I Messenger 1-29-21 by Cheryl Smith

VOL X NO 20 JANUARY 29, 2021

I MESSENGER

QUEEN CICELY TYSON

IMessenger An IMM LLC Publication MAILING ADDRESS 320 S. R.L. Thornton Freeway Suite 220 Dallas, TX 75203 WWW.TEXASMETRONEWS.COM 214-941-0110 Cheryl Smith PUBLISHER - EDITOR news@texasmetronews.com S. Curet GENERAL MANAGER stewartcuret@myimessenger.com Jessica Hayden STAFFWRITER Marva Sneed EDITORIAL ASSISTANT EDITORIAL TEAM Andrew Whigham III Anthony Council Ashley M. Moss Chelle Wilson Cierra Mayes Dareia Tolbert Dr. Felicia N. Shepherd Dorothy J. Gentry Eva Coleman Jirah Nicole Mickle Monique P. Stone L. Diane Evans Lajuana Barton Rebecca Aguilar Vincent Hall MARKETING TEAM Carlton McConnell Terry Allen PR DESIGN/LAYOUT FzanStudio

Free - Take One WEB/SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Alana King

.EWSSTANDS IN

Rowlett AT .EWSSTANDS IN esquite d,Rowlett ardson Mesquite chardson .Dallas

Free - Take One CIRCULATION/DISTRIBUTION MB Distribution

Editorial submissions editor@texasmetronews.com

Michael Hinojosa on the riot at the U.S. Capitol By Michael Hinojosa

as determined by multiple courts, and discard the will of the people who voted â&#x20AC;&#x153;As Americans welcomed the new year in the election, is unacceptable and a with relief at the close of a contentious damaging example to young learners. election and anticipation that the arrival Many were left troubled and turning to of the COVID-19 vaccine signaled a teachers and parents for explanations of longed-for return to normal life, we the frightening events of January 6. My hope is that teachers and all were utterly shocked and our optimism shattered by the events that transpired at responsible adults will use this tragedy as a teachable moment to the U.S. Capitol. help students understand The attack of the angry how our democracy mob that stormed the works and how easily it countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most revered can be threatened when institution and disrupted the hunger for power Congress as it sought overshadows principled to finally resolve a and ethical behavior and national election will be decision-making. To the remembered as a sad extent this event prompts chapter in American frank conversations as a history. The brazen and community about fairness, disturbing assault on our racism, public service and democracy has shaken Michael Hinojosa the impact of decisions, we Americans to their very may find a silver lining in core and raised serious questions about the health of our this dangerous moment. As work proceeds to recover from democratic system. The riotersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; disrespectful and this debacle, there are many challenges dangerous display is a striking contrast ahead. Perhaps one of the most crucial to the important work educators strive to is taking the time to show students do each day to teach students about the the real meaning of patriotism and to sacred democratic principles that define demonstrate how to heal, rebuild, and this country--principles that include come together for the greater good.â&#x20AC;? respect and lawfulness. The attempt Michael Hinojosa is the Superintendent of to overthrow a free and fair election, Dallas Independent School District.

& E.Dallas

450-13971 Year 1IMessenger Year Subscription $45.00 3)(903) 450-1397 Subscription $45.00

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.

January 29, 2021

I MESSENGER

myimessenger.com

INSIDE

Faithful Utterances

Quit Playinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

The Last Word

The prophet does not ask if the vision can be implemented, for questions of implementation are of no consequence until the vision can be imagined. The imagination must come before the implementation. Our culture is competent to implement almost anything and to imagine almost nothing.

myimessenger.com

p19

January 29, 2021

MY TRUTH by Cheryl Smith, Publisher

Staying on this journey It’s going to take a while for me to get Pookie out of my system. Actually, I may not ever be able to forget him because of the lives he devastated. Before I knew his government name, I dubbed Jeffery Wheat, Pookie, the serial rapist. Maybe you heard of the case of the man who was terrorizing women in North Texas. As he continued to violate women, there appeared to be

a common thread; several of the victims were members of the now 108-year-old Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and they were in their 50s and 60s. Almost a decade later, Pookie was arrested recently after his DNA was a match. Calls, emails and texts from across the country have kept me busy. Many expressed relief that Pookie was about to begin paying for his heinous acts. I know that my heart rate increases significantly every

time I hear a “Pookie story.” People tell me how they would pick up the paper just to see if they would find the notice asking for information that would lead to his arrest. Some said they couldn’t believe that for almost a decade I gave up valuable real estate in not one, two, but three publications: Texas Metro News, Garland Journal and I Messenger. After all, it’s not like I couldn’t have used the ad revenue.

Yet, it was more important to catch a rapist, before he raped someone else. You see, we know about a few assaults, but, do you really believe Pookie hasn’t raped since the last reported incident? You can’t have a 10-day memory or become forgetful because it isn’t about you. Which brings me to my truth. If you believe in something, you must live for a cause and not just BECAUSE!

Man faces 2nd sexual-assault

charge linked to string of attacks on North Texas sorority alumnae By TOM STEELE The Dallas Morning News A man already in custody in one sexual assault case that was part of a string of four attacks on women in 2010 and 2011 now faces a charge in another one of the assaults. Coppell police said Monday that they obtained an arrest warrant last week for 48-yearold Jeffery Lemor Wheat. Wheat was booked into the Collin County jail Jan. 15 after his arrest several days earlier in Arkansas in connection with a 2011 Plano case. Police have said they believe the same man attacked four women — all alumnae of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., who were in their 50s or 60s — and authorities now say Wheat’s DNA links him to January 29, 2021

Jeffery “Pookie” Wheat The Dallas Morning News has a collaborative partnership with Texas Metro News, that seeks to boost coverage of communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas.

those cases. On Nov. 11, 2010, the attacker tried to sexually assault a woman in Plano. On April 2, 2011, he sexually assaulted a woman in Plano. On Sept. 15, 2011, he sexually assaulted a woman in Coppell. And on Oct. 14, 2011, he sexually assaulted a woman in Shady Shores.

I MESSENGER

DNA evidence conclusively connected the three 2011 attacks, police have said, but no DNA was collected in the first case because it was an attempted rape. The victims did not know one another, but police said their attacker made clear that he knew information about them during the assaults.

Several days after the 2011 Plano assault, the attacker called the victim from a pay phone at a convenience store in Mesquite and police obtained surveillance footage of the man who made the call. Police spoke to Wheat’s exwife last year after their investigation led them to Wheat, and she said that he was the man in the footage because she recognized “the walk, his shoulders, his height and that he had glasses,” KXAS-TV (NBC5) reported. Authorities also said in an affidavit that the DNA from the 2011 assaults matched DNA evidence from a 2003 Arlington sexual assault case. Wheat remained in jail Monday, with total bail of $1 million. He did not have an attorney listed in court records. myimessenger.com

Celebrating Black Women WAKE UP AND STAY WOKE DR. E. FAYE WILLIAMS, ESQ.

Rather than focus on recent violence that ravaged the nation’s capital, I’ll celebrate Black women! It would be easy to join with others who’re still attempting to provide an accurate explanation for the madness. To that subject, for the time being, I’ll only say that because of the current political climate and incessant cultural conflict, I became a sounding board for the expression of legitimate fears for the Inauguration Day safety of Vice President Kamala Harris. While we were rightly concerned with the appropriate security being in place on Inauguration Day, contemporary social violence dictates that we must also be concerned about her safety every day thereafter, along with that of Mr. Biden. We must not, however, allow those concerns to overtake our excitement of the election of Harris and Biden. We Black women know how hard we worked to make Kamala’s election a reality. The benefit of our effort accrued to Kamala and Joe equally. With respect to their present and future security, we must not allow our fears of what might happen overrule the exciting victory that we now experience. The myimessenger.com

important fact that must remain foremost in our minds is that we Black women have clear evidence of the positive results of our unity and common purpose. From many, we’ve heard laudatory acknowledgment of the exemplary role we’ve played in this most recent, and many other elections. As we congratulate our collective efforts and support

Fight, undertook developing a network of attorneys to challenge specious changes to election laws and established voter education and registration initiatives which increased many African American voters and other voters of color. She organized a massive get-out-the-vote effort to strengthen her voter registration efforts. To the regret

“

We must not, however, allow those concerns to overtake our excitement of the election of Harris and Biden. We Black women know how hard we worked to make Kamala’s election a reality. The benefit of our effort accrued to Kamala and Joe equally.

the Biden-Harris administration, let us remember other Black women who did monumental things and are worthy of praise. A person receiving great acclaim for her impact on the 2020 presidential election is Stacey Abrams, who came into national prominence during the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election. Unable to be acknowledged as winner by 55,000 votes because of an opponent who orchestrated and managed the alleged purge of 1.4 million voters, Stacey turned disappointment into action. She organized the voter rights organization, Fair

of many Republicans, she didn’t confine her efforts to the Georgia borders. Her efforts extended to jurisdictions which maintained the same type of legal and extra-legal obstacles that shut her out of the governor’s mansion. Stacey lit a metaphorical fuse that brought explosive excitement to 2020. Another significant effort by a Black woman in 2020 was by LaTosha Brown, co-founder of the Black Voters Matter Fund. Few need to be told about voter suppression in remote areas of the South. LaTosha and members of BVM addressed this prob-

lem by hitting the road in their campaign bus. Clocking thousands of miles, they crisscrossed highways throughout the south educating and registering voters who would’ve otherwise missed the opportunity to vote. Looking forward, we can extend congratulations to the Black women who’ve been appointed to serve in the Biden-Harris administration. We must be equally proud of Marcia Fudge as secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Linda Thomas-Greenfield as ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice as leader of the Domestic Policy Council, Cecilia Rouse as chair of the Council of Economic Advisors and many others who’ll serve using the full measure of their skills and experience to “Build Back Better.” Let’s congratulate our sisters for preparing themselves for just such a time as this. We know the truth, but few outside the “Beloved Community” will agree that throughout the history of our nation, Black people, especially Black women, have been found near the center of most struggles and most successes of our nation. Black women have never faltered in meeting our challenges. 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.

