimosa Walk: Labor Day Holiday Weekend at Deep Ellum Outdoor Market 101-199 N. Crowdus St. Dallas 12-3:30 pm. Tickets: https://bit.ly/3DaJGnV

Virtual Kickback: A Night of Music & Comedy. @ Facebook Albany State University-National Alumni Assoc. 5-6:30 pm CDT. Unbreakable Summit 2021 Empowerment/Motivational Event, host Lynne Haze at The Whiskey Spot, 1305 Wycliff Ave. # 140. 4-8 pm. bit.ly/3iLBnqm.

Irving-Las Colinas Jazz Concert & Art Exhibition. Feat: Najee at The Marriott Dallas Las Colinas, 223 W. Las Colinas Blvd. Tickets: https://bit.ly/3sBRcU2. 7-11 pm.

Dallas Habitat Volunteer Celebration host Dallas Habitat at The Camp House Dallas Arboretum, 8525 Garland Rd. Gate 2. 6 pm. Tickets: Eventbrite.com.

AUGUST 29 The World According to Drew, with Andrew Whigham, III on BlogTalkRadio.com 8-10 am. It’s thought-provoking, enlightening, informative, and entertaining news commentary. Join the call at 646-200-0459.

From Marva with Love, with Marva Sneed. 11 am -1 pm. CST, Fridays on Facebook Live/@TexasMetroNews, and BlogTalkRadio.com. Join the conversation at 646-200-0459.

Irving-Las Colinas Jazz Concert & Art Exhibition. Feat: Althea Renee at Toyota Music Factory-Texas Lottery Plaza, 340 W. Las Colinas Blvd. Tickets: https://bit.ly/3sBRcU2 7-11 pm. SoulJazz Thursdays Feat: Natural Change Band. Hosted by Sandaga 813, 813 Exposition Ave. 8 pm-12 am. Visit www. sandaga813.com. Dallas District 1 Artists Meet & Greet Mayor Pro Tem, Chad West at The Turner House, 401 North Rosemont Ave. 5:30-7 pm. https://bit.ly/2UJqIDy.

SEPTEMBER 3-5 4TH Riverfront Jazz Festival, Host TBAAL at Dallas Convention Center, 1309 Canton St. Tickets: www.tbaalriverfrontjazzfestival.org

Irving-Las Colinas Jazz Concert & Art Exhibition Feat: Brian Simpson. The Irving Arts Center, 3333 N. MacArthur Blvd. Tickets: https://bit.ly/3sBRcU2. 7-11 pm.

The World According to Drew, host Andrew Whigham, III on BlogTalkRadio.com 8-10 am. It’s thought-provoking, enlightening, informative, and entertaining news commentary. Join the call at 646-200-0459. 70 Years Church Anniversary Outdoor Park and Praise, 5707 Bonnie View Rd, Dallas Special music Guest: Myron Butler. 9 am. Labor Day Weekend Morning Flow with Black Swan Yoga at The Pool Club, 1445 Turtle Creek Blvd. Dallas. 10-11 am. Tickets: https://bit. ly/3jgRCw9 Water2Wine Comedy Show! Hosted By Comedian Angelia Walker at Hyena’s Comedy Night Club, 5321 E. Mockingbird Ln. Dallas. 8 pm. Eventbrite.com. I Love the 90’s R&B / Hip Hop {Mega Day Party & Pool Party} Labor Day, at Aloft Dallas Love Field, 2333 West Mockingbird Ln. Dallas. 4-9 pm. Eventbrite.com.

BLACK LIVES MATTER

SEPTEMBER 3 First Fridays at Main Station, 100 South Main Street, Duncanville. 7-11 pm. Tickets: https://bit.ly/3sIPG2d.

August 27, 2021

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August 27, 2021

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Reverend Needs Heavenly Advice ASK ALMA BY ALMA GILL

Dear Alma, My brother in-law is a minister, but he’s also an oblivious, self-centered fool. At Christmas, he irritates people by doing things like sitting in my 94-year-old mother’s favorite chair and acts hurt when we tell him to get up. Or he goes shopping and is late for the big dinner. I said we shouldn’t wait for him, but that’s a hard one to enforce. I try to not let it get to me, but part of me says he needs to be told that he is not the center of our universe. My poor sister is constantly making excuses for him. How long should we suck it up, or is it time to finally dish some out? W.P., Springfield, Va. Dear W.P.

Family gatherings; they’re a blessing, aren’t they? Some relatives come from far away; others just drive across the bridge. But, oh, what a time it is…for the first good hour. Which group will you hang with — the ones on the couch watching the game, the ones drinking in the basement and doing whatever, or the ones at the kitchen table? I’m a kitchen table kinda girl myself. That’s where you find out everybody’s business. LOL. Sorry, this isn’t about me; it’s about your BIL – the minister who wants all the attention. I can hear him now, “Hello, world. Yea, the one that revolves around me.” Sounds like your BIL is accustomed to having things go his way. Whatever he says, it’s fine. Whatever he does, it’s fine. Many in his congregation affirm that for him every Sunday, don’t you know. I know because my father was a minister, and I watched how he was treated.

We sometimes discussed this very topic while riding home from service or after visiting with church members. We’d talk about how ministers have to work on their humility. They’re local celebrities, and that makes it very hard. Since your BIL is a minister, I would be remiss if I didn’t refer to a Bible verse. The one that comes to mind goes something like, “God resists the proud or the scornful, but He gives grace to the humble.” We all could use some extra grace, can I get an Amen. Just like compassion, humility doesn’t always come naturally. I know I’ve taken the long road in answering your question, but I think it’s important to understand where your BIL is coming from. Clearly, the Reverend-MisterLocal-Celebrity in your family has taken it to the next level. Yes, you could have a talk with him, but not at a holiday gathering. Do it in smaller

company, maybe even the next time you call your sister and he answers the phone. Ask him, straight up: “What’s up, Chuck? Why you always taking Mama’s seat?” Then take two steps back and remind him of his ability to humble himself and acknowledge the needs of others. He’ll be shocked and taken aback but also wise enough to listen to what sounds, to him, like a compliment. Family gatherings and special events are just that – special events. It’s not the time to let him, her or them “have it.” Use these celebrations to build unforgettable memories and traditions that will live forever within your heart. Alma Alma Gill’s newsroom experience spans more than 25 years, including various roles at USA Today, Newsday and the Washington Post. Email questions to: alwaysaskalma@gmail.com. Follow her on Facebook at “Ask Alma” and twitter @almaaskalma.

Congratulations Dr. Levatta Levels Dr. Levatta Dean Levels received her doctorate degree from Texas A&M - Commerce, Class of 2021, and there was a celebration that included Mayors Rachel L. Proctor and Stephen Mason bestowing acknowledgments and proclamations from Senator Ted Cruz, Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, Representative Carl O. Sherman Sr. and Senator Royce West!!

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August 27, 2021

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August 27, 2021

ARRESTED

HE IS A SERIAL RAPIST

He targeted members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. but this is more than about a sorority. We’re talking about a community.

Come on PEOPLE! Don’t you CARE? Will it matter when it is your sister, mother, aunt or grandmother or maybe YOU?

Crimestoppers 877-373-8477 August 27, 2021

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