January 29, 2021

Your Gifts Will Make Room for You FAITHFUL UTTERANCES BY DR. FROSWA BOOKER-DREW

Social media can make you feel as if you have not accomplished anything. It is so easy to question your abilities and if you are moving in the right direction. Even if you are going in the right direction, you can easily begin to measure yourself against the achievements of others. Comparison is dangerous because you don’t know what others have gone through to get there. You are only seeing a piece of the entire picture. Instead of focusing on what others are doing or getting caught up in what they want you to see, begin to recognize the gifts God has placed within you. Recognize that there is a path for you but until you uncover who you are and why you are here, you will easily find yourself frustrated and looking back at what was or what could have been. You can become misled by what is appealing, has the most likes or comments, but find yourself lost if you seek the path that works for others instead of finding the path God has uniquely for you. The Story of Abraham, Lot, and Lot’s wife is a reminder of what happens when we focus on what glitters but isn’t gold. Genesis 19 is about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot was Abraham’s nephew. A little background on January 29, 2021

Lot: In Genesis 5, Lot and Abraham had to separate because of a dispute between their shepherds. Abraham allowed Lot to decide which land he wanted. The land Lot chose was near the Jordan River which the Bible states was “well-watered.” Lot was a wealthy man because he benefited from the favor of Abraham, his uncle. Instead of choosing Canaan, which is what God promised, he went for what was the easiest land to occupy. Sodom and Gomorrah were

thinking about the immediate and not able to see what God had for him and his family. The angel tells him to flee to the mountains and instead, Lot requested to flee to Zoar. Zoar in Hebrew means “small’. Not only was the town small but also could in fact, represent Lot’s thinking. That morning” …Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.” (Genesis 19: 26) Even when told not to focus on what was behind them and move toward what was ahead, she got stuck.

“

We never know what people go through to get what they have but although Lot had accomplished much, he was not able to maintain it because of the decisions he made. Realize that what God has for you is yours.

different than Canaan. I would venture that in its freedom and flashiness, Lot was celebrated because of his wealth. He even sat at the city gate which was a place for those in power. Lot’s willingness to abandon what God promised for the flash ultimately cost him…a lot. I wonder if Lot’s confidence was more in his ability and wealth than God who opened the doors for him. Otherwise, his response might have been different. When God decided to destroy the city, Lot was able to grab his family and escape. Yet, once again, Lot was

I MESSENGER

Lot’s wife is a reminder of what happens when we look back instead of remaining focused on where God is leading us. If we aren’t careful, our desire for immediate gratification is passed on through our lineage. The small-minded thinking even went beyond Lot, his wife, but to his children. His daughters, instead of trusting God for a mate also went too far (Genesis 19: 30-38) and took matters into their own hands. The mess that we begin in our quest to be finally accepted can result in quick decisions that have far

reaching consequences. We never know what people go through to get what they have but although Lot had accomplished much, he was not able to maintain it because of the decisions he made. Realize that what God has for you is yours. You don’t have to find the quick path, run with the folks who you believe will make it happen for you or sacrifice your sanity to get what belongs to you. Proverbs 18:16 says, “A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before the great.” (ESV). You do not have to figure it out or get over on people. Your gift will open doors for you especially when you allow God to guide you and bring the right people into your life. When you try to do it on your own, you end up getting side-tracked and sometimes stuck because it wasn’t for you. There is enough out here for all of us. No need to be threatened or jealous. The answer to finding success is “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” (Matthew 6:33). Don’t allow social media to be your gauge on God’s plan for your purpose. 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.

myimessenger.com

A Biden (pun) Imagination QUIT PLAYIN’ VINCENT L. HALL “The prophet does not ask if the vision can be implemented, for questions of implementation are of no consequence until the vision can be imagined. The imagination must come before the implementation. Our culture is competent to implement almost anything and to imagine almost nothing.” – Walter Brueggemann Walter Brueggemann is a celebrated Old Testament scholar and theologian known by seminarians as a Master teacher. He exegetes and elucidates scripture in a way that brings “social justice” ministers to their feet. My friend, Pastor Damien Durr, speaks of him often. I never want to plagiarize, but Durr is always on point. They say it’s ok to be a copycat as long as you are copying the right cat. So yeah, I kinda stole this line of thought. Brueggemann promotes the notion that we ought to pray for imagination. Black Baptists religiously pray for a “reasonable portion of health and strength’, but we also need to ask God to grant us healthy imaginations. Lord, give us new dreams! As I watched Joseph Robinette Biden Jr.’s inauguration, I could not help but believe that the near octogenarian is still imagining. After four years of malaise and melancholy brought on by a two-bit, toy-gun wielding wannabee gangster we know as Donald Trump, America, and the world needs to heed Bruegmyimessenger.com

germann’ s prescriptive. We need imagination. We need to imagine a future of freedom and good fortunes that all humankind has a reasonable opportunity to achieve. James Brown said it best. “I don’t want nobody giving me nothing, open up the door, and I’ll get it myself.” Good God! Let us imagine creating opportunities for the poor and marginalized. The unspoken “caste system” that exists in every nation must be confronted. We don’t have a trade imbalance with all of China, just the rich bastards who control 90% of their wealth. They trade with America’s rich bastards who have no empathy for the lesser-thans. If empathy were a commodity, Biden would be worth billions of dollars. Biden doesn’t exude that syrupy sorrowfulness that has known no pain or strife. He has survived more major calamities than most could imagine or endure. Empathy ought to invoke vision and imagination. Biden stuttered and stam-

mered as a child. He was the object of constant ridicule by his classmates and at least one nun. Stuttering is no great plague today. In his generation, it was a sign of low intelligence. Biden kept imagining straight through law school. Biden’s firstborn daughter, Naomi, died in 1972, after a fatal car accident that also took his young bride. Biden became one of the most celebrated single parents in America. His son “Beau” died in 2015 after suffering from brain cancer in a very public way. Biden used his imagination to expedite the cure for cancer. Biden ran twice for President and lost badly. Joe imagined that if he helped a young Black dude from Chicago, he could get closer to his own vision. He imagined becoming wingman to America’s first Black President, and vision became reality. Biden was politically DOA early on in the 2020 election. He had to answer charges surrounding his support of the 1994 Crime Bill. Although that legislation had lots of support

from the Black community, he became the latest culprit. The bill was horrible, but so were the district attorneys, judges, and the prison system. The clear majority of Blacks and minorities who refused jury service were also to blame. And oh yeah, some of the criminals that went to jail really were criminals. In every case, a sitting judge had the last word and built reputations and long-lasting careers by being “tough on crime.” Biden felt the full backlash for a “criminal injustice system” for which all of America was complicit. He kept imagining. If Brueggemann is right, then Biden’s biding imagination is what we need. The question is whether our culture, rife and replete with opinionated arrogance, unrelenting judgment, and unforgiving condemnations, can concoct a vision of justice for America and the world. Pray for imagination! Vincent L. Hall is an author, activist, and award-winning columnist.

January 29, 2021

Police to pursue racist assault on Garland NAACP By ASHLEY M. MOSS Staff writer

A man who left a voicemail message on a business phone line of a local NAACP branch that referred to Dr. Martin Luther King by a racial epithet may be prosecuted, Garland police said Friday afternoon. “Police referred the case to the Dallas County District Attorney’s office for consideration,” said Garland Police Lt. Pedro Barineau, the agency’s public information officer. “We are pursuing the charge of harassment and the case is being referred to the Dallas County grand jury,” Lt. Barineau wrote in an exclusive email to Texas Metro News Friday afternoon. Police declined to name the suspect. Meanwhile, Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot said he was familiar with the case after reading about it in a local newspaper. However, he said late Friday that he was out of his office, away from his computer and could not confirm whether his staff had received the complaint. “If it was referred to my office, I don’t know about it,” he said during a brief telephone interview from his home. “I just can’t help you right now.” Calls and an email sent to Dallas County District Attorney Public Information Officer Kimberlee Leach were not returned late Friday. The escalation of the case came three days after Garland NAACP branch leaders January 29, 2021

complained to police that they had received an eightsecond recorded message on the branch’s telephone line that they considered hateful and intimidating. In the recorded message, which branch leaders provided a copy of to Texas Metro News, the caller said, in part, “MLK is a good (N-word), but that’s because he’s a dead (N-word).” The Garland NAACP uses a telephone answering service which sends notification alerts with voice recordings attached after a caller has left a message. The service identifies the caller by the name in which a phone line is listed and by the caller’s telephone number. Friday, Gwendolyn Daniels, the NAACP member who received the message in her branch voicemail box, said she was pleased at detectives’ work and their decision. “We appreciate that the Garland police took the time to investigate it,” Ms. Daniels said. “The detective assigned to our case said that the accused admitted right up front that he did it and that he still felt the same way.” NAACP Leaders said the incident would not change the branch’s civil rights work, their programming or deter their mission. “We are not going to change the way we handle things,” said Annie Dickson, president of the Garland NAACP. “We’re just going to continue to serve the community and do our best.” “This is just one of many

I MESSENGER

people who have tried to bully us,” Ms. Dickson said. “But, we don’t accept bullying.” “People need to realize that not everyone shares the sentiment of equal rights for all people,” Ms. Daniels added during a telephone interview with both leaders. “There really are people that feel African Americans do not deserve the same rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as the white community,” Typically, cases that are referred to grand juries are considered by jurists, who then determine whether

there is probable cause that a crime has occurred. If jurists believe it is likely that a crime was committed, they return an indictment against a suspect, who then will be arrested, charged and face trial. The members of the Garland NAACP will discuss the incident in their monthly meeting Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. The meeting will be virtual. It is open to all. For more information, click here: https://garlandtxnaacp. org/calendar/. Texas Metro News editor Valerie Fields Hill contributed to this report.

myimessenger.com

How to get a COVID-19 vaccine If you are a Parkland patient: Parkland patients (at least one appointment in the last year) will be contacted by Parkland when itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s their turn to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

If you are not a Parkland patient: Please follow these steps to register to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Go to the website of Dallas County Health and Human Services:

www.dallascounty.org/covid-19/covid-19-vaccination.php

Click on the green rectangle to register:

Fill out the form and click Submit. You are now registered.

When it is your turn, you will be contacted to schedule an appointment to get the vaccine at one of the hub sites (such as Parkland, UT Southwestern, Dallas County Health and Human Services, etc.)

Getting the vaccine will protect yourself and the people around you. The vaccine will help stop the spread of the virus in our community and end the pandemic.

Not able to register online? Call the Dallas County Health and Human Services Vaccine Registration Hotline at 469-749-9906, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.â&#x20AC;&#x201C;5 p.m. Registration help is available in English and Spanish.

Until more people are vaccinated, please stay safe.

Wear a mask

Wash your hands

Clean surfaces 01/21/21

myimessenger.com

January 29, 2021

I MESSENGER

myimessenger.com

Insurrection at the Capitol THE GRAY AREA BY ED GRAY

America is in a state of an internal political war that has never been seen since the Civil War. The failed coup by the supporters of President Donald Trump exposed America. America can no longer be holier than thou and say that our elected norms are sacred. We can no longer brag about a peaceful transition of power. The demon in chief, also known as Donald Trump, encouraged his minions of myimessenger.com

MAGA supporters to violently attempt to subvert American democracy. As these domestic terrorists broke into the citadel of freedom, other seditionist began to tear it down from within., Trump supporters such as Senator Ted Cruz (RTX), and Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) waved high the banner of sedition , to not certify the election of the President-Elect Joe Biden. January 06, 2021 will live as a day in infamy. It was Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s electoral Perl Harbor. A sneak attack upon democracy that was committed by legions of Americans, enemies from within, supported by White Supremacy. These terrorists

scaled the walls of Freedom with the intent of Kidnapping, Killing, and Klanning the electoral college certification. If not for the quick thinking of a Capitol Hill Policeman, Eugene Goodman, then it was quite possible that many of our elected officials would have been killed or hurt. The ringleader of this Insurrection was the President of the United States, and for this high crime and misdemeanor he should be impeached and barred from running for the Presidency. This pardoned the word, trumps anything that any President has done before him. Instigating a coup to remain in power. This type

of behavior is what happen in banana republics. Indeed, we must have been in a banana republic on that day in January, because Trump was bananas. We as Americans were lucky, because the insurrectionists were not as organized to pull it off. They probably did not think they could get as far as they did. We must not let this failure be a platform for others to build upon. We must impeach Donald Trump, Jail the Insurrectionists, and Remove from office all members of the Sedition Caucus of elected representatives that assisted. I am Ed Gray, and this is Straight Talk.

January 29, 2021

Vice President Kamala Devi Harris,

We See You!

By AMELIA ASHLEY-WARD Publisher, San Francisco Sun-Reporter I lost a lot of sleep this week, anticipating the Inauguration of Kamala Devi Harris as the most powerful woman in American history. I was anxious and I was happy. I was in disbelief, but also in awe. I was emotional and teary. I was full of praise, love, and respect for the woman and sisterfriend I decided to support and feature in the Sun-Reporter for her San Francisco District Attorney, California Attorney General, and United States Senator campaigns. We also supported her run for President. I rose early Wednesday to take a seat in front of my large television set. I had nervous energy, as I rocked back and forth. I couldn’t wait for the first glimpse of her. I was eager to see what see was wearing. I wanted to see her walking side by side with President Joseph R. Biden. I mean, I kind of felt like this when President Barack Obama was inaugurated back in 2009 as the First Black President. But on this day, the feeling was even more magical. It was personal. This was our home girl, a girlfriend, someone with whom I had laughed and cried. She is now the most powerful woman in the country. Another first for the woman who has been the first in every political office she’s held. I guess over all the years, Camelot and Cinderella had January 29, 2021

Sun Reporter publisher Amelia Ashley Ward and Vice President Kamala Harris

only been the fairy tales reserved for others and not meant for us. But with an obsession for freedom and justice and a spirited heart full of ambition, Kamala flipped the script. After all, female action figures like Wonder Woman and Barbie dolls on display rarely represented us. At last, we have a real Wonder Woman who represents strength and beauty. She’s the real deal: strong, fearless, mighty, brilliant and she looks like us. Her name is Kamala Devi Harris, Madame Vice President of the United States of America. At last, the day had come. There she stood, regal in purple, after exiting from her official limousine. All eyes were on her.

I MESSENGER

I watched in admiration and cried Hallelujah! as she raised her hand to take the oath of office administered by the first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Little Black girls and girls across the country stood with raised hands, too. There’s glass everywhere with openings for them to enter and reach for the sky. Thank you, Madame Vice President Harris! She is now equal to all the white men who had occupied the seat before her. This moment in time will live forever within me. Her victory is our victory. She stands on the shoulders of Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Shirley Chisholm, and Rosa Parks. I must admit, I dedicate

the Sun-Reporter to fighting for equal opportunity and the election of Black women. It is my belief that if we work for them, they will also work for us. I plead their cause over and over and time and time again. I guess favoring candidates is not the rule for real journalism, but the rules of this country have never favored us. The election of Vice President Kamala Harris to the second highest office in the land is my vindication. In other words, I raise my right hand and place my left on the Bible and swear to do it again. Vice President Harris said it best: “I may be the first, but I will not be the last.” Next!? myimessenger.com

Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee (SELMA, ALA.) In its biggest undertaking yet, the historic Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee is extending its reach even further beyond the city of Selma, Alabama. This year’s event on March 5-7 will take place virtually, allowing anyone in the world to join in on the commemoration of equity and justice. The Jubilee honors the fight for voting rights -- including “Bloody Sunday, ” the murder of Jimmie Lee Jackson and the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. More than 550 people gathered at Brown Chapel AME Church on March 7, 1965, to protest Jackson’s death and participate in a nonviolent march for Black Americans’ right to vote. When they crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge, state troopers brutally beat them while a myimessenger.com

Derrick Johnson

Keke Palmer

James Clyburn

horrified nation watched on television, leaving 17 demonstrators hospitalized and 40 injured. Two weeks after this “Bloody Sunday,” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and 3,200 civil rights protesters marched 49 miles from Selma to Montgomery — prompting Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act. “Though the Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee is virtual this

year, it will be as important and impactful as ever, especially after the calls for racial justice in 2020,” explained Drew Glover, the Jubilee’s principal coordinator. “Alabamians and others stood up and peacefully fought for the right to vote 56 years ago, but history is still in the making. We invite everyone around the world to join us in remembering a pivotal time in the civil rights movement.”

Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee activities will be educational, inspirational and entertaining for people of all ages. Pre-register for free at www.selma50.com. Help finance the Jubilee’s global reach by donating at spot.fund/ selmajubilee. Email Drew Glover at drew@selmajubilee. com for media inquiries, advertising and sponsorship information.

January 29, 2021

Closing the Gap on Disparities in Distribution of COVID-19 Vaccine in South Dallas The National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. Dallas Metropolitan Chapter (NCBW) is concerned with disparities in the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine and the dissemination of information to communities of color in the southern sector of Dallas, more specifically women of color in these areas. We believe addressing these disparities should be among the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top health priorities. In support of these communities, the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. Dallas Metropolitan Chapter will continue to advocate for policies that provide for education and awareness about COVID-19 and access to the vaccine in these areas. We recognize that there is distrust amongst the Black community as it relates to the COVID-19 vaccine and there is a need for city officials and the community to work collaboratively to address these concerns while almost simultaneously working toward a solution for the January 29, 2021

disparities in the distribution of the vaccine. We implore city and county officials to work collaboratively with trusted sources including local community and religious leaders, area black-owned businesses, minority media outlets, and organizations such as ours to help disseminate factual information regarding the science and safety protocols behind the creation of the vaccine to residents of South Dallas. The National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Dallas Metropolitan Chapter stands ready to assist in helping to close the gap on these disparities by lending our voice in the community and extending our public platforms to provide information. We will continue to educate and empower our communities while engaging our civic, political, religious, and business leaders and organizations to effectuate public policy changes and access to resources in the fight against COVID-19.

I MESSENGER

Sonya Irby

CLOSING THE GAP According to Sen. Royce West the following vaccine doses will be delivered to DFW and 1,000 doses to be split between Walgreens Walgreens Walgreens Walgreens Walgreens

West Camp Wisdom Lakeland 3211 Lancaster Rd. 1410(6) Robert B. Cullum Rd. 775 Wheatland

Los Barrios Unidos healthy Hands Ministry 850 Greenville Ave, MLK Clinic Baylor Grand Prairie Fire Dallas Co. Health Dept. City of Dallas Parkland UT Southwestern

200 doses 200 doses 200 doses 4,875 doses 500 doses 9,000 doses 5,000 doses 11,000 doses 11,000 doses

myimessenger.com

January 29, 2021

NABJ meets with CBS on allegations of racism, calls for firing of two executives The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) met Sunday night with CBS officials regarding disturbing revelations and allegations from the LA Times about the racism and toxic work environment at the company, specifically the CBS Television Stations. Those stations operate under the leadership of Peter Dunn, President of CBS Stations and David Friend, Senior Vice President of News for CBS Stations and VP of News at WCBS-TV New York. Based on the racist comments detailed in the LA Times story as confirmed by two former CBS executives, NABJ is calling for the immediate termination of Dunn and Friend. The troubling issues raised in the story are not just confined to one TV station. NABJ has heard from numerous CBS employees across the country and has been made aware of multiple lawsuits and investigations. It is clear that there is a massive problem among CBS ownedand-operated stations, and in order for the company’s culture to be transformed, it must begin with the firing of Dunn and Friend. The disturbing details that surfaced in Sunday’s LA Times are consistent with multiple workplace concerns currently expressed by CBS employees and brought to the attention of NABJ and to CBS executives in two in-person meetings in the last 18 months. Many of these employees have told us that they are afraid to speak about January 29, 2021

Roland S. Martin

Ken Lemon

Drew Berry

their concerns out of fear of retaliation from their bosses, including Dunn and Friend. Participants in the Sunday night meeting included NABJ Executive Director Drew Berry; Vice PresidentBroadcast Ken Lemon; Vice President-Digital Roland S. Martin; CEO of CBS-Branded Assets George Cheeks, who heads the CBS Television Network, CBS News, CBS Television Stations; and Marva Smalls, Executive Vice President and Global Head of Inclusion. NABJ President Dorothy Tucker has not been involved in any of these discussions with CBS because she is an employee of the company, and NABJ Board policy prohibits anyone from taking part in discussions about their own company. Cheeks and Smalls agreed with NABJ that there must be an external-led investigation, and pledged to work with NABJ on a path forward. The allegations in the LA Times story include: • Dunn disparaging popular and highly-respected Black male Philadelphia anchor Ukee Washington as “just a jive guy” and seeming to

ridicule him for dancing on air; • Dunn and Friend criticizing a young Black female morning anchor’s accent and work, a few days into her new assignment; • The firing of another Black female anchor of Ethiopian origin because Dunn “hated her face;” • And a complaint was filed by a former CBS manager with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission expressing discriminatory behavior “through the instruction of others,” including pay, based on race, gender and sexual orientation. In addition to information detailed in the LA Times article, during the meeting, the NABJ delegation outlined a number of member complaints including: • WCBS in NYC has just one full-time Black male reporter hired this year after going more than 5 years without one. • WCBS in NYC has just one Black female full-time reporter. • WCBS has just one Black news producer. • WCBS has just one Black

manager that was promoted in February. • KYW Philadelphia repeatedly passed over Black freelance employees and gave full-time positions to other journalists.

I MESSENGER

“New York City is one of the most diverse cities in the world so there is no excuse not to have sufficient Black representation among the news staff,” said NABJ Vice President- Broadcast Ken Lemon. “The time for change is now.” NABJ will be following up on the results of the investigation and subsequent actions taken by CBS. “It’s a shame that 45 years after NABJ was founded by 44 brave Black journalists, we are still having to contend with racism,” said NABJ Vice President-Digital Roland S. Martin. “It’s a shame that journalists like Brooke Thomas, who was mentioned in the LA Times report, have had their careers stunted because of racism of white media executives. We aren’t satisfied with lip service. We don’t want promises that things will change. We are see NABJ on page 17

myimessenger.com

NABJ,

from page 16... heartened by our discussion with George and Marva that there will be real, substantial and substantive changes at CBS to ensure that it is a welcoming place for Black and other journalists of color to work, rise and succeed.” myimessenger.com

CBS Stations Team – I know these have been a difficult few days. I wanted to reach out tonight with an update on a few important developments. Effective immediately, Stations President Peter Dunn and your Head of News David Friend have been placed on administrative leave pending an independent investigation of issues including those that were published in the recent Los Angeles Times stories. Below is the statement that will be

provided to the press. In addition, CBS Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer Bryon Rubin will assume interim leadership of the Stations group. Bryon is very familiar with your business and ready to support your efforts. I also wanted you to know that on Sunday evening, Marva Smalls, ViacomCBS’ Head of Global Inclusion, and I met with the leadership of the National Association of Black Journalists.

We pledged to continue a dialogue with the NABJ on our best path forward. Please know that you have my commitment – and that of ViacomCBS’ senior leadership – to foster and maintain a positive, inclusive and equitable workplace at Stations and across CBS. We have important work to do here. Our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion values, goals and programs are essential to our culture and our business success. -- George Cheeks

January 29, 2021

I MESSENGER

myimessenger.com

DC must have Statehood THE LAST WORD BY DR. JULIANNE MALVEAUX

The District of Columbia has 715,000 residents, more than the states of Wyoming and Vermont. We pay taxes, just like citizens in all 50 states. But our citizens are second-class citizens. We have no voting representation in the House of Representatives or the United States Senate. We have taxation without representation. Nonvoting Congressional representative Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) has served in Congress since xxx. She has tirelessly fought for DC statehood, most recently introducing HR 51 on the very first day of the 117th Congress, on January 3. She has 202 cosponsors of the legislation, all Democrats. Not a single Republican thinks that the residents of the District of Columbia deserve equal rights. Norton has introduced legislation to establish DC statehood since 1991. Republicans don’t support this because they think Democrats get an edge if a voting representative and two senators are Dems. Would they disenfranchise California because Democrats do better there? The insurrection on January 6 illustrates one of the many reasons that DC deserves statehood. Mayor Muriel Bowser cannot assemble the DC national guard on her own. She has to ask for federal government “permission” to get our national guard, made up of DC residents, to protect our citizens and our streets. Any other governor can ask for National myimessenger.com

Guard assistance, but the DC Mayor has to go, hat in hand, to the feds, who have been traditionally hostile to DC. This is the most recent attack on DC sovereignty. In past years, Congress has passed laws that directly contradict laws the DC City Council has passed. Congress has offered scant respect for DC leaders. But DC voters, through

charter amendment, made the DC Attorney General an elected position. Karl Racine was elected in 2014 and reelected in 2018. He has aggressively challenged the status quo, suing the current administration of its chicanery. He has also defended DC independence and pushed back on attacks to DC sovereignty. The blessing of having an independent Attorney General (as opposed to someone appointed by the Mayor) is that the AG can play a different kind of politics than the Mayor must.

This DC statehood issue affects you whether you live in DC or not. When you hear voter suppression, think DC. A few years ago, DC was majority Black (now it’s at least 45 percent). Republicans weren’t about to put a congressional voting seat and two senate seats to Black folks. Just like they will scheme and connive to keep Black voters away from the polls in North Carolina, Georgia, and other states. You can’t talk about equal rights unless you are interested in the rights of DC residents. It’s not a local issue; it’s a national issue.

Too many, though, have been disturbingly silent about the rights of DC residents. Too many seem to think that our rights’ abrogation is a remote issue that shouldn’t matter to them. Too many put this on the back burner, preferring

the status quo to providing DC residents with voting rights. President-elect Joe Biden has not embraced DC statehood or put it on top of his list. That’s not surprising. When President Barack Obama had both a Democratic House and Senate, the matter was not a priority. When President Bill Clinton led our nation, he somehow did not get around to the statehood issue. Republican resistance to statehood is expected. Democratic indifference is far more galling. The same party that will challenge voter suppression has never made DC voting a priority issue. Thus, Mayor Muriel Bowser has her hands tied, as prior mayors of DC have. Congress has intruded into DC internal affairs, appointing a “Control” Board (I called it the Out of Control Board) in 1995 to oversee DC financial decisions that should have been the Mayor’s purview. Congress meddles in DC in ways it could not interfere in any other jurisdiction. DC deserves autonomy, and the debacle with the National Guard on January 6 is the most recent illustration of the reason. If you believe in equal rights, this is an issue for you whether or not you live in DC. The Biden –Harris administration must prioritize this, and you should, too. Dr. Julianne Malveaux is an author, economist, and social commentator.

January 29, 2021

Ed Bell Construction Company An Equal Opportunity Employer January 4, 2021 Ed Bell Construction is a Dallas based heavy highway contractor doing business in the North Texas market since 1963. With clients such as TxDOT, Dallas County Public Works, and the Cities of Dallas, Fort Worth, Richardson and Mansfield (plus many others), we have a strong backlog of work in the highway market locally. We are currently hiring for the following positions: • • • • • •

Finishers (Paving) Pipelayer (Underground) CDL Drivers (Haul Truck) Form Setters (Structures, Paving) Laborers (Structures, Underground) Motor Grader Operator (Earthwork)

Available: multiple openings Rate: Negotiable Must have own transportation Years of Experience required will vary, from 6 months to 2 years (depending on position) Physical and Drug Screen Required Must have a Clear Background Must be at least 18 years old (CDL Driver, 21 yrs) Must APPLY IN PERSON at 10605 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75220 from 7am-11am Mon-Fri. Please visit our website: www.edbellconstruction.com/careers Or email your resume to: careers@edbellconstruction.com

Nena’s Finds Boutique A Uniquely Stylish, Fashionable Boutique for women of all Sizes! Ranging from Pretti and Petite to Pretti and Plus! Nena likes to be a bit edgy, blingy ... But she keeps it Chic with Sophisticated Style!

Nena’s Finds is your one stop shop for an Eccentric flare!

214.623.7314

nenafinds17@gmail.com Schedule your Sip n Shop, Trunk Show, Girls Nite Out or Wardrobe Revamp with Nena’s Finds today!

January 29, 2021

I MESSENGER

myimessenger.com

The Voice For The Voiceless FROM MARVA WITH LOVE BY MARVA J. SNEED

Bianca Jackson is the CEO of New Friends New Life, a Dallas-based organization that restores and empowers formerly trafficked teen girls and sexually exploited women and their children. Bianca leads the organization’s strategic development, financial operations, and advocacy work, as well as its program initiatives and staff development and she has made it her life’s work to be a voice for the voiceless. MS: You said that you wanted to be the voice for the voiceless. Tell us about yourself and how you got started on this journey. BJ: I was born and raised in the Bahamas. I moved here when I went to Temple University in Philadelphia. But a story that sticks out with me. Because of our proximity we got all of our news from Florida. A man had beaten his five-year-old to death because he wet the bed. There was something about that story and that little boy that just sat in my heart. And I knew from that moment that if I had the opportunity to have a career where I could mold my passion and my compassion, empathy, my sense of concern for others, and make that a profession; I would consider that the greatest blessing…So that’s how my journey started. I move to Dallas and started in a nonprofit in Healthcare. I could see the result of my efforts. I knew that when I went to bed every night I made a difference for a patient. myimessenger.com

MS: What is the difference between what you did at Genesis and what you are now doing at New Friends New Life? BJ: So at Genesis Women’s Shelter the service survivors of domestic violence, women and children have experienced violence. I was in development there so leading the efforts that brought resources and money into the organization. Then I transitioned to New Friends New Life where we specifically served women and girls who have been trafficked or exploited. I was the Chief Development Officer which was similar. It is challenging in

Bianca Jackson

these times, but people are talking about human trafficking more than ever before. That is so important that people are paying attention to what’s

happening in our backyard. To hear the full interview with Bianca Jackson, go to BlogTalkRadio.com/ Cheryl’sWorld, http://bit. ly/3p31wBT, or Facebook. com/TexasMetroNews to see the video. To learn more about Human Trafficking go to www. newfriendsnewlife.org. Tune into “From Marva with Love” Fridays from 11 am-1 pm. on BlogTalkRadio.com and Texas Metro News Facebook page. “From Marva with Love” BlogTalkRadio.com/Cheryl’s World Texas Metro News email: marvasneed@myimessenger.com

Tuesdays 11AM

January 29, 2021

Tues 11:30 am - 1 pm

January 29, 2021

I MESSENGER

myimessenger.com

Dallas COVID-19 Resources

MO’ BETTAH WINGS

COVID-19 Call the hotline The bestHotline way to 24-7 protect yourself and others is to 214-670-INFO (4636) to get information regarding: stay at home. •Current COVID-19 Regulations & Testing Locations •Employment Assistance •Federal Relief Payment Information •Volunteer/Assistance Opportunities •Rental/Mortgage, and Eviction Assistance •Small Business Assistance •Social Services (food pantry, childcare assistance, senior assistance, unsheltered resident assistance and mental health resources) •Utility Payment Assistance

Slow the spread of COVID-19 The best way to protect yourself and others is to stay at home.

Safer at home

2860 E. LEDBETTER DR. (Inside Valero) DALLAS, Tx.75216 myimessenger.com

11am-10pm Monday-Saturday 12-8 Sunday

Wash with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer.

Keep your mouth and nose covered while out in public.

Visit dallascityhall.com/COVID19 for a list of resources and up-to-date information about COVID-19.

January 29, 2021

A LIFE OF PURPOSE Cicely Tyson was an award-winning film, television and stage actress, notable for her roles in ‘The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman,’ ‘The Help’ and Broadway’s ‘The Trip to Bountiful,’ among others. An honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Ms.Tyson built a successful career by carefully choosing roles that exemplified quality and depth. She won accolades and awards for her performances on TV, stage and in film, with credits including Sounder, Roots, The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All, and The Help. Tyson won three Emmy Awards and a Tony Award, among other honors, over the course of her acting

career. She was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1977. EARLY LIFE Born in New York City on December 19, 1924, and grew up in Harlem, New York; at the age of 18, she walked away from a typing job and began modeling. Ms. Tyson was then drawn to acting, though she had not been permitted to go to plays or movies as a child. When she got her first acting job, her religious mother, feeling that her daughter was choosing a sinful path, kicked her out of their home. ‘ROOTS,’ ‘THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MISS JANE PITTMAN’ AND MORE

Cicely Tyson

Despite her mother’s initial disapproval, Tyson found success as an actress, appearing onstage, in movies and on TV. In 1963 Tyson became the first African American star of a TV drama in the series East Side/West Side, playing the role of secretary Jane Foster. She went on to be nominated for an Academy Award for 1972’s Sounder. She also portrayed notable roles on television, including Kunta Kinte’s mother in the adaptation of

Alex Haley’s Roots and the title role in The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, which earned Tyson two Emmy Awards in 1974. Moving to Broadway in 1983, she was the lead in The Corn Is Green, a play set in a Welsh mining town. In 1994 the actress nabbed her third Emmy in her supporting role as housemaid Castalia in CBS’ miniseries television adaptation of the Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All. However, her career trajectory wasn’t a smooth one; at times, she had trouble simply finding work. She flatly refused to do “blaxploitation” films, or to take parts solely for the paycheck and was selective about the roles she chose. As she explained in a 1983 interview, “Unless a piece really said something, I had no interest in it. I have got to know that I have served some purpose here.’’ ‘THE HELP,’ BROADWAY’S ‘THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL’ More recently, Ms. Tyson appeared in The Help (2011)

January 29, 2021

I MESSENGER

myimessenger.com

as maid Constantine Bates, for which she received many awards for being part of the ensemble cast and also worked on several Tyler Perry movies. And after a 30-year absence from Broadway, she returned with a role in Horton Foote’s The Trip to Bountiful. The actress traveled to Texas in an effort to better understand her part in the acclaimed production — dedication that paid off when her performance won Tyson the 2013 Tony Award for best performance by an actress in a leading role in a play. In 2017 Ms. Tyson appeared in director Richard Linklater’s film Last Flag Flying, an adaptation from the 2005 novel of the same name. PERSONAL LIFE She was married to jazz musician Miles Davis for seven years in the 1980s and had no children. Ms. Tyson had a well-known commitment to community involvement. She co-founded myimessenger.com

the Dance Theater of Harlem after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, and when a school board in East Orange, New Jersey, wanted to name a performing arts school after her, she only agreed to accept the honor if she could participate in school activities. In addition to attending meetings and events, Ms. Tyson even taught a master class at the school. NOTABLE HONORS Ms. Tyson received numerous acting awards and nominations and became a member of the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1977. She was also been honored by the Congress of Racial Equality and by the National Council of Negro Women. And in 2010, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People presented her with its 95th Spingarn Medal — an award given to African Americans who have reached outstanding levels of achievement.

In 2015 Ms. Tyson was nominated for an Emmy for her guest-starring role in ABC’s How to Get Away With Murder and was a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors. The following year, she was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama. The Grammys 2018 week ended with a celebration for the acclaimed activist and actress and to help raise funds for the National Cares Mentoring Movement. Created by Editor Emeritus of Essence Magazine, Susan L. Taylor, soon after the Katrina storm in

2006, the Cares Movement recruits and trains Black adults to mentor children in need and in crisis. Our Queen transitioned on January 28, 2021. “I have managed Miss Tyson’s career for over 40 years, and each year was a privilege and blessing,” her manager, Larry Thompson, said in a statement. “Cicely thought of her new memoir as a Christmas tree decorated with all the ornaments of her personal and professional life. Today she placed the last ornament, a Star, on top of the tree.” -Biography.com

A two-hour tribute to Ms. Cicely Tyson will air on RolandMartinUnf il tered, today at 5p.m. Tune in on YouTube or Facebook

January 29, 2021

JUST AS I AM

YOU HAVE TO READ HER BOOK: Just As I Am

Enjoy these anecdotes, then go purchase the books, that hit stands earlier this week. Miles Davis was in a robe the first time they met. Don’t go too crazy imagining this encounter with the infamous trumpeter. At the time, Tyson’s future husband, Miles Davis, was still married to dancer Frances Taylor Davis and living in an apartment down the hall to one of Cicely Tyson’s good friends, actress Diahann Carroll. One day while Tyson was visiting, Davis knocked on the door in his housecoat, asking for some sugar. Not that kind, but after they got to know each other, she wanted to give him some of that, too. “I’d been wary to get involved initially,” she recalls. “But once I glimpsed his innards, and once it became clear that he and Frances had truly moved on (and I was with him on the day in 1966 when Miles received her divorce papers), my misgivings were swallowed whole by the warmth between us.” Spiritual “innards,” that is. Tyson once called Lenny Kravitz’s mom on him. Once while she was living on 74th Street in Manhattan, Tyson opened up her terrace and saw a group of musicians playing in Riverside Park. Down for a party, she headed over and found Lisa Bonet, the then-wife of rock star Lenny Kravitz, who happens to be her “beloved godson,” the son of her old friend actress Roxie Roker and filmmaker Sy Kravitz. “What are you all doing over here in my neighborhood?” Tyson asked Bonet. “We’re cutting Lenny’s record.” When she made it back to her apartment, she just had to call his mom. “‘You hear all that noise?’ I said, raising the phone’s receiver out on the terrace. ‘That’s your son and daughter-in-law making all of this noise in our neighborhood.’” she recalled. “We both just fell out laughing.” She showed Liz Taylor there’s more than one queen. Who else would be brave enough to sue Liz Taylor and still show her face around town? After Taylor’s production company fired Tyson from the 1983 Broadway revival of The Corn Is Green, she hit back for the earnings she was owed, severing Hollywood connections in the process. No matter. Tyson gleefully recalls years later when she walked up to James Earl Jones in a Beverly Hills restaurant without realizing who his dinner partner was: Liz Taylor herself. “We exchanged one of those fake double-cheek kisses, and she laughed as she said to James, ‘You know something? Cic-

January 29, 2021

I MESSENGER

ely sued me,’” Tyson writes. “She then turned to me and smirked, ‘And how much money did you get?’ I raised my shoulders, thrust my nose heavenward, and announced loudly enough for the room to hear, ‘I was awarded more than a half-million dollars.’” She snatched Miles Davis’s weave and she’d do it again. Even a story as legendary as Tyson’s is not without its low points. In the memoir, she revisits her marriage-ending fight with Miles Davis that made headlines. One afternoon in 1987, six years into their marriage and long after Tyson first sniffed out “the stench of Miles’s philandering,” she found and hid a note from another woman containing the address for his rendezvous. “I’m not giving you anything,” she sneered. “Why don’t you go out and meet your woman? You know where to meet her.” As she tried to leave, Davis twisted her wrist, so she grabbed his beloved hair weave. “Well, honey, he got to twisting and turning, and the more he tugged his head back and forth, trying to pry himself loose, the tighter I held on,” she writes. “By the time he struggled free, I was holding a whole bushel of his weave in my right hand. I hurled it onto the ground, marched out the door, and slammed it shut.” She would divorce him a year later, though she remained in his life until his death in 1991. “At one point, I heard Miles saying to someone on the phone, ‘Do you know how much I paid for that weave? And she just snatched it right off of my head!’” she remembers. “I didn’t know whether to laugh or to cringe, which is why I did both.” Tyler Perry pads her paychecks. Everyone’s got a tale of Tyler Perry’s generosity, but Cicely Tyson might just have them beat. The two icons of Black Hollywood have

been friendly since her role in 2005’s Diary of a Mad Black Woman, and in the years since, they’ve built a friendship spanning six films. “When he heard how little I was paid for Sounder and The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, his mouth fell open,” she writes. “From then on, he decided to double, and sometimes even triple or quadruple, my asking price for any role he requested that I play.” He’s making her rich in love, too. Tyson is godmother to Perry’s son, Aman. “You should see that child and me down on the carpet together, doing handstands, with a nervous Tyler standing by to be sure I don’t crack my neck,” she writes. “What a joy.” She had to remeet Denzel Washington on the street. Who could forget a face like Denzel Washington’s? A lady as busy and important as Cicely Tyson, okay? “Years ago,” while walking down the street, minding her business like a lifelong New Yorker does, a “rather handsome young man approached.” “‘Good afternoon, Ms. Tyson. My name is Denzel Washington,’” she recalls him saying. “‘Oh,’ I said, thinking, I guess I’m supposed to know who he is.” When he clarified that they were in a movie together, the 1977 television film Wilma, where he met his wife, Pauletta, it all came back. They, too, became family. Tyson is godmother to their oldest daughter, Katia. Sorry, John David, you probably have a cool godparent, too. She hung up on Barack Obama. Tyson has been the recipient of a number of honors in her life: the Spingarn Medal, the most distinguished honor the NAACP bestows; a Kennedy Center honor; an honorary Academy Award; and the honor of hanging up on President Barack Obama. Well, technically, she hung up on an aide, but it’s close! When the innocent Obama aide rang Tyson to let her know she was being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016, the actress refused to believe it. “‘Oh please,’ I said laughing, feeling sure it was a prankster talking some foolishness,” she writes. “‘How did you even get this number?’ She tried to persuade me that her declaration was true, but I wouldn’t hear of it.” Tyson hung up with a click. Once she realized her mistake, her manager got the White House on the phone to confirm her attendance at the ceremony, where she received the final Medal of Honor of Barack Obama’s presidency.

myimessenger.com

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.

myimessenger.com

January 29, 2021

National Youth Poet Laureate burst forth as “a supernova being born.”

Smash-hit poet Amanda Gorman at the Biden-Harris inauguration. Credit: Wikipedia

I WAS JUST THINKING... By Norma Adams-Wade

Texas Metro News

Add me to the swell of folk heaping accolades on Amanda Gorman, the 22-year-old who is the youngest poet in U. S. history to present her poem at a presidential inauguration – in this case, the January 20, 2021 swearing-in of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. By the time you read this writing -- if there is any fairJanuary 29, 2021

ness in life -- Ms. Gorman’s name will be well secured as the sensational, smash-hit star she has become. CNN media commentator Van Jones described her as “a supernova being born.” Gorman’s celebrity burst forth after she read her inauguration poem, “The Hill We Climb,” on the steps of the U. S. Capitol. Her eager smile further accented her brilliant yellow coat she wore and brightred, silk cloth that adorned her neatly-braided hair.

I MESSENGER

African-American’s can be proud to claim her among our ranks, and as one who identifies herself as a voice for the African diaspora, issues of oppression, marginalization and race. She was born and raised in Los Angeles by her mother Joan Wicks, a teacher, and she has two siblings including a twin sister. She studied sociology at Harvard College, the undergraduate program of Harvard University. While at Harvard College in 2017, she was picked as America’s first National Youth Poet Laureate in a program co-sponsored by

the Library of Congress. It is unfortunate if you did not hear her read in person her deep-thinking and inspiring poem about our American experience – good, bad, ugly, and hopeful. Her presentation and pose were magnetic. The words on paper do not do justice to her powerful, spoken words. There is no doubt that Maya Angelou, who read her own poem “On the Pulse of Morning” at Bill Clinton’s 1993 inauguration, would have beamed with pride as most of the nation is now doing. see THINKING, page 29

myimessenger.com

Smash-hit poet Amanda Gorman at the Biden-Harris inauguration.

Thinking,

from page 28... Here are excerpts from Gorman’s “The Hill We Climb”: When day comes, we ask ourselves, where can we find light in this never-ending shade? The loss we carry, a sea we must wade. We’ve braved the belly of the beast. We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace. In the norms and notions of what just is, isn’t always just-ice. And yet, the dawn is ours … myimessenger.com

Credit: Facebook

before we knew it. Somehow, we do it. Somehow, we’ve weathered and witnessed a nation that isn’t broken, but simply unfinished. We, the successors of a country and a time where a skinny Black girl descended from slaves and raised by a single mother can dream of becoming president, only to find herself reciting for one. … We are striving to forge our union with purpose, to compose a country committed

to all cultures, colors, characters and conditions of man. And so, we lift our gazes not to what stands between us, but what stands before us. We close the divide because we know, to put our future first, we must first put our differences aside. We lay down our arms so we can reach out our arms to one another. … If we’re to live up to our own time, then victory won’t lie in the blade, but in all the bridges we’ve made.

That is the promise to glade, the hill we climb if only we dare it. Because being American is more than a pride we inherit; it’s the past we step into and how we repair it. … We will not march back to what was, but move to what shall be: a country that is bruised, but whole; benevolent, but bold; fierce and free. … 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

January 29, 2021

“N“ OR POSSIBLY A CONDITION

WHAT’S ON MILES MIND

MILES JAYE James Baldwin declared “I Am NOT Your Negro.” He credited the word niggah to White people and suggested the term was devised to satisfy their need for such a word or type. In a 1968 interview, Baldwin told talk show host Dick Cavett and his guest, Paul Weiss, a philosophy professor, “The years I lived in Paris did one thing for me… it released me from a particular social terror that is not the paranoia of my own mind, but a real social danger that is visible on the face of every cop, every boss, everybody.” A particular social terror? A real social danger? Could this be White niggahs? After watching the assault on the Capitol for the twentieth time, it occurred to me that what I was witnessing were actions typically credited to Black people-- niggahs, but these were White people. Niggahs are known to riot, loot, and vandalize property, but these were White folk. Was I watching White niggahs tearing up the Capitol? I decided to take a trip down the proverbial rabbit hole to see if I could find out more about White niggahs-- that is… if there really is such a thing. Comedian Chris Rock tells a joke suggesting there are two types of Black people, Blacks and niggahs. “Every January 29, 2021

time Black people get together to have some fun, niggahs eff it up.” Hilarious, and perhaps true to an extent, however, wholly unfair and a disservice to African Americans. After returning from a tour of the Motherland, Richard Pryor announced, somewhat emotionally, there are no niggahs in Africa. That may also be only partially true. Certainly, to the extent that human beings inhabit the Motherland, there is very likely some niggerishness going on. At any rate, Pryor was so moved by the experience he pledged to

“

The years I lived in Paris did one thing for me… it released me from a particular social terror that is not the paranoia of my own mind, but a real social danger that is visible on the face of every cop, every boss, everybody.

stop using the term. I would offer this for consideration. Perhaps niggah is a condition, a reaction to conditions, a state of mind, rather than a group or individual. There is no niggah, there is only niggah mood or attitude-- a behavior-- nigganess, niggarish. That explained much of what I saw watching the insurrection. Those niggahs were pissed that someone stole their elec-

I MESSENGER

tion and threatened to steal their country and they weren’t having it. They were willing to burn the place down or blow it up before they let it be ripped from their grasp. Sound familiar? In the early hours of the riot, newscasters used terms such as protesters, and demonstrators. As the evening wore on, I could sense they were aching to say; “Look at those niggahs.” The behavior of the mob perfectly matched any riot or riotous behavior I had ever seen. Looting and vandalism is not exclusive to Black peo-

“

ple, it’s universal. Vandals, by the way, were early Germanic people. At any rate, revisit protests from around the world, China, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, S. America, and notice what they all have in common-- niggahness. Ever see a soccer stadium riot? Once we understand and accept that there are niggahs everywhere, we’ll find ourselves far less sensitive to the mere sound of the word.

Someone tricked us into taking ownership of it-- don’t. When an individual reacts violently or lashes out angrily, and seemingly irrationally, the behavior should be characterized as niggarish with no association to race, creed, nationality or color. It doesn’t make them niggahs, just mad, fed up, angry with their circumstances. Road rage is not a Black thing, but it is niggarish. I admittedly have been guilty of overreacting, behaving in a far less than thoughtful manner, using far less than sophisticated language, but I’m not now, nor will I ever be a niggah. That was worth the trip down the rabbit hole. I’m satisfied now knowing there are White niggahs! Now let’s make it official. Track them niggahs down and lock their a…. up. We burn down a convenience store and a cop car and the National Guard is deployed. Them, (yes, I said them) niggahs, brought guns and pipe bombs, and were ready to start a war and you couldn’t find a dozen cops standing side by side. I suppose White Supremacy extends to their niggahs too. We’ll talk about them niggahs scaling the walls, hand over hand, like Ninja or Dracula or the Devil himself next time. I think I’ll call it… Demonocracy. That’s what’s on my mind! Website: www.milesjaye.net Podcast: https://bit.ly/2zkhSRv Email: milesjaye360@gmail.com

myimessenger.com

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re open and ready to serve you!

You can enjoy life and still be safe!

Elaineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Jamaican Kitchen

(214) 565-1008 2717 Martin L. King Jr Blvd, Dallas, TX 75215

Wear the masks, wash your hands and show love! myimessenger.com

January 29, 2021

Baseball Icon

Henry ‘Hank‘ Aaron dies at 86 By STACY M. BROWN NNPA Newswire Baseball’s recognized home run king and an African American hero, Henry “Hank” Aaron, has died at the age of 86. Aaron, who broke Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record on April 8, 1974, was not just a baseball legend but a hero to superstars. “He’s the one man that I idolize more than myself,” the late boxing legend Muhammad Ali once said about Aaron. While with the Atlanta Braves, Aaron tied Ruth’s mark of 714 homers on April 7. A day later, he slugged No. 715 against the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Al Downing. Before and throughout his chase of Ruth’s longstanding record, Aaron was subjected to racism and hate. Death threats were common, and even some teammates and those throughout baseball despised Aaron as he approached their white hero’s record. Despite beefed up security at Atlanta’s Fulton County Stadium, some fans breached the outfield walls as Aaron trotted around the bases following his record-setting dinger. Legendary footage shows at least two fans were able to physically greet Aaron as he rounded second base and fireworks exploded in the Atlanta night. “A Black man is getting a standing ovation in the Deep South for breaking a January 29, 2021

Hank Aaron

record of an all-time baseball idol,” Dodgers announcer Vin Scully, who called the game, proclaimed as Aaron’s mother, family, and teammates greeted him at home plate. Born Henry Louis Aaron on February 5, 1934, in a poor Black section of Mobile, Alabama, called “Down the Bay,” Hank Aaron was the third of eight children born to Estella and Herbert Aaron. Aaron’s father made his living as a tavern owner and a dry dock boilermaker’s assistant. According to biography. com, Aaron and his family moved to the middle-class

I MESSENGER

Toulminville neighborhood when he was eight years old. Aaron, who became known as “Hammering Hank,” developed a strong affinity for baseball and football at a young age and focused more heavily on sports than his studies. During his freshman and sophomore years, he attended Central High School, a segregated high school in Mobile, where he excelled at football and baseball. Aaron first starred in the Negro Leagues in 1952 and again in 1953, batting .366, with five home runs and 33 RBIs in 26 official games. He began his Major League Baseball career in 1954 with the Milwaukee Braves and spent 23 seasons as an outfielder with Milwaukee – the franchise eventually moved to Atlanta. Aaron finished his career with 755 home runs, a record topped by Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants in 2007. However, many baseball purists recognize Aaron as the true record holder, alleging that Bonds used performance enhancing drugs to bolster his power. Bonds has denied those allegations. Aaron’s biography at the Baseball Hall of Fame, where he earned induction in 1982, noted that he was “a consistent producer both at the plate and in the field, reaching the .300 mark in batting 14 times, 30 home runs 15 times, 90 RBI 16 times and captured three Gold Glove Awards enroute to 25 All-Star Game selections.”

The Hall biography notes that 1957 was arguably Aaron’s best season. He hit .322 that year with 44 home runs and 132 RBI, captured the National League MVP Award, and led the Braves to their first World Series Championship since 1914. The U.S. Postal Service once honored Aaron for receiving nearly 1 million pieces of mail, more than any nonpolitician. On the 25th anniversary of Aaron’s 715th home run, Major League Baseball created the Hank Aaron Award, given annually to the players with the best overall offensive performances in each league. Aaron received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award, from President George W. Bush in 2002. According to the New York Times, the Baseball Hall of Fame opened a permanent exhibit in 2009 chronicling Aaron’s life. His childhood home was moved on a flatbed truck to the grounds of Hank Aaron Stadium, which was the home of the Mobile BayBears, a former minor league team, and opened as a museum in 2010. “Through his long career, Hank Aaron has been a model of humility, dignity, and quiet competence,” former Atlanta Mayor and U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young noted in a statement. “He did not seek the adoration that is accorded to other national athletic heroes, yet he has now earned it. myimessenger.com

myimessenger.com

January 29, 2021

I MESSENGER

myimessenger.com

Virtual and liVe Community Calendar

Human Trafficking Awareness Month

Human Trafficking Awareness Panel Discussion. Hosted by North Central Texas College. Online: www.facebook.com/ northcentraltexascollege. 7 pm. CST.

January 28-29

January 29

Virtual NNPA 2021 Mid-Winter Training Conference. The Black Press of America: Challenges, Responsibilities, Opportunities & COVID-19 Pandemic 6-8 pm. Free Reg; Eventbrite.com.

January 28–Feb. 1 Virtual Denton Black Film Festival, host Denton Black Film Festival. On line: www. dbff.eventive.org. 10 am.

January 28-Feb. 3 Sundance Film Festival: Dallas [Satellite Screen] Hosted by Sundance Film Festival and Texas Theatre. Tickets: thetexastheatre.com/series/sundace-film-festival-2021. 6:30 am.

Now- Feb. 5 Conquering Cancer Virtual Health Fair. UT Southwestern’s Simmons Cancer Center sponsors this Free, on-line health fair daily – from the comfort of your own home. Reg: http://bit. ly/3ciHz6H. Log On Anytime.

January 28 Ahyonz Feat: Kenya C at The Attaché Cigar, 4099 Camp Wisdom Rd. #101. 9 pm. $10 ticket via Cash App $TheAttache. Irving Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Virtual Networking Mixer 2021. Reg: irvinghcctx.chambermaster.com 5-6 pm. Small Business Webinars. Host Texas Association of African American Chambers of Commerce. RSVP: www.USBlackChambers.org/webinars. 2 pm. King 2021 Lecture & Series: Where Do We Go From Here? Speaker: Rev. Dr. William Barber, II. Facing 2021 and Beyond. 5-6:30 pm CST. Online: morehouse.zoom.us. The Great Migration, Reconsidered Online Event host: Newberry Library. At 4 pm CST. Register: https://bit.ly/3oWd6ie. Budget & Credit in Uncertain Times Virtual Sessions. Terri Thomas, Chase Bank, “Tools for Your Journey” Reg: http://bit. ly/39ChwnT. 6:30-7:30 pm. CST. Texas Women’s Foundation Presents Virtual Viewpoints: The Essentials-Housing. Sponsored by Capital One. Reg: http://bit. ly/2XXeJjz. 10:30-11:30 am. Building Social Equity: The Election Is Over, Now What? Event by United Way of South Hampton Roads. African American Leadership Society with moderator, April Woodard. 11am-12:30 pm Reg: http:// bit.ly/39RjEbi

myimessenger.com

February 3

Michael “Hollywood” Hernandez Live Podcast on Facebook @HollywoodHernandez, at 2 pm.

February 4

Virtual Vision Board Party: Looking Beyond 2020. Online Event by Diamond Hill Community Center at 6 pm. Sign up: Text to 81010 or message: @mallumsd. Online Spiritual Care Sessions Hosted by Friendship-West Baptist Church. 1-2:30 pm. Tickets: https://zoom.us/j/8567036848. Time’s Up: NO More Insecurities Event by Dr Stacia Alexander LPC-S and Karen Anderson. Register at https://forms.gle/Pp2xxAuU8ruTumq19. 7 pm. CST.

Living with Low Vision ZWHJCOC Lunch & Learn Session, with Dr. Stephanie Fleming, O.D. 11:30 am-12:30 pm. via Zoom at www. zwhjcoc.org. Reimagining “We The People” Hosted by Reimagining We The People National Conference. 9 am- 5 pm. CST. Reg: http:// bit.ly/2Y7YP6b. Civil Rights Legacies: Martin, Malcolm, Gwen, and Julian. Event by Schomburg Center for Research in Black Online: Eventbrite.com. 5:30 pm CST.

January 30

February 5

FREE COVID-19 Testing at Paul Quinn College 3837 Simpson Stuart Rd. 10 am-4 pm. Food boxes will be given out for free as well. First come first serve until gone.

13th Annual DMV Links Red Dress Event. Event by DMV Linksgored. Special guest: JoyAnn Reid of The ReidOut Online: reddress. eventbrite.com. 6-8 pm. CST.

Eldercare Webinar: Taking Care of Self & Navigating the System. Host Prince George’s County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Virtual Reg: tinyurl.com. 9 am-12 pm.

Rhythm In Black: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow – A Black History Month Event. Event by Andy Street LB. Tickets Online: eventbrite.com. 11 am CST.

Reading As Activism Discusses Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye. At 12 pm. Online: us02web.zoom.us.

Pink GOes RED for Heart Health! Virtual Zumba and Yoga Session. Hosted by AKA Gamma Omicron Omega Chapter Tyler, Texas. 6:306:45 pm. Zoom: http://bit.ly/3iIH1b2 ID#: 94828613328 code: 778985

TeamJesus Movement Concert, Hosted by TeamJesus Movement. Online: teamjesusmovement.world at 8 pm. CST.

February 6 1st Saturday Harvest Project Food Rescue Free Fruit and Veggies, at the Pan African Connection 4466 S. Marsalis Ave. 10 am-3 pm. Call 214-943-8262.

Ramsey Lewis - Love Notes. Online event. Ticket Link: http://bit.ly/2Y6MUp0. 1-2 pm.

January 31 Grandscape Winter Jazz Series. Hosted by Grandscape Texas, 5752 Grandscape Blvd, The Colony. 2-4 pm. CST.

February 1 Building a Career in Banking: Virtual Classes. Classes Start: Friday, February 1, from 9am – 3pm. Dallas College. Free. It’s An 8-week course. Contact: Ms. Myles; 214-860-8550. Reg: http://bit.ly/3bU2gW5. 2021 Free Human Rights Lecture Series host SJSU Human Rights Institute. Feat: Dr. Bettina Aptheker, Watch Party http://go.sjsu.edu/ HRI1. Reg: bit.ly/3oZWaal. 5:30-8:30 pm.

Dallas Black Dance Theatre’s DBDT: Encore! Reminisce reflects on the Civil Rights Era, tribute to the music of Andra Day, Aretha Franklin, and Gladys Knight & The Pips and of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. virtual performance 7 pm CST Tickets: www.DBDT.com. Business Alliance Ball at The Attaché Cigar, 4099 Camp Wisdom Rd. #101. 7 pm. Tickets: www.theattacheclub.com.

Andrew’s World with host Andrew Whigham III on BlogTalkRadio.com 8 am.-10 am. CST. Sundays Tune in for thought-provoking, enlightening, informative, and entertaining news and commentary. Join the call 646-200-0459. on In The Middle with Ashley Moss. “Talking about topics that Matter” Join in on Facebook/@TexasMetroNews and BlogTalkRadio. com at 11 am-1 pm. CST. Mondays. Join the conversation call 646-2000459.

DFW News & Tings with Jirah Nicole. From 11 am-1 pm. CST Tuesday’s on Facebook Live/@TexasMetroNews and BlogTalkRadio. com. Call in and join the conversation at 646-200-0459. Doc Shep Speaks Show! A fresh perspective, but still entertaining! Welcome to The Doc Shep Speaks Show!!!. Tuesdays at 11 am. CST Live on Facebook/@TexasMetroNews, @ fnsconsulting, and YouTube Live @ docshepspeaks.

I Was Just Thinking with Norma Adams-Wade “History Class is in Session” Join in on Facebook/@ TexasMetroNews and BlogTalkRadio.com at 11 am -1 pm. CST. Wednesdays. Join the conversation call 646-200-0459. From Marva with Love with Marva Sneed from11 am -1 pm. CST, Fridays on Facebook Live/@TexasMetroNews, and BlogTalkRadio.com. Call in and join the conversation at 646-2000459.

BLACK LIVES MATTER

2021 Allstate Hot Chocolate 15k/5k Dallas. Host Hot Chocolate 15k/5k. Dallas’s sweetest 15k/5k at 7 am-12 pm. CST. Register: http://bit.ly/2GBBIZ8.

February 2 Facebook Live, Managing Debt So You Can Thrive. AARP Programs, at www.facebook.com/AARPPrograms. 6-6:45 pm.

The LOVE Expo 2021. Event by Boss Hogg Productions and Brianna Hogg at South Oak Cliff High School, 3601 S. Marsalis Ave. 2-6 pm. CST. Info: www. eventbrite.com.

January 29, 2021

CUT THROAT CITY rates a medium AT THE MOVIES BY HOLLYWOOD HERNANDEZ

CUT THROAT CITY, currently showing on NETFLIX, is about four African American men who live in the 9th Ward of New Orleans. The four men have been friends since childhood and they return to the 9th Ward after the city is devastated by Hurricane Katrina. They are out of money, and out of luck, after FEMA denies their requests for any type of federal aid. The movie, produced by music producer RZA (Wu Tang Clan), is a dark crime story about the friends accepting an opportunity to follow a 9th Ward drug lord, played by T.I., who enlists them to pull a broad daylight heist at a casino right in the heart of New Orleans. As the gang tries to get away they are pursued by the cops and one friend is killed. They also run into more trouble when they come up short on the robbery money and the drug lord orders his men to kill the remaining gang members. The friends fight their way out of the jam and look for a spot to lay low for a while. Blink, played by Shamiek Moore, is the lead character. He recently married and is concerned for the safety of his family. The movie has a lot of big name actors in small parts, like Wesley Snipes, Terrance Howard and Ethan Hawke. The acting in the movie is stellar but, until the final scenes the movie goes into a lot of the character’s philosophies January 29, 2021

on racism, capitalism, and their feelings on artwork and how it effects Black culture. The final 20 minutes of the film is the best part of the movie and that part is filled

I MESSENGER

with graphic, violent scenes, earning the movie a R rating. With the premise of coming home to New Orleans after Katrina, this could have been a better movie; but un-

fortunately, it’s not. On My “Hollywood Popcorn Scale” I rate CUT THROAT CITY a MEDIUM. myimessenger.com

myimessenger.com

January 29, 2021

I MESSENGER

myimessenger.com

FAITHFUL ON-A APP

THAT CELEBRITY INTERVIEW BY VALDER BEEBE

Faith at Your Fingertips! Find inspiration in 2021, in Faithful, the First-of-Its Kind Mobile App with original content from prominent spiritual leaders. I interviewed Judah Smith, Pastor and Chaplain of the Seattle Seahawks on how to use Faithful APP. Faithful is a new faith-focused mobile app from Seventh Spark (a tech company who provides digital solutions for faith communities) It delivers Christian sermons and original content from prominent spiritual leaders such as Pastors Judah Smith, Samuel Rodriguez, Chad Veach and Dr. Dharius Daniels and more through on-demand, original and curated content at users’ fingertips. This modern space for faith aims to deepen users’ connection to God and bring

myimessenger.com

positive change through on-demand inspiration and curated content from more than 50 motivational voices around the world. With an easy-to-navigate design, Faithful delivers a highly personalized experience that allows users to select content covering specific themes and topics including confidence, joy, courage, anxiety, depression and even addiction. The platform is designed to enable users to follow their favorite content and also discover new pastors. The new app is a freemium, ad-free service and is available now on the App Store and Google Play for free and paid subscription options at $69.99 annually or $9.99 monthly. All new users will be able to experience the premium content through a seven-day free trial. Prior to becoming Lead Pastor in 2009, Judah Smith led Generation Church, the youth ministry of The City Church, for 10 years. Judah is

Pastor Judah Smith

known for his fresh, anointed, humorous messages that demystify the Bible and make Christianity real. Judah is also an expert on leadership and motivation. He and his wife, Chelsea, have three children, Zion, Eliott, and Grace..- Judah Smith publicists provided text VBS: First, let me ask, do all football teams engage a Pastor or Chaplain?

PJS: Most football teams in the NFL do, but not every team. It’s something I get to do, volunteer and get to be there before every game. VBS: Pastor Judah, I’m excited you are here to give clarity on “faith at our fingertips” please explain. PJS: We are very excited. You get it anywhere you download apps. The APP has an impressive line-up of faith believers with content geared to your struggle. Faith leaders Sadie Robertson from Duck Dynasty, Brian Houston and more. VBS: Are you on the APP? PJS: Yes I am. VBS: What is the core purpose of creating this APP? PJS: A reason we named it Faithful, because when the faith community hears that term, faithful, we want to change the thinking to grow, listen……..

Judah Smith’s complete interview…SoundCloud.com/valderbeebeshow; YouTube.com/valderbeebeshow: Broadcasting to a national & global audience: ValdeBeebeShow.com; KKVI FM Radio, KRER FM, Streaming TV, Social Media, Print - I MESSENGER, Texas Metro News and Garland Journal News.

January 29, 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 January 29, 2021

I MESSENGER

myimessenger.com